The Difference A Year Makes

Last year at this time I was winding down a twenty year career as an elementary principal in Schuylerville, New York and preparing to assume responsibility for leading the Green Island Union Free School District. I was experiencing a great deal of work and more than a little bit of conflicting emotions during the transition.

A year later finds me on my feet after looking, listening, and learning about the multiple dimensions of the school system. I am in a much better position to assert leadership designed to leverage success. Twelve months ago, there was so much information coming at me all at once that I likened it to drinking water from a fire hose. Now, I can devote more energy and effort at reviewing our people, our policies and our practices with an eye on how we can effectively coordinate the three areas to promote improvement.

I'm excited about our prospects despite the issues that will confront us as we move forward. The recently passed 2% property tax cap will pose a significant hurdle if it constrains our possibilities by restricting finances. More than ever before, as funding shrinks, we must expand our support among community members and taxpayers. The only way to exceed the cap, and I suspect the increases in pension costs and health care expenses will prompt us to creep beyond the cap, will be to acquire at least a 60% approval among voters for our budget. Our performance must rise to increase the confidence and perceptions people have regarding our operation and if we expect to secure an appropriate budget. Efficiency and effectiveness will help gain the public trust and investment.

In addition, the Annual Professional Performance Review that was modified and expanded in the last month represents another obstacle. The proper implementation of the components of the APPR requires significant training. There are more questions than answers emerging from the state's recent intervention. I believe the state is moving too fast (the impact of political pressure and misplaced rhetoric) and has advanced beyond the ability of the state education department to develop and articulate some of the elements of the code. That leaves school districts everywhere groping for assistance in addressing issues (i.e. what are the assessments necessary to use in measuring teacher performance in those grades and subjects that currently lack state-wide tests?).

Finally, not only has the state education department leaped ahead like an anxious army that has outstripped its supply lines ($$$$) and risks becoming vulnerable,  but the tax cap constricts school systems precisely at the point in time when they are contending with Race To The Top mandates and APPR.

There's a considerable amount of work ahead.... but this summer allows the time to prepare for the challenges.

A New Orientation

After spending the school year looking, listening, and learning about the school environment and organizational culture, I am now in a position whereby I can more confidently lead the school district. Observing the social, political, and instructional landscape of the system equips me with the insight that can enable me to leverage change and pursue improvement efforts beyond merely intervening in urgent situations. I will spend time over the summer to develop plans to implement more concerted strategic efforts directed at addressing weaknesses, exposing flawed practices and unwritten policies, and enhancing existing strengths.

The starting point for this venture was shared yesterday at our final staff meeting of the school year. I wanted to stimulate thought, challenge current perspectives, and subsequently change our orientation. The main objective of the meeting was reinforced by a poem written by Joseph Malins, in 1895. The poem was enriched and brought to life through a skillful narration featured in a youtube video. The message is crucial to our need to adopt a more efficient and effective platform for our school operation for the upcoming school year.

'Twas a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed,
Though to walk near its crest was so pleasant;
But over its terrible edge there had slipped
A duke and full many a peasant.
So the people said something would have to be done,
But their projects did not at all tally;
Some said, "Put a fence 'round the edge of the cliff,"
Some, "An ambulance down in the valley."

But the cry for the ambulance carried the day,
For it spread through the neighboring city;
A fence may be useful or not, it is true,
But each heart became full of pity
For those who slipped over the dangerous cliff;
And the dwellers in highway and alley
Gave pounds and gave pence, not to put up a fence,
But an ambulance down in the valley.

"For the cliff is all right, if you're careful," they said,
"And, if folks even slip and are dropping,
It isn't the slipping that hurts them so much
As the shock down below when they're stopping."
So day after day, as these mishaps occurred,
Quick forth would those rescuers sally
To pick up the victims who fell off the cliff,
With their ambulance down in the valley.

Then an old sage remarked: "It's a marvel to me
That people give far more attention
To repairing results than to stopping the cause,
When they'd much better aim at prevention.
Let us stop at its source all this mischief," cried he,
"Come, neighbors and friends, let us rally;
If the cliff we will fence, we might almost dispense
With the ambulance down in the valley."

