Mr. James Marin, School Board of Directors Vice-President, gave welcoming remarks to WASD's 2024-2025 New Educators at the New Education Induction.
Hello and on behalf of the Waynesboro Area School District Board of Directors, welcome to the 2024-2025 school year at WASD! My name is James Marvin, and it is a privilege to serve on the Board of Directors. I currently serve as this year’s VP as well as on the Budget and Facilities committees. I am also blessed to have 3 children learning in the district: 3rd grade, 2nd grade, and kindergarten.
The following remarks were initially written to welcome new teachers to WASD, but I believe they apply to everyone that contributes to the education of our students within WASD. As we prepare to enter this upcoming school year, I want to do 3 things – Thank you, Challenge You, and Encourage You.
First, Thank you. Thank you for being here and coming to WASD and this community. I am biased but I think this is a great district to be a part of and a great community to live and work in. Thank you for choosing this profession & calling. While there are many challenges that come with being a teacher, you have an immense impact. I have one of those silly quote calendars on my office desk but every so often, there is a good one. Here is the one from July 15th, “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops” (Henry Brooks Adams). In a world and culture that often listens to ‘WIIFM’ – what’s in it for me? – you have decided to do what’s in it for our students and young people. So, thank you for being present and available for our students to learn.
Second, I want to challenge you with this, hold on to your compass. Here is what I mean by that. Right after I graduated high school, I joined the Army Reserve and went to basic training the summer and fall before I started college. One of the things I learned was land navigation, going from A 🡪 B🡪 C. I had to do this without Waze, Google Maps or any GPS. All I was given was a map and compass, and you need both to navigate and find all of the points. It’s not that hard to read a map: mountains & valleys, roads & rivers. You all have your lesson plans & curriculum, policies & standards, homework, quizzes, & tests. But when it rains, a map won’t show you where the ground turns into a bog. It won’t show you the thorn bushes and the ‘itchy’ plants. They don’t show the challenging students, the upset parents, difficult colleagues, and nosy, mettlesome board members. Which is why you have your compass. What does a compass do? It points north. So even when I was walking through a bog after a rainstorm, I had my compass there with my map, so that I could be assured that I was going in the right direction, and I could persevere and endure through the hardships. Hold on to your compass, whatever it may be, family, friends, faith, the ‘ah hah’ smile on a student’s face, or watching them walk across the graduation stage, I challenge you to continually hold on to your compass and use it, so it can help guide you through the year.
Finally, I want to encourage you. You are not alone on this journey. You have your mentor, fellow teachers and admin, involved parents, and yes, even board members here to help you. They will be with you for every step, to support and encourage you, help hold and read the map, navigate the hardships, and remind you to lean on your compass. Remember, you are not alone.
Thank you for being a part of the Waynesboro Area School District, hold on to your compass, and be encouraged that you are not alone. Welcome to WASD and blessings on this upcoming 2024-2025 school year.