Bernadette
Redman, a teacher at Sherman Elementary School, can barely contain her
excitement as Jim Tressel autographs a piece of OSU football memorabilia on his
way to the stage of the Mansfield Senior High auditorium. Looking on is Dory
Diab, president of North Central State College. Stan Jefferson and Jim Tressel lit a fire in the belly of Mansfield City Schools Tuesday morning.
A capacity
audience of district teachers, administrators and support staff were on their
feet, cheering and applauding in the Mansfield Senior High auditorium.
Jefferson, a 28-year teacher, coach and administrator at Senior High before joining Tressel’s football coaching staff at The Ohio State University in 2004, returned to the district this summer as superintendent.
“We don’t have time to waste. There is no five-year plan. Technology is now. The time is now,” Jefferson said. “We are going to push academics as the turnaround for our school district. Academics, academics, academics.”
The ongoing
goal of improved academic achievement, he said, will be built on a conducive
learning environment of warmth, caring and love. But, he emphasized, disrespect
will not be tolerated.
“No more will we have an environment that is not mutually respectful,” he said.
Before delving into the specifics of education, Tressel, now in his fifth year as president of Youngstown State University, reflected on what he called “an attitude of gratitude.”
“What’s most important, in my mind, is that we should pause and reflect on how fortunate we are to live in this country and have the opportunities that we do,” Tressel said.
Before each
football practice at OSU, he said, coaches and players would observe 10 minutes
of quiet time during which each would write down one thing they were grateful
for that day.
“It’s been my experience that if you have an attitude of gratitude, you can handle adversity. You can handle anything that comes along,” Tressel said.
Earlier, Jefferson had urged each district employee to develop a “solid and sound educational blueprint” for the year ahead.
“Lead with hope. Hope is the secret sauce of effective leadership. Change happens when you inspire hope in others,” he said.
“And lead toward the future. We must have a clear definition of where we are going. We must say what we’re going to do and do what we say we will.”
Tressel amplified Jefferson’s words, telling his audience that it is vitally important that “kids believe we care.”
“Kids want clear expectations, whether in the classroom or on the playing field,” he said. “Maybe some of them haven’t been taught those expectations at home. We have to help them understand the expectations we have for them.
“Kids want constant evaluation. They want to know how they’re doing and they don’t want it sugar-coated. Are they pleasing you? They want constant reinforcement.”
Jefferson
drew applause when he said the district is on target to be completely
one-to-one in technology by January, meaning that every student would have a
Chromebook. He said a districtwide reading initiative for all second-graders,
featuring books of the Second-and-Seven Foundation, will begin in October.
Some of the
loudest cheers came when the superintendent announced that all elementary
school classrooms will be air-conditioned next month. Window units will be
installed at Sherman, Springmill and Prospect. Temporary floor units will cool
rooms at Spanish Immersion and Woodland.
Before Tressel’s remarks, board of education president Renda Cline thanked all staff.
“We have been slowly moving forward, thanks to all of you,” she said. “Please continued to be the reason why students get up in the morning and get here on time ready to study and learn.”
MSEA president Brad Strong said there is “hope in the air” in the wake of Jefferson’s appointment.
“The situation looks better than it has for years. Our new superintendent has involved MSEA at every step,” he said. “Let’s be a team and set this district up for success.”
Senior High student Clover France got a standing ovation after singing “Roar.”
Tressel closed by quoting a verse from Edward Everett Hale, which he said the Buckeyes recited “in that nervous moment before taking the field for any game”:
“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”
“That’s really all we need,” Tressel told the Senior High audience. “If everyone would do the best of our ability, we’re going to be able to live with the results.”
After the sustained applause for Tressel faded, Jefferson took the podium to again declare the district’s new hashtag, #HearUsRoar.
“We won’t take a backseat to anybody!” he declared.
The loudest
reaction of the morning echoed throughout the auditorium.