Mayor Wharton and the MTR

On Monday, June 28th, the MTR visited Memphis' City Hall and met privately with Mayor AC Wharton. Mayor Wharton thanked our the residents for their commitment to Memphis and to urban education. He also encouraged them to work hard and be proactive in their schools and in the city.

St Jude, MTR and saving kid's lives

On Monday, June 26th, the MTR was treated to a wonderful lunch and tour of St Jude Children's Hospital... recently designated as the #1 Childrens Pediatric Hospital in America by US News & World Report AND voted the 2nd best place to work in US academia by The Scientist magazine.

The energy, momentum and blessing that is St Jude was incredibly evident. After our tour, Dr. Bill Evans, St Jude's CEO, spoke with our group. Of the many highlights, my favorite was this...

In the 1950's, the survival rate of childhood leukemia ws 4%. Today at St Jude's the survival rate is 94%. And Dr. Evans encouraged us with the following statement, "So, you see, we're in the same business. St Jude's is saving children's lives medically and the MTR is about saving kid's lives academically."

We're thrilled to partner with St Jude in such important work: children.

The Gates Foundation, Colleen Oliver and Memphis as the Epicenter of Urban Education Reform

Colleen Oliver, Senior Program Officer of US Education with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation spoke to the MTR Class of 2011 on July 8th. Colleen shared the Gates' core values of their foundation: (1) Every person has equal value; and, (2) Every person has the right to a healthy and productive life. These two values drive their investments into three primary areas: (1) Global Health (malaria, AIDS, polio, maternal health care); (2) Global Development (micro-finance, agriculture, clean water, green efforts); and, (3) US-Based Programs (urban education and Northwest US efforts). As support, Colleen shared that 1,000,000 students drop out of school every year in the US and more than 1,000,000 Africans die of malaria every year.

A few of the many fascinating subjects / comments she touched on included:

1. As Memphis' faith-based community goes, so goes the work in Memphis. Memphis' faith-based community is our city's greatest asset.

2. "If I could have all of you in my school, we would solve all the problems."

3. Memphis absolutely is the epicenter of urban education reform in America. Memphis has all the demographics and challenges of the largest districts in America but (as the 24th largest district in the US) is yet small enough to quickly see cause and effect of reform efforts. Therefore, we've become this great laboratory for many local and national efforts.

So, as Colleen said, "If we can do it here then there will be NO EXCUSE... If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere in our nation. And it will happen here."

4. Teachers make the difference. Great teachers in every classroom is the strategy to make it happen. And therefore the MTR -in training great teachers for every classroom- is the right place at the right time.

We really are the very tip of the arrow in urban reform... for Memphis and for our nation.

Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Pete Carroll

Gang-

I spent an hour or more at Borders this afternoon with Ruthie and Mary Van. While they read about 20 Bearenstein Bears books, I picked up two magazines: Fortune and Sports Illustrated.

I read two articles that were so insightful that I wanted to share a few aha’s.

First, and most importantly, I read the article the $600 Billion Challenge from Fortune’s July 12, 2010 edition.

Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet are on a crusade to approach the 400 wealthiest persons in the world (all billionaires) with the challenge to give away 50% of their wealth during their lifetime or at death.

As an attachment to this article, Warren Buffet wrote a short essay explaining his personal pledge to give away 99% of his net worth. His explanation is fascinating. So much so that when I returned I had a quick team meeting with May and Annie to read it with them and talk through the main points.

Please read Buffet’s essay at here. Without detail, my aha’s were Buffet’s candor, humility and efforts to use his resources for the needs of others. Don’t miss this article.


Second, and much less significant, was the article on Pete Carroll from Sports Illustrated. Carroll is the former coach of the USC Trojans. During his 9 years at USC his teams went 97-19 and won two national titles. He is now the head coach of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.

I thought it was interesting that he has three team rules:

1. Protect your Teammate (read: resident, sibling, student, parent, child, friend, etc) on and off the field.
2. Be Early for Everything
3. No whining or complaining.

Good thoughts from a great coach.

The Declaration of Independence, 4th of July and the MTR

Independence Day

July 4, 2010

Last night at dinner Team Montague “celebrated” Independence Day. The celebration was mostly a short review of the key dates and people of the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War. Following the review we read from the Declaration of Independence and talked about some our “aha’s” or “musts”. There were no fireworks, at least not at the table, not last night. That will come tonight.

