Author Archives: pbilodeau01

About pbilodeau01

Born in Berlin, N.H.; bachelor of arts, major in journalism, Northeastern University; master's degree in urban studies, Southern Connecticut State University; was an editor and reporter at New Haven Register, an editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and a reporter at The Meriden Record-Journal. Now a freelance writer and editor.

FINANCIAL DISASTERS CREATE MISERY, BUT THERE IS HOPE

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#investing #investors #TheBigShort

The year 2008 was a pivotal financial year for most of us.

If we didn’t lose our home, lose our job or lose our retirement savings – or, God forbid, all of the above — we were among the lucky.

The movie “The Big Short” illustrates how the economy can collapse when Wall Street gets creative, and mixes in a little fraud.

In many cases, we are asked to sign documents we don’t necessarily read from cover to cover. If you’ve ever bought property or gotten a mortgage, you rely on the person who is presenting the material to you to give you a summary of what it all says. We tend to trust that person explicitly that we are not being led down a destructive path – one that means big money to him or her at our expense.

Not only do we, generally, not have time to read such documents cover to cover, even if we did, we would not understand some of them. Some people don’t want us to understand them, because they’ve put something in them with a “gotcha” that hurts us.

“The Big Short tells a story that the Wall Street bankers themselves didn’t read what they were signing on for. When a few decided to read the documents, they found them filled with risky mortgage investments that were not highly rated. So, they created vehicles that allowed them to bet against those investments.

Many of those on Wall Street do what they can to make money quickly. When greed sets in, fraud becomes a great threat. Still, many who work on Wall Street are good, honest people. Even they get caught, sometimes unwittingly, into the mess when such messes occur.

We who are not on Wall Street have to make money the old-fashioned way, with work, savings and time. Many of us don’t have the wherewithal to turn around a quick investment that would make a fortune that will last our lifetimes.

Still, we don’t have to resort to greed, fraud and financial “creativity” to make a potential fortune. There are many ways out there for those of us not on Wall Street to turn our financial situations around. For one of the best, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. Yes, you’ll still need time to realize the potential, but the trajectory could be considerably shortened from that of relying on a traditional job.

“The Big Short” also revealed how bad the investors who bet against the risky mortgage-backed securities felt when their wisdom paid off. It hurt them that their profit came at the expense of many other innocent people.

The moral, perhaps, isn’t that making a profit is bad. It’s more on the angle of how one makes a profit. If he can do it without hurting others, that profit feels much better.

If one can make a profit by helping others do the same, that’s ideal.

Most investment advisers suggest that, as an investor, one must remove emotion from the decision-making. A few develop investment products designed to make the world a better place, making the investor feel good about what he is doing.

The range, perhaps, between those two extremes is to invest in things that help others, while having a plan to help oneself have, say, a comfortable retirement. Proper investing can lead to a degree of comfort, even when greed and fraud on Wall Street is exposed, or when circumstances take the markets in wild directions.

No market goes up in a straight line. Success comes with failures mixed in. But a good, prudent plan can protect each investor from almost anything. Good advice from someone you trust is essential, preferably not from someone who gets “creative” with financial products.

Peter

ARE YOU A REBEL? IT MIGHT BE A GOOD THING

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#rebel #manners #wolves

Are you a rebel?

A Dodge Ram truck ad asks the following questions: If everyone jumped off a cliff, would you do it too? Where are your manners? Were you raised by wolves? All this to see whether you are “rebel “ enough to buy a truck and drive it off road.

Let’s take the questions individually. Jumping off a cliff is not for everyone, but if it is your thing, you probably would either be equipped with the proper soaring apparatus, or you’d be jumping into deep water. It’s one way, certainly not the only way, to display your inner rebel.

Secondly, one does not need to have bad manners to be a rebel. In fact, bad manners are usually just bad taste. The point of this question is to see whether you are willing to break with convention. One can do that in a very mannerly way.

Thirdly, one does not have to raised by wolves to be a rebel. Rebels can have perfectly good parents, who may not understand their passion. A word of caution here: if your parents do not understand your passion, and you are too young, or are unable, to live on your own, you may have to wait until you are on your own to exercise your passion, assuming that passion is not destructive to you or others.

So when is it appropriate to be a rebel? You may discover that your ambition is taking you in a certain direction, even though others warn you against it. You may have a great idea that you need to pursue to an uncertain conclusion. If you don’t pursue it, you’ll regret it. If you do, and it was not what you’d thought, you would have at least made the effort.

