The Demise of Respect
How many theories have you heard recently supporting the poor condition of our school systems? Not enough money? Teachers not committed? The effect of teachers’ unions? Parents not supporting schools? Integration? Lack of strong administrative support? Corrupt and inept school board members? And the list goes on!
The difficulty might be the result of a combination of any or all of these declarations. Consider the following offering to be added to the list, but given a broader spectrum – the condition of our society as a whole. My thesis is that much of the condition of our school systems is a result of the demise of respect for one another and for those tenets or rules of living together successfully in which we once believed. This societal status did not emerge recently, but over decades. And those who were born at the beginning of the twentieth century have a marvelous, first-hand, sweeping view of how it slipped-up on us and only now do we recognize that it actually happened. This insidious trickster may still remain hidden from many of us, particularly if we were born in the latter part of the twentieth century. Please ponder the following question.
Which response, condition, or belief demands more respect:
A coat and tie OR shorts and a tee-shirt?
Tailored OR unshaped?
Dr. Doe OR Mr. Doe?
Mr. Doe OR Johnny?
“Yes, Sir,” OR “Yeah”?
“Ain’t” OR “isn’t”?
Dirty OR clean?
To groom OR to ignore appearance?
To mop only OR to wax?
Ancient OR modern?
To memorize OR to research?
To receive microwave OR oven gratification?
To make OR to buy?
Uniforms OR street clothes?
To comply OR to rebel?
To give OR to take?
To talk OR to shout?
To hate OR to love?
Discipline OR tolerance?
To bully OR to compliment?
Certainty OR ambivalence?
Thrift OR waste?
To follow OR to lead?
To call 911 OR to walk away?
To kill OR to save?
Adults in 1940 would have made different choices in most of the comparisons above than adults today; hence a definite indication that there has been a gradual demise in respect over the years. I know this because of my age! There are those who might contend that the choices people make in the two comparisons depend upon their life perspectives. Indeed, such is the case. However, it is my contention that in most cases, it is the gradual demise of respect that has changed individuals’ perspectives hence increasingly changing society’s perspective. If there is further interest, please access the helpful online article found at http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/respect/.
As music educators, how may we affect a change in the status of American education? It seems obvious to me, simple as I am: Respect ourselves: dress, speak, think and act with concern, love, and authority. Then request and require (if possible) your students to dress, speak, think and act with concern, love, and authority. This is obviously easier said than done but we must remain tenacious. We begin to change the world by changing ourselves and one student at a time. NEVER GIVE UP!
Founder
The Cambiata Institute of America
for Early Adolescent Vocal Music