THE
GOOD NEWS STORY --
STAYING
ON THE RIGHT COURSE
By Willette
Johnson
The days
are longer as daylight lingers at the onset of evening. Mostly we carry out the daily routines of
our lives, going from morning to night, experiencing another day. Believers would concur with me when I say
that the paths of our lives are predetermined, ordered. All we need do is stay
on the right course. In the world of
education, that, my friends, may be easier said than done.
Last month in my Outlook on Education
column, I shared some information that boasted about the academic progress of
students in the Springfield Public Schools (“SPS”). It was a good news
story. Good news can be encouraging and
help to validate our efforts. I frequently speak about the need to celebrate
progress by telling the good news story. So, I try to practice what I
preach. I find it peculiar, though,
that the “high” we get from good news is mostly short lived. It’s amazing to me how many people continue
to doubt the success stories that occur each day with our students in our
schools. Many people in the village who
are responsible for raising the children simply don’t believe that the children
can achieve at high levels when taught well. This disbelief is often masked by
a myriad of excuses and frail explanations of why students can’t learn
(poverty, disabilities, second language acquisition, apathy). I suggest that this disbelief steers us off
course and keeps us floundering.
As much as good news can serve as
building blocks to the next plateau, the routines of life can tend to weigh us
down and keep us at a familiar place -- preventing us from stretching beyond
our belief systems to explore other possibilities. What if we did re-create our public school system where all
children not only achieved at high levels but also where the educators and
caring adults truly believed that’s the way it should be? People wouldn’t have
to exercise measures to put their children on wait lists for the perceived best
schools, pay hundreds of dollars a year for private schools, or even leave the
community altogether. The common discourse would always be about high
expectations, success in school, and productive futures.
Lately, I have been engaged in dialogue
with teachers and others about why we believe what we believe, and how
difficult it is to change belief systems that stifle growth. We become the sum
total of our experiences. As parents
and educators, we have the right and responsibility to create as many positive
experiences as possible for our children to shape the course of their
lives. Research is telling us that one
of the greatest predictors of a child’s success is his parents’ and teachers’
attitudes about that success. A key to changing beliefs is changing outcomes.
We are more likely to believe what we see.
The school year began last fall with great anticipation. Students and teachers were ready to tackle the work of teaching and learning. I think optimism about all that we can accomplish is highest at the onset of the school year. Half way through the year, I find that pessimism sets in and people are more inclined to focus on what’s not happening as opposed to what is. These are the circumstances that take people off their course, that dampen enthusiasm and deflate hopes. I am pleased to report that SPS district and school leaders are working hard to continue to fly the proficiency banner. Teachers’ classrooms are being converted into centers of knowledge and exploration. Incredible learning experiences are happening everyday. There is evidence of real determination to stay on the right course. The good news story continues.