David Jeck

Thoughts on the Calendar

To this point I have remained relatively silent regarding the calendar options that have been presented for the 2010-2011 school year. This was by choice as my opinion is that: a) I am not on the committee and have one vote just like everyone else, and b) I do not want to influence the committee unduly.They are charged with a difficult task and are giving of their own time in order to serve the county. However, at this point I feel that I should at least share my opinion.

This is my twenty-second year in education and I have never seen so much energy devoted to the calendar issue. Why is this happening? I think the answer is pretty simple: the calendar options represent significant change, and change makes many people very uncomfortable. I am disappointed with some of the erroneous information and/or rumors that have been circulating, but this is to be expected, I suppose.

I support the earlier start date for several reasons:

·An earlier start date means that, ultimately, first semester ends by winter break. Currently, when students return from winter break, instructional time must be taken to review content taught prior to the holiday to prepare them for benchmarks and SOL tests.By ending the first semester prior to winter break, instructional time is gained because less time is needed to review.

·In the past, we have received many complaints from parents about the lack of quality instruction after SOL testing.With this calendar, SOL testing will run through the end of the school year.The last several days of school after testing concludes are difficult instructionally to say the least. If school is dismissed soon after testing, meaningful instruction can occur through the end of school.

·Students and teachers will temporarily lose five days of summer vacation during the summer of 2010 and the summer of 2011 only. No one is crazy about this but, in the long run, it will be worth it.

·It will be much easier to justify a two week holiday vacation EVERY YEAR if first semester ends before the holidays. This is exactly why I do not support a two week winter break under the current semester configuration. Sixteen days off (this includes weekends) is not good for students instructionally if they are in the midst of a unit of study, benchmark test preparation, or skill development.

The calendar committee was tasked with producing a calendar that meets the instructional needs of students first. Enhancing the instructional integrity of the calendar means change, thinking differently, and putting aside personal wants. I understand the issues that it creates, but the benefits in my mind far outweigh the negatives. The committee had a tough job and there was much debate.I am very grateful and applaud their hard work. My hunch is that none of them will be eager to serve on this committee again. I can’t blame them.

I tend to remember the really good pieces of advice that I have received over the years. Two of my favorites came from a former superintendent and close friend who offered his sage advice as I began my first principalship: “Never touch the money and never accept anything from anyone that you can’t eat.” Now that is what I call practical advice!

More favorites:

“Return all phone calls within twenty-four hours.”

“Keep your eye on the ball.”

“Do no favors.”

“At the end of the day, you are the one who will be held responsible.”

“When you have to make a tough decision, look at a picture of your own kids and ask yourself how your decision will impact them.”

This is tough decision season and every decision clearly matters. “And be one traveler long I stood” is taken from The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. Frost’s beautifully crafted imagery of an individual making a choice while standing at a fork in the road is thought provoking. The correct path seemed obvious (“Because it was grassy and wanted wear ;”), but he chose the more difficult route. Why? Why choose the road less traveled by?

Do you remember Col. Frank Slade? He was played by Al Pacino in “The Scent of a Woman.” I like his answer to the aforementioned question the best:

"I have come to the crossroads of my life and I always knew the right path, without question I knew, but I never took it. You know why? Because it was too d*** hard!"

Col. Slade nailed it. Doing the right thing, making the right choice, heading in the right direction is HARD!! I share this concept with my own children often, but I remind myself even more often. I fail. I make poor choices at times but, as Col. Slade said, I always know the right path. I think we all do.

Here’s to choosing the right path!

Dave

Update from my trip to India with VASS:

Agra, Jaipur, and Back to Delhi

The Taj Mahal met all expectations and the other palaces and forts in and around Agra were impressive. In order to build the Taj workers constructed a ramp 2.5 kilometers in length so that marble could be hauled to the dome. Interestingly, it was built for Mutaz, the second and favorite wife of Shah Jahan. It took 22 years to complete.

One of the highlights in Agra involved one of the superintendents who came too close to a monkey he was trying to take a picture of. The monkey bum-rushed him and tried to grab his pants. This was hilarious not so much because of the monkey but because of the reaction the unnamed superintendent.

After leaving Agra we traveled to Jaipur, about 5 hours away. We stopped along the way to stretch our legs and buy something to drink. I started up a conversation with the parking lot attendant, a very handsome man approximately 50 years old. He shared with me that he had four children, one of whom was on college. Tuition, he said, was $500.00 Rupes per month (~$10.00). He told me that he made $1000.00a month and worked seven days per week, riding four kilometers each way on his bicycle. Amazing.

Jaipur turned out to be my favorite stop. It is further north, cooler, with a higher elevation. It reminded me very much of southern California. We visited the AmberPalace and fort via elephant and the MaharajaPalace. The hotel we stayed in was a converted palace; very, very beautiful but very expensive. We decided to roll the dice and head in to town for some very authentic food and native dancing. Our group represented the USA very well. There were two other groups at the restaurant; one from England and one from Scotland. Bor-ing!! We lit the place up. I’m not one to brag but my trademark dance, “The Sprinkler,” set a new standard.

The next morning it was off to the world’s oldest observatory, lunch, then south to Delhi for dinner and a plane ride home.

There was a great deal of conversation on the bus trip home about our experience and thoughts regarding next steps. Several of us will meet in January and establish a framework for a foundation designed to pay tuition for some of the “untouchable” children of Delhi.

India is a land of startling contradiction. The people are beautiful and friendly. They embrace western culture and seem to like Americans very much. They are a tolerant, democratic nation very in tune to their and our political landscape. Indian students are simply amazing. I saw a high school technology/computer classroom with 42 students and no computer, just a teacher standing at his chalkboard instructing, his hand the eraser. You could have heard a pin drop. Kids were 100% focused and engaged.

By contrast, 142,000,000 school eligible children don’t attend school. The poverty and pollution are startling. Pigs, dogs, cows, monkeys, and goats roam uninhibited through many streets rummaging through garbage and waste. Begging and aggressive solicitation are everywhere. It was often a heartbreaking scene. I asked several kids who were on the streets why they didn’t attend school. “Too expensive” was a common answer as was “I have to make money.” Keep in mind, school tuition is about $10.00 per month.

In terms of what I learned, well, I learned a lot. I will put together a formal presentation for our school board next month; however, I can sum up my experience through the words of one of my colleagues, Greg Killough, Caroline County Schools: “It is amazing to me that the schools in India are able to do so much with so little while we seem to do so little with so much.” Those are indeed haunting and frustrating words, but words that we can and must learn from.