Entry #2: If you live in Glasgow, Kentucky,
and you've got a bad case of pinkeye...
I contracted pinkeye. Yes, the principal has pinkeye, and I don't think
it's because I'm the Principal; I think it's because I'm the Mommy. My two-year-old
has had pinkeye three times since January, and this time, it got me too!
The timing of my encounter with it is quite humorous.
On Friday, our superintendent asked the Director of our 21st Century Learning
Center to speak at the local Rotary Club meeting about The Clubhouse and
its programs. This group has a reputation of supporting the independent
district in the area, so we at BCMS always welcome the chance for a little
public relations with them.
I awoke Friday morning with the beginnings of pinkeye. How dare that keep
me from going to Rotary! So, I took my trusty tissue with me, wiped the
gooey discharge from my eyes all morning, and checked my eyes to see if
they were pink at 11:30. They weren't, so I took off. When I got to the
Country Club where the meetings are held, there stood Mr. Campbell, our
superintendent. "I don't know if I should shake people's hands or not,"
I told him. "I think I have the pinkeye."
"Oh, go ahead," he said, "That stuff goes around in the fall.
They'll never know where they got it, if they even get it!" So, I did,
politicked with everyone from the Chief of Police to dentists and doctors.
If there is an outbreak of pinkeye among the Glasgow business community
next week, we'll all know where that came from! Shhhh!
Speaking of timing, the longer I am principal, the more I learn that timing
can make or break the morale of the school community. In my first year,
I never thought about this. I just tried to survive by getting everything
out as quickly as I could. Last Friday, I received our insurance quotes
for the upcoming year. They are bleak. Most premiums went up a minimum of
$80 for out-of pocket expenses, with no increase in coverage. Visions of
complaints around the lunch table quickly arose as I scanned the packet.
"Let's get this out after lunch, probably around 2:00," I told
my secretary. "Then they can get the information quickly but they won't
have time to complain about it before they go home." This is a statewide
problem, not just a Barren County problem.
Time has also proved of essence this week when we began calling the parents
of 48 middle school students who read below the fifth grade level, according
to two reading inventories we administered. We are starting an after-school
program next week on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 4:30 with the SRA Corrective
Reading Program for these students. I wanted an administrator to call the
parents to "sell" the need. I also agreed to call for our Vice
Principal because I have been out of the building three days this week.
So far, out of my 24 students, I have five coming, have left eight messages,
and haven't reached the rest. No one has said no, and one mother even offered
to come get the materials and begin teaching her son at home until he finishes
with football. I said, "Go for it!" SRA is a scripted program,
so she should have no problem using it, and the young man will be able to
participate in both. That's a win-win, and I really enjoy those situations!
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