Thank You, Mr. Rosa

If you walk through the MHS Guidance Office you will see many plaques, honors, and awards hung on the walls.  These recognize some of the great achievements of former MHS students, classes, and staff.  There is one in particular outside of Dan Fitzgerald's office that honors Mr. Edward Rosa, who served as principal of Mansfield High School from 1980 to 2000.  The plaque was given to him upon his retirement in 2000, as it notes the vision he established for the school during 20 years as its leader.  On the award are a compilation of statements that were Mr. Rosa's core values as an educator.  On it reads the following:

"Lines we cannot cross:

• Believing that some students cannot learn


• Believing that there are some students we can't or shouldn't teach


• Believing that some classes or some subjects can exist without others


• Believing that our only responsibility is to our class/subject and our department rather than all subjects and the entire school


• Believing that others owe us support, automatically


• Believing that the end justifies the means "

I have passed this plaque probably hundreds of times in the past two years, but to be honest, I have never really read it.  The other day I was having a conversation with Mr. Fitzgerald about next year's Program of Studies and scheduling students, and the plaque caught the corner of my eye.  After I finished my chat, I walked over to it and read it carefully.  As my head was swimming with thoughts of the present budget crisis and how it may affect programs at MHS next year, reading these words offered a welcome respite.

Upon reflection, I believe that Mr. Rosa's core values get to the heart of one overarching theme:  having an all-kids agenda.  We as educators are here to give our very best to all kids, and invariably, we must always think of the greater good of all students in our school community.  The good of the whole school is what must always take precedent over any one individual department or program.  All of our programs- be they academic, co-curricular, extracurricular, or athletic- are linked and work with each other to educate the whole child.   I too embrace these values as they have always guided my practice.

As I thought about these values I juxtaposed them with my fears regarding the present school budget gap for FY 2011.  To be sure, this is the worst budget crisis in recent memory, if not for all time.  Some impossible decisions are going to have to be made as difficult cuts in programs may be sustained.  It is a natural tendency to look at a situation from only one's self-interest, and we tend to mobilize when there is a threat to that self-interest.  However, now more than ever, all school stakeholders must apply Mr. Rosa's global thinking when contemplating what is for the greater good of MHS.  What do our kids really need to get the best possible education?  What will serve all students well?  How can we work together to make the best decisions to benefit all students?  That will be the challenge in the coming months, but rooting all decisions in core values such as Mr. Rosa's is the best place to start.