Try and say Principal Preparation Program fast 3 times (I will wait while you complete this task…).

This blog is not just a tongue twister.  It goes way deeper than that.  It’s also a well-thought out review of a new Illinois Law called the School Leader Reform Act.

Actually, that’s a lie.

The blog is actually a thrown together half-baked commentary on what is wrong with the programs that supposedly prepare school administrators to lead their teachers and students.

The School Leader Reform Act is an attempt by the untrustworthy crooked politicians of Illinois to fix the way principals are selected and trained.

I’m okay with that.

The article from which I stole this blog says the two most important factors that influence student success are quality teaching and quality school leadership.

Fair enough.

I say let’s get rid of tenure and work on improving principals.

What?

The crooked politicians won’t address tenure?

Okay, color me not surprised (after all, the next election is always just around the corner… and the next one… and so on… and on…).

Then let’s fix the principals (like they are all broken).

The new law wants to prepare principals to be instructional leaders.  Great idea.

It also wants colleges to make their school administration programs to be more challenging.  As opposed to revenue sources for their education departments.  Again, great idea.

Another aspect of the law is to allow an alternative pathway to principal endorsement through nonprofit entities.  Okay, this might just work.   As always, there is more than one way to skin a cat (although why you would want to I’ll never know).

Let’s start cranking out new and improved principals.

With that being said, I do have a couple of concerns with the law.

One is they want each principal candidate to participate in a month long residency program.  My complaint… a month isn’t long enough.

But neither is a year or five years.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, completely prepares you to be a school principal.

The closest thing might be Marine boot camp, but that’s about it.

Admittedly, a month is better than nothing… but not by much.

The other thing that bothers me is the law requires that no more than one-third of coursework in a preparation program can be taught by part-time adjunct faculty.

I think this is idiotic.

I know the politicians want full-time faculty members to be teaching the courses, but I think it should be just the opposite.

Most (if not all) courses should be taught by practicing principals and superintendents.

Or at the very least retirees who have worked in administration within the last 5 years.

I can make the argument that I can learn more from a well-versed administrator in an hour than I can from a professor in a classroom in a semester (no offense professors).

But at least the politicians seem to be heading in the right direction.

Which is nice.

And unusual for Illinois.

I wonder when they will pass a law call Political Leader Reform Act?

Now that’s legislation I could really support.

Comments: 5
Tags: Marines, school administrators, School Leader Reform Act, school principal, school superintendent, tenure

We live in a society of zero personal responsibility.

Everyone blames every one else for their troubles.

This has become the fabric of our society.

You even see this attitude in schools.

Elementary schools blame parents for not having their children ready for an education.

They can’t read.  They can’t write.  They eat crayons by the dozens.  They attack each other with pencils.

They should all be heavily medicated.

Middle schools blame the Elementary schools for not getting those same kids prepared for 5th – 8th grade.

They aren’t good at math.  Or science.  Or writing. 

They can’t sit still.  They can’t read.  They have no social skills.  Their hygiene is horrendous (this part may well be true).

They don’t care about anything (except sports and dating).

High schools blame everyone.

They have to fix everything the elementary, middle school, and parents messed up.

Colleges are just disgusted.

They get students who aren’t prepared for the rigors of higher education, so they have to re-teach the skills students should have learned during their K-12 years.

It never stops.

School districts blame state governments for not sending them enough money (by enough I mean… more, and more, and more).

States blame the Federal Government.

Congress blames the President.

The President blames Congress.

Democrats blame Republicans.

George W. Bush gets blamed for everything.

It goes on and on.

The only thing that doesn’t change is the fact that no one ever stands up and says…

“My fault.  Blame me.  I could have done better.”

To err is human. To blame someone else is politics – Hubert H. Humphrey.

Comments: 4
Tags: blame, elementary school, high school, Hubert H. Humprhey, middle school, President Bush

Schools in America are in trouble.

And I’m not talking about academically.  At least not in this blog.

I’m talking about financially.

We could argue about what has caused this gigantic monetary mess, but I don’t have that kind of time.

Ahh, who am I kidding.  I’ve got nothing but time (as these endless blogs prove over and over…).

In my mind, two groups are to blame for this mess.

Politicians and Voters.

