Finished in 2018: February 2018

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Book #28 - The Long Haul

The Long Haul by Myles Horton

"It made no sense, however, to work with poor people who had given up hope. Only people with hope will struggle. ... If people are in trouble, if people are suffering and exploited and want to get out from under the heel of oppression, if they have hope that it can be done, if they can see a path that leads to a solution, a path that makes sense to them and is consistent with their beliefs and their experience, then they'll move. But it must be a path that they've started clearing. They've got to know the direction in which they are going and have a general idea of the kind of society they'd like to have. If they don't have hope, they don't even look for a path. They look for somebody else to do it for them." (p.44)

"In the end I have to face the fact that whatever I think, in my finite judgement, with my limited knowledge, is the right thing for me to do at that time. I have to be the final arbiter of my beliefs and actions, and I can't fall back and justify it by saying, "I'm a Marxist, I'm a Christian, I'm a techonological expert, I'm an educator." I've got to say, "I, Myles Horton, take the full responsibility, with what I know, what I intuit, what I believe, what I guess, what I feel. I am making this decision, and I accept it as my responsibility. I can't blame anybody." " (p.45)

"I would like to see a school where young men and women will have close contact with teachers, will learn how to take their place intelligently in a changing world. In a few months, free from credits and examinations, utilizing only such methods as individual requirements called for...it is hoped that by a stimulating presentation of material and study of actual situations, the students will be able to make decisions for themselves and act on the basis of an enlightened judgement." (p.56)

"A long-range goal to me is a direction that grows out of loving people, and caring for people, and believing in people's capacity to govern themselves. ... Since I know those things can happen on a small scale, I assume that if we ever get wise enough and involve enough people, it could happen on a bigger scale. If you have that hope, when you work with people and try to help them learn - and not teach them, because that gets into techniques and gimmicks - and you believe in them, then you inspire them by your belief. You can't help people grow if you don't think they can, because you are going to find ways to help prevent them from growing. I think your belief in people's capabilities is tied in with your belief in a goal that involves people being free and being able to govern themselves." (p.227)

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Book #27 - Go Set a Watchman

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

Drivel.

"Honey, you do not seem to understand that the Negroes down here are still in their childhood as a people. You should know it, you've seen it all your life. They've made terrific progress in adapting themselves to white ways, but they're far from it yet."

A companion quote from The Long Haul, by Myles Horton, a man who was actually working Toward desegregation, as opposed to writing racist garbage which was rightly turned down by the publisher: "That's how we started the initial class. Bernice and her fourteen students decided to call it a Citizenship School. The first thing Bernice put up on the wall for them eventually to learn to read was the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. Since we were operating from the basis that these were adults with dignity, it was important to challenge them with something worthy of the attention and concern of an adult. Our objective was to help them understand that they could both play a role at home and help change the world."