Meeting Every Need

THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.

~ Thomas Paine

The second tornado clean-up day was worthwhile and rewarding; but, somehow, there was not the gusto felt on the first. A little more time had passed, the weather was not as accommidating, fewer students were able to participate . . . there were many reasons.

Motivation can be a difficult current to sustain. The workout is less exciting as time goes on, the diet less motivating, the dress is no longer new. The publicity and the excitment passed, but the work remained.

School is an endless clean-up day for many students; six hours spent looking at an endless horizon. These children come to school and spend their day doing what is most difficult for them. They run into walls and stumble over barriers day after day without an end in sight. Assignments are much like the fields littered with debis, acres and acres of work.

Our community rallied around those impacted by the tornado. We helped, encouraged, and offered supports. Do we do this for our students? Do we provide bridges over barriers, yardsticks to measure progress, and the necessary tools for success?

My family’s farm was not in the path of the tornado. No one has arrived to clean our fields, and it would be ridiculous for me to expect anyone to do so; there is not a need. Why then, do we withhold needed assistance from students if we can’t provide identical assistance to every child? Is this not equally ridiculous?

The efforts of our community and schools after the recent disaster are uplifting. I was honored to witness and participate in these projects. Good thinkers are able to transfer skills to new situations. Let us take what we have learned in the fields and apply it in our schools.