My Rotary Club invocation of March 5 simply recounted Robert Fulghum's All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. So far as I know, this was the first time an invocator presented his or her remarks with an assist from Powerpoint. The result was that most of the audience followed along outloud - Mitch Miller style!
I mentioned to myself today that if a struggling, but proud, parent wanted to do the best they could for their children, they should lie to them about the cruel realities of life. Better that they manufacture a fantasy that would create the hope that their life would be better, than sew despair that the future held no relief from the pain they saw in their parents' eyes.
And another thing, parents should at least prepare their students with a respect of diction, grammar and the rewards of speaking as if you care to be understood by people that matter. Right after appearance, the words that fall from your mouth create an impression that fixes you in the mind of a listener. A negative impression is hard to overcome.
I mentioned my belief (to Cy Wood of Franklin University of Ohio,) that the future of education is The YouTube Degree. Venerable institutions of higher education will 'certify' graduates based on standardized tests - most of their degree programs will be too expensive, take too long and become irrelevant to the majority of lifetime learners.
