Week 19: Three Constants

Happy Friday!

Thanks for all you have done this week to improve our district goals. Of the three goals we have, we are making strides in two areas of emphasis - behavior, and reading. Attendance is still lagging. We reported these results to the board at Wednesday night’s meeting and you may read more details in the board minutes that Mr. Hobson released yesterday.

The spring semester is well underway and so is our 94th General Assembly of legislators in Little Rock. I would like to use this Wrap-up to set some tone for the semester and provide you with some insight into the happenings at our state capitol.

Three Constants

There is a documentary on Netflix titled Stutz. It is a documentary by Jonah Hill about his therapist, Dr. Phil Stutz. I have not finished the entire production but I have gleaned some good things from what I have watched and the best of what I have seen is Dr. Stutz’s three constants in life - the things we cannot escape: pain, uncertainty, and constant work. He explains that acceptance of these constants will help us deal with problems and I found them to be simple and profound in how we deal with the problems we face when working in the school business.

Pain

We understand this in the physical sense, especially as we get older and physical activity and age begin to work against each other. But in our roles as educators, emotional pain is definitely a constant. Whether it is from the struggle of maintaining positive relationships with coworkers, students, and parents or dealing with the disappointment of witnessing the failure of our students, pain is with us always. There has been much reported lately on the science of stress and how teachers vicariously experience the pain of their students and carry it with them in their personal lives.

We have to recognize this as a constant and that it does not go away. But we counter that constant with the joys of education to keep balance in our lives. This is why it is important to use our PLC time to celebrate successes in the classroom and to talk about disappointments or problems and how to overcome them as our common enemy. We cannot use pain as an excuse to avoid solutions or a way to place blame on others. We call it out for what it is and face it. Just by doing that, we diminish its impact.

Uncertainty

No one knows the future and this is why we find comfort in predictable routines. However, nothing is certain and routines can lull us into complacency and even create more pain when the results of routines are not productive. Knowing and accepting that uncertainty is always present is a good tool for dealing with surprises.

We want to know what will happen before it happens. This is the primary reason you all ask for communication from your administrators. We can never communicate enough but that is because with our communication there is always uncertainty. We can never express ourselves with full confidence because of uncertainty and neither can you. By embracing and accepting this constant, we can improve our relationships and improve our understanding of each other. This constant also reinforces the need for a mission and vision. We may not be able to predict the future but we all should agree on the reasons we do what we do.

Constant Work

Most of us will admit that this is a given throughout our lives but there is a part of each of us who expects to reach a point in our careers where everything is easy. I am afraid that that will never come to pass. I think that this is best explained by Kara Lawson, the Women’s Basketball Coach at Duke University. Here is a video of her explaining to her team that things never get easier. She says you overcome that fact by getting better and better at doing hard things. We have to be resolved to the fact that constant work will always be a part of our careers and really question ourselves and each other when tempted to make things easy. Are we really benefiting our students when we do?

Little Rock

Thanks to whoever it was that took the time to comment on the Thought Exchange related to the Governor’s LEARNS initiative. I have opened it back up and will keep it open throughout the legislative session to gain insight into thoughts and opinions as different bills on education come to the forefront of debate.

I will not list all educational bills but you can go to the legislative homepage to view them. I will focus on bills that are consequential to your roles as teachers in the classroom. I will link the bill along with a brief description and let you know how our administrators’ organization stands.

* HB1091 is a bill to treat a nationally recognized high school equivalency exam the same as a high school diploma for purposes of employment in Arkansas. We have not taken a stance on this until we understand the full intent of the sponsors.

* HB1104 requires Arkansas to adopt Daylight Saving Time permanently if the Arkansas Secretary of State determines that federal law has been amended to allow such a change. We have no position on this bill.

* HB1122 requires that the first day of school for public schools be on or after the Monday of the week in which August 19 falls, not earlier than August 14, or later than August 26. We will still be allowed to structure a calendar based on hours instead of days. This bill is supported.

* HB1152 provides that the first $50,000 in income received by a public school teacher or open-enrollment charter school teacher is exempt from income tax. This bill is supported.

* HB1156 requires public school districts to make certain designations regarding a student's gender in certain settings. It is to ensure that when students are taken on trips that they are grouped in rooms, such as a hotel or dressing room, according to their gender given at birth. My understanding This bill is supported.

Closing

Congratulations to the artists at Holly Harshman Elementary who won awards from Economics Arkansas for their artwork. I received their artwork in frames to hang in HHES along with some prizes.

We ask that all employees complete their notice of intent before February 18th. Here is a link to the form. This is not a binding document but it helps us plan for next year.

Our PPC is still working on the calendars for next year and those will be sent out for a vote by the staff once the options are fully developed.

Again, thank you for all you have done this week, and have a nice weekend!

At Mena Public Schools our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.