Page 31 - January 2019 Voices

FROM THE FIELD

From the Janus Journal

B. Lee Coyne ATMS

Janus was an ancient Roman goddess. She conduct labels, I much prefer to avert simplistic

is depicted with two opposite faces: one taglines. That alternative approach allows us to
countenance looks forward and the other glances remove doing the moral judgment of others in
back. January is named in her honor. our midst. We likewise forego being elitist.
There is a poignant story here. Most of us Thus let us substitute Healthy or Effective
are largely indebted to our vicarious past..and instead of those moralistic Good and Bad
that past tense can be very TENSE indeed. The everyday platitudes. That potentially can make
influence formed via family is immutable. others feel less like microscope specimens.

We oft credit our parents as shapers of our The Feedback Factor—Is feedback tolerated
personalities. Also we attribute siblings and and encouraged? That model can inhibit some
cousins and grandparents. Physical proximity from active participation. Perhaps we can
doesn’t necessarily equate with one’s emotional designate that type as a “verbal wallflower”.
closeness. That is critical. Negative reinforcement can inhibit speaking up.
The school can and does become the While any of us can choose to keep quiet and
playground of the evolving psyche. Lessons simply listen, when we find non participation is
on the blackboard often prove secondary to pervasive, we may be encountering a mild form
classroom dynamics. Peer support vs. peer of carryover PTSD.

bullying can leave an indelible imprint. Some teachers can be autocratic and others
It can make the difference between action, permissive. That style is observed by each
hesitation and isolation. This in turn tunes up student. Emulation at home may result. The
our moral compass. lingering effects of past life events are the strings
Education and Emulation—The teacher that make us into human puppets.
emerges frequently as the surrogate parent, In philosopher John Locke’s paradigm, we are
thereby supplementing the birth family’s key born with a blank slate void of experience. That

role. He or she offers leadership and direction slate takes on various demarcations with each
along life’s ever winding path to the great significant event. Often they form our personal
unknown. predispositions.
Another pertinent factor gleaned from class This particular January, please share elements
is a sense of timing action and response. Impulse of this critique with your friends. Do not simply
control is the informal lesson. Does the teacher set sights upon the past as one looking through
permit a class clown to undermine the flow of a rear view mirror. A forward focus on the road
a Q and A session taking place? Or might that ahead is essential.
instructor suggest a meeting after class to counsel

a pupil on “healthier” behavior?
Rather than the stereotypic Good vs Bad

VOICES! | JANUARY 2019 31