The Value of Nothing...

In a recent Men's Health magazine article, Mike Zimmerman writes " There are no successful cynics. Think about it: Real success, any way society measures it - money, fame, happiness, family - cannot be achieved in the presence of cynicism." (March 2010, p.94). In a time when bad news is at a premium, and it is more difficult than ever to keep a positive outlook, cynicism is a prevailing outlook. Zimmerman is right though, rarely does one ascend to greatness without a fair amount of idealism and a minimal amount of cynicism.

Oscar Wilde wrote, "A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing." That thought could be applied to many things I've read recently regarding education. At the local level, the state level, and the national level, funding of education is a concern. Everyone knows the cost (or can figure it out) of paying our educators their salaries and benefits, however ascertaining their value is a murkier proposition. I see newspaper articles, blog posts, television news stories, and any other number of public forums that involve discussions of the "cost" of education. Those stories recently have most commonly focused on what educators cost school districts and governments in terms of salaries, benefits and retirement. Rarely have they focused on the value of these educators.

I encourage everyone to think of the value of a good teacher, a good administrator, a good school secretary, a good school custodian, a good classroom assistant or school security personnel - these are the people who hold our future in their hands as they work with young people. In fact, they are invaluable...

At North we are fortunate to have an exceptional staff. They are caring, committed and extraordinarily knowledgeable and talented. It's hard for anyone to be cynical around people like that - even teenagers. If we want to cultivate great leaders of tomorrow, who will be creative problem solvers, we can't be cynics. We have to be optimists and idealists even when things are tough. We have to focus on value rather than cost. When something is valuable enough, we must find a way to afford it.

That New Car Smell...

I recently purchased a new car, and like all things new it came with an opportunity. An opportunity to keep it clean this time - inside and out, an opportunity to actually keep a scheduled maintenance log, an opportunity to keep the kids from eating in my car this time - in short an opportunity to do car ownership right. Similarly, each new school year, and each new semester gives students and staff an opportunity for a clean slate.

Today marks the first day of second semester, and much is at stake. In some cases college admission or even high school graduations hang in the balance over the next five months. Many of our students start today with a renewed commitment to their school work. It's important that educators and parents partner to keep these efforts to achieve academic success alive so that all of our students put themselves in the best position possible to meet goals they have set.

This morning we had a brief staff gathering in which we stressed the importance of communication. In today's world, with grades and attendance posted online, teacher websites that include assignments and updates, and 24/7 email availability, there is no excuse for anyone involved in a young person's education not to know current information regarding progress. Please know that our teachers, counselors and administrators welcome parent and student communication, and truly want partnerships that work towards a common goal of student achievement. Let us know how we can help.

Hopefully in June this semester will still have that new car smell, and not the odor of a half eaten chicken nugget stuffed between the seats for five months...