During the last few board meetings, Kimbrough, along with new board member Dr. Debbie Fort, have been questioning some of the things being done by the C. J. Huff Administration, something that has not taken place since Huff arrived in Joplin in 2008:
Mr. Kimbrough:
Perhaps you feel as though you are awakening from a bad dream. As one of two educators on the board, you might feel like you lost your true self along the way. What you did in the past might be haunting you now; but, do not give up.
Dr. Fort needs your help.
The district needs you to reclaim the great teacher that remains inside of you. I will never forget your passion for science, and your compassion for all of us kids. You loved coaching. You loved education. They fooled you once. Shame on them. Please, do not bow out and let them fool you twice....
2 comments:
Something I would want to say about this is to try not be too heavy w/ the back-handed compliments. It's very demoralizing to be in the position he's in on the board, as far as having a sense of how things should be and having to work with people that you know to be arrogant and lacking insight or practicality. Encourage him with positivity and encouragement, because it's the only positivity he's going to get in what is otherwise a thankless voluntary position.
Debbie Fort has a lot of fire in her heart still, but when you've been in this for so long and have felt lied to and squashed, you start to think: do I really want to keep doing this? Wouldn't it be nice to just work the day job and be with my family? If we want him to consider it, I don't know that it will help to be like "Now you can make up for all the bad things," because it's too judgmental and guilt-trip-oriented and I wouldn't want to work with people who talked to me that way.
Just give him the "We need you now more than ever, because the parents, kids, and community need all the allies they can get. Stay with us Jim!"
9:04
The compliments stand alone; as do the acknowledgments of what many see as past transgressions.
Still, your point is well taken. I apologize for any offense to Mr. Kimbrough, you, or any other readers.
Please ascribe any distraction, from my main attempt to enourage Mr. Kimbrough to stay, to my inadequacies in the written word.
Also, I would invite you to use your readily apparent writing skills to encourage him and the public to support him.
Pllease take everything I have said in the most positive light possible. That is the way I intended.
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