Parents all over Nebo School District were breathing a collective sigh of relief on Monday - they can begin to recover from summer vacation.
Now it's the teachers' turn to handle a few of the runny noses and a few of the arguments while trying to enrich a few lives. The school bells rang, and about 16,000 students headed back to the district's 26 schools.Kindergarten officially began today.
Teachers in the district were in seminars all last week, ending with the opening institute Friday at Spanish Fork High School, said district spokesman Jack Leifson.
KSL-TV's Don Gale was the keynote speaker at the institute. Gale said teaching is the single most important profession next to parenthood. He cited a study that said the key factor in effective teaching is not style nor lesson plans; rather, it is whether teachers care about their students.
Nearly every student has one key teacher who significantly influenced his life. Gale said his was "Miss Bens," a junior high English teacher. She made words become feelings and thoughts, not marks on a piece of paper. Gale has written more than 4,000 editorials for KSL television.
He said the real purpose of education is to make students "much happier than they were without it."
"One good teacher can make a profound difference and a key teacher can make all the difference in the world. You may be that key teacher in the lives of many students if you keep your focus on the student and instill in that student a love of learning," he concluded.
School Board President J. Collin Allan commended educators and administrators at the institute for their efforts in teaching children. He said they have put their main focus on children and their needs.
Superintendent J. Wayne Nelson reviewed key points from the Educational Development Center's report called "Improving Our Schools." The report places emphasis on developing student competency in the areas of higher level thinking, communicating, cooperating and decision making.
The report relates to the district's focus. Nelson said the district wants to instill in students a deep love of learning and teach them how to learn.
Leifson said he was saddened by Monday's fresh faces. Often recognized for outstanding teaching during 30 years in the classroom, Leifson won't teach this year.
The district has put him to work in a variety of administrative positions, including as first public communications director. He said the school bells really got to him.
It'll be up to other teachers to stop a few runny noses and teach a few how to learn.