Or, you might just realize that what you are currently doing, or what others want you to do, is just not for you, or is not going to take you where you want to go. So, perhaps, you follow the plan for a while, at the same time looking for something better. Perhaps you don’t follow the plan at all, and look for something better.

Your gut tells you what to do. Friends and family may tell you to follow your gut, but they may not mean it. They may just think you are nuts for being, well, unconventional.

Of course, the definition of “conventional” is fluid. Something may be “conventional” until it’s no longer conventional. Some things are seen as “conventional,” but shouldn’t be. Or, what’s conventional may not give you the results you want.

If your inner rebel is prodding you not to listen to “conventional wisdom,” follow your passion. Naturally, if your passion will not make you a living, you may have to follow it while doing something else. If you need help to get the funds to follow your passion, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. You’ll see and hear the stories of several people who saw their passion, followed it and prospered.

For some, finding their passion is elusive. They are either so in love with routine that they can’t possibly see anything else, or they haven’t latched on to something they really want to do. They should keep looking, because their passion is out there somewhere. Only they will know what it is when they find it.

Again, take great care to ensure your passion is not destructive to others or yourself. Passion usually involves risk, and one should be calculated in his risk. Being a rebel does not mean being reckless. Take whatever precautions you need to mitigate your risk. You may not eliminate the risk, so embrace risk carefully.

Rebels don’t always get what they want – at least immediately. But often, the joy is in the pursuit. The best revenge against naysayers and “conventional wisdom” is ultimate success.

Peter

HOW OTHERS SEE NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

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#NewYearsResolutions #SuccessAtWork #WorkBetter
What do you want to do to make your life better in the new year?
Sure, most of us want to lose weight, but, if you are like most, you say that every year and it doesn’t happen. A few disciplined folks reach their weight goals, or come close, and should be congratulated.
Rex Huppke, who writes for the Chicago Tribune, has a great New Year’s tradition. He turns his column over to some wise folks he has met and interviewed in the past year, and lets them share their thoughts and advice about the workplace. His column was published in the Jan. 3, 2016, edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Sharon Salzberg, co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society and author of “Real Happiness at Work,” says we often fixate on unrealistic goals – resolutions – that prioritize perfectionism over self-forgiveness. Because of the stress in a normal workplace, she recommends setting goals that compassionately acknowledge the ups and downs of the journey toward our goal, Huppke’s columns says.
In other words, give yourself a break. We can’t predict what will happen in the next few minutes in the workplace, never mind over the next year. Priorities change. Duties change. Bosses change. Salzberg suggests cultivating positive intentions. Do what you can to roll with the situations, and contribute what you can to make whatever happens as smooth and successful as possible.
Meanwhile, Heidi Grant Halvorson, psychologist and author of “No One Understands You and What to Do About it,” says you don’t have a clue what others really think of you. But, research has shown that others don’t think of you the way the way you think of yourself.
She recommends learning how you come across by asking some whom you know well. It may be the first step toward having people “get” you.
Avraham Kluger, professor of organizational behavior at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, suggests learning how to be a better listener, and describes how to do that. Practice on folks to whom you might not want to listen to, and let that person know you are practicing your listening skills. (You don’t have to tell them that you don’t like listening to them).
Other experts have suggested that you become more likeable if you listen more, and talk less.
Huppke lists several other ideas from experts on how to make 2016 as good as it can be for you in the workplace. Whatever your job, know that it is up to you to make your time in the workplace as pleasant, as meaningful and, yes, as productive as possible.
In years past, workers cared only about getting their hours in, with little regard for what they did in those hours. In today’s workplace, marking time by itself won’t cut it. Even if you see others doing it, don’t believe that you will get away with it. Today’s jobs are fluid, and fleeting. They change on a dime. Workers either have to adapt, or leave.
Of course, if your time at work is giving you little or no reward, financial or otherwise, there are many other ways to earn money outside of that job. For one of the best, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. You may see something a bit out of your comfort zone, but success is almost never created from comfort.
If you like your job, and find it fruitful and fulfilling for YOU, you are very fortunate. Still, never presume it will last as long as you want it to. Always have a Plan B in mind in case the worst happens. It’s unlikely that if the worst happens, you will know it in advance. It often comes as a shock.
So try to become a better person at work this year. You may find fulfillment you’d never imagined. You may find success you thought was never possible. You might even find something other than money that gets your juices flowing.
Have a happy 2016 with whatever you decide to work on.
Peter

