Are teachers poorly educated — “an industry of mediocrity” — as Duncan suggests? Frankly, I have a hard time arguing with that; everyone else seems to be.
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I know an amazing couple in LA. They have extremely successful careers in the music industry: one plays in a popular rock band, the other is a highly accomplished violinist. They’ve helped write & consulted on a number of hits, scored films, worked with headliners across genres.
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One of them had a terrible time in school. Frequently flunked out of classes, wrote angsty teen notes about how loathsome the whole thing was. Focused on playing in the band they formed as a teenager, which eventually took off & generated several Billboard Hot 100 hits.
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The other excelled academically, but also followed a passion for music. Played & taught children to earn a living, rented a near-uninhabitable flat in a *barn* to save money, used the savings to buy property young. Became a Grammy-nominated, world-class performer.
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When I met them, they were trying for children. I said I was really looking forward to being a mom one day. At one point, one of them suggested I get some fertility testing done, just to be safe. I took that advice, and… the results weren’t good. At all.
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I’d only met them the one time, but I let them know that things hadn’t turned out the way I’d hoped. These people — **who had met me ONCE** — offered to host me in their home and help me through the process if I decided to pursue fertility preservation options.
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So I did. I stayed in their guest bedroom, reeling hormonally. The protocol required 2-4 self-administered injections per day, and I was terrified of needles. So they gave me my shots — all of them. They brought me along to jam sessions & dinners so I wouldn’t miss my timed doses
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They’ve started two separate entrepreneurial endeavors in entertainment tech and biotech, both of which are early-stage but garnering considerable interest in their niches. And they have two little girls now, who they absolutely dote on.
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They have help, but they’ve still restructured their careers and projects around being present parents. They love them *so much.* They want to respect and foster whatever interests and talents they might manifest. They’re thrilled with their burgeoning personalities & differences
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A few weeks ago, I visited them to get some much needed baby-time. As I was heading out, I mentioned that I was feeling less stressed about finding a way to have a family. I just have a sense that it’s going to work out, if I keep following this crazy thing I love. And she said:
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“If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need somewhere to stay — and you have your baby, and you need a place for both of you — we’ll always have a place for you here. For however long. I just want you to know that.”
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(I totally teared up writing this. What did I do to have people like this in my life?)
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I throw this onto a thread about accountability in education because I think we have profoundly fucked up in the way we think about this. The goal should be to create people like these. Smart, curious, passionate, loving, generous, how-can-I-possibly-deserve-you human beings
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Is that what we’re doing? Does anyone think that’s what we’re doing?
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How do we do that? *Can* we do that? I mean, I don’t know, but I just can’t imagine any time spent trying to answer those questions is wasted time Right? /end
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End of conversation
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