LEADING THROUGH LISTENING

As the 2018-2019 school year enters the final week and comes to a close, it is time to say congratulations and "until next time" to many people. Most importantly, congratulations to our graduating seniors, the Class of 2019, the 150th graduating class of Rome Free Academy! For these young adults, 13 years of hard work and effort is coming to a close as they prepare to move onto college, work, the military, or other opportunities. Graduation is also a time to congratulate the parents, families, and guardians of our graduates who have sacrificed and supported all the way through until this moment. Each student completing high school has a tremendous network and support system behind them, each step of the way. No individual in life can be successful without a supporting cast. As teenagers growing up, our most important support structures are our families. So, congratulations to all of the parents, families, and guardians of the Class of 2019 as you watch your youngsters gro

Father's Day tends to mark the unofficial start of the summer months. In most years, it occurs the weekend directly before the last week of school. Falling in the middle of June, the weather is usually finally steady, warm, sunny, and prime for outdoor activity. Fathers everywhere bask in the fact that for the next few months, we can spend more time outside than inside. More importantly, we bask in the fact that we are able to enjoy one of the greatest privileges in the world, being a parent. Whether you are a mother, father, step-parent, foster-parent, guardian, and more, there is no greater honor than being a parent and having the ability to help provide for children and help them grow. The gift of parenthood is the greatest gift we can have. The job of being a parent is certainly not an easy task, it is a challenge that fathers and all parents attempt to master each and every day. So to our fathers everywhere, thank you for all the wonderful opportunities that you provide for

In a play on words from the comedic hit cartoon, Family Guy, there is an episode where the main character has a television show where he essentially rambles about all of the things that agitate him on a daily basis. For me, what grinds my gears is simple: nothing. We live in a society where we are surrounded by negativity, social media has become a platform where people spend more time putting others down than utilizing it for what it was intended for, and where very few people want to take responsibility for mistakes. We are quick to judge, we don't listen to each other as carefully as we should to understand others (especially those who have different view points or backgrounds than ourselves), and we most often don't help others in need as much as our previous generations. If someone were to really let all of the negativity that surrounds us get to them on a daily basis, their stress, anxiety, and anger would be through the roof. So, I choose to not listen to the noise of

A common expression found throughout history in society is, "times are changing." In schools, we often use this as an excuse for why the job is more challenging, or why students don't behave in a similar fashion that they did 30 years ago, or why student performance may not be as high as it once was. The fact is, times aren't changing. Times HAVE changed. And while schools in general have done a lot to address it and adapt, many adults have not come to grips with it and changed their mentality/thinking about education. This has a cause that makes many people think that schools haven't changed at all over the past 100 years. Sure, many things are still similar. However, class sizes are 50% smaller than they used to be, schools offer more opportunities for extended learning, social/emotional/mental health supports have dramatically increased, technology has changed programming and access to information, and inquiry is at the forefront of our systems. At one point