A Bubble Off Plumb

I made an error and in so doing, hurt a lot of people who deserve better.

Geary Elementary School isn’t on the failing list. It hasn’t been for a long time. A story that should have celebrated the school’s exit from a maybe-bogus watch list instead focused on the negative.

Shame on me. Under time pressure, I caved and took the path of least resistance. I’ll say it again. Shame on me.

What I should have said was the parents, students, teachers, staff and administrators are busting their humps to change the culture and atmosphere at the school.

You see, the state report card is similar to gaining weight, a credit score or grade point average. It is very easy to go the wrong way with any of them. It doesn’t take much time at all, either. But it takes a great deal of really hard work and plenty of time and attention to bring them up again.

I believe, through observation, that there was – note the past tense – a very negative culture and atmosphere at Geary schools. It came from the old administration, not the board or the faculty or staff, and was from the top down. Again, my beliefs and observation, a total opinion, but an educated opinion.

Children, precious little gifts from God, were judged because of where they lived, who they were kin to or what their heritage was. As they got older, athletic ability was also added to the equation. Basically, if a child wasn’t from a middle- or upperclass white family and had athletic ability, they didn’t matter and were destined to fail. There was no point in working hard or trying to be a good student citizen. Failure was a destiny that could not be overcome. Teachers and administrators who did not share that belief had their enthusiasm quashed and soon either burned out or left to escape the pervasive negativity.

That was the past. This is now and things are 100 percent different, especially at the grade school level.

Teachers and staff are there because they want to be there, to help lift the community up and students reach their full potential. There is happiness, joy even, in those little faces. The school, instead of being a punishment, has become a symbol of stability and acceptance.

The staff works tirelessly – ok, they probably are tired – to find new ways to make the students want to come to school, want to learn and to find other ways to help them shine. It has become a celebration of education. Kids aren’t taught to pass a test, they are taught to learn and from there the sky is the only limit. Culture is not just accepted, it is valued. Obstacles are met and overcome. And again, I believe the culture is coming from the top down, this time with the board, the faculty and staff fully on board. They are the good guys, the heroes in this turn around story.

The sad thing is that the state report card doesn’t measure the commitment of the employees, a commitment to make children thrive.

Because if the elementary school in Geary were graded on that, it would get all A’s. Now how can I fit that in a headline?