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Why I Love November: What 45 Years in the Classroom Have Taught Me about My Favorite Month
Why I love November: What 45 Years in the Classroom have Taught Me about My Favorite Month
Why is November my favorite month? It is in November when we exercise those rights for which American patriots fought; we elect our representatives and we pledge our mutual aid to the government chosen by “We the People.”
I cherish my position at GPS as the resident “flag-waving” teacher who almost constantly reminds our students that the survival of our republic depends on the informed participation of our citizens. Our Founding Fathers and Mothers chose a republican form of government because they believed in a system where the government would be accountable to the people, not the people to the government. We often forget that the patriots did not easily decide to separate from England; they were, quite proudly, English citizens and, in their thoughts and deeds, worthy of the rights of English citizens. However, the English Parliament refused to acknowledge those most basic of rights, originally identified within the Witan and later the Magna Carta — the concept that the king was not above the law, that Englishmen would not be taxed without representation and that the rule of law required a due process.
The decision to declare independence took over a decade of debate, action and counter-action, several acts of civil disobedience and the emergence of an eloquent group of patriots who would draft the Declaration of Independence.
That committee comprised:
While the contentiousness of the current electoral season clashes with our dreams of unity, equality and justice, it is not the first time when we, as a nation, have struggled against ourselves. We have survived the inactive presidency of James Buchanan, the corruption of Ulysses S. Grant’s cabinet, the ineptness of a series of ‘Powerless Presidents” and the unspeakable horror of the assassination of four presidents. Even the difficult years of civil war, two world wars and a global conflict of unfamiliar perimeters have not dampened our commitment to the American Dream, newly defined by each generation.
In 1972, as a nineteen-year-old American History teacher, I walked into a classroom in Sparta, Tennessee. In June 2017, after forty-five years as a teacher, I will walk out of my classroom. What has occurred between those two dates has been a major portion of my American Dream. I’ve taught in both public and private schools and at public and private universities. While the media and other observers may deplore the future of our nation, I take heart with the knowledge that I have taught a generation of leaders and I have witnessed their creativity, their ability to focus on solutions, not just problems and their commitment to social justice. My love of American History has always focused on our belief in liberty, equality, justice and humanity and I realize that the dream is not yet real for all citizens. I do, however, know that what distinguishes this nation — and the girls of GPS — is our commitment to fighting for that dream.
Why do I love November? It is the month that highlights the best of our American identity: free elections; the special recognition of our Veterans; acknowledging their service and sacrifices and a uniquely American holiday; a day of thanksgiving. For me, each day could be Thanksgiving Day — thanksgiving for a profession that has given me the perfect look backwards and a glimpse of the future, thanksgiving for a nation of men and women who serve and protect our natural rights and thanksgiving for the hundreds of students and colleagues who have left an indelible mark on my life. Happy November.
Linda Moss Mines is a 2016 recipient of the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools' Hubert Smothers Excellence in Teaching Award.
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Why is November my favorite month? It is in November when we exercise those rights for which American patriots fought; we elect our representatives and we pledge our mutual aid to the government chosen by “We the People.”
I cherish my position at GPS as the resident “flag-waving” teacher who almost constantly reminds our students that the survival of our republic depends on the informed participation of our citizens. Our Founding Fathers and Mothers chose a republican form of government because they believed in a system where the government would be accountable to the people, not the people to the government. We often forget that the patriots did not easily decide to separate from England; they were, quite proudly, English citizens and, in their thoughts and deeds, worthy of the rights of English citizens. However, the English Parliament refused to acknowledge those most basic of rights, originally identified within the Witan and later the Magna Carta — the concept that the king was not above the law, that Englishmen would not be taxed without representation and that the rule of law required a due process.
The decision to declare independence took over a decade of debate, action and counter-action, several acts of civil disobedience and the emergence of an eloquent group of patriots who would draft the Declaration of Independence.
That committee comprised:
- Thomas Jefferson - the young scholar from Virginia
- John Adams - the aristocratic lawyer and orator from Massachusetts
- Ben Franklin - a gifted and beloved sage
- Roger Sherman - a simple Connecticut cobbler possessed with a dream of equality
- Robert Livingston - the New Yorker with a practical mind
While the contentiousness of the current electoral season clashes with our dreams of unity, equality and justice, it is not the first time when we, as a nation, have struggled against ourselves. We have survived the inactive presidency of James Buchanan, the corruption of Ulysses S. Grant’s cabinet, the ineptness of a series of ‘Powerless Presidents” and the unspeakable horror of the assassination of four presidents. Even the difficult years of civil war, two world wars and a global conflict of unfamiliar perimeters have not dampened our commitment to the American Dream, newly defined by each generation.
In 1972, as a nineteen-year-old American History teacher, I walked into a classroom in Sparta, Tennessee. In June 2017, after forty-five years as a teacher, I will walk out of my classroom. What has occurred between those two dates has been a major portion of my American Dream. I’ve taught in both public and private schools and at public and private universities. While the media and other observers may deplore the future of our nation, I take heart with the knowledge that I have taught a generation of leaders and I have witnessed their creativity, their ability to focus on solutions, not just problems and their commitment to social justice. My love of American History has always focused on our belief in liberty, equality, justice and humanity and I realize that the dream is not yet real for all citizens. I do, however, know that what distinguishes this nation — and the girls of GPS — is our commitment to fighting for that dream.
Why do I love November? It is the month that highlights the best of our American identity: free elections; the special recognition of our Veterans; acknowledging their service and sacrifices and a uniquely American holiday; a day of thanksgiving. For me, each day could be Thanksgiving Day — thanksgiving for a profession that has given me the perfect look backwards and a glimpse of the future, thanksgiving for a nation of men and women who serve and protect our natural rights and thanksgiving for the hundreds of students and colleagues who have left an indelible mark on my life. Happy November.
Linda Moss Mines is a 2016 recipient of the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools' Hubert Smothers Excellence in Teaching Award.
