LEADING THROUGH LISTENING

This week marks the start of the month of March, one of the most dreaded months of the school year by many simply because it is long and cold. However, there are many exciting things that happen every year during the month of March, including recognition of students involved in the arts. Believe it or not, March is both Youth Art Month and Music in Our Schools month. Throughout the entire month, students will have opportunities to display their talents and hone their skills in both of these unique areas. To kick off the month, the Rome City School District All-City Concert will be held at RFA on Wednesday, March 1 beginning at 7:00 p.m., which will be followed by the opening of the Youth Art Exhibit at the Cinema Capitol Gallery in Rome this Friday, March 3rd. The public gallery of student work will remain on display throughout the month of March. Beyond these two cornerstone events, students will have many additional opportunities throughout the month to display their talents and abil

Reflecting on what an educator (formally known as a teacher) has to provide to a child in the 21st century almost makes the concept of schooling, or education, unrecognizable to the general public. In less than one generation, the requirements thrust upon our adults working with students in schools have changed so dramatically, that it is possible that in another generation there will be a true concern about how to keep schools open. A few years ago (pre-COVID), I wrote about potential teacher shortages in another generation, however, that concern has been fast-forwarded due to COVID. Currently, in New York State, there is already a shortage of teaching assistants, teacher aides, clerical staff, bus drivers, monitors, custodians, food service workers, special education teachers, speech teachers, psychologists, social workers, foreign language teachers, science teachers, technology teachers, library media specialists, administrators, superintendents and more. It's hard to determine

  This week represents National School Counseling Week 2023.  The week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), highlights the unique contribution of school counselors within the United States school system and the tremendous impact they can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. While there is no doubt that all adults (whether in an educational setting or not) act as a counselor to youth in some capacity, the specific work of a school counselor is at a different level. Believe it or not, many school-related people (including some here in Rome) still refer to school counselors as "guidance counselors". Unfortunately, this term used to address the work of school counselors was removed from school systems during the 1970s, but sadly many communities have yet to realize the work of a school counselor as being more than guidance/career planning, even 50 years later. Many of us as adults can think of at least one moment when o