Keeping the Focus on Students...

One of my favorite quotes is by Dr. Robert Schuller. He once said, “Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.” We know that we are in for challenging times in the months and possibly years ahead. However, it is important to remember that the downturns we are experiencing are not permanent; And, reflecting on the quote I sent to you last week, how we react is often more important that the situations we face. So, I guess the point of today’s blog is to suggest that we need to keep focused; primarily upon the students we serve, remembering that they are experiencing similar feelings to ours with all of the uncertainty surrounding us. We may be the bright spot in their day. Keeping the focus on students, on learning, keeps the focus off of us and our issues. I think we have tough, resilient staff members in our district, capable of withstanding whatever comes our way.
Together, we can overcome obstacles and maintain a positive educational climate in our district. We may also need to be a bit more sensitive to and more respectful of each other as well. Stress is not fun. How we manage stress may be challenging. However, I know that by supporting each other, we provide each other with additional ways to both cope with and survive internal and external stressful situations. In the spirit of the season, I am suggesting that we need to take a deep breath, find ways to relax and reflect, and be thankful that we work in a profession that so profoundly impacts so many people and, in effect, the very future of our community, our state, and our nation. Thanks for reading and I’ll look forward to your responses…

Opportunities to work Smarter, not just Harder

What we know is that there are uncertain times ahead for all of us in this country. However, as we think about how we are delivering services to our students, this may be a good time to think about different ways to organize, to use resources, and to provide a wider variety of learning opportunities for all students in USD 373. I am hosting a meeting this week to consider ways to offer a collaborative driver education program next summer in light of drastic reductions in our driver education reimbursement from the state of Kansas. Perhaps it is time for all of to reflect upon the possibilities of organizing our schools and classrooms in different ways to maximize our resources and to provide more learning options for our students. You’ve heard me say before that we don’ t control a lot of what happens in education, but that we do control what occurs between 8:00 and 3:00 every day. Could this be the time for us to examine more multi-age grouping options? Larger group instruction followed by smaller group interaction in a variety of courses at the high school? Opportunities for more individualization during the school day? More collaborative lessons? Staggered starting times? Friday apprenticeships for high school students on Fridays during their junior and senior years? A change in the strict adherence to time via block scheduling or seven period scheduling? As we approach 2009, perhaps it is time for us to have some creative, brainstorming discussions concerning how we might reorganize our schools to better meet the learning needs of all students! I would be very interested in your comments and thanks for reading.

Dr. John R. Morton, Superintendent
Newton Public Schools USD 373