My first day on the job at Longfellow was July 1, 1993. I like the idea of being at a school named after a poet. I thought it would set a nice tone for the building.
For the first month and a half I commuted from our home southeast of Sperry. It was an 85-mile trip each way and took about an hour and a half. I enjoyed the ride. I had a flat tire once near Mt. Union but got it fixed and was on my way fairly quickly. Another time a pheasant jumped up and slammed into the rider’s side mirror. It was shattered!
I spent most of my time trying to familiarize myself with the building, the neighborhood, and the district. I read about everything in the office I could get my hands on and studied the student directory. I wanted to know as much as possible about the school.
During the day several people would stop in. I was welcomed by visits from other building administrators and people from the central office. The person I replaced, Marian Coleman, gave me a tour of the district. The city administrator even stopped in to welcome me to the community. I was amazed at how supportive everyone seemed to be.
I was pleasantly surprised by the condition of the building. It was as old as some of the buildings I had worked in but in much better shape. It was clear the district valued the property. I was used to districts letting older buildings decay by neglect.
I was surprised at the lack of technology in the building. Coming from Mediapolis, Waco and before that Mt. Pleasant where every classroom had a computer it was a shock to come to a building where there was only one computer and it was on the secretary’s desk. I had expected Iowa City to be way ahead in every way but that definitely was not the case when it came to technology.
During those summer days in July I did two storytelling sessions for Longfellow students in the neighborhood. It was a good way for students and a few parents to meet me. The superintendent even came to one of the sessions. I also stayed at the building three evenings to meet students and parents.
One day I took some extra time after lunch, walked around downtown Iowa City and just savored being there. It was a dream come true to be working in Iowa City. I felt blessed.
It was something I had heard talked about many times among educators. It was known as a premier district and good salaries. Many of my colleagues envied me.
The staff hosted a barbeque for Becky and I at one of their homes. It was fun and we got to meet several of them. Becky met with a local realtor and he showed her some places we could live. Housing prices were sky high in Iowa City and we wondered how we could ever afford anything in town.
Eventually, we settled on a new apartment on the corner of Scott Boulevard and Court Street. It was small, 900 sq. feet, but we thought we could make it work for a while. We also rented a garage off of Bowery Street for our boat and some of other stuff.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
90s17 Interviews
The more interviews you go through the better you get at doing them. You can begin to anticipate the kinds of questions that will be asked and refine your answers. By the time I got to Iowa City I knew what to expect.
At least I knew what to expect at the initial interview with district administrators. In that interview there were two building principals, a director of instruction, and the director of human resources. They were very welcoming and I felt comfortable there.
After that interview I went out to a waiting area. In a short time I was invited into the Superintendents office. The Superintendent said she could only talk to me briefly as she had a luncheon meeting to attend. An hour later she was still talking. It struck me as odd at the time and I sensed she was trying to sell me on the district. She certainly wasn’t asking me questions.
The next day I was invited back for an interview with the teachers and then the parents. Having been a teacher for years I had a good idea what the teachers would ask. I had almost no idea what the parents would ask.
When I arrived at the building a parent greeted me. She gave me a tour of the building. She seemed very serious and almost stern. I could tell there was some tension. At the end of the building tour she took me to a classroom where I met a large group of teachers and the building secretary. They were very friendly but probed me heavily about my management style.
After the teacher interview I went upstairs to an interview with parents. There must have been at least 20 or maybe more parents in the room. The questions were rapid fire and were often followed up with requests for clarification. The parents were clearly looking for a reason not to hire. I didn’t give them one but felt like I had been through a workout by the time it was over.
I went home thinking I had a shot at the job but was a little surprised by the intensity of the questions. Within the next 24 hours I heard from my university advisor. He said they had called him for a reference on me and he thought I would get the job. A couple hours later the superintendent called and offered me the position. She said I was the unanimous choice of all the groups. I was overwhelmed!
That evening I got a call from a prominent banker in Iowa City congratulating me and offering to help me in any way he could. That was followed by a called from a local realtor who had been a teacher in the district. He, too, offered to help in any way he could. Their hospitality was surprising.
Within 24 hours I heard from others, prepared my letter of resignation, and wrote a personal letter to each Mediapolis elementary teacher. I went to my last Mediapolis board meeting a few days later and one board member suggested they not release me from my contract and keep me there. My good luck was that I had not signed my contract so they could not hold me back.
At least I knew what to expect at the initial interview with district administrators. In that interview there were two building principals, a director of instruction, and the director of human resources. They were very welcoming and I felt comfortable there.