Politicians are number one on my list because they are simpletons.  They are incapable of making a single rationale decision on behalf of the people they represent.  As a group, they are more “me” than “we” (I just went Obama on you… or if you’re old school, I just went Jesse Jackson).

Number two on my list?  Voters. 

Why?  Because we continue to send the same geniuses back to our local, state, and federal governments. (and by geniuses, I don’t mean geniuses).

We don’t need term limits, we need a clue (although term limits wouldn’t hurt).

There is something else that will help keep both groups in line.  We need a 3rd political party.

And it should be named The Education Party (I kind of gave that away in the title didn’t I?).

It will be “The Party for Our Future” (I really should copyright that..).

Every political party needs a mascot and ours will be an Apple.  This means we will get free advertising from 84% of elementary teachers who already own a sweater with the party symbol on it (I briefly considered going with a Snowman because 99% of elementary teachers own sweaters with those on them).

The party will stand for the following:  children.  Yes that’s right, children.  Period.

We will believe in: not lying, playing fair, no bullying of other countries, not spending money we don’t have, and all of the other values good parents and educators try to instill in our kids.

As our party name implies, we will be pro-education.

But not pro-education in making things easier for administrators and teachers.

Pro-education in making things better for students. 

Longer school days?  Maybe.  School on Saturday?  Possibly.  Year-round school calendar?  I hope not, but we have to be open to anything.  Keep tenure?  Only if it’s good for kids.  Higher pay for school employees?  Yes, but it will come with higher expectations.  Open enrollment to make districts compete like businesses?  Count me in.  Placing students at grade level based on ability, not age?  Definitely.

Most importantly, we will run on a platform of teaching our students the basics.  But the basics for this century, not the last one.

Reading (and lots of it), Math, Science, English, History (and just not our version), Foreign Languages (in elementary school), Technology (current, not Microsoft Works), Health and Nutrition (like PE, but not just whiffle ball), and last but not least… Personal Discipline and Responsibility (after all, we don’t want our kids to grow up and be like our present politicians).

The Education Party will be the party of change.

Not the party of yesterday, but the party of tomorrow (more Obama/Jackson).

We will endorse candidates who demand schools look toward the future, while still understanding we need to base our beliefs in our more conservative past (like the Andy Griffith show, but with laptops and the ability to speak Chinese).

This financial crisis could be the best thing to happen to education in the last 100 years.

But it may not be enough to just change education, we may need to change the people who make the decisions on education.

As an added bonus:  all of The Education Party Conventions will be held in San Diego.  I like it there.  It’s warm.

Comments: 22
Tags: Andy Griffith, Chinese, Jesse Jackson, president Obama, San Diego, teacher's sweaters, The Education Party

Embracing change is a gift.

As educators, we don’t seem to have this gift.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is if you are an elementary teacher you are now a proud owner of at least 17 new coffee cups with apples on them (Merry Christmas everybody!!!).

And a variety of lotions.  But that is a whole different blog.

I think the world of education is about to change in a very big way.  It is also very likely that I have no idea what I’m talking about.

But I have a blog that constantly needs content, so here’s my theory.

Change is happening right under our noses and most educators don’t even see it coming. 

The bad economy, advances in technology, and higher expectations for administrators and teachers leads me to believe that we are all headed in a new direction.

Some of this is related to finances and some is just the general public believing that schools can and have to do better jobs.

And who better to lead us in this quest of excellence?  The federal government.

Sigh.

I just got a migraine.

Or punched in the throat.

Which is bad.  But it’s better than the Swine Flu that was going to get me earlier in the semester (will we ever hear about the dreaded pig flu again???).

What I do know is it’s a bad time to have a career with tenure, especially when the rest of the country is struggling to keep their jobs.

As educators, I don’t think we have a good grasp on how the rest of society perceives us.

Our only hope is people will continue to hate bankers and won’t turn on educators (so keep up the bad work, Wall Street!!)

The old rules about education and educators are about to be tossed out the window (but again, what do I know other than this blog needs content like Buddy needs dog food… and a back rub).

State governments are in fiscal trouble and they are going to be forced to make difficult decisions.  Many of these will involve K-12 Education.

I’ve also noticed the Obama Administration has a pattern of doing things in a very big way.

