Participated with My First-Ever Vision Board...well, Collaborative Vision Board...and Like Everything, It Has Me Thinking (Frustrated) About Vision

I spent a productive few hours with colleagues who came for a day-long retreat for planning ahead. At one point we had to collaborate on thinking together about next steps, especially after naming the trees that blocked our way for the paths we feel most strongly about. The trees are many, and they can create quite an obstacle...especially since the institution of higher education, itself, is a tree blocking paths of what's good, possible, and pertinent. 

The theme that kept coming forward was, "It's not @%$#@ rocket science," as most of us have worked in numerous professional settings and have our world experiences behind us. We name what we need and it's not much, but as of date, the institutions haven't been able to help us.

Schools need teachers. Teachers need professional development and advanced degrees. Educators crave knowledge and opportunities, but institutions of higher education have sky-rocketed tuition costs to astronomical amounts, and who would want to take $200,000 in loans (a mortgage payment) to earn far less than that in their careers? Of course, teachers who are in schools would love to advance their knowledge (and appreciate it) but can't afford the investment, because graduate programs are expensive (as if they have life savings to pay for them). We've reached a place in U.S. history where the cost to become a teacher matched with the disrespect of teaching and teachers, coupled with the high stress of the teaching profession, and the testing, industrial complex have reached the summit. It's too much and it needs to change. As a result, programs to train teachers are hurting across the country, and administrators are desperate for teachers. It's a mess that could have been avoided. The same testing, Pearson-manipulated assessments that have ruined K-12 instruction are now at the epicenter to train teachers in higher education. It's mind boggling. 

Learning can't be a corporate endeavor, yet that is what it's become.

One by one by one, colleagues kept saying 50% (I heard 50 Cent) discount should be given to local, in-practice teachers, and we should partner with schools across the state to offer the best programs possible. This, however, does not align with late-capitalistic, for profit non-profits that are cloaked in higher education silks. The University wants money. It's not necessarily about reality and the world beyond the castles.

Still, we see our work as bridging reality of the United States, the K-12 public, parochial, and private schools we work with, with the esoteric nature of the castle where one must earn degrees. There's so much that can be done. Yes, we have fight in us like Rosie-the-Riveter, but we've been dying with zero support for almost 8 years now. We love what we do, we believe in inclusivity, and recognize that diversity is at the epicenter of excellence, yet work in environments that act counter to these goals. We live this in our community work every day. Yet, this doesn't match the way higher education operates with a different mindset. We need to be better bridges...We need to build better bridges...and we need to clean up the mess this nation has made.

Yet, the tree(s) stand in the way.

There's promise in summer work (as CWP knows) but faculty need summers to rejuvenate and, quite frankly, do their research and writing....so much gets piled on them during the year. 

And so this is where we are....with vision....but many trees blocking our way. Not an apocalyptic post, but one that sees through the trees and realizes the path ahead is blocked by the very map wanting us to find a path forward. Very frustrating.

But I love / to believe / in hope. It's all I got.