The Power of One
One evening in the early 1950's my
father came in the house in quite a heated mental state. He could be a volatile
person and so I knew that something was really
wrong.
He had been at the school where the board of education was having their monthly meeting. Gathered outside the office of the superintendent was a large group of people. My father related that when it came time for the meeting to begin the superintendent had stepped to the door of his office and announced that the district patrons gathered in the hallway were not allowed in the meeting. It was school business and the board could not be disturbed. He closed his office door and locked the patrons out.
My father was guided quite often in those days by his emotions so it is a wonder that he didn't take physical action over what occurred. Perhaps due to the large number of others present, his emotions were kept in check.
What had caused such an uproar I have no way of knowing. What occurred was of course wrong. The "business" that the board had to conduct was the business of assuring quality education for the children of the district. Obviously some action they had taken in the previous month had caused concern among many of the parents. They had a responsibility to at least hear the concerns of the parents who wished to speak. Instead they chose to ignore their constituents, by not only closing the door to the superintendent's office, but also by closing the door to their minds.
I wish I knew where that story eventually led. Did the board finally meet with the patrons at another time? Did the issues which was of such concern get resolved to everyone's liking, both board and patrons? I don't know. But things should never have transpired as they did that evening long ago, that I know.
What causes the high emotions regarding the governance of our schools? At the most simplistic level thee is a two-fold answer to the question.
First, each parent and each voting patron of any public school district had formerly been a student. As each year passes more and more adults have completed at least twelve years of education. We all look back on our education with quite a critical eyes, I believe.
I know that I was involved in a wide range of activities throughout my four years of high school. In our year book we were able to list beneath our senior picture all of the clubs, organizations, and activities we had partaken in. Today I know that that wasn't a good thing because some students through their own choice were not involved in a great deal of extra-curricular activities. That listing created a prejudice against them and quite truthfully probably created a prejudice against the likes of me. Perhaps to some, certainly to myself today, that looked like we were just a "little high and mighty" about our time in high school.
When you are a school student things happen. Some of those things give you feeling of pride, some anger you, some embarrass you, some make you feel less than adequate, some make you feel successful, and some make you feel a downright failure. Those twelve to thirteen years of our formative life spent "getting educated" are some of the most challenging in our entire life. So we have strong feelings about what takes place in the school today, primarily because we have strong feelings about what took place when we walked those halls of learning.
Of course the second cause of high emotions is that most of us have or have had children who are a part of the learning environment. Our children are precious to us. They are the most important to us. They are the most important thing most of us will ever "do". Our jobs cannot bring the average person the pride that our children give us. They are our everything. So we tend to get emotional when we think of what takes place at school.
Sometimes, unfortunately, we get led astray. How many of you who read this can say that you have ever attended one single board meeting? Where do you get your opinion of what the board is doing? Where do you get your opinion of who the board members are? Through the eyes of some reporters you would be led to believe that the board is composed of people intent upon ruining the minds and lives of our children. It is amazing how one person can create a picture of one small board of education which keeps them at the center of controversy year after year. Why am I amazed? Because boards of education are made up of business owners, hourly wage employees and parents. Everyday people living in a small community. Our neighbors in town and in the country. Neighbors who want to serve us, who want the best for our children.
"I would like to leave you with one thought: During my time on the board I have made each and every decision, with this thought in mind; if it is good for the children, vote for it."
... from the letter of resignation of Benny Brower, past president El Dorado Springs R-2 Board of Education
(written August, 2001)
He had been at the school where the board of education was having their monthly meeting. Gathered outside the office of the superintendent was a large group of people. My father related that when it came time for the meeting to begin the superintendent had stepped to the door of his office and announced that the district patrons gathered in the hallway were not allowed in the meeting. It was school business and the board could not be disturbed. He closed his office door and locked the patrons out.
My father was guided quite often in those days by his emotions so it is a wonder that he didn't take physical action over what occurred. Perhaps due to the large number of others present, his emotions were kept in check.
What had caused such an uproar I have no way of knowing. What occurred was of course wrong. The "business" that the board had to conduct was the business of assuring quality education for the children of the district. Obviously some action they had taken in the previous month had caused concern among many of the parents. They had a responsibility to at least hear the concerns of the parents who wished to speak. Instead they chose to ignore their constituents, by not only closing the door to the superintendent's office, but also by closing the door to their minds.
I wish I knew where that story eventually led. Did the board finally meet with the patrons at another time? Did the issues which was of such concern get resolved to everyone's liking, both board and patrons? I don't know. But things should never have transpired as they did that evening long ago, that I know.
What causes the high emotions regarding the governance of our schools? At the most simplistic level thee is a two-fold answer to the question.
First, each parent and each voting patron of any public school district had formerly been a student. As each year passes more and more adults have completed at least twelve years of education. We all look back on our education with quite a critical eyes, I believe.
I know that I was involved in a wide range of activities throughout my four years of high school. In our year book we were able to list beneath our senior picture all of the clubs, organizations, and activities we had partaken in. Today I know that that wasn't a good thing because some students through their own choice were not involved in a great deal of extra-curricular activities. That listing created a prejudice against them and quite truthfully probably created a prejudice against the likes of me. Perhaps to some, certainly to myself today, that looked like we were just a "little high and mighty" about our time in high school.
When you are a school student things happen. Some of those things give you feeling of pride, some anger you, some embarrass you, some make you feel less than adequate, some make you feel successful, and some make you feel a downright failure. Those twelve to thirteen years of our formative life spent "getting educated" are some of the most challenging in our entire life. So we have strong feelings about what takes place in the school today, primarily because we have strong feelings about what took place when we walked those halls of learning.
Of course the second cause of high emotions is that most of us have or have had children who are a part of the learning environment. Our children are precious to us. They are the most important to us. They are the most important thing most of us will ever "do". Our jobs cannot bring the average person the pride that our children give us. They are our everything. So we tend to get emotional when we think of what takes place at school.
Sometimes, unfortunately, we get led astray. How many of you who read this can say that you have ever attended one single board meeting? Where do you get your opinion of what the board is doing? Where do you get your opinion of who the board members are? Through the eyes of some reporters you would be led to believe that the board is composed of people intent upon ruining the minds and lives of our children. It is amazing how one person can create a picture of one small board of education which keeps them at the center of controversy year after year. Why am I amazed? Because boards of education are made up of business owners, hourly wage employees and parents. Everyday people living in a small community. Our neighbors in town and in the country. Neighbors who want to serve us, who want the best for our children.
"I would like to leave you with one thought: During my time on the board I have made each and every decision, with this thought in mind; if it is good for the children, vote for it."
... from the letter of resignation of Benny Brower, past president El Dorado Springs R-2 Board of Education
(written August, 2001)
Posted: Thu - January 12, 2006 at 02:03 PM
Quick Links
Reflection
"Chance favors only the prepared mind." - Louis Pasteur
"Art arises from basic needs-a strong need to express and celebrate our everyday events.
In a museum most people spend less than twenty seconds looking at a work of art."
"Art arises from basic needs-a strong need to express and celebrate our everyday events.
In a museum most people spend less than twenty seconds looking at a work of art."
Calendar
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
blogs
Categories
Archives
XML/RSS Feed
Visitors
Statistics
Total entries in this blog:
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Jan 12, 2006 02:03 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Jan 12, 2006 02:03 PM