Maintaining our Sanity as Educators in an Increasingly Threatening World: Advice from the Ancients

The Trials of Teaching in Our Day
All it should take is just a few weeks teaching in the public schools for one to conclude that the profession is fraught with seemingly insurmountable challenges.  Besides the quintessential issues of standardized test scores, angry parents, disrespectful and apathetic students, low pay, and high demands (which things, in and of themselves, are stressful enough), teachers now have to concern themselves with a whole slew of issues stemming from Western Civilization’s current culture wars.  New threats are now incoming from both ends of the political spectrum.

Teacher dissatisfaction in the U.S. is at record highs (Will, 2022). A lot of it can be traced to both sides of the culture wars with teachers caught in the middle (Will, 2022). According to a recent statement from four professional teacher organizations, it now seems apropos to some on the right wing of the political spectrum to consider teachers “the enemy” (Will, 2022). Some, mostly conservative, groups are now strongly opposing the assignment, and even the availability, of certain books. (Will, 2022). These can be books teachers in previous years felt perfectly comfortable utilizing. Another concern is teachers feeling compelled to adopt certain ideological premises with which they may not feel comfortable. This issue, often stemming from the left, is increasing teacher dissatisfaction as well (Nelson, 2023). For one reason or another, 44% of all public schools in the U.S. currently report full- or part-time staff vacancies (Nelson, 2023).

At the college level in the U.S., things might be even worse. During the infamous Red Scare (McCarthyism) of 1950s America, fear was experienced by teachers all over the country. One in ten college professors reported self-censoring during that time. Today, amidst the culture wars in the U.S., it is one out of three (Honeycutt, Stevens, & Kaufmann, 2023). From 2014-2022, university scholars sanctioned for expression protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was higher than it was during the McCarthy era (Bloch, 2023). Whether they self-censor or not, 52% of college faculty worry about losing their jobs or reputations due to a misunderstanding, something taken out of context, or an old social media post (Honeycutt, Stevens, & Kaufmann, 2023). Unlike the K-12 public school scene, the culture wars’ suppressing effects at U.S. universities seem to come more from the left, with far more conservative professors censoring themselves than liberal ones (Honeycutt, Stevens, & Kaufmann, 2023).

Australia, which strikes me as not in as serious of a predicament as the U.S., has its problems as well. In 2018, a report from the Institute of Public Affairs stated that 35 of Australia’s 42 universities were hostile to free speech based on their policies and actions (Lesh, 2018). In 2019, another report stated that 41% of Australian university students felt unable to express their personal opinions (Gorman, 2019). Other authors claim that some professors have faced harassment when straying from acceptable orthodoxy in certain specific areas (Bankovsky & Hoepner, 2018). The government of Australia has recognized a free-speech problem and has taken measures to possibly ameliorate it (Parliament of Australia, 2020). However, to be fair, some academics feel that the idea of a threat to academic freedom and free speech on Australian campuses is overstated (Bankovsky & Hoepner, 2018; Davis, 2018) and Australian universities are being unjustly entangled in a purely U.S. crisis (Davis, 2018). Wherever the truth may lie, it would not be unreasonable to assume Australia’s K-12 public school system is suffering some trickle-down effects of all this as well.

The Trials of Teaching Back in Another Day
How, then, do we deal with the adversities teachers face in today’s climate? One way is to examine how teachers faced similar challenges in a much more hostile environment in the distant past. Our modern-day challenges might seem like a walk in the park compared to those of teachers in the ancient Greco-Roman world. Teaching then was a much riskier proposition. Teachers today get canceled, teachers then got killed. Let’s look at a select list of some of the more famous pedagogues of that bygone era. Socrates was executed. Plato was held against his will by a tyrant in Syracuse. Protagoras, according to some accounts, was exiled for questioning Paganism. Hypatia was burned and had all her limbs torn off for supporting Paganism. Anaxagoras was exiled for teaching that the Moon was a rock, not a god. Aristotle self-exiled before they could kill him. Seneca killed himself before they could kill him. Epictetus was banished from Rome. Plutarch isolated himself in a small town, possibly to avoid entrapment in the dangerous intrigues of the powerful. And I am sure the list could go on and on.

Of course, the world is a better place for what they suffered, as it will be a better place for what we suffer. So, what were the principles the great teachers of that distant age held onto, to deal with the adversities they faced? We can only speculate; however, following are some concepts, well known in the ancient Greco-Roman world, which they may have leaned on to get through some of their challenges.

