One of the best things about working for the Utah State Board of Education is the opportunity to visit schools across the state. I have been to schools in all 41 districts and many charter schools, where I get to mingle with our great educators. These educators are shining examples not only to their students in the classroom, but also to families, friends and the communities they serve. Our educators have been through several of the hardest years in their career, and yet they are greeting the new year with hope, eagerness and enthusiasm.
Educators can often be found living quiet, unassuming lives, not seeking great wealth or a place in the spotlight, but happy enough for the chance to make a difference in the lives of their students and the school community in which they serve. In a very real sense, they are helping to build our future by educating our next generation of parents and leaders.
Miki Conklin Rowan, a teacher at Hurricane Elementary School in southern Utah, was one of these influential and inspiring educators.
Miki died from cancer just one day after school ended last May. I had the privilege of reading a touching social media post about Miki’s life that was recently shared by principal Matthew Lowe. In the post, principal Lowe shared a story from Miki’s family about how Miki showed care and concern for her students even as she was nearing the end of her life. Principal Lowe wrote:
“The night before she passed, Miki started saying and experiencing things from her life as if she was there in the moment. These were vivid memories or hallucinations, and maybe both, but she was there in the moment. In one of the sweet moments at the end, after she couldn’t talk, she was a first grade Spanish teacher again. She would point to her watch and pantomime to her students and smile … she was definitely with her students in that moment.”
Principal Lowe described Miki as “a rare individual who could work harder than you on a project and still let you feel like you owned the work. She could tell a story about you … and make you the hero of the tale. Miki was simply a builder.”
The desire to be a builder was one of Miki’s guiding principles in her personal life, as well as in her classroom. She even had a note with the words, “Are you building?” posted on her mirror so that she could see it each morning and answer the question for herself.
In the coming days, students, teachers and administrative staff throughout Utah will be returning to school for another year of learning, teaching, making friends, participating in extracurricular activities. I like to think of each new school year as a new beginning — an opportunity for us to reevaluate, reset and recommit to being the best people we can be.
One way we can make this school year the best one yet is by following Miki’s example and working together to be builders.
Let’s work on building trust with and among educators, staff, parents and communities.
Let’s build positive classroom and school cultures so that every student feels connected, cared about and safe.
Let’s build partnerships with parents with the common bond of wanting the best for their child.
Let’s build stronger ecosystems of support for the adults who work in our school systems.
And finally, let’s work to build better outcomes for all students so they are prepared for their future, and for contributing to a stronger democracy, economy and citizenry.
This school year, let’s be better. Let’s dedicate ourselves to bringing about positive change. As you leave your home in the morning, as you grab your car keys, or your lunch box or look in the mirror one last time before you step out into the world to begin a new day, remember to ask yourself, like Miki did, “are you building?”
Sydnee Dickson has been serving as Utah State Superintendent of Public Instruction since June of 2016.
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August 20, 2022 at 09:00PM
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