If you watch MSNBC you may see a very unflattering view of Howell. While the media may enjoy painting us in a negative light, it isn't an accurate portrayal.
Howell is a community that has been trying to overcome a tarnished reputation earned years ago by a small group of hateful people who didn't even live in Howell.
Howell is a place that may not be as diverse as other communities, but has purposefully developed community events to welcome in tens of thousands of guests of all race, creed and background.
Howell is a community that that has seen an explosion of growth over the past 20-years. People are moving here despite the reputation because they want a community that feels a bit like small town America. Not a community small in ideas, but a community that cares for each other. A town where you can go get ice cream on Saturday night and run into people you know. A town where you can go watch a Blues concert on the courthouse lawn on warm summer evenings.
Howell also has a union that says they are standing up for teachers. But I wonder if they would be standing so strong if a teacher had shown a film stating the pro-life point of view. We have a union representative who lied about an Administrator in front of the entire School Board to further her agenda. Even with a union that is out of control, we have good teachers in Howell too.
I also see kids who just want to learn. They don't want to be involved in controversial issues or be ashamed of where they come from. They don't want teachers who put them on the spot and embarrass them for their beliefs.
Our district is a place where some adults, from the School Board down, have not done a very good job dealing with bullying amongst themselves and therefore are not very good role models for kids to follow.
We want to talk about bullying, fine. Bullying is born out of a hurting generation that has not been taught to respect parents, their country, their teachers or anyone else, and yet are expected to understand how to treat each other with kindness.
The truth is, you can disagree with a persons behavior and still love the person. And if I say I disagree with you, it isn't hate speech. There is real bully going on. There are kids that are hurting. But it isn't bullying to say that I disagree with your behavior.
It is, however, bullying to incite a debate in a classroom and then humiliate and punish a child for their beliefs.
This situation has been blown up by a teacher who did not like that he was called on the carpet for his behavior. Who exactly was he defending anyway? He wasn't defending a child, he was defending an agenda.
He is right about one thing though, no child should be bullied. No child should have his or her name dragged into the national spotlight as a racist and bigot just to further the agenda of a union or defend a teachers' inappropriate actions.
Maybe before we start bringing in more speakers and training, each of us, from the Board down, should take responsibility for our own actions and model the behavior we want to see in other children. Not the politically correct version, but the honest, true and kind version. I am thinking the Mr. Rogers, Andy Griffith, or Charles Ingalls version.
Once again our community is at the center of the culture war. It is time the good people of this community stand up and fight back against the social progressive agenda. We don't have to apologize for crimes we didn't commit. We do need to protect children in Howell.
If we are serious about reducing bullying, we need to start with teaching responsibility, accountability and some of the basics of what it means to be kind. Maybe we can just start with some of teacher Ron Clark's 55 Essentials.
Here are some of the skills that Ron Clark says are essential for kids to learn:
•Make eye contact
•Respect other; ideas and opinions
•Do not save seats
•Say thank you within three seconds of receiving something
•When you win, do not brag; when you lose, do not show anger
•Do your homework each and every night without fail
•Do not talk in a movie theater
•Be the best person you can be
•Always be honest
•If you are asked a question in conversation, ask a question in return
•Perform random acts of kindness
•Learn the names of all the teachers in the school and greet them
•If someone bumps into you, even if it was not your fault , say excuse me
•Stand up for what you believe in
What do you think?
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