Heroes in education

[B]By CRAIG H. GARRISON[/B] [I]Special to the Saipan Tribune
[/I] Everyday, as the acting Commissioner of Education, I am faced with an incredible amount of responsibility and determination to make decisions that will affect the lives of many. But I’m not writing about me today, I’m not writing about the many teachers who deserve accolades. I am writing about those foot soldiers in the field of education in the CNMI. The people that for all God’s care they are the safety net for the system, the glue that binds the fabric of our very existence. Without them standing there, behind the lines, facing the same tasks day in day out, all the while making barely enough money to make ends meet. They stand there in support of the leadership, from the classroom to the boardroom they are always there. Truly, as school leaders we must understand that it “is not our power to command those under our charge” that makes us effective, more so that “it is those under our command who make us effective.”

Leadership in schools and in life mirrors the challenge in building relationships, building character, and the ability to receive respect and admiration from those under your charge. I must have read dozens of books over my career as an educator about school leaders and teachers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. But there are few books ever written about the service to the system our support staff provide. On most days they will experience a constant barrage of requests for action, many of those requests coming across as aggravated and sometimes hostile complaints. Whilst I will be the first to admit that every section of the public school system, or even government for that matter, could indeed improve on the delivery of services, exactly the same could be said for many of our classrooms, schools, and government officials.

There is an unbelievable amount of work and commitment that takes place behind the scenes by support staff that no one ever seems to hear about or concern themselves with. From the midnight calls to the school campus to turn water off or fix a break in, to working every Saturday because that’s the only time it can be done. These are the unseen acts of commitment, founded in the belief that what they are doing makes a difference not only in their life but in the lives of those they serve. In spite of their sacrifice to their children, their wives and husbands, that’s the time we as school leaders and teachers often take for granted: our holidays, and seasonal breaks, our ability to have someone substitute for us. Our support staff do not often have the luxury of missing a day’s work. For that may mean also missing a meal for their children, medicine for a cold, or even money for the child’s lunch. I have never worked in a system where so many do so much for so little. I think the time is long overdue that we take a serious look at how we treat our support staff, how we compensate them, and how we recognize the service they provide to all of our children and our communities.

School leaders, teachers, students and parents need to take a look at how we as a system view the roles of our support staff and thank them for a job not only well done, but for their tireless integrity and commitment to the support of our teachers, our leadership, and our children. For truly, they are “heroes in education.”

[I]Craig H. Garrison is the acting Education Commissioner for the CNMI Public School System.[/I]