History has funny way of repeating itself. In 1620 the Speedwell took on water and had to abort its journey to the New World. Its passengers clamored aboard the Mayflower, already crowded with a sect of Saints sailing to North America with hopes of throwing off the yoke of King James and establishing its own freedoms. When it finally came time to disembark in the New World, the Saints and Strangers established the Mayflower Compact, giving each man one vote and collectively, the first Democratic Elections of the English/American Colonists were held - and John Carver was elected as the first Governor in the New World.
Dear King James,
It's 2015 and your Speedwell is taking on water. Your passengers are clamoring to board the Mayflower. Master Jones is at the helm. Should he take on more passengers? Mingle them among the in-between decks with his precious cargo of Puritans?
Most Americans are unaware that the main reason why the Pilgrims, a Puritan sect, decided to leave Holland and come to America in 1620 is because they were concerned about the negative influences Dutch culture was having on their children.The Pilgrims had left England because of persecution and found religious freedom in Holland. But their children were in danger of losing their language as well as their religion, and so the decision was made to take themselves to North America where they could build a new Bible commonwealth.
Did you know that at least 20 children crossed on the original Mayflower? More importantly, history tells us that most of the children survived the long winter and went on to positions of establishment. By 1630 the Puritan Insurgence had paved the foundation for democratic governance that would form the basis for today's free society. You see, the Puritans valued education and more importantly they valued local control of the education of their children. By 1636, the Puritans were laying the groundwork for education in their colony. In the next year, funds were appropriated by the general court for the establishment of Harvard College. And by 1647, grammar schools were the law in towns that housed 100 or more families and the hiring of a teacher was a requirement.
Not bad for a bunch of hardened waifs who lived in poverty in England.
Yes, dear King, the Speedwell is taking on water and your servants are clamoring for passage on the Mayflower, begging to be housed with this nation's teachers! Teachers who were fleeing the English fiefdom and its discriminatory rule to a new land where local control was more valuable than a monarchy.
And I guess that's the point, I'm trying to make. If CSD were a Mayflower, the word is out (after seven hours of tense negotiations) - the teacher's will be given safe passage to the new world, the teachers have been saved.
Now, let's talk about those principals!
2 comments:
The board may have saved its teachers
Point taken, we'll update the headline.
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