The Earth First Freezes
November 13–17, Zug Canton, Switzerland
Seasonal Memoir #38
If you know me well enough, you’ll know I’m somewhat obsessed with finding really good eggs, destined for a fry up for breakfast. The darker the yoke, the better the feed was for the chicken, and I reckon, the greater the nutrient load. It’s been hit or miss finding good eggs at my village’s COOP market, where the only sure way to secure superior eggs is paying nearly a dollar per egg at Saturday’s farmer’s market (but well worth it!). The other day I spotted some interesting eggs at the store that had bright yellow and green shells, so I bought a half-dozen. When I cracked the egg open over the skillet, nothing came out. I quickly realized I was cracking a hard-boiled egg, and that the Swiss paint their eggs different colors to indicate they are not raw. Smart! Since eggs in Europe are not refrigerated on the shelves, I didn’t suspect this would be the case.
—
I keep falling into the same trap at work, bringing new ideas to the table group, and getting a negative response. It’s not unique to our school at all, but rather just the “law of nature” that hierarchical groups, even when consisting of creative and open-minded people, will tend to shoot down innovation. I’ve noticed this phenomenon time and time again; it’s just a group dynamic thing. One way to overcome this is to simply not ask permission from the group to do something new (i.e. beg forgiveness, don’t ask for permission). But if that approach is not politically viable, then I would recommend individually lobbying each member of the group, and doing so in private, where you can have a safe chat, and where there will be no posturing in front of the group or peer pressure.
—
Schools worldwide are seeing a rise in disciplinary cases among its students as they continue to be open during the pandemic, and in some places, an increase in fights. We’ve thankfully avoided the serious stuff, but have noticed both an increase in low-level code of conduct violations (due to immaturity), and also an increase in back-talk (students simply challenging what the adults are asking of them). Here’s what I wrote to our parents in our bi-monthly bulletin:
You have likely heard mention in the news of The Great Resignation, where millions of unfilled jobs have partly contributed to supply chain slowdowns. It’s another R that I draw your attention to: The Great Rudeness. As one article put it, “Re-entry into polite society is proving to be a little bumpy.” Whether it’s on airplanes, in restaurants, or in other public settings that were unavailable during the pandemic, some people are having a hard time treating each other well.
I wish I could say the High School was exempt from this behavior, but we are not. Rest assured that it’s hardly endemic, but we have noticed more backtalk and other disobedience than we are used to seeing. Working with adolescents for a living, we don’t take it personally, nor do we feel we have a decline in the character of our students. Rather, there’s just something hard and taxing about life (and schooling) during a pandemic that’s approaching two years running. We are taking a patient approach.
Not surprisingly, many of our students have picked up on this dynamic, and have sprung into action, providing many good ideas to promote positivity and to build back the ISZL community. As an example of one such effort, I’m pleased to invite you to participate in this student-led initiative (as we teachers are doing), where you can drop off your “identity post-it” to the main office for eventual display.
In conjunction with the student-led initiatives, the staff are promoting our school’s values of Respect, Motivate, and Achieve. Each week leading up to the break will be themed and include a myriad of activities and efforts to build school spirit. We hope this element of fun will help end the first “half” of the year in good stead.
As always, we view the High School as a partnership between our families and the staff, for the express benefit of our students, so it is in that spirit that we ask for your support in promoting community, and in reinforcing the school’s values at home when your children are talking about school. For that, we sincerely thank you.
In partnership,
Dr. Paul Richards
Interim High School Principal
—
While I’m riding on my high horse, I’ll continue with my kvetching. I’ve been seeing adverts like these around Switzerland. It’s just so wrong on so many levels, feeding stereotypes and savior mentalities not the least of it. Ugh.
