Another World

Last week I played hooky from school. As it turned out, I didn’t miss much – more snow days and two 2 hour delays.

I took a long overdue vacation trip to see my little girl Betsy. She graduated from college in May of 2007 and that June headed to Paraguay to honor her plan to serve in the Peace Corps. She signed on for an extra year as a coordinator and presently lives in the capital city of Asuncion. Her first two years were spent on assignment in the “campo” which translates to “out in the sticks”, where she was to assist the farm co-op and others with economic development.

She has been home once in 2 ½ years and will finish her obligation in September. I thought I owed it to her, before she leaves South America, to see first hand the life she has been living and the community she served. I wanted to personally thank the man and woman who served as her surrogate parents in the campo, Pablino and Racquel, for looking after my little girl.

After 3 planes and 29 hours of travel time I finally arrived in Asuncion.

I rented a car at the airport and after a good nights sleep, we headed to the campo. Betsy had organized a cookout to be held at her host parent’s home and we were in charge of picking up other Peace Corps volunteers who would be attending. We drove around 200 kilometers on a good highway to get from the city to the San Pedro district that was home to these folks.

Then it was time to round up the kids (as I call the volunteers – all in their 20s). Now I have fished some of the most remote trout streams of West Virginia. For 13 years I lived and worked in the most sparsely populated school district east of the Mississippi where the student population averaged 1.5 kids per square mile. I have never traveled dirt roads like this.

There were no rocks to speak of, just dusty red dirt. The base seemed solid enough and although there were ruts and washouts, there was plenty of traffic. There were lots of motorbikes, a few cars and trucks, and plenty of horse and ox carts. In what seemed like a 15 mile loop I picked up 3 kids, each at their little two room shacks, delivered them to the host family’s house and repeated the process once again on another network of dusty red roads to collect 4 more.

While we enjoyed a nice barbecue of tough Brahman beef it started to rain. It rained all afternoon. Eventually Betsy suggested we start taking the kids home, because it was well known that the public buses these folks depended on to get out to more populated areas, never run when it rains. Maybe that’s because driving on these red dirt roads gets treacherous when wet. I learned that was true.

My rental car was a well used Ford Explorer and it was questionable if the 4 wheel drive was functional. After 2 nail biting hours of slipping and slopping through the soup, I managed to get all the kids delivered back to their little cabins safely. We were just a mile from the hard road when a truck with a top heavy load of pineapples stopped in front of me. I eased around it, found myself on a severely sloped shoulder and in seconds we were hung up - immobile in the side ditch with only one wheel actually touching the road.

The rain had finally stopped and as we stepped out of the car and into the road we learned just how greasy slick that red dirt had become.

This whole experience will lead to a couple of stories worth sharing in the weeks to come, but let me close this one out by saying the Paraguan people are kind and generous. Many offered shelter while we awaited rescue. One truck tried to pull us free using an ancient rope offered by one of the neighbors. The rope broke twice. We offered to pay for the rope, but they laughed and said it was a grandfather rope with no strength left in it.

I would still be standing in that ditch with a forlorn look on my face if not for ol’ John Deere. That’s right. The local farm co-op owns a big green John Deere tractor and eventually Pablino came along and snatched us out of that hole. While watching that big green machine come over the hill, I couldn’t have felt any more rescued than if I were watching the arrival of the U. S. Marines. Memories of Paraguay will stay with me for a long, long time.

Bullying and other issues

The other day I asked Doug Brown, Principal at W. T. Chipman, to identify for me the areas in which middle school children have the hardest time doing the right thing. He didn’t hesitate. He described two issues:
1. Bullying and
2. Speaking appropriately to the opposite sex

Bullying has been around for a long time, but only in the past few decades have we begun to understand the potential damage. School shooters and other criminals who have acted in revenge have claimed to be victims of bullying.

