Presidential Opinions and Diplomacy

Professor Nakayama was an incredibly engaging speaker and I truly appreciated his candor and transparency. I think students of all ages benefit from us as teachers being up front and honest with them. Form the beginning of his presentation he admitted that he was sponsored by the Japanese government, but that his opinions and words were his own. One of the major ideas he presented that resonated with me that day, and I still mention when telling other people about his presentation is that of the Japanese stance on our president(s):

  You (U.S. people) choose them. It's our job to work with them and adapt to them. 

As I thought of this, I did realize that Abe has seemed to have positive relationships with both Obama and Trump. This is likely to be a bit of a controversial opinion, but I completely agree with their diplomatic stance. The Japanese/US trade and military relationship is of such importance, that it doesn't make sense to make any sort of a personal opinion of the president known, but to basically aim to have the same quality of relationship with each, and adapt as necessary to continue to promote positive relations between the two countries.

I view this as similar to how I view my relationship with administrators. There are some administrators that flat out, I haven't liked nor respected. I could allow those opinions to affect my relationship and I could openly show disdain for them, but when I have an issue with a parent or it comes time for evaluation, will that admin have my back if I've not treated them the way I treat admins that I do admire and respect? The district chose this admin, it's my job to adapt and work with them the best that I can so that there can be a good working relationship (and I can keep my job). 

I also teach this to my students when they have to work with partners or groups of students they may not like. They can let their personal feelings interfere with the work, or they can put them aside and learn to adapt and work with their partner(s) to accomplish their goal.