From the Desk of GISD Superintendent Don Jackson

Special to The Messenger

As the superintendent of Grapeland ISD, I would like to go ahead and inform every student, teacher and parent about something I would like to have.

If you hear any complaint about a higher expectation of our student’s attendance, blame me.

Attendance is the single most important factor in getting a great education. It is my belief that our students will not grow up if you don’t show up.

If you hear of a higher expectation of asking for our student’s attention, blame me.

I believe that attendance without attention and engagement renders the lessons taught as useless. This is the reason that I am committed to fight a good fight against distractor factors which steal our student’s attention… like cell phones and social media. Our students will not perform as well as they can if they pay more attention to their phones than they do to their teachers, so yes, blame me.

Third, if you hear of a higher expectation of our students attitudes, blame me.

You see, without the right attitude about your obligations, commitments and responsibilities, you will never be able to maximize your potential. I truly believe being positive and making great choices is pertinent to anyone who is seeking success. Truly, one will join the “un” crowd with a poor attitude. They will be unruly, ungrateful and possibly one day unemployed.

I have a few more things I want the blame for, so hold on. If you hear of a higher expectation of our student’s academics, blame me.

It is our goal as a district to prepare our students for future success by instilling in them the importance of academics. Yes, it’s ok for your child to be passionate about athletics, agriculture or the arts offered in our school.

It is the acquired academic lessons, however, which will determine their future success. It is my belief that we fail our students if we don’t challenge them and teach them to prepare to make a living. So yes, blame me if they complain.

If you hear about a higher expectation of our students’ appearance, blame me.

I just believe appearance is fundamental and we fail our students if we don’t teach them that being impressive in their appearance is important. Yes, many may argue that they should be able to express themselves in their appearance. But I must tell you that students don’t walk across the stage at graduation and flip the switch from expressive to impressive. Who they become is a learned behavior.

Finally, I want the blame for inspiring your child to have higher aspirations.

At Grapeland ISD, we will aspire to inspire your child to maximize the dash in between their birth date and their death date. The time that we have on this earth is unpredictable, so we want to encourage our students to live each day to the fullest while preparing for their futures.

So yes, blame me. It will be an honor and privilege for me to get the blame for having higher expectations of our student’s attendance, attention, attitudes, academics and their aspirations.