LIFE IS GOOD: NEXT YEAR WILL BE BETTER THAN THIS YEAR

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#HappyNewYear #LifeIsGood #optimism
Happy New Year!
You would think that Bert and John Jacobs, brothers who founded the Life Is Good T-shirt company, had a very happy childhood.
Despite their parents being in a near-death car accident, and their father facing difficulty recovering from it, their mother would always ask them at dinner each night: tell me something good that happened that day.
“That optimism was something that our family always had, even when we had little else,” the brothers write.
Natalie Walters wrote a piece on the two brothers for Business Insider Dec. 17, 2015.
The two brothers ask their employees the same thing whenever they gather: tell me something good that happened today.
Happiness and optimism don’t always come naturally.
Life can throw bad things at us, some of which we can’t control. But we can ALWAYS control how we deal with them. Sometimes, we must work at our optimism and happiness, but it is always achievable.
As we move into 2016, we can take stock of all the good that has happened in the past year. We can use all that good to make the next year even better.
Impossible for some? Well, some may have to work harder to find the good and build on it, but there is always some good to build on.
For those who can’t find it, they must look harder.
If you’ve lost a job, or have other financial issues, there are many ways out there from which help could come. For one of the best, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. If you find optimism difficult, begin by looking for it.
If you’ve lost a loved one, grieve as you must. But remember, that person wants you to move on. To find the courage to do so, one must look for it.
Those who wait for something to be given may never receive it. Those who look for what they want eventually find it.
The world around us can provide a litany of reasons we should be afraid, or we should worry that goodness is in short supply. But goodness is everywhere. Some see it plainly. Others have to look for it.
One can make the next year better than the last, just by believing that life is good.
For the Jacobs brothers, Life Is Good is not just their $100 million company name. It is their outlook on life, Walters writes.
Not everyone can take a positive attitude and build a big, profitable company from it. But a big, profitable company will NEVER be built on a negative attitude, or gloomy outlook on life.
So, in the new year, ALWAYS find something good that happened to you each day. Build on that goodness to see where life takes you. You could be amazed.
Peter

SANTA CLAUS: THE PLEASURE AND PERIL OF A CEO

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#SantaClaus #SantasWorkshop #LeadershipSecrets
Imagine Santa Claus as the CEO of his workshop.
He has to hire elves, reindeer and other workers to manufacture toys, and deliver all of them on one night every year.
He has to put the right elves, reindeer etc., in the right jobs. He has to be acutely aware of the growing and changing toy demand. He has to make sure that deliveries are made, on schedule, every time on that one night – the same night EVERY year.
Eric Harvey, in his book “The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus: How to Get Big Things Done in Your Workshop … All Year Long,” writes about running a business from Santa’s perspective. The book contains all the things you might expect in a how-to –be-a-leader book.
Two of them, however, are noteworthy. Harvey advises to teach people not just how to do a job properly, but also how to be successful. He uses Ian, whom Santa hired as the EICOT (Elf In Charge of Training) to illustrate the point.
As Harvey tells it, Ian asked Santa a few questions before he was hired. “Is an elf really successful if he or she just makes good toys, but doesn’t get along with others and communicates poorly? Is a reindeer really successful if he or she pulls hard but isn’t a team player who helps others succeed? Are any of us truly successful if we’re good at our crafts, but display negative attitudes or fail to solve problems effectively?”
In other words, being good at what you do isn’t just about mastering the skill to which you are assigned. Being successful means being part of a team, and teams accomplish more than individuals. You’ve probably run into or worked with people who were good at what they did, but you would never choose to work with them.
Or, you’ve run into a manager that didn’t treat you as you would want to be treated. That person may have been “good” in his or her boss’ eyes, but he or she didn’t help you improve, or treat you with the respect you deserved.
A second illustrative point in Harvey’s book talks about red wagons. Decades ago, a red wagon was on many children’s Christmas list, and the elves became good at making them. Suddenly, demand changed and computer games became more in vogue. The workshop had to be retooled to make the video games, much to the chagrin of the elves, who were great at making wagons.
The point here is that change will come. You don’t know when or how in advance, but it will come. Even the best wagon maker will have to do something else, because the market for wagons has dried up. If that something else doesn’t suit you, you may need a Plan B for the rest of your life. To check out one of the best, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. Not only will you see examples of people changing their lives, you will learn principles of success for you, and how you can help others succeed.
You can be the leader that Santa is, as Harvey illustrates. It will come with ups and downs. You may not have to gear up for a single night every year, but you can learn what it takes to run your own workshop in a manner that will lead to the most success.
At this time of year, we reflect not only on what we have done, but also what we have done, and can do, for others.
So Merry Christmas, happy holidays and the best for 2016. May you get your workshop humming in a way that brings you, and others, success.
Peter

