Back in 1965, my mom got really mad at my junior high principal. You see, we were supposed to bring in a self-addressed, stamped envelope at the end of the school year in which our report cards would be mailed home. Feeling a little “full of myself” with end of the school year silliness, I addressed my envelope with more detail than necessary. After city and state, I added United States of America, North America, Planet Earth, Universe.
Now my Principal, Mr. Brock, who was not overly endowed with a sense of humor decided that a letter addressed in such a way should not soil the U.S.Mail. So he held my report card. Mom contacted the school looking for my missing grades and was invited in to conference with the Principal. He apparently assumed she would readily agree that such a serious act was just one step away from being a juvenile delinquent. My mother concluded that he was either working too hard or he was just an idiot.
Sometimes folks get mad at me, just like my mother was at Mr. Brock. Sometimes they’re not really mad at me, but they’re mad at something that happened and they express that anger freely too me. Sometimes they get real fired up based solely upon the information provided by their child. Most often, when we add other information to the student’s story, we get a clearer picture of the entire incident and the anger diminishes.
We’re not a real big district so I’m available for trouble shooting. I’m pretty easy to talk to and I try to be respectful to all callers. But, unfortunately, I am most often not the one who can fix the problem or right the wrong because I wasn’t there. You would be surprised at the folks who begin their conversation with a threat that if I don’t take care of this, they are going to call the Governor, or Joe Biden, or the United States Superintendent of Schools.
I generally try to steer parents/guardians back to the source so that the problem might be resolved at the lowest level possible. If it happened on the bus, contact the bus driver and if he/she doesn’t respond, call Bill Morris, Supervisor of Transportation. If the problem happens in the classroom, contact the teacher and if the issue is unresolved, contact the school principal. If, after giving the principal a chance to solve the problem, you are still not satisfied, then contact me.
And if, after meeting with me, you’re still not happy, you can appeal to the Board of Education. We even have a special form for that.
Good old mom went to the person responsible for that decision back in 1965. She followed the chain of command.
We accept in our business that the occasional decision, made in the best interest of the child, may not be well received by the family. But we have learned that most of the time folks get upset, it’s because they don’t have the full picture. When they get a chance to talk with the employee, things get worked out just fine. And they don’t need me, or the Governor or Joe Biden or the U.S. Superintendent of Schools, whoever that is.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
The Flu
I have a cold. It’s not the flu, just a cold that started with a little sinus drainage, moved to sore throat and has now dropped into my chest in about 3 days. I’ll survive.
At least it’s not the flu. My wife had the flu about a month ago (the non-porcine kind) and it was a rough one. This lady generally works 8 days a week and she ended up being home for about 10 days straight. Maybe if I was a better nurse she would’ve recovered more quickly.
This flu thing, swine or other, has us all thinking more cautiously. We’re washing our hands more. Just the other day, after the usual break in our church service where everyone greets one another with a handshake or a hug, I found myself asking my wife if she had any hand sanitizer in her purse. Now I keep it in my car and at my desk.
Here’s a little quiz to test your knowledge of prevention basics. Share them with your family.
Q: If your hands are occupied and you have to sneeze, what’s the best way to catch it?
A: In the crook of your arm, inside your elbow.
Q: How long should you wash your hands?
A: As long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday.
Q: If you’ve been away from school or work with the flu, when is it safe to return?
A: When you’ve had no fever for 24 hours with no assistance from fever reducing meds.
Bottom line is, I tell parents to count on their child getting the flu and make plans for caring for them. We won’t keep children at school when they have a fever. We won’t send them home on the bus either. Child care centers won’t take them. So, be sure to have a family plan. I know it may be a burden on the family income, but failure to act responsibly risks spreading infections further.
We understand that the Department of Public Health is devising a plan to offer swine flu vaccinations to students at school this fall. No details are available at this time, but hopes are they’ll get the details out in October and begin the shots in early November. In the mean time, this website can keep you informed. http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/index.html.
If you want to talk to someone in the district about the flu, your child’s school nurse is the most knowledgeable resource we have.
Stay safe and wash your hands.
At least it’s not the flu. My wife had the flu about a month ago (the non-porcine kind) and it was a rough one. This lady generally works 8 days a week and she ended up being home for about 10 days straight. Maybe if I was a better nurse she would’ve recovered more quickly.
This flu thing, swine or other, has us all thinking more cautiously. We’re washing our hands more. Just the other day, after the usual break in our church service where everyone greets one another with a handshake or a hug, I found myself asking my wife if she had any hand sanitizer in her purse. Now I keep it in my car and at my desk.
Here’s a little quiz to test your knowledge of prevention basics. Share them with your family.
Q: If your hands are occupied and you have to sneeze, what’s the best way to catch it?
