Springtime in Kentucky brings lots of things for which to be grateful. I have had the opportunity to travel to and live in some amazingly beautiful places, but the abundance of colors that spring brings to the Bluegrass state makes this one of my favorite places on earth.
There are times in everyone’s life where when you look back, you wonder how you ever made it through. Whether it’s the illness of a parent or a child, or the estrangement of a dear friend or loved one, these are times that change us and can make us stronger.
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about why we are having such a hard time across Kentucky – and the nation – recruiting new teachers and keeping the ones we already have.
Every day we hear stories in our communities and see media reports about teacher shortages – and shortages of numerous other positions in school districts – in Kentucky and across the country.
Everybody’s favorite neighbor Fred Rogers said when he was young and saw something that scared him, his mother would tell him to look for the helpers. In the days since tornadoes left a wide swath of death and destruction in western Kentucky, I have heard about so many of the people who work in our public schools who volunteered to be one of those helpers.
January is a time for new beginnings and a new session of the Kentucky General Assembly. The session will start on Jan. 4 and must end by midnight on April 14. I think this is an exciting time for Kentucky as a whole and for education specifically.
It’s been a little over a year now since I joined the Kentucky Department of Education as its commissioner. During that time, my focus has been on listening to the people of my home state telling us what is working in education in the Commonwealth and where we need to improve.
Veterans play an essential role in our education community. Some of Kentucky’s teachers, classified staff, and school and district leaders have answered the call to serve our country. Now, they serve our students.
I marked my one-year anniversary at the helm of the Kentucky Department of Education last month with a trip to Meade County, the school district I graduated from more years ago than I like to admit.
There’s a phrase you may hear in education circles – particularly in Kentucky – called student voice. Student voice is the idea that students should have some say about how their education takes place.