A few thoughts from our time that I want to share …

First, I think having a “view” or “philosophy” on the celebration of holidays is important for a family. Our nation generally has two types of national holidays: Historical and Religious. The risk with all holidays is that we embrace the ceremony and forget the substance. We love the nostalgia of tradition and diminish the significance of the facts, the story, the sacrifice.

So, in our house, I want to celebrate all holidays by reminding my family of the substance and story of the day. Independence Day is NOT simply cookouts and fireworks. Independence Day is remembering the story and courage and history and implication of our nation’s birth. And, as our family does that, we are subtly reminded that holidays, both types of holidays, are rooted in reality and not simply in cultural norms and fairy tales.

And as I remind them of the reality of historical holidays I am also reminding the family that religious holidays are also rooted in reality. Just as Independence Day is about facts and truth and reality… so are Christmas and Easter. Just as we recognize and discuss and interpret the reality of the work of our forefathers in our nation’s history, so will we recognize, discuss and interpret the reality of Jesus’ virgin birth, perfect life, death and resurrection in our spiritual history. Easter is no more an honoring of the Easter Bunny and Christmas is no more an honoring of Santa Claus than is Independence Day an honoring of fireworks. So we will celebrate both accordingly.

Second, from reading the Declaration of Independence, we learned a three really important “musts”. MUST #1… thoughtful communication and respect must be given to people in the matters of conflict or division.

Thomas Jefferson (and others) began the document with the following introduction: When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another … a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

In conflict, “elite” leaders (such as our nation’s founders) demonstrate the importance of expressing differences rationally, systematically and with grace and class. Conflict does not have to be worked out with simple emotion and aggression… and certainly should not start that way. And the power to express differences rationally comes from the truth and validity upon which our arguments stand. Often in life I notice (both in others and in myself) that the weakest (least “right”) arguments are the ones that are accompanied with the most emotion and volatility among their bearers. And it is the strongest (most right and fair) arguments that are accompanied with the least volatility and aggression. Point: The power is in the “truth” not in the person, presentation, sincerity, emotion or hostility. May we take this mindset into our families and friendships and schools.

And how much more so should this apply to our spiritual life? In matters of morality and obedience and God’s word our power is simply in the truth of God’s word in our lives and not in finger pointing self-righteousness.

Third, we learn that our nation began with this awesome belief that ALL people – BECAUSE we are Created by the SAME God – are EQUAL and have the same rights to life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness as another. Hear these famous and beautiful words from the second paragraph of our Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,…

How great a nation to be founded on such a principle. And here is Must #2… Since this charge comes ultimately from God (the Creator-Endower) and not from Thomas Jefferson, this call to secure these rights to all people falls NOT ONLY upon governments, but also upon the PEOPLE of God… individuals. You and me. The “securing of these rights” MUST be my concern, and not only a government or district concern.

The MTR believes that all children are created equal (white, black, Hispanic, Asian, majority, minority, urban, suburban, public, charter, private, poor and rich) simply because all children are created by the same God. God says in Proverbs 22:2, “Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord God is the Maker of them all.” And therefore, ALL children have the same right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. And since education is a common ingredient to each of these, WE BELIEVE it is a MUST that ALL children have the right to sit before a great teacher within a great school.

And we believe that it is not only the responsibility of the state to provide this right, but it is also the responsibility of His people, individuals, to protect, provide and produce these rights. And we believe there is no better way to produce this right than by great leaders choosing to become great teachers for the children most likely to miss this opportunity.

Last – and I love this part – see the community of ownership of this ideal among our leaders… each taking personal responsibility of this ideal as more important to themselves than their very own honor, net worth and even life itself. See the very last words of this document:

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

And so how did this pledge “play out”? In great victory, we now know.

So, Must #3 is that for victory to be accomplished it must require the greatest of commitments – the greatest sacrifice of fortune, reputation and life – within a sense of mutual community. Every child can have a great teacher and a great school. However, the cost and commitment will be high. It is not for the weak or faint of heart. Great causes never were. Never will be.

And does this not point us to Christ himself? Who for the sake of mankind to have the right to come close to God not only pledged but also lost His honor, fortune and life itself.

We now come with the same mission…. We have come at this time to uphold not simply the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, but to uphold this common mission that comes from Above-our-constitution with our lives, fortunes, and honor. Jefferson, Washington, Adams in a sense… and more importantly Christ in full, made Himself poor so that others might be rich; put Himself at risk so that others might be secure; put Himself away so that others might be brought in.

This is our heritage. This is our mission. This is our Story. These are our Musts.