Who is to blame?

                                   

   Considering figures, one could say that a generation of Argentinean students will be less well educated than their parents. Teachers are getting the blame. Others say that the educational system is the one who has to be blamed. But according to my point of view, those responsible for the underlying problem are mainly the educational system and parents.

    Firstly, while on one hand, we have countries that stand out for their educational quality, their high expectation standards; on the other hand our system aims at reducing the level of expectations creating educational policies in order to make it easier for students. As a consequence the quality of the educational system is lower and more mediocre. It seems that the main goal of this system is to make things easier for students so they can pass the different grades without major difficulties and to get the diploma.

    Secondly, the truth is that in some debates about our poor education, not much is being said about disengaged parents. While teachers have become the scapegoats for Argentina's failing schools, maybe it's time to shine the light on parents. The truth is that many parents do not communicate with their children neither accompany them with their homework. Most of these parents prefer to buy kids iPods, expensive phones, and all kinds of electronic gadgets, but few parents involved in their children´s education. Several parents are disengaged and few of them communicate with teachers unless there is a problem. For example, when children get low grades or comments such as "needs improvement," or "unsatisfactory", parents appear and blame teachers when actually they should think about themselves and their own responsibility in the first place. In my opinion, it's a three way street. If neither the parents, children nor teachers are on board together, it is going to be hard to make it work. There has to be communication between parents and teachers to make it work. 

       To conclude, instead of just blaming the teachers, how about we start pointing at the educational system and the lack of parents’ involvement that makes teaching hard to do?

Learning from dogs

Time ago I watched a program that uttered the following motto “Be good, be animal”.  It caught my attention and it made me happy since I am the kind of person that maintains that there are certain animals, particularly dogs, whose values exceed those human have. 

It is said about dogs that they are “Man´s best friends” but I don´t know if that relationship is mutual.  Certaintly, there are many things that you can learn from dogs.  One thing is to give without expecting anything in return, also to serve despite the abuses and reproaches they can receive; or to show happiness for the simple fact that their names are pronounced or even to defend their “friends” to the point of dying for them or to offer love  expecting nothing in return as well as not to assault the one they love. They don’t judge, they simply take the world around them at face value. Dogs live in the present – they just do!  Moreover, their loyalty is unique. There are innumerable cases in which this virtue has been seen; such is the case of the loyal dog called Capitan, who lived in Cordoba. Capitán went missing for a few days, but he was eventually found lying in the cemetery next to Guzmán's resting place .The remarkable part about this story is that Miguel died in a hospital, and his body was taken to a funeral home far away from where he lived. Capitán had never been to the cemetery before.

Anyhow, I could mention countless attitudes one could learn from them. I think that they are not animated objects to whom a value or price can be assigned. Consequently, I consider that it is more significant the way they are and their virtues instead of what breed they belong to.

Once again, human beings go through life moved by their desire to “pretend to be” and often their feelings are so poor that they lose the teachings that can be obtained from the simplicity of an animal such as the dog.

I cannot stress how important a dog’s love is. And I hope someday, you get to experience that love.

 Just have in mind the following quote stated by Anatole France, “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one´s soul remains unawakened.”

What makes this leader different from others?

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkMR_8eiT2I

When I hear the millions of dollars the Argentine government officials hold, I cannot help but bring to my head to Uruguay's president José Mujica. The international media have described him as "the most incredible politician" or indeed "the best leader in the world". Some have suggested he should win the next Nobel peace prize. He spent 14 years in prison, 10 of them in solitary confinement, under the military dictatorship in Uruguay, which held power from 1973 to 1985. He is also thought to be the world's poorest president, because he gives almost 90% of his income to low-income housing organizations (Hernandez, 2012). His donations leave him $800 dollars monthly.  "That money is enough for me, and it has to be enough because there are other Uruguayans who live with much less.”, he utters to the four winds. Meanwhile he lives with his wife in a modest house in a land where they grow chrysanthemums for sale on the local market.(Romero, 2013). (I strongly recommend the video posted here to witness his lifestyle).

