Saturday's all right for reflectin'

It's Saturday morning. A great day to reflect.  

Seven snow days? It's time to get new buses! 

It was a busy week, with a band concert, three home basketball games, and a short trip to Mesick on Friday night for an away game. Some weeks are like this. Not to mention, we included a snow day or two into the week …

If you listen to the media, you think that education in the United States is in trouble. The public education bashers out there constantly put doubt in people's minds. In public education, schools have to take everyone — and educate them. Most educators believe that every child can learn. Sure, they learn at a different rate, but they all can learn.

The Liberty Bell is not necessarily the Bell Curve, but there may be some relation. Photo copyright Tony Fischer Photography (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonythemisfit/2432720887/sizes/l/) 

Teachers work hard. Teaching is not an easy job. Often, a class of 30 kids includes a few strugglers, a few high flyers, and several who are right in the middle. This may be called the bell curve, but it's a reflection of most classrooms. Teachers are "measured" by the performance of their students on state tests. In Michigan, it's the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP). I consider it a brief snapshot of schooling.

The attack on teachers is getting to be too much. Sure, there are teachers out there who give all teachers a bad name, but MOST teachers are good people who became teachers because at one time or another they felt like they could make a difference for the future.

Photo copyright http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/1384954600/sizes/o/. It's about kids!

I often talk about educating today's kids for tomorrow's world. We hear a great deal that we're preparing kids for jobs that don't yet exist. Well, we must continue working with our students and helping them become productive, educated citizens of the future. The leaders of tomorrow.

I expect my people to make decisions, truly, on what's best for kids. It would be nice if everyone involved would make decisions on the same basis. We take a lot of heat in the media, but teachers keep trudging forward and facilitating learning on the front lines.

If you see a teacher today, tell them thanks!

Your work matters!