Scholarship. Character. Perseverance. Three words I hope encapsulate the year in which we are about to embark. Included here is the text of the convocation address to the faculty and staff as we kicked off the school year on August 20th.
Welcome back! Hopefully you all had a chance to enjoy some vacation time this summer. I enjoyed seeing social media posts about your many adventures and travels. I especially enjoyed Mr. Haskovec’s posts about a recent fishing trip with his family. Did you know that Mr. and Mrs. Haskovec’s oldest, Anna is starting high school this year? Man they grow up fast! I’ll bet it seems like only yesterday she was starting kindergarten. That sure was a quick 10 years. Wayne, I hope your girls always enjoy a fishing expedition with you!
When I began to think about this day, coming up with an appropriately motivational theme was a challenge. That’s because everything we did last year was truly exceptional. And not just by the fact we missed eleven days of school! You see, it was exceptional because of the work you did and the impact it had on our students. So it was with the bar already set so high I began to contemplate the question, can we top that? Can we really ‘one up’ ourselves? Using that rhetoric as the basis of my reflection, I have come to the conclusion that we can.
That’s because each day provides a new opportunity. We should strive to use the gift of that opportunity to improve ourselves, our school, and most importantly the students we serve. Yes, last year was exceptional in almost every way. But that was last year. For certain, we can’t view our accomplishments of this extraordinary year as a high water mark, but instead a foundation on which to build the future. We can’t live in the past, and for certain can’t move forward if we keep looking over our shoulder at the good old days. But our past does provide us with historical perspective, so I’d like to take you back a bit. But a bit further than just one year.
Like Anna, this July 1st marked the beginning of my 10th year at Hudson. It is hard to believe the time has flown by so fast! Further; it is unbelievable in and of itself because; well I wasn’t really supposed to be here. Some of you know this story because you have been here as long as or longer than I, so please bear with me because there are parts you probably don’t know. But, when I look out at this gathering of 65 teachers, 20 paraprofessionals, 12 bus drivers, 6 administrative assistants and 6 maintenance department staff—more than half of you weren’t here 10 years ago . This shift in the demographic makeup of our staff in and of itself most certainly offers a testament to the passage of time.
The story goes a little like this. Way back when studying to be a superintendent, those of us in the program [at that time] were eligible for licensure after completing about half the requirements. As soon as I was eligible I began to apply for superintendent positions. And the opportunities to interview were plentiful. I’m quite certain that had more to do with a search firms ability to talk school boards into listening to what I had to say than to my acumen as a school executive. Needless to say I wasn’t all that successful. But I wouldn’t claim total failure either because in the majority of cases I was making it to the finals. I think that was probably the one fact that kept me in the game, because it could be a bit discouraging! This went on for almost two years, through me gaining full licensure. Upon reflection, I am uncertain what the final count was leading up to Hudson but it was well over a dozen interviews. At one point I had an advisor who thought I might be better served if I took an interim step as a public school principal. You see prior to all this, my entire career had been spent in the parochial system. That is a whole other story I’ll save for another time.
Then Hudson came along. Even though it was somewhat late in the hiring season I knew it was going to be a long shot and a highly competitive position. In my opinion this was a great job then, and is a great job now. Geographically there aren’t too many places more appealing in Iowa. The research I did prior to the interview suggested a school district rich in tradition and a community that took great pride in their schools. So when the call came to interview I was excited about the opportunity. But when I made the finals and there were two remaining candidates, I started to get that uneasy feeling: here we go again, second place. Yet after that second interview I felt very good! I mean, I wasn’t ‘measuring the draperies’—but felt this would be a really good fit for [Ann and I] and the school district.
Well, I didn’t get the job! Once again I came in second! The weird thing though was this time I was devastated. You see I hadn’t really felt that way about any of the other positions where I had come in second, but for some reason this one really stung. I suppose a lot of it had to do with the fact that I didn’t really want any of those other jobs.
Obviously you all know the ending because I am standing here right now, but here is where the story takes an unusual turn—the part most of you don’t know—and where I believe destiny intervened. See, in an effort to ‘keep my powder dry’, I still had an interview scheduled in another district. But the thing was, I was so busy feeling sorry for myself that I almost canceled it. Frankly it was in a part of the state that I wasn’t at all interested in living, but I was so intent on being a superintendent I forced myself to follow through. Now, customarily spouses accompany the candidate on the interview, but this time I told Ann to stay home because I needed some time to wallow in my own self-pity and had all but given up. I was merely going through the motions.
