Community Education is all you need

by Phil Houseal as published in the Kerrville TX Community Journal
Dec 3, 2008

"All I ever need to know I learned from community education."

This bold statement was made by Bill Hoelscher, who was thrust into running a community education program while working at a small school district in south Texas. He then moved on to managing a nonprofit organization. One afternoon, as he stared at stacks of papers on his desk that all demanded immediate attention - from the quarterly report, to writing a grant, to planning the dreaded fundraiser he had been stuck with because he was the new guy - Bill had his epiphany. He realized he could use the lessons he learned as a community educator. As he writes:

1. If you don’t know, ask. Our peers are the greatest resources. I have yet to meet anyone in community education who did not want to share ideas or was not willing to reach out and assist someone else in being successful.

2. Try it. If it doesn’t work, so what, you learned something. The worst thing that can happen is that you look for a new way to be successful and to serve your community.

3. Plan for every contingency, and know that something will always go wrong. Despite covering every angle, you cannot control the weather or other people. So when something doesn’t work the way you planned, most people won’t know and won’t care. They will be too busy having fun and there is no need to tell the differently.

Fortified by this knowledge, I started diving into my piles. I knew that if I could create a successful evening for parents and kids, with little more then pipe cleaners, glue and felt scraps, I could do anything.

The community educator is the greatest resource in our communities. I make this bold statement with true sincerity. If not for the opportunities we provide, who will teach that senior how to use e-mail and stay in touch with a changing world; who will create a safe and nurturing environment for youth, during out of school hours; who will educate the disenfranchised who have difficulty in reading and writing; who will give the unemployed a boost by helping them learn new skills; who will create an environment, where someone can meet and make new friends, rather then spending another night sitting alone? We keep people connected and we keep them relevant.

That is why I am now looking at a clean desk and am about to go home for the night, knowing that as a community educator, I can do anything.

My hope is that these lessons may guide you as you go about your daily business. Bill finished his musings with a quote from the Chinese philosopher Guanzi: “When planning for a year, plant corn. When planning for a decade, plant trees. When planning for life, train and educate people."

See you in class.

XXX

The Spring 2009 catalogs will be mailed the week after Christmas. Classes will be posted online at www.clubed.net beginning Dec 15. Or call 830-895-4386.

Club Ed is the Community Education program of the Kerrville Independent School District. Each year, we offer more than 300 classes with 3000 enrollments, along with online courses, business and individual training, and after-school and summer camps. Comment online at clubedcomments.blogspot.com.