Respect in the Classroom - A Critique

Respect in the Classroom - A Critique by Mitch Asinoff - Summer, 1999

I empathize with Professor Midobuche for her suffering and applaud her for overcoming her persecution. It was not easy, but she did it. I hope that her classmates were able to overcome it as well as her. My friend Rabbi Kay, an English Professor said something I'll never forget: "The right teacher is the difference between learning and not learning."

Professor Midobuche is a prime example of that. As a child, she had to endure a racist persecutor teacher just because she was Mexican. A teacher should be a protector who accepts, supports, encourages and nurtures children so they can become all they can be.

It isn't easy being a teacher. Unfortunately, too many children come from broken homes, are unwanted and unloved. This leads to many joining gangs as a means of attaining the sense of belonging and acceptance they desperately need. If a teacher is lucky they can touch the life of a student and save them in the same way as Midobuche. I was very fortunate: one of my G.E.D. students told me "You touched my soul. My sister is a teacher. But she could not teach me. You're the first teacher to really help me." I simply went over it as many times as he needed to understand and praised him every problem he got right.

As for that teacher, it's unclear what motivated her to be so anti-Mexican. Perhaps she was perpetuating something she was taught. Maybe she, or a loved one was hurt by a Mexican. We can only guess what fueled her hatred. She used her students as a "whipping-board" as they were easy targets to spew her hatred at because they could not fight back.

We know the teacher did not agree with the United States Constitution. In the preamble it says, "All men are created equal. And endowed by God with inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." She also would like to change the Statue of Liberty's modo to say, "No Vacancy"! I would like to know where her family originated from. Then I would ask her where she would be if they were not welcomed here. And how she would feel if she, or her children were subjected to the same treatment she gives her students.

As for Professor Midobuche, she needs talk therapy to help heal her wounded inner child. It is not easy but she must find closure. That is a buzz word used in psychology. St. Francis described it as "...the peace to accept the things you cannot change." It might help to find out what triggered her teacher. My friend Frank Smith who holds a masters degree in psychology says, "Psychology merely explains things. It doesn't change them." He's right, but fails to recognize that is only the first piece of the solution. And that in turn it will help her to find the forgiveness she needs to release her from her past. If the teacher is available she could be tracked down and asked the why's? If she isn't the professor should vent by writing a letter, or using a stuffed animal as a prop, or just talk to an empty chair. The goal is to purge it all. I believe that God answered her prayers by "leveling-the-playing-field" for her with compassionate, accepting teachers who helped her become a college professor.

Teachers should encourage an appreciation of multiculturism. But the emphasis should be on "Acquiring Americanism". For this is a melting pot. Many opportunists and demagogues such as David Duke, Pat Buchanan, Michael Levin, Reverends Sharpton, Jackson and Farakkan to divide this great nation by manipulating and exploiting the bonds that unite us all as Americans. People should appreciate our differences and not let class-envy feed hatred. Reverends Jackson and Sharpton try to use our differences to divide us. The Pledge of Allegiance says, "One nation under God..." That premise is being undermined by well-meaning, but misguided people who are obsessed with taking God out of school. How easily they forget that He created multiculturalism. Like it or not the purpose of war is victory and the history books are written by the winners.

My friend and former history professor said something interesting on the subject: "All that matters is whether you or lose. When the dust settles few care how you 'played-the-game'. History will portray either as a winner or a loser. It will not say how you played the game. To the victor goes the spoils. In war many losers surrender unconditionally. This applies to all aspects of life: in sports the winning coach wants to discuss the score. But the losing coach doesn't. He wants to talk about 'heart' and 'next year'." Unfortunately, society thinks that way. Olympic Gold winners are bombarded with multi-million dollar offers. Who pays a loser to promote their product?

Upon deep reflection I see that we must first return to the days of yesteryear when we transformed ourselves from 13 Colonies into the United States of America! We were founded as a nation of immigrants, a melting pot where all can come in pursuit of the American dream. We must not let a few Liberals change history with their ideas of revisionism.

When slavery was abolished Booker T. Washington became a college professor. He rose to dine at the White House with President Cleveland. And did it without berating any one! We must never forget the simple philosophy that made us what we are: united we stand, divided we fall!

In his inaugural address on January 21, 1985 R. Reagan said something we must remember if we are going to survive as a nation: "When George Washington was sworn in as the first president of our great nation some two centuries ago he placed his hand upon the Bible standing less than a days journey by horseback from raw, untamed wilderness. There were four million Americans in a union of 13 Colonies. Since then we've pioneered and revolutionized the world with inventions like the train, car and plane, and journeyed to the moon. We stood together as a nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all! Many feel we need to look back for glory and greatness, but present day America need not. There are still many mountains to climb.

"We must never become a nation that needs to look back for glory. It's time to renew our faith, strive forward and continue being the greatest nation in the free world. We defeated the evil empire and are now the greatest nation on earth. There is no limit to what we can do in the next 200 years. But first we must stop slipping and sliding into third worldism and regain the values that made us this great nation. This is not the time to rest, we can meet the challenges and create a future worthy of our past. But we cannot do it alone, we need God as our copilot and Commander-In-Chief to help guide us in making the hardest, most demanding and rewarding decisions we will be called upon to make in life, the choice is ours!"