The New School Year

Congratulations to all the kids that are starting school throughout the City of Worcester today!  

It's the beginning of a new school-year, and it's going to be one filled with learning experiences, fun, smiles, tears and greatness.


To all the teachers that have one of the hardest jobs in the world, thank you for being Positive Innovators.  Know that every young lady or man you teach, interact with is one of God's children, just like you, and deserve to be listened to, encouraged, and pushed to be the best person they can be.  


As my mother, who was a public high school teacher for 25-years, used to tell me, "Listen more than you speak.  You have two ears for a reason, and when you're not sure of something, don't be afraid to ask a question."


Here's to a great school year!  

Education: Teacher Pink Slips

The City of Worcester is about to get dumber by firing 54 teachers! And who loses? The children who will lose a teacher, a confidant and generally someone that they've built a rapport with.

There needs to be more "noise" made about this and I think that folks need to be realistic and realize that in order to pay teachers, the City does have to raise property taxes. Teachers need to be paid and the students deserve to have the tools that allow them to compete in this rapidly changing world.

No Meeting!

Well, it looks as if Mayor Lukes put the kabash on the meeting (08/07/07), which was being pushed for by Frederick Rushton. Word is that Mayor Lukes in chilling on vacation in Cape Cod and said there won't be a meeting until August 28th- the same day Worcester Public Schools begin a new school year.

With City Manager, Michael O'Brien's proposed budget hanging in the wind, it's going to be interesting, because if cuts are made in education, and particularly if teachers positions are cut at the August 28th meeting, I can envision a hail storm of upset residents and teachers.

Vibe with me for a second. Say you're a teacher that has been vacationing with your family outside of the United States for the past month, but you've kept your eyes on the political scene at home. You've been a teacher for say, 10 years, and you take pride in teaching the future generation and even being a role model to these children. You report to school on August 20th to begin working on your classroom and getting the lesson plan in place for the school-year. All is good in the 'hood. That is until school starts. School starts on August 28th and the students, in their newly bought clothes, sneakers, flats, and bedazzled t-shirts and backpacks, enter school happy and optimistic to learn and catch-up with friends who they haven't seen in 2 months.

The school year is off to a good start. You, the teacher, set the tone for the school year and the expectations that each student will try their best, work hard, ask questions and use their manners at all times. Again, all is good in the 'hood. That is until you arrive at school on the morning of Wednesday, August 29, 2007, and you find out that 3 teacher positions have been eliminated at the City Council meeting the previous evening. One of the positions, is your position! What do you do? What do you feel? You feel as though you've been drop-kicked by Jackie Chan in Rush Hour 3.

You first reaction might be to question, "How can this be happening to me?" the ensuing questions may go something like this, "What am I going to do for work? How am I going to live? How am I going to support my family?" All the emotions and FEAR kick in and you feel as though you're going to faint, but you can't. You can't give up because that would be conceding defeat, and defeat is something that you were taught a very young age is not in the equation. You call on your FAITH and ask GOD to help you "get through this".

This is a fictional scenario, but we all can identify with it and know that it is possible for all of the above to take place.

I encourage Mayor Lukes, City Manager O'Brien and the entire City Council to not allow this fictional story to become a reality, because just as the retirees have spouted, "We'll remember in September", the City's leadership may find themselves on the outside looking in.