"Oh he's a fanatic," the others rejoined,
"Dispense with the ambulance? Never!
He'd dispense with all charities, too, if he could;
No! No! We'll support them forever.
Aren't we picking up folks just as fast as they fall?
And shall this man dictate to us? Shall he?
Why should people of sense stop to put up a fence,
While the ambulance works in the valley?"

But the sensible few, who are practical too,
Will not bear with such nonsense much longer;
They believe that prevention is better than cure,
And their party will soon be the stronger.
Encourage them then, with your purse, voice, and pen,
And while other philanthropists dally,
They will scorn all pretense, and put up a stout fence
On the cliff that hangs over the valley.

Better guide well the young than reclaim them when old,
For the voice of true wisdom is calling.
"To rescue the fallen is good, but 'tis best
To prevent other people from falling."
Better close up the source of temptation and crime
Than deliver from dungeon or galley;
Better put a strong fence 'round the top of the cliff
Than an ambulance down in the valley.

-- Joseph Malins (1895)

In A Fog

"Bert and I" are the comic creations of storytellers Rob Bryan and the late Marshall Dodge, both of Maine. They spun humorous tales associated with the peculiar thoughts and arcane behaviors of the native inhabitants of Down East Maine.

One such story involves two lobstermen who were out plying their trade when a fog as thick as pea soup rolled in and engulfed their small boat. Since the two operated their business on a shoe-string they didn't have the money needed to purchase radar or a fathometer that could safely guide them through the foggy conditions.

Instead, they resorted to Yankee ingenuity as a means of navigating through the thick gray blanket that surrounded the boat. Bert trudged up to the bow of the vessel lugging a heavy sack of potatoes while his work-mate stayed at the helm of the boat manning the controls. Bert reached in and grabbed a couple of spuds, stood steadfast on the bow, peered straight ahead and began throwing potatoes, one at a time, out ahead of the boat as far as he could possible heave. Then, he paused, cupped his hand to an ear and listened carefully. If he heard a splash he directed his partner to maintain the current course. If he didn't hear a splash he quickly yelled to his shipmate to veer the boat sharply to the left or right in hopes of avoiding whatever object, perhaps another boat or a rocky shoreline, that the potato had struck.  

While the method that Bert and his partner used in the fog may have been inexpensive, it was hardly reliable and accurate. The sharp turn to either left or right also depended on a quick "best guess" as to what alternative to pursue when confronted with an unknown obstacle. That's not a particularly effective strategy either.

In terms of organizations, like schools, the mission of the organization serves as the navigational tool that allows the company to continue on their course, make decisions with reference to the course, and prioritize strategies on the basis of alignment with the mission. A mission crafted with clarity enables employees to have an important reference point to guide their behavior and their actions so they don't suffer from the ambiguity and mystery of foggy conditions that prevent them from understanding where they are and where they are going. Too many schools lack an inspiring mission that provides direction for their efforts. As a result, they are reliant upon the leader to show them the way. If the company is in a 'fog' and disoriented they are dependent upon their leader's ability to 'throw potatoes.' That's not a recipe for effectiveness.

I played baseball and enjoyed success as a pitcher, but I wouldn't want a school district to rely solely on my ability and arm strength to toss a potato into the fog to plot our course of action and where we might go as an organization in the future.

I have experienced some instances of patchy fog during my first year as a superintendent here in Green Island. There have been times when it was difficult to see very far ahead, or identify other objects in the area. That is a natural consequence of being new to a system and unfamiliar with practices and policies, especially those that are unwritten and based on replicating traditional rituals. I have felt like I was throwing a potato here and there. But, now that a year has transpired and I have a clearer view of the environment, I feel confident that I can express our mission in terms that will lead to focused action designed to successfully pursue our goals and sustain a course toward meeting our collective potential. That path will promote opportunities for our graduates to be prepared for college, career, and citizenship.

I will unveil the specifics of that strategy to our staff on the final day of school - this Friday, June 24th - and convey it in a Blog entry soon thereafter. I want staff members to have the summer to digest the message and create opportunities to actively contribute toward the mission in new and different ways.

Looking Back

Today marked the beginning of the end. The first day of the last week of school. It's time to reflect on the year.