CHANGE COMES WHETHER WE ARE READY … OR NOT: PART 3

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“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.”
Voltaire, philosopher
#TryDifferent #change #reorganization
If change comes to your workplace, and you are expected to be part of it, how do you embrace it?
Karl G. Schoemer discussed this in his book, “Try Different, Not Harder: 15 Rules for Mastering Change.”
So let’s set up the scenario: Your company is reorganizing. You will be placed in a job which you never expected to do. Your boss tells you to figure it out. You are scared to death. What do you do?
Schoemer says, ”Step on the gas. Don’t just improve the process, look critically to see whether the process is necessary anymore. … Don’t study it to death. Forget perfect. You need to be fast and good enough.”
In other words, if your organization is changing, EVERYONE will be working on the fly. Many people will be new in their roles. Many won’t have a clue where to begin, yet they MUST begin.
Complacency is worse than fear. Don’t be afraid to ask questions like, “how did they do this before and why was it done that way?” Then, if that question is answered, find a better way to do it.
Just as jobs become different from what you may have been originally hired for, processes become outdated or obsolete. You embrace change not by sticking with the old, but by finding the new.
When looking for the new, you may find opportunity. Opportunity comes to those who don’t necessarily look for it, but to those who look for other things that can make the work easier, cheaper and better. To say it another way, as Schoemer writes: when you put yourself out there and embrace change, solutions can find you. If you hide behind what was, the solutions remain hidden from you.
Suppose you are one of those whose company has changed, and you are not a part of it? You have to embrace your own change, rather than complain about what you have lost.
You have to put yourself out there. Look for your own solutions. They may come from people and places you would never expect. If you keep looking, eventually you will find what you need and what you want.
If you need some help looking for such solutions, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. You may find something you never thought you would look for. But that’s part of embracing change – finding the unexpected and realizing what you have found.
“Opportunities today are so widespread that the challenge has become sorting through them,” Schoemer writes.
To find the opportunities to sort through, one must look. Sometimes, it may be uncomfortable to look. Perhaps it’s even difficult to do something you’ve never done before. Still, you will know that you can do what you need to do, even if it’s uncomfortable, even if it’s not perfect, even if it’s not ideal.
So become flexible like putty, rather than hard like concrete. Be curious and ask questions, rather than presume you have all the answers. Be open to learning new things, rather than closed by only what you know.
Embrace change, rather than hug the past. Though the latter seems more comfortable and cozy, the former will propel you to success.
Peter

CHANGE COMES WHETHER WE ARE READY …OR NOT: PART 2

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“The only sense that is common in the long run is the sense of change – and we all instinctively avoid it.”
Author E.B. White
#TryDifferent #change #reorganization
We avoid things that hurt. We sometimes avoid things that take effort. We often avoid things we don’t know.
Change can be all of those things. One of the 15 rules that Karl G. Schoemer points out in his book on change is its title: “Try Different, Not Harder.”
In discussing this, Schoemer cites this common complaint during times of change in the workplace: “I can’t work any harder. I’m already working harder than I ever have.” As he points out, we sometimes are more comfortable redoubling our efforts than changing them. Thus, the instinctive response: “The way we’ve been doing it has always been good enough, so more of the same should be better.”
In the modern world, organizations have to change. Workers can be part of the change, or excluded from it through layoffs and other downsizing. If you are part of the change, your role in the company could, and probably will, change.
If you are new to a company, and they are hiring you for a certain job, know this: what they are hiring you for today may not be what you will ultimately be doing a year from now, five years from now, 10 years from now.
Job situations change – some might say deteriorate – over time. Perhaps you have been in a job which, after a few years, had no resemblance to what you were hired to do. Or, your job now INCLUDES what you were hired to do, plus something else. You may feel you are doing the work two or more people should be doing.
In the past, unions, or even companies themselves, protected employees by keeping them in jobs that are no longer needed, relevant or could be done by machines or other technology.
In today’s world, companies can’t afford that. So here’s a rule of thumb: presume your job will change, even deteriorate, over time. You won’t be able to do much about it. By the same logic, promotional and expansion opportunities will be fewer, and farther between.
What to do?
As Schoemer and others advocate, learn new skills. Take advantage of additional training your company, or other institutions, may offer.
Don’t presume that working harder at what you’re doing will get you farther. It could get you out the door.
A better option might be finding another source of income, just in case you get shown the door before you want to be. For one of the best of many such options, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau.
Most of all, don’t complain that your employer just doesn’t see how valuable you are. No matter your age, or how good you are at what you do, you are expendable. You are an expense to your employer. If you see that what you are doing is becoming less important to the business as a whole, or you – God forbid – are having trouble filling up your day at work, a red flag should go up in your head. If you don’t have a Plan B, you should get one quickly. Remember: if you see instances in which your employer might be able to live without you, your employer will soon see them, if he or she hasn’t already.
In short: work with change. Evolve with the job situation. Get better at different. Become fluent, and fluid, with change.
Peter

