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Woods and Waters July 5 2018

By
Mike Gaines
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Hope you had a great “4th of July” holiday and had a chance to celebrate the founding of our great nation! In doing so I also hope you had a chance to get on the water and enjoy a little fishing.

   While out casting on your favorite body of water catching bass, crappie, catfish or whatever your quarry is, hopefully you didn’t encounter any snakeheads! What is a snakehead you ask? Well, I’m going to tell you more than you probably wanted to know about them.

   Snakeheads (Family Channidae) are native to Africa and southern Asia. About 28 species have been identified. Equipped with a lung-like organ, these fish can gulp air and survive in waters with low dissolved oxygen levels. They can also live out of water for several days if they are kept moist. All snakeheads are aggressive predators and may eliminate other fish in waters they invade. They have even been known to bite humans who got too close to a guarded nest. The northern snakehead (Channa argus) is fairly cold tolerant, and could probably survive winters in many parts of the United States. This species also has the ability to cross land by wriggling or “walking” on its pectoral fins. Snakeheads have been imported to North America for the aquarium trade, and at one time were sold live in Asian-style fish markets. It’s thought that in some instances some of these live fish were released in waterways to reproduce as they are a sought after food source in Asia.

Native Bowfin

   That was prior to the Snakehead being added to the list of injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act in October 2002, which banned import and interstate transport without a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Snakeheads were sold in pet stores and in live food fish markets and some restaurants in several major U.S. cities, including Boston, New York, and St. Louis. Live specimens have been confiscated by authorities in Alabama, California, Florida, Texas, Virginia, and Washington where possession of live snakeheads is illegal. Some snakeheads living in natural waters of the U.S. may have been released by aquarium hobbyists or those hoping to establish a local food resource. Also, some cultures practice “prayer animal release”, a faith-based activity in which individuals purchase, then release, an animal (fish, amphibian, reptile, or bird) to earn merits with a deity.

You Don’t Want To Lip A Snakehead!

   Snakeheads are a freshwater fish with little, if any, tolerance for saltwater. Within their native and introduced ranges, they live in small and large streams, canals, rivers, ponds, reservoirs, and lakes. Many species can tolerate a wide range of pH, and one species living in Malaysia and parts of Indonesia prefers highly acid waters (pH 2.8-3.8). The northern snakehead and several other species prefer to live in somewhat dense aquatic vegetation where they feed and reproduce. Northern snakehead may tolerate a wide range of water temperatures and environmental conditions which contributes to their success as an invasive species.

   During all stages of their life, snakeheads compete with native species for food and habitat. A major concern is that snakeheads may out-compete and eventually displace important native or other established predatory fish that share the same habitat.  As adults, snakeheads can be voracious predators. Should snakeheads become established in North American ecosystems, their predatory behavior could also drastically disrupt food chain and ecological conditions, thus forever changing native aquatic systems by modifying the array of native species. This could be disastrous!

Northern Snakehead!

   In the summer of 2002 and again in late spring 2004, Channa argus, the northern snakehead, generated national media attention when anglers caught these fish in a pond in Maryland and, more recently, in the Potomac River in Maryland and Virginia. Fisheries scientists consider snakeheads to be invasive species because they have the potential to threaten native fish, the recreational fishing industry, and aquatic ecosystems.

   A mature northern snakehead female can carry as many as 50,000 eggs, although some will not develop and others will be eaten by insects and small fish following fertilization. Depending on water temperature, eggs can hatch in about 24-48 hours. The fish also can spawn several times a year.

   Snakeheads are easy to identify with their large mouth-full of sharp teeth, a mottled appearance much like a snake and a dorsal fin that runs back to their tail. They have a slight resemblance to the native bowfin common in our southern states but they are not related. 

   Hopefully you never run into these creatures but you can search YouTube and pull up videos of people fishing for snakehead fish in the northeast.

    But for now you don’t have to worry about swimming in Lake Waurika. Get out and enjoy our Oklahoma.

Dave Says

By
Dave Ramsey
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Hope is a good thing

Dear Dave,

What is the main difference between people who follow your plan, stick with it and succeed, and those who fall off along the way?

Damon

Dear Damon,

I’ve walked with thousands of families through financial problems. Some of them were speedbumps that just needed to be smoothed out, while others seemed like mountains. The biggest factor I’ve noticed separating those who stick with it and gain control of their finances, from those who give up and go back to their old ways, can be boiled down to one simple word—hope.

