Glades County Educator Receives National Recognition

THIS IS A BIG WEEK FOR A LOCAL EDUCATOR FROM ONE OF FLORIDA'S SMALLEST AND POOREST SCHOOL DISTRICTS. SHE HAS TO CALIFORNIA TO FIND OUT IF YOU WANT A TOP SPOT IN A NATIONAL COMPETITION FOR HER WORK IN GLADES COUNTY WGCUS EILEEN KELLEY HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THE SUCCESSES AND THE STRUGGLES OF THIS RULE SCHOOL DISTRICT. >> IF SUPERINTENDENT OF GLADES COUNTY SCHOOLS, ALICE BARR, FIELD, WERE GIVEN A CHANCE TO PRODUCE AN EPISODE OF SESAME STREET. IT'S VERY LIKELY SHE WOULD CLOSE THE SHOW ANNOUNCING THE PROGRAM WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE LETTER R I AS AN RETHINK WHAT WORLD MEANS. >> I WANT THE MESSAGE TO BE. THAT ROLE DOES NOT MEAN LESS CAPABLE OR LESS DESERVING OR LESS IMPORTANT. GLADES COUNTY CHILDREN DESERVE ACCESS TO EXCEPTIONAL TEACHERS SAFE AND MODERN SCHOOLS. ADVANCED COURSEWORK CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AND THE SAME EXPECTATIONS FOR EXCELLENCE AS CHILDREN ANYWHERE ELSE IN AMERICA. >> AND PART OF HEALTH HAS A LOT TO BACK THAT UP IN JUST A SHORT TIME, SHE WAS ELECTED SUPERINTENDENT IN THE YEAR 2020, TAKING THE HELM WHEN THE DISTRICT RANKED DEED BY THE STATE OF FLORIDA AND WAS HURLING TOWARDS IN HALF. THEN THE COVID PANDEMIC GAVE SCHOOL DISTRICTS SOME GRACE WITH ITS RIGOROUS GRADING STANDARDS. SINCE THEN BYFIELD HER STAFF AND THEIR SCHOOL CHILDREN HAVE EARNED AN A RATING BY THE STATE AND THEY DID IT AGAIN THIS LAST SCHOOL YEAR PUTTING THEMSELVES AMONG THE LARGE, AN AFFLUENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS FOR BACK-TO-BACK TOP SUCCESSES, THE KIND OF CORNY. BUT I FEEL LIKE IT'S LIKE TO DONATE STORY BECAUSE THE COMET IS A CINDERELLA STORY TO ENCOURAGE ANOTHER SMALLER ROLE DISTRICT. SOME ONE OF THE COUNTRY NOT JUST FLORIDA, SOME OF THE COUNTRY, THEN THIS RECOGNITION BECOMES EVEN MORE MEANINGFUL. THERE ARE SO MANY EXTRAORDINARY CHILDREN AND EDUCATORS AND RURAL COMMUNITIES ALL ACROSS AMERICA. AND YOU DON'T HEAR ABOUT THEM AS MUCH AS YOU DO FROM LARGER DISTRICTS. I'M TOM. THEY JUST SIMPLY NEED SOMEONE WILLING TO BAT FOR THEM, BELIEVE IN THEM AND MAKE SURE THEIR VOICES ARE HEARD. >> RECENTLY BARFIELD WAS NAMED A FINALIST FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR IT'S AN INNER RECOGNITION OF THE NATION'S GREATEST EDUCATORS FROM THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS >> TO ME BEING NOMINATED, I'M STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS US SO MANY PEOPLE. I HAVE A PHENOMENAL TEACHING STAFF. I HAVE. HE ADDS THAT ARE SO DESERVING AND A WONDERFUL I EVEN THOUGH ON WOULD BE ON THE WAR AND IT REALLY REPRESENTS GREAT KELLY AND WHO THEY ARE AS A COMMUNITY. WE HAVE MADE A LOT OF AND CREDIBLE CRIES. WHEN I BECAME SUPERINTENDENT, WE WERE LIKE 64TH OUT OF 67 SCHOOL DISTRICTS. NOW WE ARE 8 OUT OF 67. I'M GOING TO BE ONE OF THE TOP 10. SO SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE STATE. I AM DETERMINED THAT WE WILL GET THERE. >> BUT FIELDS SAID THE TRANSFORMATION BEGAN TO HARD WORK AND BY MAKING SURE EVERYONE STUDENTS, THE TEACHERS, THE COMMUNITY LEARN THE RULE THAT BEGINS WITH THE LETTER R RID THEMSELVES OF THE NOTION THAT EARL IS BAD. >> YOU KNOW, WE JUST STOPPED ALLOWING OUT A CONSENSUS OF THE FINE ARTS, THE NATION. WE STOPPED TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE COULDN'T DO BECAUSE WE'RE SMALLER. WE'RE WE WERE ALL AND WE START TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE'RE WILLING TO DO TO GET OUT CHILDREN THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES THAT EVERYONE ELSE IN FLORIDA AND WELL AS WELL AS THE UNITED STATES SAYS, ARE. >> AND THAT'S A LESSON WORTH REPEATING. FOR WGCU. THIS IS EILEEN KELLEY.