Cast Your Bread Upon the Water

As I have listened to the presidential candidates over the last few months, I have been struck with a reminder how negative campaigning can come back to bite you. For instance, one of the reasons Senator Ted Kennedy gave for supporting Barak Obama was because of the Clintons attack on Obama. Another example is when some voters withdrew their support of Mitt Romney when he started criticizing John McCain rather than staying focused on his own message.

It is important to remember, though, that not only does negativity have its repercussions but so does kindness as the story below illustrates.


November 07, 2007
Cast Your Bread Upon the Water

One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry.

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you.

He said, 'I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.'

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped.

Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, 'And think of me.'

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her.

The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase.

The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back.

The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: 'You don't owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.'

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard....

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, 'Everything's going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.'

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I am convinced that "bread we cast upon the water" does come back to us. It may not come back from the person to whom we have bestowed the kindness, but it will come back...and the longer it takes, the larger the dividend.

Birthday: A Time To Reflect

Yesterday I celebrated my 60th birthday! Even though I don't particularly like the fact that I have now lived more years than I will live in the future, I like birthdays. It is a time to reflect upon the events, accomplishments, and growth of the last year as well as to ponder on what I want to accomplish and experience in the coming year.


I like using my birthday rather than New Year's to do this because my birthday is a milestone in my own personal life. Reflecting on my 59th year has not been an easy one, though, because it was filled with many painful disappointments and excruciating opposition which zapped much of my strength and left me quite weary.


A birthday --the start of a new year of my life--provides a time to refocus on my goal which is to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to help Him with His work to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man within my circle of influence. Therefore, I must allow Him to mold me in the way He chooses--and to prune that which is getting in the way. Molding and pruning are always painful although both are necessary to produce the desired fruit.


It is also critical to remember that opposition is not a bad thing. The LDS Prophet Joseph Smith learned that opposition grew as he became more valuable to the Lord's purposes. Albert Einstein understood this when he said, "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." Therefore, for those of us who desire to be great spirits and be an instrument in the Lord's hands to make a difference for our diverse learners, it should not be a surprise when we encounter opposition. In fact, if we aren't facing any opposition, we are probably not doing much to make a difference.

President Gordon B. Hinckley's Example

Many throughout the world are mourning the loss of beloved prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Gordon B. Hinckley, who died yesterday at the age of 97.

What legacy and example he has left for all of us!

President Hinckley often related the story of how his father responded to him when he was a discouraged LDS missionary serving in England. His father counseled him to "forget yourself and go to work." Pres. Hinckley's life exemplified how deeply he took to heart that counsel. He had an incredible and inspiring work ethic that few, even those much younger than he, could match even in Pres. Hinckley's aging years. He was a man of vision who lengthened his stride to make the visions he saw in his heart and mind a reality.

Although Pres. Hinckley was very aware of many daunting challenges facing the nation and the world--and individuals--he always exhibited a contagious optimism. He was able to maintain this optimism because he never forgot who was in charge--Heavenly Father. He trusted in His promises that all would work out in the end--Righteousness would come off conqueror.

Pres. Hinckley's quick wit and genuine, unconditional love endeared him to others, including Mike Wallace, and allowed him to build bridges across racial, religious, cultural, and political divides. He recognized that all people were children of a Heavenly Father who loved them and continually counseled LDS members to be kinder, more tolerant, and to be inclusive and that hatred, unkindness, arrogance and self-righteousness should be weeded out of the heart of every true Latter Day Saint.

As we strive to follow the example and counsel of President Gordon B. Hinckley with hard work and optimism, whether a member of the LDS faith or not, we will see the miracles that Pres. Hinckley promised would happen when we reach out to each other in kindness, respect, and love.

Both Scholarly and Religious: Dallin H. Oaks

Dallin H. Oaks served as the President of BYU (Brigham Young University) from 1971-1980. From 1980 to 1984 he served as a Utah Supreme Court Justice and was closely considered by the Reagan administration in 1981 to be a nominee for the Supreme Court Justice. On April 7, 1984 Oaks was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints which is a life long calling.


Obviously Dallin H. Oaks is not only a well-educated and scholarly man of high distinction, but he is also a deeply religious man as well. Therefore, when he speaks, I listen knowing his words convey an extremely important message that I need to apply to my life.


