Choosing for the Future

In schools, we find ourselves standing on the crossroads each day. From the outside, there is an incredible pressure of manufactured governmental accountability. From the inside there is our own personal desires to be successful. There are parents who send us the best children they have to offer us with the highest level of preparation that each individual can offer. And in front of us, we see the future. A collection of innocent bright shining faces who look upon us to help them learn and grow, for us to believe that they can be truly outstanding individuals.  

August is an odd juxtaposition of optimistic teachers, parents, students, and administrators genuinely excited to make the world a better place while at the same time district leaders are being told just how poorly their schools are "performing" on the newly benchmarked standards. A hard pill to swallow when based on parameters not drawn by agencies influenced by legislative agendas our schools and our students show growth and progress. 

Each day, as district leaders, building leaders, or classroom leaders, we need to make choices. We need to choose often between what is easy and what is right. A thousand times a day we look into the future and make a decision to decide how can we help that child learn, grow, and become a better person. Sometimes that decision is to cover one more conjugation of the verb, one more part of grammar, one more method to calculate area. But sometimes that decision is to slow down, ensure deep understanding, and make it real. There are times where we may not cover as much, a child may have less exposure to a concept, and we may score lower on the ISAT, PARCC, or ACT, but that child may be developing a skill or memory that will help them when working with others or support a colleague on the job. 

When we look at the future, what do we dream it to be. I look at my children and see limitless possibilities. I trust my children in the hands of caring teachers and administrators each day. And because of that journey, and hundreds of thousands like it going on each day in our schools we are a better place.