After that interview I went out to a waiting area. In a short time I was invited into the Superintendents office. The Superintendent said she could only talk to me briefly as she had a luncheon meeting to attend. An hour later she was still talking. It struck me as odd at the time and I sensed she was trying to sell me on the district. She certainly wasn’t asking me questions.
The next day I was invited back for an interview with the teachers and then the parents. Having been a teacher for years I had a good idea what the teachers would ask. I had almost no idea what the parents would ask.
When I arrived at the building a parent greeted me. She gave me a tour of the building. She seemed very serious and almost stern. I could tell there was some tension. At the end of the building tour she took me to a classroom where I met a large group of teachers and the building secretary. They were very friendly but probed me heavily about my management style.
After the teacher interview I went upstairs to an interview with parents. There must have been at least 20 or maybe more parents in the room. The questions were rapid fire and were often followed up with requests for clarification. The parents were clearly looking for a reason not to hire. I didn’t give them one but felt like I had been through a workout by the time it was over.
I went home thinking I had a shot at the job but was a little surprised by the intensity of the questions. Within the next 24 hours I heard from my university advisor. He said they had called him for a reference on me and he thought I would get the job. A couple hours later the superintendent called and offered me the position. She said I was the unanimous choice of all the groups. I was overwhelmed!
That evening I got a call from a prominent banker in Iowa City congratulating me and offering to help me in any way he could. That was followed by a called from a local realtor who had been a teacher in the district. He, too, offered to help in any way he could. Their hospitality was surprising.
Within 24 hours I heard from others, prepared my letter of resignation, and wrote a personal letter to each Mediapolis elementary teacher. I went to my last Mediapolis board meeting a few days later and one board member suggested they not release me from my contract and keep me there. My good luck was that I had not signed my contract so they could not hold me back.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
90s16 Out of Mediapolis
The summer of 1992 we moved into a house southeast of Sperry owned by a school board member. I loved the area but it was too isolated for Becky. It was miles from the nearest paved road and in the year we lived there we had 11 flat tires. The gravel, very hard chert, was too sharp for tires.
To say the least, the winter of 1992-93, was very hard. It remained cold for days and the snow just kept coming. I missed work several days because we just couldn’t get up our driveway to get out to the road.
Things went from bad to worse in the district as the year went on. The board was independent and not at all interested in following the administration in the district. There are many stories I could tell but it is probably best that I let them rest for another time.
The good part of the year was that our first granddaughter, Jazmin, was born in November. We were thrilled and cherished the thought of having a grandchild.
The other good thing about that year was that I was finished with my Ph. D. and could put my full concentration into my work. It was exhilarating! I was excited about leading the district, pursuing my interest in teaching graduate courses and working in the Iowa Writing Project. The future was bright!
In February, I started looking for principal jobs that were advertised in the paper. Iowa City had two openings and I applied. I knew it was unlikely that I would even get an interview but thought it would be a dream job. I was right.
Mt. Pleasant was going to have an opening at Van Allen so I applied for it, too. I got an interview but my history there as one who bucked the administration on several occasions kept me for serious consideration by the old guard. It was pay back time for them. It didn’t really matter how good I could have been. They were content to settle with anything other than me.
You pay a price, sooner or later, for standing up for what is good and right. I knew that from the beginning, but had hoped maybe that somehow people could get by that. I was wrong.
That spring the high school principal retired, the curriculum director left, and the superintendent took at job in southern Iowa. It looked like I would be the only one left. That thought didn’t appeal to me, but gradually I begin to get used to the idea.
That was when I noticed in the paper that one of the Iowa City job was reopened and previous applicants were encouraged to apply. I did and much to my surprise got an interview. I met with a group of 5 administrators and then the superintendent. The interview with the superintendent was different because she did all of the talking and spent the time selling me on the district. I took that as a good sign.
A few days later I was called back for an interview with about a dozen Longfellow teachers and that was followed by an interview with a room full of anxious parents. Much to my surprise I got the job and a nice raise to go with it. I have left out much of this year to get to more pleasant stories and so I move on.
To say the least, the winter of 1992-93, was very hard. It remained cold for days and the snow just kept coming. I missed work several days because we just couldn’t get up our driveway to get out to the road.
Things went from bad to worse in the district as the year went on. The board was independent and not at all interested in following the administration in the district. There are many stories I could tell but it is probably best that I let them rest for another time.
The good part of the year was that our first granddaughter, Jazmin, was born in November. We were thrilled and cherished the thought of having a grandchild.
The other good thing about that year was that I was finished with my Ph. D. and could put my full concentration into my work. It was exhilarating! I was excited about leading the district, pursuing my interest in teaching graduate courses and working in the Iowa Writing Project. The future was bright!