Yesterday as I read his LDS (Latter Day Saint) Conference talk Good, Better, Best given at the October 2007 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Conference, I thought of its application to how we serve our diverse learners.

At the beginning of his talk he reminds us that just because something is good is not a sufficient reason to do it. He goes onto say that there are so many good things to do in this world there isn't enough time to do them all. We must give priority to the best of the good.

Elder Oaks tells of when he was a youngster how they used the Sears and Roebuck catalog as we use malls and the internet today. In the catalog there were three quality categories for shoes--good, better, and best--with a cost increase as the quality increased. He compared this to choices we have in life. Even though something may cost more (in time, energy, or money), the added cost may be well worth it because of the added value it brings.

This counsel relates to our service to diverse learners in a variety of ways:

First, there are now thousands of people who give speeches, write books, and make videos about what we need to do better serve our diverse learners. The majority of them are good, but we don't have time to respond to them all. We must choose the best from the good. I would define the best as those who are focused on what works either because research and/or experience support their claim.

Second, we must think not only of the good things we can for our diverse learners, but rather the best things. For instance, a good thing is for all educators (teachers and leaders) to become ESL endorsed. A better thing would be to apply what is learned. The best thing would be to make sure that the lives of the students are changed and improved because of the efforts. In other words, rejoicing just because more educators are ESL endorsed is not sufficient.

We move from good to best when our desire to serve our diverse learners is founded in love rather than out of duty or arrogance.

Resources Aren't Self-Activating

In my state of Utah (as well as the nation) the student population demographics are changing. The number of English Language Learners in our schools is growing exponentially. How we teach them will not only have an impact on the lives of the individual students, but also on the economic, social, and democratic life of our state and country.

Therefore, Governor Jon Huntsman's comment on Utah Now last night that he wants to allocate $7 million for the education of English Language Learners, caught my attention. I applaud him for wanting to address the needs of this population. It is my hope that he and others are asking some serious questions so that this $7 million can reap the greatest dividends:

1. What is the specific goal to be achieved? and by when?
2. How is this goal related to the vision and mission statement we have for the education of Utah's children?
3. Is there a strategic plan in place to achieve the goal--a plan that incorporates what research and experience demonstrate works for English Language Learners?
4. How will the $7 million be used to achieve the goal? What resources other than money are needed to achieve the goal and how are they being accessed?
5. How will we know if the goal is achieved--how will it be measured and evaluated?
6. Who is responsible and being held accountable for determining the goal, the development and implementation of the strategic plan, and for the evaluation of the plan?
7. Are there other ways this $7 million could be better utilized?

It's important to ask AND answer these questions because resources are not self-activating.

"I Am the Only One"

"I am the only one," is a phrase every 2008 Presidential candidate has repeatedly used in interviews, debates, and speeches. They are obviously using this phrase as part of a political agenda to win votes. Yet, it definitely has application to those of us wanting to better serve our diverse learners.

There will be many times we will probably feel like we are the "only one." In some arenas it may be a reality that our voice is the only voice speaking in behalf of diverse learners. It is critical that we keep on speaking that lone voice in spite of the fact that it may appear no one is listening. One of my favorite stories in the New Testament is the widow who is persistent at knocking at the door of the unjust judge. We need to just keep knocking at the door. Persistence does eventually reap its rewards--although maybe not in the timing we would prefer--but it will always be at the perfect timing.

There is a website http://www.powerone.org/ that you might want to visit for ideas. At this site, you can also read about a book called The Power of One.

Thought: If you want to innovate, to change an enterprise or a society,
it takes people willing to do what's not expected. - Jean Riboud

Fostering Resiliency

Patricia Gándara says in her book Over the Ivy Walls:
"Our increased understanding of the factors that lead to failure has not appreciably diminished the rate of failure. Perhaps a better understanding of what leads to academic success will yield more fruitful outcomes….An important element missing from most research has been the insights which can be gained from an understanding of how students who don’t fail, in spire of adverse circumstances, manage to escape that fate." (pp. xii, 9)


What Gándara says resonates with the work of Martin Seligman on "learned helplessness" and with the work of others (Benard, Henderson, and Werner) on resiliency. Rather than a focus on deficits and causing our diverse learners to feel like victims, giving them the tools to be successful in spite of whatever happens to them will be more productive.


