Teaching and Learning Consulting Network, LLC
Contact us
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Connect With Us
    • Costs
  • Professional Learning
    • 7 PL Standards
    • Adult Learners
    • Change Models
    • Leadership
  • Curriculum
    • Curriculum Design
  • Vicki's Blog

Vicki's Blog

My thoughts on education, improvement, and life itself.  Enjoy!

TLC Home

Where Did the Time Go? 

4/22/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
I'm feeling a lot of things these days.... joyful, grateful, sentimental, and overwhelmed at times too.  So this will probably not be the last of my blogs that have their origins in wedding plans.   My son gets married in 5 short weeks.  Where did the time go?  There are last minute details that are being taken care of  (yes, I know my list is a lot shorter than the bride's list), and some that didn't have to be last minute, but suddenly are. Wasn't it just a couple of days ago that my son proposed and they decided it would be 2 years before they would be married?  Guess what?  That time is here.  Again I ask, Where did the time go?

Pictures are a special part of our family's lives.  Every big event gets to have its "story told."  I have compiled many photo albums over the years and in the last few years have turned to digital photo books to capture the story of our lives.  Major vacations, anniversaries, milestone birthdays, graduations, and now the wedding.... all get a photographic keepsake.  We use them as reference books to pinpoint when something occurred or to clear up hazy memories.  In essence, those many volumes are family history books.  We are fortunate that our daughter has taken photography to the professional level and we can enjoy the fruits of her photographic talents.  My camera, and now my phone, have always been handy for a quick picture of what we're doing or even for a selfie now and then!   We have taken many family pictures when I set up my camera on some semi-stable object, clicked the right buttons and then ran to get positioned in the shot before the shutter clicked.  I am glad that as I get older, and my running has slowed down, the ability to turn the camera view around and take a selfie has eliminated the need to run during photos (although I still have to get my head positioned correctly - dang bifocals!).  

Some would say I'm a little obsessive.  All the double prints we made over the years are organized in boxes and labeled by individual person or family group.  It makes it handy when we need some pictures for an event.  When a tornado warning has been issued for our area, I think about the people course of action first, then how I can grab my computer, phone, and purse, but I also think about how I'm going to save a few of those precious pictures.  That is one of the blessings of digital photography and the technology that allows us to save it in a cloud (ironic that we use digital clouds for storage but real clouds form tornadoes!).  That is comforting to obsessed people like me.

Why am I focusing on photographs as a topic for my blog post?  Last weekend, my son and I spent a rainy day going through countless pictures for the 2 projects we were working on for the wedding.  As I put the picture show together, my heart filled with love, pride, and a little wistfulness with each passing photo.  I have wondered many times, aloud and to myself, where the time has gone.  The pictures reminded me of everyday memories I had forgotten, and awakened feelings I had been too busy to allow to come to the surface.  I smiled at their smiles, chuckled at parental hair styles and color, and wondered why I thought I was fat all those years ago!  (Sorry I digress! )  He took snap-chats to send to his fiance of pictures he found that were funny or cute, but they would not use.  She was supposed to be in weekend class, so this was probably a welcome distraction for her....or not! 


The pictures we selected took us on a walk through their lives, leading up to the time they met as fellow trombone players in the K-State Marching Band, and the subsequent courtship, as Paul Harvey would say, "the rest of the story." Their first picture together portrayed tentative smiles, almost forced.  Yet just a few short weeks later, those smiles reflected true happiness and the love that was growing between them.   I have seen pictures of his fiance's early life and I want to ask questions and have her tell me the stories behind those smiles and poses.  A picture comes alive when it is connected to a story.  And we deepen our connection with others with the stories we share.

I don't know how differently we would look at life if someone hadn't developed the capability to take pictures and preserve memories of loved ones, special places and events. Without these visual cues, many things would fade from our memory.   While many people have boxes with pictures thrown in them, I have been a little OCD about taking pictures, putting them in scrapbooks and now digitally storing them.  I am grateful for times like this which afford me the opportunity to spend hours simply remembering.


Photos spark interest and connect us to others.  At weddings we use pictures to bring people together, to learn more about the other family, and create new bonds.  At funerals we use pictures to comfort each other with memories of a life well-lived.  Photos can make us feel like we were there.  I have always loved looking at pictures of places I wanted to visit.  I called them my vicarious vacation photos!  As a teacher, photos help students "see" what you want them to learn, or create interest or appeal.  Textbooks and cookbooks are so much easier for us to learn from when there are pictures.  As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. 

