Douglas R. Wermedal, PhD

ASBSD Executive Director

The glass is emphatically half-full.

Simply put, South Dakota’s public schools are turning out some of the best prepared, highest scoring graduates in the nation. This is not merely opinion; it is demonstrably true.

The most recent data shows South Dakota ACT scores ahead of the national and regional average scores. Specifically, South Dakota students scored an average ACT composite score of 21.1 compared to a national average of 19.5 and held the highest score in the region. ACT composite scores consist of sub-scores in English, science, math and reading. So, this ACT performance checks every reading, writing and arithmetic box you could want using the gold standard of nationally normed standardized tests.

Two further observations regarding South Dakota’s ACT results are worthy of note. South Dakota does not merely out-perform the region and the nation; our students substantially out-perform their counterparts in neighboring states and the country. Here’s how: South Dakota’s public universities require an ACT score of 18 for regular admission. If you set a threshold of a score of 20, (two points greater than necessary for college admission), then 59 percent of South Dakota kids score above this mark, compared to 44.3 percent nationally and 49.5 percent for the Midwest.

No less an authority than S.D. Secretary of Education Dr. Joe Graves remarked in a news release last fall, “South Dakota’s ACT scores are good. Taking the ACT means a student is considering education beyond high school, and in a knowledge-based economy, that’s a critical thing.”

Context of Proficiency Scores

So how do these great South Dakota ACT results stack up with other standardized testing? The academic success of students is the core business of education, and everyone wants to see proficiency scores improve. Here are some important considerations:

1) Averages as stand-alone figures can be misleading. For instance, of South Dakota's 148 school districts, 56 districts or 37.8% scored above the state average in all three subject areas. If you add districts above state average in two of the three subjects tested, this figure grows to 80 districts or 54% of the state. Several large districts missed being above the state average by just one percentage point. This suggests that there are a handful of scores pulling down the overall averages.

2) Learning loss was a real factor during the pandemic. Norming standardized test scores from this pandemic time period is a little like setting up banking metrics during the Great Depression. The circumstances are so aberrant many metrics arising from mandatory standardized tests may be problematic.

3) A key difference between ACT scores and the proficiency scores reported in the State Report Card is the ACT results are for students who choose to take the test and the score results “matter” to them individually. Smarter Balance and other proficiency tests do not have individual impact for grades or any other academic standing of the individual student, so there may be some disengagement.

One other notion is important here. That is the capacity of standardized tests to measure the complexities of student development.

I am not aware of any parents who view their child exclusively through their capacity to do long division. Parents expect schools to engage the whole person and not just their test scores. Public schools are great at this engagement with the arts, athletics and student activities that serve as social focal points for the community and are developmental drivers for the student.

For some students who they sit next to in band becomes the social springboard that gives them the ability to be successful in other academic arenas. Simply stated, proficiency scores, while far from irrelevant, cannot possibly tell the whole story of any school’s success.

Other Academic Metrics

If proficiency scores only tell part of the story, what are the other metrics which would suggest South Dakota’s educational glass is half full?

· Within the challenging demographics of economically disadvantaged and English learners the school attendance rates grew. From the DOE news release about the State Report Card, Education Secretary Graves recognized this progress, “We saw more economically disadvantaged students meeting the attendance target last year. Students can’t master academics if they’re not in school, and we’re excited to see more students in need being in the classroom more consistently.”

· Increased numbers of South Dakota students graduated on schedule last year. The four-year graduation rate rose to 84 percent, up from 82 percent the previous year. Again, the demographic of economically disadvantaged students grew even faster with a 6 percentage point gain.

National Recognition of Quality South Dakota Schools and Staff

Putting some hardware on the mantle is another way to demonstrate the quality of a South Dakota public education. This is especially true when the awards are from the objective perspective of organizations outside the state whose purpose is to recognize excellent academic performance.

Consider the following:

· South Dakota boasts three National Blue Ribbon Schools – Bridgewater-Emery Elementary, Fred Assam Elementary in Brandon Valley and Castlewood High School – as recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. These schools were identified for their high student scores in English and mathematics.

· South Dakota has two schools honored as National Elementary and Secondary Education Association Distinguished Schools: Longfellow Elementary in Mitchell and the Kadoka Elementary School. A qualifying criterion for this award is that students in the awarded schools must have a poverty rate of at least 35 percent. Other considerations include state assessment scores, and attendance.

