Blog
The Yellow Jacket Buzz
The Car Rider Line is the Right Thing to Do
I think it’s likely that since Henry Ford rolled out his first vehicle and some folks decided it might be a good idea to take their children to school in vehicles, there’s probably been at least some trepidation about car rider drop off and pick up lines.
You’re right, it takes a little time. For some, it may be a little inconvenient. I hope you’ll take three minutes to read why I think everyone should follow the procedures put into place, specifically for the car line at UES and UHS.
Thought 1…It’s the right thing to do
Believe it or not, those procedures were put into place for a variety of reasons that you may or may not be aware of. That said, none of them were to inconvenience you. Some of the reasons are: safety, mass traffic flow logistics, and city ordinances. I think it’s important to teach our children respect. Knowingly doing something against the rules over and over doesn’t send a very good message to our children.
Thought 2...It’s the safe thing to do
Following the car line for drop off and pick up is absolutely the safest way to go about ALL children being dropped off and picked up safely. There are adults in place to make sure that students and staff members are safe when cars are moving about. When someone doesn’t follow the rules, unexpected things happen and safety measures aren’t nearly as effective. If we don’t accomplish anything else, we want to be safe.
Thought 3...Not following the procedure is a touch selfish
I’m sure there are many days where the 98% of people who pick up and drop off in the correct manner think about cutting a corner in the name of convenience. I’m grateful they don’t! Honestly, if everyone just did what they wanted to do, there’d be absolute chaos. It simply won’t work. So, when you think of dropping off or picking up on Peachtree Street, just think: “What if everyone did this?” When you think of picking up in lot across from UHS, just think: “What if everyone did this?” When you think of claiming that your students are walkers, just think: “What if everyone did this?”
I sit in the car line twice a day. Never have I waited more than 10 minutes. When I drop off, I know that my daughter is going to get inside the building safely. When I pick up, I know that my daughter is going to be escorted to my car safely.
At the end of the day, it’s about doing the right thing. It’s about setting the right example for our children. It’s about being safe. It’s about treating others with respect. I trust that those who aren’t following the procedures will join the 98% who do. Go Jackets!
Dr. Tyler Hansford is in his 2nd year as Superintendent of the Union Public School District.
We All Want Successful Children
I think this is certainly one of those age-old topics that nearly every parent has, at one time or another, pondered. Certainly, the secret to raising successful children is not a short or simple one. Additionally, the solution is not the same for every student or every family.
Perhaps at the crux of this discussion is how we define success. For some, success is nothing less than all As in school. For others, success is earning a starting role on whatever athletic team may be in season at that particular time. For me, success is a dynamic moving target that can likely never be truly and accurately defined. Personally, I want to be the absolute best at whatever it is that I’m undertaking -- whether that’s statistics, football, or dominoes. I am fully aware that I’ll never reach that goal. That said, the pursuit is what’s fun for me.
I think we all have a general goal for our children. We want them to grow up to be successful, independent adults; we want them to reach, or even exceed, their potential. Whether consciously or not, we understand that education plays some role in achieving that goal. There, at education, is where the crossroads is for many. What is education, exactly, and what is its purpose?
Author, thinker, and educator Jessica Lahey recently wrote an article for the New York Times on this very topic. Her articled entitled “How to Help Your Child Succeed at School” emphasizes several practical points for parents to help their children be successful.
Value the process over the product
First, she points out that we ought to value the process of learning over the actual product. Children will learn at different rates, and it’s important to accept that. She mentions that we ought to keep a long-term perspective and love the children we have, not the ones we wish we had. Each child is a unique blessing to us.
Realize grades aren't most important
Next, she says we should value goals over grades. I agree. Honestly, grades aren’t always reliable indicators of student success in school or in life. I would contend that work ethic is a much more reliable indicator. I’ve seen geniuses breeze through school, but they fall on their face in the real world because they couldn’t cope. As a teacher, sure, I loved smart kids, but my favorite kids were often the C students who worked their rear ends off and persevered through adversity. Many of them have gone on to be great!
Help them develop good habits
I think kids need a routine, and they need to learn good study habits. Routines help kids understand the
importance of planning and thinking about what will come next. Routines, chores, and studying help children understand that sometimes we have to do things we don’t like. Often, when children are struggling, academically or behaviorally, it’s because they simply don’t have the skills to cope. Convenient or not, this cannot be taught only at
school. Kids must learn how to respond when they don’t get their way or when they’re disappointed. They need to learn that response from parents, grandparents, teachers, principals, and anyone else involved. Lahey’s article supports this.
Keep the lines of communication open
Another key to school success is open, honest, and trustworthy communication between home and school. Having done this for 10 years now, I can honestly say that schools, good ones at least, absolutely want to see all children
succeed. Put simply, schools, teachers, and administrators have nothing to gain and everything to lose when students aren’t successful. When students aren’t successful, it makes everyone’s job at the school much more difficult. Therefore, schools do everything they can to ensure success, but the students have to be active and willing participants.
Please check out Lahey’s article. She has some great advice. Here’s one snippet: “Don’t bash or undermine a teacher in front of the kids. Kids hear what you say about their teachers, and it’s essential to preserve the student-teacher relationship at all costs. It can be confusing for kids when parents say negative things about their teachers, just as it’s upsetting when one parent speaks ill of the other during a separation or divorce.”
So, we can’t measure success in school simply by grades. Likewise, we can’t measure success in life simply by income or social status. We must measure success as a totality of accomplishment. For me, accomplishment does not just include academics and athletics. Instead, success should be measured by our contributions to the betterment of society. So, for kids, we want well-rounded, well-adjusted creative problem solvers who are ready to go make the world a better place. Together, we can accomplish this!
Tyler Hansford is in his 2nd year as superintendent of the Union Public School District. Prior to that, he served as principal of Union Middle School.