Events in USDs 257 (Iola-Gas-LaHarpe) and 258 (Humboldt) this week and next will be helpful in the years to come.
Staff at USD 258 and a number of people from the community gathered Wednesday to look into the future by way of a strategic planning session. On Monday, the same will occur in Iola in the first of at least two sessions to mine thoughts and information from people daily involved with the district and others who may not have more than passing dealings with schools but an interest in education. Gross negligence it would be not to take advantage of ideas that might occur to someone outside the school community.
The Iola exercise will be an overview of all aspects of schools — philosophy, curriculum, activities and facilities. The sessions will not focus solely on physical structures.
Board members, administrators and others among the staff have no pre-conceived notions about what may arise, although they may offer a little guidance to get the train chugging down the tracks.
For a start, it would be good for those involved to review results of a meeting in Wichita last Friday, during which the conclusion was that more emphasis on non-academic skills was needed. An entire redesign of Kansas school systems might be necessary to reach such a goal, the Associated Press reported. Specifically mentioned were changing culture, new roles for counselors and social workers, focusing on soft skills — persistence, teamwork, communication, emotional stability and work ethic — and giving students more real-life experiences.
Post-secondary education is important, but many occupations, particularly in a proliferation of service jobs, don’t require four years of college or an advanced degree. And, we are past time when social standing is (at least should not be) equated to education and earning power.
On the flip side, we should not at any level discount the value of a well-rounded individual, which includes exposure to visual and participatory arts, attention to history and the world of letters, individual expressions found in physical education; the list goes on.
Education is a broad avenue with many side streets. Anyone who travels with tunnel-vision from point A to point B is missing much that makes life complete.
— Bob Johnson
Asking others to give a hand a wise decision