· A Todd County teacher received the Milken Educator Award, which is described as the “Oscars of Teaching.” Albert “Bobber” Her Many Horses was one of only 75 recipients in the country.

Enviable ACT scores, improving attendance and graduation rates, prestigious national awards all speak to the reasons for optimism in South Dakota’s public schools. Is there work to be done to improve -- certainly, there always is.

ASBSD will be focusing on the academic success of students in our training, activities, and programs throughout this year. The real work of improvement will be done by the talented capable leaders elected to school boards and professional staff serving in administrative positions and providing classroom instruction across South Dakota’s schools.

This team, your team, has produced the results noted above. That is what is right with South Dakota public schools.

I’d guess you don’t.

A few opinion pieces recently published would argue judgment on how the more than 137,000 public school students perform on this single metric is the sole measurement for the success of the student’s public education.

And because they don’t believe the students’ scores are good enough, they profess that the entire education system in South Dakota needs to be changed.

It is a disappointing argument because it diminishes any other accomplishments, measurable or otherwise, of public school students.

It seems there are plenty of parents ready to celebrate their child singing a solo, learning their multiplication facts, completing a challenging welding project, making a friend at recess, giving a speech in front of their class or any other of the multitude of accomplishments achieved every day in public schools by students.

A single, isolated test simply cannot measure the complexity of a child and these academic successes, which frequently build confidence in a child necessary to excel academically.

If your child’s educational performance for the entire school year was to be judged based solely on how they do on a single test, imagine how your child would feel going into that test. Imagine how they’d sleep the night before, how they might eat the day of the test, how they might feel when the test is put in front of them, how they might feel as they waited to hear how they did on that test.

Imagine how you, as a parent, would feel if your child’s entire educational accomplishments were measured only by how they perform on one test, on one day.

If they received the score those judging them deem a success, is that worth it? What about the students who don’t earn that score? Should they be held back? Disregarded?

Do we want the successes of any child’s education to be based on a single test?

We don’t want student’s success, measurable or otherwise, to be artificially reduced to a single test score, but that argument seems to be increasingly used against students and the public school system.

Our students should be recognized and celebrated for what they accomplish beyond a single test score. They deserve it.

Shane Roth

ASBSD Second Vice President, DeSmet School Board

I trust that this newsletter finds you all well and refreshed from this festive holiday season. I personally find that the precious time spent with my children and my wife during the holidays helps guide and shape my perspective for a new year.

For those of you who do not know me, my wife and I have been married for almost 27 years and we have 8 children, ranging in age from 10 to 25 years old. That’s a lot of perspective!

So, as the second Tuesday of January commences and we begin the yearly task of working with the State’s 105 legislators and the Governor’s office to navigate the intricate landscape of education policy, I am reminded of the wisdom encapsulated in Henry David Thoreau’s words: “Our life is frittered away by detail…simplify, simplify, simplify!”

In the realm of working with the state legislature on education, these words ring truer than ever.

Our collective efforts to guide the future of education require clarity and focus. Too often, we find ourselves losing sight of the overarching goal – providing a robust and equitable education for every student.

Thoreau’s call to simplify serves as a guiding principle as we engage with state legislators in our local Cracker Barrels during this very important legislative season. One of the great strengths of South Dakotans is that we all believe in the statement I gave earlier: providing a robust and equitable education for every student.

While our paths don’t always take the same route, our core principle to educate young people remains consistent. Here are a few reflections on how we can apply this philosophy to our advocacy:

1. Clear Objectives: What are the fundamental changes we seek in education policy? By focusing on a few key priorities, we can direct our energy effectively.

Editor’s note: Below is a summary of ASBSD’s priorities:

• B4. Public Funding for Non-Public Education
• B19. Parent and Guardian Rights and Responsibilities
• B20. School, Instructional and Library Materials Review
• C6. Increase State Aid
• D3. Property Tax Reduction or Repeal
• Click here for a statement of ASBSD’s standing positions and legislative resolutions.

2. Clear Communications: As our esteemed Vice President Bischoff noted last week, the headlines and narratives we see in national and state news aren’t always reflective of the true reality of our schools. Crafting concise, compelling messages to share with our legislators during Cracker Barrels is vital. We need to simplify our communication to maximize our impact.

