As a public-school educator for 25 years, I have enjoyed an annual fresh start in early September. New students, new teachers, new pencils, new books to read… the excitement of our students coming back and the feeling that the opportunities are endless are definite perks of the job. Aside from the best day of the school year – High School Graduation – it’s my favorite time to work in schools.

Last August, I attended a “Professional Learning Communities” Summit with several of my colleagues. It was an outstanding opportunity to hear world-renowned educators provide data and research about how students learn best. I was privileged to hear a lecture about the history of public education. Here was the opening statement (paraphrased): “The concept of public education is the greatest gift the United States has given the world since the birth of our nation.” (Dr. Anthony Muhammad, August 2024). That was such a profound statement; I have reflected on it for over a year now. There was acknowledgement that our systems are far from perfect, but we have made tremendous progress over the centuries. Once there was a time where only wealthy male children were entitled to learn how to read. Now, our public education systems offer daily education to all children in the United States, regardless of gender, disability status, or income level.

There are about 50 million children in the United States who are enrolled in public schools. The potential is awesome, just as awesome as a fresh Ticonderoga #2 pencil in September. It is an honor to be a public educator. I know we change lives and can improve our communities and society based on the work we do every day. I believe Public Education is sometimes given a “bad rap” right now and we as public school educators need to help change the narrative. If you wonder what kids are doing in schools nowadays, I’d encourage you to reach out and ask some questions.

One critical area Southwestern will continue to prioritize is refining our practices in teaching reading. The “Science of Reading” takes 30 plus years of research about how children learn to read and teaches our teachers how to instruct reading. Two areas of focus are good old-fashioned sounding out words and practicing spelling. For people who say schools need to get back to basics, the Science of Reading is for you! And we are seeing results. I watched a group of four-year-olds in prekindergarten start to “click” with reading. They were so excited they could read the word before the teacher helped them sound it out! That moment came from lots of fun practice, joy in the classroom, and love from their teacher.

I am looking forward to starting the new school year. We have so many opportunities to experience together in our public school. It’s lonely in the school buildings in July and August; I can’t wait to hear our students and teachers back in our classrooms! I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to thank the behind-the-scenes employees who work all summer to get our school up-and-running. To our cleaning, maintenance, technology, office, and administrative staff, thank you for getting us ready for another fantastic year. Go Trojans!

Yours in Education,

Molly Moore

Superintendent of Southwestern

Central Schools