Celebrate American Education Week BISMARCK, N.D. – North Dakota’s schools rely on the work of thousands of dedicated people every day, and this week is devoted to praising their professionalism and dedication. American Education Week, which was begun by the National Education Association and the American Legion, is intended to celebrate the contributions of everyone who plays a role in the education of children, from parents, school teachers, administrators and teachers’ aides to food service workers, custodians, bus drivers and crossing guards. It is celebrated the week before Thanksgiving week. “It’s a time for us to remember as a community, as a state and as a nation, the importance of education, particularly public education,” said Kirsten Baesler, North Dakota’s superintendent of public instruction. American Education Week was begun in 1919 by the National Education Association and the American Legion to help encourage public support for education in the aftermath of World War I. Officials in both organizations were alarmed that more than 20 percent of the American soldiers who were drafted for service were illiterate. Baesler served as a school board member, vice principal, librarian, classroom teacher and aide before she was elected two years ago as North Dakota’s superintendent of public instruction. Her father, John A. Schafer, of Flasher, is a former American Legion state commander. “It brings together the celebration of education in so many ways,” Baesler said. “We remember those veterans who defend our right to have a free public education, and those people in the classrooms and the hallways of our schools who are really delivering it.” Marianne Pulkrabek, the kitchen manager at Mandan Middle School, helps to make sure students at the school aren’t hungry in class. Mandan Middle School serves breakfast and lunch. For some students, the school cafeteria may provide their most complete meals, she says. “For the kids to learn well, they need to have a full stomach,” Pulkrabek said. “The school meals are nutritionally sound. If they take everything they’re offered, the do get a very good meal.” Grand Forks County Sheriff Bob Rost volunteers as a school crossing guard for about a half-hour before and after school at J. Nelson Kelly Elementary School, which has just over 500 students in grades kindergarten through five. The sheriff dons a yellow vest for his stints as a crossing guard, and carries an orange warning flag with a yellow handle. Crossing guards can catch a driver’s attention when a crosswalk and blinking yellow light does not, Rost says. He believes his work also makes youngsters feel more comfortable around a law enforcement officer. They often call him by name and offer a high five, Rost said. “It’s an important thing to help these kids get to school in the morning,” Rost said. “And this changes the image of how kids look at police officers. I’m their friend, I’m not the enemy.” Nick Archuleta, the president of North Dakota United, which represents public school teachers and employees, said American Education Week helps to recognize the contributions of “educators and education support professionals _ the school bus drivers, the cooks, the administrative assistants and aides in the classroom _ all of those folks work tirelessly together to make sure every student has the best educational experience possible in North Dakota.” “I am just immensely proud with my association with educators and the education community in North Dakota, from the superintendent of public instruction throughout the entire education community. We are doing very, very good work in sometimes some very difficult conditions,” Archuleta said. “I have never been more proud of a professional group than I am of North Dakota’s teachers.”
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 19:24:20 +0000
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