CHANGE COMES WHETHER WE ARE READY … OR NOT: PART 1

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#TryDifferent #change #reorganization
If you don’t like change, as some leadership experts will argue, too bad! It’s going to come whether you want it or not.
If you embrace change, you will more likely be successful, those same experts may argue.
What if change comes, and you are excluded? Can you embrace that?
In his book, “Try Different, Not Harder,” Karl G. Schoemer offers 15 rules for mastering change. He says the information and technology revolution is redefining our work – what it is, how and where it’s done, who does it and how long it takes.
He also says we are also reshaping our business organizations – from how they function to what they expect of employees and what employees can expect in return.
His point: these changes create a fertile environment for even more change, and opportunities. Whether these opportunities are seized, or missed, depends entirely on you, he says.
Many of us have been through change at work. As employees, our natural reaction to change is to resist. What was comfortable yesterday is taken away today, and that can upset us. Eventually, though, we get over it and adapt, presuming we are still around to do so.
Some workplace changes leave us completely out. We are laid off, offered incentives to leave etc. If you’ve been laid off, hopefully the company will give you enough to tide you over for a time. If not, there’s not a blessed thing you can do about it – or so you think.
Sometimes, disappointment can morph into rousing success, if you don’t let the disappoint take over your life.
If you are offered an incentive package to leave a job, more often than not, there will be little time to think about it and you will not be given enough information to make a totally informed decision.
That is, no one will tell you your future with the company if you stay – unless, of course, the company tells you they won’t accept your resignation. That rarely happens. Chances are, if are determined to be eligible to take the package, the company tacitly is encouraging you to take it.
Also, most people who take such packages ultimately have few regrets. They may struggle at the beginning, but most people land in a decent place. In recent years, though, that has been the case less often. So, if it happens to you, you’ll be between a rock and a hard place, at least in your mind.
If you are between two undesirable things, remember there is always a way to crawl out.
Schoemer, like many leadership experts, recommends that we embrace change at our place of employment. It’s tough to embrace change when you are not included in it. So what to do?
Embrace yourself. Embrace your ability to ensure you will be successful. A job loss is a temporary disappointment. Don’t let it consume you. View your departure as your employer’s loss, not yours.
If you are confident in yourself to succeed, despite what might be thrown at you, and are looking for something that will enable success, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. You may find something that will not only bring your self-confidence to the fore, but also enable you save money.
Perhaps, using Schoemer’s title, “Trying Different,” may have nothing to do with your current employment. Perhaps you are still employed, and trying harder to do what you’ve always done. In this milieu, that may not cut it. You may have to escape to “Try Different.”
Sometimes, those unexpected exits from your employer can be openings for something so much better.
Peter

