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In her 30 years of working in education, Vonda Viland has taken an important lessen to heart.
“I’ve never met a student who wants to be a failure,” she said.
Viland spoke at Luverne Public School’s final teacher in-service day on Thursday, Aug. 31.
Students returned to classes on Tuesday.
Viland’s message evolved around the students whom she encountered in her position as principal at Black Rock Continuation High School near California’s Mojave Desert.
Before getting to her message, however, the LHS class of 1984 graduate made some observations about her hometown.
“It’s really green here,” Viland said.
She also observed Luverne still spouts an excellent education system and caring community.
“I’ve yet to find a community that cares for their students as much as Luverne does,” she said.
Viland has become a sought-after speaker and education advocate after the documentary, “The Bad Kids,” was released late last year.
The award-winning film followed Viland for more than two years as her school staff offered at-risk youth one last chance at earning a high school diploma.
Film producers encouraged Viland to co-author a book of the same name. The documentary has since aired on public television stations, and resource materials are available to educators online.
She cautions that despite how incredible the Luverne community and its residents are, there are still students at risk of not completing high school through no fault of their own.
Like the students in the documentary whose personal lives are negatively affected by outside factors such as sexual abuse, alcoholic parents, homelessness and poverty, Luverne has students facing the same issues that result in anger issues, suicidal thoughts, anxiety and low self-esteem.
“They didn’t choose to be in those situations,” Viland said. “They just don’t have the skills or knowledge to break those patterns.”
As a student at LHS, Viland said she found herself in one of those situations during her parents’ divorce.
She credits her teachers who helped her understand and cope with the personal events and described herself as a “not-so-easy student.”
Viland said she talked incessantly in class, suffered from a lack of focus, and she needed to question everything.
As a result of her teachers’ guidance, she discovered who she was as a person. “I will never forget them,” she said.
The discovery led Viland to become a teacher. She accelerated through college and entered the classroom as a teacher at age 20.
As a teacher, Viland found she was often the first adult a student confided in when overwhelmed by issues outside the classroom.
“If we don’t look at ways to deal with issues in adolescence, we deal with them later when they are adults,” she said.
In her school, staff and students focus on positive thinking and making a connection with students.
“We give ourselves and our kids a fresh start every day,” she said. “(And) educate the child, not just teach the curriculum.”