Was old-timer W.C. Fields a school communicator? – SCN Encourager, June 23, 2019

After much study and no weblink gone unclicked, here’s my firm conclusion.

I can’t tell if old-time comedian W.C. Fields was a closet school communicator or not.

He lived 1880-1946 and I wasn’t much of a blogger back then.

On one hand, Fields could’ve been one of us.

After all, most of his most famous quotations fit right in with what we’re likely to hear from the best MSPRA or NSPRA presenter, don’tcha think?

Here’s a sampling:

•  If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it.

•  If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull.

•  Start every day off with a smile and get it over with.

On the other hand, Fields continually put-down the place of his birth – Philadelphia.

I’m not sure you and I would do this.

Heck, I’m from Flint and I don’t.

Fields loved to say things like “Last week, I went to Philadelphia, but it was closed.”

And for years, he’d tell audiences he wanted his gravestone to read, “On the whole, I’d rather be in Philadelphia.”

What got me going down this rabbit-hole today is the photo I saw of this stairway.

Wow! (I thought.)

(What a great way to message!
To message-jack a stairway lots of people have to use!)

And how can you not appreciate that tagline?

Bold educators grow together.

This is the actually the theme of the International Society for Technology in Education Conference taking place right now in – you guessed it – Philadelphia!

Poke about the ISTE2019 Conference website and you’ll be impressed.

They’re doing some incredible work… just like you!

Now, to be totally honest with you –

had the ISTE not tweeted out their stairway photo as part of their conference promotions, I never would’ve seen their “Bold Educator” tagline at all.

I’m 100% certain that if I was an ISTE2019 conference attendee in Philadelphia today –

I’d be using THE ESCALATOR instead of the stairs.

Maybe lazy people can grow together, too!