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~ J Clay Norton, Ed.D.

The Book Chamber

Category Archives: Tolerance

Intolerance that creates a divisiveness divide…

04 Friday Feb 2022

Posted by The Book Chamber in Decisions, Intolerance, Leader, Leadership, Opinions, Passion, Tolerance

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I’ll open today’s blog with this quote that I read the other day in David Baldacci’s book The Gambling Man… “Free speech is not really free if it costs you all that you have.”

Thoughts? I have a few… Also, these are my opinions as well. So, for instance… my daughter just graduated college and is no longer in the sorority she was in. This week, she found out that the “national people” of the sorority have decided to take “God” out of the oath they say every week in chapter. They can no longer pray at that time as well. Someone, somewhere, decided they didn’t like it. Enough “fuss” was made, and the next thing you know… I use this as an example to go along with the quote above. It seems that when issues arise, there will be differences of opinion, which is ok. However, divisiveness is created when those differences create intolerance and push an agenda.

You know I have some strong opinions for those who know me, and I’m ok with that. There are even a few that I am passionate about. But the difference for me is that while I might disagree with someone on something, I’m not going to get divisive about it. Others are entitled to their opinion, and I’m fine with that. However, when someone or a group pushes their ideology, draws a line in the sand, and states that I have to adhere, agree, or compromise my opinion… That’s where the idea of agreeing to disagree breaks down.

The breakdown comes at the hands of those who want tolerance for their opinions but become intolerant of others’ views. And trust me, it goes both ways. Divisiveness is seen in all demographical aspects of society. Side story… I remember a few years ago we went to Boston. While there, we went to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. One of the displays was replaying the presidential debate between Kennedy and Nixon. I was amazed at how cordial, civil the discussion was. There were even moments where they joked with each other. What has happened where two opposing views are just that?

“Free speech is not really free if it costs you all that you have.” Ever since reading that, I’ve been chewing on it. We are now seeing the effects of this, I believe, more and more. Once intolerance takes its stand, free speech, as we know it, ceases to exist. As it is, once someone has their mind made up, the truth doesn’t matter anymore. The divide creates a chasm that no bridge can ever seem to span.

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I’m not sure where society is going with the intolerance of tolerance. But I do know this, free speech just might cost us everything we have at some point. We must decide what is worth fighting for. I know what that is for our family and me.

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2022 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

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The Value of Educational Standards… Why Do They Seem Not Worthy Anymore?

30 Friday Apr 2021

Posted by The Book Chamber in Achieve, Actions, Advantage, Agenda, Attitude, Decisions, Education, Educational Leadership, Effective, Expectations, Ideals, Intentions, Intolerance, Leader, Leadership, Purpose, Standard, Tolerance, Value

≈ 2 Comments

Everyone has an opinion on how education should be defined and what the role of education should be. With that being said, education, as we know it, is being redefined based on agendas set forth by those who want education to be “lessened” based on equality.

Recently, the Virginia Department of Education was reported to considering dropping all advanced math classes below the 11th grade due to unequal representation of minority races and is also considering ending honors diplomas for advanced students due to “inequity.” Fortunately, Virginia’s superintendent of public instruction said a few days ago that the state is not eliminating advanced high school mathematics courses. The decision to eliminate honor diplomas has not made any other news as of today.

With all of the above… It got me to thinking…

What are we thinking? Where is the common sense?

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Take this quote from Dr. Randy J. Guliuzza in an article I recently read… “Today, anyone daring to speak common sense is publicly pummeled with disparaging names (or worse) by members of a rapidly growing deviant movement. They use a hostile crowd to systematically isolate people from each other by making everyone afraid to be associated with the pummeled person lest it also happen to them – a method to strong-arm conformity in thinking and control the behavior of an entire group.”¹

This is how I feel precisely with those who are wanting to destroy the idea and ideals for education. It could also be the question that many students will ask in the future, “Why can’t I be educated?” or better, “Why am I being denied to take a course because there are some who are not capable of doing so?” Hard questions that must be answered on the other side of the conversation.

Those who know me know that I am a huge proponent of education and the right of it for all in the name of equality and equity. I have said before that education is one of the last strongholds that can help society “get better.” And it is our job as educators to do what we can to make that happen.

