Say That Again

Say that again.
‘The shadow of my sorrow!’ Ha, let’s see.
’Tis very true, my grief lies all within,
And these external manners of laments
Are merely shadows to the unseen grief
That swells with silence in the tortur’d soul.
There lies the substance; and I thank thee, King,
For thy great bounty, that not only giv’st
Me cause to wail, but teachest me the way
How to lament the cause. I’ll beg one boon,
And then be gone and trouble you no more.
— The Life and Death of King Richard the Second, Shakespeare, 1595

In a recent exchange about public education policies, a dear friend whom I have known and admired my entire life asked 2 simple questions:

1. Does the public believe it has cause to lament the failures of public education?
   
2. Can the public lament the cause of those failures ... and actually do something about them?
   

If the play on words caught your attention, perhaps it is because you have read them before or at least heard something like them. For example,

• Don't worry [much less argue] about what you cannot change.
• Stop complaining and do something.
• "Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security."
  

And in most of my experiences, worry, argument, complaining and suffering always precede [and eventually result in] change. But what does that tell us about the world and about ourselves? As I considered this, I thought my friend's questions might be a good challenge for educators in 2026. So I searched thru remembrances from my own school days ... including second hand lessons and first hand experiences ... that seemed to shed some light on this and I want to share them with you.

Society is changing ... and it has cause to lament its failures. But does it understand HOW to lament the cause of those failures ... with revolution and exclusion ... or with reconciliation and dialogue? I hope you enjoy reading these thoughts as much as I enjoyed writing them. And I hope to hear back from you in the months ahead. The readiness is all. Are we ready ...?

Say That Again