Last year, our theme was "Take the time ..." This year, we extend that theme to: "Take the Time -- to connect ... everyone matters."

There is a difference between connecting and communicating with someone. Communicating is an e-mail message, an instant message, a phone call, even a brief conversation passing in the hallway.  Communicating is sharing information. Connecting is far different.

Connecting with others means truly understanding what others need, think, and feel. Connecting with others means you take the time to learn about others, to sense what is important and what really matters to them. Connecting is a deeper, more genuine relationship. It helps people to feel welcome, important, and part of a larger group. Connecting applies to all relationships in a school -- student and teacher, administrator and student -- all relationships matter.

Yet, there seems so little time to make connections.  Our world continues to undergo rapid change, leaving us with more things to do in less time.  We all now try to multi-task -- managing a cell phone, checking our e-mail, and driving our car simultaneously. Our to-do lists grow daily until the list grows so long we begin to ignore our list altogether. And the public demands on schools continue to grow as well.

Schools are now expected to assume additional roles formally assumed by the parent and others.  Communities want schools to provide pre- and post-school care, medical interventions, behavioral counseling, the teaching of basic values, summer programs, and more.

These days, it seems all the problems of society end up in the classroom, in our lunch room, even on our buses. Do you think your work this year will be more or less challenging than last year?

Because the future is uncertain, the best way to prepare for the future is to build our relationships to sustain us. All staff can take the time -- to build personal and professional relationships to help support each other -- rather than going it alone. 

Yet, our culture sends a very different message. Our learning standards, even our assessments -- tells us that if you're strong, if you're worthy, if you're a good person, then you can make it on your own. This is nonsense -- it's one of the most damaging myths we have right now in our society. If it is so important to foster and reward individual learning and accomplishment, why would corporate America be spending billions of dollars annually providing skills training on team building to employees? The need to foster collaboration and cooperation, build relationships, and exercise kindness -- so critical for success -- are often absent from organizations and even from schools.

Kindness is not accorded similar status to money, power, or beauty. When one lists the traits essential for success in our society, kindness would be absent from most people's lists. Most people think of kindness in a traditional way -- doing something nice or unexpected for someone else. Kindness when provided tends to be provided when convenient, when it will be most noticed by others. You often have heard the phrase: "An act of kindness" -- as if kindness must be planned, forced, and unnatural.

Nicholas Long, Director of the Institute for Psycho-educational Training, suggests an alternate view of kindness: kindness is vital to our own well being -- it is therapeutic. Without kindness, we revert to being self-centered and emotionally cold.

Schools represent a nurturing environment and kindness one of its most basic elements. Kindness to a student provides hope, it connects the student to the teacher, it models essential behaviors. Kindness is driven by compassion -- a willingness to feel students' worries, fears, their inner self. Staff kindness may best be described as any behavior that brings an inner relief and comfort to any student.  Once connected, rapport is built. Once connected, effective and meaningful learning may take place.

The State and Federal Education Department, our politicians, and even some communities feel if we work faster or longer, students will learn more. This is analogous to pouring more milk faster into a glass as if milk was knowledge and the glass ... a child. We think we're going to get somewhere at this speed.  In truth, all we end up with is stress, feeling tired, and overwhelmed. And likely, a lot of spilled milk!

People work best at "the speed of life," taking the time to think, reflect, and see the bigger picture. It seems we're losing those slow, open conversations in which new ideas are born.

Staff must make time to get together, form relationships -- and share ideas. And good connecting comes from good listening which also improves the school climate. I'm as guilty as anyone when I'm thinking about what I will say next instead of listening to someone who is talking to me. Let's take the time to really hear what our colleague is trying to tell us. Connecting means making calls home regularly to parents -- for reporting good and bad news too! Reach out to students and parents -- write them, e-mail them, call them, attend school events -- connect in any way you can.

This school year will be filled with many exciting opportunities and challenges. Due to growing enrollment and aging buildings, a district wide committee is now studying various options for new space and renovations. District wide recommendations will be presented to our Board of Education by mid-year.

This is the first year of our new technology initiative -- $400,000 annually will be spent on technology upgrades and enhancements. Teachers and staff will eventually have updated tools and software to be more productive and connected. Later in the year, our entire district will be connected through high speed fiber optic cable -- making internet access faster, more reliable, and permitting voice, video and data to be transmitted instantly across the district. 

Perhaps most exciting, is the Board of Education's investment in professional development. We have added staff development at all levels. The backgrounds of our new staff developers are impressive. They will work with small groups and individually to help us all connect with each other, and with the latest research on teaching and learning.

The Niskayuna School district is highly regarded across New York State. The Capital Region Business Review annually ranks Niskayuna at number 1, 2 or 3 out of 87 area school districts; approximately 95% of our students attend college; last year, one of our middle schools had the highest ELA 8th grade test score in the region; three of our elementary schools were ranked in the top five of almost 350 elementary schools in the region on the ELA 4 exam; our high school continues to receive national recognition from national publications including the Wall Street Journal, and Newsweek magazine.

But we can't forget the child with inward potential but little outward signs of academic capacity. We cannot teach to just the ends of the spectrum of ability and interest -- both high and low. We must reach all children. Perhaps you have heard about the boy in second grade a few years ago. He was in reading group 3 which was the lowest group in the class. There were only three students in reading group 3, there were 30 students in the room. The boy would have likely been a Level I reader on the ELA test -- maybe even classified as learning disabled. The other two students in reading group 3 were comprised of a student who slept most of the day -- the teacher would cover him with a blanket - and a boy with a skin disorder who picked at his scabs every day. Having the company of these two other boys was little reward for the boy in reading group 3. But the teacher wouldn't accept failure -- she wouldn't give up on him. She saw something in his eye, she engaged him, she challenged him. She didn't give up on him. She made the young boy feel important, valued, she asked about his hobbies, his pets, what books he liked. He persevered. Of course that boy isn't fictitious -- that boy is me ... Thank you Mrs. Johnson -- wherever you are. You didn't give up on me -- so I promise you -- we will not give up on others. Because every child matters.

On behalf of the Board of Education and our community, we thank every faculty and staff member for working with our children. I wish you the very best this school year. Thank you.

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