Not For Profit

Martha Nussbaum makes an assertion in her new book that not all educators believe. Her premise is that liberal arts are necessary for a strong democracy, but the shift in the educational paradigm over the past fifteen years or so is toward outcomes that can be measured on multiple choice tests. This is antithetical to the notions espoused in liberal arts classes that counter the student should construct meaning from a variety of sources, presented with the idea that while bias is always inherent, prejudice is to be avoided.
As professor of Ethics at the University of Chicago, Nussbaum no doubt knows first hand the dilemma many students face in classes where the quest is for the right answer rather than for a strong argument. This dichotomy has long vexed educators and students alike, as we play at school, when what is valuable is shunted into a corner because it cannot be quantified.
Building her own argument on the work of Bronson Alcott, Rabindranath Tagore, and others, Nussbaum believes this marginalization of the arts is indeed a "silent crisis." Her remedy? A renewed investment in the arts and in the Socratic Method, which provides a student centered approach to education that is in keeping with the educational theorists she champions, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Johann Pestalozzi.
Nussbaum goes to great lengths to state that math and science are valuable commodities in the marketplace of education, but argues more vehemently that democracy, with its insistence on providing advantage for all, can only be bolstered with a vigorous infusion of art, music, theatre, history, and literature.

Shadow of the Wolf Tree

Joe Heywood has a good thing going, and in his new installment, Shadow of the Wolf Tree he keeps it going.
Conservation officer Grady Service and his military buddy Tree are after a bit of r and r on the banks of a remote upper peninsula river when their tranquility is blasted by the work of what appear to be militant eco-warriors. With the discovery of two long dead bodies, the brutal murder of an out state fisherman, and the prospect of a long forgotten gold mine, Shadow of the Wolf Tree quickly catapults Service back to the front lines of environmental law and order.
After recently losing the woman he loved, Maridly Nantz, the aging woods cop now finds himself pursued by his new partner, Tuesday Friday, a new mother and a state trooper. When he figures he has the expectations worked out, he finds his perspective turned sideways, providing for some tension that is neither professional nor imagined.
Tramping through the north woods once again, Grady Service makes his way along the trail of loose ends, piecing together the clues of more than one eco-mystery.
Along for the ride are a host of regular Heywood characters, including the lovable but despicable Limpy Allerdyce, perhaps the Yoop's most notorious game violator. Back too are many of Service's allies, including Captain Lorne O'Driscoll and Simon Del Olmo.
Before its conclusion, Shadow of the Wolf Tree finds Service in typical Heywood form, angling through a messy swamp of convoluted clues, intent on once again restoring order.

A Thousand Sisters

I can't think of anything clever to say about this new book by Lisa Shannon, save that it has captivated me and become the book I'm recommending to all who read. There is no new history here, as the catalogue of events leading up to the current situation in African Congo is well established. From the days of Belgium's Leopold to the current political configurations, Congo has long been what others dub "a vampire state." The corruption is equalled only by the resources that have long drawn outsiders to this heart of darkness.
Shannon nonetheless finds reason for hope in the stories of Congo's women. Subtitled "The Worst Place on earth to be a woman," Shannon's book chronicles her own odyssey of altruism as she organizes regular Run for Congo Women events around the country. She donates the proceeds to Women to Women, an international aid organization with outreach projects in Congo. Shannon's efforts are noble, but what makes the book compelling are the stories of the women in Congo who have endured years of brutality. In a place where there are no old people because no lives to see 50, Shannon manages to showcase the intersection of hope and despair played out in the daily lives of women like Generose, who lost a leg to marauding Rwandan militants. There is also Marie, a girl of only seven, who suffers from traumatic fistula because she was gang raped at five years old.
The power of Shannon's story is not simply the heartbreak of women like Generose and Marie, but in the resilience of others, who proclaim, "I feel somehow a person in life, a woman in life," because of the commitment of those like Shannon.
A Thousand Sisters is a book that belies clever commentary. Instead it encourages personal involvement.

Everything Old (and Classic) is New Again

Sometimes the best stories are the oldest stories. Such is the case with Zachary Mason's new collection The Lost Books of the Odyssey, a re-imagined version of Homer's original. Mason, a computer scientist and first time novelist, has hit the mark with this group of stories that take Odysseus from the shores of Ithaka to Ilium, and back again. Rather than wed his new tales too closely to the plot lines of Homer, Mason instead wanders wider as Odysseus makes his way to war and home again.
Mason's best bits come in selections like The Iliad of Odysseus, where the hero, instead of the fully formed epic manifestation of Homer's twin books, animated by equal parts hubris and heroism, shrinks from conflict. Instead of taking up his damaged men to make for Ithaka, this suspect character begins by wondering "whether all men are cowards like me." In quick succession, this Odysseus sneaks through the carnage of the battlefield, stealing away into the night in shame and anonymity. Not the quintessential character of high school classrooms, this new Odysseus is rather a more human configuration.
In Mason's rendering, the story also radiates in widely different arcs. There is no clearly defined point of reference. The collection rather shows Odysseus, whether running toward a challenge or withering in the face of adversity, as a still evolving character, quite a feat for a creation more than 3,000 years old.

