Creating Memories and Motivation

From Phil: Add One More

Whether this is your first year in education or you’ve been at it a long time, when you think of the word school, you likely have images that pop into your head.  That is the way memories work.  They come to you with visual clues, sometimes vague and blurry and sometimes crystal clear. 

In my more-than-a-few-years in education, many of my memories are a bit blurry and run together.  A few, however, are sharp as tacks.  Here is a short list of the later type:

• The First Day of Teaching: Less than a month after our wedding and still reeling from the move to a new country, Lisa and I left our apartment and walked the two blocks to Academia Menonita, a small school located in the hills outside of San Juan, Puerto Rico.  We were on our way to meet our students for the first time as “real teachers.”  I remember the short walk as if it were yesterday.  We were so young, so excited, so scared, and so overwhelmed.
• “Do You Remember Me?” I’ve been around long enough to have the experience of “hearing back” from students who long ago were in my classroom or school.  They often start the conversation by writing or saying, “Do you remember me?” When they take the time to call, write, or stop by to say thanks, it is meaningful in so many ways, and those experiences stand out in my memory.
• Back Packs and Spiffy New Clothes: One-by-one, our own children had their own first days of school. We sent them off on the bus or down the hall, hoping for the best—and then experiencing the relief of knowing our children would be loved and cared for in our schools.
• In My Heart: Some students, simply stated, are unforgettable.  They may be academically

  

  First day of school...
  Unforgettable!

  excellent, or they have pushed me to my limits.  Some overcome unbelievable odds and succeed, and others have shared laughter or tears.  The thousands of faces can merge together after many years of teaching and administration, but a few I can picture clearly.  For whatever reason, they are part of my heart.
• Best Buddies: When I first arrived at HSHS, I was introduces to the Best Buddies program.  I watched these friendships in amazement.  The patience, compassion, and love the Buddies often share is inspiring, humbling, and memorable.  When I think of this program, in my mind’s eye, I see two Buddies walking hand-in-hand down the hall of the high school.

To this short list, I can add another from last Tuesday. 

Lisa and I took time to work the polls on Election Day.  We started in the cold and wet before daybreak, and worked a location that included many Cumberland Road Elementary families.  We saw lots of parents (often with their children in tow) turn out to support our schools.  Many of them knew Lisa and spent time talking to her on the way in or out.

Many more who had no connection to CRES expressed support and thanks for the good work going on in HSE.  Stop and consider the results of the voting for a moment:  Over 70% of the voters this past Tuesday voluntarily chose to support our schools by raising their own taxes—and many thanked us during the process.

That is exciting, overwhelming, and humbling.  It is motivating and provides impetus, perhaps even a moral obligation, to continue to grow our capacity for teaching and learning in Hamilton Southeastern Schools.

It is a moment in time I will long remember!

Have a great week, HSE.  Finish the year well, knowing that your good work has been affirmed by our community.

Your HSE Teaching and Learning Team

• Jan Combs, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
• Stephanie Loane, Director of Elementary Education
• Tom Bell, Director of Special Education
• Jeff Harrison, Director of Educational Technology
• Phil Lederach, Director of Secondary Education