3. Strategic Alliances: Working with like-minded organizations amplifies our voice. Instead of spreading our efforts thinly, let’s forge strategic alliances that strengthen our advocacy for meaningful change.

4. Practical Solutions: Thoreau’s words remind us to avoid unnecessary complexity. As we propose solutions, let’s prioritize practicality. Simple, implementable strategies often lead to tangible improvements in the education system.

5. Community Engagement: The heart of education policy lies within our communities. By simplifying our message and engaging with parents, teachers, and local leaders, we foster a culture of support that resonates with our local legislators.

In the spirit of simplification, let’s build the relationship with our local legislators. Our goal is not just to be heard but to inspire visible results. By embracing simplicity, we can navigate through the noise and focus on the essential elements that will shape the future of education in South Dakota.

Thank You for your unwavering dedication to the education of South Dakota children. Let’s work together to simplify the path to a brighter future for our students.

Jacob Boyko

ASBSD Communications Intern

In White Lake, South Dakota, four generations of a single family have served on the local school board, playing an integral role in improving the schools and overseeing some of the district’s most landmark accomplishments.

Jim Munsen, a 61-year-old farmer living several miles out of town, is now serving his 21st year on the board. He’s held various roles, including board president, and currently serves as the vice president.

“I’m a believer that any kid can learn,” he said about his reason for his decades-long service. “I’ve seen kids with autism go through our schools, kids who needed special ed … they all can learn.”

White Lake School District Superintendent Robert Schroeder championed Munsen’s character, intellect, and his commitment to advocacy for White Lake students.

“With his experience, there isn’t much he has not seen over the years,” Schroeder said. “He has great values as a person and takes pride in being a school board member. He’s like the grandfather of the board.”

Munsen is the third generation in his lineage to serve on the board. His father, Eddie Munsen, served a three-year term in the 1980s, and his grandfather, Charles Munsen, served for 36 years starting in the late 1930s.

Following last summer’s school board election, one more person from the Munsen family tree joined the list: Jim’s daughter, Heather Schmidt.

“We need some younger people in here, just to kind of kick the ball,” the 23-year-old nurse said. “Getting to be just be able to see what the school needs and being able to help with those things, like knowing we need classroom aids or we need to hire someone, it’s something that’s really cool to see.”

Schroeder agrees and is welcoming of the fresh, but informed perspective.

“...Who better than a 4th generation school board member?” he remarked.

While Schmidt admitted meetings can still be a little intimidating, with her being closer in age to some of the students she represents than she is to other board members, she’s said she’s starting to find her place and is growing more comfortable on the board.

Jim said one of the board’s most memorable accomplishments he got to experience was the opening of the new White Lake School in 2018. Charles, like his grandson would decades later, served on the board during pivotal changes to the facility, including multiple expansions and the construction of a gymnasium, which is still used today.

“We both got to see really big things happen,” Jim said as he looked back on their achievements.

The construction of the new school inspired Heather, who experienced the opening of the new school firsthand as a student, to run in last summer’s school board election. Now, she’ll work to accomplish things for the next generation of White Lake students.

“I’ve known Heather her entire life,” Schroeder said. “I admired her work ethic while she was in school and expect more of the same now that she is on the board.”

Schmidt wants to help move along change, as her father, grandfather, and great grandfather did before her, and help secure and uphold her community’s public education.

“You get to know people here,” she said. “Here in White Lake, you know the kids, you know their backgrounds, and you’re able to connect with the students and their teachers.”

The Munsen family might not have the fame in name like the Rockefellers or Kennedys, but their lasting impact and commitment to improving their school district and setting up students for success demonstrates the importance of community-member school boards, and ASBSD believes such a dedication deserves recognition.

“The legacy of the Munsen family’s service to the White Lake School District, and more importantly their students, is, simply put, impressive,” said Dr. Douglas Wermedal, ASBSD executive director. “It’s difficult to sustain involvement in any organization, but to sustain it across four generations is a testament to how communities invest in their schools.”

Schmidt and her husband, Trever, are expecting a new baby boy in the coming weeks; the family has no doubts they’ll be raising the fifth generation to serve on the board.

ASBSD Director of Communications Tyler Pickner

The 2024 election cycle for the ASBSD Board of Directors has begun and school board members from your district can run for election in the region and enrollment category in which your district is in.

