Focus on TUSD - July 2007

Superintendent's Column - A Summer Thought
I began my public school experience 60 years ago this fall when I started kindergarten as a 5-year-old and met my teacher, Mrs. Breternitz. That was the beginning of a 13-year journey to high school graduation. That path was paved by teachers whose names and memories still remain with me: Mrs. Hare, Miss Shripka, Mrs. Taylor, Mr. Clement, Mr. Summerville, Mr. Glynn, Miss Gatz, Mr. Schubert and Mrs. Petty -- just to name a few of the more than 40 teachers in my classrooms.

I write about this today because I often remember these people and it puts into perspective for me what is most important in education. Yes, transparency of how a district does business is important. Seeking a better way to deal with the diversity other than following a nearly 30-year old court order is important. Providing and training principals with the knowledge and skills to be excellent instructional leaders is important. Small class sizes and enriching programs such as Opening Minds through the Arts are indeed important. And, yes, having busses run on time is important.

But what is most important, what makes the crucial difference for students every day, is having a trained, professional, caring teacher in their classrooms. Equally crucial is our support for that teacher in the form of resources including appropriate facilities, technology, curricular materials, competitive salaries and benefits and training opportunities in a professional work environment.

Of course, the working environment today is radically different than the one in which I was educated. It replaces the traditional isolation of the classroom with a professional learning community approach to continuous improvement of outcomes for each student. I believe that our learning communities qualify among the most important resources the District offers its teachers and learners --of all ages and stages in their education.

TUSD is proud to have a superior group of professionals, nearly 3,500 strong, who serve our students every day. This month, they are pursuing many different paths to renewal for the 2007-2008 school year. Many are taking classes. Many are involved in professional growth experiences offered by TUSD. Others are traveling. It is likely that all are also catching up with family and friends and the things left to do during the summer break because of the hours they put in during the school year.

All those educators have that potential to affect the lives of each student they teach in ways they personally understand but for which they don't often receive acknowledgement. My wish is that each student has a Mrs. Breternitz, or a Mr. Glynn, or a Miss Shripka, or Mrs. Petty. Along with those I've identified and the myriad others I didn't name, they influenced me positively and permanently in ways that weren't apparent to me for many years. Perhaps in this small way I can provide a measure of the acknowledgement and gratitude they, and all teachers who have that impact, deserve.

--Superintendent Roger F. Pfeuffer