Well, I went through that interview and thought the people were nice and all, but my heart just wasn’t in it. I gave pretty blunt answers to their questions and provided some advice that I knew wouldn’t be all that popular in the community. When I got in the car to head home I couldn’t put that school district in the rear view mirror fast enough. I was about an hour into the two hour drive home when my phone rang and they offered me the job.
Luckily they gave me the weekend to think about their offer. I won’t bore you with all the details, but there were multiple conversations between myself and that search firm over that weekend as we haggled over the contract that was being proposed. Ann and I had discussed the pros and cons at length and after a lot of soul-searching we decided to take the position. As it stood, I would relocate to the district while we kept our house in Marion, and each weekend I would commute home. It wasn’t an ideal scenario but one I felt was necessary in order to advance my career. As you all know, getting your first job is the hardest. But on the eve of accepting that job the board president from Hudson called to tell me their candidate was withdrawing. I was being called up off the bench. Was I still interested? That was a little more than ten years ago.
A lot has happened in the intervening decade. As I stated before, many new faces: 54% of the faculty, 89% of paraprofessionals, 83% of the maintenance staff, 50% of office staff. But at the same time a lot remains the same.
Inevitably each spring the same questions begin to emerge. Will I leave? I’m uncertain [those of you who] ask this question do so because you go to bed praying each night that I will [go] or won’t, although I am not naïve enough to understand there is a bit of both. Truthfully I wasn’t expected to be here this long. After I finished my doctorate in 2015 I assumed Hudson would be another fading memory at this point in my career. And for sure there have been opportunities. Some of them you know about, others you don’t. Frankly I don’t know what the future holds. If the right opportunity came up I might be persuaded to carefully consider it; again I learned a long time ago to ‘keep my powder dry’. But for the last several years when those annual phone calls from search firms came, I politely declined. The primary reason: You.
See, you may not always believe it, but I genuinely like you. I like your work ethic. I like this town and the people in it. I love this school and am honored to wear Pirate blue. And I am so proud of what you have accomplished!
So what have you accomplished? Without identifying construction or many of our facility upgrades because that would be too easy, I believe there to be three major accomplishments of the last decade.
The first was the connected learning initiative in 2013. We believed at the time, and to this day in fact, that connected learning is the most significant change to schooling for our current generation of students. What is now a ubiquitous learning environment spanning grades 3-12 started out in the high school that cold January so long ago. I want to remind you all; the decision to put the power of the world’s vast knowledge in the hand of our students was made—by you. Mr. Dieken walked into a meeting on a warm day in October and posed to you a question. He told you connected learning would not in any way make your jobs any easier. The fact was, he told you—your job was going to become a lot harder (and it did). Then he put the decision in your hands and walked out of the room. A half hour later you came to his office and said ‘let’s do it’.
Second, and about a year later you became pioneers when launching one of the first in the state comprehensive teacher leadership programs. With this system, we have been able to harness your collective wisdom and leadership skills to improve instruction in our classrooms. Since the inception of this ambitious enterprise, you have thrown open your classroom doors and begun to collaborate with one another in ways that were unheard of by your predecessors. Truth be told, in the beginning filling our positions was difficult. As you know our model relies on core instructional leadership positions that mirror district-wide initiatives: technology, numeracy, and literacy. At its inception, we had no one interested in taking on the literacy position. If it hadn’t been for Mrs. Engels getting us through that first year our teacher leadership system would probably look very different than it does today. Considering the importance of literacy it is without equivocation our district owes Mrs. Engels a debt of gratitude.
Finally and most recently we expanded the scope of our educational services with the introduction of the statewide voluntary preschool program. Recognizing our community demographic was changing along with the needs of young families, and the fact we had an inherent belief we can best serve our own students right here at home, a long an arduous journey began. Mr. Schaltter doesn’t really give himself enough credit, because he is the one who made certain we dotted all the ‘i’s and crossed all the ‘t’s. Perhaps the most critical of questions was who would lead this effort from the classroom. The answer came in the most unlikeliest of people when [then] Miss Cartney expressed her interest. I don’t think Sara knew how skeptical I was of this idea. Here we had [at that time] a second year teacher who was finishing only her first year at Hudson. She was literally signing up to have her third teaching assignment in as many years as an educator; and this assignment would include launching a brand new program that none of us had any experience with. It worked out great because we gained full accreditation this last spring.
