Blood pressure Raisers

I don't know why I do it, but I read the news article in the Countywide News about the last school board meeting. They voted to move the graduation to the football field next year instead of having it on OBU's campus at Raley Chapel. I really don't care since all of my kids have graduated, and I have no plans to be a class sponsor again. I love having graduation in the beautiful chapel because it is respectful, formal, air conditioned, and the acoustics are excellent. I've been to many graduations at football fields and gymnasiums, and the atmosphere is just what you would think. It is a casual, noisy event, and people dress and behave like they are at a ballgame. At my own graduations I had horrible outdoor experiences. In highschool we had to move from the football field to the gym in the middle of the evening. An unexpected storm came up and changed everything. I was a kid; I have no idea what chaos that caused for the staff and faculty, but you can look at the 1973 yearbook and see pictures of us at the football field and in the gym--all on the same night. My college graduation from UCO was in July; we wore black robes that weighed about five pounds. I thought I was going to faint. Jason's college graduation from OSU in May 2006 was so cold that I was miserable all during the ceremony. I like indoor graduations. All three of my kids graduated at Raley. Jason was senior class president, so he gave the welcome and Carson sang at his. I could hear both of them because the sound system is excellent at Raley. I have always been proud to invite my family members to come to my kids' graduation because I knew they would be comfortable and be able to hear and see everything.
The thing that raised my blood pressure were the statements by a couple of board members. One said we wanted to make the decision now so that we could plan for the graduation. You can't plan Oklahoma weather. It could be 90 degrees or 40 degrees, it could be raining, the wind could be blowing fifty miles an hour. Nothing we do in advance will make a difference in the weather, and the board members will arrive at the last minute, get their corsage or boutineer and have a seat. The administration, staff, and faculty will be the ones who deal with the problems the weather may cause. Mr. Wilsie will take the heat. If he moves the ceremony to Raley too soon, he will be criticized; if he waits until the last minute to move it, he will be criticized. Another board member stated that we are not here to cater to the teachers and that the tail will quit wagging the dog tonight. I think I was just called a dog's tail. I spoke at an earlier board meeting and told them why I believed the ceremony should remain at Raley. I spoke as an alumni, a faculty member, a class sponsor, and a parent of three alumni. I thought that would give credence to my statement.
I am very offended by a person who is in a position of leadership in our community, an elected official, making a statement so derogatory about our faculty.
He repeatedly states that we are supposed to be here for the kids. Nobody is arguing that, but there is also nobody more committed to the students of Tecumseh than our school administration, faculty and staff. We could all make more money elsewhere, but we teach because it is a calling. We devote our lives to educating young people, not just a few really neat young people; we educate the ones who are challenging, who come to school with problems that overwhelm them and us, who have such severe personal problems that I can't imagine how they focus on their education at all. Our school is very successful at one thing. We do really well at educating students who live in poverty. Our test scores are enviable; when most schools are making the excuse that "90% of our kids are on free and reduced lunch, so we can't be successful," we are celebrating because 80+% of our kids are on free and reduced lunch, and we are seeing remarkable progress in their education.
I don't know what I can do about the kinds of statements like his, but I can say that reading a statement made by someone who is supposed to be leading the place where I work sure makes it difficult to get fired up for school. We do not need awards and accolades for doing our jobs, but we do need to think that we are supported. I do not feel supported.