Welcome Back to Faculty and Staff

It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome you to the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District’s 2010 – 2011 Academic Year. I hope that you enjoyed a restful summer and that you were provided many opportunities to revive and renew. I can attest that my own sense of purpose with regard to providing our students with opportunities to maximize their human potential via a strong education is more alive than it has ever been. It is my hope that you will join me in this endeavor as we embark on the next year of our journey together.

There is no doubt that the accountability standards placed upon us have brought increased and often unwelcomed pressure to our daily work lives. The pressures placed upon educators to improve student outcomes have brought about a certain “blame game.” It appears as though the only consistent message is that educators are not doing enough or are not good enough to meet the demands of the government, the media, or the communities who depend on the American Education System to make a difference.

The pressures mentioned above bring about many responses from those in positions such as ours. Some choose to attribute underperformance to an inadequately funded education system while others point to the breakdown of families. Lately many politicians have pointed to the existence and nature of teacher unions as the problem while those in colleges and universities have held the entire American Educational Model as broken or flawed when compared to those in other countries. There may be some truth to these macro-level responses along with micro-level issues such as the influence of technology in the lives of our students.

As early as 1935, an author by the name of Harry McKown recognized that schools are in the most unique position to impact the development of individuals and society as a whole. He wrote, “Because of its strategic position, as represented by setting, materials, personnel, and leadership, it [school] can assist in the development of profitable experiences through the building of concepts (generalized thinking) and confacts (generalized conduct) that will be valuable in somewhat situations outside.” I believe that these words serve to solidify our positions as educators. Seventy-five years ago, Mr. McKown recognized that schools can and will make a difference.

This is not a time to blame. This is a time for us to accept our responsibility as those who are best poised to impact, improve, and provide promise for our students, their families, and this community. We are stakeholders who will continue to see issues develop, and when we put forth the effort to be accountable, responsible, and engaged, we have and will continue to make tremendous progress in seeing our clearly defined vision and mission becoming a reality for every student in our school district.