Nan Henderson shares what a young man who had spent most of his life in dozens of foster homes told her about what helped him the most. He said that it was the people along the way who gave him the message, "What is right with you is more powerful than anything that is wrong with you."


We can give our diverse learners this message by helping them to draw upon their resiliency. The new edition of Resiliency In Action edited by Nan Henderson can help us know how to do just that.


The book is divided into seven parts:

Part One: The Foundations of Resiliency

Part Two: Resiliency and Schools

Part Three: Resiliency and Communities

Part Four: Resiliency, Connections: Mentoring, Support, and Counseling

Part Five: Resiliency and Youth Development

Part Six: Resiliency and Families

Part Seven: Resiliency and the Brain


I haven't read the book, yet, but I have read Resiliency: What We Have Learned by Bonnie Benard, and it was excellent, and I've also read work by Emmy Werner. Therefore, this new book is definitely on my reading list, and I would highly recommend that it be put on yours as well.

No Place Is Too Small

As I have reflected on Martin Luther King's The Drum Major Instinct speech and One Solitary Life by James Francis, I was reminded of a favorite poem:

Father, where shall I work today?

And my love flowed warm and free,

Then he pointed out a tiny spot

And said, "Tend that for me."

I answered quickly, "Oh no, not that!

Why, no one would ever see,

No matter how well my work was done,

Not that little place for me."

And the word he spoke, it was not stern;

"Art thou working for them or for me?

Nazareth was a little place,

And so was Galilee."

The application of this poem's lesson will help our personal influence and service to be felt wherever we are, no matter how small that place may be-- and even if that place appears to be insignificant or unnoticed.

Reference:
Meade MacGuire, "Father, Where Shall I Work Today?" in Best-Loved Poems of the LDS People, comp. Jack M. Lyon and others (1996), 152.

One Solitary Life

In Martin Luther King's speech The Drum Major's Instinct he recited the poem by James Francis called One Solitary Life. Felt that it described beautifully what credentials one must have to serve and how one life can make a difference. Therefore, today I share this poem.

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty, and then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office.

He never owned a home. He never set foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He had no credentials but Himself.

While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves.

His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth while He was dying -- and that was His coat. When He was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone and today He is the centerpiece of the human race and the leader of progress. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as that One Solitary Life.

by James A. Francis

"The Drum Major Instinct" Speech by Martin Luther King

Last Friday I had the opportunity to attend the 2008 Drum Major Awards Luncheon in Salt Lake. The keynote speaker was Judge Shauna Graves-Robertson. She chose to base her speech on the "The Drum Major Instinct" speech that Martin Luther King, Jr. gave at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia on February 4, 1968.

I as so impressed with her speech that I came home and found Dr. King's speech so I could read it in it's entirety. In honor of Martin Luther King's life that is celebrated today, I am choosing to share lessons from this speech that if applied, can help King's dream be realized.

The speech is based on the story found in the 10th chapter of St. Mark in the New Testament when James and John, the sons of Zebedee, request to sit at his right hand and left hand. Toward the end of Jesus' response, He says, "But so shall it not be among you, but whosoever will be great among, shall be your servant: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be the servant of all."

King cautions us not to be too critical of James and John because deep down all of us have this instinct=="it's a kind of drum major instinct--a desire to be out front, a desire to lead the parade, a desire to be first." He adds that even when we do something good, too often we do it so we can be praised for it.

King notes some ways that this drum major instinct manifests itself in our lives:

• Being a "joiner" for attention, recognition, importance
• Being taken in by advertisers who promise that their product will make us stand out
• Living above our means in order to outdo the Joneses
• Boasting
• Striving to identify with the so-called big-name people
• Engaging in activities merely to get attention which if not harnessed can lead to anti social behavior in the quest for recognition
• Pushing others down through gossip and even lies in hopes to push oneself up
• Snobbish exclusiveness and classism which can even happen in churches, the one place where everybody should be the same regardless of degrees, titles, economics, etc. because all are children of the same Father
• Race prejudice because of desire to feel superior

Jesus did not condemn James and John because of their desire. In fact, in essence he told them that the drum major instinct was a good thing if they used it right. In other words, it's ok to want to be first, but want to be first in love, excellence, generosity---a definition for greatness.

King emphasizes that the use of this definition of greatness, everyone can be great because everyone can serve. The one solitary life of Jesus is our example--He who had no credentials but himself just went around serving and doing good.

