The Highest Form of Hope

Bad education. I'm up to my eyeballs in it. Somewhere between prof's reading their dissertations out loud and confidential student evaluations being read minutes before the final, I lost my passion for learning.
Lamenting over the state of my own education, I came across an interesting book by David Orr: Earth in Mind: One Education, Environment, and the Human Perspective.

The following are exerpts from chapter one.

MYTHS OF EDUCATION

1. Ignorance is a solvable problem.
2. With enough science and technology, we can, in the words of Scientific America (1989), "manage planet earth."
3. Knowledge, and by implication human goodness, is increasing.
4. We can adequately restore that which we have dismantled.
5. The purpose of education is to give students means for upward mobility and success.
6. Our culture (Western culture) represents the pinnacle of human achievement.

TRUTHS OF EDUCATION

1. All education is environmental education. Students are taught to interact with their environment.
2. The goal of education is not mastery of subject matter but mastery of one's person.
3. Knowledge carries with it the responsibility to see that it is well used in the world.
4. We cannot say that we know something until we understand the effects of this knowledge on real people and their communities.
5. Example is more powerful than words.

During my internship, I made it a goal to develop a unit on the Rwandan genocides (as I have mentioned before on this blog). Through this unit, I wanted to explore the history of colonialism in Africa, the role of world economic systems, roots of violence and social unrest and also recent interventions by the UN and minority world nations (or developed nations) in majority world nations (or developing nations). It was a big undertaking and I had only two weeks to teach and evaluate the unit for my grade eleven history students.

At the end of it all, exploring this unit was a rewarding experience for both my students and my self. I saw students begin to understand the roots of violence and the inequity created by past and present systems. I saw students make emotional and practical responses to these issues.

This unit is one that I wanted to continue to develop, but I found that my knowledge was lacking in key areas. For one, I didn’t understand African worldviews. I knew little about how culture and ethnicity affects the political systems. Other than the recent events in Rwanda, I didn’t have a good knowledge base on current events or issues that have shaped Africa’s political life. I also didn’t understand why democracy has not taken root in Africa and in other majority world nations.

A PD assignment for my EDFDT 435.3 was an opportunity to learn more about Africa’s current political climate. I attended a seminar as part of International Week at the University of Saskatchewan entitled “Democratization in Africa: The Political Elite and the ‘Popular Will’ in Kenya”. Jeff Steaves, a professor in the department of political studies, lectured from his personal experience living in Kenya and his observations about the changing political climate in Kenya and Africa in general. He proposed that developments in Kenya over the past three years can exemplify a possible pathway to democracy for African nations.

Steaves began by critiquing common beliefs held by political scientists (and history teachers) in minority world nations pertaining to democratic reform in African nations. Minority world nations expect certain conditions from a democracy. They expect the valuing of the individual in open and free elections, legitimacy of institutions and infrastructure, a government held accountable by a legislature, and a non-partisan public service. This model has taken on imperialist overtones in that the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank will not allow aid unless the above conditions (and other conditions) are met. Because of this, many political scientists of minority world nations view that democracy in Africa is not possible. They view Africa as being in a “grey zone” – not democratic, but not authoritarian because governments are either too weak or too corrupt to make the leap to a liberal democratic system.
Steaves then went on to describe what he called the “reality on the ground” – that is, how Africans perceive their political system. He listed the following truths about African politics: politics affects every aspect of ones life; political power should lead to benefits; the individual is defined by ethnicity; political leaders should bring benefits to their ethnic group; leaders should gain personally from serving the ethnic group (reciprocal obligations). In the first step toward democracy, multiparty systems were introduced in many African countries. However people voted almost exclusively along ethno-regional lines. Thus, those in power benefited only their ethnic groups. In order for governments to attain a majority in African nations, politicians had to make coalitions with other ethnic/political parties. These coalitions were extremely fragile. The media also found a new role. The new, independent media in Africa made politics a public spectacle and as the case in Kenya exemplified, the media helped place more public pressure on the political elite.

