Friday, May 6, 2011

Freedom

“I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind.”
Antoine de Saint-Exuper

This past week a historic event took place which brought my reflective lens out for a cleaning. I wasn’t sure how to respond to the news that our military, specifically SEALS Team 6, finally “got” Osama Bin Laden. I didn’t find myself in the mood for a celebration, but I certainly feel an astounding amount of relief. Ten years; it’s been a long-time coming, but now the “hunt” is over. The man who has been the face of terrorism is no longer a direct threat to the people of our great country. I admire our men and women who have dedicated their lives to my safety and I hope for their safe return. This news came just as my nephew was returning from a year-long tour in Afghanistan. He’s now home with his wife, getting acquainted with his baby daughter, born two weeks after his departure. It was a satisfying week for me.

While I stand firm in my patriotic resolve, there is a part of me that speculates how our educational system would vie if our teachers garnered the same level of support that our soldiers received. For the past ten years, when military missions yielded small incremental gains in Afghanistan, we all realized that the fault was not with our men and women who were in the trenches. We spoke of failed policies and looked toward the leadership. There was not one mention of our soldiers being lazy, overpaid or having too many benefits.

Unfortunately, in education we see this blame-game from community, media, and governments. When our students perform below proficiency levels, there is no acknowledgement to the many factors which influence the results. We simply blame the men and women who are in the trenches. Our military, when faced with obstacles in reaching success, were provided additional resources and training. They even offered incentives to enhance recruiting efforts. Our educational system must do the same. We know that a good teacher is worth their weight in gold and that a poor teacher will negatively affect a child’s future. This is the main reason for my total endorsement of the Essential Elements, which provides a landscape for teachers to develop and a model for student success. As we face our obstacles, it’s important to remember that the Essential Elements are the vision, I know that we have the will, now we must find a way. Keep yourself above the media frenzy which seems to populate the education articles in recent headlines. We know the truth.

This is Teacher Appreciation Week. I’m unsure if there’s any irony in the fact that this is also the week we’ve begun our state assessments. Either way, I know the extent to which you have gone to ensure our students are prepared. I appreciate that you’re “in the trenches” and admire your successes.

Once the sunshine returns, we should hang our American Flag proudly and be thankful that we do live in a country that endorses freedom for all. Public school is the best representation of those ideals.

Thank you and enjoy your weekend.

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