Living in Interesting Times
June 2006
Paraphrasing an ancient Chinese proverb, President John F.
Kennedy once intoned “we live in interesting times.” Meant to describe the many
dire challenges confronting the nation at the start of the 1960s, this quote has
traditionally been interpreted more as a curse than a blessing. Interesting
times, after all, usually connote upheaval, uncertainty, danger and risk.
Others, however, have interpreted “interesting times” as presenting not just
risk, but also opportunity. Change, after all, can bring improvement as well as
decline. We in the Garden City Schools community are certainly living in
interesting times, though in which sense only time will tell.
There is little doubt that our district finds itself in a
state of flux. As we near the end of our current contract, we have yet to reach
agreement with the District on a new contract. Central administration has seen
a near complete change of personnel over the past year, as proven allies of
education such as Dr. McDermott and John Powell embark for greener pastures.
The shift to 6-12 coordinators has lead to a considerable shake up of leadership
at both the Middle and High Schools, with only two of the eight positions
(social studies and math) being filled by the current chairs. As for the other
six positions, we can only hope that the district will be successful in finding
people who see themselves as something more than an agent of central
administration. The High School is adding a new assistant principal, with the
result that all three building administrators will be without tenure.
The one constant, of course, is those of us who will
ultimately have to bear the brunt of most of this change, the GCTA membership.
While the revolving door of administration continues to spin, we will continue
to do what we do best – teach. We can only hope that the current tumult is
resolved to our benefit – that we get a contract that is satisfactory, not just
in financial terms, but that acknowledges the professionalism of our membership,
that we get new administrators who still remember what it was like to be a
teacher (or who even were teachers for that matter), and that we can become
legitimate partners in the decisions that affect all of our professional lives.
We can only hope.
As stated above, “interesting times” can imply both danger
and opportunity. There is little question, with all of the instability that
surrounds our district currently, that we find ourselves in such interesting
times. The only question is whether we will find ourselves looking back on this
time in despair or joy.
Have a great summer!