Of late, for whatever reason, my mind has flashed upon my immediate memory a quote that was posted in the room of a colleague I worked with at another school.  I didn’t like the quote.  I did not think or believe it was a good piece of advice for her students.  Did I tell her so?  No.  I did not.  She was fresh out of college and full of great ideas and a work ethic that I would be delighted to pass along to any other new teacher that walks into any new building with the charge of helping students learn and be productive citizens. I had no problem with the teacher.  She was great for the students.  I have no doubt she still is.

Unfortunately, every time I think about her and her classroom and how well it was maintained….including the marked productivity it amassed…I still can’t get away from that quote that was on the door in her classroom.

“The highest result of education is tolerance.”- Helen Keller.

Who in the heck am I to argue with Helen Keller?  If she were here, I would argue nonetheless.

Good quote?  Maybe.  It has, after all, made its way to posters and postings.  Had I made up that quote, folks would have laughed at it and discounted it for all the right reasons.

Tolerance did not help an American walk on the moon.  The desire to beat the Russians to the moon was not based on tolerance.  It was anti-tolerance.  We needed to be first.  We would not tolerate and accept anything else.

My wistful question of the day is where did that kind of spirit go?  I suppose it, in part, went with whatever has caused the chasm in this country like I have never seen it before.  None of us have seen it like this before.  Every time you turn around there is yet another “device” to look upon.  Gas pumps in some places even have news screens on them.  After the obligatory commercial that pays for it runs, there might be news of the day on it.  Yes, I have actually seen these.  I did not just read about them.  Pretty darn strange.

I wish I had the answer.

All of this thought brings me back to wondering if the boys and girls that brought us the moon shot had to be responsible for standardized testing that started telling them if they were good or not starting in the third grade would have made it to where they got…changing history for the better.  I can only wonder.  I can also speculate.  Like Nick Carraway, I will reserve my judgment.  I bet you can figure out what I think.

I do know that the best things I have been a part of have not been produced by tolerance.

I kicked a school record field goal because I could not tolerate missing that kick.

I took the advice of George Plimpton one day and ran with it (I really did talk to him).  I did not take the time to ask if toleration was in the mix of our speaks.

I obtained a masters degree in school counseling because I could not tolerate not doing so.  In the process, I have helped many students.

I write because I could not tolerate not doing so.  Tolerance never helped my creative process.

Do I have respect for Helen Keller?  What do you think?  Duh!  I tolerate the idea that I am sure she had other ideas and “quotes” that we surely missed out on that were much more meaningful and right than the one that is the subject of this post on speaktherights.com.

Moving on…

I hope the Broncos beat the Steelers this weekend.

I hope the Chiefs beat the Patriots.

I hope the Panthers beat the Seahawks.

I hope the Cardinals beat the Packers in the NFL playoffs.  I am feeling pretty good after picking Bama to beat Clemson in the FBS Championship.

I am also dumbfounded that Indiana University game its head football coach, Kevin Wilson, with his 20-41 record, a six year extension that includes so much “geat” that it will be hard to impossible to pay him off until 2020.  All I can say is “Wow”.  I knew the folks in Bloomington were a little touched…but this?  This being a coach who made a bowl game with a team that finished with a losing record getting a million dollar-plus raise per season.  Kind of makes 80s music seem a little more legitimate, doesn’t it?

I don’t know Kevin Wilson, the Hoosiers gridiron coach.  I  met Bill Mallory.  I met Terry Hoeppner.  They were great for Indiana Football. So was Bill Lynch.  All I can say is that I believe Kevin Wilson was lucky enough to get into a bowl game the same season the Hoosiers had a great Big Ten home schedule and a great many fans showed up to watch…many from Ohio, Michigan, and Iowa.  We’ll take their money…no matter where they are from.  Now it belongs to Coach Wilson.  Good for your family!  Not so good, I am afraid, for IU Nation…however thin or thick it may be.  I am not saying Coach Wilson is not a good person.  In fact, I hope I eat every syllable I type unfavorably about him.  I’ve just feel like I have seen this movie before and it doesn’t work out very well.

Sorry coach.  I hope you prove me wrong.  I hope to make it to the Rose Bowl one day.

Speaking the rights.

Danny Johnson