By John Strickland / Herald Forum
John Dewey, the American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer, liked to describe philosophy as “a persistent attempt to uncover and evaluate, and replace if necessary, the basic assumptions of culture.”
This got me thinking about the basic assumptions of American culture: What they are, what results they are producing, and whether some may need to be replaced.
One assumption that immediately came to mind is the belief that independence is our ultimate goal and must always be maximized. We recognize and honor young people who have “achieved independence,” we celebrate our nation’s Declaration of Independence, and in my work with students who have disabilities, “independent living” is one of the major goal areas in each student’s transition plan.
Yes, the ability to carry our own weight, do our part, and achieve our personal goals is important. But “dependence” is not a bad word.
Community arises not just from our need for each other, but from our basic human need to need each other. Our need for each other is not an unfortunate reality that we must learn to live with and rise above whenever possible, but an essential part of our very human nature, the path to human happiness and fulfillment.
To the degree that we relinquish our need to need each other, community falls apart.
I love the words of the Barbara Streisand song, “People”:
People, who need people
Are the luckiest people in the world
We’re children, needing other children
And yet letting a grown-up pride
Hide all the need inside
Acting more like children than children.
I have a student with autism who recently turned 22 and graduated from our Transition Program at Marysville Getchell High School.
Every time we go bowling at Strawberry Lanes, he asks me to help him tie his bowling shoes. Can he tie his own shoes? I’m not totally sure. Some people say I am enabling him, but I see it as a small way that he is reaching out to connect; a little ritual that ties not only his shoes but also ties us together.
And so I’ll continue to help him tie his shoes, and I’ll even tie yours if you need me to.
Jim Strickland is a teacher at Marysville Getchell High School and lives in Marysville.
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