Partnership Educators,
In 1984 a group three young men were holed up in a room at Albright College, Pennsylvania. The snow storm was raging outside and so they literally couldn't leave the building. Bored and waiting for the snow to stop they were watching TV, as you might do at that age when you are snowed in. "Footloose" was on the TV which was followed by "Quicksilver" and then a Kevin Bacon commercial came on during the break between those other two movies. It was then that Six Degrees of Bacon or "Bacon's Law" was born.
If you are unfamiliar with the game it works something like this. The game is based on the concept of six degrees of separation, which posits that any two people on Earth are six or fewer acquaintance links apart. Movie buffs challenge each other to find the shortest path between an arbitrary actor and prolific actor Kevin Bacon. For example, Sean Connery was in "Marnie" with Tippi Hedren. Tippi Hedren was in "Jayne Mansfield's Car" with Kevin Bacon. So Sean Connery has a Bacon number of two.
Kevin Bacon admits that he didn't embrace the idea of the game when it first came out. "When I heard about Six Degrees, I was like, "Oh God, this a joke at my expense.' It tapped into my fears of not being taken seriously. That I was now a joke, a parlor game." But then an event happened that changed everything for him. During the 9-11 attacks he saw how all the people around him were connected to this one event and it changed him. He realized that we are all connected. "Six Degrees, to me, if you really take me out of it, not only is it a beautiful notion, it's an important notion - that's what we do. We make connections."
That's what we do alright. We make connections. It is a wonderful thing to know that we are some of the connecting points for our students and families lives. We are the "Six Degrees" connections that get them to learning, nourishment, mental health, human contact, laughter, and to each other. I am inspired by the creative ways you are helping your students learn and have joy within this time. I loved the online talent show when kids were literally cheering for each other. The dance off challenges that have spontaneously occurred while the class was taking a move break. These are the connections and memories that kids will bring back with them when we return. Thanks for making this time joyous learning for all.
Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week and I am giving a shout out to all of our teachers who are working hard to put together marvelous opportunities for our students. The General Education, Special Education, Speech Therapists, Psychologists, and Counselors who are all in on teaching our students and supporting their needs each and every day. A large thanks from our entire community. Thanks for being a big part of those six degrees for our students. All of the Teachers are invited to a distance celebration and Treats giveaway at the District Office Drive By Event from 2:00 to 3:30 on Thursday, May 7, 2020. Please come in your cars and our administrative staff will have the chance to give you a gift and celebrate your commitment to our district. Location: 5885 East Bonnyview Redding 96001.
Next Monday the entire county of schools will come out with the statement below that will, unless the Governor comes out with a definitive statement that we are opening, continue distance learning for the rest of this school year. The Governor's latest statements about opening early and such are just him thinking out loud and those are not the current plans for this coming year. As always, I will keep you informed about any changes when they occur while we continue to work with a variety of agencies to plan.
County Wide Message:
"Due to the Governor’s Executive Order remaining in place or until we receive new guidance from the Governor, schools across Shasta County are committed to finishing the year with distance learning. Significant time will be spent in developing a plan that will meet the Phase 2 Shasta County guidelines in preparation for instruction in the fall. Please contact your school if you have specific questions. "
Have a wonderful weekend,
Rob