Health care is the latest example (am I the only one who gets the feeling our premiums are about to skyrocket and no doctor will ever schedule another appointment to see us…).

It can only be a matter of time before the good people in the White House tackle schools.  And testing.  And teachers.  And administrators.  And tenure.  And evaluations.

Only time will tell if this new path is a productive one.

Change is often discussed at school, but almost never embraced.

My assumption is this time will be no different.

Except this time I don’t think we will be able to ride the changes out.

I think they may be big.  And I think they may be uncomfortable.  And I think they will be permanent.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this is all bad.

I am just saying we probably should have paid more attention when President Obama ran under the slogan of “Change.”

Because I don’t think educators necessarily thought he was talking about us.

Comments: 7
Tags: Buddy the Dog, change in education, federal government, K-12 education, President Barack Obama, swine flu

Let the record show, the sun came up on the morning of September 9, 2009.

Once I heard the President was going to speak directly to kids, I wasn’t sure this would happen.

After listening to educators obsess about this speech for over two weeks, I was convinced this was the end of the world as we know it.

I hadn’t been this frightened about the future of humanity since 2001. That was the year the NFL had the brainstorm to pair Aerosmith and Britney Spears as their Super Bowl halftime show.

The horror.

Britney Spears on the same stage as a band with talent.

I survived that… barely. Although I must admit, my ears did bleed ever so slightly.

It took me 8 long years to get over that, and then this happens. I’m not sure how much more I can take.

The idea was borderline insane.

Barack Obama talking to our kids.

Who does he think he is?

The President of the United States?

Oh, he is? Never mind.

So begrudgingly, schools (some) allowed the President to address their students.

Just the thought of him encouraging kids to work hard, take responsibility for their education, and listen to their parents and teachers was almost more than I could handle.

He even told them to wash their hands.

In my estimation the speech was almost perfect.

Encouraging but not political. He spoke to younger students as well as to high school seniors.

He was positive while being demanding.

It was far better than I could have imagined.

Except for one thing.

Mr. President, you can’t say “stupid” when talking to kindergarten students.

While I didn’t graduate from Harvard Law School, I do know that is a curse word to almost every 5 year old. So Mr. President, if you dare take on the ever so controversial act of addressing school children in the future, please clean up your language.

Comments: 4
Tags: Aerosmith, Britney Spears, My Education My Future, Obama's Speech to Students, Wakefield High School

The President wants to talk to the students of America. Evidently, his intention is to encourage students to take their school year more seriously and take greater personal responsibility for their education.

Not so fast.

We are going to need to see an ID.

Somebody needs to stop by the office, sign in, and get a visitor’s badge before he will be allowed to speak to kids.

Mr. President, you just can’t just show up and demand an audience with our students.

Who do you think you are?

This idea of the President of the United States addressing school children has sparked a great deal of discussion.

Educators have been debating this speech for the last couple of weeks. It has been a topic of discussion on Twitter, Plurk, listserv’s and blogs.

In my mind, schools have reacted rather predictably.

The speech is a new idea.

So it must be a bad idea.

Far too many adults seem to be forming their opinions based upon their political beliefs.

Personally, I think this idea needs to pass the “Say It Out Loud Test”.

This method is tried and true.

If you want to see if something is a good idea or a bad idea… simply say it out loud.

So here I go. “President Obama wants to speak directly to school children so he can encourage them to work hard and take school seriously.”

Sounds good to me.

Plus, I am willing to give him the benefit of that doubt because he is… The President of the United States of America.

All too often teachers and administrators complain about schools not getting well-deserved respect.

Now the President wants to help by encouraging students to do better… they must do better.

I say we give him a chance.

Just this once, let’s not be overly paranoid about a stranger speaking to our students.

Let’s give a new idea a chance before we sit around and come up with a long list of reasons why it won’t work.

This is a great opportunity to not only teach students the importance of listening, but also the importance of respecting the highest office in the land.

Comments: 9
Tags: Obama speech, President Barack Obama, President of the United States, visitor's pass

We visited Washington D.C. for the first time this summer. It was exciting to visit all the places I had seen on television.