A great deal has happened since I started work in Green Island on July 1, 2010. The map I had created to guide me on the journey did not use the typical compass points of North, East, South, and West but rather Look, Listen, Learn, and Lead. I had examined all of the publicly available data (attendance figures, test scores, survey results, budget...) on the school district before I expressed an interest in the position so I was acquainted with enough of what needed to be done to have some platform for action. However, I resisted, as much as possible, the urge to jump in and initiate wholesale changes. I believed it would be more beneficial in the long run if I waited patiently and gained a better perspective on people, programs, and practices before trying to "fix" things.  That stance certainly did not prevent me from responding to issues that warranted immediate attention. I did precipitate changes when and where I felt it was necessary to intervene. But, by and large, I collected information and opinions by observing and the organizational culture and experiencing the school environment. Leadership could be wielded more effectively once I earned political capital, established credibility, and demonstrated integrity. That would take time and require looking, listening, and learning.

If there was one focal point within my personal vision for the school district that distinguished itself from other issues and needs, it was the perception that the school community was under-performing due to a lack of clarity, common goals, and shared meanings among the staff and learners. This is to say, I suspected that the human resources necessary for success were already present within the school, but that these resources were not developed to their capacity. I accepted responsibility for maximizing our collective potential through efforts to empower others - not by giving them anything in particular, but by not taking anything from them. Perhaps  better explanation of this concept and belief can be found by the following story of a famous Italian artist...

When asked how he could so miraculously carve warm, emotion laden human forms from cold, lifeless marble, Micheangelo Buonarroti responded that he never carved anything "in" marble. Rather, he revealed, his technique was to merely "chip away" the excess marble from the form already within the marble, so it could be free. His task was to liberate the form "from" the marble, not to carve his abstract concepts into it.

Time will tell what impact, if any, I've made on the school district this first year as superintendent. But I will measure my progress relative to advances in liberating the potential from the people on staff instead of gauging success by means of confining mandates and imposing constrictions. Once we reach a point where staff members can confidently exercise their professional development, skills, and training, we will encounter expanded opportunities for achievement and increased possibilities for success.

The Importance of Fathers

As we acknowledge Fathers day, I thought that I would post a reminder to fathers everywhere of the important role they can play in the education of their children. Here's an excerpt extracted from an article entitled - A Call to Commitment: Fathers' Involvement, that appeared in the magazine -Children's Learning - June 2000.

What's Special About Fathers' Involvement?

Research shows that students perform better academically, have fewer discipline problems, and become more responsible adults when their parents are actively involved in their learning. But, over the years, "parent involvement" often has meant "mothers' involvement." In schools, pre-schools and Head Start programs, and within the family itself, it has been assumed often that mothers have the primary responsibility for encouraging the children's learning and development. These assumptions miss the importance of fathers' involvement. In addition, the adverse effects of a father's absence on the development of his children are well documented. Nevertheless, over half of the children in the United States will spend part of their childhood in a single-parent home (Cherlin, 1992).

Following are some areas in which fathers' involvement has significant effects on children.

Modeling adult male behavior. Fathers demonstrate to their children that male adults can take responsibility, help to establish appropriate conduct, and provide a daily example of how to deal with life, how to dress, how to regulate closeness and distance, and the importance of achievement and productivity. If they have an active religious or spiritual life, fathers, like mothers, can serve as models in that area as well (Hoffman, 1971).

Making choices. Children glean from their fathers a range of choices about everything from clothing to food to devotion to a great cause. This promotes positive moral values, conformity to rules and the development of conscience (Hoffman, 1971).

Problem solving abilities. Research shows that even very young children who have experienced high father involvement show an increase in curiosity and in problem solving capacity. Fathers' involvement seems to encourage children's exploration of the world around them and confidence in their ability to solve problems (Pruett, 2000).

Providing financial and emotional support. Economic support is one significant part of a father's influence on his children. Another is the concrete forms of emotional support that he gives to the children's mother. That support enhances the overall quality of the mother-child relationship, for example when dads ease moms' workloads by getting involved with the children's homework (Abramovitch in Lamb, 1997).

Highly involved fathers also contribute to increased mental dexterity in children, increased empathy, less stereotyped sex-role beliefs and greater self-control. And when fathers are more actively involved, children are more likely to have solid marriages later in life. (Abramovitch in Lamb, 1997).