Hope is stolen when we misunderstand failure and believe lies. One of the biggest lies that robs people of hope is the one that says failure is permanent. The moment we start seeing failures of the past as predictors of our futures, it extinguishes that ember of hope. Failure happens to all of us at times. It’s natural, and it is normal. The way to reach your goals, though, is to keep failure in its cage. And failure is caged when we begin to understand it isn’t permanent. 

Winston Churchill once said, “Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” If we believe failure is here to stay, we lose enthusiasm. And that leads to an inability to re-focus on success. People often make dumb, short-term decisions when they’re in financial difficulty. If you talk yourself into believing you’ll never be able to save enough money to pay cash for a car, you’ll lose hope and borrow the money. Debt not only robs you of the ability to build wealth, but it’s also usually the result of losing hope. 

Have you done something stupid or wrong in the past that you are still reliving daily? Is that memory haunting you, and stealing your hope? Remember, the past only has power over you if you let it have that power. Don’t get me wrong. The past canhurt, and it can be disappointing. But you can either give in to it and let it control you, or you can learn from it and make a conscious decision to keep moving forward.

The choice is yours!

— Dave

* Dave Ramseyis a seven-time #1 national best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 18 million listeners each week. Hehas appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and many more. Since 1992, Dave has helped people regain control of their money, build wealth and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO for Ramsey Solutions.

The 80/80/80 Rule in Public Education

By
Tom Deighan
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This is first in a series of ten summertime articles mapping the common ground upon which parents, educators, and communities can unite regarding one of the most divisive topics in America: public education. 

I know it sounds crazy, but I contend that common ground on the issue of education not only exists, but that it may be the only remaining common ground in American culture. I am not dreaming the nostalgic myth of a lost Atlantis or the elitist dream of the flying island of Laputa. On the contrary, most public schools are practical, functioning, and redeemable places where parents, educators, and communities work together every day, regardless of differences. These islands function because 80% of parents and 80% of educators actually agree on 80% of the issues. (The 80/80/80 rule.)

I confess that this does sound a little crazy, even as I write this. Wherever I turn, public education is either extolled or demonized, and when extremes are our only options, everyone is forced to become an extremist. Despite the rhetoric, however, I have met few extremists. I see signs of them on social media and in news clips, but I cannot ever recall meeting one at the supermarket, at church, or in the drop-off line at school. Nevertheless, our national discourse is increasingly controlled by trolls behind keyboards and ogres on parade. In such a culture, anyone who rejects any element of our orthodoxy is no longer human. At least that’s what the trolls and ogres on my cable news channel tell me!

No subject illustrates this more than the topic of public education. We are told to choose between either rabid resistance to any change in public schools (except for more public funding) . . . or rabid commitment to dismantle public schools (while using the same public money). When such false choices wholly dominate national media, no wonder so many people naturally assume that their local public school is a boiling cauldron of controversy and contention. Far left and far right social engineers are surely battling it out in our hallways and classrooms, using our children as human shields. Judging by the national narrative, 80% of educators are evil, 80% of students are delinquents, and 80% of parents don’t care. If only God or the Government would save us!

So when I propose the 80/80/80 rule, I understand why you might think I am crazy, but think about it. Virtually all parents want their children to one day graduate, earn a living, and be part of a community. Educators want the same, and despite what you see on the interweb, few educators entered this profession because they hate children or parents. Sadly, the national media have 10/10 vision; they focus on the 10% of radical left issues and the 10% of radical right issues, painting everyone with these wide brushes. Your neighborhood school certainly includes these perspectives, but they make it work, because 80% of parents and 80% of educators agree on 80% of the issues. When they don’t, they have the capacity to disagree amicably and to work together. Otherwise, our schools would all be on fire.

I know the 80/80/80 rule seems preposterous to many, but I understand. Some subjects are easy, like career-ready graduates, safety, and security. Others, like school choice and faith, are a little more complicated, but the 80/80/80 rule applies even to tough topics. Next week, we will start off with the most revolutionary of ideas – that the parent is the most important educator in any child’s life. This ideal is the bedrock upon which our entire system depends, and believe it or not, most parents and most educators agree on this issue. Please join me this summer as we explore this elusive common ground.  If my instincts are correct, we will discover it is bigger than ever imagined. Heck, even those searching for schools on Atlantis and Laputa might discover real estate they can share, even if they do choose to live on opposite sides of the island.