The White House, National Cathedral, WW II Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, National Archives, the Watergate Complex… the list goes on and on (by the way… 4 days isn’t long enough to visit Washington… you need about 87 to see everything).

I have decided to leave Ford’s Theater out of the discussion because I’m still trying to get the whole Hard Rock Café fiasco out of my head.

These places are so common to me because I have seen them a thousand times on the news, in history books, and even in movies.

Before I stepped foot in Washington, I had a picture in my mind of what things would look like.

Everything would be perfect.

With all the visitors that come to Washington, the monuments and memorials in our nation’s capital would be in the best possible shape.

I figured the government must pour millions of dollars into their upkeep.

I was wrong.

Everything wasn’t perfect. And it retrospect it couldn’t be.

The pictures I had seen over the years were taken to put everything in the best light (so to speak).

The buildings came the closest to being what I imagined. The National Cemetery in Arlington and the National Cathedral were even more impressive than I could have imagined.

Then there was the National Mall.

I was looking forward to seeing where they hold the Independence Day fireworks and all of the other great yearly events.

When we made our way to the mall, I couldn’t have been more disappointed.

To put it kindly, it’s a dump.

Trash, dirty bathrooms, stagnant water in the reflecting pool, and dead grass. If there is grass at all.

More like dead mud.

There was also a certain smell I couldn’t put my finger on. Not that I wanted to put my finger on it.

The Mall just wasn’t what I expected.

I guess I should’ve had lower expectations.

Especially since our legislators are in charge, and I figure they are hesitant to give money to the District of Columbia when they can ship it back to their home districts for very important projects (note to reader… this is sarcasm).

The mall hosts millions of visitors a year. You can’t have that many people walking around and expect it to look like a golf course.

I get that.

On the other hand I don’t think the National Mall should look like the grounds at the county fair.

Since it’s our nation’s front lawn, I think we should take care of it.

The least we can do is pay a high school kid $20 to mow it (or smooth out the mud).

Comments: 4
Tags: Arlington, District of Columbia, Ford's Theater, Hard Rock Cafe, Independence Day, Lincoln Memorial, National Cathedral, National Cemetary, National Mall, NECC, Washington D.C., Washington Monument, Watergate Complex, WW II Memorial

I don’t mean to be Captain Obvious, but I have noticed during the course of my career that K-12 education could use some tweaking.

You may not have picked up on the issues because they are so subtle.

Or maybe you have just been busy with NCLB and testing (the first 3 sentences can be chalked up to sarcasm and anger issues… we will now return to our regularly scheduled blog…).

The truth is education isn’t perfect and probably never will be.

There are way too many variables to make every school great for all students.

Even though this is an uphill battle, I want to do my part.

What better way to improve education than to tell the President of the United States how he should do his job.

Let’s not kid ourselves, the man needs my help.

And please don’t thank me, it’s the least I can do.

President Obama is busy. I noticed he has a lot going on with this whole economy thing.

Saving the banks, the car companies, helping people sell their houses, trying to keep everyone employed, and making sure Vice-President Biden doesn’t say something we will all regret is a lot of work for one man.

I don’t think he has the time to focus on education.

So I am here to help (I will assume the moans and laughter I hear coming from the Blog readers are sounds of respect and relief…. and surely not mockery and disgust…).

Fixing education is a big challenge. It’s an expensive proposition and since the government can’t just print more money (excuse me for a moment… while I try not to laugh…), I think the President needs some cheap alternatives.

I have an idea that will not only improve students and schools, but the entire country.

Not just in the short term, but for decades.

It will touch the lives of every citizen in this great land.

And the best part? It’s free.

Yes, you heard me… free.

The President can use my idea to cement his legacy as The Great Education President (this sounds a lot better that “The Man Who Has to Keep an Eye on the Biden Guy 24/7”).

My advice is pure gold (if I am hyping this too much… please let me know… micsmith@principalspage.com).

I would charge President Obama, but I know he is on a limited income. He is also facing the prospect of putting two daughters through college (I feel badly for him… his wife isn’t even working… and he has that new dog to feed).

My idea: The President needs to hold a press conference on national TV and address one subject.

He should speak directly to the school children of America and say that starting today; he expects every school in the country to…

…recycle.

All milk cartons, cans, newspapers, magazines, and every piece of paper.