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

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#BelieveInYourself #Sales #Success
It’s no secret that the secret to good sales is believing in oneself.
Tom Black, a sales consultant, wrote in an Oct. 18, 2015, column in The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville, that successful people in all professions, especially sales, begin with a basic belief that they can achieve success.
OK, many of us think we are good at something. A few of us think we are not good at anything. Another few believe we are good at everything. Consultants, using their considerable ability to persuade, tell others that all they have to do is believe in themselves.
Black boils it down to three steps: write down one’s beliefs and read them regularly; surround oneself with those who believe in him; thirdly, tell someone important to him what he believes he will become.
These are simple concepts on their face, so why isn’t everyone successful? Why don’t we all believe in ourselves?
The simple answer is that, in the process of creating belief in ourselves, our beliefs change. A setback here, a mistake there, can, and often does, modify strong beliefs in ourselves.
As we proceed to surround ourselves with people who believe in us, we run across naysayers, competitors (those who would succeed because we have failed) and well-meaning folks who tend to prick a pinhole in our balloons and deflate our beliefs.
We want to stay strong in our beliefs. But even when we know that what we have, and what we can achieve, is all good, a comment here, a sidetrack there and failures to act bring setbacks. Even successful people have setbacks and run into people who trash their beliefs. The difference among them is that they don’t let circumstances alter their beliefs.
They press on, even when it’s difficult to do so. Their eyes, and their minds, are always on the prize, and they have the ability to ignore, or do away with, everything else.
It takes a strong mind, not just a smart one, to do that. Perhaps you know people in your field who are not as good as you at what you do, but are more successful. The contrary can also be true: those in your field whom you may hold in high esteem may not be as successful as you.
If you want to be a successful person, and believe you have the strength of mind to do so, but still may be looking for the best way to channel that strength, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. You’ll see stories of strong-minded people who, as Black suggests, found other strong-minded people who believed in them, to put around them. They are not waiting for other shoes to drop. Nor are they planning to give up when setbacks arise. For them, the prize is just too good not to go for.
There are many reasons out there to be concerned for your well-being. They are well-publicized. You can pay attention to them, or choose not to. You can see the world for what is, and believe the sky will fall, or you can see the world – and yourself – for what can be, and rise above the “circumstances.”
Yes, there are choices here. You can ask people around you what they would do if they were you, or you can ask yourself what YOU would do for you. Choose wisely.
Peter

SHAKESPEARE: IS HE NECESSARY TODAY?

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#Shakespeare #Education #Literature #Drama
Many of us have read something William Shakespeare has written.
Some love him. Some hate him. Certainly, though his language is pure, it’s not always easy to understand. We certainly don’t talk like that in daily conversation.
For many of us, he was required reading at some point in our education. Today, however, a debate is raging over not only whether he is relevant to today’s world, but whether, in the name of diversity, he’s just another dead white guy.
Ben Boychuk and Joel Mathis had this very debate in a column they wrote together. It was published in the June 21, 2015, edition of the News Sentinel of Knoxville, Tenn.
Boychuck is associate editor of the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal. Mathis is associate editor of Philadelphia Magazine.
In Boychuk’s view, if a teacher can’t make violence, murder, insanity, greed, witchcraft, betrayal and other elements of Shakespeare come alive in the classroom, he or she is probably in the wrong job. Some of us, when studying Shakespeare or performing in one of his plays, could hurdle what language barrier there was – his old-time English and modern English.
Mathis, however, had the benefit of translation pages when he studied Shakespeare in school. Were it not for those, he says, he may not have survived that course.
“There’s a WORLD of really exciting literature out there that better speaks to the needs of my very ethnically diverse and wonderfully curious, modern-day students,” says Dana Dusbiber, a teacher at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, Calif. She told in a Washington Post column that she hates teaching Shakespeare.
Boychuk and Mathis refer to her column in their column.
If any student’s education is devoid of Shakespeare, how would they know that centuries ago, people actually talked and wrote that way.
On the other hand, many of today’s students have English as a second language. Do they need literature whose English is a bit more basic, to better master their second language?
The Boychuk-Mathis column points out that plays are best seen performed than read. Very few other playwrights get the attention in school that Shakespeare does. Perhaps that’s because Shakespeare is special, and, as the column points out, many of the phrases used today originated with Shakespeare, i.e. “there’s the rub,” it’s Greek to me,” to thine own self be true.”
No matter how one feels about what and how we teach kids, it’s clear that kids need a well-rounded education. They need to learn the niceties as well as the evils of today’s and yesterday’s world.
They need to be able to communicate clearly, to talk so as to be universally understood, to sell themselves to a prospective employer or client. A smattering of Shakespeare can teach them a good bit of how the language was formed and modernized.
Also, they need to develop a great image of themselves. How do you feel about yourself? Are you still looking for who you really are, or are you having to change things up to thrive in today’s world. If so, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. Many of those whom you will see may, or may not, be Shakespeare fans, but they’ve certainly learned that their curiosity has paid great dividends.
Studying the Bard may be hard, but he has many lessons to teach.
Peter