Over kids' heads like halos

"combating prose with passionate passages surpassing the realm of gun toting savages"
-Bahamadia, "Innovation"

You know those days when you wake up and it seems like you're at a track & field final at your alarm sounds more like a gun going off? And you have to Go Hard all the way? Yesterday was one of those days. Kinda.

In the late afternoon, I dropped by one of the the school district's budget hearings. Held at English High; this one is specifically for youth. And they turned out in droves. The energy was palpable. The frustration very real. The worry and concern evident in either the jitteriness or excitement in their voices.

I actually wear several hats. On one hand, I am an employee who is obviously concerned about losing a job as well as losing colleagues and teachers who I have developed relationships. Plus, I've got to pay the mortgage, student loans, and household bills just like everyone else.

Secondly, I am a parent. I have tried to become more and more active in his school's community and am learning new things everyday about what parent engagement entails. It is a daunting challenge that grows both easier and more difficult with each passing day.

Lastly, I am a connector. A lot of what I do revolves around students and whether working or not; I am always on the job. I worry about the students a lot. I worry about the many who I have connected with an hope that they still consider STEM careers as viable as I've been leading them to believe. I hope they buy-in to my suggestions that the college route is the best way to go. Admittedly, not all of them in the past have one straight to college; which in fact probably was the best choice for their situations.

There were some very pointed and angst-riddled questions posed to the School Committee members from the many students who attended. Coincidentally, I then walked a block up the street to Doyle's for another education-related forum. Boston Leaders for the Future of Education, a new quasi-think tank held a panel about innovation. It was a common theme throughout all of the questions and the place was packed to the brim and some folks even left because they didn't want to squeeze in. I saw many familiar faces from as well as made a few new connections. But the true meat of the event was the quality of the panel. This was truly one of the better panel discussions I have seen. I won't go into too much detail right now, but there were some great ideas tossed around by both the panelists and audience members. Issues about equity, approaches to problem solving, innovative concepts in other cities, and segregation by choice we the topics that stood out to me.

Superintendent Johnson gave a profound analogy about how education is a race and even though some sprinters have trained for months and are well-prepared, the ill-prepared (conditioned) sprinters still need the support of all the spectators to help them reach the finish line with roller blades if necessary. And even though not everyone thinks they deserve those skates, it is imperative that they do because it isn't actually a competition. Like that 90's throwback, we're all in the same gang. Plus, Mayor Menino gave a pretty good introductory speech. Essentially, he noted how we are at our most creative when we have the least resources. Straightforward, succinct, and sound words. Now, let's hope all this innovative thinking will translate into some innovative doing. Personally, I think bringing up taboo topics have to be mentioned. For instance, why is there no school in the summer when the winter poses higher costs and higher risks for missed (snow) days? Food for thought? Something to chew on, I suppose.