A: In the crook of your arm, inside your elbow.
Q: How long should you wash your hands?
A: As long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday.
Q: If you’ve been away from school or work with the flu, when is it safe to return?
A: When you’ve had no fever for 24 hours with no assistance from fever reducing meds.
Bottom line is, I tell parents to count on their child getting the flu and make plans for caring for them. We won’t keep children at school when they have a fever. We won’t send them home on the bus either. Child care centers won’t take them. So, be sure to have a family plan. I know it may be a burden on the family income, but failure to act responsibly risks spreading infections further.
We understand that the Department of Public Health is devising a plan to offer swine flu vaccinations to students at school this fall. No details are available at this time, but hopes are they’ll get the details out in October and begin the shots in early November. In the mean time, this website can keep you informed. http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/index.html.
If you want to talk to someone in the district about the flu, your child’s school nurse is the most knowledgeable resource we have.
Stay safe and wash your hands.
Friday, September 11, 2009
School Uniform and School Pictures Go Together
We have a uniform dress code, but we don't really have school uniforms. If we had school uniforms there would be one color shirt and one color pants/skirt for every student. Our policy requires a collared shirt and permits families to choose from several colors. Same thing for the bottoms.
This week I've had a few calls from parents questioning why students are being told they must wear the uniform for school pictures. "I spend my money to buy those pictures and they should wear what I want them to wear," they say. In past years some of our schools permitted parents to send their children dressed any way they like on picture day. Others required the uniform.
Because we were not being consistent, this year our principals agreed that they would all do the same thing to reduce confusion at home. They decided that for Fall pictures, all students would be required to be dressed in our daily uniform style. Why?
Our principals reasoned that the Fall photo always goes into the school yearbook. The school yearbook is our official visual record of the school year. Pictures of students in the yearbook should look like they look in school. I agree completely. It's as simple as that. School pictures do generate a little profit for the school, but if requiring the uniform means you don't want to buy any pictures, that's OK with us.
As Paul Harvey would say, "Now you know the rest of the story."
And in the Spring, when the school schedules Spring photos, we'll let the parents dress them up any way they like.
This week I've had a few calls from parents questioning why students are being told they must wear the uniform for school pictures. "I spend my money to buy those pictures and they should wear what I want them to wear," they say. In past years some of our schools permitted parents to send their children dressed any way they like on picture day. Others required the uniform.
Because we were not being consistent, this year our principals agreed that they would all do the same thing to reduce confusion at home. They decided that for Fall pictures, all students would be required to be dressed in our daily uniform style. Why?
Our principals reasoned that the Fall photo always goes into the school yearbook. The school yearbook is our official visual record of the school year. Pictures of students in the yearbook should look like they look in school. I agree completely. It's as simple as that. School pictures do generate a little profit for the school, but if requiring the uniform means you don't want to buy any pictures, that's OK with us.
As Paul Harvey would say, "Now you know the rest of the story."
And in the Spring, when the school schedules Spring photos, we'll let the parents dress them up any way they like.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Respect for the Office
Our Governor, Jack Markell, will be visiting some schools this year. He has asked for the opportunity to address students during school and talk to the faculty after school. He'll visit one of our most improved schools, W.T.Chipman this month. We will show him some Spartan hospitality and welcome him with all of the courtesy and respect that is due the office of Governor of the First State.
It will be a great opportunity for a first hand lesson in government and certainly opens the door for some interesting classroom assignments afterword. It doesn't matter if you are a republican or a democrat or if you voted for him or not, he's everyone's Governor right now and he has a very challenging job.
Would we offer the same respect if the President of the United States wanted to visit one of our schools? Sure we would.
As it so happens, President Obama is planning a visit to schools on Tuesday at noon via the Internet and CSPAN. Like George Bush did in 1991 he wants to launch the school year by addressing the nation's school children. And, like the opposing party in 1991, there are those who say the president is using this speech for political gain.
According to the press release, the speech will take no more than 20 minutes and "the president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning". It seems to me that those are goals that all of us can support. If, because the words come from the President, they stick with a few students like never before, that would be a good thing.
So, it has been a little surprising that we've had some parents contact us even before we knew of the speech and threaten to keep their children home. We have also had some parents ask if we are going to view it, can they come and view it with their children.
Here's how we'll handle what has become a somewhat controversial issue. At Central Elementary and W.T.Chipman, students who return a permission form will have the opportunity to view the speech live. At Lake Forest High School, they plan to download and save the speech to be used in individual Social Studies classes. One of the reasons they chose that option is that they're trying to reduce the number of school wide-interuptions to the day and they already have a pep-rally scheduled for next week. Sorry, Mr. President, football season is about to start.
