My dad will turn 80 in a few weeks. You may have heard me talk about my childhood and how I was given the unique opportunity to learn the history of my rural community through folk music and stories. Pictured below is me at age 3 with my dad and grandfather during our state's centennial year celebration.

My father was a teacher and so was my grandfather. As an adult, I have had the privilege of working with many teachers across our nation. I have great respect for teachers, especially those who help their students apply learning in ways that prepare them for life and build up our society and economy.

It is in the spirit of respect for teachers that I wish to share some heartfelt observations and ask for your assistance. I was recently speaking with a good friend who has been an educator for many years. We were talking about the severe shortage of teachers and he told me that the primary reason that young people say they do not want to be a teacher is not the longstanding salary issue, it's because they don't want to be disrespected! I was taken back and truly saddened by this statement.

Then just last week, I was talking with a rural school administrator who told me that they are now forming a peer support group because teachers feel so overwhelmed and under-appreciated. I told her that I appreciated her and what she and her teachers are doing to prepare children to be successful in life. She smiled and then the tears began to well up. I then went down the hall and met the school principal. He discussed the challenges faced by teachers seeking to help students achieve mastery. 

These teachers deserve respect for their commitment and passion for helping children overcome learning challenges and to excel in subjects they are gifted in. Many school administrators are seeking ways to revitalize vocational education programs, and I ask you to help them. I have long advocated for communities to be learning laboratories, to come alongside the school and provide applied learning opportunities for students. But now, I want to encourage you to do two more things.....

First, please make it a priority to thank the educators in your schools as they prepare to dismiss for the summer and let them know you appreciate them. Maybe you can be creative and throw them a surprise party or send them a thank you note signed by the leaders of your community.

Second, it is time to have a conversation about what we can do to support students seeking pathways to career opportunities, and in particular careers with local businesses facing workforce shortages and challenges with work readiness skills. Many students are already overwhelmed that there is no way we can heap more onto their plates, or onto their teachers' plates!

Yet, we know from youth assessments with nearly 50,000 rural students, half of our young people picture themselves living in their hometowns, if quality career opportunities are available, and this trend is growing. How can we help these students achieve this dream if there is no time to pursue it?

I was interviewing business owners recently who all said that the one skill that is lacking when they seek new employees, and that is essential to them, is people skills. We then talked about how apprenticeships can help students to develop work readiness skills and the knowledge of what employers are seeking, and what will help them to advance in their careers.

All the ingredients are here, students seeking career pathways, teachers who want to help their students apply what they are learning, business owners who need employees who are prepared to be successful. What remains is the conversation about how we as community leaders, educators, economic developers, business owners and parents can make it happen!

It is time to support our teachers and work together to prepare young people to create the futures they imagine for themselves, and in turn to build the future of our communities!

If you would like to be part of making this happen in your community, I will be hosting a free teleconference on May 2nd at 10 a.m. Central titled "Creating Student Career Pathways through Business and Education Partnerships." To join the conversation, please call (712) 775-7031; passcode: 420016. I will share several steps you can take to move forward with this opportunity by acting upon the priorities of local employers and educators.

In the meantime, Happy Birthday Dad! Thank you for teaching me. I love you!

For more information, please contact Craig at craige2mail@gmail.com.