Where Is General Shinseki When Hawaii’s DOE Needs Him?
Politicians have a way of promising something for nothing. It鈥檚 not new. Perhaps it鈥檚 our fault as taxpayers that we believe we can get something of quality at little or no cost. The real world just doesn鈥檛 work that way and we know it, but there is one born every minute according to a famous circus showman. It seems he was right.
But once in a great while comes someone who speaks the truth in such a straightforward manner that it cuts through the illusions. A fine example is the testimony given by Hawai’i born General Eric Shinseki to the Senate Armed Services Committee during the run-up to the Iraq War. Members of the President鈥檚 administration at that time promised the American public that the war and subsequent occupation could be done cheaply, both in terms of money and lives.
General Shinseki knew better and had the integrity to say so. Knowing that his job would be in jeopardy, Shinseki stated that the administration鈥檚 portrayal of what it would take to win the war (and the peace) was unrealistically low. This angered the administration and Shinseki was set aside. But after years of little progress in Iraq, billions of dollars spent and many service men and women lost, General Shinseki was vindicated. The administration had to finally admit that we did not have enough 鈥渂oots on the ground鈥 and initiated a 鈥淪urge鈥 which raised troop levels in Iraq to very near the exact numbers which Shinseki has predicted would be needed in the first place. The 鈥淪urge鈥 worked and an orderly transition to a new government in Iraq was completed.
The moral to the story is that we should never allow ourselves to be fooled into believing that we can do a job without committing the resources that job requires.
Closer to home, it鈥檚 time we admit that we are losing the war of educating our young, though perhaps losing the occupation is a more accurate descriptor of our situation. Once again, we have been promised that a job can be done with less resources than that job actually requires.
But where is our Shinseki in Education? Who will tell the truth regardless of the political consequences, namely that the job of educating our young people in today鈥檚 world requires more 鈥渂oots on the ground.鈥 That in an age of declining social institutions, decreasing family stability, yet increasing academic standards and expectations of our schools, that we need more teachers. We need smaller classes. We need more school counselors. We need more and better support services for those students and teachers. And we need more administrators.
The truth is, folks, we get what we pay for. We didn鈥檛 blame the troops in the field for the failed plan in Iraq. We shouldn鈥檛 blame the teachers for the failed plans in the DOE. If we leave school personnel to face unrealistic demands, expect them to do 24 hours of work in an 8 hour day (and ,of course, 8 hours is a myth), we will continue to fall farther and farther behind. It鈥檚 no wonder that half of new teachers quit within in five years.
The DOE Shinseki would call for an immediate 鈥淪urge鈥 and double the number of teachers, counselors and administrators to meet the increasing requirements to educate our children. With more 鈥渂oots on the ground鈥, the tide would be turned as certainly as it was in Iraq. Education today requires more personnel to provide the 鈥淩igor鈥, 鈥淩elevance鈥 and to make those 鈥淩elationships鈥.
Let鈥檚 end the circus of political posing and get real about what it really takes to educate our children to today鈥檚 standards. We have to commit the resources needed or be honest with the public if we will not. But either way, please let鈥檚 not continue to make unrealistic promises then leave teachers to face the disillusioned public.
About the author: John Casey Carpenter has worked with Hawaii’s youth for almost 30 years. Five years with the non-profit agency Hale Kipa on O’ahu in the 80’s and 24 years in the DOE as a counselor and fill-in administrator from K – 12 on the Big Island while he and his wife have raised three sons who each attended public schools.
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