Those region and enrollment categories include:

Central region with enrollment 265 & Under:

• Agar-Blunt-Onida, Bowdle, Burke, Colome Consolidated, Edmunds Central, Eureka, Gettysburg, Herreid, Highmore-Harrold, Hoven, Jones County, McIntosh, Selby Area, Smee and South Central

Central region with enrollment 1,400-9,999:

• Pierre and Todd County

Northeast region with enrollment 1,400-9,999:

• Aberdeen, Brookings, Huron and Watertown

• Brandon Valley, Harrisburg, Mitchell, Tea Area and Yankton

• Bennett County, Haakon, Hill City, Kadoka Area, New Underwood and Wall

Eligible board members interested in running for a four-year term on the Board of Directors can click here to download the Announcement of Candidacy form, and return it to ASBSD by Tuesday, February 20. Only one member from a school board may serve on the ASBSD Board of Directors.

Send completed forms to ASBSD Executive Secretary Katie Mitchell-Boe by email to katie@asbsd.org, by fax to 605-773-2501 or by mail to ASBSD at P.O. Box 1059, Pierre SD, 57501. Only one school board member per district may sit on the ASBSD Board of Directors.

If you have questions, please contact me at tpickner@asbsd.org or at 605-773-8382.

School board elections are coming up! Make sure you have all of the information you need and take note of any applicable deadlines.

Below is a guide from the secretary of state’s office:

• For those with April 9 Elections

  • Make sure at your first regular scheduled meeting you are establishing your election date.

  • Between January 15th and 30th, you need to publish your notice of vacancies and time and place for filing petitions each week for two consecutive weeks.

  • January 26th is the earliest date for the candidate to sign their declaration of candidacy.

  • Continue to watch your calendar!

  For those with June 4 Elections

  • Make sure at your first regular scheduled meeting you are establishing your election date.

  • Start reviewing your calendars and preparing notices so you are prepared.

  • Think about election workers!

  For those with June 18 Elections

  • Make sure at your first regular scheduled meeting you are establishing your election date.

  • Start reviewing your calendars and preparing notices so you are prepared.

  • Think about election workers!

  
  

  If you need access to the city and school lookup site, email elections@state.sd.us.

  
  

  For questions, contact Divisions of Elections Director Rachel Soulek at rachel.soulek@state.sd.us or (605) 773-5666.

  
  

  The election calendar can be found here: https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/assets/2024SchoolElectionCalendar.pdf

  
  

  Information regarding petitions, campaign finance, webinars, and more can be found here:

  https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/upcoming-elections/municipal-school-information/default.aspx

An anonymous tip platform for students, staff and communities to report concerning or threatening behaviors is available for schools.

The South Dakota School Safety Program launched Safe2Say South Dakota, a 24/7 reporting platform available through the free Safe2Say South Dakota App (available through Apple or Google Play), at https://safe2say.sd.gov/ or at the toll-free telephone number, 1-844-373-7233.

Representatives from the SD School Safety Program are available to provide in-person presentations to students, staff, and communities on how to utilize Safe2Say South Dakota and can also provide posters, brochures, trinkets, etc., to help facilitate the message that Safe2Say is available to report concerning or threatening behaviors safely and anonymously, and get help where it’s needed.

If you have questions about Safe2Say South Dakota, please contact South Dakota School Safety Program Director Brett Garland at Brett.Garland@state.sd.us or at 605-773-3450.

Jessica Filler

ASBSD Director of Policy and Legal Services

I’ve received questions lately about students living with a grandparent or other relative or temporarily staying with an adult friend of the family who are seeking to enroll in that school district, perhaps for the purpose of participating in extracurriculars of that school district. Should those students automatically be enrolled, or must they go through the open enrollment process?

School residence means the legal residence of the student’s parent/guardian. If the parent/guardian has more than one residence, the home district is the residence where the parent/guardian actually lives and makes a home. If the student’s parents/guardians are separated or divorced, the school residence is the district in which the custodial parent/guardian resides. In a joint custody situation, the school residence is that of the parent/guardian with whom the student resides the greater portion of the school year.

If the student resides in a home other than the parent/guardian/noncustodial parent’s, on a temporary or permanent basis, the school residency of the student is where the parent/guardian/noncustodial parent resides, unless the person with whom the child is staying requests that the board of the school district accept the child as a resident of that school district. If the board rejects the request, the person who made the request can petition the school board for a hearing. The decision of the board after the hearing may be appealed to circuit court.

