Climbing the rungs as a privileged immigrant…

May 2004.

Done.

Double course load, with a part-time job.

Gotten that all-coveted, elite graduate degree.

From Johns fucking Hopkins.

(And for anyone who thinks it’s John Hopkins…for crying out loud, those who actually went there aren’t crazy enough to add random consonants to the names of our oppressive, elitist alma maters.)

It should have felt good.

But I didn’t have much time to savor the moment

Because I now had to find a job to save money and stay in the country.

And I couldn’t just get any job. Nah. I had to get a job that…

*deep breath*

…would take on an international student who had just transferred from the F1 Student Visa to the F1 Optional Practical Training Student Visa – which was given for one year following the successful completion of the international student’s degree – and hope that I did so damn well in that position that they would willingly sponsor me to then transfer to the H1 Work Visa, so that I may work shackled to that H1 Work Visa for five years following which I could renew it one time for five more years and hope that somewhere along the line I did so damn scintillatingly well in the job (or kissed enough ass) that they would then sponsor my Green Card and keep me hired while the possibly-two-year application process went through its steps and my prayers towards garnering an interview with the Immigration and Naturalization Service or INS (which changed its name to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services or USCIS, causing just a touch of confusion along the way), following which I might celebrate if I was successful in the interview, giving me that oh-so-coveted Green Card, which gave me the legal status to finally decide that if I wanted to maybe work in a job that my entire legal status as a human being didn’t depend on, I may actually fucking do so.

Best get searching far and wide if you want a shot at climbing that immigration ladder…

The 5 most powerful and dangerous countries on earth right now?

America, China, Russia, India, and Brazil…

Probably in that order, with Turkey and Saudi Arabia likely jostling each other for 6th and 7th place. All with megalomaniacal governments and nationalist populations; Always at risk of being corrupted by varying types of fascism and authoritarianism.

This is not a doom and gloom rant, mind you.

Just a realistic one.

Things are getting better if we pay attention to numbers and scale. But there’s still a lot of shit to deal with. For now we’re stuck with this nation-state crap; Until it withers away to a more evolved human identity.

So we might as well be rational actors about it all.

Remember when that comet struck? How the smallest, weakest fuckers survived? While the big, powerful dinosaurs became extinct?

Those little shits were our ancestors.

Yes, we really do come from proud stock, my fellow beasts. And I mean that without a smidgen of sarcasm.

We should not aspire to be big, lumbering beasts with small brains and giant stomachs.

For power mongering is for fearful imbeciles.

Lessons learnt as a full-time sub in Minneapolis Public Schools

Many months back I wrote a piece to the effect of being “retired from full-time boss work” which had a few people ask me what I was going to do with my time (as if retiring from boss work meant not having a family and household to take care of). I probably even gave out the impression that I was retiring from working full-time for money period.

*sigh*

If only.

Truth be told, I’m unlikely to ever be able to stop working for money. Just learning to enjoy the gig economy is all.

Which brings me to being a pedagogical ninja for a public school system that, much like the larger society it grew out of, has its head up its ass.

I’ve observed a lot, and I need to vent a little.

So here are some lessons I’ve learnt being a full-time reserve teacher in a city I love and a public school system that my daughter will be entering next year:

1) The schooling system does not give a damn about the emotional and mental well-being of the child: I believe schools ought to exist for one reason and one reason alone – to create a safe, carefree, daily community that fosters play and curiosity. Sadly in Minneapolis, academics and scholastic numbers count for pretty much everything in the public system. Kids being happy and content count for jack shit. From K-12, this is a tragic, undeniable observation I have made in our schools – and it’s hardly a national outlier – rather I suggest that this is pervasive across our country. I’ve seen numerous elementary school schedules that have 5 hours dedicated to topics like literacy, math, and reading, while 20 or 30 minutes is afforded to recess and free play. I’ve seen supposedly “good” teachers stress their every minute of every day on worksheets and curriculum adherence, like proselytizing martyrs, while oblivious to bullying going on in front of their eyes. I’ve asked hundreds of high school and middle school students whether they like school, and not one time have I received an answer in the affirmative. Our children are miserable in our schools. Our teachers get even more miserable trying to implement an ass-backwards system that they seem to buy into only because it’s the only one in front of them. It is not working and the shittiest part is that there is a simple policy that can be implemented across the system that would resolve a lot of the stress factors. Which brings me to a second tragic observation about our school systems…

