Hello Kadoka Area,
I wrote about our school’s excellence in the STEAM categories in the past column. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. No sooner had I penned the past column than I knew my next column had to be about the glue that held the whole word together. The piece of education that by far demands the most time from PK-12 and rightfully determines how well you can thoroughly address the STEAM categories, or even address them at all. The bonding agent of any curriculum is English/Literacy.
It doesn’t matter the school or the emphasis: Julliard of New York may emphasize the fine arts, but does anything matter if they can’t read a script or know what the word on a work of music is asking? Major League baseball started skill schools across the globe to help foster and grow their game; part of what they teach at these schools is the English language; why? How can you sign a contract if you don’t know what it says? How can any organization claiming to care about the students and the skills they are acquiring, such as major league baseball, not help the student learn to read the language they will encounter?
Currently, I am enrolled in a graduate program, and all of the topics being shared in our dissertation presentations are not necessarily related to the English language. Still, they are all written and presented the same way: through the written English word. They are examined and critiqued through the English language, and the feedback must be understood to both apply and understand the advice given. No matter if the student is from a foreign country or resides in South Dakota, the English language and the literacy that comes with understanding and deciphering its code are necessary to our growth.
In conclusion, is Kadoka Area High School good in the STEAM categories? Yes, they are (again, from an utterly biased opinion). Could we be without the work of our outstanding teachers in PK- 12 developing and enforcing the English language skills needed in learning? No, we absolutely could not.
Sincerely,
Mr. Lukens Robert Lukens
MS/HS Principal
Kadoka Area High School