Part of moving forward is to understand how to communicate our message in the most effective way. What are our goals? How will we get there? How do we stay invested as it gets harder to have this conversation? How do we even have this conversation when so many of us have deep emotional ties to education? Changes have to be made. There are enormous obstacles ahead but the potential outcome will certainly be worth the effort.
One of our first tasks in achieving any level of innovation is understanding how we come across to others. What kind of reputation do we have? Are we known as problem solvers? Are we known as people who will be positive? Can people trust us to be reasonable and open to discussion? As we continue to speak out and offer advice, we have to consider our methods. Curriculum and Instruction, funding, and pay are all issues many of us feel passionately about. We may not have had the best experiences when trying to discuss these topics in the past. It is such a personal topic for educators and we have to own that. We also have to understand it may not be as personal for others.
For example, think of the recent election. We had many opportunities to debate each other about how to fund our schools. In the public meetings, held throughout the year, we could see patterns developing. There are different types of people that come forward in any open forum; some will hinder the process, some will help. We all have our identity when it comes to negotiation and discourse. We also have different levels of awareness when it comes to the role we play. We have all been at a table with a group of professionals and thought, “This is getting nowhere!” because of one person and their negativity or the person who is not listening. How is this helpful? How does this foster trust? We have to be a force against this trend. We cannot get caught up in our own rage and ideas to the point that it becomes more important than the task at hand.
The point is we don’t want Rapid City to be that person at the table that brings everyone down or offers no solutions. We also don’t want to be the person that cannot listen or the one who is full of wrath. The things we are facing are mounting. We have issues with the budget cuts, teacher pay, trust with our leaders, and lack of communication. This is a high mountain to climb. Our hope for better schools has to stay strong amidst giant hurdles. We need to be united or we will fail to make any change. We have to ask ourselves, “How do we want to be known?”
Reviving Rapid City Schools wants to be known as a collective group of people who can clearly identify the problem and can offer creative solutions. Our vision is to strengthen our public schools by improving communication, raising community awareness, and sharing ideas to facilitate positive change. We want to be known as rational, educated people who can see all sides of a situation and be realistic when it comes to decision making. We can still share our frustrations and disappointments; we just have to be able to move on from them.
One of our first tasks in achieving any level of innovation is understanding how we come across to others. What kind of reputation do we have? Are we known as problem solvers? Are we known as people who will be positive? Can people trust us to be reasonable and open to discussion? As we continue to speak out and offer advice, we have to consider our methods. Curriculum and Instruction, funding, and pay are all issues many of us feel passionately about. We may not have had the best experiences when trying to discuss these topics in the past. It is such a personal topic for educators and we have to own that. We also have to understand it may not be as personal for others.
For example, think of the recent election. We had many opportunities to debate each other about how to fund our schools. In the public meetings, held throughout the year, we could see patterns developing. There are different types of people that come forward in any open forum; some will hinder the process, some will help. We all have our identity when it comes to negotiation and discourse. We also have different levels of awareness when it comes to the role we play. We have all been at a table with a group of professionals and thought, “This is getting nowhere!” because of one person and their negativity or the person who is not listening. How is this helpful? How does this foster trust? We have to be a force against this trend. We cannot get caught up in our own rage and ideas to the point that it becomes more important than the task at hand.
The point is we don’t want Rapid City to be that person at the table that brings everyone down or offers no solutions. We also don’t want to be the person that cannot listen or the one who is full of wrath. The things we are facing are mounting. We have issues with the budget cuts, teacher pay, trust with our leaders, and lack of communication. This is a high mountain to climb. Our hope for better schools has to stay strong amidst giant hurdles. We need to be united or we will fail to make any change. We have to ask ourselves, “How do we want to be known?”
Reviving Rapid City Schools wants to be known as a collective group of people who can clearly identify the problem and can offer creative solutions. Our vision is to strengthen our public schools by improving communication, raising community awareness, and sharing ideas to facilitate positive change. We want to be known as rational, educated people who can see all sides of a situation and be realistic when it comes to decision making. We can still share our frustrations and disappointments; we just have to be able to move on from them.