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Health & Fitness

Sightseeing and Squishy Lollipops

The School of Engineering and Arts had a strong showing at the information night. Another one is planned for February 23rd.

To live is to choose.  But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.  -Kofi Annan

Some of you may have heard about - or experienced - the Family Information Night for the School of Engineering and Arts at Olson Elementary School in the Robbinsdale Area School District this past Monday.  Now, before I go there, I apologize that I haven't written a blog post lately.  I've been somewhat busy penning squishy lollipops and getting ready for sightseers.

I've been in education for a long time, and I have put on my share of family information nights - open houses for families while I was teaching, and family information nights once I became a coordinator of magnet schools and programs.  I'm no schmuck when it comes to planning - whether it be for a dinner party, a unit on the Constitution of the United States - or a family information night. 

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However, I was not prepared for Monday's turnout.  We wanted to get the word out to families both in and around our district, and we did a very good job of that.  We wanted to make sure that families could attend.  We didn't plan for snow, because we all know we haven't really gotten snow this winter.  Many people worked very very hard to get things ready for our prospective families.  I was going to be happy if 200 people showed up.  We far exceeded that number. 

I tweeted that night about a second family information night, which will be on Thursday, February 23rd at 6pm, again at Olson Elementary.  Why Olson?  Why not have it in an auditorium somewhere?  Because I believe it was and is very important to talk about a school in that school.  Not in some other school.  Families needed to see something when they heard about the program.  I think it was a good call, and I'd make it again. 

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A recent comment on a blog talked about "sightseers" to the Family Information Night, and I have to say, I doubt too many people are going out into the snow, searching for a place to park, just to sightsee at a school.  Maybe I'm wrong.  But I do believe that most of the people there were there to get information.  Good thing I called it a Family Information Night - maybe it helped those perpetual "school sightseers" (of which I doubt there are many, except for the author of the blog post).  I am glad we are offering a second family information night - and we will be presenting the same information, for those of you who couldn't attend or those of you who could - and this time it will be in the cafeteria, which is a little larger, with planning for overflow.  We will still have the model classrooms, still be offering childcare for those children ages 3 and older, and will still be taking questions and answers.  If you were unable to make it on Monday, or were one of those who couldn't hear very well, I encourage you to attend.

What you won't get is "squishy lollipops" - the other item in the above-mentioned blog post that I am accused of penning.  I don't create things that don't exist.  I don't promise things that I don't deliver.  One of the "squishy lollipops" mentioned was the phrase "unparalleled opportunity in the arts".  Tell me, Robbinsdale Area Schools community (and those outside the community) - are those words untrue?  The arts in this district are absolutely, utterly amazing.  For those of you who haven't ventured beyond the borders of your community, I'll let you know that few districts in the state of Minnesota, let alone in the country, offer orchestra district-wide beginning in fourth grade.  To me, that is a shining example of "unparalleled".  The choirs, the theatre, the bands, all of it - it's amazing and something for which our communities are, and should be, very, very proud. 

It is not a "squishy lollipop".  Neither is teaching critical skills of divergent thinking and using engineering standards beginning in kindergarten, along with an emphasis on career exploration, to build "creative innovation".  I encourage people who are critical of this school in particular, or magnet schools in general, to think in a divergent way, and I encourage them to use their time to volunteer in our schools to help our children.  The Robbinsdale Area Schools are very good and are getting even better.  Our families are smart and savvy, and they are looking for schools that are the best fit for their children.  That's what school choice does.  It provides different opportunities for different people.  I'm looking for opportunities for my son right now, and the School of Engineering and Arts is something I'm contemplating.  This school isn't "overpromising".  Maybe that's another reason why it was good to hold the parent information meeting at Olson - because families needed to see that this was reality.  Yes, there is a lot of work to be done, and there are a lot of dedicated people working on it.  Will it be ready in the fall?  Yes.  Will it be perfect?  What school is perfect??? 

Will there be mistakes along the way?  Why, of course there will be.  We had a faulty microphone on Monday.  We prepared for a large crowd, but not nearly as large as that came.  People make mistakes every day, but they don't make them intentionally.  I don't pen flowery words that aren't backed by truth.  Like Mr. Annan said, I know who I am and what I stand for.  I am an honest and hardworking educator who stands for the children.  Every day, all day. 

I may actually give them a real lollipop once in awhile, too, but I'll save the dum-dums for others.

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