Stoicism
Stoicism, founded by Zeno of Citium, who lived in Athens around the intersection of the fourth and third centuries BCE, constituted a powerful philosophical force in the Greco-Roman world until Christianity rose to prominence some 600-700 years later. In a nutshell, Stoicism teaches that it is not events or circumstances that cause emotional pain, but rather our reactions to them (Stumpf, 1994). When we are angry, embarrassed, or panicked, all of that comes from the inside rather than the outside. According to the great psychologist (and Stoic) Albert Ellis, we really “self-disturb” while erroneously thinking that external issues are actually causing our emotional distress (Ellis, 2001, p. 80). Although worrying about what other people think is a human universal (Pinker, 2002), a Stoic might say that we take things way too far by panicking over neuron firings bouncing around in other people’s heads. As educators, if we are putting the kids first, esteeming our colleagues, respecting diverse opinions and people, working hard, and conforming to the policies of our particular organizations, maybe we should rest contented and possibly better deal with any culturally created concerns an irrational world may heap upon us.

Whispers from Delphi
About a decade ago, my daughter and I traveled to a place known as Delphi. It is deep in the mountains of Greece and there is nothing there except basically ruins and a museum. However, such was certainly not the case from the seventh century BCE to the fourth century CE when Delphi was considered the spiritual center of the Western world. At that time, Delphi had an underground spring that emitted vapors through fissures in the rocks. The vapors were anything but ordinary. They apparently had an intoxicating effect on humans and supposedly could place them in trances. Modern scientific studies have confirmed the existence of the underground spring (now dried up) and have also confirmed trace amounts of chemicals in the vicinity of the spring that are known, in modern times, to produce intoxicating effects (Ivers, 2017; Whipps, 2006; Zeilinga de Boer & Hale, 2022). In the seventh century BCE, a temple was built over the spot with an opening in the floor to allow the “sacred” vapors to enter into a certain room called the Adyton (Zeilinga de Boer & Hale, 2022). Seated in the room was a priestess, called a Pythia, who, under the influence of the vapors, gave revelatory answers (supposedly originating from the god Apollo) to one supplicant at a time who entered the temple armed with an important question. As one might expect, the answers were rather vague, and the patron was supposed to ponder on them to eventually access their inspired meaning. An A-list of important figures from the ancient Greco-Roman world consulted with the priestesses before making important decisions.

Since we teachers today cannot avail ourselves of the Pythia at Delphi (should we be so inclined), we can at least consider advice from three inscriptions carved into the temple. All teachers in the ancient Greco-Roman world would have undoubtedly been aware of them. Considering the inadequacies of translation, they were basically as follows:

1. Know thyself
2. Nothing in excess
3. Surety and then the fall (or Certainty brings ruin)

Know Thyself
In the Odyssey, Odysseus knew he lacked the ability to resist the Sirens and therefore took the necessary precautions. As teachers, we should follow suit. Education experts William W. Purkey and David Strahan (1986) advise teachers to plan for potential student challenges and disciplinary issues just as much as they plan for instruction. After just a few weeks of teaching, all teachers have a good feel for unpleasant issues that could surface. Calmly planning ahead for possible misunderstandings and confrontations (realizing that they may never happen) could enable us to avoid potentially hazardous knee-jerk reactions. Also, Purkey and Strahan (1986) suggest we continually fine tune our classroom persona and practice being intentionally inviting when others are intentionally disinviting, which they call “the true test of professionalism” (p. 8). Such an approach may prevent a little disagreement or accusation from escalating into an all-out war.

Just as we should know our limitations, we should also celebrate our strengths. Purkey and Strahan (1986) suggest that we create a personal file of positive feedback from students, parents, and administrators. When trials are wearing us down, we simply retrieve the file and review the notes, cards, emails, etc. That simple practice should afford us the boost we need to forge ahead in our potentially threatening world. In a more recent work, Purkey, Novak, & Fretz (2020) cite studies in which teachers with higher positive self-regard showed a greater capacity to understand and like their students. They also find that teachers who neglect themselves are more likely to experience burnout and stress-induced illness. The recent surge in the digitalization of the classroom, with more dependence on technology, may serve to further alienate both students and teachers from positive, creative, and mutually beneficial relationships (Zierer & Young, 2023). Positive relationships may go a long way to prevent misunderstanding and conflict.  This technology-driven “brave new world” we are entering could be accompanied by some ill effects on mutual understanding plus teacher satisfaction and morale.

Nothing in Excess
This would include our worries. One of the pillars of Stoicism was not worrying about things over which we have no control. Albert Ellis (2001) points out that humans have a way of “awfulizing” things (p. 21). We transform possible future negative situations into hideous monsters that continually stalk us. Aristotle taught this same idea with the well-known Golden Mean principle. Happiness, wisdom, and well-being are mostly found in the center (Stumpf, 1994). According to Aristotle, we can feel emotions, such as worry, too much or too little. Aristotle’s admonitions may also dictate a degree of personalized centrism in political affairs. Our brothers and sisters on both ends of the political spectrum probably have some good points; and gray, rather than black or white, is the metaphor that seems to hold when it comes to widely debated issues. So, rather than dogmatically clinging to one side or the other, it might behoove us to meet the other side halfway and be somewhat eclectic, recognizing positive elements that undoubtedly exist in both arenas of thought.

