What do you remember about the Vietnam War? How do you compare it to Iraq? Those are two of the questions that our eighth-grade son asked me earlier this month for a history assignment. His questions brought back some intense memories from childhood. The Vietnam War, in which the US was involved from the late 1950s into the 1970s, spanned my entire elementary and high school careers and ended in the middle of my college experience.

That was a time of tumult and upheaval in this country. The issues were not just with the Vietnam War, but also with civil rights and the economy. While the economy showed great short-term prosperity in the early 1960s, it developed the highest rates of inflation in the country’s history by the end of the 1960s and into the early 1970s. It was during this period that the greatest unrest took place on college campuses. Protest and civil disobedience were the norm. 1968 was the year of the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., and this period, as I recall it, was the last time that large groups of people protested, sometimes violently, and rebelled openly.

Though I would not want to see the violence of the period repeat itself, I wonder why it is that now people take on the issues of the day with what appears to be much less passion, interest, and activity. Although there are occasional protests about Iraq, political candidates, and other concerns, they seem to happen less frequently, receive much less coverage, and are generally less effective. As I learned back then and have grown to appreciate about our country, civil disobedience and constructive protest are at the heart of a democracy. Perhaps it was psychologist, psychoanalyst, and philosopher Erich Fromm who said it best: “Human history begins with man’s act of civil disobedience which is at the very same time the beginning of his freedom and development of his reason.”

It has been almost forty years since the Vietnam War and the height of the civil rights movement, but there are many parallels in 2008. In many people’s eyes, the war in Iraq is similar to the one in Vietnam. The state of the economy is worrisome. And, in terms of civil rights, it is interesting that with the McCain-Palin and Obama-Biden tickets, for the first time in history the country will elect either a woman to become vice president or a man of color to become president.

In considering the issues of our time, including the economy, the Iraq War, the environment, education, and others, we know that they transcend our personal lives and the lives of our country. Their impact will be significant, not just on us but on our kids and their kids. Knowing that we will need to provide longer-term solutions to these issues, I find myself thinking about Thomas Friedman’s book, The World Is Flat and Daniel Pink’s book, A Whole New Mind, both of which help us to think about things differently. We must, as both Friedman and Pink suggest, consider the world that is evolving, one that includes not just the US and the traditional powers of the West, but the entire world — Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. As Adon Mohamed, a technology expert in India, said when being interviewed by one of our students for a project in Global Studies, “A person who can see their own weakness and see the strength in someone else will go far in the world, but a person who identifies their weakness and works together with that strong person to create a balanced relationship will go the farthest.” This, of course, is the essence of preparing our children for the 21st century.

By the way, although the decline of national financial institutions such as Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and AIG and the precipitous drop in the stock market are the clearest indices of a troubled economy, it was the pending closing of Interstate Bakeries Corp., the makers of Wonder Bread and Twinkies and other Hostess and Drake products that drove the issue home for me. Having grown up with Twinkies, Devil Dogs, and Ring Dings as some of my favorite snacks, and remembering Wonder Bread as “the bread that helps build strong bodies 12 ways,” it’s clear to me that even the staples of our youth are no longer a sure thing. As my father said many years ago, “It’s not like it used to be!”
 
For Shipley, the complicated nature of the times and the difficult issues we face highlight our children’s need to be able to think critically and express their thoughts in both the oral and written word. These are the reasons that we need to do things in a more integrated fashion, taking into consideration more than just ourselves in our own lives as we know them. They are the reasons that we must be committed to the education of the whole child and that more of our courses are and our students’ learning is and will be interdisciplinary and integrated in nature. It is, after all, your children and our students who will be the leaders of the increasingly interdependent world of the future.

In terms of the presidential election, which is only about six weeks away, it is important for our students to discuss and understand the issues at hand and to do it in a respectful and understanding way. Regardless of which way the election goes, we need to get past the polarity that seems to exist in the country and come together to deal with the challenges at hand. Most importantly, those who are eligible to do so must cast a vote for the candidate who they believe will best understand the flat world (as defined by Friedman) and create the most positive growth for this country.

In the meantime, there’s some good news. Interstate Bakeries Corp. has found a short-term solution to its problems with the help of a number of investment companies who see hope in their future. I hope their solution becomes long-term because I can’t imagine life without Twinkies, Yodels, Ring Dings, Devil Dogs, or Wonder Bread!

I look forward to seeing you many times over the next six weeks, and please remember to vote!

Warm Regards,

Steven S. Piltch
Head of School

P.S. I cannot tell you how excited I am that the Phillies and the Red Sox are still in the race to make the play-offs. Ever since I have been here, I have rooted for the teams to play each other in the World Series. I am hoping this will be the year!