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Chapter 1: Do whatever it takes...

Larry Powell, Superintendent of the Fresno County Office of Education. Read about him here.
I'm not often proud to tell people that I come from the Central Valley of California.  When people out on the East Coast (where I currently reside) ask me what part of California I'm from, I usually tell them, "Not the part you're picturing." They are typically thinking mountains, bay area, or beach, and the Central Valley is none of these things.  It is the smog-filled, agricultural area in between all of those wonderful California-ish landmarks.  I moved to the Mid-Atlantic area after completing my course work within the "rigorous" (read: incredibly demanding, craziest two years of my life) School Psychology program at California State University, Fresno.  

Nobody has ever heard of Fresno.  Until now...


And for a very good reason.  Larry Powell, the Superintendent of the Fresno County Office of Education decided to voluntarily give up his salary (and benefits!) for the next three years in order to supplement the district's financial shortfalls.  This totals about $800,000.00.  


Read that number again:


$800,000.00


Holy. smokes.


This is not a publicity stunt.  This is a man who loves what he does.  He believes in the power of education to transform lives.  And he is willing to do ANYTHING it takes to make sure that his students don't have to pay for our nation's economic shortcomings.

While working in the field, I have run into plenty of educators and professionals who CLEARLY show up every day because of the paycheck.  While everyone loves to get paid for a job well-done, it makes me a little queasy when I come across those who really have no interest in transforming lives.  

NEWS FLASH: this is what education is all about!


So thank you to all of the wonderful educators and school staff who are sincerely passionate about what you do.  And thank you, Dr. Powell, for putting the students first.

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Step into my (cyber) office...

I'm currently typing a post under a heading that says, "The Overly-Enthusiastic School Psycho..." (I kid you not).  I think it's because the title is too long to fit the given space, but perhaps blogspot knows something I don't. : )

And truthfully, I don't think it's that far off.  While I am (typically) of sound mind, I am pleased as punch that I will be beginning my first job as a school psychologist soon.  And, because I am rather inspired by the helpful resources provided by this fantastically talented school psychologist, I thought I might develop a blog that would be equally helpful to parents and colleagues.

I imagine that the art of raising children must be rather difficult at times.  And I know, from experience, that teaching them in a classroom setting can be challenging as well.  Soooo, I strongly believe we owe it to each other to support others with whatever gifts and knowledge we've been given!  

I hope you find the information I post here to be informative and encouraging.  Thanks for visiting!

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