The Prairie Perspective






Public education faces more direct challenges today than ever before. Public schools are the main social service agency that is open almost every day and public educators are being asked to do more and more to assist in combating the multiple problems facing our society. In the 21st Century our educational system is being pushed and pulled in almost a dizzying pace to insure that our students have the requisite skills and abilities in the four core content areas, are testing up to their world level peers in reading and math, and are maintaining the competitive edge necessary for economic self-sufficiency. China, India, Japan, Korea and many other countries in Europe are now out front of students in America and it seems that to be second best in the new race to the top is not acceptable to anyone if federal or state government.

I’m sure by now most of you have read the book by Thomas Friedman titled The World is Flat. In it Friedman exclaims, “My parents told me, "Finish your dinner. People in China and India are starving." I tell my daughters "Finish your homework. People in India and China are starving for your job."

Think of how different that sounds today compared to when we were growing up as children. When China and India graduate more engineering students every year than we have already trained engineers currently serving in American companies and factories that should give us pause and also raise a red flag. It should also provide an opportunity to reflect on our role in preparing the next generation of scholars. When the total number of honor students in China in any given year outnumbers the total number of students in public education in America that should give us pause. When it is understood that if every job in America was moved to China tomorrow that country could swallow all of them and still have unemployed people living in their country that should give us pause.

How can American ingenuity, drive and cooperative spirit ever outpace countries that are catching up to and in some areas passing us by? My only suggestion is that the American public education system must step forward and recognize the cold hard facts. If it is to be it is up to those engaged in the profession to redirect teaching and learning so that our students not only master the skills necessary to be successful life-long learners but they do so in a learning environment that matches their interest and abilities, learning styles and future goals.

I keep another book on my desk and reread passages from it frequently. The book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff… and it’s all small stuff, speaks eloquently of many of the problems that school administrators face on a daily basis. One of the chapters that I go back and reread on a regular basis is titled, “Practice Ignoring Your Negative Thoughts”. It is easy for school administrators to contemplate the negative when we are bombarded by so many discordant messages and dissonant attitudes.

In the book the author, Richard Carlson, estimates we have around 50,000 thoughts per day. Obviously not all of them will be positive, productive thoughts that move the day forward. Essentially a percentage of them will be negative and what is important when those thoughts creep into our mind is to avoid the all or nothing thinking that gets us in trouble. If we only look at things as win or lose, black or white with no shades of gray then trouble will essentially follow us all day long. Magnifying negatively what someone says or does to us is setting us up for immediate failure as the molehill then becomes a mountain too high to climb.

Our own mental filter often needs a tune-up because we pick out one negative thought or event and dwell on it to the exclusion of all others. Imagine a beaker of water and a drop of dark food coloring. If we let that one tiny drop of food coloring put a negative cast to our day then we have misused a tremendous amount of mental energy and physical talent that could have been used more productively. Throughout the day this can lead to misunderstandings with peers, co-workers, parents, students, board members and a cast of thousands when a single negative statement can be published across all media markets in a second.

If you ignore or dismiss a negative thought from your mind you will find yourself at peace. In a more peaceful and contemplative state you will find that your inner strength, wisdom and common sense will prevail and a more thoughtful means of resolution will become apparent.

One of my favorite quotes is from a man named Charles Swindol. Mr. Swindol spoke of the power of attitude. He believes that our attitude is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we deal with the situation. In the end we cannot control what people think or say about us but we can control how we handle the comments made in the heat of the moment. I can’t think of a better way to deal with a negative situation than through a positive attitude.

John Maxwell has written many books about leadership, team building and the core values that make good leaders and good organizations tick. In his book The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player: Becoming the Kind of Person Every Team Wants he stresses many aspects of team building for success. One of his primary qualities is communication. Maxwell believes that for a team to be successful it must follow three simple rules when dealing with communication of ideas across boundaries.

1. Be candid: Say what you mean and mean what you say. Speak truthfully but kindly to your teammates.

2. Be quick: If you tend to procrastinate and avoid crucial conversations follow the 24-hour rule. If you haven’t touched base with the person in 24 hours then be the bigger person and make the connection. Invite others to do the same with you if they have an issue they feel strongly about.

3. Be inclusive: The more people are in on things the more likely they will be positive toward the idea. Open communication increases trust, trust increases ownership and ownership increases participation.

