Me:  "Did you listen to my show, mom?"
Mom:  "I thought it is tomorrow night."
Me: "No.  It was tonight."

So I had what might be my last radio show during Alumni Takeover Week.  The station is apparently cutting out playing real music, I mean playing cd's.  I do not have mp3's.  I buy vinyl, cassettes, and cd's so if this policy remains, last night was my swan song.  And, I was forgotten.  Again.

"You never ask for anything."

That was my mother's reaction and apology for again forgetting something involving me.  And that is why I have been having such a rotten year.  I don't ask for much, if anything at all from family, friends, co-workers, and so on.  I have rarely said no when asked for help or a favour.  I spend countless hours proofreading written work by colleagues.  At times, the low level words and grammar made me groan.  Spouse cheating on you?  Significant other dumped you?  Having trouble with your students?  Need your paper for your graduate class worked on?  Need a photo scanned/ worked on/ printed?  Need the house looked after while you go away?  Need some cooperation with a community member's request?  I'll do it.  Unfortunately, this has meant nothing.   So I quickly and firmly cross the ungrateful and ungiving off my list.

So when I go to my mailbox and find a wonderful thank you note for having done something that was merely a part of my job, I am floored.  The sincerity coming from a person who has been maligned by others made me feel wanted and appreciated.  This is the second time this year that is has happened.  Both grateful people are women who have been bad mouthed but never listened to.  If you take the time to sit down with someone and hear their stories, you might get some insight into how things got to be the way they are.  If you try your best to be a good friend or colleague, and you are met with cruelty, inconsideration, and ingratitude, you eventually give up.  And I cannot blame them.

People want help, favours, freebies, more, more, more from others.  Yet they are unwilling to give of themselves.  If they make a misstep or their selfishness is called attention to, your generosity is forgotten.  And if they ever realize they made a mistake, you will wait a long time for an apology.

So how does this relate to teaching?  The most recent chapter I read in my copy of "Anarchist Pedagogies" had to do with the connotation of what an anarchist society and what the reality would be.  It has to do with solidarity, support, and cooperation.  There are no takers.  There is no guilt.  Every individual knows that if a need arises, there are many who will fill that need willingly.  And there is the knowledge that that effort and kindness will be returned when needed.  No guilt.  Just goodness of heart, offering of specialized skills, true cooperation.

I hear so much "cooperation" and "collaboration" coming from peoples mouths lately.  Blah, blah, blah.  With the majority of people, it is a one way street.  How can we truly have our kids and students grow up to be positive contributors to society, willing to help when needed, caring for others, when most of us have no idea what that means?  We live in a time of expectations of assistance and help from others without the willingness to give back.  I love what I am reading right now and work so hard to have a classroom environment that is positive but I just don't think it is enough.