2) There is way too little play time and way too much stress, when it should be the exact opposite (like I said, head up ass): That schedule I talked about in the previous point – that’s the norm, and it is not working for our kids. We are not wired to sit in a goddamn classroom for so many hours at any age, leave alone as developing children. The primary way in which children learn to problem-solve, push their boundaries, develop social skills, and foster a strong sense of self is through play. Long periods of free play and semi-structured activities involving running, jumping, climbing, hanging, imagining, dancing, competing, laughing, singing, helping, supporting, simulating, building, negotiating, re-building and more. It is the primary foundation by which neural development takes place and should constitute the majority of a child’s time in school. When there is a strong foundation of play, only then can there be stimulating challenges set up to develop specific skills that will aid these children in sustaining themselves in whatever society they navigate as adults. Those challenges can be structured into an academic curriculum but, even then, should be for no more than short bursts of time as opposed to long drawn out bore sessions, stressing out student and teacher alike. And speaking of stressed out teachers…

3) Students need to be taught by caring adults with similar experiences and not entitled suburbanites who take themselves way too seriously: Seriously, is no one worried about the missionary-school-like racial demographics in our public schools? Why aren’t our children being taught by a teaching population of similar experiences, backgrounds, and journeys? Why aren’t teaching licenses incumbent upon these critical factors in student-teacher relationships. Racial parity is a major concern and will remain a major concern for years to come at the rate at which things are changing. But it’s not just a race thing, nor should it be. I’ve seen many white teachers doing an amazing job, usually by going against the grain and internalizing what it means to be a white ally to these kids. Equally importantly, they often appreciate the urban experience themselves. Just as important as race or background, city kids need to be taught by city adults, not adults who’re drawing a city paycheck in order to maintain a suburban lifestyle, figuratively but often literally as well. I have no problem with my bi-racial child being taught by a white teacher (and frankly don’t have much choice in the matter). But I know that there are sections of white society who are anxious and fearful of America becoming less white with every passing day. Teachers rooted in this fearfulness create a crappy experience and environment for a primarily racialized student population. Furthermore, because they’re vested in the norm, they’re accepted, even celebrated. Then there are sections of white society (a thankfully increasing trend) who embrace diversity, difference, and change in multiple ways, with all its accompanying struggles. White teachers coming from those backgrounds are less interested in maintaining a racist system and more interested in creating a nurturing space in their classrooms. I’m absolutely cool with my daughter being taught by one of them. Because ultimately, and this is the most sobering point one can internalize as a public educator…

4) The most important factor in the safe, healthy development of a child is a nurturing, stable home (and even good schools matter little in that development): Boy, are there teachers, good and bad, who have a grandiose sense of self. It takes one to one for sure. We educators think we’re going to change all kinds of young lives, with no small amount of ego-stroking, when we forget that school actually accounts for a lot less in a child’s healthy development than we might imagine. I’m not suggesting that schools cannot play a significant role in a child’s healthy development, just that the significance is way over-stated in our culture and that overblown sense of self-importance is fucking up our schools. I think it’s useful to internalize (the often bitter truth) that a nurturing, stable home is overwhelmingly the most important factor in a child’s healthy development. Now, a lot of kids don’t always have that. This is usually due to the ravages of capitalism, racism, and generational trauma. But with the kids in our system who experience this, they usually only get educators wringing their hands at the lack of learning taking place, resulting in the imparting of greater discipline, creating even more marginalization. Instead, a realistic understanding that schools be safe, carefree spaces for kids and nothing more, might actually result in the public system putting honest efforts towards achieving it.

Ultimately, regardless of the level of influence schools might have in any child’s life, what is clear is that stress, structure, and excessive discipline only feature as negatives for the children. Let’s stop messing up our kids and give them ample time to play, feel safe, and just be kids, for crying the fuck out loud.

Sustainable transportation in the Twin Cities and three social changes to make it happen

Cities are the future of humanity. For good or bad. The metro areas are where the overwhelming majority of humanity will be in the coming decades, and that trend doesn’t look like stopping any time soon with ongoing climate shocks and migratory patterns.

I have been fortunate enough to call many cities my own in my nearly four decades of existence – and it’s not stopping any time soon. I’m lucky to live in my adopted home of Minneapolis. I friggin’ love my town.

