Nicolle Scott
Public Educator
As an educator in the public school system for almost 2 decades, I know how hard it is to experience change in education. The hardest part of change is not accepting the new, it is in letting go of the old. I found that educators teach the growth mindset to students, but often struggle to see how change will help them grow as an educator. I often heard teachers say, “We can’t do that”, while simultaneously not accepting that response from their students. Any teacher that has been in public school for any length of time knows the programs change faster than we can keep up with. It is hard, & requires extra time to keep doing what we already do while also find ways to do it better. We all have learned in education that we cannot build the future by protecting the past. Change even though hard is an opportunity to do something amazing. I have taught in Clark County, one of the biggest districts in the nation. I have also taught in Wasatch School District. I not only knew the parents of my students, but their siblings, & grandparents. I could often make home visits if needed. The level of care I was able to provide as a teacher in a small district was far and above anything I could have done in Clark County.
In today’s world we need teachers and administrators who care deeply about their students. Teacher’s need to be brave enough to go through change to provide a better future for their students. There is no finish line when it comes to change. That is the world we live in.
If you are old enough to remember the video rental store Blockbuster, you may know that they had 3 opportunities to purchase Netflix. They argued that they were “doing fine”. They were happy with the statis quo. Blockbuster ignored the needed change their practices to evolve with the changing technology. Blockbuster decided to offer snacks to purchase along with the videos as a way to keep their customers happy. We all know the ending to that story. Change almost never fails because it is too early. It almost always fails because it is too late. Starting a new school district is a big undertaking. Separating from Alpine does not mean Orem throws out best practices. It does however create an opportunity to stop doing things that are not productive, & create new ways to educate our students. We have an opportunity to create a more intimate and caring environment. If we run across obstacles, which we will, we have the capability to not just think outside the box, but to create a new box to meet the needs of all of our students. Orem is capable of creating a new school district. We just need people with the courage to see the opportunity as a way to create a better future for our kids. Don’t be a Blockbuster!
-Nicolle Scott