School Matters Week of 4/18/2022

A couple months ago, I was preparing for a board meeting. I was busy taking care of some student issues just minutes before the meeting started. When I was able to switch my focus from solving student issues to preparing for the meeting, I had only a few minutes to get everything ready. I quickly started putting together all of the documents that I needed, and it took me longer than I anticipated. I had about 2 minutes before the meeting started, but I could not find the remote which would advance the PowerPoint. I normally keep the remote in my top desk drawer, but a frantic search through the drawer was unsuccessful. I looked through several other drawers and still could not locate it. I searched the top desk drawer again but to no avail. Eventually, I abandoned the search and went to the meeting. Fortunately, there was a spare in the boardroom and all was well. After the meeting was over, I went back up stairs and placed the jump drive into my top drawer. I was surprised to see the remote laying there in plain sight.

There are a number of reasons why we cannot see things. One reason for our failure to see is a physiologically and neurological process when we are under stress. We are one of a few animals who experience stress that does not arise from a sense of danger. Most animals will only experience stress when they are attacked or sense their life is in danger. A fascinating neurological process happens when we are stressed. First, the brain sends out a number of chemicals to prepare the body for fight or flight. Our heart rate is elevated, our respiratory system kicks into high gear, and our prefrontal lobe shuts down to divert energy to other parts of the brain needed to run or fight. Second, key areas of the brain will actually prevent the occipital lobe from processing anything that is not a present danger.

My brain would not actually let me see the remote because it was not a danger to me. Many may have a similar experience. We are late for work or a meeting and cannot find our keys or papers. We search in a panic, but our stress level will not allow us to find them. Our spouse comes by and points to our keys laying on the table in plain sight. It is difficult to see non-threatening physical items when we are stressed. In addition, we seldom see good solutions to problems when we are stressed.

Another reason we fail to see things is that we do not have the background knowledge to understand what we are seeing. For example, I took my daughter deer hunting, and I saw a deer in the brush. I attempted to point out the deer to her but no matter how hard I tried, she could not see the deer. Eventually, I understood that I did not really see the complete deer either. I saw the black of the eyes/nose in a batch of brown. I filled in the rest of the deer with my knowledge of what a deer would look like in heavy brush. Often, we cannot see things that are evident to others because we do not have the necessary background knowledge to fill in the non-visible areas.

Preconceived ideas and biases are often another reason why we cannot see another viewpoint or opinion. My wife and I recently had a discussion about renovating a house which we had recently purchased. I explained to her my renovation ideas, but she failed to fully appreciate the brilliance of my architectural skills. She proceeded to express her design ideas which I thought were less than stellar. The conversation continued to become more animated and emotionally charged. Eventually, we discovered both of our ideas were virtually identical, but we had not been open to those ideas being expressed in a slightly different way. I am concerned we are often so focused on convincing others of our opinions are right and we fail to see we are on the same side and the argument is not needed.

Others simply choose to be argumentative and will not see the value of another person’s viewpoint. Several years ago, I attended a meeting and the public comment section of the agenda was a highly emotional and spirited event. Most of the speakers that night were of the same opinion but clearly did not hold the majority viewpoint of the entire community. It was a relatively small group, and it was almost entertaining to watch them as long as you were not the governing body who were the target of their anger. I said to my principal that this was ridiculous, and these individuals should not have the right to speak. He argued that these were the very people who did have the right to speak because their voice had to be part of the conversation. He explained that our voice may not always carry with the majority, but we need to uphold the right of the minority to speak. We did not have to change procedures to meet their demands, but their voices should be heard. We may often ignore and fail to see the wisdom of others simply because we do not agree with specifics tenants of their belief system. In these situations, we tend to dismiss those individuals entirely.

Regardless of the reasons, it is extremely important we are able to see and fully appreciate the viewpoints of others. We need to be able to see innovated solutions which have escaped us for hundreds of years because we did not have the imagination to see other possibilities. More than ever, we need to see the value in those who may stand in opposition to us. In this manner, we may discover the common ground which holds us all together, and that our differences are not all that different.

Please review the following information and contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Also, please remember to email Mrs. Webb (webbk@hcboe.net) if you have other questions you would like us to address in future articles.

1. We will conduct a ground-breaking ceremony for the New Lincoln Elementary School on April 29 at 4:00 p.m. We will have the ceremony at the new school site off of Martin Luther King Boulevard. The new site is located on the left-hand side of MLK (if coming from town) about a mile before the intersection of MLK and Route 160. Please review our website for directions. Everyone is invited.

2. Graduation will be held on May 20 this year. West High School is scheduled to graduate at 4:00 P.M. We will dismiss school at West High School at 1:00 p.m. on May 20 to allow staff and students to prepare for graduation. Students may leave at 1:00 if they have their own transportation. Buses will run on a normal schedule, and staff will be at school to supervise those students needing to ride a bus. It is important to note that only West High School is dismissing early on May 20.

3. May 23 is scheduled as an early release day. Typically, this abbreviated day is dedicated to the distribution of report cards, taking care of any outstanding fees, and saying goodbye to friends for the summer. This is not a strong instructional day for us. All buildings will be open, and staff will be at school. Buses will run the normal morning schedule. Most buildings will disseminate report cards on May 20. It is not necessary for students to attend school on May 23 if they already have their report cards and have taken care of all fees and obligations. They will not be counted absence if all of these requirements are met.

4. Please make sure that you check with the school and take care of all outstanding debts. This is the time of the year when lunch accounts are running at a negative balance and library books have not been returned. Please make sure all of these responsibilities are addressed before the end of school. We sincerely appreciate your help!

5. Schools will be closed on May 3 for the primary elections.

.

We are living in an age where we have unprecedented access to information, knowledge, and data. We should possess the ability to have infinite vision and sight. However, as our ability to see the entire world has dramatically expanded, I am concerned our vision has receded. Many of us become more entrenched in our own ideas that we are unable to see the views of others. When we should be at the height of our power to see the world, our vision is very focused and limited to our own life. It may be a good time to review our “eyesight” and see what we are missing in this world. That expanded and clearer vision may open up other worlds for us. Thanks for your attention to this article and remember, School Matters!