Middle school kids are the worst for being mean to each other. What might begin as light hearted teasing can turn into mean spirited bashing. Children are very sensitive at this age. Big boys physically, might still be little boys emotionally. If they cry when they get upset, their peers can be merciless. Any child who is a little different can become a target to everyone.

A bully is not necessarily big and strong. A bully is simply someone who makes fun or picks on those who are not like him or her. If they’re not in your group, you might make fun of them. As Mr. Brown says, “They believe they’re not hurting someone because they’re not hitting.” But they do hurt each. The hurt goes deep and can leave scars.

The inappropriate relating to the opposite sex is closely related to the bullying.

Remember when you were that age? It is awkward.

Girls start to mature physically before the boys and things start to blossom. Boys notice and before you know it, they’re making some sort of observation out loud. They may make fun of what their seeing. They may try to touch. This is demeaning and hurtful to the girls. Of course, all such behavior is inappropriate and school officials do apply consequences.

Today’s media exposes children to a lot of interplay and social intercourse that most adults would not engage in. Songs refer to women in derogatory terms, music videos are full of sexy scenes and dances appear to be similar to the act of procreation except the clothes are left on. Clothing styles are often skin tight with lots of cleavage. In spite of the fact that most children do not live in homes where that behavior is celebrated, they often attempt to act that way when they are with each other.

As parents, it is important to be cognizant of the fact that children learn how men and women should relate to each other from the role models around them. Please keep that in mind next time you disagree or the next time one of you messes up. The children are always watching and they learn how to handle life from your example.

Why Alternative Schools?

Every year, as part of our United Way promotion, we put the names of all of our United Way donors into a hat and draw out a name. The winner gets a free day off with me as the substitute. This year’s winner is John Crockett who teaches the Twilight Program at Lake Forest High School. I’ll be filling that order soon.

Twilight is what we call an “alternative” to regular school. When Twilight was first created under the guidance of retired Principal, Dr. Betty Wyatt-Dix, it ran from 2:30 to 6pm each day. The room is set up like a computer lab. Students assigned to that program have available to them the entire high school curriculum on the computers in that classroom. That program has received several awards.

Over the years students have been assigned to that program during the regular school day as well. Some are there to retake a class they failed. Others are there for remediation. I am sure that Twilight has saved many a student from dropping out.

PEAK is another alternative for our high school kids. PEAK is operated for all Kent County and serves many of our discipline problems. Unfortunately they won’t take a student who has brought a weapon or drugs to school. There is limited capacity there and when we send them to PEAK, we lose contact with them. Unfortunately, I wish we had more. Not more Twilight and PEAK programs, more alternative programs.

High school today looks a lot like it did 50-70 years ago. Bells ring and students take classes that the community feels are important to future careers. Kids play sports, sing in the choir or build things in the shop. Sure there’s more technology and more choices, but it’s still much the same as most of us remember it.

Thing is, there are children who don’t do well in that environment. For some it is too crowded. For others, demands at home prevent them from having any interest in the social aspects of school. Some have got in trouble and PEAK won’t take them. Some just can’t seem to get out of bed. Others might need to work for self support or to support a family that has begun way to soon. Yes, some have babies.

That’s why I’d like to see the state someday invest in more alternatives. Some need a boot camp environment. Some need a small, sensitive environment. Some need a part time schedule and some need a full time schedule that starts at noon. The one thing they all have in common – they want to know that there is someone who cares about them. Some find that out easily enough.

But for others, we have to hope that we find them and let them know we care for them, long before they drop out. Because if we don’t. We’ll be caring for them the rest of their lives.

What the heck is social media?

I just completed a survey on behalf of the American Association of School Administrators that was all about how we use social media at school. Social media, as this survey was designed, appears to be such things as Facebook, Twitter and blogs. Newspapers, local TV news and local radio are considered traditional media.

Recently I started writing again, primarily to try my hand at blogging. So every time I make a blog entry I send it on to The Journal and it gets used in both “traditional media” and “social media”. I’ve been a superintendent since 1987 and I’ve frequently written regular columns for local papers wherever I lived.

