District administrators corner

by Loren Glasbrenner,  River Valley School District Administrator  We are fortunate…really lucky.  The River Valley School District has teachers that go above and beyond to create experiences for our students.  Dr. R. L. K. Richardson, an education professor of mine in the 1980’s, emblazoned in my mind:  “Education is the process or product of the deliberate attempt to fashion experiences in order to control learning.”  Every day creative educators create experiences for the students.  Here are three recent examples. Ms. Nikki Berry, one of our River Valley Elementary physical education teachers, wanted to guarantee that every student in fourth grade could safely and successfully ride a bicycle.  Does the River Valley School District own and maintain bikes?  No.  Did that stop Ms. Berry from supporting her students?  No.  She coordinated a physical education unit in which parents and guardians brought in over 60 bicycles and helmets, coordinated volunteers to help with supervision on designated routes, created awareness for bike safety, and facilitated 70 students biking around the neighborhood for a three-week unit.  The organization and energy to facilitate this unit is incredible.  Did she have to do this extra work?  No.  But she is on a team of educators that believes that the students of River Valley are worth the extra time and effort.  She created an experience to propel success. Mr. Kyle Heckendorf (with help from our sixth grade staff at River Valley Middle School) and a bus loaded with students recently went to Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center for the annual Youth Conservation Day Program, which was sponsored by Sauk County Land Resources and Environment.  The sixth grade students have been attending an interactive outdoor event for over 15 years.  This will be the second year that the event has been held at Upham Woods.  Over 80 sixth grade students attended, and every student got to choose two out of the seven outdoor activities to participate in: Radical Raptors, Animal Signs Hike, Archery, Wildland Fire, Nature Art/Journaling, Fishing, and Wacky Water Critters.  Could these activities be on a video?  Sure.  Would the students have been as engaged or learned as much?  No.  Mr. Heckendorf is on a team of educators that believes that the students of River Valley are worth the extra time and effort.  They create experiences to propel success.  Mr. Nathan Hunstiger is hosting an incredible opportunity for our 10th grade English students this week at River Valley High School.  American Players Theatre (APT) is coordinating a new workshop centered around a novel, Dear Martin, authored by Nic Stone.  The teaching artists will use their presentation techniques to provide a courageous and honest opportunity for students to gain strategies in open and honest conversations.  These discussion techniques will help students develop diverse and advanced skills, make personal connections with the characters in the novel, and better understand and unearth the author’s use of archetype, metaphor, theme, and language.   The artists don’t have to present to River Valley, but Mr. Hunstiger was willing to schedule this endeavor for the benefit of our students.  Could we throw all of this into a PowerPoint?  Yes, I suppose.  Would our students have the same opportunities to strengthen and stretch their intellectual development?  No.  Will our students remember this week of learning?  Yes.  Mr. Hunstiger was willing and embraced the opportunity because he is on a team of educators that believes that the students of River Valley are worth the extra time and effort.  He is creating an experience to propel success. These three examples could be multiplied many times over with other educators in the River Valley School District.  Whenever possible, educators are building opportunities and experiences for our students.  We are very fortunate.