Also, a student is a resident of the district in which they are placed by the Dept. of Corrections, the Dept. of Human Services, or the Dept. of Social Services.

However, schools should be cautious before denying enrollment based on lack of proof that the parent/guardian resides within the district’s boundaries. The McKinney Vento Act may need to be considered. This Act that addresses the education of homeless youth. According to the Act, a “homeless child” is a student who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This could be based on situations such as sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason; living in hotels, trailer parks or campgrounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations; and migratory children who are living in certain circumstances. The Act requires schools to enroll a child who is “homeless” regardless of residence and irrespective of whether the homeless child is able to produce records normally required for enrollment. Also, all school districts must have policies that remove barriers to enrollment and retention of homeless children and youths, including transportation, and that prevent homeless children and youths from being stigmatized or segregated based on their status as homeless. If you do not have a board policy related to the McKinney Vento Act/homeless students, please see ASBSD’s sample policy JFB: Education of Homeless Children and the related policy exhibits which can be accessed through our policy services webpage.

Overall, there are various factors to consider for enrollment other than just documented proof of residency. Be cautious before denying a student’s enrollment based on lack of proof/paperwork of their parent’s residence or because the adult with whom they are residing has not been appointed by a court to serve as the student’s guardian. Factors such as “homelessness” or the school board’s ability to accept that student as a resident upon request of the adult with whom the child is staying are important considerations. Ultimately, check with your school attorney before denying a student’s enrollment based on residence.

You’ve been elected to the school board and have experience in how school boards operate, but are you a leader on your board, in your school and community?

Want to enhance your leadership skills, and learn how to lead with purpose? ASBSD is excited to announce the creation of the School Board Leadership Academy (SBLA).

Click here to download the application.

This dynamic course is designed to enhance the leadership skills of school board members. Each session is designed to foster self-reflection and gain new expertise about leadership as well as how to apply that knowledge to their school board work.

Three in-person sessions along with three online meetings, will bring a cohort of 25 current school board members together to learn about leading their school boards and community. Guest speakers, with extensive leadership experience, case studies designed to engage participants in deep conversations, and lessons on effective leadership strategies will engage the cohort in lively meaningful discussions regarding effective leaders do. The course will be facilitated by former ASBSD Executive Director, Dr. Wade Pogany.

SBLA outcomes for the course; participants will:

1. Learn about key principles of effective leadership, and how to apply them.
2. Interact with guest presenters, learning from their leadership experience.
3. Learn the importance of student achievement as a core purpose of schools, understand the fundamentals of student achievement and the need for leadership of student learning.
4. Learn essential skills of working as a team.
5. Learn how leadership is about change and how to affect change.
6. Understand how to lead with purpose.
7. Reflect on their own leadership experience and share with others.
8. Participants will be asked to create and present a leadership project of their own choosing that demonstrates an activity designed to enhance the goals of their school board and school district.

The course will begin in May, 2024, and continue through January, 2025.

The tentative dates being considered:

• Session #1 (online); March 27, noon to 1:00 (1 hour)
• Session #2 (face-to-face in Pierre); May 8, session runs 10:00am to 3:00pm (5 hours)
• Session #3 (face-to-face in Pierre); August 14, session runs 10:00am to 3:00pm (5 hours)
• Session #4 (face-to-face in Pierre); Nov 7, session runs 10:00am to 3:00pm (5 hours)
• Session #5 (online); Dec. 5, noon to 2:00pm (2 hours)
• Session #6 (online); Jan. 8, noon to 2:00pm. (2 hours)

Click here to download the application.

The first cohort will be selected based on:

1. Applicant must be a current school board member serving from May 2024 to February 2025.
2. School board members must have, or will have at least 2 years of service as a South Dakota school board member by July, 2024.
3. School districts must agree to pay for all transportation, travel costs and fees associated with the Leadership Academy. Course fee is anticipated to be $500.
4. Participants must commit to 3 in-person sessions and 3 online sessions as well as a capstone project at the end. University credit will be available.

For more information contact ASBSD Executive Director Dr. Douglas R. Wermedal at dwermedal@asbsd.org or to Dr. Wade Pogany at wpogany.DEC@gmail.com.