Reflection

I've been home a week now, and am still reeling from the experience of my trip to Ukraine. I returned to school on Monday and was made aware that while I have been changed for the better by my travels and by meeting many new friends, my students did not change and they are basically the people I left back on March 15. This was somewhat of a let down, as I wanted everyone to change with me. This is of course impossible and I must simply revel in the wonder of what I've seen and what I've learned. I must acknowlege the power of the exchange I was a part of and work to keep that wonder and power alive in my own work. The week at home has solidified for me how important such opportunities are.
The final couple days in Ukraine were a marvel, as Halyna, Ievgeniia, and Anastashia and I traveled by train from Lutsk to Kiev, where we wandered the city for hours on a beautiful spring day.
Kiev was incredible. The architecture and the colors knocked me out. Everywhere we turned there were monuments, both new structures dedicated to the relatively recent independence of Ukraine, as well as those more historic, a result of Kiev being one of the oldest cities in Europe.
We saw Independence Square, as well as Saint Sophia's Cathedral, built in the eleventh century. We shopped for souvenirs and ate a hearty lunch. Through it all, the best part was sharing it with new friends. Halyna and Ievgeniia were wonderful hosts through my entire stay; they were there when I arrived and they were there to see me off at Borispol Airport. Throughout they helped me with the language, shared their families and friends, and made certain I was always where I needed to be and that I was comfortable.
Anastashia is hoping to be an exchange student in the U.S. this next school year, and I will be anxious to hear positive news about this.
Still can't believe it is over.

Random Thoughts

A few random observations:
I had to check in at the same two ticket counters twice each upon my arrival in Kiev because my bag was overweight. While shopping today for a t shirt, we had to buy the shirt, then return to a photo processing store where the shirt will be printed. We had to speak to four different people at the photo shop before we had it right.
I’ve seen Soviet era dump trucks and men sweeping sidewalks with brooms feathered with willow twigs. These men work for the city government. I’ve been in grocery stores where I had to bag my produce, then have someone else weigh it. There are large high rise apartments being built next to small neighborhoods of squat houses, fenced in tight to keep the chickens and pigs from wandering into the street.

On buses, passengers in the back pass their fare to the front, and their change is passed back to them. Riders are given a ticket, but no one ever checks the ticket. At school, all records, including grades and attendance are kept by hand in notebooks that are then shown to parents at parent teacher conference time.
At the school canteen, bread sits on every table through each of the lunch periods, and the canteen is sometimes occupied by nearby construction workers, who find the fare cheaper than restaurants. This summer I’m told the canteen will be repaired, but the school administration will have to ask wealthy parents for assistance with the costs.
That all said, the students might not participate in school organized extra curriculars like our students in the U.S., but these students can often times speak four languages by the time they graduate after the eleventh grade.

Teacher Training

Another whirlwind day. Two classes at school, including one on diversity and civic education. It seems the English teachers are the teachers who are spearheading discussion of civics, rather than the government or history teachers, as we might expect in the U.S. The teachers tell me this became their task about 15 years ago and they still struggle to get students to understand that citizenship means engagement.
During the lesson, the teachers discussed planning for the future, then showed a short video clip from the U.S. about a high school that organized the building of a handicap accessible playground. The students then discussed how they might do the same in Lutsk, and created an action plan. I worked with a group of boys to answer several questions.
Students then asked me about the student government in the United States. At Gymnasium 18, students have such a government, but it is largely ineffective because it operates outside the normal school day. I explained that our student government is a class, therefore has responsibilities tied to their progress in the class.
Next up was a discussion with eighth grade students, one of whom wanted to know if there were any crack houses near my house. After this lesson, Ievgeniia and Halyna whisked me to another large lunch in the school canteen, and then downtown to a play. I couldn't understand the dialogue, but recognized the emotion and the drama. It was a famous Ukrainian play; a sort of Fiddler on the Roof meets Grease. The end was tragic and that was easy to see, when the love triangle created out of a misunderstanding was broken with the death of one of the girls.
Next was some shopping, which is a completely separate story, then a few groceries, and back to the hotel.