These moments, captured by film, or digitally as we do today, are treasures. As the credit card commercial reminds us, they may even be "priceless."  Stories associated with those cherished pictures make them all the more real and strengthen the bond between the story teller and the listener.  On Sunday we honored and remembered all the musicians in our church, past and present.  Included in this celebration were pictures, and stories of those who have provided us with music each week by playing the piano, organ, or some other musical instrument.  We told stories; we sang their favorite songs; we laughed and remembered days gone by.  But then we dedicated our new electric piano that can do so many things because of the technology that makes up for the talent we lack.  With the push of a button our music can sound like an orchestra instead of a single musician.  And such is our life.  


While the photos we enjoy bring back many memories of wonderful times spent with family and friends, we can hold them close; we can remember, but we can't live in the past or the way it used to be.  It is important to remember, honor, learn from, and take the time to make those connections to our past, but equally important to recognize that life is to be lived forward.  By doing that we will make new memories and the cycle will continue.

So while I finish up on the picture show that will debut at the rehearsal dinner, I will also be thinking about the pictures I'll be looking at in 10 years or 20 years from now.  Who will be new to our family photos?  Who will be missing?  Where will we have traveled?  What goals will have been achieved?  What lessons will have been learned?  Once again I'll look back and think, "Where has the time gone?"

1 Comment

I Hope the Kids Win

4/3/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
There is a lot of turmoil these days in the sleepy bedroom community that I call home.  There's nothing like the school to get people excited at times and upset at other times.  I am passionate about our school.  I have many fond memories as a student, teacher, coach, parent, and now grandparent.  But we can't live in the past and moving forward often causes discomfort even when its best for kids.

In a small town, the school is the centerpiece of the community.  It is the biggest employer.  It takes care of our children.  It hosts many events that bring people together within the community and from outside the community.  It provides us with many opportunities in which we can be proud.  It also is a target for those who like to complain and a scapegoat for some to blame.  Right now our school (and community) are not only getting ready for Easter weekend celebrations, but we are also cheering on the students who are participating at the State competition in Science Olympiad.  But storm clouds loom over us too as we are also preparing for a big vote on Tuesday....a bond issue, not to build a new building, but to repair and remodel existing facilities to make them safer and more efficient.  There are 2 distinct positions and both are anchored by passionate people who believe they are right.  In the end I hope the kids win.

I tried to go to sleep tonight but my mind needed to think, and ultimately write.  A very large ad, paid for by the opposition to the bond issue, was published in this week's local newspaper, encouraging my hometown folks to vote an emphatic "NO!" on the bond issue. I read it.  Several times.  The author of the ad asked some legitimate questions and made some unnecessary complaints that detracted from their message.  While I respect their right to hold an opposing view, I feel like supporters need to speak up too.   There is no time for a letter to the editor to rebut the ad because the vote is in a few days.  So my sleeplessness has turned me to activism in the only way I know how, by publishing a new post on my blog which will be shared on social media.  Even if just a few read it, perhaps it will help us emerge from this turmoil with solutions instead of creating bigger problems so that in the end, the kids will win.


Any time a change is about to occur, the solution sought by some may feel like a problem to others.  It is important that leaders and stakeholders recognize and honor different perceptions, and make every effort to answer the "why" questions that people have if the desired change is to be realized.  Many of the questions raised in the political ad were indeed "why" questions.

I have lived in this community for nearly my entire life.  I taught here 28 years too.  Probably the most significant thing that could be improved (and doesn't cost anything!) is communication between the school and the patrons.  I can tell you that the community elects school board members to make decisions for them, but in all honesty, we (as a school) could do better at being transparent in the thought processes behind significant decisions that are made.  That said, over the years, when the school holds informational meetings, they are often poorly attended regardless of the topic, and those in attendance often have a direct tie to the school through employment or as board members.  We can all do better at communicating (which includes listening) and if we do, kids will win.

I was understanding of the questions that were raised in the ad in terms of ensuring that appropriate bids (or at least estimates) were gathered and all options thoroughly considered ahead of the decisions that were made.  But the biggest complaint seems to be about raising taxes because of the fiscally conservative views held by this group.  I sincerely believe the School Board considered their options and made the best decision they could.  Many times we have cut instead of raising taxes.  Sometimes more "cutting" doesn't "cut it."  The school's hands are currently tied as the Kansas Legislature holds them hostage with extraordinary cuts and budget shenanigans.  Timing is critical because with the new block grant bill that was just passed, the opportunity to get matching state funds ends as of July 1.  If we don't pass the bond issue, then another try in the future will cost us even more money since the state funding option will be gone.  As I noted earlier, what some view as a solution, others view as a problem.