Douglas R. Wermedal, PhD

ASBSD Executive Director

Author's Note: There will be lots of heavy debate in legislative session this year about the academic success of students. Such debate is good; it is possible for intelligent people to disagree, and in the end, vigorous consideration of issues are how the citizens and students of South Dakota are best served. Still, there is a lighter side to everything, and this piece is retrospective to time when report cards were actual documents and not just another bit of click-bait.

The year is 1971, I am nine years old, standing in a line and clutching my report card. I stood in a lot of lines in grade school. A line to get lunch, a line on the playground for the monkey bars, a line for the bathroom, a line for the drinking fountain, and a line to board the school bus. Puffs of diesel exhaust rumble skyward adorning the January air with black nebulous punctuation as the big yellow beast ingests me like Jonah during his watery pre-Nineveh detour.

I attended grade school in a tiny little K-6 outpost where only three kids in my class lived in the town in which the school was located -- the rest of us were farm kids. This farm-kid dominated demographic meant a 17-hour bus ride each day circumnavigating the gravel roads of eastern Freeborn County. Usually, the bus ride is a frolicking, raucous affair punctuated by shouts from the bus driver to sit down and behave. Our bus driver should have received hazard pay. But on Report Card Day the mood on the bus was subdued, somber, quiet, reflective. Many kids needed the lengthy ride to figure out how they were going to explain the results of their report card to their parents.

Four times a year the ritual repeated itself as report cards were issued at the end of each quarter. Report cards came in an official looking brownish envelope with the crisp administrative white crescent of the internal document showing through a notch at the top of the envelope. Grasping the document at this notch you could draw the report card out of the top of the envelope and it would unfold like a road map, a giant road map detailing your academic and social performance for your parents.

The bus bounced along the rural roads as the 40 assorted K-6 students contemplated their looming academic reveal. Here and there amongst the high-backed bus seats some sniffles broke out as students realized the result of their academic neglect.

The upper right corner of the report card envelope had my name written in my teacher’s artistic flowing cursive. We were learning cursive at the time, so I remember tracing the letters of my name in her precise, practiced handwriting. Douglas (no one calls me that); Roy (a fraction of my Dad’s middle name); Wermedal (which at age 9, I still occasionally misspelled).

I grasped the report card at the notch and tugged it out. I knew the grades would be good. I knew the comments would be bad.

There it was, the dreaded comment section, with lots more of my teacher’s cursive and even a few exclamation points.

· “Doug visits with his classmates excessively!”

· “Doug does not listen well!”

· “Doug does not follow directions!”

· “Doug is frequently a disruption in class!”

· “Doug is a pain in my. . .”, (Okay, I made this one up).

The actual letter grade section of the report card was good, even something to be proud of, but it was simply reporting a letter grade, with maybe a “plus” or a “minus” notation. There was a lot more ink invested in the comment section where the paper seemed embossed (maybe even engraved) as if my teacher were pressing extra firmly when she wrote the comments.

I tried to re-fold the report card and stuff back into its neat little envelope. Not happening. What had once been a tidy little academic report in a crisp envelope, now looked like a badly stuffed pillow. I briefly considered not showing the report card to Mom and Dad. However, the teachers were onto that conspiracy, because as part of the report card procedure your parents had to sign the report card and the student had to return the signed report card to their teacher, besides I had two siblings in the same school, both good citizens and painfully honest who were going to present their report cards for signature, I would be ratted out fairly quickly.

So, I just decided to take whatever medicine I had coming. Still it was a long walk up the driveway, thinking about how my parents might respond. If the usual patterns held, Mom would be incredibly verbal and able to spout great (but improbable) detail about how the noted behaviors were sure to result in me not getting into the college of my choice. I was bringing shame upon my family.

Dad, would be far more reticent -- but did this report card merit a more direct application of Dad’s behavioral expectations? I was filled with trepidation as I watched Dad’s eyes scan the report card. He nodded approvingly at the grades section but lingered over the comment section. I could tell he was reading and re-reading each comment. Finally, he picked up the pen, signed the report card, pushed back the red and yellow Funk’s G Hybrid hat he was wearing. A big gentle Norwegian hand rested on my shoulder, characteristically Dad’s words were few, but impactful; “Looks like you can’t shut up at school either.”