Constitution Day: It's a Free Country

In honor of Constitution Day, yesterday we watched a live-streamed interview with Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. The "virtual field trip" aired from the National Constitution Center in Pennsylvania, and featured students from the area posing various questions about his life and work. The questions ranged from a pointed inquiry about the death penalty to quips about Judge Judy. But the question that stuck with me was one about arguments that might take place between the members of the Supreme Court.

Justice Breyer explained that although he and his colleagues may disagree at times, he has never once heard anyone raise a voice or act disrespectfully. He went on to give advice to those present and watching on how to handle an argument. "Stay calm," he urged. Breyer then went on to say of those who get out of control during a disagreement: "Oh, he's getting emotional. He must be wrong."

The kids laughed and the adults exchanged knowing glances and mild chuckles. But as my day progressed, I couldn't stop coming back to the Justice's words. Lately all I seem to encounter on social media and the news are folks getting angry with each other. The issues vary, but there are always loud members from both sides spewing hurtful and hateful messages for the sake of "the cause". But when did caring about something give anyone the right to be ugly?

People love to bring the First Amendment into the conversation when it comes to pointing fingers and looking foolish. We do have a lot of freedom in this country, including of course, freedom of speech. One of my favorite comedians, Demetri Martin has a joke about Americans using the freedom of our country as an excuse for their misbehavior. Martin points out that "people only mention it's a free country when they're doing something shitty."

We are fortunate that we can believe, think, and say anything that we wish in this country. That's quite a bit of power. But, as we all know, with great power comes great responsibility. The age of technology we live in allows us to feel comfortable and safe behind a keyboard. It gives us the audacity to say all the things we believe and think, without regard to the affect of our actions. We raise our voices and disrespect our opponents, even if by only hitting "share". We have the ability to instantly disseminate whatever fleeting thought enters our minds. That is an incredible amount of power.

We are fortunate as Americans that our forefathers sacrificed so much to "form a more perfect Union". Let's not use that same document as an excuse to divide us.

Comments

  1. Valerie B.September 18, 2015 at 6:50 PM

    Excellent, excellent. I agree with everything you said.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LorieSeptember 19, 2015 at 6:42 PM

    Thank you Christy. I look forward to reading more!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Expectations

Each day, I arrive at school roughly an hour before the students. I walk around the room and pick up fallen books and notebooks, organize supplies at each table’s caddy, and shove desks back into their original positions. I take a few minutes to unpack my bag and get my desk in order. I spend time answering emails and messages through our classroom app. I make sure the date and agenda have been changed on the board, update the Bell Work and morning To-Do List, and make sure all of my copies for the day are laid out.  I dash up to the office and check my mailbox, stop by a colleague’s room to bounce a few ideas off of her, and take a precious pit stop on the way back to my room. Then I quickly write out checklists for four of my students who need help focusing and descretely tape them to their desks. Then, if I’m lucky, I have just a moment to sip some coffee before the day begins. I wasn’t paid for any of that.
Read more

For What They Taught Me

I’ve had time to reflect during the break from school. To process my first semester doing what I was meant to do. What I’m passionate about. Teaching. This first chapter in my career was a whirlwind that began in a kindergarten classroom with nine languages and ended with eighty-three fifth graders dabbing and flipping bottles. The change was heartbreaking and emotional, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I learned a lot from this experience, and I’m better for it. It gave me the opportunity to turn lemons into lemonade, and to prove to myself that I am capable of so much more than I give myself credit for. My classroom and students are my world. I love each and every one of of those children, even when they’re challenging. Especially when they’re challenging. Not every day is easy, in fact most days aren't, but I can feel myself growing and developing as an educator and I like what is happening inside those classroom walls. Over the break, I got to thinking about my ident...
Read more