July 2001
Your Turn
Dear Editor:
In company with many of my colleagues and friends, I am generally aware of the work of the Institute, but particularly when the subjects you are dealing with cover interests that are of importance to me and my family.
Of particular importance has been the Report Card on British Columbia's Secondary Schools. I must tell you that the establishment and continuity of these reports has been like a breath of invigorating, fresh air. They bring hope and expectation that the complacency evident in the educational system, once under the focus of the exposing light of the reports, will cause schools to grasp the opportunity presented by this creative tool to set new goals of achievement for the educational standards of our children.
I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend the awards luncheon and ceremony for the Outstanding Principals Awards that you held last year in Vancouver when Sharon Hollows (now Dame Sharon Hollows) gave the keynote address. She demonstrated that in spite of the apparently disadvantageously low demographic profile of the students in her school, their performance through her management proved beyond any doubt that the goals set by the principal of any school are the essential ingredients for the improvements we all seek from the school system.
Change can be difficult to embrace; it will only occur when principals choose to lead and inspire their school, parents, students, and teachers.
Your Report Cards and the success of Dame Sharon Hollows brought to mind the enclosed poem, The Pretty Good Student, which I remember reading in a newspaper over 10 years ago while on holiday in Hawaii. At the time, I thought it amusing, but it is not funny any more. It now reflects an attitude that is sadly very prevalent in the educational system, making your initiative overdue and extremely welcome.
Congratulations and carry on the good work.
Yours sincerely,
Julia Bancroft,
Langley, British Columbia
The Pretty Good Student
by Charles Osgood, Osgood Files,
CBS News Radio1
There once was a pretty good student
who sat in a pretty good class
who was
taught by a pretty good teacher
who always let pretty good pass.
He wasn't terrific in reading;
he wasn't a whiz at math,
but for him education
was leading
straight down a pretty good path.
He didn't find school too exciting
but he wanted to do pretty well
and he did have some trouble with
writing
and nobody taught him to spell.
When it came to arithmetic problems
pretty good was regarded as fine.
5 and 5 did not always equal 10;
a pretty good number was 9.
The pretty good student was happy
with the goals that were in sight
and everyone
thought it was savvy
if the answer was not quite right.
The pretty good class that he sat in
was part of a pretty good school.
The
student was not an exception;
in fact he was the rule.
The pretty good school that he went to
was there in a pretty good town,
and
nobody there seemed to notice
he couldn't tell a verb from a noun.
The pretty good student in fact
was part of a pretty good mob.
The first
time he knew what he lacked
was when he looked for a pretty
good job.
It was then that he saw his position.
He discovered that life can be tough,
and
soon had the sneaking suspicion
pretty good might not be good enough.
The pretty good town in our story
was part of a pretty good state
that had
pretty good aspirations
and prayed for a pretty good fate.
There once was a pretty good nation
pretty proud of the greatness it had;
but
learned much too late,
if you want to be great,
pretty good is in fact pretty
bad.
Note
1 Reprinted with permission
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