As a full-time pedagogical ninja aiding our young ‘uns and having to travel the length and breadth of this fair town to various public schools, I appreciate the fact that I am able to go pretty much anywhere without having access to a personal vehicle. I can walk, bike, take the bus or train, with an occasional Lyft ride when needed. Couple of activities help my heart. The others have someone else taking on the stress of driving while I check out the latest MMA news on my phone or make conversation with a fellow traveler.

That’s some nice heath benefits right there.

Furthermore, not having a personal vehicle all these years has certainly helped save money to get that all-coveted home mortgage and a little nest egg to give my family a fighting chance at treading middle class waters for at least a couple more generations.

All in all, being bonafide city dwellers without a personal vehicle all these years has worked for us. I truly do believe many others can avail of this opportunity to get healthier, save money, and integrate themselves into the thriving, diverse community that is our town. I’m not suggesting it would be easy, just that the more one does it, the more rolling benefits one gets.

Beyond individual choices, I daresay our city is ready for a major shift towards a transportation system that is resilient to climate change, accessible for people across economic classes, and beneficial to all residents of the city. I truly do believe that the Twin Cities, indeed most municipalities and counties, can make the shift to community-wide sustainable transportation system for all residents. We can be the Amsterdam of America and then some (in our own way, of course).

For that to happen however, there have to be some major, albeit completely doable, shifts in our collective urban consciousness.

None that are easy per se, but easy enough when a critical mass of urban residents get together around building resiliency for themselves and ever-increasing sustainability in their transportation systems. As a humble walker, transit-commuter, summer biker, and occasional car sharer, I believe three social changes need to take place for our cities to move towards increasingly sustainable transportation systems:

1. Culturally a critical majority of us need to come past this idea that we absolutely must have a personal vehicle while internalizing the very real health and financial benefits of eliminating one’s daily reliance on the same. Transportation for our daily bread and sustenance lies at the heart of urban economic circulation. A shift in our day-to-day thinking, in all of us who live and work in the city, from unsustainable to sustainable transportation is one of the key aspects of municipal resilience to, among other things, climate shock. This is a cultural thing, plain and simple. There are many cities around the world that have seen and continue to see such seismic urban shifts. For starters, those of us who have chosen (or been forced to choose) sustainable modes of transportation like walking or public transit must understand that we’re ahead of the game here instead of feeling shame at not owning a car. Once that culture of pride in car ownership starts going down and a sizable minority of residents shift to sustainable modes of transportation, that 100th monkey is around the corner the next time gas prices shoot up. A shift in our transport culture is one thing, but in addition to that…
2. Politically, there has to be a shift from a growth-centered framework to a sustainability-centered framework. This might mean that municipalities need to start fighting the good fight when it comes to sustainable transportation for all residents of the city. Municipal and county powers should ask themselves a question akin to this: “If I were a resident in the greater Twin Cities metro area without access to a personal vehicle, what might I need to fulfill my transportation needs in order to lead a productive, dignified existence as a citizen of this fine city?” The most sustainable municipal or county transportation system is the one that prioritizes the needs of those residents without access to a personal vehicle for their daily transportation needs. That should go without saying. And finally…
3. Philosophically (and really what I mean by that is in the mainstream media) there needs to be a breaking of the dominant narrative centered on individual ownership and a shift to community ownership. Really, the fight to strengthen sustainable transportation systems is to fight for the heart of the city itself as a community. A certain city-based tribalism, not unlike that shown towards professional sports teams, must be attached to key municipal services such as transportation, water, education, parks, and energy. Pride in actual community ownership of services that deliver vital community needs to become a pop culture phenomenon. This is a philosophical shift, sure, but also one that becomes increasingly easy to do in a recessive economy when personal vehicle ownership becomes more burdensome – thereby also increasing collective social demand on sustainable community modes of transportation.

And finally, to conclude on a practical note, just in case it wasn’t clear enough – what do I mean when I say “sustainable transportation systems”? Simple. The laws, infrastructure, social norms, and popular culture that prioritizes the following (in decreasing order of long term sustainability based on the human condition):

Walking.

Biking.

Public Transit.

Car Sharing & Car Pooling.

Any city or county that makes those four forms of transport their primary transportation system for residents is likely to be a community that is resilient to climate shock.