What’s best for kids?

Working in our community is a pleasure. I feel fortunate to have spent the last five years of my life as a teacher in the Mat-Su Borough School District.

This is a good time to pause and reflect on the wonderful experiences I have had in our district. A five-year anniversary is a perfect time to celebrate our district’s fantastic professionals, compassionate community and enthusiastic students. Let me share with you what I’ve learned in my five years.

1. The professionals of Mat-Su School District are just that, professionals. I have had the pleasure of collaborating with teachers from all over the nation — and let me tell you, we have got some of the best! The teachers of Mat-Su Borough School District make it a habit to go the extra mile and be truly innovative in their teaching. I consistently see teachers’ cars parked outside of schools in the evenings and on the weekends (you know you see it, too). These teachers are not at school due to poor time management or “just” to correct papers, they are at school because, as I’ve learned from others in the profession, success is defined as capturing a student’s heart as well as his or her imagination. These professionals are putting in the extra time to ensure the success of these students.

2. Strong partnerships between the community and school are critical to student success. Parent/teacher conferences are some of the highlights of a teacher’s year. Although they can make for a long day (often stretching from early morning to evening) these conferences are the only chances that many of us have to connect with our students and their families together. In addition to using this time to take a dipstick of a student’s academic progress, teachers cherish these meetings as an opportunity to learn more about student life beyond the classroom. This time together is special. Conferences are a time to learn more about each student and each family’s individual culture. This understanding of personal culture helps us not only relate to our students, but also brings a level of empathy and compassion to classroom interactions that is necessary for students’ success.

3. The mission of educators worldwide is to prepare students for a future that is ever-changing and jobs that don’t exist yet. In order to accomplish this challenging mission, strong teachers, strong communities and strong students are all required.

Students of the Mat-Su Valley are resilient, kind and hard working. The aspect of our community’s students that I’ve come to appreciate above all others, though, is their energy. Zeal, enthusiasm, excitement — whatever we want to call it, our students have the ability to become uniquely excited about ideas and new challenges. Believe me, I’m a middle school math teacher, a subject where enthusiasm can be a struggle.

However, I still see students’ eyes sparkle when discussing how to improve their confidence and understanding of math. It is this enthusiasm that we all work to support and foster. The world may be ever changing, but students armed with enthusiasm will be ready to change with the times.

In five years, I have learned how wonderful our community, professionals and students all are. Perhaps what I love most of all can be boiled down to a single question: What’s best for kids? As long as we continue to pursue an answer together, I believe Mat-Su schools will continue to be a wonderful place to work and go to school!

Jeffrey D. Blackburn is the coordinator for Mat-Su Central School’s technology program.