By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Buhler USD 313 started school Wednesday and Superintendent Cindy Couchman and her staff know that things don't always work in the real world the way they do on paper, but it's important to see what does and does not work.
"Let us try it," Couchman said. "Let us roll it out as we have planned it. Give us a week, which is why we have Friday, a professional development day to reflect on what worked and what didn't work. We may change some things. We are already talking about some things we may need to modify next week. Let us put our plan into place. It's sort of like we've practiced and practiced and practiced and we need a game."
Once the idea of having the day to sort of do course correction right away was presented, it made a lot of sense.
"It was a great idea," Couchman said. "One person I remember it being suggested by is Laura Meyer Dick, our board president suggested it and I was like, that's a great idea. It went through the negotiations team and everybody embraced it right away. I think it was a great plan. It will give us some time to reflect."
Getting the sense of school community really happens best in person, according to Couchman.
"I think it was really important to start together," Couchman said. "No matter what happens in the next few weeks, it's really important that they are all together at least at the beginning, because it does give you a chance to really form some relationships, to get to know your teachers, to get to know your classmates. It does make the Zoom meetings a little bit more personal."
The hope, of course, is to keep the virus at bay and to continue in person instruction throughout the year.