Joint Endeavor to Educate and Advocate

Valuing first language as a resource is so important if we are to serve our diverse learners well. Research from more and more disciplines is supporting this premise including special education, counseling, literacy, and early childhood. And position statements have been written by many organizations such as the International Reading Association and the National Education Association supporting the importance of first language.


For this reason, it would behoove these organizations--both locally and nationally--to join forces to educate about and advocate for policies, programs, procedures, persons, and places related to language issues. This joint endeavor will cause their efforts to be more powerful and effective.

A good place to start is to have all of them read the new book by James Crawford and Stephen Krashen--English Learners in American Classrooms 101 Questions and 101 Answers.

Cornell West Insights--Part 3

"A democracy is created to ensure that arbitrary forms of power are not deployed or used against fellow citizens and fellow human beings." "Democracy is affirming the humanity an dignity of people of color."

"I am not a politician. I am a fellow citizen but I am deeply political."

West reminds us of what Malcolm X suggested about the fact that the chickens will come home to roost. "We must not think that there will ever be enough police or prisons to deal with the overwhelming social despair that results from the social neglect in those kindergartens, elementary schools, and secondary schools and high schools.

"Resources are necessary for education, but not sufficient for essential education. "Creative thinking, critical intelligence, deep commitment, connection with students, believing deeply that students can learn are other critical essentials." Yet, when 1% of the population has roughly the same wealth as the bottom 95% of the population, there needs to be a serious discussion about the wealth inequality in this country.

"Charity is not justice."

"I am not optimistic. Anyone who has the audacity to adopt a democratic vision cannot be optimistic, though I do not conflate optimism with hope." Hope means one keeps keeping on to come together to form communities and schools that embody democratic principles.

"Maybe we have a problem. Maybe we ought to really try to take seriously multiracial democracy. Which we know was not the division of the founding fathers, even given their relative wisdom. They could not conceive of black, white, red, yellow, all having equal citizenship status. They could not conceive of women having equal citizenship status. And one says that not to trash them just contextualize them. They had wisdom but it is relative to context, just as we have wisdom today but it is relative to our context. But we are building on their vision...if we do not wrestle...with [its] overwhelming inequality and increasing inequality, then yes, we can begin to lose that precious democratic tradition that was transmitted, bequeathed to us by the best of those who came before."

West reminds us of a staple from the Martin Luther King legacy which was to let go of bitterness, hatred and revenge, regardless of history. We must fall in love with peace and justice and the desire to serve.

Cornell West Insights --Part 2

"We are all on the same ship, and that ship has leaks in it. We must all stick together, or we will all fall apart, for we are inextricably linked together."

"While the unexamined life is not worth living, the examined life is a necessarily painful one to lead."

"What does it mean to be human? To be human is to suffer, to shudder in the face of life's mysteries and to struggle with that mystery."

West quotes William Butler Yeats who said, "it takes more courage to dig deep into the abyss of one's own soul than it takes for a soldier to fight on the battlefield."

"Teachers must forge a courage in themselves and attempt to make it contagious with their students to move from learning that is too hollow, too shallow, too quantitative, too standard-oriented."

"Lack of democracy: voicelessness. Democratic reality: a sense of being an agent in the world.

"West quotes Emerson as saying that all forms of imitation are suicide. Therefore, each must find his or her own distinctive voice and practice it and "bounce it up against other voices within the community like a jazz quartet."

Cornell West Insights

Because I was so impressed with Cornell West's speech on Thursday, I took some time to read some of his other speeches. The following are some "gems" I discovered:

"There can be no substantive Essential Education without accenting non-market values, activities that allow us to situate ourselves, and our young people, our students, in stories bigger than us."

"We have become addicted to stimulation and titillation, shallow pleasures, and have discarded the search for depth."

" 'Gangsterization,' a movement which is mean-spirited, cold-hearted, and back-stabbing is going in our society. In our search for material success, non-market values such as concern, compassion, or unity have been forced to take a back seat."

"The 9-11 terrorist attacks in the U. S. gave white Americans a glimpse of what it means to be a black person in the U. S. --feeling 'unsafe, unprotected, subject to random violence, and hatred' for who they are."

