Challenges all to form a culture we want to live in
Editor’s note: Greene County Schools board of education president David Ohrt provided to the board an update on what he called his “mental health status” at the Nov. 21 meeting. His comments follow.
“The thing I’ve been thinking about that is really important to me is we make difficult decisions and people don’t like it. And then the culture of the community and the school gets really toxic.
“We all have responsibility for that.
“When we get toxic what we end up doing is shooting holes in the bottom of the boat we’re all in, and the water comes in and we’re all messed up….
“I’d like for us to think about that, that we can change the toxicity that we’re living in. It affects everybody. It affects our school. Anybody that drives through town can tell what the climate is, what the culture of that town is.
“I really value the partnership with the news media, but I have been disappointed on occasion with some newspaper reporting that has included innuendo and insinuation rather than news. I think opinions are great and that we should tolerate all kinds of opinions, but when it’s reported as news, that doesn’t sit well with me.
“In my field, the saying is that it takes five positive comments to overcome one negative one. I would like to challenge us to begin to form a culture that we want to live in, not a poopy one, but a positive one.
“I have a client that has a bumper sticker on her vehicle that has always stuck with me. It says ‘Change is inevitable. Resistance optional’.
“Evolution tells us that if you don’t adapt, like the dinosaurs, you will disappear and die. We have to learn how to be resilient and adapt to things.
“We’re responsible for our culture. What I’ve decided for myself, rather than be a victim of this toxicity, my goal is to send out two thank you cards a month to school staff, students, people in the community, to be a part of a different kind of culture around here. I hope other folks will take that challenge on because this is our home. These are our kids. It’s not Jefferson, Scranton, Cooper, East Greene, this is all our boat, and shooting holes in the boat is not helping any of us.”
Ohrt quoted from one of his favorite movies, “Shawshank Redemption”. “’You can get to living, or get to dying.’ I’m committed to living. Everybody has a decision to make about that. That’s my mental state right now.”
