Editor:

The students in the community of Rhinelander belong to all of us. Their future is in our hands, the voting community, as they cannot vote. They will be our future doctors, building contractors, lawyers, business owners, truck drivers, teachers, police officers, fire fighters and the list goes on. They will be the individuals who will be responsible for us; the adults who will decide on Feb. 19, whether or not to continue to offer an excellent education for our students. Our school district has implemented so many invaluable programs, such as progress monitoring, which provides intensive interventions for students in the areas of reading and math and the SAGE program, which ensures decreased classroom sizes in grades K-3rd grade. The charter schools teach project-based learning opportunities, AP courses and electives. I ask the voting community to consider this: “How will our students compete in this ever changing and competitive world?”

Education is continually evolving and as educators, we do the same. As teachers, we differentiate our instruction to meet the needs of all of our students within our classrooms so that they can understand the concepts at their individual ability levels. In order for our students to compete in this fast-paced technological world, we are constantly striving and updating our knowledge of current technology. Schools are not the same as they were 20 years ago. We are instructing critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, as well as peer collaboration within the classrooms. These important skills are instrumental for our students’ success in the adult world and work force. There is another very important factor that also goes into teaching and that is the teacher/student relationship. As educators, we care about our students and we want all of them to have the best possible education so that they have the opportunity to be productive and independent members of society. Isn’t that what we want for all of our children? Visit the School District of Rhinelander website homepage to get all of the facts. Please vote “Yes” on Feb. 19, for our students’ future.

Karla Howell, Rhinelander