Recapturing the Heart of the Twelve Year Old

As I have been reflecting this morning on the words from Dr. Cornell West's speech at the University of Utah yesterday, I'm reminded of an incident that happened on my 12th birthday 48 years ago this month. My mother had finally given in and allowed me to invite all the girls from my class, including two Black girls, to my birthday party because I had insisted that I didn't want to have a party if anyone had to be left out.

West's words inspired me to want to recapture that 12 year old attitude and determination as so much work still needs to be done not only in my personal life but as a nation, too, so that no one is left out.

Progress has been made as Linda Chavez reminds us in her article Our Better Angels: Martin Luther King's Legacy posted at www.townhall.com on January 18, 2008. Chavez notes that under the leadership of King in the Civil Rights movement, the hearts and minds of American people were changed and led out of complacency to exclaim, "This should not happen in America" The conscience of millions of Americans of all colors had been pricked, and they understood that the injustices they were witnessing on their TV screens were simply wrong. An army of men and women, young and old, black and white, was mobilized and the non-violent protests for democratic rights for all began.

West reminded us, though, that in spite of the progress that has been made, the journey isn't over until Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream has been totally realized. In order for this to happen, all of us must respond to what both King and Lincoln called the appeal to "the better angels of our nature" and get to work.

Be There

Woody Allen's formula for success is summarized in his words, "80% of success is showing up." Many years ago I heard a similar message condensed to two words: Be there.

Yesterday United Way was sponsoring its 4th Annual Legislation Breakfast. I had earlier responded with a yes RSVP that I would attend, but I was in a real time crunch because of a variety of assignments that needed to be completed. Yet, I felt prompted to attend. After all, it was only going to take a couple of hours out of my day.

The first person I saw as I entered the parking lot elevator was LeeAnne Linderman, a favorite person of mine who always inspires me just by being around her for a few minutes. After registering I sat down at an empty table as I hadn't come with anyone, and I didn't see anyone I knew. It wasn't long before I realized that the one conducting the meeting was Scott Anderson, the President and CEO of Zions Bank---someone with whom I had been playing phone tag as I had wanted to contact him about an idea. Being able to speak to him in person after the meeting instead of continuing to try to connect by phone was definitely a plus.

Already my investment of time was paying off! Then during the meeting, much to the surprise of both of us, Sandy Petersen, the Davis School District Assistant Superintendent, sat down beside me. She is an incredible educator and person who is committed to serving Hispanic learners. It was rejuvenating just to have the opportunity to visit with her for a few minutes.

Surprises aren't over, yet. At the end of the meeting someone else who had come in and sat down at my table spoke to me by name, and I realized it was Joan Dixon, another person who is an inspiration because of the great work she is doing with Hispanics in the Provo area.

Needless to say, it was well worth the two hour investment to follow the prompting to "show up" and to "be there"---over and above hearing what the legislators had to say!

Learning From the Democratic Presidential Candidates

Last night we watched the 2008 Presidential Democratic Debate taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada. Even though I am not a Democrat (am not sure what I am at this point!), there were some important lessons to be learned.

Lesson #1: The candidates stayed focused on the issues and refused to be caught up in the media frenzy that seems to be determined to be divisive. For instance, Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama had worked out between them, before the debate, the accusations flying back and forth about a comment of Senator Clinton's concerning Martin Luther King. Another example, was Senator Barak Obama's response to lies about him that were being spread on the internet. Another example was when Obama refused to blame race for his New Hampshire loss to Clinton.

Lesson #2: Even though they had differing views on how to address a variety of issues they focused on the views and didn't resort to personal attacks. (Have to admit, though, that they weren't that kind when talking about President Bush). They recognized that in spite of their differences, they all were committed to the same goal--serving the American people.

Lesson #3: When asked to share a personal strength and a weakness, each was honest about both which indicated they knew themselves.

Lesson #4: Clinton and Edwards admitted mistakes they had made concerning a vote they had cast that later turned out not to be a wise choice. They did this with no excuses.

Lesson #5: When asked when and why they chose to run for president, each shared a tender moment.

Lesson #6: They complimented each other for the good things they had done and commented that they knew that the American people had three very competent and capable candidates to choose from. Once the American people made their final choice known, they would support that choice.

Lesson #7: Clinton asked for Obama's help with an issue she wanted to address.

Lesson #8: All three candidates were extremely knowledgeable about the topics. They weren't responding to questions with an emotional gut reaction although "heart" definitely played an important role in their opinions and decisions.

