It seems like it was just yesterday that I started teaching at WPHS.
As I passed my 30th year, friends and colleagues often asked, “How much longer are you going to go?” My standard reply was, “When I wake up one morning and do not want to go to work, that will be the day.” Fortunately, that never happened, however, as I began my 35th year, I realized that time was near.
At the end of the first semester, I knew the time had come. There were still so many things that I wanted to do and so many places I wanted to go. My biggest fear as I retired was the void that would be left when the next school year began. I knew I would miss my students and student-athletes. I loved them all as if they were my sons and daughters. The relationships that had been built were very special to me. My kids had all touched my life. I hoped that, in some small way, I had touched theirs.
With a strong sense of purpose and a determination to make a difference, I decided to run for the Board of Education seat. Ohio County Schools, both as a student and an educator, had given me so much, and I was resolute in my commitment to give back. The role of a school board is to set policy for the school system and to hire the superintendent. Board members must also be wise custodians of the county’s funds. I firmly believe that a board member should not be a micromanager. It is not a board member’s job to order specific policies concerning individual schools or teachers.
I also firmly believe classroom teachers should not be excluded from decision-making. Working in the trenches, teachers know the needs of their students, and they must have a voice. I listened to their concerns and visited many of our buildings to speak to them. Even before the election, I knew it was impossible to please everyone. I made a firm decision always to do what I believed was right when the Board faced any situation. This resolve and resilience in the face of challenges should reassure you of my commitment to the role.
Never in a thousand years would I have believed COVID-19 would consume the first two years of my term. It also revealed many people knew all the answers, and if you disagreed with them, you were the enemy. Unfortunately, I did lose a few “friends” during this time. However, we did learn one thing from COVID. Remote learning does not work! Kids need to be with their teachers in person, not seeing them through a video screen. It is impossible to establish the student-teacher relationship this way.
Teachers cannot know their kids unless they have in-person contact. Teachers and administrators did the best they could under the circumstances. All spent countless hours, but remote learning did not work. Learning loss was a huge deficit to overcome. Our teachers and school administrators did yeoman’s work in reducing that loss, and the Board was informed of every step. The Board did nothing to mitigate this loss but approved steps being taken. Test scores are slowly but surely increasing. The majority of the credit belongs to our teachers.
However, we cannot judge the effectiveness of a school or teacher solely on test scores. Doing so is blatantly unfair. It is ludicrous to say low test scores are caused exclusively by the quality of instruction. These tests do not measure a student’s intelligence, creativity, etc.
Several other things factor into low test scores. For one, students MUST be willing participants in their learning. Parents and guardians must also be participants. Other factors that can affect student achievement include poverty and hunger. Children sometimes wonder where their next meal is coming from. Many children in West Virginia are often the victims of abuse or neglect. These children may develop academic, social, or behavioral issues that will adversely affect their psyche and begin a downward spiral that is difficult to escape.
The bottom line is this: when the cycle of poverty and its adverse effects are broken, test scores will undoubtedly increase significantly.
The decision to cut library funding was a source of deep disappointment. The library, a place I often visit, is a hub of activity for many kids, especially after school and in the evenings. For some, it’s the only place to study and get work done. The library also offers excellent programs for kids of all ages. This cut was a blow to our community, and I felt a strong urge to make my feelings heard. I felt the library funding needed to be restored to its previous level.
The best way to do this was to write it into the excess levy. Thanks to Mr. Croft, Mr. Garber, and our county administration, a unique way was found to do this, and as you are aware, the School Excess Levy and the Library Levy were passed overwhelmingly.
One of the crowning achievements of my term was seeing Dr. Miller and Mr. Jones’s long-term vision for Ohio County Schools come to fruition.
Every single building in Ohio County saw significant improvement. Some elementary school additions provided much-needed space to comply with state code. The addition of man-traps greatly enhanced security at every school. The renovations at Wheeling Park High School included a state-of-the-art science department with a space for our State Champion robotics program. In addition, the Innovative Learning Center (ILC) includes a space for our award-winning Speech team.
Our athletic facilities are second to none. Turf softball and baseball fields, gym makeovers throughout the county, and a new track at WPHS give our student-athletes the best facilities to practice and compete.
Madison School has had a dental clinic for quite a while. I was also excited to learn about the plans for a medical clinic there. I had hoped this clinic would be operational before my term ended. I was looking forward to voting in the affirmative. However, all the T’s must be crossed, and all the I’s must be dotted before that project happens. The lion’s share of the funding is in place. I hope that our current board gives its approval.
Some people have told me it must be easy to be a board member and attend only two monthly meetings. It is much more time-consuming than that. I did not even fully comprehend the time commitment involved until I served.
All board members, past, present, and future, have my utmost thanks and respect for the time devoted to the Board of Education. One of my favorite things of the past four years was WPHS graduation. I was thrilled to present a diploma to my nephew, Cal, and to the children of some of my former students and athletes. I have also immensely enjoyed attending our schools for various programs and events. The Get a Life Programs at Bridge Street and Triadelphia Middle Schools, reading to third graders at Warwood Elementary and kindergarteners at Middle Creek, and the fish release event at Elm Grove Elementary were only some highlights of my experience as a board member.
I will sincerely miss everything, but I have places to go and things to do.
It is time to think about me. I have written two Civil War-related books (one about West Virginia) and am working on my third. The working title is The Thunder Rolled: Wilson’s Creek to Pea Ridge. Hopefully, it won’t take as much time to write as the first two did. I recently visited four Civil War Battlefields: Wilson’s Creek, Pea Ridge, Shiloh, and Fort Donelson. The information I was able to gather will be invaluable in this writing.
I will also be able to devote time to my photography business, something I haven’t done in the past few years, and to travel with my wife. In addition, I have always wanted to see a baseball game at every Major League stadium. I am currently a little over halfway there. I will continue to keep statistics for the WPHS football team and to keep the scorebook at WPHS boys’ basketball games.
So you see, I will have plenty to do in “retirement.”
I leave with absolutely no regrets. I know we didn’t always agree as board members, and sometimes, that is a good thing. Rest assured, however, that I always respected the opinions of my fellow board members. I thank them for always respecting mine.