No exceptions.

All students and all schools.

He should add that these students need to model this behavior at home and get their parents and relatives to recycle.

I am positive that kids will listen to the President when he speaks directly to them.

Just think, literally overnight the President of the United States can improve schools, student’s behavior towards the environment, and influence parents and families… all for free.

It will be like reverse peer pressure. Young people changing older people’s behaviors.

After one speech the world will be a better place.

I am sure there are readers who are going to say “This would just be another unfunded mandate. How are schools going to pay for this?”

Pay for what?

Schools could use the trash cans they have now. Or boxes. Or whatever containers they can get their hands on.

State and local government should be expected to give school districts a discount or even free recycling dumpsters for all the materials they are about to produce.

What’s the downside?

There isn’t one as far as I can tell.

Nobody likes the government telling us what do, but in this case everybody wins.

The environment, communities, children, and the President.

The students of today will take this lesson and behavior into the rest of their lives and the world will be better for it.

Students will listen to the President. Especially a young, cool President.

I took the government’s advice when I was a kid.

They said in the event of a nuclear war… hide under your desk with your hands covering your head.

I did. And I am alive today to blog about it.

Thank you government. Without your sage advice, I might not be here today. I might have died while sitting in my desk with my head uncovered.

And thank you in advance President Obama for saving our planet.

Comments: 6
Tags: president Obama, recycling

This country is facing difficult times. Don’t be alarmed; we will be saved. By whom you ask?

The government.

Excuse me if I don’t sleep well tonight. Or ever again.

All over the World Wide Web you can read about the “good” work our elected officials are doing to save this country.

They are attempting to pass legislation that will make our lives better.

Call me crazy, but when politicians start coming up with “ideas”, I get really nervous (originally I used “great ideas” in this sentence, but even I couldn’t take myself seriously on this one).

When it comes to education, politicians continually have brainstorms on how it can be improved. This is fine with me because as an educator I believe we need to be pushed and challenged. This is the only way for us to maximize the United State’s most important assets.

Students.

My only concern lies in the fact that politicians always want to make education slightly better, but seem unwilling to attack the large problems because that might upset the voters.

After all, the next election is always right around the corner (I am in no way insinuating that politicians are only concerned about getting reelected… how do I type this stuff up with a straight face?).

While I’m leery of bureaucrats saving us, I have always thought school administrators and politicians have many things in common.

When you think about it our jobs are very similar.

Of course as educators we don’t get great health care, big pension checks, or wear flag pins like politicians (Political Rule #1: If you wear a flag pin people will naturally assume you are patriotic and thereby more electable).

There are many areas in which we are alike.

Both groups are expected to look professional. We wear suits (thank you Mrs. Hilary Clinton for making this statement asexual). Male politicians and school administrators both seem to own ties with various mystery stains on them (no matter what the job, never trust a man who can’t feed himself without a bib).

Administrators and politicians both live and work in the public eye. One slip up and your entire career can come crashing to a close.

Examples of this are when a politician misspeaks about the facts on TV (this is bad) or a superintendent mispronounces a name at graduation (really bad… really, really bad… in fact there might be a future blog on how really, really, really bad that is).

Politicians work long hours. Principals work long and productive hours.

Both groups are quite familiar with the standard All-American meal; fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, a roll, and iced tea.

Politicians eat this type of meal at fundraisers while begging people for money. Administrators eat this same meal at sports banquets while watching young people get recognized for their outstanding achievements.

Politicians and school administrators are both elected to their offices. Politicians are voted in by the people and administrators by the local school board.

Each gets a term in office. At the conclusion of their terms they are judged strictly on their performance (and on things way out of their control like wars, recessions, and how the basketball team did this year).

Politicians must run for reelection, while administrators hope for a contract extension.

I could go on and on with their similarities.

Both groups face the challenge of being responsible for large groups of people from various economic and social backgrounds.

Both work within a budget (my side is hurting on this one… like politicians have to follow a budget…).

Both enjoy parades (one throws out candy at the homecoming parade, while the other organizes it).

Both have spouses who are scrutinized under the public eye (say what you want… that Todd Palin is one cool guy).

So much in common, yet at their core there is a subtle difference between the two professions.

