Entry #12: It's always painful
when good teachers decide to leave. . .
The planning for the 2000-01 school year at Jefferson has been in the works
for a couple of months now, as hard to believe as it may seem. I've been
on the "look-out" for potential teaching candidates to fill a
couple of anticipated openings, two of which will be on core teams. I'm
finding my pride getting in the way of accepting the fact that middle school
isn't for everyone, even when the school is getting stronger than ever and
receiving the national attention that it is.
If these two positions were due to retirements it would be easier for me
to accept. A principal likes to think that there isn't a better teaching
situation than in his/her own school. So much for that myth.
One of my teachers is just completing her second year at Jefferson on one
of our 7th grade teams. She is a seasoned professional, exceptionally strong
in science, who previously had taught 5th grade but wanted to come to Jefferson
to be part of our excellent staff and attempt a new challenge. She loves
the staff, the kids, and the support she receives, but simply feels emotionally
exhausted when she goes home each night after having attempted to meet the
needs of the approximate 80 or so kids on her team, who bring their own
challenges and emotional needs to school each day. She thinks back to her
elementary days and her class of 25 students and just feels like she has
somehow failed her kids who tug at her day in and day out. I hate like anything
to lose her, but at the same time I want her to be happy and in good health.
Another teacher is a former high school teacher (one of only a handful we
have on our certified staff of approximately 70), who is looking at returning
to the high school. His reasons? I'm not really sure to be honest. He has
shared some reasons with me, which don't really provide much insight. I
do know that his son will be leaving Jefferson where he is completing 8th
grade and going on to high school. Wanting to follow his son on to the next
level perhaps? Although I can't really be sure, one thing is for certain:
middle school is indeed a unique teaching experience, and it takes some
unique people to work at this level. So, I'm going to try and keep my pride
in check and aggressively continue my search for some excellent candidates.
After all, one of the keys to a successful school at any level is having
people who want to be there.
I'm also not completely happy with our Advisory
program. Some teams and teachers are doing wonderful things and forming
great relationships with their kids, but others have slipped back into a
study hall model. I recognize the fact that Advisory is probably the one
middle school program that is most challenging to implement, if it's done
well. The data from my dissertation study of middle schools across the nation
pretty much confirmed the same. So, we've formed a subcommittee of teachers,
administrators, and parents to look at the advisory program and see what
modifications can
be made. I don't care how good you think things may be going at your school,
you never seem to have to look very far to discover something that needs
to be worked on.
I also got the bad news this past week that some very major building renovations
that had been planned for this summer to provide additional classroom space
in our overcrowded building won't get off the board. Not a money issue --
just too many other district projects that have been deemed to be of greater
need. Try telling that to your "traveling" health teacher who
bounces six periods a day to six different rooms to serve approximately
35 students per period. Six or eight kids typically sit on folding chairs
because we can't fit that many desks into classrooms. Or tell it to your
strings teacher who is jammed into the former band office with 15 students
and their instruments with a thin wall separating strings from the band
students who are scheduled at exactly the same time (no other choice because
of their elementary assignments). You've heard of "Dueling Banjos?"
Try this situation on for size!
But, if you really do love your job as a principal, then issues like these
are just the norm, and you use these "challenges" to reflect on
that infamous interview question you had to answer when you applied for
the job: "How would you describe your people skills?" If you sold
yourself on your answer, then there isn't a better way to see how honest
you really were!
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