Of course, I do not remember Edwards as it once was, but as I was working on the hedge at the bottom of the hill last week, I went to remembering how it was when we moved here 23 years ago. Main street was quite lively back then, there were three of four pool halls, a TV repair shop, a couple of grocery stores, a dollar store, a dry goods store, hardware, Drug store, dry cleaners…and a full service bank….. Down town Edwards.
I went to thinking, as I was snipping the elaeagnus, how much Edwards has changed….I don’t want to be one of those old people who preach that things were better “back in the day”.
But time has changed small town America, back when I was growing up, on the Nebraska plains, we lived locally….small towns were self-contained communities…with full services, clothing, drug, grocery, restaurants, plus Doctors, lawyers, car and farm implement dealers….Little Palisade Nebraska with 695 people even had a hotel.
The schools were local, situated inside the city limits, teachers lived in the town they taught in….the teachers, principal and superintend were friends or close acquaintances of your parents and/or grand parents…maybe they sit in the pew behind you at church.
Back then everybody had more “Skin in the game” so to speak. Not only did we know that the teachers, knew our parents, we knew they were not above telling on us… therefore, we put more effort in to behaving…and I can’t help but think, the teachers felt more responsibly about getting us educated for the same reason…they knew our parents, they knew the school board members….They knew what was expected of them….teach!
I forgot where I was going with this…I called myself going write some profound comments about Facebook, the on line social network….
So I will say this, then go mop the kitchen floor….We may not be able to go back in time…but to stop the unbridled deteriorating, for our schools, one thing is clear. All of us have to get more “skin in the game”…. as it is nobody has to take responsibility…Every body has some one or something, they can put the blame on…the system, the parents, the teachers, the students, sugar, junk food in the vending machines, too much technology, not enough technology, Bush, Obama, money...…
But it should be apparent by now money, will not fix, the epidemic lack of individual accountability, the lack discipline, or sloppy curriculum….
But not all is lost….we can still do, what we do best, when it comes to our schools, and we can do it with and with out money…make excuses. Because…excuses are cheap…in fact free. And we are so very, very good at making excuses and passing the buck.
Love to all, call if you need me
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