L&T Publisher Earl Watt
Those of you who read this column are already ahead of most of your neighbors an friends. Some people seemed surprised by local issues facing the community, but not you.
You’ve already read the stories about proposals to education. You’ve already read Starley Craig’s concerns over programs, programs and more programs that get printed right here.
You’ve seen stories written about city commission, county commission and school board meetings, and so you weren’t surprised when some of that information led to coaches and teachers deciding to fall on the sword.
Those on social media were stunned, but not you.
That’s why we are here. That’s why we are passionate about keeping you informed.
Now that your neighbors and friends are catching up, now is a great time to take that newfound public interest and put it to good use.
Some on social media shared that they are glad they left Liberal.
To be quite honest, I’m glad you left, too. I’m sure that Liberal was not the first stop on your search for perfection and won’t be the last. No community is perfect.
But the full room at Monday’s school board work session was a welcome sight to see. Only when people are engaged and informed can we understand the true challenges we face and how to best address them.
Stories about the widening pay gap between interim teachers and certified teachers has been covered every step of the way, and thanks to coach Bryan Luetters, he brought attention to it to those who didn’t have a clue.
Few understand the difference between FlexMod and a Modified block schedule at Liberal High School, but as more and more are becoming aware of the pros and cons to both, the conversation has now grown to bring more voices to the public square.
I’m not a big fan of the FlexMod, but over the years it has been adjusted and continues to adjust to address the areas that seem to be the least effective.
For example, freshmen operate on the more traditional schedule this year rather than the FlexMod. I would like to see even more oversight be provided, but the concerns have not fallen on deaf ears entirely.
The teaching staff provided an option to FlexMod, but at the recent public meeting they stated they didn’t favor their own replacement compared to the FlexMod. Some instructors even stated they came to teach in Liberal because of the FlexMod.
Do I believe today’s students are coddled more than their predecessors? Sure I do. Does the FlexMod add to the coddling? Some, perhaps.
But it also forces a student to learn how to manage their time better. Is that not an adult concept?
Sure it is. Are all students able to do it?
No, they aren’t.
Is it coddling, then, to create a system that doesn’t require time management? Some could say it is.
The reason to state this is the gray matter in our heads needs to understand the gray area in all of this, and that there is no perfect solution.
Believing we can do away with all technology and go back to Big Chief tablets isn’t realistic. But keeping the door open to old-school techniques along with modernization should also be on the table.
For now, let’s take a breath, keep informed and continue the conversation.
