These days, while listening to NPR or reading the newspaper, I find myself getting unusually agitated. I know because I hear myself grumbling at the radio, “Will you please shut up about this financial crisis already?” Or I toss the newspaper aside, muttering, “It’s a little tiring to be told every day how messed up everything is.”
My frustration is this: by getting in our face about the banking failures, the dried-up flow of credit, the precipitous drop in stocks, the job layoffs, the throngs of overly indebted Americans, etc., the media makes it seem as if the world has come completely unhinged, that this is one of the worst crises in human history. I understand the desire to cover the topic — we’re doing it here, too, in a way — but I just find myself wishing that the discussion weren’t so steeped in fear.
Of course, I can’t blame the media for being what it is. Most of the time, I really look forward to learning what has happened in the world on any given day. But along with the facts of this recession, it would be nice to read more about creative solutions and stories of success, about what is working in the economy now, or about the opportunities that lie within the crisis. I’m thinking of the opportunity to fix our banking system so that loans are made more responsibly and ethically, and bonuses are reasonable and never guaranteed. I’m thinking about the opportunity for Americans to stop thinking of themselves as independent consumers first and start thinking of themselves as community members who surely can live happy, sensible, and financially stable lives without all the stuff the advertising industry tells us we need in order to be happy. I’m thinking about the opportunity for the nation to finally get serious about energy efficiency and, to whatever degree possible, independence. I’m thinking about the opportunity for the federal government to improve our healthcare system and the education system so that more Americans have decent and affordable healthcare and quality schools all around.
At the NAIS Annual Conference in Chicago this past February, I was greatly impressed with the thoughtfulness of the conversation on ways schools can survive and thrive in hard times. Yes, there were genuine worries and a fair number of complaints, but it was clear to me that school leaders were already hard at work at being both fiscally responsible and forward thinking, considering everything from smart budget planning, to a more focused and relevant curriculum, to improved communications, to greater transparency and accountability, to conscientious reductions in their school’s environmental impact, to a deepening commitment to diversity.
But I think what impressed me the most was the clear sense of community among schools and an elevated shared sense of mission — that what we do in all of our schools really matters, perhaps more than ever. I don’t mean to minimize the pain of the recession — the loss of jobs and homes and retirement funds. And I’m still angry at the way so many institutions colluded in making this recession possible and so messy. But I’m also optimistic that, out of this, will come a stronger, more moral nation, and even better independent schools.