What Our Children Tell Us "I can't spend much time with him because he's working. Sometimes I go with him to work on the weekends. But I just wish that he wouldn't work so much." (Galinsky, 1999) From a 14-year-old: "If a child has something to say, listen to them. They might teach you something." (Galinsky, 1999)

Enhancing student performance. In families where both the father and the mother are highly involved with their children's school, the children enjoy several advantages.

• Children's enjoyment of school is enhanced.
• In two-parent families where fathers are highly involved in children's schools, students are more likely to get top grades and enjoy school than in families where fathers have low involvement, even after taking into account a variety of other child and family conditions that may influence learning. In these circumstances, the chances that children will get mostly As are higher when the father is highly involved than when the mother is highly involved (NCES, 1997 ).
• In general, children have better educational outcomes as long as either the mother or the father is highly involved. Children do best when both parents are highly involved.
• When parents are highly involved in their children's schools, the parents are more likely to visit museums and libraries, participate in cultural activities with their children, and have high educational expectations for them. (NCES, 1997).

While children do best when both parents are highly involved, as long as either the mother or father is highly involved in their school's activities, children have better educational outcomes in general than those whose parents are not so involved. For example, in single-parent families headed by fathers, with higher father involvement:

• Thirty-two percent of children in grades K-12 got mostly As compared to 17 percent of those with low-involvement fathers;
• Eleven percent of children in grades K-12 were suspended or expelled compared to 34 percent of those with low-involvement fathers;
• Thirteen percent of children in grades K-12 repeated a grade compared to 18 percent of those with low-involvement fathers; and
• Forty-four percent of children enjoyed school compared to 30 percent of those with low-involvement fathers (NCES, 1997).
• Children do better academically when their fathers are involved in their schools, whether or not their fathers live with them, or whether or not their mothers are involved. When non-custodial fathers are highly involved with their children's learning, the children are more likely to get As at all grade levels (NCES, 1997).

Fathers' Involvement in Education

Kind and scope of family involvement. High involvement by the father or mother can make a positive difference for children's learning across grades K-12.

High involvement at the early childhood level refers to the frequency with which parents interact with their young children, such as how often they read, tell stories, and sing and play with their children (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997). These experiences contribute to children's language and literacy development and transmit information and knowledge about people, places and things.

For purposes of this report, high involvement in school-related activities means that a parent has done three or more of these activities during a school year: attended a general school meeting, attended a regularly scheduled parent-teacher conference, attended a general school or class event and served as a volunteer at school. Parents are said to have low involvement in their children's schools if they have done none or only one of the four activities (NCES, 1997).

In 1999, the National Center for Fathering conducted a national telephone survey researching involvement among resident and non-resident fathers. Given what we know about the effects of high involvement, the results were staggering. Over 40 percent of fathers had never read to their school-aged children.

"Time is something, once it's gone, it's gone forever. So, you can look back and think, 'Well, gee, I wish I would have spent more time with my kids when they were younger. I wish I would've spent more time with them when they were in high school,' whatever. But once time is gone, that's it." (Galinsky, 1999) In the mornings, "We got to ride in the car together — we had a good time in the car. We could say a few nice words to each other and start the day in the right way." (Galinsky, 1999)

The National Household Education Survey of 1996 (discussed in NCES, 1997) collected data on the academic achievement of students and their family's involvement in their schools during the first quarter of 1996. Phone interviews were conducted with parents and guardians of over 20,700 children from three years old to twelfth-graders. Here's what the survey found about the overall kind and scope of family involvement.

• The most common involvement activity in which parents participate is a general school meeting, such as a back-to-school night.
• Most parents do participate in at least some of the activities in their children's schools. But parents in two-parent homes tend to divide the task of involvement between them. To save time, one or the other will attend, but usually not both.
• Parents who are highly involved in their children's schools are more likely to also be involved at home. Similarly, families who are involved in their children's schools tend to share other activities with their children as well.
• Highly involved parents are more likely than all others to believe that their children will get further education after high school and will graduate from a four-year college.
• Highly involved parents offer their children greater connections to the larger community. These parents are more likely to belong to an organization such as a community group, church, synagogue, union or professional organization. They are also more likely to participate in an ongoing service activity and to attend religious services on a weekly basis.
• Parents are more likely to be highly involved if their children attend private, as opposed to public, schools. But private schools often make parental involvement a requirement; thus, part of the higher involvement may be a matter of school policy.
• High involvement in schools tends to decrease as school size increases.

