During my first several months as superintendent of Lawton Public Schools, I have spent a great deal of time talking with students. I have asked them what they like about their schools, what they would change, and what makes a difference in their experience each day While students certainly talk about classes, activities, facilities, and programs, their answers often come back to something much simpler.
They talk about people. They talk about the teacher who Imows when they are having a difficult day. The coach who pushes them to work harder. The counselor who takes time to listen. The principal who knows their name. They remember the adults who believe in them, challenge them, and make them feel like they belong.
Those conversations reinforce something I have believed throughout my career: relationships are the foundation of learning.
That does not mean relationships replace high expectations, strong instruction, accountability, or academic rigor. In fact, I believe the opposite is true. Strong relationships make those things possible.
A student is more willing to accept correction from a teacher he or she trusts. Students are more willing to take academic risks when they know making a mistake will not define them. Families are more likely to engage with a school when they believe someone genuinely cares about their child. Employees are more willing to have difficult conversations when they trust the people around them.
Sometimes we misunderstand what it means to build relationships and trust. Trust does not mean we always agree. It does not mean lowering expectations or avoiding difficult conversations. It does not mean saying yes to every request or pretending problems do not exist. Trust means believing that even when we disagree, we are working toward the same goal.
For our schools, that goal must always begin with doing what is best for students.
Trust is also not something we can simply ask others to give us. It is something we earn through our actions. We build it when we listen. We build it when we communicate. We build it when we follow through on what we say we will do. We build it when we acknowledge mistakes and work to correct them. Most importantly, we build trust through consistency over time.
That is true between a teacher and a student. It is true between a school and a family. It is true among colleagues. And it is true between a school district and the community it serves.
This is why relationships and culture have been such an important part of our work this year in Lawton Public Schools. We want every student to be known, valued, challenged, and supported. We want families to know their voices matter. We want employees to feel valued for the work they do every day. And we want our community to see our schools as a place where people work together on behalf of children.
That work belongs to all of us. Families build trust by communicating with teachers and remaining engaged in their children’s education. Educators build trust by knowing their students and communicating with families. School and district leaders build trust by being visible, accessible, responsive, and willing to listen. Our community builds trust by supporting its schools while also appropriately challenging us to continually improve.
Relationships do not eliminate problems. They give us a foundation strong enough to work through them together.
As we continue thinking about the future of Lawton Public Schools, I hope every member of our community will help us determine what that future should look like. Our Strategic Plan Survey remains available online atwww. lawtonps.org. I encourage our students, employees, families, business leaders, military partners, and community members to take a few minutes to participate and share their perspectives. The survey will remain open until 5 p.m. Oct. 12.
Strategic plans are important. Curriculum is important. Facilities, technology, programs, and resources are important. But none of those things can replace a student knowing that someone believes in them, a family knowing someone will listen, or an employee knowing their work matters.
The strongest schools are built on strong relationships and strong relationships are built on trust.
If we want our schools to rise, trust is the foundation worth building together.
Neal C. Weaver is superintendent of Lawton Public Schools.