I’d rather not say what my role on campus is, whether school principal, teacher or staff. Suffice it to say I was walking across the campus on a windy day when I saw this piece of paper flying up in the air due to a strong gust of wind. To keep the campus clean and free from litter, I chased the paper down intending to discard it in a nearby trash can. Just as I was about to crumple it up and throw it away, I glanced at the flyer’s heading to see its purpose. I can only surmise this was not meant for my eyes (nor yours) so here it is without further comment . . .

Memo #1 To Teachers From Above

(from the new principal: pedagogic guidelines)

Advice to Faculty and Staff

These are your Marching Orders for the day. Fail to comply and face disciplinary action!

1. Validate the process–accept the Status Quo–substitute tokenism for the genuine article– follow orders–equate any type of change with progress!

In this manner returning the whole country to a kingship could be validated since the Educational System fails to distinguish between reactionary and progressive change.

One approach to “change” consists of a series of reversals and returns us to the past; the other path is creative and moves the dialogue forward. Current pedagogic standards simply cannot distinguish between retrogressive and progressive policies, nor should we try.

2.  A Few “Don’t’s” Worth Remembering

  • Don’t step on any toes or ruffle any feathers at any time: don’t rock the boat.
  • Don’t weed-out incompetent ideas or personnel.
  • Please accept all existing arrangements as god-given and politically-driven, immune from discussion or criticism.
  • Any and all manifestations of irregularities in teacher behavior—such as non-conformity and iconoclastic independence–are to be shunned like the plague (not just among teachers—among students as well. Keep them well-corralled).

3.    Guidelines for teachers to follow:

  • praise the mediocre performance as needed to placate parents and lawmakers;
  • palm off disappointing results as proof of having achieved excellence;
  • punish uncooperative and rebellious students as dangerous;
  • contemplate no innovations that do not go through the Head Administrator;
  • allow no spontaneity that is truly spontaneous;
  • allow no creativity that does not meet our criteria for “creativity through mimicry”;
  • allow no originality that threatens the established order of curriculum;
  • allow no modifications of instructional strategies.  (We already know what is best and do not need input from students on how they like to be taught.)

4. Motto for educators today: learn nothing from students and never let them engage in free speech apart from tightly-controlled teacher-directed script-based idea-expression.

Never forget that your students could form a revolutionary base from which a new system of belief, thought, and action might emerge so squash any signs of independence immediately!

5. Do not underestimate your students: they have the energy and strength to overhaul society, correct its mistakes, and create beneficial new strategies to expedite reform. You must crush any embryonic signs of dissatisfaction or disagreement that could lead toward non-sanctioned change.

6. Channel such well-meaning but dangerously independent energy into the usual forms of fad and style, sports and dances, music and food, extra-curricular activities and faculty-sponsored student clubs, anything at all—

BUT FOR GOD’S SAKE, WHATEVER ELSE HAPPENS, DO NOT LET THE STUDENTS

CHALLENGE US–THE ADMINISTRATORS, STAFF, AND TEACHERS–OR THE ABSOLUTELY

INDISPENSABLE ROLE WE PLAY IN KEEPING THE EXISTING SOCIAL ORDER AND

EDUCATIONAL STATUS QUO INTACT!! WE MUST KEEP OUR POWER– FOREVER!!!

7. Note to Secretary re Memo “To Teachers From Above”. See that everyone gets the Memo, writes their initials next to the line “I have read this memo”, and returns it immediately.

8. Make sure no students see this!

Once the signed copies are returned, destroy all memos and carry on as usual.

Signed:
From Above