My Tuesday, once-a-month class is going really well. This week, I had 6 teachers who came in and discussed with small groups two chapters of Bill Ayers' latest book and engaged my future teachers in a consideration of their identity. Pretty heady stuff. I capped the evening off by reading Like Lily Like Wilson which ended the class with applause. Not bad for a class of 100 juniors.
This afternoon I was flipping through Derrick Bell's Ethical Ambition which I knew would resonate with our other adventures. After all, the chapters include "The Power in Passion," "Courage and Risk Taking" and "Advancing Relationships." Not bad from the same guy who coined "critical race theory" as a legal scholar. I am sure more will come of this. But that's for another day.
In his introduction, he describes situations in which he walked away from positions because his institution would not respond in moral ways to hiring qualified minorities. I wondered whether I would have his fortitude. But I also questioned whether I have been putting myself in situations that might even raise those as possibilities. Then tonight, I received an email from one of my junior questioning the decision to bring Bill Ayers to campus.
She correctly describes his hi-jinks during the Viet Nam Era. I have replied explaining that universities are places where many perspectives are examined but without necessarily endorsing any particular view. But I think there's more to her concern than appears on the surface. I suspect she's being coached or influenced by someone she admires who has right-wing leanings. Maybe it will all fizzle between now and our next class which will occur after the election. If my email was not enough to soothe the situation then it will be interesting to see where this goes. And by that, I mean the "leadership" might decide to rescind the Ayers lecture in December. I'm not itching for trouble and yet I wonder if this is the flare up that might be my test.
This afternoon I was flipping through Derrick Bell's Ethical Ambition which I knew would resonate with our other adventures. After all, the chapters include "The Power in Passion," "Courage and Risk Taking" and "Advancing Relationships." Not bad from the same guy who coined "critical race theory" as a legal scholar. I am sure more will come of this. But that's for another day.
In his introduction, he describes situations in which he walked away from positions because his institution would not respond in moral ways to hiring qualified minorities. I wondered whether I would have his fortitude. But I also questioned whether I have been putting myself in situations that might even raise those as possibilities. Then tonight, I received an email from one of my junior questioning the decision to bring Bill Ayers to campus.
She correctly describes his hi-jinks during the Viet Nam Era. I have replied explaining that universities are places where many perspectives are examined but without necessarily endorsing any particular view. But I think there's more to her concern than appears on the surface. I suspect she's being coached or influenced by someone she admires who has right-wing leanings. Maybe it will all fizzle between now and our next class which will occur after the election. If my email was not enough to soothe the situation then it will be interesting to see where this goes. And by that, I mean the "leadership" might decide to rescind the Ayers lecture in December. I'm not itching for trouble and yet I wonder if this is the flare up that might be my test.
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