Other sources add to the research on the kind and scope of family involvement.

• Parents tend to decrease their involvement as their children move up the educational ladder. This decrease may be due to parents' idea that involvement in schools is not as important as children grow up. Additionally, there have been fewer opportunities for parental involvement as children become older (Zill and Nord, 1994).
• Parents are more involved when they are confident that they can be of assistance to the child, when they believe that the child is capable of doing well in school and when they have high educational aspirations for the child (Abramovitch in Lamb, 1997).

Two-parent families: kind and scope of fathers' involvement. The involvement of one parent in a two-parent home motivates the other parent to be involved. However, dads are less likely than moms to attend a parent-teacher conference or volunteer at school. Stepparents are less likely to be involved than natural or adoptive parents.

Parent level of education appears to be a more important influence on parent involvement than is family income. For example, nearly 60 percent of first-time kindergartners were read to every day by a family member if one or more parents had a bachelor's degree or higher while less than 40 percent of first-time kindergartners were read to every day by a family member if that member had less than a high school education (NCES, 2000).

As the labor force participation rate of mothers with young children has increased, so has the percentage of children receiving child care from someone other than their parents before entering first grade (West et al., 1993) or during their kindergarten and primary school years (Brimhall et al., 1999). Those kindergarten children whose mothers have less than a high school education are more likely to receive before- and/or after-school care from a relative than from a non-relative or center-based provider (NCES, 2000).

Full-time maternal employment (mothers who work 35 or more hours per week) reduces maternal involvement at all grade levels. However, at all grade levels, fathers with full-time working wives have more involvement than fathers without full-time working wives (NCES, 1997).

Parental involvement in schools is closely linked to parental involvement at home. Higher father involvement is particularly related to the number of activities the family participates in with the children, the frequency with which a parent helps with homework and whether a parent regularly participates in a community service activity.

In general, fathers' involvement in their children's schools decreases as children grow older. The decline may also be attributed to the school offering fewer opportunities for parental involvement as children grow older. However, the pattern of decline differs between fathers in two-parent families and those in single-father families.

• In two-parent families, the proportion of children with highly involved fathers drops from 30 percent to 25 percent between elementary (grades K-5) and middle school (grades 6-8), but then drops only slightly, to 23 percent, in high school (grades 9-12).
• Among children living in single-father families, there is no decrease in the proportion that have highly involved fathers between elementary and middle schools (53 percent at both grade levels), but a large decrease between middle and high school (to 27 percent) (NCES, 1997).  
  What Fathers Can Do at Home, at School and in the Community
  Fathers can initiate or participate in activities that help their children succeed academically. Helping children learn can increase success in school. The nature and frequency with which parents interact in positive ways with their children reflect the parents’ investment in their children’s education (NCES, 2000). Here are some steps that fathers can take at home, at school and in the community that make a positive difference for their children’s education.
  At home, fathers can:
  • Read with their children. The ability to read well is known to be one of the most critical skills a child needs to be successful. Parents and caregivers often ask how they can get their children interested in reading, interested enough to turn off the TV and to read on their own?
  Years of research show that the best way is for the parent to serve as a model reader by reading to the child and by reading themselves. If the father can’t read the text, he can stimulate his child’s imagination by telling stories using a picture book. In addition, he can ask other significant adults to read to younger children and ask older children to read to him. He can take frequent trips to the library with the child to check out books and get to know the children’s librarian and children’s library programs.
  • Establish a daily routine. Fathers can set a time for homework, chores and other activities; use TV wisely by limiting viewing to no more than two hours a school day; and work with their child on homework and special projects, guiding them through the steps involved and encouraging them along the way. Parents don’t need to have in-depth knowledge of a subject, but can be supportive of their child in working through tough spots in her or his school work.
  • Make the most of bedtime. Bedtime is a terrific opportunity for fathers to connect with their children. For one thing, the audience is definitely captive! There are also fewer distractions. But perhaps most importantly, there is no judge standing by with a scorecard rating the dad on his performance.
  At bedtime, a father can enrich a child’s life merely by recounting what he did during the day. Discussing the day’s events shows interest in the child and builds his or her knowledge. A father may also tell or read a story. Every moment he spends and every word he says builds a relationship with his child.
  At school and other childcare and child development programs, fathers can:
  • Participate in efforts to keep their children’s schools or childcare centers safe.
  • Plan for the future by talking with their children and school counselors about future high school courses and postsecondary career options.
  • Attend parent-teacher conferences and school or class events.
  • Volunteer at school. Fathers are welcome at schools as tutors, as leaders of afternoon or evening clubs, as chaperons for field trips, social activities or athletic events, or as classroom speakers who share information about their work and the world of work and how education contributed to their expertise on the job.
  • Visit their child’s school or center. Father-child breakfasts or lunches are good opportunities to informally share a meal with children and learn about their daily school experiences, successes and concerns.
  • Meet their child’s teachers and learn about school curriculum, and how to become involved in activities.
  • Pitch in to help meet school and program needs, such as installing new playground equipment, cooking at a school picnic or painting and repairing school property.
  • Join the Parent Teacher Association or other parent groups at their child’s school or childcare center. At meetings, they can make their voices heard regarding their concerns and ideas for school improvement.

