Local Voices

Closed Schools Means Closed, But Teachers Teaching and Students Learning Will Not Stop

Published by Scott Stewart on Wed, 04/01/2020 - 12:00am

On March 17, the decision was made to temporarily close my school. When I shut the lid on my laptop and packed my bag to go home, a wave of emotions washed over me. It caught me off guard, to be honest. The tears flowed as I sat in my empty classroom and walked into the eerily quiet hallway. It was in that moment I realized that while I am passionate about teaching, I love my students and colleagues more.

Listening Plays Important Role

Published by admin on Thu, 02/20/2020 - 12:00am

There’s an old proverb that states some timely wisdom for today: A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind.

This advice is attributed to Solomon, thought to be the wisest man who ever lived. You would think that he had a crystal ball and could peer into the year 2020, and was speaking directly about the role of Twitter as a major thread in our current social fabric.

The Battle for Incentives Is In Full Swing

Published by admin on Wed, 02/19/2020 - 12:00am

In 2005, when the Nebraska Unicameral passed the Nebraska Advantage Act, the bill included a built-in sunset provision. Nebraska’s signature incentive law is set to expire at the end of 2020.

Early Childhood Education Can Build Nebraska’s Future

Published by admin on Wed, 02/12/2020 - 12:00am

Ninety percent.

That’s the giant part of a child’s brain formed by age 6.

Ninety percent. That’s the two-word answer that pops into Sam Meisels’s head when the founding executive director of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska is quizzed by a stranger.

Public Health in Nebraska Well Worth Investment

Published by admin on Mon, 01/20/2020 - 12:00am

“An ounce of prevention is worth (more than) a pound of cure.” This ancient adage greatly understates the present reality when it comes to community health. The real work of achieving a healthier community must be done while people are still healthy – through prevention and promotion of good health practices.

To use an increasingly common term, this needed public health work must start “upstream.”

Internships Are an Invitation Home

Published by admin on Tue, 09/10/2019 - 12:00am

On July 2, 2019, I started a new journal entry:

“Today was the first day I realized I want to return. I attended a Nebraska City Community Foundation Fund meeting and, as I heard them discuss their ideas for the community, I realized this was something I don’t want to leave behind. I want to be part of helping increase community vitality. I found myself trying to figure out how I could make my future career work while living in this small Nebraska town... This place has something special and I can’t just leave it yet.”

To Sound Out Real Change, Get Uncomfortable

Published by admin on Fri, 08/23/2019 - 12:00am

Her name was Liza. She was 8 years old and a second grader at Burton Elementary on the south side of Grand Rapids. We met on Thursdays at 1 in an unused classroom that smelled, as schools often do, of rubber erasers and citrus floor polish. I was in college, her reading tutor, and coaching her through vowel teams and diphthongs.

Fake News: Much Ado About Nothing and a Problem for Democracy

Published by admin on Wed, 08/21/2019 - 12:00am

Careful what you believe! It could be fake news. And it could be threatening our democracy.

Navigating Nebraska’s Future: Grit, Tenacity and Imagination

Published by admin on Tue, 08/13/2019 - 12:00am

Last December, the New York Times wrote rural America’s obituary. Citing three decades of population growth in tech hubs like Boston and Silicon Valley, the message was clear: As middle America dies, the coasts’ high-skilled, high-wage workers will feed off their own success while the rest of us dwindle into nothingness.  

The Need for (and Eternal Challenge of) a Balance of Powers

Published by admin on Tue, 06/25/2019 - 12:00am

Benevolent despotism. These days, when Congress is firmly divided by ideology and even our beloved nonpartisan unicameral has some trouble doing its chores, one can understand the appeal.

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