We're not sure if students in our elementary K-3 schools will understand what the President has to say, so teachers in those schools will wait to review the message before determining if there is a usable lesson that is applicable to our social studies curriculum.
So that's the plan. We'll use discretion and we'll allow parents to choose whether their child should view the speech live. And we'll allow teachers to determine after it is delivered, if the material is appropriate for a social studies lesson.
Harry Truman said, "When you get to be President, there are all those things, the honors, the twenty-one gun salutes, all those things. You have to remember it isn't for you. It's for the Presidency."
I'd like to think that if the President called, President Obama or any future president, and wanted to speak at one of our schools, we would show him the same courtesy and respect we do for our Governor. It's not so much the person, but the Office that would deserve it.
It will be a great opportunity for a first hand lesson in government and certainly opens the door for some interesting classroom assignments afterword. It doesn't matter if you are a republican or a democrat or if you voted for him or not, he's everyone's Governor right now and he has a very challenging job.
Would we offer the same respect if the President of the United States wanted to visit one of our schools? Sure we would.
As it so happens, President Obama is planning a visit to schools on Tuesday at noon via the Internet and CSPAN. Like George Bush did in 1991 he wants to launch the school year by addressing the nation's school children. And, like the opposing party in 1991, there are those who say the president is using this speech for political gain.
According to the press release, the speech will take no more than 20 minutes and "the president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning". It seems to me that those are goals that all of us can support. If, because the words come from the President, they stick with a few students like never before, that would be a good thing.
So, it has been a little surprising that we've had some parents contact us even before we knew of the speech and threaten to keep their children home. We have also had some parents ask if we are going to view it, can they come and view it with their children.
Here's how we'll handle what has become a somewhat controversial issue. At Central Elementary and W.T.Chipman, students who return a permission form will have the opportunity to view the speech live. At Lake Forest High School, they plan to download and save the speech to be used in individual Social Studies classes. One of the reasons they chose that option is that they're trying to reduce the number of school wide-interuptions to the day and they already have a pep-rally scheduled for next week. Sorry, Mr. President, football season is about to start.
We're not sure if students in our elementary K-3 schools will understand what the President has to say, so teachers in those schools will wait to review the message before determining if there is a usable lesson that is applicable to our social studies curriculum.
So that's the plan. We'll use discretion and we'll allow parents to choose whether their child should view the speech live. And we'll allow teachers to determine after it is delivered, if the material is appropriate for a social studies lesson.
Harry Truman said, "When you get to be President, there are all those things, the honors, the twenty-one gun salutes, all those things. You have to remember it isn't for you. It's for the Presidency."
I'd like to think that if the President called, President Obama or any future president, and wanted to speak at one of our schools, we would show him the same courtesy and respect we do for our Governor. It's not so much the person, but the Office that would deserve it.
Friday, August 28, 2009
School Starts - this is soooo exciting!
It's here - the first day of school.
Your new school supplies are on the table. Your new school clothes have been laid out and tried on more than once. You're going for that certain look to impress on the first day of school. You toss in your sleep, wondering if you'll make new friends. Wondering if the kids will like you. Will your teachers like you? You'll worry that you might forget something or that you'll spill something on your shirt in the cafeteria and everyone will laugh. You fear you'll oversleep and be late.
This is how it begins for the school principal. I guess the teachers and students have similar butterflies.
It's an unusual year in Lake Forest. After several years of no changes we now have new leadership teams in 4 of our 6 schools. Retirement took some fine people from us. We'll miss their experience and expertise. But these new principals are something special. I think you're going to like them. More importantly, I think they're going to help lead Lake Forest Schools to a whole new level of student success.
Mr. Cave moved up from the middle school to Lake Forest High School. Mr. Brown, from Seaford, is now principal at W.T. Chipman. Mr. Martin came to us from Appoquinimink to be principal at Central Elementary. Dr. Amory is at Lake Forest South after successful years in Milford.
Mrs. Clark at East and Mrs. Wynder at North now represent the old experienced leaders. I'm teasing, they're both very young.
Today we had some "meet and greet" time at the primary schools and orientation day for 4th, 6th and 9th graders. I made it to all 6 schools and everyone seemed to be having a great day. On Monday, everyone will be here, then we're off to another successfull school year.
I'll probably not sleep a wink on Sunday night.
Your new school supplies are on the table. Your new school clothes have been laid out and tried on more than once. You're going for that certain look to impress on the first day of school. You toss in your sleep, wondering if you'll make new friends. Wondering if the kids will like you. Will your teachers like you? You'll worry that you might forget something or that you'll spill something on your shirt in the cafeteria and everyone will laugh. You fear you'll oversleep and be late.
This is how it begins for the school principal. I guess the teachers and students have similar butterflies.