An Investment In Learning - One Learner At A Time

On Monday of this week I accompanied one of our seniors to a reception, during which he received a gift of a laptop computer to assist him when he enters college next September. The donation was made possible by a generous, forward thinking man in the area who is sensitive to the financial challenges facing many graduates as they work to invent their futures through higher education. The man who has spearheaded this valuable venture has used his role in public service to coordinate with computer technicians and civic oriented businesses to provide upgraded, refurbished laptops to nine deserving, college bound seniors representing three different high schools in the immediate area. The computers were made available via the financial support of businesses in the region who recognize the vital difference a computer can make in the hands of a learner. The volunteer technicians loaded the computers with the software necessary for college learners to tackle assigned tasks. In addition, if the recipients of the computers encounter any difficulties with the units, they can contact the provider who will then have the technicians service the laptop.

These laptops are incentives designed to support the learner and sustain their commitment to obtaining a college degree. The graduates had to provide evidence of an acceptance letter to college and a commitment signed by their parents to replace/return the laptop in the event that the learner did not successfully complete their first year of college.

All nine learners appeared sincerely grateful for the investment made in their future. If their facial expressions were any indication, they were very appreciative as they were presented the gift. Each learner announced the college they were attending and their respective major areas of study. Our representative expressed a desire to pursue engineering. In fact, when I saw him today he was excited to explain to me that the laptop contained special programming specific to engineering. Furthermore, he was already developing an excel spreadsheet for a program he was developing at his work site. I believe this laptop will not only help him financially by sparing him the added expense as he finances his education, but it will also further his learning by offering a potent instructional tool that is a necessity in college today.

I applaud the generosity and vision of the organization that has now experienced three years of extending laptops to graduating seniors. This investment will likely lead to generating opportunities for learners who might otherwise struggle financially to acquire a computer and suffer educationally without a computer.

This is a great example of an individual developing an idea and collecting like-minded people who cooperate to leverage success in the future by investing in individual learners. Their gifts of laptops will fuel the educational pursuits of these nine graduates.

Food For Thought

It's important to maintain our focus and sustain our commitment as we count down the number of days remaining in the school calendar. We can't be distracted by the approach of summer and veer off course from the values and beliefs that form our foundation and serve as a catalyst for the future. Here are some interesting quotes involving education that may prompt us all to reflect on our perspectives.

The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.  Sydney J. Harris

Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.  Albert Einstein

The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize.  Franklin D. Roosevelt

It'll be a great day when education gets all the money it wants and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy bombers.  Author unknown

An educational system isn't worth a great deal if it teaches young people how to make a living but doesn't teach them how to make a life.  Author Unknown

Education is learning what you didn't even know you didn't know. Daniel Boorstein

Education is not the filling of a pail, but th elighting of a fire. William Butler Keats

Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one. Malcolm Forbes

Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.  G.K. Chesterton

Much education today is monumentally ineffective.  All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants.  John W. Gardner

Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve.  Roger Lewin

The great difficulty in education is to get experience out of ideas.  George Santayana

My parents told me, "Finish your dinner.  People in China and India are starving."  I tell my daughters, "Finish your homework.  People in India and China are starving for your job."  Thomas L. Friedman