To the editor:

As a parent and School Committee member, I am as sad as others that everyone cannot be fully together in our school buildings. 

The older we get – the more we comprehend and the more we  begin to realize that respectful relationships are really important – and that health is more important  than anything else in the world. 

We’re not going to let this virus destroy the human spirit. We’re not going to let this virus interfere  with the great things happening in our district. We’re going to see to it your child grows because of this — out of adversity — we can emerge with the richness that is education in Lynnfield. 

We are  absolutely committed to make sure this spring will work successfully for all — and the seniors will have their due respect and that we will give it everything we have day in and day out to make sure that your child is safe in school. 

We have a number of parents who advocate for more than is being done. But these are difficult  times. These are unusual times. Our country is going through a lot. There are all kinds of people  feeling all kinds of feelings and we are honored to deal with it and this translates into our school  buildings — so we must model for our students strength, resilience, grit, courage. And we model that by hopefully inspiring their spirits and we model that by hopefully teaching them some  principles about life and living that can serve them well in whatever pursuit they plan to go after at every level. 

I tell parents and kids things like this and say when things are difficult, when things are tough, the tough get going. Parents have been incredible advocates. By now we have all heard the phrase, “We are all in our own individual boats in this same storm.” 

Families I speak with are experiencing  this past year at every single measuring point, from hardship to success. And in times like these, we have gone beyond communicating with each other we have found ways to connect with one  another. You know the difference between communicating and connecting is huge. You  communicate by speaking, listening, observing and, maybe, writing, but when you connect, you connect  intently and emotionally, you connect whole-heartedly. 

When you connect you must understand the other person first — you don’t just use words and sentences to connect with people – you have  to build a bridge from where they are to where you are. You must listen not just for the words, you must listen for the meaning behind and in-between the words. 

And so we must continue communicating, having the skill of communicating as important as it is to connect with people, caring, sharing and going beyond and taking that extra step to be there for others. This is how I view my role and this is how I have addressed parents frustration. 

In my professional life as an investigator and security consultant, I have conducted thousands of interviews with people for a variety of reasons. Typically they are very difficult conversations involving the most challenging issue of their lives. 

The most important question about connecting  is — how must this person feel? We can all have better lives and better respectful relationships. This is how I strive to build relational capital in its best form. 

All of us — from my colleagues on the School Committee to our strong superintendent and administrative leadership team, as well as our incredibly hard-working teachers and every single dedicated staff member in our buildings are absolutely committed to the Lynnfield School District.

The students will be provided a meaningful educational foundation of learning. As they progress through the middle school years our students will grow in ways of knowing the how to be and how to become and the why of what you do and who you are as they think about becoming successful in their life pursuits. 

And we strive for our high school students to be transformed to be ready to take on life with  purpose, and direction, and meaning and impact. 

That’s why we say here in Lynnfield, we are preparing students for the world as it is going to be, not as it is, and not as it was. 

That’s why here, we are planting seeds of greatness in our Pioneers. That’s why we do what we do in this great school district – we have created this energy to make  sure we’re not lecturing your children, we don’t have things aimed at them – we are partners with  them in their growth. 

I’m happy to tell you what we already know – the Lynnfield School District is quite successful at that.  

We see it in our graduates, we see it in the maturation of our students. There is no secret to what  we are doing. We just focus on every individual as an important individual. We don’t focus on students – we focus on your student – one person at a time – to provide the highest level  of education. 

I look forward to a return to a normal school year. Parents have been remarkable, you have been  agile, you have been highly flexible and you have been enormously supportive. And we honor you for raising fine children and we thank you for entrusting them to us as this pandemic seems to  be showing us a light at the end of this tunnel.  

Rich Sjoberg

Lynnfield