Tom Deighan is a public educator and currently serves as Superintendent of Duncan Public Schools. He may be reached at deighantom@gmail.com

Dave Says

By
Dave Ramsey
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Bless them, don’t enable them

Dear Dave,

My husband and I are both teachers, and we’re on Baby Step 7. We’re struggling with things where our wills are concerned. Three of our four adult children aren’t being wise with their money, and my husband and I disagree on how to talk to them about it and how it may affect us re-structuring our wills. We don’t want to be judgmental, but at the same time we agree something needs to be said or done.

Danielle

Dear Danielle,

Let’s say someone is working at my company, and taking my money in the form of a paycheck. Let’s also say this person isn’t doing a good job. If I don’t talk to them about their performance because I don’t want to be seen as judgmental, I’m not doing my job. I owe them the feedback necessary for them to become a good team member. Otherwise, they could just get fired one day without really knowing what happened because I refused to “judge” them.

You’re supposed to judge people. The idea that you’re not supposed to is ridiculous. But you don’t have to be a jerk about it. There’s a big difference betweenjudging people and being judgmental. But it’s unkind not to share insights or suggestions for a better way of life with those you love most. Holding back and telling yourself the way someone behaves is just the way they’re made is wrong in most instances. Overspending and not saving money aren’t character traits—they’re decisions. 

They’re adults now, and they’re going to do what they want. They don’t have to understand or support your ways of handling money, but you and your husband have every right to tell them they have to start behaving in certain ways if they expect to receive your money when the time comes. If they’re misbehaving, and you give them money, you’re funding that bad behavior. That’s not love, that’s enabling. And a big pile of money isn’t going to heal the bad things—it’s only going to magnify them.

Sit down with your kids, and have a loving, clear discussion about the situation. Remind them that they’re adults, and you and your husband are no longer able to tell them how they have to live. But let them know in no uncertain terms, gently but firmly, they will not receive your money if they continue to behave in ways you both consider foolish or unreasonable. Let them know they’ll always have your love, just not your money, unless they begin behaving more intelligently and maturely with their finances.

You can’t make them do anything, Danielle. But you can ensure they understand you two won’t be sharing your wealth with people who can’t handle it and use it wisely.

—Dave

* Dave Ramsey is a seven-time #1 national best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 18 million listeners each week. Hehas appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and many more. Since 1992, Dave has helped people regain control of their money, build wealth and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO for Ramsey Solutions.

Westbrook News February 22 2018

By
Patty Bryant
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0
We hope everyone had a wonderful Valentines Day.  We sure did here. The Trinity Holiness
Church brought each resident a beautiful flower in a vase.  We would like to thank them so much
for this.  We loved them.  Also a special thanks to the G F W C  Sorosis Club for providing our
Valentine party; they do this annually.  Ladies attending were: Rinda Griffin, Ginger Fitzgerald,
Melicia McFadden, Starr Herron, Vicki Etheridge, America Dudley, Denise Linzman,
Norma Skelton, Ann Medlinger, Gloria England, Lisa Adkins and Liz Scott.  They provided lots
of delicious foods, each resident a bag of goodies and played our favorite game Bingo with
great prizes.  We love this party and really appreciate it.
      Our Band/Family night is coming up March 1st at 5:30.  If you would like to enjoy a delicious
meal and listen to great music and singing, come join us.
      We really appreciate all of our Volunteers. Mike Bates and Ron Switzer do a Bible Study on
Mondays.  Joyce at Garrett’s Flower Shop furnishes flowers for each Birthday.  Have a blessed
week.

Toby Dawn Throws Angry Apples

By
Tom Deighan
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0

January 14, 2022 by Tom Deighan

Peanut, our chihuahua, must always visit the backyard first thing in the morning, especially since his bladder surgery. So, when an apple landed next to him in the grass the other morning, he sniffed it and hiked his little leg.  When the second and third apples landed in our yard, however, he ran for the pet door. “Shame, shame, shame!”  My lifelong friend and childhood hero, Toby Dawn McIntyre, was throwing apples over the fence at me. “Shame on you, Mr. Superintendent, for closing schools!” Apples are in short supply, so I immediately began gathering them up (except Peanut’s apple, of course). 

Like all of us, Toby Dawn McIntyre runs hot and cold on this issue. He has shamed me for opening schools, and he has now shamed me for closing them. But in fairness to Toby, I released a book this week about open schools, so I might deserve a few apples tossed my way. (Sweet irony!) Nevertheless, my book is not about shaming schools for opening or closing.  It is about raising awareness of the thousands of unknown schools in our nation that never closed preemptively or indefinitely due to COVID, so fearful districts can reopen permanently with confidence.  Eventually, Toby ran out of apples and calmly sat on our back porch, and Peanut happily hopped on his lap.

