By the time you read this article we will have been in school one full day. Wow, talk about a change from years past. In an effort to reduce learning slippage and to increase teacher and student attendance and accountability, the Board moved early last school year to move to a modified calendar.
I know it is easy to wish for “days gone by.” I remember the old and truly outdated saying listing the three best reasons for going into teaching as “June, July, and August.” Well, that hasn’t been true for a long, long time. Teachers now often give up parts of their summer to complete professional development, to align ever-changing curriculum standards by grade level, and to learn to implement new technology in their classrooms.
The title of this month’s article is something that hasn’t changed--amid all of the other changes in building design, school safety, curriculum training, new and improved busses with airconditioning and wifi--public education is the best hope for America.
In this contentious and divisive world we now find ourselves in, public education is often seen as the enemy, a pawn of the deep state, or the pinata for the pains of the social problems it never created or for the disintegration of families it couldn’t stop. But public education is the bedrock upon which the principles of an educated electorate are built.
This summer, Dr. Pitts had 40 conferences with students who had difficulties in school last year--suspensions, excessive absences, or expulsions from school--and each day after his numerous appointments with the child, a parent, and a school official he came back “pumped.” He told me day after day how impressed he was with the student and how awestruck he was with the number of dads who came with their children.
You see, public education isn’t perfect. We educators do our best but we are flawed and occasionally make mistakes BUT PUBLIC EDUCATION REMAINS THE BEST HOPE FOR AMERICA.
Dr. Pitts’ conferences showcased the beauty, the brilliance of public education when it works as it should. By its definition, our education is public meaning that the family, the student, and the school must work together to give second chances, to provide the occasional mulligan, to prove we are only able to do a part. Parents must do theirs and students must do theirs. It’s a relatively simple equation as long as the variables are constant.
District 56 is so excited for the 2023 - 2024 school year. Our theme this year is “Ready for the Change.” There will be many changes in the our schools this year--we have new windows at MS Bailey and Joanna-Woodson, we (will have) expanded the end zone project at Wilder Stadium, we will occupy the American Legion Hut #56 and transform it into a District Conference Center, and, oh yeah, we have a new calendar.
“Ready for the Change” is especially important to me because I love Southern Gospel music. I was raised with the Gospel Singing Carvan, the Gospel Jubilee, and Bob Poole’s Gospel Favorites in the 1960’s.
I found out this summer that Lynn Robbins, a Clinton native, wrote the number 1 song in America for Southern Gospel Music--”Ready for the Change”--and performed by the Kingsmen Quartet. I loved that song. I still regularly play in on YouTube as part of my nightly wind down period.
What better way to think about this year than with the theme “Ready for the Change.” Although somewhat different in scope than Ms. Robbins’ song, the essence remains the same. We are excited about the future in Disrict 56, we are aware that things will change, and we want to be ready for it by being our best everyday.
Let the Change Begin!
Dr. David O’Shields is Superintendent of School District 56.
