Brief Report of Interviews of

D.C (Assistant Principal), S.G. (Principal), and P.A. (Alternatitve School Educator/Coordinator)

by Terri S. Dudley, M.S. Ed. 

             Some of the Questions Asked to D.C. and His Responses

What do you think the hardest part of your job is? "The most difficult thing about my job is being as consistent as possible. Because it is a small town, sometimes people may not always appreciate following the rules that are stated in the student handbook. I want the rules to apply to everyone in the same way." (ISLLC Standards IV, V, and VI)

What are some of the responsibilities you have in your job?"My job requires many things. First of all, I am responsible for discipline at the school. I also must be present at breaks and lunch for both middle and high school. I have to attend and be present at many middle and high school sporting and extracurricular events such as school dances, football, basketball, softball, and baseball games."  (ISLLC Standards II, III, IV, VI)

What is the most important thing that you do? "Documentation is clearly an important part of my job. Parents today tend to question everything. If a student is discplined, and a parent is upset about it, you must know what you said and did. Especially if you suspend a student or decide to take them to tribunal, you must have your documentation." (ISLLC Standards I, II, III, IV, V, and VI)

I noticed that you put a positive spin on what you said to parents. Why do you feel that this is so important?  "Parents are one of the key components to student learning and discipline. While I know that parents don't want to hear only bad things about their children, I feel that they must understand that we all want what is best for their child. They must know that they are not in this alone. We all are working together in order help the student become a productive individual." (ISLLC Standards IV and VI).

 Some of the Questions Asked to S. G. and Her Responses

As I shadowed you, I noticed that you observed what was going on in several rooms. While I realize that some were formal observations, some were short and you wrote information in a notebook. Can you explain to me what that notebook is for? "Sure. I like to routinely go into classrooms and know what learning is taking place in the classrooms. That way if parents or a board member calls to discuss a particular classroom, I can refer to it and know what is going on. It also provides me with an understanding of what the teacher's strengths and weaknesses are."

I know that your focus is on curriculum and instruction, how have the standards changed teaching in the classroom? "Standards make teaching different and what we look for in our formal evaluations are different as well. While most teacher observations in the past were teacher focused, many classrooms are becoming student focused and teachers are becoming facilitators rather than lecturing to students. Teachers allow students to explore concepts and to make mistakes that allow them to understand why things work the way they do."

What is the biggest challenge about your job? "As I see it, the biggest challenge with being the principal at this school is managing my time. Things have become better since a full time assistant principal has been hired. I now have someone to share responsibilites such as sporting events. Because we are Pre-K through 12, there were times when there was a C-Team game scheduled at the same time as a Varsity sport. It was impossible to be in two places at once. The assistant principal has really helped in this capacity."

What are the advantages to being a principal in a small town and also in a school where you were a teacher? "I taught in this community for many years before I became the principal. I know many of the current parents because they are former students. This gives me and advantage because they know who I am and what my beliefs are. They know that I want what is best for our children and school. For example, the student who had the dress code violation. I taught her mother. I know that she works several jobs to help take care of the family. I could relate to the girl saying that there were no clean clothes because I knew how many jobs her mother holds down to take care of them. In most schools, I wouldn't dream of taking a student home. But in our small system, I knew it was better to take her home rather than leave her at school to be disrespectful to the teacher that wrote her up. I would love for teachers to do a little more questioning where students are concerned. They might have found out that the student did not have any other clean clothes. Also, this child was not written up until well into her 2nd block class. She was upset that this was not addressed earlier into the school day. However, I will support my teachers."

Some of the Questions Asked to P.A. and His Responses

How is teaching in an Alternative School different from being in a regular classroom?  "First, it is much smaller. We usually average about 3-5 students. Today, I have three students here and four on the class roll. Most of these students are not bad students. They just have difficulty focusing on their work. Many of the "perform" for an audience. At the alternative school, we remove the audience so they can be successful academically."

What are some of the challenges to working in Alternative Education? "Most of the students here are behind academically. With our computerized curriculum we are able to help student accelerate their learning. Some students come to us behind academically. This gives them the opportunity to catch up with their classmates and hopefully graduate on time.

I noticed you making one of the students clean up their area, can you explain the purpose of this? "Sure. Students need a great deal of structure. The first step to this is keeping a clean and neat area. We must first teach them responsibilty. Once they learn to take pride in their space, they often take pride in other things such as their classwork. We have seen a great deal of success in this program."

Who takes care of disciplinary issues at the alternative school? "I handle the majority of issues, which are few and far between, here. However, if something pertinent happens, I address the problem with Mrs. G, the prinicpal. If necessary, it will go before a disciplinary tribunal."

From this experience, I take several things with me. First, and foremost, I look forward to the challenge that awaits in becoming an administrator. You must know you community, including the faculty and parents of the school. Being an administrator requires patience, trust, and a great deal of documentation. I have the upmost respect for the current administrators of my school. I also found myself being pulled in the direction of curriculum, instruction, and assessment along with teacher observation. With the principal, I was able to go with her on some teacher observation. Although it was not part of the formal interview, the principal and I had a very insightful discussion of what was witnessed. The assistant principal often explained a good deal of what did. The alternative school teacher explained the adminstrative portions of his work.