|
Humphries seeks seat
BY ANNE ADAMS • STAFF WRITER
 | | Chris Humphries |
|
MONTEREY - Chris Humphries believes Highland schools are not spending enough time focused on students, and has chosen to be a candidate on the school board in an effort to get that changed, especially when it comes to stressing vocational education. "I decided to run before I found out the current board was not running," he said. "It just appears to me that there's some things going on at school that should be addressed ... I really don't want to go into specifics, but the school system seems to be shifting away from it's goal, and it's goal is to teach kids ... The emphasis is shifting to more along the lines of the staff ... Granted, we have good teachers and we need good teachers, but we need to go the other direction and get a good trade school for these kids and keep these kids in the county - masonry, electrical, plumbing, auto body, mechanics - that's one goal I personally want to try to accomplish, is to get kids (after graduation) a step in the right direction.
"I've coached Little League for four years now and I've coached T-ball for three. I try to put my kids first, and I think that's what we need to do here. I think we need to shift emphasis back to the kids with a good agriculture department, a good trade school for those kids who choose not to go to college," he explained. "We've got to start keeping the kids here, and there's not businesses or factories or what have you to get a good job for the kids so they need to learn to work for themselves ... and those are good jobs and will make good money. There's all kind of carpentry, plumbing, masons, I heard one time the average age of the mason in Virginia was 56 years old ... they don't have to (be) the laborers. Let's teach them and get them to the top jobs. I don't see a reason we can't."
He was motivated in particular as he started to gather petition signatures to register as a candidate, realizing many residents agreed with his position. "That was the deciding moment when I decided I was going to run ... as I was getting my signatures they all had the same concerns that I did. They all agreed 100 percent," Humphries said.
"Over half of them wanted to know why we have to have two principals for only 250 kids. I will ask that, and I will get an answer ... those people will get their questions answered. That was another one: I've heard a lot of complaints from individuals that they go to the school system and ask for the answer to a question and never receive it. That's something I'm going to do my very best to put a stop to. If you ask a question, you'll get an answer. Whether you like it or not, you'll get an answer. I hear a lot of complaints that there's not enough communication between the school and the parents. The parents have no idea what's going on in school. I want a better relationship," he said.
Making changes
Humphries said he wants to make sure teachers are good at teaching, and are held accountable. "If you're doing your job and doing a good job, then great. If you're not doing your job and you're not doing a good job, then we need to talk to try to get you up to where you need to be," he said. "It doesn't matter that piece of paper that says I've got a Ph.D. That piece of paper doesn't mean anything if you can't communicate to the ones that you're teaching. Some of the smartest people I know didn't graduate the eighth grade. You have to be able to come across to someone ... the kids have to be able to learn from you." He's also concerned that students get negative labels early on, and can't seem to shake them as they progress through school. "I haven't had the opportunity to meet Mr. Blair yet, and I do understand that it's starting to get a little better ...(but) from what I understand from some of the parents ... there appears to be a lot of labeling of the kids. They've got this label of being a troublemaker which at some point in time in someone's life, you outgrow that. And if the kid outgrows it, it doesn't matter. You've still got that label ... I'd like to put a stop to that and treat everybody equal," Humphries said.
He believes children on the extreme ends of the learning curve are not getting enough attention, either. "There's just not being enough done. I understand in special ed, it's not working well. It needs some attention. (And) you've got to keep the kids challenged. My (son) is one you've got to keep challenged. As long as he's interested in what you're saying and you keep him busy, he's wonderful. But you give him a little free time ... that's not right that he disrupts class but there's a lot of kids in this school I think if you just challenge them a little bit they'd be a lot better off ... I think there needs to be something for the kids that need to be challenged, and there needs to be a program for those that are challenged."
Humphries believes his experience as a parent, coach, and dealing with the public as a dispatcher will be a solid asset on the board. "I try to get along with everybody," he added. "There's people out in the community who would disagree with that, but I like being around the kids. I love doing what's best for the kids. If you need a coach, I do what I can to become a coach. I'm not the best coach in the world, far from it, but I try ... I lose my temper; everyone loses their temper. But I try not to around the kids and I try to teach them to stand up for themselves and don't let anyone push you around. You're as good as anyone on the face of this earth. There's no one that's better than you are. That's what I teach my kids on the ball field and what I teach my son. We don't let anybody run over top of us.
"I really do care for the kids," he added. "I'm not a pervert by any means but I really do care for them ... The kids are our future and right now, as far as I'm concerned, the future of this world is in trouble. We need some kids that's got some brains and some common sense."
