By Shirley Arneson, SCC Curriculum Coordinator

If you look up educate in the dictionary, you will find a definition something like, “to develop mentally and morally, especially by formal instruction.”  With our global world and information at our finger tips, there is much discussion about what our schools need to be including in the curriculum to prepare students to be successful upon graduation.
In an article from Education Leadership titled, “A School for Leadership,” by Stephen Covey, author and respected authority on leadership, it was stated that when a group of parents and business leaders were asked to compile a list of the most important things for schools to be teaching, they responded with, “students should learn to be responsible, creative, show initiative, be goal oriented, and be able to get along with people of various backgrounds and cultures in order to work together to resolve conflicts and problem solve.”  When given goals such as these from parents and future bosses, it becomes clear that today’s schools must broaden their curriculum beyond facts and pencil, paper skills.
Stephen Covey is also the author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, in which he states highly successful individuals commonly exhibit the following seven traits. They are proactive, they begin something with the end in mind, they put first things first, they think in win-win scenarios, they look to understand others first and then to be understood, they learn from the strengths of others, and they take care of themselves both physically and emotionally. As you look at what characteristics parents and employers said should be the focus of our schools and compare them with the traits of effective people, we certainly see some similarities.   
As the staff at St. Croix Central continues their work on rigor, relevance and relationships, we are looking for ways to address these issues. We want curriculum that is rigorous for students to achieve to their potential and relevant so students understand its purpose as it relates to their future. As we continue to build relationships, we are committed to helping students feel comfortable about taking risks and understand that some of our best learning takes place when we step out of our comfort zone.  It is by continuing to have opportunities for staff to read professional books/articles and then provide the time to meet and work together that the appropriate changes will continue to be made in the curriculum.
It is our goal at SCC to graduate young people who have the confidence to be successful and will continue to be successful throughout their life. As educators and parents, we can help by continuing to build character so they see their own worth as well as the worth of others. We can challenge these young people to see beyond the obvious and look for more then one solution to a problem. We can guide them to choose the most appropriate/effective solution to use depending on the situation. We can also act as a support system for them as they venture out and try new things.
As we work together to guide our children, let’s help them realize they don’t always have to find the answer on their own – there is merit in that old cliché, “two heads are better than one.”