So what happened in Kenya? A government in power for decades was toppled in 2002 in a groundbreaking election. Later, in 2005, a people-led constitution formed by the coalition government that included a decentralization of government allowing ethno-regional spheres of power, ran against the constitution produced by the political elite in a referendum. With bananas representing the political elite’s constitution and oranges representing the people-led constitution, the oranges won a decisive victory.

Steaves suggested that the events in Kenya represented a grassroots approach to democracy for majority world nations. He also stressed that the world economic authorities (nearly all based in the US) and the most powerful nations in the UN are not willing to bend their liberal democratic ideal in order to make room for a workable majority world democracy. It’s no wonder that institutions like the IMF and World Bank have little credibility to Africans.

These new insights into an African perspective on politics and democracy start to make a lot of sense, especially when applied to failed attempts at democracy initiated by minority world nations. These lessons can be applied to the current situations in Iraq and Afghanistan where ethno-regionalism is paramount.

When teaching about democracy, it’s important to focus on more than just the liberal democratic model. In order for students to understand and critique world politics, they need to comprehend why this model is often unfeasible to majority world nations. The values that we hold to so strongly in our minority world (i.e. individualism, liberal ideals, capitalism) are not often held by the rest of the world. It is important for students to appreciate different ways of being. They should be able to understand the benefits and setbacks of our individual society by studying different models of government.

In history and social studies, we often teach students about politics using the political continuum with “left” on one side and “right” on the other. I myself used this model. The political continuum model is not able to compensate the complexities of Canada’s political system let alone the rest of the world. It’s high time we begin to develop new models in order to include the changing political spectrum of the majority world.

A good companion to this article is Gil Dueck's Blog February 16, 2006.

Last year I took a creative writing course. One day we did an exercise where we got into groups and wrote a story together. Each of us would take turns writing for about two minutes until the story came to an end. The following is the product of that exercise - Credit must go to my group, but I did take liberties in cleaning up the language. Enjoy, I hope you do not find it too offensive. (Try to guess which part I wrote!)

So there I was, smack-dab in the middle of one “sticky” situation. Seems that ridiculous bear had spilt his honey all over my hut, yet again. And even worse, I had sat in it. Now that little brat Christopher Robin was going to pin my tail on again. I hate him.

My rear end covered in honey, no tail in sight, and just when I think things can’t get any worse, that bouncing idiot Tigger comes hopping alone. Sometimes I would like to kick him right in the head - maybe it would straighten him out. I glance back at my hut. If it was colder the honey would harden and provide some insulation for the walls. But of course, nothing can ever go my way. In true idiotic form, Tigger crashes into my hut, ruining it - Negating the fact it was covered in honey. I’m seeing red.

“What are you doing you doing you freaking idiot. Why don’t you get off the glue, quit hopping around like a moron and watch where you are going”

“Well what ever do you mean Eeyore?”

“Tigger, if there’s one thing I can not stand it’s hyperactivity. I’ve had a very bad day. I just want to take my Zoloft and have a nap. Do you get my drift?”

“I believe it’s ‘catch my drift’,” said Tigger curtly.

“If you don’t leave me alone, I swear, I will end you bouncing days.”

“I’ll tell Christopher Robin,” Tigger threatened.

I paused a minute. Tigger would tell Christopher Robin, Pooh would find out about the missing honey and Rabbit would have a field day. And then I knew what he had to do. Yes, Tigger would have to be taken care of.

“Tigger,” I said, changing my tone, “Why don’t you help me reassemble my hut, then we can talk.”

“Well now you’re being more reasonable,” said Tigger.

Tigger moved towards the cardboard door to pick it up. As he bent over I grabbed a 2x4 and hit him over the head as hard as I could.

“Ah, ah, what the heck is wrong with you?

Tigger looked back at me and I noticed that he was missing his two front teeth.

“You humpbacked donkey! What were you trying to do with that 2x4? You don’t even have hands!”

