Good Riddance to 2010

This past year has been a tough one for many, both personally and professionally. Jobs have been lost, programs have been cut, construction projects have been put on hold and funding for education has been iffy at best. Some are waiting for the economy to improve and funding for education to return to former levels. Others believe that we have experienced a necessary correction and that returning to business-as-usual is not in our best interest. I believe that the answer lies somewhere in-between. Economists say that the recession is over, but this time recovery is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. We must deal honestly with our current circumstances, revise our past positions and develop a strategy that will help us reach new goals. If we do, we will not only survive, but thrive.

Those who will be successful are those who have stopped mourning for the old economy, stopped poking it with a sharp stick to see if it moves and started thinking about what can be done with what we now have. It is much like working through the five stages of grief — denial, anger, then bargaining, followed by depression and, finally, acceptance.

We are way past the denial and anger stages, but many are still stuck in the bargaining stage, thinking if they work longer and harder it will fix everything. The bargaining phase can only last so long before leaders stop leading and people begin to feel unappreciated and burned out. We need to accept that we are living in a new economy with a new normal. My question for those who mourn the “good old days” is, were they really that good?

I am a firm believer that every crisis can provide an opportunity for change and growth. While it is human nature to find comfort in the status quo, it is often a crisis that provides us a much needed wakeup call and gives us a second chance — an opportunity to do things better, an opportunity to make things right. We are lucky to be working in education — an industry that is not in it for the money, but for the kids. As this year ends and a new one begins, let’s not spend our energy mourning what we think we lost, but focus on creating a brighter future for students — here and now.

Have a happy holiday season!

Featured

  • Springfield Breaks Ground on $53.7M Pipkin Middle School Rebuild

    Construction is underway on a new, state-of-the-art Pipkin Middle School in Springfield, Mo., a major step in Springfield Public Schools’ (SPS) long-term facility improvement plan, according to local news. The $53.7-million project officially broke ground in early June, following years of planning and community input aimed at modernizing aging infrastructure and addressing student capacity concerns.

  • ProTeam Launches GoFit 6 HEPA Backpack Vacuum

    Technology leader Emerson recently introduced the new ProTeam GoFit 6 HEPA backpack vacuum, according to a news release. The vacuum was designed to capture 99.97% of particulates down to 0.3 microns—including atmospheric hazards like lead dust, mold spores, and other particulates—through an advanced filtration system.

  • California High School Starts Construction on New CTE Building

    Analy High School, part of the West Sonoma County Union High School District (WSCUHSD) in Sebastopol, Calif., recently broke ground on a new Career Technical Education (CTE) Building, according to a news release. The 15,000-square-foot facility will offer specialized facilities for students in engineering, welding, culinary arts, agricultural sciences, and design thinking.

  • modern college building with circuit and brain motifs

    Anthropic Introduces Claude for Education

    Anthropic has launched a version of its Claude AI assistant tailored for higher education institutions. Claude for Education "gives academic institutions secure, reliable AI access for their entire community," the company said, to enable colleges and universities to develop and implement AI-enabled approaches across teaching, learning, and administration.

Digital Edition