This is the first time Duncan voluntarily closed due to COVID, but we closed due to actual conditions, just as we have done for the flu, but this week was a triple-whammy of Flu, COVID, and other illnesses. On Wednesday morning, we hit critical mass. Staff and student absences were growing, and dedicated employees all over the district were coughing. Staying open was courting disaster, so I closed schools.  I am 100% accountable for this decision, so any apples tossed my way are understood. (Just don’t hit Peanut.) 

High profile educational leaders, from both sides, are tossing apples, too.  Some are fearfully demanding schools close preemptively.  Others castigate schools for closing even due to actual sick people, as Duncan did this week.  Both sides of the debate obsess about schools that preemptively close, but they say little about schools that have been open this whole time. Instead of pointing fingers, maybe they can find answers from the “open” schools, so we can end this plague of school closures.

I started my book, The Lonely Struggle for Open Schools, on December 18th last month after hearing about more preemptive closures. Thousands of schools in our nation never closed preemptively or indefinitely, and by telling Duncan’s story, I hoped to raise awareness that open schools are not only possible but also safe as we prepare for the 2022-23 school year. All proceeds will be donated to the DPS Foundation.

I can forgive people who have never run school districts for throwing apples at those of us who do; that’s part of the job.  As we prepare for our fourth school year with COVID, however, parents and educators need hope. We have enough models, data, and examples at this point to empower schools instead of throwing apples. It is time to reassure and support parents with the hope of open schools for the 2022-23 school year. The political theater of shaming schools for opening and/or closing has not gotten us anywhere. This is a new year, so maybe we can finally empower schools to permanently reopen by studying the schools that have been open safely and successfully.  

Toby Dawn, Peanut, and I sat there silently for a moment on the back porch, when he finally spoke up. (Toby, not Peanut.) “I’m sorry, Tommy Boy,” he said, “I was mad and just wanted to throw something . . . I also knew you liked apples.”  For future reference, that’s what Toby calls a win-win, and Peanut certainly agrees.  Meanwhile, keep throwing apples.  Soon, I may have enough for a pie! 

Tom Deighan is superintendent of Duncan Public Schools. You may email him at  deighantom@gmail.com and read past articles at www.mostlyeducational.com

Coaching Changes Approved For Waurika Softball, Girls Basketball

By
Trey Smart
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0

A couple of changes in coaching responsibilities were recently approved by the Waurika Board of Education.

Kassie Bohot, who has been a teacher at Waurika Elementary and the head coach of the powerlifting program will add fast-pitch softball to her responsibilities at the school.

Garret Bachand, the boys’ basketball coach for the past three seasons, will take on the girls’ basketball program as well for the coming year.

Bohot replaces long-time athletic director and fast-pitch softball coach Everett Hodges.

Hodges compiled a 27-52 record over the past three seasons of fast-pitch softball for the Lady Eagles. This came after a two-year period where the team only won a total of four games.

Bohot is excited about the added coaching responsibility and is looking forward to her first season after serving as the top assistant the past few seasons.

“This group of seniors if the first group I coached at Waurika,” said Bohot. “I know the girls and their abilities.”

Bohot noted the improvement of the girls she has helped with over the past few seasons.

“I am excited to see this come full circle,” Bohot added. “I can’t wait to have a good year.”

Bachand is also excited about the opportunity to take on the reins of the girls basketball program at Waurika.

He has been the Eagle roundball coach for the past three seasons and has a 33-36 record.

Bachand’s first two seasons produced a winning record, but this past season the squad struggled because of injuries.

However, the 2022 version of the Eagles made the first regional tournament appearance under Bachand, who is a graduate of Waurika High School.

Bachand will also be no stranger to the girls as he was the top assistant under Kalee Baxter during the 2022 campaign when the Lady Eagles fashioned a 20-7 record.

“I’m really excited to become the next head coach for these girls,” Bachand said. “I have talked to them and they are stoked and ready to work.”

The Lady Eagles have had strong seasons the past few years, but faltered in the post-season.

 “Obviously these girls have done some really good things in the regular season,” Bachand noted.

“Most of those girls that are returning have some unfinished business from the last two years in the postseason,” Bachard added.

It will be a big goal for the veteran boys’ coach to push the girls to new heights particularly in the postseason.

“I can’t wait to get to work and see what we can do this next season,” Bachard said.

