Education goals haven’t changed much
I recently made an interesting and unexpected find: A 1916 Wayne Township Public School report card. Imagine my surprise at finding a document over 100 years old that provides a first-hand view of education in the early days of our school district; a district that is now known as the Huber Heights City Schools. I immediately began to examine this prized antique to see how education and our school district have evolved over the years.
Understandably, the graded curriculum was different in 1916. Students earned a grade in each of their subjects every month for the nine-month school year. Their final grade was an average of these monthly grades. Some of the same subjects taught today such as algebra, English, and chemistry were part of the 1916 curriculum. There were also subjects on the 1916 report card not currently taught such as Latin, botany, and bookkeeping.
The part of the document that especially caught my attention was a letter to parents and guardians from the superintendent of the Wayne Township Public Schools located on the back of the report card. Part of the letter reads, “You can benefit the school materially by working in harmony with the teachers. If there is anything which you do not understand, kindly consult the superintendent, not your neighbors.”
This message, written in 1916, still holds true today. As superintendents, we want to emphasize that parents and students can improve their educational experience by working hand-in-hand with teachers. Both teachers and administrators do their very best every day to provide students a quality educational experience. Education in our classrooms becomes exponentially better when parents, students, and teachers work together as a team.
Parents and families should know that as educators we are committed to the education of the children entrusted to our care. Just as teachers encourage students to ask questions in the classrooms, superintendents, principals, and teachers encourage parents and guardians to ask questions about their child’s education.
Superintendents, principals, and teachers work very hard to keep the lines of communication open between the school and the student’s home. Part of this effort means listening to the questions and concerns of parents and guardians and working to resolve them. Whether it is 1916 or today, the end goal for parents, superintendents, principals, and teachers is the same: helping our children become successful and responsible adults.