I, a pillar of composure gave Tigger one swift kick to the junk and trampled him to death. Just as I had fashioned himself a nice fur coat out of Tigger’s carcass, Christopher Robin and his posse showed up. Good thing I had backup. It was Piglet, the pig with a plan. He had been behind the whole plot from the beginning.

************

Continuing on the subject of Winnie the Pooh....
One of the reason why Winnie the Pooh is such a popular collection of stories is because of the uniqueness of the characters. I don't know about you, but I often see similarities between some of the characters and people I know (and myself!). So I came up with some Pooh-inspired personality profiles. I hope you enjoy them and please let me know who you most resemble!


Pooh: You're not the brightest penny in the jar, but you sometimes come up with profound insights. You like to take your time and have a good routine. You enjoy the simple things in life. You are a loyal and caring friend. Lovable and hugable, you are sensitive to the needs of others. You're easy going and you look for the best in people. Your head may be full of stuffing, but your heart is as good as gold!
Possible mental disorder: Disordered Eating
Possible Careers: Counselor, Chef, Artist, Homemaker, Food Critic, Wine Taster, Kindergarten Teacher.

Owl: You are a leader. Many see you as wise beyond your years though you tend to overlook the obvious. You are a big picture person and a visionary. Many people come to you to seek advice, though you may not always be qualified to give an answer. You are good at mobilizing the troops. People tend to rally around you.
Possible mental disorder: Megalomania
Possible Careers: Politician, Administrator, CEO, Leader of a cult, Self help guru, Motivational speaker.

Tigger: You're the life of the party. Your main concern is having fun and being the center of attention. You have a lot of friends and you are well-liked by most. Organization and time management are not your strengths because you are people centered. You like to go with the flow. You're definitely an optimist. Though you have good intentions, you can be destructive - but it's hard to hold it against you.
Possible mental disorders: ADHD
Possible Careers: Actor, Stunt Person, Youth Worker, Consultant, Career Student, Professional Athlete, Freelance Photographer.

Kanga: You are a nurturing personality. You enjoy having people in your house - hospitality is very important to you. You are a listener and you give sound advice. You are organized and responsible. However, you have trouble taking risks and often wonder what your life would be like should you made different choices. You may tend to live vicariously through your children or people you have invested in.
Possible mental disorders: Munchausen’s by proxy syndrome
Possible careers: Teacher, Nurse, Counselor, Caregiver, Homemaker, Chef, Mediator, Mentor, Party host.

Rabbit: You are prepared for anything. Intelligent, organized and responsible, you are often plagued by anxiety. You consider yourself a realist and you like to have all your ducks in a row. You often get distracted by details and you are known for overreacting. You are very hygienic and neat. You may be considered a bit of a nag. However, you have a good heart and really just want to take care of those you love. You give thoughtful gifts - indeed, you put a lot of thought into everything you do.
Possible mental disorder: Obsessive compulsive disorder
Possible Careers: Pharmacist, Accountant, Scientist, Hygienist, Teacher, Bureaucrat, Wedding Planner.

Eeyore: You are an introvert and deeply thoughtful. You are a pessimist because nothing seems to go right for you. You probably have a lot of friends, but may feel lonely from time to time. Though you tend to get down on yourself, you are very spiritual - this makes you incredibly endearing. You like to build things and work with your hands (hoofs). This can distract you from too much navel-gazing.
Possible mental disorder: Clinical Depression
Possible Careers: Philosopher, Carpenter, Artist, Musician, Aid Worker, Dentist.

Piglet: You are a pig in the background. You have lots of friends and everyone likes you but you hate being the center of attention. You are incredibly afraid of speaking in public. You often rely on others for your self esteem. You are a true friend and can muster courage if you have to. Though you may be timid, you never cease to stand up for those who need it.
Possible mental disorder: Social Anxiety Disorder
Possible Careers: Civil Servant, NGO worker, Social Worker, Teacher, Engineer, Administrative Assistant, Human Resources.