 In addition to his basketball responsibilities, Bachand serves as an assistant to Joe Allen in both football and baseball.

Cole Statement on Retirement of NIH Director Francis Collins

By
Tom Cole
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0

Moore, OK – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) issued the following statement after it was announced that Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will retire at the end of 2021 after a 12-year tenure under three consecutive presidential administrations. Cole is the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee that provides funding for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the NIH. 

“It is with very mixed emotions that I learned of the retirement at the end of this year of Dr. Francis Collins, long-time director of the National Institutes of Health,” said Cole. “Naturally, I am pleased that someone who has worked so long and hard for the American people and for all of humanity is going to have an opportunity to take some time and smell the roses along the way. However, as a strong supporter and advocate of the NIH, I know how much he will be missed at the Institute, by the biomedical community, in the halls of Congress and amongst his scientific peers around the world.

“Dr. Collins has served with exceptional distinction. The only person appointed by three different presidents to directorship of the NIH, I have often called him the ‘best politician in Washington, D.C.’ Who else could be appointed by President Barack Obama, President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden? The fact that Dr. Francis Collins holds this unique distinction is a testament to the high regard in which he is held across the political spectrum.

“A brilliant scientist in his own right, no one matches the ability of Dr. Collins to marshal and focus the scientific community. His concentrated attention to the well-being and health of people all over the world are literally unmatched. During his tenure, Dr. Collins advocated for greater federal investment in the NIH’s budget, and he worked to advance many biomedical research initiatives focused on such ailments as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Indeed, his crowning achievement was probably the critical role he played in coordinating private and public efforts to produce the coronavirus vaccines that were the product of Operation Warp Speed. That effort alone has already saved millions of lives in America and around the world. 

“I do not believe we have heard the last of Dr. Francis Collins. I have no doubt that future administrations of both parties will call upon him for his wise counsel, brilliant insights and exceptional public credibility. While I wish my good friend well in his retirement, I would suggest he not go far because I suspect his country will call upon his services again.”

Long-Time Ryan Coach Steps Aside From Grid Responsibilities

By
Trey Smart
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0

Veteran Ryan football coach Stan Mueggenborg has stepped away from the program after 12 seasons as the head of the Cowboy program.

 Mueggenborg will remain on the faculty at Ryan and will coach fast-pitch softball this fall and slow-pitch softball next spring.

 Tony Tomberlin, who served as an assistant under Mueggenborg for all 12 seasons, will take over the head coaching reins and it is hoped the transition will be seamless.

 Tomberlin will be the 33rd different head coach in school history.  

 In 2006, Mueggenborg took over the coaching duties of the football program at Ryan after coaching stops at Wichita Falls Notre Dame and Grandfield. He was a football assistant at Grandfield for 19 years.

 There are a number of accomplishments for Mueggenborg in his 12 years at the helm of the Cowboys.

 Mueggenborg is the longest tenured coach in program history and no one else comes close.

 Ryan’s first football coach, G.J. Williams coached nine seasons at Ryan, but that was over three different time periods.

The only other football coach to come remotely close to Mueggenborg’s tenure would be Raymon West, who coached football on three different occasions totaling seven years.

 Mueggenborg will end his career at Ryan with an 81-52 mark. That is the most wins by any Ryan coach in school history.

 The winning percentage of .609 is the third best among coaches who have served at Ryan for at least three years or more.

 In his first season as head coach of the Cowboys, Mueggenborg directed the squad to an 11-2 record and an appearance in the state semifinals where the Cowboys were upset by Temple, 26-7.

 In 2009, Mueggenborg coached the Cowboys to a 10-0 record in the regular season and then helped.

 In 2009, Mueggenborg coached the Cowboys to a 10-0 record in the regular season and then helped Ryan make another semifinal appearance where the Cowboys fell to eventual state champion Canton, 42-8.

 The 2009 campaign is one of only four seasons in school history that Ryan posted an undefeated record in the regular season and each season had a different head coach.

 Those two semifinal appearances are part of nine semifinal contests for Ryan and only Phil Elerick has coached more state semifinal games at Ryan than Mueggenborg.

 In his last season, Mueggenborg helped the Cowboys to a 6-5 mark and a playoff appearance that ended a two-year drought of post-season play for Ryan.

 Mueggenborg led the Cowboys to nine playoff appearances in his 12 seasons and has two district titles to his credit.

 The Ryan teams that Mueggenborg coached were always highly competitive, hard-nosed and hard-hitting.

