Enjoy!
Stormy
A Christmas Story by Stuart Marks as it was read at the December 5, 2005 School Board Meeting. Mr. Marks is a concerned citizen in the Penn-Trafford School District.
Last month I came to you offering lessons from history. It seems that is was to no avail for today we still stand as a community divided. Maybe a month later, during this festive holiday season, we can capture the spirit of the time by restoring faith, hope, and goodwill that has surely escaped us in these recent days gone by.
If history has not taught us our lessons well then maybe a study of literature can offer us what we are seeking. Could we examine a classic tale of this season, tweak it a bit and then learn a lesson from it?
Charles Dickens penned a story that most of us know well. It is called, "A Christmas Carol." In our version, the story is set in the tiny village of PT. WE open the story with School Director Ebenezer Scrooge sitting behind his administrative desk counting the gold and silver collected by the good people of the village. Enter Teacher Cratchit seeking better health care and wages for himself and his family. With a cry of BAH HUMBUG, Director Scrooge dismisses Teacher Cratchit telling him he should be happy to have a job and be blessed to live in such a fine village. With a sullen look, Cratchit leaves to continue his work and help to maintain the high standard demanded by Director Scrooge.
That night as Scrooge falls asleep, he is visited by the first of three ghosts that will haunt him. Scrooge sits behind his desk, once again counting his gold and silver when a ghost enters. The first ghost is that of Contracts Past. The ghost points out that Scrooge had told his employees that money was tight and sacrifices must be made in order to maintain fiscal responsibility. Scrooge tells them that they need to accept less now so that we can have more in the future. Seeing the wisdom of thought, the teachers agree to tighten their belts only to find themselves betrayed six months later as Scrooge spends $800,000 on a new sports complex. When Scrooge awakens, he sees it was only a dream, cries BAH HUMBUG and drifts off to sleep once again.
A second ghost comes to visit Scrooge who once again is found behind his desk counting the gold and silver he has collected. This ghost is the ghost of Contract Present. The ghost points out that the teachers are still seeking better health care and improved wages, but Scrooge can only say they're lucky to have a job in such a fine place. The teachers ask Scrooge to listen to their plea but Director Scrooge says there is no money and they should be grateful for what they have. The teachers walk out and return only to be sent away again without change. When Scrooge awakens he realizes it was only a dream. He says BAH HUMBUG and once more returns to his sleep.
It is then that the third and last ghost appears. This is the Ghost of Contracts Future. He takes Scrooge by the hand and shows him the PT of the future. Here is a village in discontent. The students perform poorly, the solid teachers of the past have moved to places that afforded them better care and the new school directors are fighting with each other because of the bad reputation and poor recruitment of new teachers in this village of disarray. Director Scrooge begins to tremble and asks the ghost how this could have happened to the place he loved and worked so hard to build. The ghost simply takes Scrooge by the hand and leads him to the graveyard where a tall tombstone stands above all others. The words on the tombstone read, "Here lies School Director Scrooge. The road to hell was paved on his good intentions. We are forever paying the price of his misguided principles."
An astonished Scrooge wakes up to find it was only a dream and trembles with fear that the prophecy would come true. How am I to prevent this fate from falling upon our village? What power do I have to guarantee that this does not happen to us in the future?
Well school directors, you have the power to rewrite the story for the future beneficiaries of PT. You have the choice to stay the course you're on and fulfill that ugly destiny or embrace the spirit of this holiday season. We may have to go through hell, but that doesn't mean we have to end up there. Negotiate in good faith, restore hope to those who have lost it and bring about the spirit of good will to all PT. And when you do we can say in the words of the tiny townspeople, "God Bless Us, Every One!!!"
Author: Staurt Marks, Penn Twp. Resident
Also known as... Tiny Tim!