Let's look at some history.  When the track was built in for use in the 1987-88 school year, it was the show piece of Northeast Kansas. Regular maintenance to keep it that way was was part of the deal.  As I was concluding my tenure as Athletic Director in 1998, the track was scheduled to be resurfaced as part of that maintenance plan. It did not happen. Up until then, all the recommendations had been followed.  From that point on, the track has had only minimal repairs to cracks and some occasional paint (I was coaching track during this time so I experienced it's decline.)  The surface is no longer quality, in fact it has some parts that are dangerous.  Area schools are putting in new tracks that have 7 or 8 lanes so they can be used to host Regional Competition, but our proposal was to only repair what we have now (6 lanes).  It is a safety issue as well as a responsibility of the school and its patrons to take care of what we own and maintain a quality facility for our students' use.  If that happens, then the kids will win.

The roof falls into the same category as the track.  At some point, all the repairs that can be done are done and replacement is necessary.  I hope we won't wait until the roof is lifting up when the wind blows like the purple gym roof did while I was trying to teach in there before we replace it!  I can speak from personal experience on our own barn that if you don't regularly maintain it, then it will have to be replaced.  As the old car service commercial used to say, "Pay me now, or pay me later."  It is now later.  All I really want to see is that the kids win.

The kitchen and lunchroom space has been an issue for many years.  In fact the original plan when the second gym was built was to place it next to the purple gym and include a commons area to use for serving lunch.  But that didn't happen.  The gym was placed in a different location and the kitchen and lunchroom problems continued (and worsened).  (Note:  The ad says they didn't have a 2nd gym in 1990, but it was in the works then.)  Imagine the timing and length of athletic practices and physical education classes now if there weren't 2 gyms?  Just because we didn't have it (other things apply here too) when you were in school doesn't mean it wasn't or isn't needed.  The fine arts addition was put on to accommodate the increasing number of students participating in those programs and to deal with the acoustical issues that were causing hearing loss for staff members who were in the too small facilities they replaced.  Back to the kitchen, the issues with the drain continued to mount and caused the school to use paper plates since before I left and that was over 5 years ago!  That is not a good environmental practice and limits what the cooks can serve.  It seems to me that if it was easily fixable during the summer, it would have already been done. 

Keeping our kids safe in severe weather is another concern and why a safe space is being considered.  The time it takes to get students to the basement is too long and not all students fit there anyway (and never have).  It is not handicapped accessible without going outside.  The ad mentions the inclusion of an elevator or lift.  Those aren't cheap and they don't work when the power is out. 

Taxes are not anyone's favorite thing to pay.  But the investment in our children's education (and the facilities are part of that experience) is the hope and promise for our future.  We want people to buy houses and come to live in our community.  To do that we have to offer them a reason to come and quality educational experiences are one of the biggest factors.  When people come, businesses thrive, as well as the school, which makes the community thrive.  The city itself has put a lot on its citizens with a high tax rates and utility costs that are stressful to limited budgets.  Perhaps that is a place to start when talking about how to minimize the tax burden.  Unfortunately we aren't Johnson County where a sales tax generates a lot of money for schools and can be supported by all those who are consumers not just property owners.  Everything costs money, even that very expensive large ad taken out by the "NO" group.  It's all about priorities.  My priority is with the kids.  When the kids win we all win.  They will always have my vote.

0 Comments

    Author

    Vicki Bechard, 
    Owner and Lead Consultant

    I express myself best when I write, even though most who know me think I talk quite a bit!  

    I'm an educator first and foremost whether my students are kids, teachers, or my own children and grandchildren.  

    Archives

    August 2017
    July 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012

    Categories

    All
    Action
    Anniversary
    Anticipation
    Attitude
    Beginnings
    Be Present
    Blessings
    Bloom
    Bridges
    Change
    Circumstances
    Common Core
    Curriculum Planning
    Doing
    Endings
    Expectations
    Failure
    Fear
    Fight Or Flight
    #ForeverRoyal
    Foundation
    Friendship
    Fun
    Graduation
    Headlines
    Healthy
    Joy
    Kansans Can
    Kansas
    Kinda
    Kindness
    #ksleg
    K State
    K-State
    Leadership
    Lean In
    Life
    Make A Difference
    Memories
    Mom
    Moments
    NCAA Basketball
    Nurses
    Optimism
    Persevere
    Pets
    Photographs
    Play
    Positive Intent
    Prairie Burning
    Pro Bowl
    Productive Struggles
    Professional Learning
    Purpose
    Reflection
    Relationships
    Relevance
    Resiliency
    Resolutions
    Respect
    Response
    Rigor
    Royals
    School Improvement
    School Shooting
    Sorta
    Spring
    Success
    Surviving
    Taken For Granted
    Teachers
    Teamwork
    Thankful
    The Dash
    Understanding By Design
    Weddings
    Why
    Winter
    World Series

    RSS Feed

Contact us at vickib@teachingandlearningnetwork.com
20064 K-92 Hwy, McLouth, KS  66054
913-796-6241