Why is it that we are uncomfortable doing things that other people don’t do?
Shouldn’t we be uncomfortable when we are all doing the same things?
I look around, and I notice almost everywhere that people seem to be doing the same things as the people around them. Today, a coworker of mine realized that she was not doing the same thing that everyone else was doing, and she became very agitated. What further irritated her was that most of the rest of us aren’t matching up on our procedures. It is highly frustrating to her that we are all doing different things. I mentioned to her that, in the absence of a clear policy, the vacuum is filled by the random decisions of the masses.
And then, I got to thinking more about this. If we are all, in American society, mostly chasing after the same things and avoiding the same things and seeking solace in the same things, then there must be some policy that leads us to this. What policy (isn’t it interesting that ‘policy’ and ‘political’ have the same latin root) leads us to this? Is an organization that forwards policies a political organization?
Why do I do by default what everyone else is doing?
Should I be?
Perhaps, it would be better if I continued to do things that go against the grain, because running under the assumption that it would be good to be controlled by the same entity that is controlling them is not something that I’m comfortable with.
Be different.
It Occurred To Me Today 
Our society tends to celebrate and honor the individual; however, our classrooms require social-sameness (other than the grading competition). So, where does the greatest imprinting occur?
I find it wonderful and refreshing when people “march to their own drummer.”
Union? Union mentality thrives in Michigan. Hire in to do a job and that company owes you a living? Where is an individual’s accountability, self-respect and self-reliance? An ideal would be united in goals with freedom to excel in the delivery arena.
Your writing is thoughtful and reflective.
I don’t think that acting the same way is a union mentality it is more of a human nature thing. People tend to do what everyone else is doing. It is the rare individual that does their own thing. I think that the reason your co-worker was upset that she felt she was doing more than her share it was more because she was lazy. A good teacher is always doing more than they need to. So what another teacher is doing really should have no bearing on a dedicated teacher. I worry about a labor market without a union. Unions fail when they protect the poor teachers. I believe unions should be the first to demand more of member teachers. Some times I feel about unions the same thing I feel about the NRA and PETA….they both have good points at the core…..but they have both really strayed far from reality and have become irreleveant because of their choice.