Earlier this week I attended the Soldotna area advisory committee meeting. This is the committee that is tasked with recommending, among other things, the names of our three Soldotna area secondary schools. On the drive home, the news on the car radio droned on about the government shut down and our federal legislators’ inability to reach a compromise. After listening to this, I had to smile at the irony of what I had just witnessed. The advisory committee’s fourteen volunteer members, off in the far reaches of our country, were doing a better job of debating an issue and seeking a solution than are our elected representatives in DC.
When you review our social studies curriculum you find that the guide for each of our K-8 grades has a government/citizenship strand and at the high school level , a government class. These curricula are designed in part, to help our students be productive members of our society. The courses also include guidance on why civic participation is important. Another important concept that we teach is that our democracy is dependent on compromise. It’s not possible for everyone to get their way. My take is that the advisory committee understands this. After watching the debate, I was impressed by each committee member’s willingness to express their opinion on what to name the high school. I did not however, hear statements that indicated a my way or the highway attitude. It is clear that the members know that their recommendation to the board will be based on a compromise and more importantly, an understanding that there are times in our lives when you don’t get everything that you want. I offer thanks to the committee members for volunteering to do this and for their willingness to find common ground.
Finding common ground
Earlier this week I attended the Soldotna area advisory committee meeting. This is the committee that is tasked with recommending, among other things, the names of our three Soldotna area secondary schools. On the drive home, the news on the car radio droned on about the government shut down and our federal legislators’ inability to reach a compromise. After listening to this, I had to smile at the irony of what I had just witnessed. The advisory committee’s fourteen volunteer members, off in the far reaches of our country, were doing a better job of debating an issue and seeking a solution than are our elected representatives in DC.
When you review our social studies curriculum you find that the guide for each of our K-8 grades has a government/citizenship strand and at the high school level , a government class. These curricula are designed in part, to help our students be productive members of our society. The courses also include guidance on why civic participation is important. Another important concept that we teach is that our democracy is dependent on compromise. It’s not possible for everyone to get their way. My take is that the advisory committee understands this. After watching the debate, I was impressed by each committee member’s willingness to express their opinion on what to name the high school. I did not however, hear statements that indicated a my way or the highway attitude. It is clear that the members know that their recommendation to the board will be based on a compromise and more importantly, an understanding that there are times in our lives when you don’t get everything that you want. I offer thanks to the committee members for volunteering to do this and for their willingness to find common ground.