In February, I started looking for principal jobs that were advertised in the paper. Iowa City had two openings and I applied. I knew it was unlikely that I would even get an interview but thought it would be a dream job. I was right.
Mt. Pleasant was going to have an opening at Van Allen so I applied for it, too. I got an interview but my history there as one who bucked the administration on several occasions kept me for serious consideration by the old guard. It was pay back time for them. It didn’t really matter how good I could have been. They were content to settle with anything other than me.
You pay a price, sooner or later, for standing up for what is good and right. I knew that from the beginning, but had hoped maybe that somehow people could get by that. I was wrong.
That spring the high school principal retired, the curriculum director left, and the superintendent took at job in southern Iowa. It looked like I would be the only one left. That thought didn’t appeal to me, but gradually I begin to get used to the idea.
That was when I noticed in the paper that one of the Iowa City job was reopened and previous applicants were encouraged to apply. I did and much to my surprise got an interview. I met with a group of 5 administrators and then the superintendent. The interview with the superintendent was different because she did all of the talking and spent the time selling me on the district. I took that as a good sign.
A few days later I was called back for an interview with about a dozen Longfellow teachers and that was followed by an interview with a room full of anxious parents. Much to my surprise I got the job and a nice raise to go with it. I have left out much of this year to get to more pleasant stories and so I move on.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
90s15 The Writing on the Wall
My first year as a principal went pretty well even though there were some great challenges. I felt I had learned a lot and was looking forward to the coming year and the changes I hoped to make.
On the night of May 12, 1992 something happened that changed the course of my future in Mediapolis. During the school board meeting the board didn’t accept the Superintendent’s recommendation on hiring an elementary physical education teacher and head football coach. If they didn’t like the recommendation they should have told him and he should open the position again to look for additional applications. That does happen with some boards but it is rare. It is even more rare to not accept the Superintendent’s recommendation and hire someone else on the spot, but that is what happened.
I was stunned and so was the rest of the administration! The Superintendent had to call the guy the next day and tell him the board didn’t accept the recommendation. Without board support for the administration a difficult job becomes impossible. I knew I wouldn’t be staying in that district long.
The board had a history of doing their own thing but this was the most blatant I had experienced. I knew I couldn’t count on their support and was sickened by the whole idea. It seriously undermined our effectiveness. We had little credibility with the teachers and the community and I wrote in my journal that I wouldn’t be staying there long.
In an effort to talk things through with the board we met with them in closed session a couple weeks later. We explained our position and the board listened but didn’t seem to concerned and some even said if they had it to do over again they would still do it. I was disappointed that most of them thought they had done no harm.
We were set to move to a new house owned by one of the board members that summer. The board member, a leader in going against the superintendent, called a couple nights later and said he supported me and hoped we would still rent the house. We did. I should have known better!
The Superintendent had an outside consultant, a professor from Iowa State University, work with the administration and the board on leadership and boardsmanship. I thought it was excellent training for us all but the board members we really wanted to influence blew it off. They knew what they wanted to do and didn’t really care what they were supposed to do or what we thought of it.
As I prepared for the next school year I lost some of my enthusiasm. I realized that my ideas for where we should be going and that some of the teachers needed to change or leave were all subject to the whims of the board. I knew I could stick it out one more year if I had to but just couldn’t see myself sticking around and working under those conditions very long.
On the night of May 12, 1992 something happened that changed the course of my future in Mediapolis. During the school board meeting the board didn’t accept the Superintendent’s recommendation on hiring an elementary physical education teacher and head football coach. If they didn’t like the recommendation they should have told him and he should open the position again to look for additional applications. That does happen with some boards but it is rare. It is even more rare to not accept the Superintendent’s recommendation and hire someone else on the spot, but that is what happened.
I was stunned and so was the rest of the administration! The Superintendent had to call the guy the next day and tell him the board didn’t accept the recommendation. Without board support for the administration a difficult job becomes impossible. I knew I wouldn’t be staying in that district long.
The board had a history of doing their own thing but this was the most blatant I had experienced. I knew I couldn’t count on their support and was sickened by the whole idea. It seriously undermined our effectiveness. We had little credibility with the teachers and the community and I wrote in my journal that I wouldn’t be staying there long.
In an effort to talk things through with the board we met with them in closed session a couple weeks later. We explained our position and the board listened but didn’t seem to concerned and some even said if they had it to do over again they would still do it. I was disappointed that most of them thought they had done no harm.
We were set to move to a new house owned by one of the board members that summer. The board member, a leader in going against the superintendent, called a couple nights later and said he supported me and hoped we would still rent the house. We did. I should have known better!