It's an unusual year in Lake Forest. After several years of no changes we now have new leadership teams in 4 of our 6 schools. Retirement took some fine people from us. We'll miss their experience and expertise. But these new principals are something special. I think you're going to like them. More importantly, I think they're going to help lead Lake Forest Schools to a whole new level of student success.
Mr. Cave moved up from the middle school to Lake Forest High School. Mr. Brown, from Seaford, is now principal at W.T. Chipman. Mr. Martin came to us from Appoquinimink to be principal at Central Elementary. Dr. Amory is at Lake Forest South after successful years in Milford.
Mrs. Clark at East and Mrs. Wynder at North now represent the old experienced leaders. I'm teasing, they're both very young.
Today we had some "meet and greet" time at the primary schools and orientation day for 4th, 6th and 9th graders. I made it to all 6 schools and everyone seemed to be having a great day. On Monday, everyone will be here, then we're off to another successfull school year.
I'll probably not sleep a wink on Sunday night.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Blogging in Lake Forest
OK. We're going to try this business of blogging. Over the summer I've read some articles about school district superintendents using blogs as another means of communication. I've always been open to new ideas and I'm comfortable with technology, so I think we'll give it a try.
What you'll find here are occasional musings on educational issues. I may respond to a question from staff, students or community members. I may respond to comments left on the blog by a reader. I may write about a hot button issue in the community. Or, I may simply tell a story from my experiences.
For instance, as Director of Instruction, communications was one of my many responsibilities in rural Pocahontas County, West Virginia in the mid-80s. This was challenging. The County had a total of 9000 residents in 1000 square miles. There was one tiny weekly newspaper. TV news came over the mountain from Roanoke, Virginia. We had no local radio until a group of enterprising folks got together and wrote some grants to fund a "public radio".
They built the radio station on land next to our high school. There was one paid staff member and the rest of the work was done by volunteers. A friend of mine, the County Agriculture Extension Agent, did a couple of hours on Wednesday morning as a volunteer DJ. With his assistance, I did a weekly call-in live radio show on education issues. I'd start a topic, he'd ask a few questions, then we'd open up the phone lines which could be quite risky.
One day I mentioned that the athletic boosters were looking for donations to help with the development of a new baseball field. One lady called and requested the DJ play a special song. She is live - on the air. He advised her that he'd play her song if she'd pledge some money to the new ball field. She responded that the chickens had been laying really good of late and she had extra eggs to sell, so sure, she'd give the extra money to the baseball team.
Pioneering live call-in radio in the 80s has now been replaced with blogs.
On a blog, people can read what's been posted any hour of the day or night. On a blog, they can comment at any time as well. On a blog, they can say what they want and remain anonymous.
It is for that reason that I'm going to reserve the right to review comments before I allow them to be seen by all. I assure you that I won't be editing the critics. I'll just be watching for inappropriate language and personal attacks on employees. Those won't see the light of day.
Otherwise, we'll see what happens. Let's get the blog thing started!
What you'll find here are occasional musings on educational issues. I may respond to a question from staff, students or community members. I may respond to comments left on the blog by a reader. I may write about a hot button issue in the community. Or, I may simply tell a story from my experiences.
For instance, as Director of Instruction, communications was one of my many responsibilities in rural Pocahontas County, West Virginia in the mid-80s. This was challenging. The County had a total of 9000 residents in 1000 square miles. There was one tiny weekly newspaper. TV news came over the mountain from Roanoke, Virginia. We had no local radio until a group of enterprising folks got together and wrote some grants to fund a "public radio".
They built the radio station on land next to our high school. There was one paid staff member and the rest of the work was done by volunteers. A friend of mine, the County Agriculture Extension Agent, did a couple of hours on Wednesday morning as a volunteer DJ. With his assistance, I did a weekly call-in live radio show on education issues. I'd start a topic, he'd ask a few questions, then we'd open up the phone lines which could be quite risky.
One day I mentioned that the athletic boosters were looking for donations to help with the development of a new baseball field. One lady called and requested the DJ play a special song. She is live - on the air. He advised her that he'd play her song if she'd pledge some money to the new ball field. She responded that the chickens had been laying really good of late and she had extra eggs to sell, so sure, she'd give the extra money to the baseball team.
Pioneering live call-in radio in the 80s has now been replaced with blogs.
On a blog, people can read what's been posted any hour of the day or night. On a blog, they can comment at any time as well. On a blog, they can say what they want and remain anonymous.
It is for that reason that I'm going to reserve the right to review comments before I allow them to be seen by all. I assure you that I won't be editing the critics. I'll just be watching for inappropriate language and personal attacks on employees. Those won't see the light of day.
Otherwise, we'll see what happens. Let's get the blog thing started!
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