However, when we begin to lower standards (why would we anyway?), we suppress knowledge and limit the growth of students who will be our future. When “education” wants to “level” the playground, per se, wherever the bar is now set, there will always be some who still have to “rise” to that level. Will we continue to lower the bar until all can have “success?” When the standards are lowered, mediocrity becomes more prevalent and eventually accepted. Students who decide to take advanced classes do so because they want to or they need to in order to foster success for what they choose to do in the future.

Now, for those who are going to say, “Well, some students are not ‘smart’ enough to take advanced classes or get an honor diploma.” That’s true. But why should those who are, be denied the opportunity? There were days when school did not even have those types of classes. When I was in high school, I never took an AP, Honors, or Dual-Credit class, and I feel I received a very well-rounded education. My first exposure to calculus was my sophomore year in college. My only “advanced” course in high school was Advanced Math, and that was because that’s what it was called.

Anyway… my thought on what education is and should be for is to allow and help a person better succeed in society when they enter it. Many say, “School is not for everyone.” I agree; that is why education should provide outlets for students to find their niche and be successful in it. That is why the arts and career and technical programs are such an essential part of education and should be promoted as such.

Also, as an educator, I know all schools are not equal and how I wish they were. All schools do not, cannot, or choose not to have the same classes and perform academically as other schools (and there are many reasons for that which can be discussed later). However, I will say that you can find one success story after another of young people who defied the odds and bettered themselves because they wanted to. They decided not to hold themselves back due to whatever reasons and succeed. That is what education provides; an opportunity to succeed for any student who wants to at any academic level.

And let’s add this one other thought… There are many areas of life that we want standards to be kept very high. Just for the sake of conversation, how about these occupations… airplane pilots, medical doctors and surgeons, architects, etc. Let’s also not forget sports. No one ever said they want mediocrity and lower standards there. 

If we start limiting the education of students based in the name of equality and equity, we go against the very definition of what both stand for. This we all know, there is always someone more intelligent than you and those who are not as intelligent as you. Neither case disqualifies one or the other from being a quality individual. In almost every case of life, we choose who we want to become. Let’s continue to let education be a vehicle that helps determine that.

1Guliuzza, R, J. (2021). Refusing to live by lies. Acts & Facts, 50(5), 5.

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2021 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on…

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Is There an Intolerance of Leadership in Certain Leaders?

09 Friday Oct 2020

Posted by The Book Chamber in Actions, Culture, Decisions, Intolerance, Leader, Leadership, Perception, Relationships, Tolerance, Understanding, Value

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We are in challenging days… Everywhere we look or listen, society is____________________ (you fill in the blank).

The more I “look around,” the more I see a steady increase in what leadership should not be. Lack of leadership is running rampant all over the place. What has happened in our society that has allowed for and brought about this change? The primary reason, I believe, is we have turned away from servant-leadership and are now chasing our own selfish desires.

And there and here lies the problem… Leaders who do not value a servant-based mentality become intolerant (please note that I am not writing about areas of morality here) to the views of others. A false idea of tolerance undermines quality leadership, and many people never recognize it is happening. Intolerant leaders seem to think they can impose their leadership on others, and you have no right to question it.

Leaders who lead with intolerance of others’ viewpoints create the notion that their leadership is absolute and anything that contradicts said “truth” is only relative – for you.

This notion is where I see a fundamental shift. Many, in leadership roles, while having to “answer” to someone above them, only feel they are answerable to no one but themselves – especially if they can convince they have the best interests of others in mind or, as they say, “at heart.” This is where I say, “Please do not tell me you have my best interests in mind and then decide the decision you make only benefits you or the ones you are actually concerned about.”

As I write this, I genuinely believe you will be able to pick this topic up and almost put it into any time slot of history, past, or future, and it will still be applicable. However, due to the constant flow of information from so many different outlets, our viewing and knowledge of ever-changing leadership are much more assessable. It should not and does not take one long to recognize the difference. While that is a benefit, it also allows the disguised “leadership lie of self” agenda to continue to be pushed.

Funny thing is, while I “think” I have an answer for almost anything, I really do not have an answer for this. I do not know how to help those in leadership positions understand that by serving others, they will also benefit themselves. I suppose the only answer I have is to suggest modeling the right leadership behavior and hope others will take notice and see that there is something different about being a servant-leader first. I fear that it will take something drastic in their leadership lives to understand this…

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2020 J Clay Norton

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