Today I am in Southern California for the beginning of the Fall Education Council in Ontario. It is a gathering of educators; mainly, superintendents, principals, and business managers, from the seven conferences (Arizona, Hawaii, Central California, Nevada-Utah, Northern California, Southeastern California, and Southern California) in the five states that make up the Pacific Union of Seventh-day Adventists (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah).
It will the first time I attend these meetings as a superintendent. I don’t quite know what that will entail or what difference it will make. But as all newbies, I am sure there will be some good-natured ribbing from colleagues and friends. One of the favorite parts of the gathering for me is the networking and renewed friendships that are rekindled during this time. It is refreshing to sit with colleagues who share a common experience. That is important, particularly when a large majority of an educator’s time is spent working alone, especially in a small conference like Arizona.
In any case, most of the time is spent in listening to presentations and reports from various educational specialists and academic entities. We begin our days with some devotional thoughts shared by special guests invited for this specific purpose. I particularly enjoy the music provided by local Adventist schools as a prelude to the morning devotional thoughts. It really is inspiring. Another significant portion of the meetings is dedicated to policy review and approval of changes to the Educational Code of the Pacific Union.
Sometimes the discussions evolve and become the springboard for future change. I enjoy those moments. Those are the times when creative thought rules the day and the engagement is often heated as the group wrestles with major challenges and opportunities to change directions or remove obstacles to our mission. It is here that I hope to begin the momentum towards establishing a multi-grade educational track for prospective teachers graduating from our schools. As far as I can tell, there is no specialized training for teachers interested in ministering in multi-grade instruction or mastering the specialized methodology needed to survive and succeed in a multi-grade elementary school setting. In the case of Arizona (and in the general Adventist school system), most of the schools are multi-grade and in some cases only one classroom accommodating all elementary grades. Such a scenario can either be an opportunity for an excellent learning environment, if creative and intentional methods are used, or incredibly taxing and demoralizing, if the necessary skills are not present to capitalize on the inherent strengths of this model.
I am one who believes that we must stop apologizing for our small schools and invest in making our system, which consists of many small multi-grade schools, the best multi-grade system in the world. It will require elementary teachers who see multi-grade teaching as an opportunity of choice and not as a last option for teachers who do not secure a position in a large traditional classroom school setting. Perhaps the ripple will begin this year.
It is just a little ripple—but movements begin with someone making a ripple somewhere. God uses the smallest efforts, done in faith, to accomplish major tasks. Sometimes I shudder to think of the major changes that will be needed to turn this struggling educational system around. I know I am not able to accomplish it alone. But I can move and choose to be a vessel that evokes the necessary change that will accomplish God’s purpose. It is humbling, empowering, and exciting at the same time. Well, here goes….
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