Letters.Rookie Superintendents The series of articles by the new superintendents (October 2002) are outstanding. They did a fine job. This is a technique that readers might hope you repeat for other central-office positions on occasion. The stories they told are real-life case studies. I think most readers can easily identify with these folks and even learn a bit from their experiences and how they may have solved a minor or major problem. I would hope that other administrators, when asked, will take the time and effort to record incidents and happenings that can put the human dimension to their professional lives. The problem with so many articles in education journals is not enough realism and examples--and these were full of practical matters. AL HOLLIDAY Retired Editor, Journal of School Public Relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most , Camp Hill, Pa. John Kinley's depiction of his first year as a superintendent ("The Principal Advantage," October 2002) was both informative and enjoyable. For me, the second lap around this track feels a little better. Some days I still feel like I am in over my head but those feelings don't last as long as they used to. With all the budget reductions we were facing last year, it was helpful to be familiar with my district from previous experience. I am hopeful that the decisions we made last year will position us well for what appears to be another lean year. Our first indicator was at least a little encouraging--our enrollment held fairly steady. Last year we lost 45 students. KIM P. HUCKSTADT Superintendent, Maquoketa Community School District, Maquoketa, Iowa Maquoketa, nicknamed the "Timber City", is a city in Jackson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,112 at the 2000 census. The population as of the 2005 estimate had fallen to 6,025. It is the county seat of Jackson CountyGR6. Running Schools Like a Business I loved Paul Houston's Executive Perspective column ("Running Schools Like Business," October 2002). Just the other day I had one of those guys sitting next to me at a Rotary meeting who has a reputation for being someone who is always right. I told him to remember that schools and businesses were philosophically different in their missions and that if businesses had all the answers, then maybe we should follow the model of Enron, Arthur Andersen For the U.S. Supreme Court case commonly known as Arthur Andersen, see . Arthur Andersen LLP, based in Chicago, was once one of the "Big Five" accounting firms (the other four are PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and KPMG), performing or WorldCom. The others at the table smiled and my lunch partner was quieted for awhile a·while adv. For a short time. Usage Note: Awhile, an adverb, is never preceded by a preposition such as for, but the two-word form a while may be preceded by a preposition. . R. MICHAEL ANDERSON Michael Anderson is the name of:
Superintendent, Lake Villa Lake Villa is the name of a village and a township in Lake County, Illinois:
n. A public school serving pupils from several adjacent, often rural districts. District 41, Lake Villa, Ill. Educators today must respect accountability on the one hand, but at what point does business realize that children are not the same as widgets or gadgets that can be easily measured but that do not carry with them any special needs, emotional stress or developmental differences? When a small group of superintendents formed the First in the World Consortium, our goal was to demonstrate that the public generalities about student proficiency were inaccurate. We were able to use data to show incredibly high performance in mathematics and science. Are there bad schools? Sure. Are there great schools? Absolutely! The vast majority of us who serve in the trenches today do so willingly and with a profound belief in society and our future generations. Criticism is a part of the job. But I wonder how many folks in other professions can encounter adult after adult who wouldn't be where they are today if it were not for us? It's worth everything to know that you made a difference, even if no one sees it often until it is too late. LINDA G. MARKS Superintendent, Golf School District 67, Morton Grove Morton Grove, village (1990 pop. 22,408), Cook co., N of Chicago, NE Ill.; inc. 1895. It has research laboratories and plants that manufacture goods such as pumps, electrical equipment, and cosmetics. , Ill. Just so you know how far Paul Houston's words are traveling, I was alerted to his "Running Schools Like Business" commentary by a German researcher on an international listserv about moral development. I am going to send the hyperlink of his commentary to our local newpaper in hopes they would be willing to run it as a guest editorial. NANCY WILLARD Nancy Willard (born June 26, 1936, in Ann Arbor, Michigan) is a children's author and poet. In 1982, she received the Newbery Medal for A Visit to William Blake's Inn. She lives in Poughkeepsie, New York and lectures at Vassar College.[1]. Research Associate, Center for Advanced Technology in Education, University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. , Eugene, Ore. Trout Almandine al·man·dine also al·man·dite n. A deep violet-red garnet, FeAl2Si3O12, found in metamorphic rocks and used as a gemstone. I liked Daniel Curry's guest column ("A Fish Out of Water," September 2002) about the ups and downs ups and downs pl.n. Alternating periods of good and bad fortune or spirits. ups and downs Noun, pl alternating periods of good and bad luck or high and low spirits of electronic learning. His comment about being mainly interested in catching and eating fish" left me laughing out loud. But seriously, I appreciated being able to read some genuine reactions to online learning. I stare into a computer screen all day at my job, and it is very lonely and isolating. Then I go home at night and stare into the screen of my home computer to check my e-mail. Then I go stare at the TV. When I was a kid, I spent most of my time throwing some kind of ball around with at least one other person and swore I'd never sit around and watch TV. Now my life revolves around interacting with cathode ray tubes See CRT. (hardware) cathode ray tube - (CRT) An electrical device for displaying images by exciting phosphor dots with a scanned electron beam. CRTs are found in computer VDUs and monitors, televisions and oscilloscopes. . And I'm not the only one. JIM Jim Miss Watson’s runaway slave; Huck’s traveling companion. [Am. Lit.: Huckleberry Finn] See : Escape GARDNER Arlington, Va. More Spirituality What a wonderful surprise to receive the September issue of The School Administrator featuring spirituality in leadership. Less than a year ago I chose this topic for my doctoral research. There is little in the literature so this issue will help me immensely. As a superintendent for 17 years, I think it couldn't be more directly in touch with what I see as a critical component to successful administration. JOHN KAMMERUD Superintendent, Mauston School District, Mauston, Wis. |
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