Dr. David Hopson
As I sit down to write this column on Friday, December 7, 2012, I am reminded that this was the date in 1941 that Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor. While 71 years have passed, the memory of the “date that will live in infamy” remains strong. Since then the United States has been involved in a number or wars, conflicts, regional peace-keeping activities, and has even been attacked by both homegrown and foreign terrorists. As we move forward with making—and living—history, it seems important to remember Churchill’s famous axiom “that those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it”.
I believe this applies to many things in our lives, which was reinforced for me at this year’s annual Gateway Senior Citizen Brunch and Luncheon. I was particularly thankful to hear from so many individuals of the successes of their children and grandchildren who have attended and graduated from the Gateway Regional School District over the nearly 50 years it has been in existence. I too am a proud parent of two Gateway graduates who are doing very well in their lives since high school and I appreciate the opportunities that were available to my daughters and the many other students who have attended this district in the past.
This concert was also a visible reminder of the importance of educating the ‘whole’ child. Many thanks to our National Honor Society (NHS) students who met, greeted, served, and escorted our guests during this event. The poise, hard work, and politeness of these students were commented on frequently by the attendees. I also want to express my appreciation, and that of our guests, to the many performers in the music program who put on a wonderful performance of holiday music. I certainly heard many positive comments as our guests left the performing arts center. As many know, these performances are also made possible by the technical crew who set lights, sound, the stage, and ensure that everything works just so. These ‘behind the scenes’ staff members are also students in the district. The item that I’d like to emphasize is that these skills, and the ability to interact with the public, are not the standard results of basic academic courses in English Language Arts, mathematics, science, and history. Rather these are the ‘arts’ skills, the ‘soft’ skills, the ‘technical’ skills, the ‘people’ skills, and the work ethic that is developed in the myriad activities and related courses in our schools and communities and are as valuable to student success as the three ‘R’s.
To that end, we must give credit to the staff that work with students everyday and remember that the ‘whole’ child education is the result of all staff. The cafeteria worker who works with students as well as prepares their meals, the custodian who works with interns and talks with students on so many different subjects, the paraprofessional who helps so many more students than those assigned to her position, to the secretaries who often act as substitute parents as well as ensuring things run smoothly in the schools, the professional staff (teachers, adjustment & guidance counselors, speech/OT/PT therapists, school nurses, etc.) who do so much more than ‘teach’, and the administrative staff that often deal with those students who have some difficulty in following social protocols. As the times have changed with a larger percentage of students needing specific interventions, with increased laws, regulations, and protocols required by the government, and the increased complexity of the world, we have to keep in mind that education isn’t simply a teacher in the classroom.
In just the 20 years I’ve been involved with Gateway, it seems as though we go through cycles of financially good and bad times. It’s evident from the results of significant reductions of staffing, student opportunities, and overall student performance that, as we reduce spending to meet some set fiscal target, our students get hurt and it takes a significant time to remedy those setbacks. If we want to provide for student success in the real world, we have to remember that it’s not only classroom teachers who prepare students to be ready to face the future, it’s everyone together and the additional opportunities outside of the core academic classes that educate the ‘whole’ child. As we face another challenging fiscal year with mid-year reductions in state aid to education, and towns that want further reductions in educational costs, it will be important to remember that the cuts in spending over the years have cost our children in terms of lost opportunities, our parents in increased fees, our communities in terms of fewer families moving into the district, and our district in the closure of elementary schools. Will we learn from the lessons of the past or will we forge ahead irrespective of the losses to everyone to save a few dollars on a tax bill?
