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SD Department of Education
May 2021  
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SECRETARY’S COLUMN:
Thank you and enjoy the summer!


I recently had the opportunity to visit Buchanan Elementary in Pierre and the Stanley County School District. It was so great to touch base with educators and see them interacting with students. In my lifetime, I can’t recall a previous spring that has held so much hope and sense of renewal.

Thank you for all you have done to ensure the best possible learning environments for your students this school year. I am so proud of South Dakota school staff – tech coordinators, librarians, counselors, teachers, nutrition staff, paraprofessionals, administrators, and support staff. You have been absolutely incredible. I know the challenges of this pandemic have at times seemed insurmountable.

When it comes to K-12 education, this past year was unbelievable in many ways and in other ways was exactly what we needed. Now, we all could have done without a global pandemic and having to respond to the emergency and the mitigation measures it brought. On the other hand, it helped us spring forward toward best practices and innovations we had hoped to someday embrace, but the time had never seemed right.

This year brought two things into focus:

  1. Issues that had been present for some time, but that we hadn’t yet fully addressed.
  2. Our ability as educators to address them. (Not that we’ve fully addressed things yet, but we’ve proven we can).
I liken the experience of the past year to going to the optometrist’s office. You sit in the chair behind the refractor and they try out different lens options. You know, lens 1 or lens 2? Our experience this year has brought up moments like when the optometrist flips to that second lens and we recognize the precision in clarity we’ve been missing.

Nothing about this past year was easy, but through it all, you kept what is best for students at the forefront of your thinking. This required a previously unimaginable balancing act: in-person learning, virtual learning, and in some cases, both at the same time.

I hope it has all paid off for you as you saw teachers and students making meaningful connections, and as you saw students’ joy in playing sports and participating in other extracurricular activities.

As we continue along the path back to normal, I hope you have a fantastic summer. Take time to kick back, relax, and reconnect with friends and family near and far.

Thank you for all you do for South Dakota students!

 
     
 

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