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Friday, September 11, 2015

Civility. | Fred Klonsky

Civility. | Fred Klonsky:

Civility.

civility
Hunger strikers Cesar Chavez (left) with Jesse Jackson and Jitu Brown (right).


Hunger strikers Cesar Chavez (left) with Jesse Jackson and Jitu Brown (right).

While a lot in this world makes me angry I try not to yell and scream. I try and remain civil.

This was not always true. Back when I was teaching and representing teachers I would get pretty mad and I was known to lose it once in a while.

Sometimes this was more of a tactic than real. Sometimes it was real.

Dear Mrs. Douglass would get so worried about me. I would walk past her room after a meeting with administration and the color in my face was slowly moving from red to pink. “Be careful,” she would say. “We don’t want you getting another heart attack.”

She knew I already had one.

Age and retirement have calmed me down. I am better for it.

Last year’s buzz word was “grit.” It didn’t matter if there were adequate resources for poor kids and kids of color. All you needed was grit to succeed.

What nonsense.

This year we are all about “civility.”

I’m for civil conversations even among those with who we disagree. Of course, why would you worry about having a civil conversation with Civility. | Fred Klonsky: