This year, (in educator talk that means school year 2012-2013), has been the most challenging year of my career. I have faced a variety of health issues, ongoing construction, an ever tightening budget coupled with a surprising upswing in student enrollment, multiple new administrators in new roles, the development of a vision process and statement, reports on PreK, maintenance, random drug testing, safety and security, etc., etc., none of which were in the District Improvement Plan, which by itself is a major undertaking. This is above and beyond the efforts to raise the bar, ensure to the best of my ability that we are constantly working to have ever higher outcomes in all our endeavors, and to inspire you to do the same. We have engaged in this work in the context of another legislative session where absolute craziness seems to reign regarding public schools. Bills proposing allowing private school students and home schooled students to participate in UIL, bills to remove low performing schools from the local school district, bills to create more charter schools, bills to allow de facto vouchers for rich kids in private schools, bills to alter the 4x4 and the End of Course exam, not to mention bills to actually fund public education still languish in the back halls of the state capitol. On top of that an individual senator has decided to wage war on the very curriculum we and over 800 districts in this state use. What a year!
As we emerge from the four day weekend surrounding Memorial Day and return to the last two weeks of school, I wonder how well we have done. I know I have survived. I believe you have survived. Have we accomplished more than survival? Have we improved? STAAR results are just in and we are formatting those to get a good look. As always we will see areas of great improvement and areas of disappointment. Is this to be the bedrock measure of our success? Are STAAR and EOC and AYP to be all that we hope to be? Not just no, heck no. It may be all that the state or feds care about, but it is not all that we care about.
We care about providing a safe school for the children of our community. We care about providing a healthy school for the children of our community. We care about promoting learning in a technologically rich and human nurturing environment. We care about providing whatever is necessary for our kids to face a future that we cannot see nor can we predict. We care about providing a host of enrichment experiences beyond the classroom in concert halls, livestock arenas and sports venues. And we want to do all this in a climate of fewer resources and higher stakes. I think we are amazing. We have done all these things. Not perfectly, not completely, but mostly! We are educators, and it seems that no matter what the state, the feds or whoever throws at us, we rebound and work hard to be successful. We have to. Our mission is kids and their future. What mission is more noble than that?
I have long bristled at mission and vision statements that include some version of the phrase, “teach kids to their highest potential.” I do not believe that is possible. I do not believe that is knowable. What I believe is this: we teach kids to our highest potential. Yes, kids learn as we apply our own potential, our own guts and thoughts, our own caring and research, our own dedication and commitment to simply rise each day and come to work to help kids as best we can. To help kids via our own individual potential.
As I think about our faculty and staff and our efforts to enrich and support and augment that potential I realize how blessed we are. You are wonderful. You treat major obstacles as simply speed bumps. You find ways to make good things happen for kids. Whatever the test scores show, you have worked your buns off for the sake of kids this year and I am deeply grateful.
Thank you. I look forward to seeing you at our end of year BBQ lunch where we celebrate the year. But for now, the challenges of 2012-2013 are mostly behind us. I am gearing up for the challenges we have yet to see for school year 2013-2014. And yes, we will face those together and we will do very well.
Thanks for all you have done this year. I really appreciate it.
BW
Thank-you, too for all you have done to support teachers in Edna ISD!
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