Keeping the Trains Running

I admit it. I am a sucker for analogies and metaphors. I love to use them, I love to read writing that masterfully employs them, and I am drawn to people who speak with them flowering their language. During the past two weeks, I have heard this phrase, "keeping the trains running," on two separate occasions. I began to explore that metaphor and all its meanings. It caused me to reflect on my job. As a Principal, I have to guard against that feeling that just “keeping the trains running on time” is enough. In education, just making it through the school day is not enough. We MUST ensure that every child who enters our doors is learning at their challenge level. Teaching to the middle is no longer an option. We need to diagnose where a student falls in the learning continuum, and we must provide whatever is necessary to take them to the next level.
This week, I had a conversation about a 6 year old child who was signing her own homework (pretending to be the parent) because there is no parent support at the house. How very sad that this child has no parental guidance, but how very exciting that this child has a teacher who challenges her and gives her the desire to learn and succeed. Teachers are the only bright spot some of these children EVER have. I ask that our faculty capitalizes on every minute we have to motivate a child to learn and to improve their circumstances. That little girl who is signing her own papers (in crayon by the way) may be very successful with the support of every teacher she meets while in school. It is my great desire that she has this support at every grade level while attending our school, Cherry Street. So, while we do want things running smoothly, we want to avoid derailment, our jobs are so much more than just keeping the trains running. It is about the journey that we give to our passengers, the children of this world.