I was honored to be named President of the Texas Community Education Association last week. It is more of a challenge than an honor, really - it is no secret that education is facing uncertain economic times in Texas.
But the real value in holding a state office is the wider perspective it allows.
During one conference event, I was privileged to share a table with two delightful ladies who work at a community education program in Beaumont. We were comparing notes on what courses were popular in our very different communities. While country-western dance tops our list of favorites in the Hill Country, the Beaumont folks turn out most for Zydeco dancing! Hmmm... might be an idea there for next session.
At the other end of the state - about as far from Beaumont as you can get - a community educator in Dalhart brought a former youth minister turned insurance agent turned fundraiser for West Texas A&M in Canyon. He shared insights on his challenging quest to raise awareness and support for the arts in a part of the state that is known more for roping and wind farms than for opera and ballet.
We learned of large community education programs that are cutting back, and tiny ones that are growing. Right here in Kerr County, Center Point ISD was honored for starting its own community education program last year. Director Shirley Wright and Superintendent Cody Newcomb led a session on how to start a program in any district, no matter how small. We were especially tickled we could honor one of their teachers - Betty Tromm - as an Outstanding Community Educator for the entire state.
In spite of the many forms it takes, lifelong learning is alive and well, and more important than ever as our population ages and the world changes. I’ve always preached that school doesn’t end at 3:30, and we don’t stop learning at age 18, or 22, or ever.
When I taught gifted and talented youngsters back in Iowa, on the first day of class I liked to announce that I was not going to teach them anything the entire year. Once their eyebrows slid back down their foreheads, I explained that no one can really teach anyone anything: knowledge only comes from learning. A subtle difference, but it made the point that each one of us is ultimately responsible for what we learn in life. I’ve seen students in third world countries stacked 40 deep in bare classrooms who come out as engineers and doctors; I’ve watched NBA Hall of Fame players who learned to shoot baskets through a hoop on a barn in the snow.
That spirit of learning is what drew me to the field of community education. What a miracle! To lead a program where everyone learns anything they care to learn, all the time!
And I continue to learn. My task for the coming year is to lead the state organization through some interesting times.
How shall I do this?
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