What I wonder is what it is that makes him excel or be different among the other presidents. Now, going over his life I realize that it is humility what makes him one in a hundred. This virtue goes along with his life and his actions because I see that he is consistent with the values ​​and ideals that he asserts.  I mull over the subject and question myself, Isn´t humility a virtue of the civilized people? I agree with the great Russian writer Anton Chekhov when he declares, "what distinguishes a real and authentic cultivated person is someone who somehow has understood that wisdom is such when it ennobles a man not makes a boastful man; or when it distinguishes a man between others but it does not places him, in certain way, above anyone.” (Pijamasurf, 2013). Above and beyond I ask myself, how real are the ideals that some people, mainly politicians, claim to follow, if they do not interpret the position they hold which should be working tool in the service of others?

Finally I can say that Mujica is a man who in spite of the power he has and the money he could have he maintains his humility. What is more, this man leads by example and it is clear that power has not corrupted him. He leads for his people. We need more leaders like him.

In order to conclude I would like to cite Mujica´s reply to those that accuse him of being poor: "I'm called 'the poorest president', but I don't feel poor. Poor people are those who only work to try to keep an expensive lifestyle, and always want more and more. I have few things, it is true, the minimum, but only to be rich. I want to have time to devote it to the things that motivate me." he says. (Falety, n.d.)"This is a matter of freedom. If you don't have many possessions then you don't need to work all your life like a slave to sustain them, and therefore you have more time for yourself," he states.(Hernandez, 2012)

Reference list:

Falety, Nany (n.d.). El presidente uruguayo Pepe Mujica: "Yo no soy pobre". Retrieved from: http://esnoticia.co/noticia-1474-el-presidente-uruguayo-pepe-mujica-yo-no-soy-pobre

Hernandez, Vladimir (2012). Jose Mujica: The world's 'poorest' president. BBC News Magazine. Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20243493

Pijamasurf, (2013). 8 cualidades de las personas verdaderamente cultas (según Antón Chéjov). Rertieved from: http://pijamasurf.com/2013/03/8-cualidades-de-las-personas-verdaderamente-cultas-segun-anton-chejov/

Romero, Simon (2013). La austera vida de Mujica, un presidente sin privilegios. La  Nación. Retrieved from: http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1544000-la-austera-vida-de-mujica-un-presidente-sin-privilegios

Two sides of the same coin

    While I was watching the newsflash, there were two pieces of news that caught my attention; on one side was the wealth of President Cristina Fernández (“Cristina Kirchner, cada vez más rica en un país pobre”, 2014) while on the other side was the report given by the Observatorio de la Deuda Social (Socioeconomic report  given by Universidad Católica Argentina)(Urien, 2013).  In light of the information given, my conclusion is very simple, once again Argentina is facing a lost decade having in charge a president who claims to lead a “victorious decade” but for whom?.

   What I wonder is, do we have two realities? The explanation to this question is at sight when prestigious newspapers position the president of Argentina in the list of the ten most ostentatious world presidents. Not only does she own a 55 million pesos wealth but she spends in her personal expenses around 964 thousand pesos annually(“Cristina Kirchner, cada vez más rica en un país pobre”, 2014). Meanwhile this “victorious decade” stands out for the more than 10 million poor; of which about 3 million have poor nutrition; one of every ten people live in homes without running water and three of every ten houses have no sewerage(Urien, 2013).

   All these facts belong to the harshest reality of a country which is potentially rich but severely punished due to mismanagement. The extent of it is hard to quantify. Suffice it to say that misgovernment has lead to enlarge the social inequalities and make more vulnerable to those who have less.

    Nothing can detract from the fact that these issues are a matter for concern and deserve to be dealt with given that there is no greater debt than the one we have with those who cannot be heard.

Reference List

Cristina Kirchner, cada vez más rica en un país pobre (2014, September 4). La Nación. Retrieved from: http://www.lanacion.com.py/articulo/175599-cristina-kirchner-cada-vez-mas-rica-en-un-pais-pobre.html 

En cada aparición, Cristina Kirchner luce joyas que cuestan como una camioneta 4x4. (2008). Perfil. Retrieved from:  http://www.perfil.com/politica/En-cada-aparicion-Cristina-Kirchner-luce-joyas-que-cuestan-como-una-camioneta-4x4-20080404-0020.html

Urien, Paula (2013). Hay más de 10 millones de argentinos pobres y aumentó la desigualdad. La Nación. Retrieved from: http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1650754-hay-mas-de-10-millones-de-argentinos-pobres-y-aumento-la-desigualdad