As educators contemplate each of these lessons they will see that there are definite applications as to how it might be in the best interest of our diverse students to address education issues in the same manner.

Two Important Questions

Yesterday I attended a panel presentation at the University of Utah. It was one of its Martin Luther King celebration events.

One person on the panel, Dr. Takuya Minami, suggested that we ask ourselves two questions:

1. Do I feel like a member of the community?
2. Am I comfortable inviting others to the community?

A yes answer to the second question relies upon a yes answer to the first question. The struggles of others won't become my struggles until I can answer, "Yes," to both of these questions.

Pondering the first question caused me to reflect upon the work of Dr. Robert Putnam concerning social capital. To feel like a member of the community I must expand my circle of influence beyond my own small world--I must become actively involved. Although voting is important, actively involved requires more than casting a vote. It demands stepping out of a comfort zone and getting into the arena. It means speaking up and doing about what's right even when it is unpopular.

Education Savings Account and Books

By helping our diverse students open an education savings account and then contribute to it we are not only telling them that we believe in them, but we are also helping them to focus on education goals.


Some things we can to encourage this: (The focus is going on the Hispanic student population because that is where my experience is but could definitely be adapted to other diverse student populations)

• In schools with a high Hispanic population when you find out some family is going to have a baby, give the family a book with a $1 (or more) check made out to a bank to open an education savings account. Sixth grade Hispanic students could tape record the books, and they could be given a small amount of money for their education savings account for doing this. A business partner (or grant) could be involved in paying for the cost of this project.


• For the state Spanish Spelling Bee, have the reward be money for an education savings account and a book.


• Encourage service and civic organizations to sponsor a variety of contests such as essay contests with the reward being money for the education savings account and books.


• School and classroom rewards could be money for the education savings account and books rather than other treats.


• Family members, friends, and neighbors could be encouraged to give money for the education savings account and/or books for such celebrations as holidays, births, birthdays, graduations, quinceañeras and other special occasions. Fellow church members could be encouraged to do the same for special occasions the child or youth experiences in the church setting such as baptisms.
• Encourage the student to put at least 10% of any earnings from an allowance or job into his/her educations savings account.
• Hold events such as yard sales where all the profit is divided amongst the participating students for their education savings account.
• Find someone who will match the amount of money in the education savings account each year. If needs be, set a minimum and/or a maximum the student has to accumulate.

In Utah (and a few other states) Zions Bank can help with setting up this education savings account. It can be opened with the minimum amount of $1 and the interest is greater than it is for other accounts. An added plus: Zions has Spanish banks where everyone in the bank speaks Spanish. For more information about this, contact Sylvia Haro at sylvia.haro@zionsbank.com. Other banks may have similar programs, but I am most familiar with Zions because I have worked with them.

Hope and Change

It would be hard for anyone (Democrat, Republican, Independent) to listen to Barak Obama's speech mantra of "hope and change" and not be inspired. Yet, Shelby Steele on Bill Moyers Now last Friday evening expressed the following:

"But if you listen to his -- speeches 'change,' 'hope.' I mean, it's a kind of-- it's an empty mantra. I mean a surprising degree of emptiness, of lack of specificity. What change? Change from what to what? What direction do you want to take the country? What do you mean by hope? There's never any specificity there because specificity is dangerous to a bargainer."

Earlier in the interview Shelby defined and explained a bargainer as " a black who enters the American, the white American mainstream by saying to whites in effect, in some code form, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. I'm not going to rub the shame of American history in your face if you will not hold my race against me. Whites then respond with enormous gratitude. And bargainers are usually extremely popular people." Shelby goes onto explain that the bad side of this is that no one ends up telling the truth about what one really feels and thus in a way becomes invisible.

All of this has great application to education issues especially as it relates to the education of our diverse learners. It could very well explain why the achievement gap (s) continues to persist despite all the rhetoric. People have entered into some kind of bargain so no one is offended by speaking the truth---being specific about what needs to be changed and who needs to do the changing. Policy makers enter into the bargain agreement to keep their jobs and/or to be reelected. Result: Nothing changes and the achievement gap (s) continue to exist.

If the achievement gap (s) scenario is ever going to change we need people who because they are more concerned about the next generation than the next "election" will challenge the status quo by telling the truth--with hope.