To New School Year! Or NOT?

I was all set out to write a wonderful "welcome back" blog, until I saw the front page of the Saipan Tribune today.

Sorry, Welcome back Teachers, Staff and Administrators!! I trust that all have had a somewhat relaxing summer.

Like you, I'm ready to try to get into my room and start setting up the classroom for another fun year. When I went to school this week, I was reminded, I could stay and work, but could NOT turn on anything. This outage included and was NOT limited to lights, water machine, fan(s), computer, etc...). Nothing, absolutely nothing could be turned on. I was reminded that they were monitoring the power. Has this happened to you? What is going on in your school?

Questions that came to mind, for the powers that be, are;

1) How do you set up a classroom, office, or school without any power?

2) What public official went into office, and set up his/her office without a lick of power?

3) Why/how do they really think that starting school late will really help our/their children?
Teachers? Accreditation? Continuity of Federal Funds?

4) Why do you continue to take away from the Children of this island, which will be the future
leaders of tomorrow.

5) Will delaying school really help you? At what cost to these future leaders of tomorrow?

I have come to understand that some on this island do not seem to care if we get any (US) federal funds for this Island or not. But, who are they really hurting? Themselves? Or the future leaders of tomorrow? If you truely believe in change or even things to stay the same, we(PSS Teachers) must be allowed to teach these future leaders to handle not just the island, but their place in the world and it's economy as well. Technology and all that goes with it(power included), are part of the future! Like it or not!!

Hope to see you all at the first state-wide PD, soon! Again, WELCOME BACK!