Sins of our fathers

Well, I feel I need to go off on a tangent for a moment. Are the baby boomers the most narcissict generation ever? Have they tainted every generation after them? My answers to these questions are yes and yes. I am but a lowly teacher spending every working day with the future generation and if I teach for 30 years then I will influence at least three different generations of students. Unfortunately, what I am seeing huge cut backs in education because of the greed of the baby boomers. School Districts are changing the criteria determining whether students need special services to exclude students instead of include them. Also as the baby boomers become older and they do not have children in the educational system, they vote against helping youth and only worry about their medicare and social security. They do not remember all the sacrifices their own parents made that allowed them to benefit to greatest from a Democratic America, since I believe they will be the last generation as a whole to make a better life than the generation before. The poor Generation X and Y are left with the dream of providing luxuries for their children when in reality they will have to decide whether we brake the cycle of the baby boomers and pay for the sins of the baby boomers through higher taxes and less government just to pay off the debts, both government and person created by baby boomers.

Born Great?

The question I posed yesterday was are individuals born great or do a certain situation make them great? I don't think specific individuals are born great. Yet, I think that not every individual put into a situation where one should be great would rise to the occasion. I suggest that we are all born great and through our life experiences we may put ourselves into situations were I can become great. What make a person great? Is it being a political leader, like Barrack Obama or George Bush? Are either of these men great? In my opinion, I don't think so, but there lives are not over and realistically we can not judge a person until they are dead and time has past. Even then, it is still a matter of opinion. We can never know the full impact of any person's life. Is someone that saves another person's life great? I believe most of us would say yes. Therefore, any person that has pulled their car to the side of a rode to let an ambulance pass, gave blood, gave money to charity, etc. is great. This is a very simple version of why I believe we are all great. What do you think?

Here and Now

Wow, it is already Friday. I had hoped to write everyday, but life is always moving. For most of us, much faster than we would like it to.

You will have to forgive me my rambling, but I don't think in a linear fashion. I always for a couple of voices talking at the same time in my head. So you, the reader, are going to have to piece some of this together, but I guess this is the fun of a blog. It is just a stream of thought.

I was planning of talking about the negatives of KYP, but let us get to the good stuff. KYP as I have spent some time thinking about it has morphed into the concept of where am I now, how did I get to this point, and where am I going? As I have explained I am a history teacher and am looking and interpreting the past everyday. One of my questions that I ask my students is, "Are individuals born great or does a situation make them great?" Think about your place in time? Are you great? Let's munch on that a discuss it some more tomorrow.

The beginning

Good Evening,

I am still trying to figure how I want to talk. I guess the easiest way is to just pretend I am having a conversation with someone else. I hope my explanation will make sense as my editor (my beloved wife) is now in bed doing some well deserved reading.

Know Your Place (KYP from now on) has always been a phrase to separate to me from other people, especially generations that have been born before me. I always remember from being a kid being told by an older person you need to KYP. I can't stand that. I knew I needed to respect my elders when I was growing up. From my own observations, I feel that all generations feel a sense of entitlement for the generations that come after them and phrases like KYP reinforce that idea. Personally, I think this one of the fatal flaws in humanity and being a historian has given me a very unique perspective. I study and teach about past generations everyday and I have to inspire my students to want to learn instead of telling them they need to know their place and learn because I am telling you to, which is very difficult on many different levels. I believe many people are so turned off to history because this mistrust for older generations, because it has been engrained in them to KYP.

Thanks for reading. I hope to hear from you all (whoever you all are) soon.

Introduction & Intent

How does one start a blog?

I thought I would introduce the intent of this blog. I am a History teacher at Riverview High School in Sarasota, Florida and last month I was sent to a IB (International Baccalaureate) training seminar. While there, I went to a International Awareness presentation and at the presentation, the presenter asked us if we "knew our place?" At the time I was somewhat offended, because I have always thought of that phrase as having negative connotations. I have spent a lot of time thinking about this phrase over the past few weeks. I am hoping that I can use this blog to help me (and any readers!!) learn more about my/our place in this world.

As I have said, I am a teacher and since my students will likely happen upon this blog at some point, I would ask that there be no use of foul language and that everyone be respectful of each other.

Here is my first question? What does "Know Your Place" mean to you?

Tune in tomorrow for my answer to that question.