A WALK IN THE PARK: Back-to-school time is almost here

— The relaxed summer days I’ve enjoyed for the past few weeks will soon be coming to a halt. It won’t be long until alarm clocks and school bells will once again rule my days as I am thrust into the demands of a busy work schedule.

Yes, back to school is almost here; and as usual, this time of year ushers in a locker-full of mixed feelings. Mostly, however, getting back into the classroom is a positive thing. Aside from fulfilling the job duties in a field I enjoy, I tend to get more accomplished, feel more productive and spend lessenergy dwelling on things that don’t need as much thought as I would give them when not forced to live in a very structured world with limited time on my hands.

The new school year will begin like all the others of the past. We teachers start out the year as students. The first week back will be full of meetings and trainings and speakers and urgings to embrace new techniques and technologies to keep us up to date and help us learn the latest and presumed-improved trends in education. Yes, there are always changes coming down the pike, which means plenty of new information to absorb.

These new ideas come and sometimes they go, but throughout the years one aspect of education remains constant. Aside from academics, educators have unique opportunities, with their attitudes and spoken words, to positively impact the lives of their students. Often, this is done in a passing moment with no immediate indication of the long-lasting benefits, but it is never forgotten by the person whose life is influenced. Three such examples have been discussed within my family recently.

Last May, my middle school grandson’s math teacher, who knows my grandson’s abilities well, made a statement that gave my grandson the confidence to enroll ina more advanced math class for the coming year. Although math has always been a strong subject for him, prior to that moment he was not convinced of his capabilities, even with the urging of his family. After one teacher comment, he has never doubted again. The teacher believes he can do it, and now he is sure of it too. In fact, he is even thinking of going into a math-related field someday. That honest and sincere vote of confidence from someone he knew understood his abilities and whose opinion he trusted made a huge difference.

My daughter Andrea had a similar experience years ago at a point near the end of her high school career. She was going through a period of selfdoubt when one teacher voiced confidence thatshe would make others proud with all she accomplished in the future. Those encouraging words resounded in her ears and she has lived up to them.

Skip back in school history 75 years ago to my father’s days in a rural one-room school house; it happened then as well. One day a man who was walking through the area stopped at the door of the building and asked for directions. The teacher, standing at the front of the class, made a comment about my father’s strength in this area and asked him to direct the man to the place he wished to go. The teacher was correct. My dad was always very good with directions. And the fact that she recognized this and singled him out for that task made a lasting impression on him. I know that because it is astory he chose to tell my mother years later.

Very shortly, I will sit in my back-to-school trainings, straining my brain at times to process all the new information, trying to figure out just how I am going to apply it during the coming year. My goal is to do my part, academically and otherwise, to help prepare students for successful lives beyond the school walls. Keeping up with the changes is part of that. Saying the right words to encourage and direct is another. I am glad that some aspects of the school environment are the same as they have always been.

Annette Rowe is a freelance writer from rural Gentry and a speech-language pathologist at Siloam Springs High School. She may be reached by email at [email protected].

News, Pages 6 on 08/01/2012