The Superintendent had an outside consultant, a professor from Iowa State University, work with the administration and the board on leadership and boardsmanship. I thought it was excellent training for us all but the board members we really wanted to influence blew it off. They knew what they wanted to do and didn’t really care what they were supposed to do or what we thought of it.
As I prepared for the next school year I lost some of my enthusiasm. I realized that my ideas for where we should be going and that some of the teachers needed to change or leave were all subject to the whims of the board. I knew I could stick it out one more year if I had to but just couldn’t see myself sticking around and working under those conditions very long.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
90s14 Becoming a Principal
The summer I completed my Ph.D. I also became principal of the Mediapolis elementary schools. The younger students (k-3) went to school at the Mediapolis site and the upper elementary kids went to the building in Yarmouth. It was a rural district but included some folks who worked in the factories in Burlington. Generally, they were hard working people who expected us to run the schools and not bother them much.
The two buildings were about 10 miles apart. Yarmouth is a small town with a grain elevator, a few houses and a place that served as a café in the daytime and a bar at night. I knew about the community because one of the residents was well known for his lavish outdoor Christmas displays.
I knew Yarmouth, too, for being along the terminal moraine of the last glacier that came into Iowa. It retreated about 12,000 years ago. It was the Illinois lobe of the Wisconsin glacier and it forced the Mississippi to run west of what is now Mt. Pleasant. The little stream that starts there in the playground eventually becomes Big Creek and nearly circles Mt. Pleasant.
The Yarmouth building had been the site of a k-12 school that served the community until they joined the Mediapolis district. It had a nice large gym but the floor had been seriously damaged by water after a storm and it was never fixed properly. The overall building was in pretty bad shape. It was an old building that everyone except those who lived in Yarmouth thought should be closed.
The building in Mediapolis was about the same age but in much better shape. It had a large addition for the high school and a nice gym. The football field was across the road. The community periodically entertained the idea of closing Yarmouth and adding on to the Mediapolis building.
Mediapolis had a little over 1000 students with about 600 of them being elementary and covered a large area from just north of Burlington to near Wapello and from the Mississippi to just west of Yarmouth. The buses transporting kids to Yarmouth from the far southeast part had trouble meeting the state requirement of students being on the bus not longer than an hour. Consequently, there were lots of bus behavior problems.
Besides being principal of two buildings, I was district Title I Coordinator and had to supervise a third of the district events. I was thrilled with the opportunity and a little over whelmed. I had to evaluate about half of the 40 or so teachers each year and that was a huge job not matter how you looked at it.
Most of the teachers were good, competent people, but like everywhere else, there were some bad ones. Some were very set in their ways and told me right up front they weren’t about to change. They said other principals had come and gone and I would, too. I soon began to understand why principals didn’t stay there very long.
The two buildings were about 10 miles apart. Yarmouth is a small town with a grain elevator, a few houses and a place that served as a café in the daytime and a bar at night. I knew about the community because one of the residents was well known for his lavish outdoor Christmas displays.
I knew Yarmouth, too, for being along the terminal moraine of the last glacier that came into Iowa. It retreated about 12,000 years ago. It was the Illinois lobe of the Wisconsin glacier and it forced the Mississippi to run west of what is now Mt. Pleasant. The little stream that starts there in the playground eventually becomes Big Creek and nearly circles Mt. Pleasant.
The Yarmouth building had been the site of a k-12 school that served the community until they joined the Mediapolis district. It had a nice large gym but the floor had been seriously damaged by water after a storm and it was never fixed properly. The overall building was in pretty bad shape. It was an old building that everyone except those who lived in Yarmouth thought should be closed.
The building in Mediapolis was about the same age but in much better shape. It had a large addition for the high school and a nice gym. The football field was across the road. The community periodically entertained the idea of closing Yarmouth and adding on to the Mediapolis building.
Mediapolis had a little over 1000 students with about 600 of them being elementary and covered a large area from just north of Burlington to near Wapello and from the Mississippi to just west of Yarmouth. The buses transporting kids to Yarmouth from the far southeast part had trouble meeting the state requirement of students being on the bus not longer than an hour. Consequently, there were lots of bus behavior problems.
Besides being principal of two buildings, I was district Title I Coordinator and had to supervise a third of the district events. I was thrilled with the opportunity and a little over whelmed. I had to evaluate about half of the 40 or so teachers each year and that was a huge job not matter how you looked at it.
Most of the teachers were good, competent people, but like everywhere else, there were some bad ones. Some were very set in their ways and told me right up front they weren’t about to change. They said other principals had come and gone and I would, too. I soon began to understand why principals didn’t stay there very long.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)