On Thursday I traveled to Hope School and had the good fortune to catch the tail end of their open house. After the last parents and students were gone, I spent about an hour visiting with the staff and learned that things are going well. They were excited about the start of the year and boasted about the effective way that they divvied up the various assignments at this 23 student school. One of the teachers does all the math and science while the other does the language arts and humanities. Some of the students are also benefitting from one of the community members teaching welding. As I drove away I had to marvel that this small, sleepy community at the end of the road has a thriving school. It was just a few years ago that the enrollment had fallen under the required 10 students.
KPBSD is Alaska’s most diverse district with schools that range from one teacher at Moose Pass to traditional schools such as Mountain View Elementary with it 440 students. Occasionally, I hear grumblings about the inequity of our schools because some offer more opportunities than others. After listening to the Hope staff describe their school, I am not so sure that this is true. Sure the kids at Hope do not have a music teacher and sure their high school students do not have as many electives. Overall however, I am convinced that the experience at Hope, while different, is just as effective as what happens at our larger schools. The Hope students have a low stress social environment with lots of community support and a staff who does what it takes. The individual attention that the students receive prevents them from falling through the cracks. Each of our 43 schools has dedicated staff and community members who support their school. Let’s not lose sight of the individual strengths and appeal of our schools. There is not just one way to educate kids on the Kenai.
Strengths of our schools
On Thursday I traveled to Hope School and had the good fortune to catch the tail end of their open house. After the last parents and students were gone, I spent about an hour visiting with the staff and learned that things are going well. They were excited about the start of the year and boasted about the effective way that they divvied up the various assignments at this 23 student school. One of the teachers does all the math and science while the other does the language arts and humanities. Some of the students are also benefitting from one of the community members teaching welding. As I drove away I had to marvel that this small, sleepy community at the end of the road has a thriving school. It was just a few years ago that the enrollment had fallen under the required 10 students.
KPBSD is Alaska’s most diverse district with schools that range from one teacher at Moose Pass to traditional schools such as Mountain View Elementary with it 440 students. Occasionally, I hear grumblings about the inequity of our schools because some offer more opportunities than others. After listening to the Hope staff describe their school, I am not so sure that this is true. Sure the kids at Hope do not have a music teacher and sure their high school students do not have as many electives. Overall however, I am convinced that the experience at Hope, while different, is just as effective as what happens at our larger schools. The Hope students have a low stress social environment with lots of community support and a staff who does what it takes. The individual attention that the students receive prevents them from falling through the cracks. Each of our 43 schools has dedicated staff and community members who support their school. Let’s not lose sight of the individual strengths and appeal of our schools. There is not just one way to educate kids on the Kenai.