A Smattering Of Topics Of General Interest

EDUCATION — I noticed in the May 29 edition of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette that the Arkansas Department of Education is writing a draft of a plan called the Arkansas Educational Support and Accountability System, which is required by the Federal Law called the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA replaced No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

Forgive me if I focus on semantics, but doesn’t “no child left behind” mean the same thing as “every student succeeds?” For public education, we have the same challenges as before, but it’s a different year. And we have the same efforts in place by law, but a new name.

Please understand I’m not criticizing educators. Far from it. But sometimes in our attempt to make real improvement in our schools we do our dedicated teachers a disservice. Government tends to repackage some old ideas, put a shiny new label on them and then trot them out as something that is extremely innovative.

In a nutshell, the challenge facing schools is that many students are not prepared to learn. And also in a nutshell, the task for teachers everywhere is to do whatever it takes to make sure every student is equipped for life. This means that sometimes teachers must work with students on an individual, case-by-case basis, which is no easy task. Laws passed requiring the best education for our students are a good thing. But not if the laws make the entire process more convoluted.

MORE ON EDUCATION — In keeping with the theme of referring to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the June 10 issue contained an article about companies like Walmart always experimenting with new things. In the competitiveness of today’s marketplace, those who are the fastest innovators are often the most successful. Walmart and other companies continue to work on online commerce, home deliveries and paying with an electronic device. What does this have to do with education? Everything. Or it should. Quite simply, only students who keep abreast of such developments are really prepared for the real world. In light of that, teachers should prepare lessons with learning resources and curriculum in one hand and a newspaper in the other. All learning should be meaningful and relevant.

DISCO FEVER — Has it really been 40 years since

Saturday Night Fever was a movie hit? Almost. It was November 1977 when the movie was released. That might make some of us feel old. On the other hand, if a person cranked up the soundtrack from that movie, it might have the opposite effect. The BeeGees were in their heyday in the 1970s, and

Saturday Night Fever was the movie that launched them in to prominence. It didn’t hurt John Travolta’s career either. His role as New York disco dancer Tony Manero put him well on his way to being a Hollywood icon. If you aren’t old enough to remember those times, it might help if I say Saturday Night Fever did for Travolta what Footloose did for Kevin Bacon.

BASEBALL CHAMPS — The 1967 St. Louis Cardinals roared to a 101-60 record and then won the World Series in seven games over the Boston Red Sox. That was 50 years ago. It’s always exciting in and around St. Louis when the Cardinals are pursuing a World Series championship. I do not remember the Cardinals’ championship of 1967, and I only vaguely remember them returning to the World Series in 1968. But after that I’ve seen the excitement of a race to the championship first-hand in 1982, 1985, 1987, 2004, 2006, 2011 and 2013. The Cardinals were World Series Champions 11 times, most recently in 1982, 2006 and 2011. St. Louis has always been a great town for baseball and the fact that they have gone to the World Series so often keeps things interesting.

FOOTBALL RECOLLECTIONS — Also in 1967 the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL) staged the first AFL-NFL World Championship, which soon became known as the Super Bowl. The Green Bay Packers were on top of the professional football world 50 years ago. They had won championships after the 1961, 1962 and 1965 seasons. After the 1966 season they became champions again, winning the first Super Bowl (played in January 1967). Fifty years ago, in the summer of 1967, the Packers would begin preparing to try to repeat as Super Bowl champions, which they eventually did. They went on to win Super Bowl II in January 1968 over the Oakland Raiders.

PERSONAL — I recently had the good fortune of taking a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with some guys that I’ve been friends with since the early 1970s. We were there for a week and it was a great getaway in scenic surroundings. I will refrain from writing up a travel brochure here, but I will say this: I was impressed with the work ethic of the Mexican people. I understand that they were doing a good job because they were working for tips. I also understand that they were pleasant because they know tourism is important to their economy.

But that wasn’t the entire story. There are many Americans who also work for tips, but who may not bring the same pleasant demeanor to work. Everywhere I went in Mexico I was greeted with a cheerful attitude, a good smile and a politeness that seemed to be based upon more than just trying to get a good tip. It looked like people were taking pride in their work and were thankful to be employed. I hope we don’t forget that in this country. It is always good common sense and good business sense to relate to clients with good cheer and a pleasant demeanor.

UPCOMING BOOK —On another personal matter, I’m excited to tell you that I have a book coming out this fall. It is called “Learning Every Day,” a collection of columns I’ve done in recent years. Some are on education, some on sports, some on special events, and some are about growing up in Arkansas. I will let you know of more details in the future, but for now I’ll just say that if you like this column each week you will likely enjoy the book.

Stay tuned, and as always, thanks for reading. DAVID WILSON, EDD, OF SPRINGDALE, IS A WRITER, CONSULTANT AND PRESENTER, WHO GREW UP IN ARKANSAS BUT WORKED 27 YEARS IN EDUCATION IN MISSOURI. YOU MAY E-MAIL HIM AT DWNOTES@ HOTMAIL.COM. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.