All of these things and numerous other accomplishments happened because you had a hand in them. You chose to do the work. Whether you were here at the beginning, have been here a few years, or are new this year—all of you have a vital role to play.
As for me? I am just thankful to have been along for the ride. That is the reason I am still here after 10 years. Because of you and what you do…in service to our pupils.
Today the accomplishments and changes to our district are readily apparent. You can see them by looking out the window. You can touch them when walking down the hall. Hopefully you can feel it when you walk in the door each morning to go to work. Indeed the future is bright for our school district, but it is not the bricks and mortar that make us shine! It is instead because of the people that make up our organization.
The teachers who teach.
The paras who assist.
The administrators who lead.
The bus drivers who transport our children.
The maintenance department who makes our facilities safe and clean.
The administrative assistants who run the schools.
The cooks who feed our children.
Mrs. Brandhorst who keeps them healthy.
But most importantly, the children who fill our classrooms. Those families that entrust in us to act, ‘in parentis locum’. Especially those families who rely on us—when we can’t always rely on them. So what’s it like for those families? So what of those youngsters and what happens to them?
Think about this: In 2010 our poverty rate as measured by free and reduced lunch was 19.1%. Today it has risen to 28.6%.
Of all the changes that have occurred over the last decade, the one constant has been our mission, our Core Purpose, or our guiding light: We Create Effective Learning Environments that Result in Success for ALL students.
All truly means all. All students. All families. All faculty. And all staff. Our district initiatives remain the anchor: literacy, numeracy, and technology. Growth and improvement in these areas will certainly give our youngsters the tools necessary to be successful later in life. And at the same time, our students will be carefully watching us for cues in how we work with one another—because they are always watching. How we treat one another. Our young scholars will also look to us to see our character, and hopefully the humanity with which we treat one another.
Last year the imagery I selected as theme for this convocation address was that of a marigold. I challenged you all to be marigolds for one another and to avoid those among us who are walnuts. I was heartened throughout the year with those acts of kindness you imparted on one another and your diligence in keeping this symbolism fresh throughout the year. This year I challenge you to take it one step further. What I ask of you will be hard. But the fact is if we really want to grow our garden of marigolds then we must do what we tell our students to do: Be up-standers and call out those who are walnuts.
This is where your character will show. Oftentimes, bullies are bullies when no one is looking. They’ll do it when the teacher turns around. They’ll do it in a crowded hallway or in the bathroom when the adult has their attention focused elsewhere. Sure, we’ll investigate and administer the appropriate discipline—when we have evidence and corroboration. But sometimes we do not. In spite of the fact that almost always—there are witnesses. We continually tell our student by-standers to not merely be witnesses, but to be up-standers and call out bullies in their ranks. I ask you to set that same example for your students. When you see a walnut, identify it and help root it out. We will only grow our garden of marigolds if you can help us hold one another accountable.
As I mentioned before, I view our connected learning program, teacher leadership, and preschool as three water shed moments of the last decade for this school district. These are the pathways through which our key district initiatives drive: literacy, numeracy, and technology. If we want to create effective learning environments that result in success for all students, then it stands to reason we must ensure the pathways we rely on for improved student learning and scholarship are functioning as designed. This year, we will spend time sharpening the saw that is our teacher leadership system. Is it performing as envisioned? Are we missing anything? What can we do better? Then as we prepare to replace the fleet of connected learning devices it will be appropriate to consider how best to move this important work forward.
It is important to note the task which we are about to embark on is anything but easy. As the saying goes, anything in life that is worth it is hard, challenging, and will include moments when we want to throw in the towel. There will certainly be times your instructional strategy doesn’t work; you will feel as though you are a marigold in a sea of walnuts; or the students, well they just don’t listen very well.
When this happens persevere: Find the instructional strategy that does work because the young scholars trusted to your care are counting on it. Let that walnut know the character of your being when you tell them you are not interested in them planting roots in your garden—because your room and our school are a place of learning and joy. Set an example for your students by distinguishing between elevation and degradation. Spread kindness and benevolence rather than rumor and innuendo.
And above all continue to persevere, because when you least expect it the breakthrough you have been waiting for will materialize. The light bulb will come on for that child because the ‘next strategy’ finally worked.
I may be 10 years into this thing, but feel like we are just getting started! Have a great start to the school year and thank you for being here.
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