COMMENTARY
A principal's viewpoint on how to make a difference
By Art Souza
Oftentimes I am asked what are my most important responsibilities as a school principal.
What comes to mind immediately is my commitment to ensuring student achievement, providing for a physically and emotionally safe environment in which all of my students can maximize their learning, and providing programs and opportunities for students to learn and exercise commitment to civic responsibility and citizenship.
At the heart of what we do as educators is our belief in personal responsibility and our determination to "make a difference." Public education is a public concern; the students are our community, today and in the future.
During this legislative session, our political leaders will be grappling with issues to "reform" education as we know it. Much emotion and thought will be spent battling over issues as diverse as governance and financial management of our schools.
In all this discussion, what I hope is not lost is that the business of schools is not about control but rather about making a difference.
Recently, I was approached by anonymous donors wanting "to show a commitment, to make a difference." They asked me to draw up a proposal that in my eyes would make a significant impact upon the academic and social needs of our students. We set about creating a vision to transform our current inadequate school library into a state-of-the-art research center.
Included in our dream was the creation of an interactive computer and technology production center. We submitted our proposal and, on Dec. 15, I was presented with a check for $250,000.
Our dream will now become a reality for the students of Honoka'a High and Intermediate School.
Few of us can afford to bestow gifts of this magnitude upon our chosen public school. Fewer still might bequeath that sum of money anonymously, seeking instead recognition of the act.
The task of "fixing" public education does not lie solely in creating a new structure but, rather, the task should be in ensuring public trust in our public education system. I would suggest that the real work is in making public schools the business of entire communities.
Ensuring the public trust most importantly means that as educators we must strive to do all we can to enable and encourage every segment of our communities to make a difference. Making a difference need not be of the scale implied by a huge monetary donation. Commitment and difference-making are within the reach of us all.
To make a difference may mean to become full participants in the teaching and learning process at your local public school.
It can be as simple as encouraging a youngster to do well in school, to participate in after-school leadership and athletic activities, and for homework to be completed and on time. It means as parents and community leaders we ensure that our children know the importance of education, the need for exemplary social behavior, and citizenship on campus and in our community.
The difference might be a letter to a teacher or a principal or a legislator that supports or praises what has transpired in the classroom.
What happened at Honoka'a serves as a good reminder of our collective responsibility: We can all make a difference — in our public schools, in our communities and in our state.
Art Souza is principal at Honoka'a High and Intermediate School.
