“I have a dream...”

Martin Luther King, Jr. made this phrase famous.
My dream is much more modest than his, but I borrowed his words because it’s important for our kids. I dream that, through cooperation and creativity, we—the school, parents and other partners in the community—could offer a rich variety of after-school
activities for students at FHT.

I’ve had conversations by phone and in person with several parents, staff and community members, and there’s a lot of support for this. Clearly, there are limitations of space and budget, but we certainly could use our physical plant and community resources more than
we do now. The “End Zone” program attracts 60 kids a day. Every afternoon, I see bunches of our students hanging around school, some waiting for athletic practice, others just “hanging”–visiting with friends, etc. Given the right activities, many more kids would
participate.

I hope we can start a discussion of what is possible now, maybe start small and grow into a full-fledged program. I’d like to see intramural athletics (broadly defined) available for every student in any grade who wants to participate, plus a quiet place for homework
or reading, clubs, classes and interest groups. Some of these could be joint student-parent activities or classes. (Marie Toro, our librarian, has arranged a parent-student “Book Buddy” program for October, the Month of the Young Adolescent) and we could do more. Todd Goodwin of the Rec Department and I have talked briefly about working cooperatively, so we could offer more activities.

Doing this will take a lot of creative scheduling (for instance, our gym and athletic fields are busy already), and even more volunteer help, because neither the school or the Rec Department has the budget to hire employees to run these programs. These obstacles can be overcome.

I want to be clear that I do not think the school, the Rec Department or the police should take over more responsibility for children’s time from parents. However, given families’ schedules today, we do need a combined effort from community volunteers, parents and these agencies. Do you agree that we ought to enrich our after-school
programs? If so, please call me and/or come to the next PTO meeting on November 7, when our parent forum will be about after-school activities. Let’s start talking about this, then “walk the talk” and turn this dream into reality.

 FROM THE GUIDANCE CORNER

On Wednesday, October 3rd I attended a meeting and participated on a panel that was formed to address concerns regarding recent violations of our district’s Drug and Alcohol Policy at the Middle School. It was both a challenging and a worthwhile meeting. Although I had hoped for higher attendance, I thank those of  you who did come to show your support, share  concerns about our children, explore ways to address the issues and have the courage to speak candidly in a public arena. As educated, thoughtful adults, we all know that there is no single way to prevent each and every young adolescent from participating in “risky behaviors”. Some appear to be more at risk than others are, and knowing what contributes to individuals’ willingness to experiment with drugs and/or alcohol is not always apparent.

What is apparent is that we share in the responsibility
of developing happy, healthy and productive young adults. The best way we can do this is to be precisely that in the lives of our children. Not an easy task and not one that yields immediate results. Commitment to our children is not a part-time job, it does not depend on our availability, it is not a function of our “other” responsibilities, it does not come and go, it is not  reflective of our marital status, socioeconomic status or the neighborhood in which we live. It is an all  encompassing job that requires a great deal of our attention, especially during adolescence when our children are learning who they are, and what their future looks like. Ironically, at a time when we are being pushed away, we may need to be present in their lives more than ever. “Quality time” is important, but offers diminishing returns if it simply replaces time. Asking and knowing who your child with, what they are doing, where they are going and if there is supervision, is not reflective of a lack of trust, as our children often accuse us of, but an example of what is sensible, safe and the responsible thing to do. With our busy lives, after-school time is often a high-risk time for many adolescents who come home to empty houses. Helping students structure this time, and having them check in with an adult periodically until that adult arrives home, are important.
So, what does all this have to do with our children 
risky behaviors and the violation of our drug and alcohol policy here at FHTMS? Well, maybe nothing and maybe everything! We are their caregivers and do make a difference in their lives. 

Sheri Rand

 

Sheri@sburl.k12.vt.us
652-7103
 
 

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