In this “winter of our discontent,” when so many of us are feeling a sense of despair about the human condition, and distress at the human capacity for cruelty, banality and ignorance, finding hope can be very, very hard work. But I want to commend a simple way to replenish our reservoirs of hopefulness each day: a close reading of the Valley News obituaries. They are the first thing I turn to each morning, and they have the remarkable capacity to inoculate me against the torrent of bad news that will inevitably fill the hours ahead.
This will seem to many an odd choice. It’s not only knowing that I am not, in fact, dead when I fail to see my own name in the obits, nor is it in any way a dismissal of the genuine loss that family and friends of the deceased are undoubtedly experiencing.
It is rather that in the obituaries I encounter each day a treasury of kindness and compassion, civic engagement and commitment, generosity and care in the lives of the departed. The obituaries are filled with what, at first glace, seem to be small and insignificant things:
”She loved teaching children about the wonders of nature.”
“He would often come early on winter mornings to shovel the walks of his neighbors after a snowfall.”
“Her volunteer work for the Haven and her friendship to all in need made her a beloved figure in town.”
“When someone was in trouble, he would always be the first to show up.”
The fabric of life in the Upper Valley is woven out of these lives, out of these little acts of true fellowship. In a selfish, divided and uncivil age, when the capacity for sustaining human community appears to be frayed to the breaking point, when the “cup of kindness” seems nearly empty, I invite you to turn to the Valley News obituaries for signs that all is not lost.
And may those who have died rest in peace, knowing that in the stories we tell about them, we are sustained with examples of faithful and generous living.
Susan J. White
Norwich
I read with dismay two articles in last Monday’s newspaper reporting that the ultimate reaction to the shootings that took place five years ago at Sandy Hook was the acquisition of more firearms by private citizens and the hiring of more security guards by schools. It is sad but unsurprising that some politicians seize on these mass shootings to reinforce their positions on the Second Amendment. And it’s also sad but unsurprising that most politicians seize on a solution that is fast, relatively inexpensive and clear: namely the hiring of armed guards and, in some states, arming teachers and administrators.
It is exasperating to see millions of dollars being spent on the hiring of and training of “responsible adults” to “scan the faces” of children as they enter the building to identify those who might be troubled. Teachers, administrators and school personnel already have the ability to “scan the faces” of the children and identify those who need special attention. But as it stands now, most schools lack the resources to provide the services those troubled children require.
In an ideal world, our communities would not be paying for armed guards in schools or calling for the arming of teachers. In an ideal world, our communities would focus on the care and nurturance of children from the day they are born until the day they graduate from school and enter adulthood. In such an ideal world, we would not be engaged in debates about the Second Amendment or fanning the fears of parents, voters and children by increasing the presence of guns in schools. In an ideal world, we would be debating the best way to ensure that every child has sufficient food, clothing and shelter and we would be making an effort to ensure that every child attends a school where they have an equal opportunity to become a well-informed and responsible citizen.
That ideal world might require more funding than the world we live in now, but it is preferable to a world where we are all armed to protect ourselves.
Wayne Gersen
Etna
The Value of an Education
I enjoyed the recent “A Life” article about Paul Magoon, longtime English teacher at Stevens High School. My memories of his ninth-grade English class are vivid indeed! He and his colleagues, Normand Paquette, John Bennett and John Lajoie, were all excellent teachers who brought an exceptional degree of dedication to their calling, combining scholarship with humor and genuine interest in helping generations of Stevens students.
I am sure that today’s teachers are equally dedicated. But today’s schools require far more resources than were necessary in past decades. I cringe every time I read about cost-cutting measures undertaken at either the state or local level, such as the consolidation of school districts or the elimination of teaching positions. Many Upper Valley schools are already attempting to maintain pedagogical standards under budgets that are extraordinarily lean. Nothing more can be cut from them without harming the students and their education.
I now teach at River Valley Community College, and I am sorry to report that most students from our area high schools are not prepared to do college work. They lack the fundamental grounding in grammar and reading skills necessary to understand and analyze the material they are required to master. If they are unprepared for college, they are equally unprepared to become productive employees in the workplace or capable citizens in their communities. When we shortchange our schools, we shortchange society as a whole. Nothing is more important than a good education!
Patti Arrison
Weathersfield