Value of Class Discussion

What great discussions we were able to have all weekend. I must admit the real-life stories as they relate to the topic at hand are quite valuable. I think the best part of the sharing of the actual situations experienced by Dr. Closen was that many times he opened it up to the class to think about how we would handle the particular situation described. The fact that there were so many different opinions goes to show that there isn't always just one way to handle things and that each person is different as are their views.
I must admit I looked forward to hearing about all the things that were shared.
Another topic that was interesting was the topic of merging schools or closing schools. The things that need to be considered when faced with this potential situation is unreal. I never thought the would be so much to consider. The first thing that came to mind when I thought about being faced with this, I have to admit, was what and how will the kids feel about this? Will anyone take time to explain this to the students, or will it all just be a big argument about the inconvenience this would be on the parent's and/or the teacher's lives. I know this is a hot topic with all the cuts in education spending, but from everything I have seen on the news regarding situations such as this, I don't remember once hearing about how the student's education would benefit from the mergers. Quite eye-opening!!

Kelly Roehm