Back to 2nd Grade

The year was 1974. The Philadelphia Flyers won the Stanley Cup. Four top White House aides resigned and President Nixon was named by a federal grand jury as a co conspirator in the growing Watergate Scandal. Patricia Hearst was abducted, held hostage and later assisted the Symbionese Liberation Army in a bank robbery and "The Joker" by the Steve Miller Band was the #1 hit of the year. 1974 also happened to be the year I started 2nd grade.

What do I remember about 2nd grade after close to 40 years? Well, I remember my teacher. Her name was Mrs. Cavanaugh, and after having a nun in 1st grade I appreciated the variety of her wardrobe. In many ways I revered Mrs. Cavanaugh. She was funny when the opportunity presented itself. She was tough when she had to be. She was kind, nurturing and genuinely seemed to care about me beyond the classroom, often asking me questions about my family, my sports teams, etc. Mrs. Cavanaugh was one of my all-time, favorite teachers.

Today I had the opportunity to volunteer in another 2nd grade classroom as a Junior Achievement volunteer. This 2nd grade class is right here in Saline and is taught by Mrs. Schwartzenberger.  Much like I remember my 2nd grade class, the room was filled with smiling, attentive, enthusiastic students who seemed eager to learn. When I asked questions, close to 20 hands shot up!

There are many opportunities to volunteer in our schools and literally hundreds of parents and community members who do so each and every year. Junior Achievement is but one option. If you would like to volunteer, please speak to your son or daughter's teacher or principal - I guarantee you will appreciate the joy of teaching and learning!

Mrs. Cavanaugh, Mrs. Schwartzenberger and all the 2nd grade teachers out there - thank you for all that you do! It is our collective responsibility to ensure that our students remain as enthusiastic and engaged in school when they enter 12th grade as they are in 2nd grade. As for my 2nd grade classmates - John Steg, Billy Poselli and Donna Fry  - I hope you are all doing well!

Finalists Selected in Search for Saline HS Principal

After interviewing eight candidates, Saline Area Schools has selected three finalists in their search for a new high school principal.  A committee of parents, teachers, administrators and a student selected Julie Helber, (Milan Area Schools) Alice Lashbrook, (Hartland Consolidated Schools) and Tyrone Weeks, (Plymouth Canton Community Schools) as the finalists after close to 10 hours of interviews yesterday.

The district will be conducting simultaneous candidate forums beginning at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, May 2nd at Saline High School. The forums will each be 40 minutes in length and will allow the public, (students and parents) high school teachers and administrators an opportunity to meet and observe each candidate in an interview setting. The candidates will be asked a series of predetermined questions. In addition, attendees will have an opportunity to submit questions on note cards and those questions will be presented to the candidates as time permits. 


The public, (students and parents) forum will be held in the HS media center. 

Lessons of a Mouse

There was a scientific experiment where a mouse was placed in a maze with food at the end of a passage. Through trial and error, the mouse finally arrived at the food. When he had run the same course several times, the mouse no longer hesitated or turned down wrong corridors but rather went directly down the correct path that led to the food. After a few more runs like this the food was removed from the end of the previous corridor and placed at the end of another passage. At first the mouse went to the old place. Finding nothing there, he retraced his path and investigated other passages until he found the newly placed food. Thereafter, he had no trouble acclimating himself to the new route that brought the reward.

The point of this story is that it shows the basic difference between mice and mankind. Eventually, the mouse will learn to seek other paths when the one he has always followed is no longer productive, while mankind will tend to keep going down the unproductive path forever.

In the world of public education, the food has been moved. How long will we continue travel old paths before we begin to investigate new passages?

e-Portfio - The New Frontier

As schools expand the use of technology for instructional purposes, a group of Saline Area Schools teacher-leaders are working with our instructional technology staff to build professional e-portfolios. The e-portfolios will contain a home page, the teachers resume and educational philosophy, their curriculum, instructional reflections and, moving forward, instructional evidence, (student growth data).

The e-portfolios promise to become a powerful method for our staff to collect, share and most importantly reflect upon their work in a digital format. Many thanks to this outstanding group for leading the way! 

 

When I arrived, there were more than 300 people in the building and, according to one individual, 75% of those present were under the age of 30. Almost everyone was dressed in jeans and t-shirts. There was a space where breakfast and lunch were served free of charge on a daily basis, (calling it a cafeteria would be an injustice). Additionally, there is a snack bar with light snacks and beverages available 24/7. There was a game room complete with a ping-pong table, video games and an outdoor patio with a grill. Any guesses where I was?

Did anyone guess I was in the Ann Arbor office of one of the world's most recognizable companies? I was at Google and the individuals I mentioned are employees who refer to themselves as "Googlers." The environment I described isn't a communal dorm or apartment complex, rather it is their workspace.

Since it's inception in March of 1996I, Google's mission has been, "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." While those words may not be quoted verbatim in any school district mission statement, the concepts contained within are not too far off.

As I reflect upon my visit, I find myself asking if Google employees representative of the typical 'Gen Y' employee? Is the work environment I observed there the type of environment they thrive in? If so, does the current structure of our schools prepare our graduates to succeed? Will the current structure of our schools attract the best, brightest and most creative minds 'Gen Y' has to offer?

Our Magic Number is One!

Ten years ago when my son came home from his first day in kindergarten I asked him how things had gone. "Terrible," he announced. Naturally I wanted to get to the bottom of this so I asked him why things had gone poorly. He looked at me and said, "there are 3 boys and like a thousand girls."

That was 10 years ago and now, as a HS freshmen, I'm sure my son would relish those odds. Naturally, he had exaggerated, but at that stage of his life he was simply overwhelmed by the numbers.

When our HS principal posting expired, I was delighted to see that we had over 60 applicants. Our posting attracted candidates from all over the United States - from North Carolina to California and from Florida to Minnesota. I was somewhat overwhelmed by the fact that there are people all over the country who want to lead Saline High School. However, the number of applicants is irrelevant. You see, the purpose of our principal search is not to find applicants, but to find that one unique individual who possesses an appreciation and understanding of the culture, history, and traditions of Saline High School with the experience and ability to create an atmosphere of continuous  improvement.

Our magic number is one!

We Are All In This Together!

My daughter's high school teacher said, "What can you expect? The middle school just does not prepare the students to be successful in high school."

Her middle school teacher said, "Don't worry! Middle school is a very different experience from elementary school - an adjustment is to be expected."

Her elementary school teacher said, "We need to take a serious look at kindergarten and preschool."

Her kindergarten and preschool teachers said, "This child was not ready for school. What are her parents like?"

And my wife said, "Don't blame me, have you ever met his father?"

I share this story in jest as none of my daughter's teachers, (or my wife) ever said any of those things. As a matter of fact, she is doing quite well in school. However, the scenario outlined above does take place frequently in school districts around the country. It's always someone else's fault...

Successful organizations are filled with individuals who are accountable to one another and responsible for the outcomes, good or bad. Successful organizations have people who strive to find solutions to the organization's most difficult problems. When it comes to the education of children, we are all in this together!