The challenges facing everyone, including the Institute, is the budget crisis in our state and nation. It’s my hope that my involvement will provide a county and school district perspective, specifically how the state budget is affecting our schools. This perspective, I expect, will allow us to be more creative in providing Institute support to our schools and implementing CC!. But I also feel strongly that my involvement will make me a better leader and educator. I’ll learn very much from my involvement, not only what I bring to the table.

CC!: What’s your take on the Obama Administration’s new direction in education and on Secretary of Education Arne Duncan?
Robles: I’m pleased with the President’s focus on early childhood and parent involvement. These areas need to be part of the K-12 educational system. As for Secretary Duncan, I’ve appreciated his outreach to superintendents. He’s already had two conference calls and has met with many of us. We’ll learn more as he moves to reauthorize No Child Left Behind. But I am concerned with the stimulus funds ending in two years. We will face a cliff, and I don’t know that anyone has determined how we’ll deal with that.

CC!: How can administrators alleviate the despondency felt by teachers who were heavily invested in such programs?
Robles: I don’t think we should feel despondent because I’ve always felt that if you believe in it, you’ll find a way to teach the Six Pillars of Character. Teachers have always found a way to teach what they love and believe in. What we’ll lose, with less funding, is the continued professional development for our current teachers and new teachers, so we have to be creative and find new ways to support them.

CC!: Whenever education suffers deep cuts, faculties have to re-group to compensate for loss of staff. What can schools do to maintain quality education when key personnel are gone?
Robles: Focus on the kids. That’s why we’re in this business. Students depend on us, and we need to regroup. We have to reach out and find new ways to connect and support each other. As is often said, teachers get to “re-teach third grade, but third graders only get taught once,” so we have to do it for them.

CC!: Teachers can be overwhelmed with all the tasks on their plate. We believe character is the plate. Is this possible in an era of No Child Left Behind?
Robles: I also believe it’s the plate. It’s the foundation of our democracy and educational system. It can be taught all day long and modeled all day long by the adults. It’s taught in our literature, in our culture, and in the decisions we make about what and when we teach. So we can’t use NCLB as an excuse to avoid teaching it.

CC!: Not every child can or wants to go to college. If schools focus everything on high-stakes testing, the goal of education becomes “Just get them into college.” Shouldn’t the goal be to educate “citizens” instead?
Robles: High-stakes testing is designed to make sure all students have access to a rigorous curriculum because the majority of jobs need skilled workers, not just students who are prepared to enter college. We’ve done a poor job of articulating our goals. To help our students become citizens who will participate in their communities, we need them to be literate in English, mathematics, technology, the arts, and all content areas.

Again, the content required to be educated must also include life lessons required of all responsible citizens, but not at the expense of eliminating other important lessons. Those taught in CHARACTER COUNTS! (trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship) need to be instilled every day in every classroom.

CC!: Many schools are paralyzed by achievement gaps and dropout rates. How can they tackle these issues? What role does school climate play in motivating students to stay in school and study?
Robles: One student at a time. We need to remember and make sure in all our policies and practices that there is an individual we need to care for and educate. School climate and culture play a very important role in a student’s life. Students will be motivated if they know the school personnel care for them, want them to succeed, and have high aspirations for them. Personal relationships are important to students just as they are to staff.

There’s quote that states it best: “A student doesn’t care how much you know until he knows how much you care.” To keep students in school, we need them to know that all adults in the system truly care about them.

CC!: As this is our back-to-school issue, what advice do you have for new teachers? For returning teachers? From your experience, do you have any tips on getting and staying motivated?
Robles: We need to remind ourselves every day of the opportunity we have as educators – an opportunity not many professions have – to inspire and educate our future leaders, scientists, artists, lawyers, bankers, teachers, and even superintendents. We must remember, though, that with this opportunity comes a tremendous responsibility to always strive to do our best every day because our future depends on it. Who we educate today will one day take care of us.

I know it isn’t easy. Teaching is one of the toughest professions. We’re “on stage” six to seven hours a day. But our motivation must come from our calling – we chose this profession because we care deeply about children. So, despite all the negativity we hear about schools and our profession, each of us must find our own way to be motivated.

What helps me stay focused is to always remember why I chose this profession. Taped to the monitor on my computer is a saying by Emma Goodman that I read every day to remind me about why I do what I do: “No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effect of every true education should be to unlock that treasure.” So every day, a teacher, an administrator, or a staff member has a new opportunity to unlock that treasure. How lucky and fortunate for us that we chose this profession!

CC!: In our Character Development Seminars, we ask participants to name a hero who inspired them. Who’s yours?
Robles: My mother! She inspires me every day – today as an adult and when I was a child. She worked as a single mother and raised two children through very difficult times, and yet we knew we were her number-one priority. She taught us, through her actions, how to care for each other, trust each other, and respect each other, and every day she demonstrated her unconditional love. She taught me how to read, to think independently, and raised me with the confidence and self-esteem that I could do and be whatever I desired despite our circumstances. She also was able to see only the good in me because it every day. She saw into my heart and soul and “unlocked that treasure” inside me. For that I will always be grateful.