Getting an Education

My brother, Tim, was an odd duck.

He was passionate about…

and sincerely devoted to education.

He possessed three degrees himself…

undergraduate and two different Masters.

When I went through his things…

after his death…

I discovered his intent…

to pursue a Doctorate.

Why odd?

Because he resolutely believed the following…

statements quoted here by Oliver DeMille…

in A Thomas Jefferson Education.

“First, education is so many things to so many people: for some, education means job training, for others it means fixing social problems, still others see education as job security or a source of political clout. Americans love education, believe in education and pay big money for education, but few agree on what it is, what it should accomplish, or what methods should be used to achieve it.”

“The fact is, the only person who can fix education is the student.”

“Teaching, not education, should be our focus, because great teaching inspires students to educate themselves.”

“Most modern teachers, including those parents who deal with the problem by teaching their children at home, often find that their own educational experience is a real hindrance. How does a generation that grew up uninitiated in the classics now pass on mentoring in the classic works to the next generation: We know our children deserve better than what we can offer at home or school, but what can we do?”

“I had to choose whether to focus on the quality and excellence my new mentorial education offered or the more typical career training I was getting at the big university…

what no one seems willing to say openly anymore, perhaps for fear of turning students away, is that getting an education is their job, and that it is a supremely difficult job.”

“The solution to the American Education Quest is to focus on great teaching rather than education…Parents must lead the charge. Most public and private school teachers–and there are many good ones–are not in a position to change the current environment. Nor are many legislatures or school boards likely to adopt the classics/mentors model. Parents must do it in their own learning.” (emphasis mine)

The oddity of my brother was very complex.

He was passionate about people owning their own education.

He was passionate about education being for a purpose and mission, rather than the desire to amass initials behind one’s name.

He lived to help those that had gone off the rails due to various circumstances and personal choices within their own lives; to rectify and redeem often seemingly hopeless circumstances.

He absolutely backed the power of the family and the need for parents to lead the charge by personal example. If a family situation was impossible for students desiring inspiration, he created environments and cultures that were a pretty incredible substitute.

He lived to inspire great teaching methodologies both in and outside of the classroom that would challenge students to take the initiative needed to be world changers.

He believed that life, both the mundane as well as the celebratory, the good and the bad, the broken and redeemed, had lessons to offer. You just had to be in love with learning in order to see them.

All of this is a really tall order.

It will never be my intent to deify or exalt Tim to a place of supernatural capabilities in an attempt to paint him in a perfect light.

That would be an injustice to his true legacy; which was often dirty, inconvenient, misunderstood, rejected and appeared at times, to be somewhat upside down.

But in the end…

it was both effective and staggering in impact.

I have a long way to go in my commitment to sharing my brother with you.

In my estimation I’m way behind.

Where grief…

and the ever-nagging myriad of tasks and situations…

that still arise…

needing attention and resolve are concerned…

I’m still on quite a learning curve myself.

Daily.

I’m attempting to be a diligent student.

Some things Tim knew for sure: