Thankful for our School

Parents and Students:

It is only right, at this special time of the year, that we pause for a moment and ask ourselves just what it is that we have to be thankful for. Since our district has set aside an entire week for our students to celebrate this special day, I think it fitting that we, as a district let you know what it is that we give thanks for.

The answer is not always at our fingertips, and it is not always clear. We see politicians fighting every day, we read the headlines of newspapers, we listen to the voices from the radio, and we watch images on television. We see crime, the results of war, hunger, poverty, degradation, and racial tensions. While we are constantly confronted with these negative images, make no mistake about it, there is so much that is good and worthwhile in this world and in our nation. If we look for it, we can find it in individuals who give of themselves in every way. If we look for it, we can find love conquering hate every single day. Whatever negatives are on the media, our school and our Como and Pickton communities are not reflective of them, and we are thankful for that.

At Como-Pickton CISD, we are also thankful for our nation, our state, and our community. We proudly fly our national, state, and school flag over our facilities. We are thankful for our military men and women who have protected our liberties in the past, and we sleep comfortably at night knowing that they will protect our way of life in the future. We are thankful for our first responders, in whom we too often take for granted. We are thankful for our parents who trust us enough to bring us the most important things in their lives, their children. We are thankful for our staff who continue to show love, care and patience to our students. We are thankful for our school board who give up countless hours of their time as they make sure our school is the best it can be. We are thankful for our churches and our local businesses who go out of their way to support our schools and programs.

Most importantly, though, we are thankful for our students. We are thankful for their smiles, their efforts, their personalities, and the trust that they place in us for their education.

As many of our students’ families will be traveling for the break, we will ask in our own individual ways that your travels be safe and that your time spent with family will be rewarding and meaningful.

On behalf of the faculty and staff of Como-Pickton CISD, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

Dr. Greg Bower

Luckiest Superintendent in the State

Today is a stressful time for educators. The state puts more and more demands on our students and our staff with mandated tests and extra requirements. It seems like every legislative year, they add three times as many mandates and take away almost none of the pre-existing ones. As I inch closer to the halfway point of my twenty-first year in education, though, I have realized one thing that never seems to change. Our teachers continue to have a passion for kids, and our students never fail to surprise me on how far they rise to meet the ongoing challenges of our world today. I have people tell me over again that kids are different today than they once were. You know what, I agree. They are different, but they aren’t different in the negative manner that the people who say that think they are. They are different because it is a different time than when we grew up. People complain that their kids are always on their phones, and those same people can’t put their phones down when having a conversation with me about it. I see Facebook warriors put down kids and put down schools by saying that the schools have gone downhill since they took religion out of the schools, but those same warriors keep their children home from church on Sundays. I hear folks make comments about students needing a good spanking, but they don’t spank their own children. This may sound negative on my part, but I assure you that my main point is that in these past twenty-one years, one thing has remained certain. Kids are inherently good, and the more and more pressures that the world places on them, they continue to demonstrate to me that they are inherently good.

In our school district, that has never been more true! I think that we have the best students in the country, and I firmly believe that I am the luckiest superintendent in the state! I have a very small twelve foot by twelve-foot office, but I have two windows to the outside that remind me how lucky I am every single day. Out of one of them, our Pre-K students come to the window and pound on it until I come over to talk to them for the day. They knock and knock and knock until I get away from my desk and open the window to talk to them. They don’t want much, but they all have smiles on their faces and they tell me about how much they have learned for the day. They want to show me their shoes or what shirt they have on, or they want to show me how fast they can run. Sometimes they ask me if my “mama” is in the house with me, so I ask my office ladies to come to the window to say how to them. I won’t say in this blog which one of the office ladies they consider to be my mom, but she knows! Those kiddos are excited to be in school. They want to learn. They want to see their teachers every day, and they are innocent and sweet. Their teachers love them, and they love their teachers. That was the same twenty-one years ago, and it is the same today. Every year, a new group of students come to my window, and they tell me the same things and show me the same things and hope for the same things. They want to love and be loved. The first picture that you see above is of this year’s group of kiddos who come to visit me at the window. They aren’t my kids, and yet they are… and I love them.

Someone may point out that those students are sweet and good because they are so little. I would argue that no matter what grade a child is in, they are the same. They want to love and be loved. From our Pre-K to our seniors, our students want to fit in, be accepted, and be praised. Our teachers want to praise them, and build positive relationships with them. Certainly, our kiddos do things from time to time to that are unacceptable, but I would argue that kids are kids. When they act out, they get disciplined. Students acted out when they were our age, and they act out today. Nothing has changed with that. Every single day, I see our elementary, junior high, and high school students and think how proud I am and how respectable they are. I was reminded of this the other day when our football players, coaches, and principal welcomed the chance to go and cheer on our band so that they can return the favor of the band cheering them on every Friday night. It made my heart feel good to watch them respect their classmates and honor them in that way. It doesn’t stop there, though. I see this positive atmosphere out of our students every single day. While the community usually only hears about or witnesses negative actions from our youth, I wish they could see what I see on a daily basis. Como-Pickton CISD truly has great kids, and yes, they mess up from time to time. The other picture that you see above is of our football team at the band contest the other day. They aren’t my kids, and yet they are…. And I love them. I am the luckiest superintendent in the state.

Friday Morning Breakfasts are More Important than Friday Night Lights

I know that most of you have heard that famous saying that it takes a village to raise a child. I have found this to be a rather accurate statement as most veteran educators can attest. As I visited one of our local churches this morning, I reflected on this old proverb again. In late September, most school communities have Friday Night Lights seared into their heads. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think that football as well as all other extra-curricular events are vital parts of our school. More than that, I think that they are essentially necessary in many of our students’ lives. As a former coach, I absolutely love seeing our community come together in one venue to cheer and celebrate our students. Any high school principal or superintendent who has been in our business a while will tell you that the school year runs much more efficiently both academically and in discipline when our extra-curriculum programs are successful. In the Fall, especially, more than half of our student body participates in some type of activity that will leave a life-lasting impression on them. On Friday nights our Cheerleaders, Band, Football Team, Volleyball team in the gym, Flag Corp, Bleacher Creatures, and last Friday night even our Ag students as well as several other school groups learn structure, loyalty, strategy, the value of a team, and the importance of what it means to be a good teammate. They learn how to take pride in an organization, and they learn how to take pride in themselves. While I am cognizant of the continued growth and success in many of our programs and the swelling of student, staff, and community pride that has resulted, I want you to know that as your proud superintendent I believe Friday Morning Breakfasts are much more important for our students than Friday Night Lights.

Let me explain that a little better. Every Friday morning in the fall, our community churches invite our young men and women in high school to voluntary fellowship, outreach, and breakfast. They strictly follow all UIL rules and guidelines, and they make it a point to take time out of their personal lives to do something meaningful for our students. You and I know that the communities of Como and Pickton are small, rural areas, but the support is overwhelmingly positive. I believe that every single one of our local churches participates in one way or another in working with our school. They see our community members model servant leadership. They hear positive and spiritual messages from pastors, ministers, and leaders who are the very folks who come to the games to cheer them on. They learn manners of receiving and giving thanks. They see people of different religions and denominations working toward the same goals. They say that it takes a village to raise a child. I say our village is healthy and our children are blessed and highly favored. Aside from the various churches that volunteer to help our school and children outside of our district lines, I want to say a special thanks to the following churches in our district boundaries. Thank you so much for the love, patience, guidance, and support you show to our school every day and every week. We are proud to be a part of your village. Greenpond Baptist, Winterfield Baptist, Harmony Assembly of God, Fellowship Baptist, Como United Methodist, Bright Star, Pickton United Methodist, Tabernacle Baptist, Color Blind Ministries, and Black Oak Baptist.

For those of you who are not in our district, feel free to let us know what you do special to keep your village healthy. We would love to share ideas that might help!

Some Librarians Work in Castles

When I walk down the hall as a superintendent, and I see students carrying their library books as they head toward the library, I always smile to myself. I enjoy seeing the smiles on our students’ faces as they talk about which books they had and which ones they wanted to get. It always reminds me of the very same excitement that I had as a child when one of my teachers would take my class to the library. I have always loved to read, but I remember that even the friends that I had that did not like to read very much always did as much due diligence looking for a book that they might like as I did. Each one of them – pulling a book down, looking at it, studying the cover, and putting it back -in hopes of finding one that might be just a little bit more appealing. The same excitement I had when I was a child walking into my school’s library is the same excitement that I have now when I see students excited about a book. I know many of you know me as a stickler for rules, but I am going to let you in on a childhood secret. When I was in elementary, I would often times ask my teacher if I could use the bathroom. Instead of going to the restroom like I had asked, I would visit the library. I would talk to my librarian about the book that I was reading, and she would ask me questions. I loved the library so much, because my librarian stoked the desire that I had to want to read more. (For those of you who don’t know it, children sometimes don’t do what they say they are going to do.) I don’t advocate for our students to break the rules in order to see the librarians, but that is the kind of power a librarian has. Our students are blessed to have Mrs. Powers, Mrs. Binky, Mrs. Myrna, and Mrs. Sherri as their librarians because they show that passion and desire to help students find a love for books! EVERY-SINGLE-DAY.

As an educator I am always mindful of the teachers that shape the lives of children, but I am also mindful of the incredible librarians that we have who work to introduce books as meaningful parts of children’s lives. At Como-Pickton, I believe that we have some of the very best librarians in the state. I have never seen one of our librarians when they were not showing love, care, and patience with students as they work. When you walk into either of our libraries, it just feels like a special place. In fact, our libraries almost have a magical quality to them for our kiddos in the way that they are decorated. You can see this in the pictures that I posted in this blog of our elementary library. It’s a special place because the people who work in there make sure that it is special. When our ladies read a story to our elementary angels, they do it inside of the reading castle that is built just for them.

When I see a student with a book, I always try to make it a point to ask them what book they are reading. They are not only excited and willing to tell me, but they usually get into describing the book for me and telling me what it’s all about if I ask them. I challenge you to do the same thing the next time you see your student or child reading something. When you do, sit back and read the expression on their face as they explain it. If they are getting into their book, stoke the fire for them to want to read more. If they are not, guide them to try something they might enjoy more. Teaching doesn’t just happen within the walls of a classroom. It takes place in libraries, within the walls of all of our homes, and anywhere else we encounter children. The type of reader our children grow up to be, depends on the encouragement we’ve given them when they are growing up. Encourage a child to read, and share your story here with us.

Angel Wings, Air Bubbles, and Snot Bubbles

For this week’s blog, I struggled with a little bit of writer’s block. As I stood in the cafeteria today and watched the Pre-Kindergarten teachers bring their students out of the cafeteria on their way back to their classrooms, that writer’s block quickly dissolved.

There I stood, at the exit door of the elementary cafeteria, waving at all of the little ones who were lining up to be taken back to their classes. They were all restless as you can imagine little four years olds to be. Watching them in their sweet little lines reminded me of watching an ant mound after someone poked a stick into it. They were all smiling, shifting in their places, and generally doing everything except standing still. Several were talking to me at the same time, trying to tell me their names or how old they were, while others were waving at me and trying to give me fist bumps. Then their teacher, Mrs. Lynn, addressed them all and they started the process of leaving the cafeteria. As they left with air bubbles and angel wings, Mrs. Lynn focused on one young man who had the largest snot bubble I have ever seen in my life and which covered an abnormally large area on the side of his face. Though I was drawn into my own thoughts of how could that much snot exist on one child’s face, I remembered my own child as I am sure all of you have fond, or not so fond, memories of a similar instance happening with your own child. I looked at Mrs. Lynn and said with as much sincerity as I could muster at the time, “Mrs. Lynn, better you than me.” And I can promise you that I meant exactly what I said. (Let me stop here and explain air bubbles and angel wings for those who do not know the terminology. For those of us who spend, or spent, their teaching careers in secondary schools rather than in elementary, we are not accustomed to such terminology. Since beginning my tenure as a superintendent, though, my elementary colleagues have taught me that air bubbles are what teachers tell their students to hold in their mouths in order to occupy themselves in order that they may not talk in the halls and disturb other classes. Angel wings are what they look like when they place their hands behind their backs as they walk down the halls so that they may not disturb each other. This has been an invaluable lesson to me, and I am thankful for my elementary staff for enlightening me!)

I have no doubt that as soon as Mrs. Lynn got that student inside of her classroom where she had at least an entire roll of paper towels or a full box of Kleenex at her disposal, she cleaned that young man up. The reason that I have no doubt that this happened even without having to witness it, is because I know that Mrs. Lynn cares for and loves her students. I also have no doubt that any other teacher in our elementary school would do this very exact thing for a child in their classroom. The best thing about our school, is that our teachers love children. They are not their own children, but they love them enough to clean wads of snot off of their faces every single day. They love them enough to do it caringly and patiently and often times with more dignity than that child’s own parent might show. School is most certainly intended to be a place where students learn, but I insist that it can’t be just that. School has to be a place where students are loved, guided, cared for, and even cleaned up when needed. For students to be successful in school, which often times transfers to success in later life, they rely on professional educators who live by an unspoken oath of loving their students unconditionally. The world needs more teachers who take on this oath, and I am thankful that our school is full of them.

*Side note – None of the students in the picture are our students. I used this particular picture to illustrate angel wings and air bubbles.

Our Eagles’ First Day of School

The first day of school has always been both scary and exciting for me as a school leader, and this year has been no exception. One of the common traits of a caring and successful teacher is that they want everything to be just right for that first moment when students walk into their classrooms, from their classrooms to their lesson plans. They work hard leading up to the first day of school to make sure that happens. Principals work hard to make sure the buildings and student schedules are just right for that first day. Directors and coordinators prepare diligently to have their areas running smoothly on the first day. Everybody wants this year to be the best year they have ever had. That includes this superintendent! Though, I can say that it has been an extremely smooth start excluding a couple of power issues in the junior high school that were beyond anyone’s control. In fact, I can’t think of a time when I was prouder of our staff than this year. We had a great week of inservice, and everyone did their fair share in preparing for those last few details of welcoming our kiddos.

The first day of school is also one of excitement in spite of the anxiety of wanting things to turn out perfect. Today as I walked through the campuses before the bell rang to start school, I saw parents dropping off their students and placing trust in the staff members who received them. I saw students smiling as they met friends that they haven’t seen in several months. I saw staff members high-fiving and hugging students and receiving them with love. I saw students walk in wearing their new outfits, and I think back to those days when I had my first day of school as a student. I remember picking out just the right clothes that I was going to wear on my first day of school. As though I might change my mind or forget, I always set those clothes out separate and ready to put on when I got up to get ready in the morning. When I saw all of the new clothes that students were wearing this morning, I couldn’t help but to think that many of them did the exact same thing.

I also love seeing all of the new backpacks that the students bring with them on their first day. Some picked their packs out with special care as they wanted just the right match to their own personalities. Some brought with them what they could afford. Some got what their mothers picked out for them. Don’t think for a minute that each and every one of those backpack carriers did not look at all of the other packs to see if theirs was the “coolest”. I like each and every single one of them. They represent those who carried them. The nice ones, the old ones, the expensive ones, and the tattered ones – all belonging to their present and their future. I do not know whose unicorn backpack the one pictured above belongs to, but I can only imagine it belonging to a little princess that is just as sweet as her backpack.

Just as our students pick out their very best and most awesome clothes to wear today, they also let us know with this subliminal gesture that they want to make a good impression. They want to impress their peers, and they want to impress their teachers. They hope that they will be accepted by both. They want to be loved, and they want to be liked. It is our job as educators to always make them feel loved, liked, and accepted even when their peers do not. Even as they test the limits of our patience throughout the year, we can never lose sight of this, and we can never let them see anything other than our love and acceptance. While society may fail them in many ways, we can never fail them in this!

I hope and pray that everyone had a great first day of school. No matter how awesome your first day was, may your second day be even better!