I like to write and try to both inform and entertain in my stories, but I’ll be honest, I’m not sure who reads papers anymore. I’m equally not sure who reads blogs, especially my blog.

I’ve been a newspaper reader since way back when I had a rural paper route after school that consisted of 18 papers on a 3 mile route. I made 2 ½ cents per paper and on Sundays I had maybe 25 papers over a five mile route. This generated around $12 a month that kept me in pop and peanuts. I also sold the Grit. Anyone out there remember the Grit?

I read both of the Delaware dailies each morning by 6:30a.m. and The Journal each week. That’s where I get most of my Delaware news. I can unscientifically confirm that I don’t think more than 20% of the people in my neighborhood get a newspaper subscription at home.

So, where do they get local news? Local TV? You won’t see any news of Felton, Harrington or Frederica on local TV unless there is a major crime involved. I do not regularly watch local news on TV.

Apparently, in some communities, bloggers are beginning to have a significant impact on community attitudes toward schools. In those communities, people fire up their computers and go to certain blogs to find out the latest, bypassing the traditional media. So, apparently I'm supposed to be kissing up to bloggers and providing them with information so they can be accurate in what they say.

I know there are some community forums available on websites, especially those affiliated with newspapers. If something scandalous happens I’m sure it might be commented on in the public forum, but I am unaware of anyone else blogging on local education issues on a regular basis.

I guess it’s just a matter of time. We're on the cutting edge with blog but as for this other stuff... As a district I’m not sure how we might benefit from having a Facebook or My Space page, but apparently it’s the thing to do. I know some colleges are starting to do that sort of thing.

Twitter? I don’t think so.

No School Tomorrow

I had the opportunity to attend most of the holiday musical programs at our schools over the last few weeks. The Central Elementary Chorus almost always ends its show with this favorite song - “There’s No School Tomorrow”.

Of course, that’s every child’s wish come winter time. They wish that there would be such a snow as to cause school to be canceled. Children of all ages are not shy about lobbying the superintendent when he happens to be in the school and there are flurries in the air.

They like to give me a hard time. “Sure looks bad out their Dr. Curry. Don’t you think we should go home early? Why don’t you cancel school for tomorrow and let us know right now?”

I dish it right back. “No way! Haven’t you heard? I’m from the mountains. This little bit of snow is nothing. Don’t you want to be able to tell your children about how you had to walk 2 miles to school in 3 feet of snow, trudging up hill, both ways?”

Of course the decision is made, I assure you, independent of any lobbying by students or guardians.

Our transportation supervisor, Bill Morris, monitors the weather and the potential for fog on a daily basis. When the weather report calls for it, he’s up at 3 or 4 in the morning. Often he drives the roads and maintains communication with other transportation supervisors. If he thinks we should consider a delay or closure he calls me by 5a.m.

Often, the Kent County school chiefs will have a conference call around 5:15a.m. We try to stick together with our decision. But, sometimes the temperature can be very different between Harrington and Smyrna or from Sandtown to Bowers Beach. That difference in temperature often means the difference between rain on one road and ice/snow on another. That’s why we don’t always make the same call.

So, that’s how it works. Once a decision is made I sit at my kitchen table and record a message to go immediately to all families in Lake Forest. I make a few other calls to staff members who follow a pre-determined routine or direct more specific work rules for certain employee groups.

The thrill of a snow day is not reserved just for students. Most of us like one once in awhile. It’s a great time to catch up on piles of office work. For the teacher it’s a great time to grade papers, plan lessons or collaborate with others. It’s bonus time that is well used.

That storm last week was a real freak and I, for one, am grateful that it fell on a Saturday. Let’s hope we don’t have any of those for a long time.

Enjoy the holidays and we’ll see you next year.

What to do with the $$ ?

