The Jeweled Class of 2035
As we attend the myriad of graduations there is one class that may be an indication of the survival of the great city of Shreveport. Those kindergartners entering the first grade will be graduating from high school in the year 2035, the same year as the city’s celebration of its 200-year anniversary. We assume that there will be annual pomp and circumstance from January 1st to December 31st, but what will be offered as a future for the class of 2035? And what role will the Caddo Parish School Board, educators, and parents play in providing the greatest of opportunities for all of the graduates?
As a Caddo Parish School Board (CPSB) member, I would not only do my very best to meet the requirements for fiduciary responsibilities but would be knowledgeable of the impact the system’s curriculums have on students being able to take advantage of the aforementioned opportunities. Part of that knowledge may be acquired from inviting groups like Building our Region’s Future (BRF), North Louisiana Economic Partnership (NLEP), and local university economists to give their best forecast for the year 2035. Armed with that knowledge the board could structure a Pathways program to Career and College aspirations.
The decision about a career or college can be made during the second semester of eighth grade by the homeroom teachers, parents, and students. During the summer of 1985, Caddo Career Center (CCC) was one of the top programs in the nation. What vision is missing to ensure that the kinds of non-college careers will be met with the instructions received at CCC? Those bound for college should know that their college training can be used in the local economy if they desire to return home to family and friends. Will healthcare still be one of the area's fastest-growing industries? Will technology companies like Radiance Technology be expanding in the area? What college degrees will be in demand to ensure a desirable standard of living for all residents?
The pandemic and its lasting effects have produced some very interesting challenges to how and for what reasons we educate the young. The technology shortfall including the dismal broadband and distant learning assessments still remains to be resolved. The CPSB could also identify those students that may be entering the first grade with less than acceptable reading skills. This would have to be a sped-up summer program now if you are to ensure students maintain grade-level standards.
As a first-grade educator, I would be knowledgeable of the fact that these students have spent more than half their lives during the pandemic and although they, like other newborns, were considered to be “tabula rasas” (blank slates), what really has been written on their tablets. Knowing this will help me better understand how to deliver the best, most effective instruction in my classroom. As an educator, I would be open to attending Professional Development training during the summer months to learn best practices that were successful in other regions/school districts. This training, my attendance and the effectiveness in my application of the training could and should be tied to salary increases, not a State Senate vote. As young as these brains are they still carry the capacity to critically think. Reflective time needs to be set aside during the school year to allow the students to express their own learning assessment. Open-ended questions are a must in this situation.
The critical role of parents is essential to getting students ready for their twelve years of learning and the best low/no cost strategy is my role in ensuring my student is at grade reading levels. I would begin at the earliest time before or after birth by reading out loud to my child and continue this process until my child began to read age-appropriate material to me. Beginning there I can check comprehension by allowing them to read several paragraphs and then posing a question about what was just read. If possible, I would attend PTA as well as School Board meetings to understand what additional role I have after they have entered the first grade. During the second semester of my child’s eighth grade, I would be able to assist in making the pathway decision of career or college.
To ensure the class of 2035 is indeed treasured, the responsibilities of CPSB, educators and parents need not to be theirs alone. We all should ask the question, "Are we our students' keepers?"