Surety and Then the Fall
A Pythia at Delphi once reportedly pronounced to Socrates’s friend Chaerephon that Socrates was the wisest of all the Greeks. Socrates, humbly puzzled by the statement, concluded that he earned that exalted position simply because he knew that he knew nothing (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, n.d.). Socrates’s conclusion should give us pause. Scientific “truth” is always considered tentative. Maybe our opinions should be considered the same. “Certainty” in life seems to come and go, and we constantly evolve into new cognizant creatures as our foray through this mysterious realm called life advances. What we believe with absolute certainty now could prove erroneous as new information comes to light. As intellectuals, we educators have the responsibility to courageously defend what we consider to be sacred principles. Yet, at the same time, we have the responsibility to at least be familiar with the basic arguments the other side espouses. An overly dogmatic approach to things could end up personally and professionally disastrous.

Conclusion
Although I have no empirical proof, it seems to me that, in the news anyhow, we see schools, universities, libraries, and teachers embroiled in controversies to a disproportionately higher degree than any other time in my 40-year career in education. If my unempirical observations are correct, we can, concomitantly, assume stress is on the upswing as well. In the modern era, there may have never been a time where calm and courageous teachers are more needed than today.

References
Bankovsky, M., & Hoepner, J. (2018, December 17). We need to talk about the actual threats to academic freedom on Australian campuses. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/we-need-to-talk-about-the-actual-threats-to-academic-freedom-on-australian-campuses-108596

Bloch, K. (2023, April 27).  The unraveling of academia:  Have we entered the era of anti-Enlightenment?  Jewish Journal.  https://jewishjournal.com/cover_story/358238/the-unraveling-of-academia/

Davis, G. (2018, December 4). Special pleading:  Free speech and Australian universities.  The Conversation.  https://theconversation.com/special-pleading-free-speech-and-australian-universities-108170

Ellis, A. (2001). Overcoming destructive beliefs, feelings, and behaviors.  Amherst, NY: Prometheus.

Gorman, R. (2019, August 31).  New research confirms free speech crisis at Australian universities.  Institute of Public Affairs.  https://ipa.org.au/publications-ipa/opinion/new-research-confirms-free-speech-crisis-at-australias-universities

Honeycutt, N., Stevens, S., & Kaufmann, E. (2023). The academic mind in 2022: What faculty think about free expression and academic freedom on campus. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/academic-mind-2022-what-faculty-think-about-free-expression-and-academic-freedom

Ivers, J. (2017).  For deep thinkers only: How culture manipulates your reality. New York, New York: Barnes and Noble Press.

Lesh, M. (2018, December 10).  Free speech in decline:  IPA free speech on campus audit 2018.  Institute of Public Affairs. https://ipa.org.au/publications-ipa/media-releases/free-speech-in-decline-ipa-free-speech-on-campus-audit-2018

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (n.d.). Apology by Plato (trans. Benjamin Jowett). Classics.MIT.edu. http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/apology.html

Nelson, J. (2023, May 3). Teachers sound alarm on growing problems in schools, say colleagues are ‘leaving in droves.’ Fox News.  https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/teachers-sound-alarm-on-growing-problems-in-schools-say-colleagues-are-leaving-in-droves/ar-AA1aFrKH?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=39379cc7cbcc4be1fc824cd1e44740f5&ei=7

Parliament of Australia. (2020, November 20).  Higher Education Support Amendment (Freedom of Speech) Bill 2020.  Parliamentary Business.  https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/bd/bd2021a/21bd028#:~:text=In%20contemporary%20Australian%20universities%2C%20academic%20freedom%20has%20been,responsible%20and%20disciplined%20exercise%20of%20scholarly%20expertise%E2%80%99.%20

Pinker, S. (2002).  The blank slate.  New York, NY:  Penguin Books.

Purkey W., Novak J., & Fretz J. (2020).  Developing Inviting Schools:  A Beneficial Framework for Teaching and Leading.  New York, New York:  Teachers College Press.

Purkey, W. & Strahan, D. (1986).  Positive Discipline:  A Pocketful of Ideas. Columbus, OH:  National Middle School Association.

Stumpf, S. (1994).  Philosophy:  History & Problems.  McGraw-Hill, Inc:  New York, New York.

Whipps, H. (2006, October 31). New theory on what got the oracle at Delphi high. Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/4277-theory-oracle-delphi-high.html

Will, M.  (2022, March 15).  In the Culture Wars, teachers are being treated like ‘enemies.’ Education Week.  https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/in-the-culture-wars-teachers-are-being-treated-like-enemies/2022/03

Zeilinga de Boer, J., & Hale, J. (2022, July 17). The Oracle of Delphi -- Was she really stoned? Bible History Daily (Biblical Archaeology Society). http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/the-oracle-of-delphi%E2%80%94was-she-really-stoned/

Zierer, K., & Young, J. (2023, February 17).  The grammar of learning in the digital world. Education Today.  https://www.educationtoday.com.au/news-detail/The-Grammar-of-Learning-in-the-Digital-World--5843

Image by Jeff Stapleton