If you haven’t been by Lake Forest High School recently, I encourage you to do so. You’ll be surprised at the attractive new additions for fine arts, physical education and athletics that are underway and soon to be complete. You can view photos of the projects at http://www.lf.k12.de.us/lfhs/.

Years ago, when planning for the remodeling and additions presently underway at Lake Forest High School, we were asked to stretch the projects out over 4 years. Given the way costs had been going up, we added to our estimates to allow for inflation. Then the economy took a nose dive and, as a result, construction bidding became very competitive.
The result – projected costs of $16 million will turn out to be more like $13 million.

Since the bonds have been sold and the money is in hand and it is clear that we will do everything promised in the referendum election and still have a surplus of about $3 million. The Lake Forest Board of Education is in the enviable position to consider additional projects.

We’ve generated a list of things that we’d like to do and will be making that decision hopefully in January. We’re sharing this information so that you may provide us with your thoughts. We cannot afford all of these things, so we’ll need to prioritize. When the final part of our current plan goes out to bid, we want to include any additional items so that we may take advantage of the current bidding climate.

The final phase at the high school (to be bid this spring with work done this summer) includes new student lockers, replacing the exterior windows, some specific classroom renovations and replacing some of the old folding classroom wall partitions with masonry walls. Final phase at W.T.Chipman includes interior walls, lockers, parking lots and athletic fields.

Following are just some of the items under consideration for inclusion:
• Brick the LFHS exterior to match the new additions
• New parking lot lighting - LFHS
• Expand and renovate library - LFHS
• Add a third serving line in the cafeteria - LFHS
• Remove walls surrounding interior courtyard and cover with roof - LFHS
• Renovate office areas - LFHS
• Install artificial turf in stadium - LFHS
• Install front entrance awning – WTC
• Air condition gym – WTC

Your thoughts are encouraged and appreciated. There are lots of ways to let us know what you think. You may comment through my blog. You may directly contact me or any members of the board of education. You can send us an e-mail or write a leter.

Consolidation - again.

On October 9 I posted a blog with my view on consolidating school districts in DE. This week, State Auditor Thomas Wagner released a report suggesting that consolidating the 16 regular districts into 3 would save more than $45 million in "administrative costs."

The report suggests that Lake Forest would become part of a Central District that would stretch 45 miles from Milford to Middletown, a district I would estimate at around 35,000 students. The folks who put the numbers together for this report used actual school districts elsewhere in the country for comparison. I understand that Norfolk City Schools and Pittsburgh City Schools were two that were viewed as comparable to the Central School District.

Most people think of positions like mine that will be eliminated in consolidation. Going from 6 superintendents down to one is obviously a big savings. But after that, the report has some funny numbers. So funny, that it begins to lack credibility.

What they call "administrative costs" includes more than the professional leadership team. It also includes clerks, secretaries, cafeteria supervisors and maintenance staff. He're a few examples:

There are presently 19 clerks employed from Milford to Appoquinimink. The auditor's report suggests we would need no clerks when we consolidate into one.

There are presently 72 secretaries employed from Milford to Appoquinimink. The auditor's office suggests we would need only two.

There are presently 48 financial secretaries (processing purchases and payroll). The auditor's office suggests we would need only two.

OK. So, my understanding of this report suggests we'll close the central offices of Milford, Lake Forest, CR, Capitol, Smyrna and Appoquinimink and open a new one somewhere to support and serve 35,000 students, 2500+ teachers and 1500+ support staff. That central office will have 2 secretaries and 2 financial secretaries.

I don't mind Mr. Wagner suggesting that we could reduce superintendents when combining school districts. It is common to think that there are too many at the upper end of the pay scale. But, I've got to draw the line and call him out when he starts picking on the secretaries. This report makes no sense. There is no way an operation that big functions with 4 secretaries total.

Makes it hard to take the report seriously.

I refer you to the October 9 writing in this blog for more thoughts on consolidation. No doubt, some regional cooperation will help reduce administrative costs, but the auditor's plan is just numbers. And most of the numbers just don't add up.