Lou Daniels, chairman of the Board of Education in Canton, introduced Dr. Jordan Grossman as our speaker. Lou pointed out that the Board of Education has overall responsibility for the Canton schools, and a bit part of that responsibility is finding a person who will run the schools well. When Kevin Case announced his retirement at the end of the 2022-2023 school year, Lou and the board started the process of finding his replacement. They did an extensive search for a replacement, based on the needs expressed by various members of community – teachers, parents, students, and board members. Then they realized that they had a perfect candidate – Dr. Jordan Grossman. Lou had known Jordan for 23 years, when he was assistant principal of Canton High School. He held the position of Assistant Superintendent when he left to be Superintendent in Granby three years ago. Now he’s back in Canton and has already begun to reenergize the school district.
Jordan said that the first person he saw when he arrived for the meeting was Dick Kisiel, who was Superintendent of Avon Public School. It seems Dick and Jordan found time to golf virtually every week when they were at their respective schools. Sometimes on a relatively slow day they played hooky and squeezed in a fast nine holes. (Dick Kisiel’s face turned very red at this reminder.) Jordan is glad to be back in the valley among a number of familiar faces. It reminds him that Canton is a community school district, and it is important to remember the value of being part of a community.
Jordan touched on the following topics:
Legislative Priorities: Increasing teacher diversity has been a concern of the Board of Education for years. Now it is required for the class of 2027, the students entering Canton High School this fall. The district is involved in a teacher preparation residency program to encourage prospective teachers from outside the district to apply to teach in Canton. The program involves applicants for two years: The first year includes work in a classroom and attending classes at night. Canton then guaranties a job to the applicant in the second year. One challenge is for the school to know there will be a need for a new teach in the second year. At this time applicants are limited to those preparing to teach in the elementary school and special education. Another emphasis is to teach a financial literacy course before students graduate from high school. Each school district is required to select one of five approved reading programs. Canton has students who are ahead of all the programs, requires some adjustment, and Jordan hopes that Canton will become a state master class for achieving reading literacy.
Educational Trends: Artificial intelligence, including Chat GPT, is here. It is available online and can’t be blocked. The challenge is how to use it when students are writing an essay or preparing a speech. Teachers will need to think differently about assignments, including expecting students to prepare assignments from a personal perspective. Augmented reality, including gamification, is not a bad thing if used within limits. School teachers and administrators need to realize that not all students need to go to college to prepare for meaningful careers. They need support with appropriate courses, such as STEM courses supplemented by soft skills of communication. Hybrid learning – a combination of in person and distance learning – was used before the pandemic greatly expanded its use. Now the balance between synchronous and asynchronous learning is a consideration. The former is good for project-based learning, while the latter can allow for learning at the student’s pace. A growing concern in the schools is the social and emotional wellbeing of students. The pandemic resulted in students, especially in the lower grades, missing opportunities for social development and for their learning the meaning and value of being part of a community.
Community involvement: It is important that the schools and the greater community engage with one another. The schools benefit in a number of ways from business and community participation. The schools appreciate scholarships and equipment donations. Businesses can help students with internships and job shadowing opportunities. Sponsoring field trips helps students to see what businesses and activities are happening in their area. Volunteers are appreciated although the increased safety regulations have made it more difficult to take advantage of volunteer offers.
The energy and enthusiasm that Dr. Grossman demonstrated in his presentation helped us to see that it is likely to be an exciting time for Rotary to be involved with the Canton Schools. Welcome back!
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