He also believes extra money for education can be found to improve opportunities. "I have not been into that (budget) but if I get elected that's going to be one of my top priorities, to look into that. The school may be doing everything they can possibly do, but I believe that we can find some grants, find some monies, or we can do some fund-raisers. We can do something to provide a little more education," he said. He says it's been "a very rough time" for the current board. "I don't want to pick on them. They've done what they saw fit and that's fine. I personally think it seems like we could've gone a little farther and their hands are tied, I don't know. What the state says ... that's what you're going to do ... I want to see for myself what can be done," he said. "I don't go to school board meetings. I should, but I don't ... when I get off from work, I get Michael and we go to the farm or haul junk and I just don't have time ... if elected, though, I'll make time because it's something I want to do."
Humphries said he'd like to learn more about the state's Standards of Learning as well. "I think that is a horrible, horrible system or test. It's ridiculous," he said, "it really is. It's just like an exam to me. I have a misconception over the SOL test."
Humphries would also like religion to return to the public school system. "I do believe in God and personally, I think that needs to be brought back into the schools ... I believe in the Constitution of the United States and what our forefathers wrote ... I believe in God, don't believe in abortion, and I believe you have a right to carry a gun. I believe you have a right to protect yourself. That's where I stand ... I believe in God and that's my right. If you don't, or if you do, that's your right. But if 20 kids want to say a prayer and one doesn't, don't take God out of school because of the one kid that doesn't. Give him a pair of earmuffs. If the majority of the kids or parents decide they don't want that, then we'll deal with that problem when we get to it, but I don't think that's going to be a problem here in Highland."
Board duties and leadership
Humphries said he would get involved in the day-today operations of the schools if elected. "It has to be handson," he said. "I can't sit down and read something and comprehend it. I've got to see it done, and I like to be involved. I don't like to give it to this person and this person gives it to this person and then this person comes back to me with a report. I've got to check on it and see it done myself. I want to be directly involved in it.
"A lot of people don't like me and say I've got a bad attitude ... I just don't like to put up with a lot of nonsense.
"I don't want to come across as a hard-nose, but ... I try to be professional. If you need help I will do anything in my power to help you, but if you're going to come and fuss at me for something I have no control over, and you feel like because of who you are I'm going to do it, that's wrong. I don't care if you're whoever, you're no better than this person here and you're going to get treated the same as this person here, no matter who you are."
Humphries said he doesn't have anything in his personal or professional life that would cause a conflict of interest if elected, although he said he's had some disagreements with administrators at the school. "I'm not getting along very well with the principal right now but I'm the type of person it doesn't matter. I can have a falling out with you today, but if I have to deal with you, that's fine. We're going to do it on a professional level ... you're treated just the same. That's the way I try to conduct business."
He also said he understands the Freedom of Information Act through his law enforcement training. "The Freedom of Information Act, as far as the school, is that everything's public. I don't have a problem with that, unless it's dealing with a juvenile, and then it becomes private ... that's the way I plan on keeping it," he explained.
"I believe what I believe. I'm not saying that you can't change my mind but I try to do what's right, and that's what I plan on doing. I will do my best to do what's right for the community, what's right for the kids, what's right for the teachers, and you're going to have a hard time swaying me to do something different ... I am hard-headed, but I don't consider that being too bad of a trait. If it's right, that's what I'm sticking with. It's not what I want, it's what the kids need and the staff needs. That's the ultimate goal, is taking care of our kids and teaching our kids so they can stay and keep the community going. That's what my goal is.
"I treat everybody the same," he stressed. "Just because you are who you are or you have money ... I don't care who you are. You put your britches on the same way I do - one leg at a time ... If I don't get elected I'm not going to hold it against anybody if they decided they didn't want somebody like me, but I'm a little different than most people ... If ya'll need something, give me a buzz and we'll take care of it. If you want to sit around like two civilized people then that's what we'll do. But if you want to get right with me, then you better be prepared for it to come back. That's the way I am ... I can take an ass-chewing but you better be able to take one, too, because if you're cussing me over something somebody else did, that ain't going to work. We're going to have problems ... I just hope we can all work together, communicate well, and do a good job ... if we fight amongst ourselves, it doesn't help the kids."
About the candidate
¦ Chris Humphries, 36 ¦ Originally from Rockbridge County, moved to Highland in 1984 ¦ Graduated Highland High School in 1989; graduated from Blue Ridge Community College in 1991 with studies in criminal justice ¦ Currently a dispatcher with the Highland County Sheriff's Office, where he's worked for the last 16 years ¦ Married; one son age 12 ¦ Runs cattle on several area farms, including his own 40 head on Strait Creek ¦ President and coach, Little League baseball; T-ball coach three years; current 4-H leader; member Living Faith church in Franklin, W.Va.
|