Administrators make tough decisions on a daily basis for the betterment of their students.

Politicians make decisions (or not) so they can be reelected and make more decisions (or not) so they can be reelected.

I will let you decide about my chances of getting audited. Happy Flag Day!

Comments: 2
Tags: politicians, recession, school administrators

Today was one of those days that our great grandchildren will read about in history books (like books will exist when my great grandchildren are running around… or laying on the couch if they take after their grandma).

In my 40 years there are only a few days that get their own chapter in textbooks (or hard drives… or whatever technology exists by then).

There is 9/11, the Challenger crash, OJ’s trial (first…), and… well, that’s all I’ve got.

What separates today (which if you have been living under a rock was President Obama’s inauguration) is that it is the only positive event that I can list.

In 40 years, I can come up with a grand total of one.

That is a little sad when you think about it.

What I can come up with is President Obama reminds me of a great teacher.

You say how can the leader of the free world remind me of a teacher? How can the most popular politician of the last 25 years remind me of a teacher? How can the first African American President remind me of a teacher?

Great teachers are focused, committed, energetic, and passionate. Great teachers get people to follow them. Great teachers make others believe anything is possible.

A great teacher can energize an entire group.

They can walk in the classroom a transform the attitude of everyone they meet.

One person is able to change the dynamic of an entire group. One person, such as a great teacher, can make a difference

A great teacher can provide a different perspective on the same old problems. They can take difficult situations and find solutions.

They don’t see obstacles, but opportunities.

They make others feel better about themselves, especially when things are there most difficult.

A great teacher provides hope.

Just like President Obama.

Today was one of those days that our great grandchildren will read about in history books (like books will exist when my great grandchildren are running around… or laying on the couch if they take after their grandma).

In my 40 years there are only a few days that get their own chapter in textbooks (or hard drives… or whatever technology exists by then).

There is 9/11, the Challenger crash, OJ’s trial (first…), and… well, that’s all I’ve got.

What separates today (which if you have been living under a rock was President Obama’s inauguration) is that it is the only positive event that I can list.

In 40 years, I can come up with a grand total of one.

That is a little sad when you think about it.

What I can come up with is President Obama reminds me of a great teacher.

You say how can the leader of the free world remind me of a teacher? How can the most popular politician of the last 25 years remind me of a teacher? How can the first African American President remind me of a teacher?

Great teachers are focused, committed, energetic, and passionate. Great teachers get people to follow them. Great teachers make others believe anything is possible.

A great teacher can energize an entire group.

They can walk in the classroom a transform the attitude of everyone they meet.

One person is able to change the dynamic of an entire group. One person, such as a great teacher, can make a difference

A great teacher can provide a different perspective on the same old problems. They can take difficult situations and find solutions.

They don’t see obstacles, but opportunities.

They make others feel better about themselves, especially when things are there most difficult.

A great teacher provides hope.

Just like President Obama.

Today was one of those days that our great grandchildren will read about in history books (like books will exist when my great grandchildren are running around… or laying on the couch if they take after their grandma).

In my 40 years there are only a few days that get their own chapter in textbooks (or hard drives… or whatever technology exists by then).

There is 9/11, the Challenger crash, OJ’s trial (first…), and… well, that’s all I’ve got.

What separates today (which if you have been living under a rock was President Obama’s inauguration) is that it is the only positive event that I can list.

In 40 years, I can come up with a grand total of one.

That is a little sad when you think about it.

What I can come up with is President Obama reminds me of a great teacher.

You say how can the leader of the free world remind me of a teacher? How can the most popular politician of the last 25 years remind me of a teacher? How can the first African American President remind me of a teacher?

Great teachers are focused, committed, energetic, and passionate. Great teachers get people to follow them. Great teachers make others believe anything is possible.

A great teacher can energize an entire group.

They can walk in the classroom a transform the attitude of everyone they meet.

One person is able to change the dynamic of an entire group. One person, such as a great teacher, can make a difference

A great teacher can provide a different perspective on the same old problems. They can take difficult situations and find solutions.

They don’t see obstacles, but opportunities.

They make others feel better about themselves, especially when things are there most difficult.

A great teacher provides hope.

Just like President Obama.

Comments: 12
Tags: president Obama, Teachers