“Excuse me,” said someone we met recently, “but I have a cold.” He said this by way of explaining why he was not shaking hands. That was, of course, fine with us – who wants to catch someone else’s cold?
But still, it felt odd, not opening a business meeting with handshakes. This Western custom is said to have developed as a way among men armed with swords to show friendship, for two of them with hands clasped can hardly grab their swords to attack one another.
And it felt more odd when our visitor subsequently admitted that he really didn’t have a cold – he just didn’t want to get anything WE might have. We empathize with the desire to avoid contact with someone else’s germs, particularly now, as the (swine?) flu makes its way around the Valley, felling the cheerleading squad a few weeks ago and continuing to cause absences from work or school for many of our neighbors.
Perhaps there’s something that could take the place of a handshake. Maybe a gentle bump of closed fists, as many young people do today, although that still involves touching. Maybe an extended index finger or a Bill Clinton knuckle point, possibly accompanied by winking or uttering “Hey?” You might try one of these alternatives, the next time you start to reach out your hand for a vigorous pump.
Or maybe this is another thing the Japanese know how to do better: bow, with hands at your sides. That could even have some fitness value, as each person tries to bow lower than the other in order to show the utmost in respect. Actually, bowing the head in acquiescence seems instinctive to us Westerners, so bowing the upper body in greeting might just catch on. Try it!
What’s good for the goose …
It often takes a dispassionate observer to have true insight, as proved again at Tuesday’s meeting of the local school board. One of the trustees made a presentation about the low achievement of Sonoma’s students on standardized tests, with the district’s data showing that less than half can read, write and reason at their own grade level. He called for a new mission statement – “Every student at grade level” – and was roundly criticized by his fellow trustees for focusing on one measure of student success.
Next up on the agenda was a presentation about the Dual Immersion program at Flowery School, which was lauded for its reported success in student achievement on – that’s right – standardized tests. No one quite noticed the irony until community member Tim Boeve, a long-time advocate for our public schools, pointed it out near the end of the meeting. He suggested that the school board, as it pursues the scheduled update next year of its strategic plan, be sure to adopt a goal for student achievement that is, actually, measurable.
Clarification
We rush to clarify that we meant no disrespect for the hard-working administration at the high school in last week’s editorial. While we were astounded at the high percentage of incoming freshmen who were classified in the group receiving a D or F, we do recognize that the high school administrators were merely dealing with the students who had been promoted into their custody from the middle schools; it was the low performance of many students at those schools led to their classification. In fact, based on grades at the first report period, the high school administrators were optimistic, as they should be, and we extend our thanks for their dedication on behalf of Sonoma’s students.
