Education in Waseca County

“It’s okay to be where we are,” says Waseca Superintendent of Schools Eric Hudspith. “It’s just not okay to stay here.”

Hudspith and the superintendents of the three other public school districts covering Waseca County have many observations about the hoped-for tipping point that the 2022-23 school year represents. “We are excited to get back to what we all regard as a more ‘regular’ year,” agrees Ryan Jensen of Waterville-Elysian-Morristown (WEM) schools.

Over the course of the past few years, though, all four superintendents agree that the meaning of “normal” has been in transition.

“We’ve learned that we don’t necessarily want to continue with the status quo, even if it was very good,” comments New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva (NRHEG) superintendent Michael Meihak. 

“We want to take what worked well before the pandemic, look at what worked well during it, and then mesh them together,” observes Jeremy Erler of Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton (JWP).

“To say the kids are ‘behind’ is to compare them to some imaginary, indefinable benchmark,” says Hudspith. “The simple truth is, our job is to recognize where our students are and get them where they need to go.”

It’s well known, of course, that student learning was disrupted during the pandemic, reducing learner opportunities for academic and social growth. All four superintendents acknowledge that the job ahead of the education system includes many challenges. One that has received widespread attention is that, during the pandemic learners needed more support from their homes and families than in the past. Some students were in a position to receive reliable assistance while others became caregivers. Some were given consistent meals and a suitable workspace, others struggled to acquire either one. In short, those who were already socially or economically disadvantaged were limited in their opportunities for advancement compared to their peers, creating an increasing range of maturity levels even among students of the same chronological age. 

Still, the pressures and shifts of the past few years have provided some “silver linings.”

NRHEG’s Meihak suggests that after hybrid and distance learning, after the cancellation of school activities and events, and after the temporary absence of the many services schools provide, there is a renewed appreciation that “Maybe school’s not that bad after all.”

JWP’s Erler concurs: “It doesn’t matter who, we’re seeing that the contributions of people in positions across the district are being recognized.

“Folks are acknowledging the important role we play in kids’ lives.”

This heightened appreciation has contributed to a sense of anticipation. “Rather than spending our time worrying when the next shoe is going to drop,” observes Waseca’s Hudspith, “we can apply our energy to doing what needs to get done.”

In short, from the perspectives of families, students, support staff and teachers, after the many disruptions which have occurred over the past three years, a “normal” year will be greeted as  something downright exceptional.

As teachers return to their classrooms this fall, the four superintendents note they are doing so with both renewed energy and enhanced skills. 

“A sort of ‘unintended consequence’ of the pandemic is that we became more capable in our use of technology,” observes WEM’s Jensen. “System-wide, people have become more comfortable using it.”

Even those teachers who were previously hesitant to use virtual meetings and systems for delivering online instruction have now begun incorporating those features into their everyday teaching; others who were already using them have become more proficient.

All four superintendents noted this same circumstance. “Thanks to the pressures and demands of the past few years,” says Hudspith, “technology has become more of what it was designed to be, a tool to facilitate instruction rather than the somewhat abstract concept it might have been before.” 

All parties have also proven their resilience, notes NRHEG’s Meihak. “Prior to the pandemic, if I had told my staff ‘I’m giving you two weeks to design an online curriculum. Ready? Go!’ it’s hard to imagine the reaction I would have gotten. But in the heat of the moment when their students needed it, staff members found the necessary resources and support, and they did it.” 

“I think we all, students and staff, came to realize we are even more resilient than we may once have thought,” observes JWP’s Erler.

That resilience is likely to come into play again as area schools place more priority on individualizing instruction. “The individual differences among our students have been made even more obvious to us,” observes Meihak. “We’re going to respond to that.”

“We are going to continue strengthening our ability to meet our students where they are and then help them move forward,” says Hudspith, suggesting that many of the tools acquired during the pandemic should be helpful in the process.

Another priority moving forward, according to Hudspith, will be increased communication with families and the community. Noting the results of a statewide survey which indicate that communities are less connected to their schools now than they have been in the past, Hudspith admits, “There were times when we sort of took it for granted that people knew about our plans or initiatives; it turns out, though, that they didn’t always know.

“We want to do something about that.”

A number of area superintendents note that they have been making a priority of increasing public contact, including revitalizing their websites. Now that public interaction is becoming more acceptable, in-person visits are also increasing. NRHEG held a community-wide open house last spring to allow area residents to see some of the projects that had been occurring, and has scheduled another open house prior to Labor Day. JWP and WEM are both just finishing construction projects which they anticipate will heighten community interest.

Hudspith mentions plans for a newsletter and increased collaboration with area newspapers.

As they consider the state of public education for Waseca County’s students, area superintendents express optimism that the lessons and tools generated by and because of the pandemic will be beneficial. They want their communities to know everything possible is being done to assure the safety, well-being and academic advancement of their students.

“We’ve come through a tough time, and we’ve learned from it,” says JWP’s Erler. “We’re in an excellent position to move forward.”

“It’s impossible to add hours to the day,” observes NRHEG’s Meihak. “But we have heightened awareness of the need to get our students involved and engaged. We’re making that a priority on a district-wide level.”

“The world is ever changing,” says Hudspith. “We want our stakeholders to know we’re ready to change as we need to. We stand ready to follow through on our vision of empowering our learners to thrive. We have a plan to move forward.

“Our schools are in growth mode, not survival mode.”