A number of recent conversations with staff and parents have led me to pause and consider just what we do at Pauline Central. My pause to reflect on what we do at Pauline Central was also prompted by the recent honor received by our sister school, Pauline South. Just a few months ago (November, 2009), Pauline South was named a National Distinguished Title 1 School. They were one of only two schools in Kansas given this prestigious recognition. As the "feeder" school to Pauline South, we take a lot of pride in their accomplishment. We know our school contributed to the overall success of students at Pauline South, helping enable them to receive such a high honor.
My challenge with this message is to articulate a sense of what it means to be a part of this school community. I'm grateful to work with such a wonderfully committed faculty and staff. It is a genuine pleasure to walk into Mrs. Shufelberger's class and watch her masterfully embed the teaching of skills that will help her students better demonstrate self-control the rest of their lives, or into Mrs. Burris' classroom where she exposes students to the wonders of technology, making learning more interesting and sparking an increased desire to learn. It's heartwarming to walk into Mrs. Meyer's classroom and watch her apply her touch to students in a way that increases their confidence and pride in themselves. I could go on for pages giving examples of the amazing work our teachers do with students each day.
Clearly, our school has many purposes. It's where we teach children to read and write well, to understand abstract math concepts, and how to be problem solvers. But it's also a place where they learn how to interact with one another, with the larger community, and with their own self identity.
We have a number of advantages at Pauline Central, elements that are available to our children, but which are not necessarily afforded to many, even most, school children. As I see them, some of our advantages are these:
- Preschool-3 Learning Environment- Allows for a clear focus on basic and fundamental skills.
- Dynamic Faculty and Staff- Brings a wide-variety of experience and passion to the classroom.
- Appropriate Staff Levels- Needs of students are better able to be met, providing a stronger start to every student's school career.
- Commitment to the Whole Child- Daily music and P.E. classes, as well as weekly art classes.
- Heightened Expectations- Enhanced curriculum, embedded in a framework of elevated expectations, causes children to rise to the occasion.
- Supportive Community- Of course, few of these are possible without the sustained and intentional support of our community.
When I share with new or prospective families what makes Pauline Central a place worth coming to, these are the prominent points I bring forward. Putting them down on paper makes me realize that we must continue to always leverage each of these advantages to the highest degree possible. In fact, bringing as many of them to bear at a given time is where the magic does happen at our school. The combined power of these advantages is not summative, but can be exponential in nature.
