LEADING THROUGH LISTENING

This is a time of year where we should all take a moment to pause, reflect, and say thank you to all of our proud men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country and our freedom. As a society, we have been trending more and more toward the concept of entitlement in recent years. Unfortunately, entitlement is not the concept that our fine nation was built upon; nor was it the intent of everyone that has come before us. Our ancestors (some of whom are still alive today to share their stories) believed in hard work, dedication to your task/role in the world, and commitment to your fellow American. These ideals are what made America great during the 20th century because regardless of your heritage, our country bonded together. Unfortunately, there seems to be a growing trend of what can I do to avoid working hard, or taking responsibility, or helping a neighbor/colleague simply because it's the right thing to do. We have lost sight, as a society, of the concept of...

As you know, the Rome community successfully passed the 2017-2018 school budget this past week with a 78% approval rate. On behalf of all of our students and staff at the Rome City School District, I want to thank you all for your support. We are very appreciative to have a community that values education and wants the best for their children. The district is dedicated to ensuring that our students are receiving the very best instruction possible with the most appropriate resources available for learning. Our high school already carries a course load that provides students the opportunity to graduate with a year of college under the belt and we continue to develop programs and outlets to provide an equivalent experience for those that want to enter the work force following high school. Our middle school continuously evaluates their programming to ensure that we are providing the absolute best opportunity for student success as the prepare to enter high school. And the elementary prog...

Those that know me know that one of my favorite words in the entire dictionary is 'why'. I believe that growth and learning occur most frequently when anyone is provided the opportunity to ask 'why', but also explore 'why'. Even when the answer to the question 'why?' is my most hated answer of all time (because that's how it's always been done), I still find value in what follows that response. Today, I ask, "Why are we here?" I mean, why do we all have jobs in education and in the Rome City School District? What is a school district? Why do they exist? Well, I know that the answer isn't (or shouldn't be), "because that's how it's always been." Simply put, the answer is small: KIDS. We exist because of kids. Our purpose is to SERVE kids. Without kids, we don't have employment. Without kids, we don't have a school district. Without kids, we don't have a future. I pose these questions and share my t...

Every year, the first full week of May marks TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK across our country. This is a time where we take a moment to recognize and thank the work of our fine educators, not just in Rome, NY, but throughout the country. Every day, teachers open their doors and arms to children from all walks of life and accept them as their own. While many want to believe that teachers have a switch that they turn on and off at the beginning and ending of each day, we do not. Teaching is a 24/7//7 profession. Not a day goes by where we do not take our work home, thoughts home, concerns home, and achievements home. Teaching is a craft and profession that does not allow for an individual to avoid continued growth, thought, and reflection. Beyond just our classroom teachers, we need to recognize our entire community, as we are all teachers in some way, shape or form. Whether it be clerical, custodial, maintenance, driving, food service, coaching, or assisting; if you work in a school, you ...