 The Cowboy squads coached by the veteran coach did not quit – even in the midst of tremendous adversity such as was experienced in the 2015 and 2016 seasons when the Cowboys won only three total games.

 Mueggenborg was also the baseball coach for 11 years and his teams won two conference tournament titles and one district championship. Mueggenborg gave up the baseball coaching duties last season to coach slow-pitch softball

 Another noted achievement for Mueggenborg during his coaching reign was the construction of a new stadium for Ryan in 2008. The metal bleachers and press box replaced the stadium seating that had been in existence since 1947.

 Tomberlin, who has primarily been in charge of the defense during his 11 years as an assistant, will face a tough challenge in returning the Cowboys to the playoffs.

 Ryan is assigned to District B-4 for the next two seasons and will face stiff competition in the upcoming season from Central High, Wilson, Waurika and Empire.

 However, Tomberlin will be one of five new coaches among the district schools. Only Central High will have the same coach from the 2017 season.

 The Cowboys have been engaged in summer conditioning and Tomberlin noted that those who have been participating have been working hard.

 Ryan has been the only coaching responsibility for Tomberlin and he has served in nearly every sport.

 He has been the head coach for boys’ and girls’ track for nine seasons where he coached one individual state champion and six individual regional champions.

 In 2009, he was the head coach of the Cowgirl basketball squad for the second half of the season. He also was the boys’ coach for the 2010-2012 seasons and he led the Cowboys to a pair of district titles.

 For the past 12 seasons he has also served as the assistant for baseball and was named the high school principal in 2014.

 The Cowboy football season gets underway on August 24 when Ryan will welcome Snyder to Bob Givens Sports Complex.

The Most Important Educator

By
Tom Deighan
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0

This is second in a series of ten summertime articles mapping the common ground upon which parents, educators, and communities can unite regarding one of the most divisive topics in America: public education. 

The leader of a major school software company once claimed he can predict the success of any student in his system. He did not need any of the demographics, grades, or other records stored in his vast computers. He just needed to know if anyone logged in to check on a child’s progress – not daily, weekly, or even monthly. Just once, he claimed, to check on that child. To think, all my nagging as a parent, wasted!  

Although an infinite number of factors impact a child’s education, we know children excel most when a supportive adult is actively involved, and they don’t always need helicopters circling overhead. They just need to know that their education matters to someone – anyone. I cannot responsibly reduce educational success to a click of the mouse, but I can confidently summarize troves of educational research as well as my entire experience as an educator into one simple principle: The parent is the most important educator in a child’s life. 

The parent is the educational foundation and backbone of not only a child’s education but the entire educational system. This is true for public school, private school, and home school, from preschool to university. Schools can assist in a child’s education, and we can advise and support parents, but we can do very little without parents’ support. Such a statement would not have been controversial just a few years ago, so before you cancel me, let me explain. 

When I use the term parent, I obviously mean parent in the traditional sense, but parent also includes the countless grandparents, relatives, and others providing the invaluable service of nagging their beloved children to get their homework done, to get to school on time, and to behave. We don’t think of it as nagging, but that’s how our kids see it, and children generally know who loves them most by who nags them to be their best, even if it is a simple click of the mouse. (Despite some students’ claims, it is not cyberbullying to check their grades.) Sometimes, however, parents need some help, because without someone gently nagging these kids, none of this works.

I am the youngest of seven, and my dad died before I could know him. My single mom cared deeply about my education, but she did not nag me much because she was either at work (often nights) or too tired, despite how much she deeply loved me. From the earliest age, I took full advantage of the situation to become a very accomplished delinquent, so to most teachers I resembled a feral cat more than an actual child. Nevertheless, in each of the fifteen schools I attended before graduation, at least one adult lovingly nagged me. Sometimes it was my teacher, but sometimes it was the custodian, the cook, or the bus driver. Even when my mom needed a nap, I knew someone was watching over me. 

When I assert that the parent is the most important educator in a child’s life, I understand that the definition of parent varies greatly. I also understand that the smallest contribution of a caring adult can exponentially multiply a parent’s efforts. We educators can assist parents but only with their support, and if we ever forget this, we have lost our way. Thankfully, 80% of parents and 80% of educators agree on 80% of the issues, making this partnership possible. Exceptions exist to any rule, but parents and educators working together can rule any exception, especially when we focus on a child’s needs before politics. Most importantly, however, we must never forget who is the most important educator in a child’s life. 

Tom Deighan is a public educator and currently serves as Superintendent of Duncan Public Schools. He may be reached at deighantom@gmail.com

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