LEADING THROUGH LISTENING

April 2 is designated around the world as World Autism Awareness Day as we kick off the month of April, which is also Autism Awareness Month.  Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. We know that there is not one form of autism but many subtypes, and each person with autism can have unique strengths and challenges. While there is no official known cause for autism, we do know that a combination of genetic and environmental factors influences the development of autism, and autism is often accompanied by medical issues such as gastrointestinal disorders, seizures and sleep disturbances. Currently, autism affects an estimated 1 in 36 children in the United States, compared to 20 years ago when the number was closer to 1 in 150 children. Even as more and more people are classified as autistic, the disorder is still as perplexin...

When you think back to being a student (either k-12 or college), how often can you recall an adult telling you that something can't be done? Many times, when an adult tells a child that something can't be done it crushes their imagination and spirit. Yes, there are occasions when being told we can't accomplish a goal or a task creates additional desire to achieve. However, most people tend to lose self esteem in the face of being told they aren't good enough. Or maybe the commentary doesn't even have to be that harsh. Sometimes simply telling someone that they can't succeed because someone else has already tried and failed can produce detrimental results. In that scenario, we are just trying to provide some adult guidance based on our experiences and knowledge. But, what most adults fail to realize is that our experiences and knowledge do not have the direct impact on the ability of a child to achieve their dreams that we generally hope they do. If you take a mo...

  In recent weeks, the Rome City School District has learned that two of our elementary schools have worked their way off of the NYS schools in need of improvement list. Congratulations to John Joy Elementary and Denti Elementary schools who have effectively worked together to improve student achievement and outcomes. In many cases, working your way off of one of these lists is a task that many say cannot be done. If you're ever bored and enjoy doing some research, take a look at the schools on the State's list every year and you will notice that very little changes from year to year. In many cases, once on the list, you can make continuous progress every year and never come off the list. The main reason for this is that no matter what, the State identifies 5% of all schools to be in need of improvement each year. So even if you double your academic performance in any given year, you could still be on the list if you fall into the bottom 5%. When you think about that, it makes ...

  This past week, I had the opportunity to meet with the Oneida County Opioid Task Force and Superintendents around the region. While the purpose of our meeting was to discuss the addition of Narcan/naloxone to area schools, the majority of our time wound up being spent on discussing real stories and experiences from the field related to addiction, of many kinds. We all know the old adage that everyone knows someone that has struggled with addiction of some kind, but the relevance for folks seems to be increasing. The stories that were shared and the topics discussed left me thinking as a parent and an educator, "what do we really know about what our kids are doing and are into?" It felt like something from a movie. Seeing an emoji chart that shows how kids communicate about drug acquisition and/or use purely through emojis ( https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2021-12/Emoji%20Decoded.pdf) . Or learning that there are websites that exist to help individuals learn more abo...

  This week marks National School Social Worker week throughout our country. The first full week of  March has been dedicated to school social workers through the efforts of  the School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA). The week is  an opportunity for schools, communities, and partners to acknowledge and recognize the impactful work that our social workers do to support students, families, and their communities. This week-long celebration should emphasize school social work contributions such as focusing on the “whole child”, linking families to community resources, being a valuable voice as part of the school’s multi-disciplinary team, and advocating for the profession of school social work. The theme for National School Social Work Week 2023 is “We Rise.” During the school year, school social workers are confronted with challenges, heightened anxieties, and anticipated difficulties. However, these individuals face these challenges with strength and resili...