Enjoy the day. Every day we have an opportunity to wake up and say one of two things. We can either say “Good Morning, Lord, or Good Lord, its morning!” Make it a positive and affirmative greeting and you will make yourself feel good all day long.

Each day on the Earth is a gift and that is why it is called the present. Don’t worry about what happened yesterday as you cannot change it. Don’t worry about tomorrow as that day will take care of itself. Devote all of your time and energy to today. Be in the moment with people and for people and in that way you can maximize your energy and minimize the distractions that deter us from our goals.

The Irish Poet William Butler Yeats said “Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people.” It seems to me that those words are needed now more than ever as we move toward a rewriting of the ESEA and an overhaul of the provisions of NCLB.

Today is Native American day in South Dakota. South Dakota is one of two states that recognize NA Day and not list it as Columbus Day. It remains to be seen whether the other states will eventually recognize NA day but until they do I am hard pressed to explain their reticence for a change. Columbus did nothing that had not already been done before and in fact did not do it as well. His avowed reason for the voyage, to find a new way to China, had already been found and in essence his hidden agenda was more natural resources for the Portugese King and Queen. Instead of finding the hidden pathway Columbus instead introduced venereal diseases, smallpox, measles and a host of other problems that the people in that part of the world had no antidote for nor strength to fight against.

Maybe one day the Euro-centric view of colonization and its attendant ill effects will be brought to light and native people given their due as having crafted civilizations, tools, art, language and basic technology tools centuries before the 3 little ships left the harbor in 1492. Until then we'll stumble along believing another fairy tale as historic fact.

Interesting take on today's attitudes in the political sphere where Glenn Beck is being compared to Tailgunner Joe McCarthy of the 1950's communist under every bush hysteria. Having been born at the tail end of the 50's I was too young to understand the political attitudes of people and my parents, to my knowledge, never spoke of the man. While McCarthy was eventually caught in his own web of deceit it will be interesting to see whether Beck will also wallow in a murky pool of half-truths, false innuendo, scare tactics and outright verbal thuggery. Time will tell and so will the American people.

CDC Guidance for State and Local Public Health Officials and School Administrators for School (K-12) Responses to Influenza during the 2009-2010 School Year

CDC Guidance for State and Local Public Health Officials and School Administrators for School (K-12) Responses to Influenza during the 2009-2010 School Year

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Right now it is the day before I leave for the Coalition meeting and the ASBSD conference in Sioux Falls. That ends Friday with a meeting to decide the future of the partnership with the Mid-Size Group of school districts in SD. That could very well be the end of the Coalition and MSSG and the start of a new conjoined organization of over 100 school districts in the state.
I'm hopeful that we can meld the two together as the split was over lobbying philosophy from a few years ago and that issue is now resolved. Together we are stronger then when we stand apart from each other.

Spent Thursday and Friday at Clear Lake watching baseball. Zach played 1st base and knocked in 1 run on TH and 2 runs on Fri and scored once on Friday. They lost both games but they played well early.
Trish had state softball in Abeerdeen but their year ended early with a 1-2 record.
I'm off to Pierre for SDSSA Convention M-W and then an appt on Thursday and a midget game in Gettysburg on THursday. Midget Tournament in Warner on Saturday and Sunday (if they win early) and then All-Star game in Northville on Monday.

Whew!

I wonder somedays whether the devil is in the details or it is just the devilish nature of people that bothers me. Nature has its own way of balancing things out so, in the end, homeostasis being what it is most everyone returns to a state of equilibrium. THis state can include temperment, humor or a combination of the two. Now if I can just get chapter 1-3 rewritten by September 1st I believe I am on to something.

Lost HDD last week and am just now getting back online. Will post more as time allows. Budget meeting tonight and then regular board meeting. Raining now and son's baseball game postponed.

Well, my twice-weekly blog postings obviously went on hiatus. Its sort of difficult to maintain a constant presence with so many irons in the fire but I'll keep trying.
I feel much better now that I can get outside and ride the bike, play catch and watch baseball games with my son playing.
Just have to keep pushing forward with a positive attitude, an even strain on the rope and the support of my family.
Good things will happen and I just need to be patient.
OBTW my spring of 09 graduation plans are on hold until spring of 2010.

I've been away for awhile but need to get back to blogging. The world is changing and so am I. I will begin a bi-weekly blog on issues related to education, funding and the courts.