Certainly, D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee (who may resign today) was working up her Wicked Witch of the West routine. But the folks who voted out Mr. Fenty, and…
A little too proud, a little too smug -- and not all that concerned about the education of kids? (Photo courtesy of Politico)
Certainly, D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee (who may resign today) was working up her Wicked Witch of the West routine. But the folks who voted out Mr. Fenty, and who will surely rejoice when Ms. Rhee is replaced, may not exactly be maxing out the maturity scale either. Their most consistent complaint about Rhee is that she offended them. And they were certainly right about that. But is it better to be right about being offended, or is it better to be right about educating kids?
Sometimes brilliant doctors are offensive, too; surgeons, in particular, are noted for their hubris. But when theyāre saving your kidās life, you kinda let that slide, donāt you? As mature adults, with the lives of our babies in the hands of others, it seems to matter much more how capable those hands are, and much less what comes out of the mouth they may be paired with. Sure, Iād love it if Marcus Welby could fix my 7-year-oldās Neuroblastoma. But Iāll gladly put up with Gregory House if he can get my little girl to her next birthday.
As school district hands go, Rheeās are pretty good, and her mouth isnāt nearly as bad as Dr. Houseās. Sheās no Marcus Welby, but she runs a tight ship. By most accounts, D.C. schools run better now than ever. So while Rhee has acted immaturely with regard to her speech and conduct, her detractors made that most classic of childish errors: thinking it was all about them when it was really all about the kids.
Whatās more important? The welfare of children or the feelings of adults? I guess we know now that both Ms. Rhee and the folks in D.C. at least agree on one thing ā we all care about kids, but we care about ourselves just a little more. This is hardly an indictment; just human nature, really. But acknowledging it changes what we can learn from this experiment and how we can all do better next time.
As someone who has often been guilty of the very same offense, Iām not going to judge it too harshly. After all, if adults canāt get their own needs met, they canāt really meet their kidsā needs either. I think Maslow had a good take on this.
The situation in D.C. is what it is. It is a bunch of adults putting their needs for self-promotion, or respect, or whatever amount of love they never got from their parents ahead of the needs of the children in their schools. Rhee had the smarts and the skills to court her opposition. At the same time, there was no need for her detractors to constantly exhibit the āignoble strife of the madding crowd.ā
There was a lot to be gained here through mere civility. Perhaps the biggest lesson of all is simply that smart people with good intentions can accomplish more for others when they intentionally act smart, instead of intentionally acting spiteful or taking offense when no positive result can come of either posture.
Over the years, I have heard few complaints about the Chancellorās intelligence, determination, dedication, results, or any other ābottom lineā concern ā nobody said she wasnāt getting some very good things done. In particular, she seems to have reorganized the district operationally to the point where it now functions as a viable enterprise.
If youāve ever worked in a dysfunctional big-city school district, you know how hard it is to improve operations and how vital as well. But Rhee will get no credit for this or even a friendly parting gift as she leaves her Ken Jennings-like run from a game show that could find no better metaphor than in Jeopardy.
Some have argued that Rhee was not effective at all, that her gains were largely the result of her predecessorās efforts. I suppose thatās a possibility. Lucky for Rheeās long-time detractors, itās an impossible one to disprove. Personally, I find it hard to believe that none of what Rhee did had an impact (no pun intended), and I think, as time goes by, weāll see that many of her initiatives stand the test of time.
I doubt, for example, that her successor will toss out every change she inspired. In fact, it may be the next Chancellor who does the serious coat-tail riding here, a person certain to be much more conciliatory simply because he or she will have had the advantage of Ms. Rheeās āsmash mouthā school governance and the resulting mile-wide gap at the line of scrimmage through which just about anyone could scamper daintily to the end zone.
This is the third installment of a series on the Michelle Rhee legacy and the impact on school reform. You can access the series by clicking on Michelle Rhee or here.