HCRSPA Newsletter
February 2017
The soothsayer said to Julius Caesar, “Beware the Ides of March”. I don’t look for
that to have the same meaning for us, but with the Legislature in session I always
remember what Will Rogers once said, “No man , woman or child is safe as long
as the legislature is in session.” Technology makes it possible for us to keep up
with all that is going on in Austin, so stay informed and communicate with your
representatives whenever you need.
From what I read, the situation in Austin is similar to what we hear every session.
Before the election, politicians touted Texas’ balanced budget and strong
economy that would provide money for this session’s budget. Now I hear there
is a deficit and state budgets must be frozen or reduced. What happened in only
three months? I have seen this played out in previous sessions: The early
headlines show huge deficits, so school districts and state agencies prepare for
the worst. Jobs may be lost, services cut and people suffer because of it.
However, later in the session legislators find ways to generate revenue and the
crisis is not nearly as severe as it was in January. Some jobs are lost, some
programs are cut, but not as many as first predicted. Now politicians can speak
with remorse about the suffering but, pat themselves on the back about how they
avoided the real “crisis.”
Another item that politicians seem to always use as a diversion is to talk about
“reforming education”. Even President Obama in his 2013 state of the union
address, used the “Sputnik analogy” as a need to “revamp our education system”
just as we did after the Russians launched Sputnik. I am not the brightest light in
the darkness, but as I remember it, NASA caught up to and surpassed the Russians
in a very short time. So those NASA engineers who responded were products of
the educational system that was in place before Sputnik was launched. Sputnik
did have a lot to do with changing our education system; it became more
federalized and bureaucratic. I’m sure you all remember, I believe it was 1984,
when a “Nation At Risk” was published. It told of the horrors that would befall
this nation if we did not reform our education system immediately. Well, none of
those “horrors” came to pass, but I still haven’t received an apology from the
people who said that I and other teachers at that time were doing a bad job.
When Bill Bennett was Secretary of Education he said that the problem with
education was puberty and the Unions. We don’t have Unions, but I suspect you
could still say that puberty and parents are contributing factors. All this talk
about education reform does not mention or address parents. Until some
accountability is placed on them instead of the teachers and school, change and
improvement will be difficult. Testing is not the answer. Mandates have not
worked. All parties (state official, administrators, teachers, parents and the
community) need to sit down and find an agreement. In a “Peanuts” comic strip,
the great philosopher, Charlie Brown said, “There must be a three-member team
the teacher, the child and the parent”. Right now the accountability is only with
the school. Everyone should be involved and everyone should be accountable. In
Deuteronomy 6, God lays the responsibility of nurturing and shaping the faith of
children at the feet of their parents. Why are we still having a hard time with
that? Sure schools have problems, but most of those come from outside
influences. Education in America, Texas, and Henderson County is basically in
good shape. My daddy always said, “If the flowers are so beautiful, why are you
looking at the roots?” Our school children are beautiful and our educators are
working hard to meet their needs. Don’t tear down the entire system when you
don’t have a problem.
If you are still reading by this point, I have one more question to ask. What is
wrong with schools in Henderson County? On a local level I hear over and over
that we need good schools to attract industry, business and individuals, but I have
yet to hear any specifics on what a “good school system looks like.” Are we
practicing the same tactics on a local level? What we have is a classic version of
the “Noah Concept.” There are too many people predicting rain and not enough
people building an ark.
I retired after 40 years in education, all in Henderson County (Malakoff, Athens,
Eustace, and LaPoynor.) I will always be a proud educator. I encourage you to
look for all the positives that are taking place in our schools, use these strong
points to find solutions for the weaknesses. Experience is the best teacher and
we’ve got it.
I hope everyone will make the next meeting. Linda Kenneaster will be leading us
as we play Bunko as a group. I don’t know how to play Bunko, so I am looking
forward to a great time. Meeting will be Wednesday, February 8, at 2:00 pm. If
you are not there, you will be missing a lot of fun.
TRTA informed us that as of January 19, membership went over 81,000 for the
first time ever. With each new member, our voice in Austin becomes stronger. If
you read the “Inside Line” you know that our TRS insurance is in desperate need
and must receive help from the legislature.
STRAIN YOUR BRAIN
If you were to spell out the numbers (One, Two, Three, etc.), how far would
you have to go until you found the letter “A”?
Thanks for reading. See you at the meeting.