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Home My WebLink AboutEfforts to Improve Education-1994/1996 N. rte ' $ W w. E n ❑ n n I ��x8 6av3oo o."5 :1;',1: 3 t ;C r. .J F+ gg m m w w .T _ �' � i (� -°gad m sg p Co aiU4n R .� 7Cs K0 5 " �. ZDgEk-. Q c mq oI mss " O xQ II § 3 CD t5f c= • » a �`2 m7� Sv• 3 �_ ^�' m EEO ?,pao w• � �i ^I Fpp Q.y ?� °' c+ _ w 7 ' g5ybw I, 74. • S73nc`G 4'i @m n9 S \CD °c m2 mid S#gum f▪ _1t1 m - �+ ° .8lir n 5 ,.° 0 ow- � $ 5 8 < amm8w So a 3� - moBSw ^pa ;' �b qq (Q n Q sa�� ay5�c�m C VI ti a>• F'pr ' W. m r m o a PM A 3 �mw an [n o8a y8 � 5� . H oE�m a ill ';'n a SIR am m �a 5 ^ 4 5 //N 5 o °ig �gs'51. ElLif 0 - x^ca SS��P M Pm» 0 Cn a:55.852'm m ' cn 3g m ° " : Q.F p pto 8ga 0.4 C O r m5 0 a n m: =G o n v m. ww CD• •d m g too m m3 N wm XlaR oqr Ti To improve schools, put learning 1st , For the past six years I have been a guidance _ counselor at Winter Springs Elementary School. Before that I worked as a high school ' teacher for nine years and a high school guid- 'fir . -- • . 1 •epee counselor for five years.For two years,I served : ^--r„ „� e on the School Advisory Council and edited the .' p monthly newsletter for this council. I �-�'.�_- �^. 'I attended a School Board meeting at which six elementary schools presented their school improve- ment plans. I helped with Winter Springs Elemen- PY ' s . ta1y's presentation,and since we were the last to pre- - - _ - s¢nt,I had the opportunity to listen to all the presen- M� WO.1 [$[ions. =he presentations were excellent. Since then, I ERNEST STARTUP h$qe thought about what improvements are being trial and which ones make sense to me. If I had the paver to be a change agent, I would take a look at tlill.e six areas of concern: weekly distractions that occur during the school day. Red Bug Elementary appears to be doing a great job 4!The teacher-student ratio is too high. Kindergar- at studying this area. I believe we provide too many tee classes should have no more than 15 children in extras(assemblies,school pictures,parties,fund-rais- a gassroom,and fifth-grade classes need to max out ers,etc.)that interfere with learning. atflo more than 25. 5. Students diagnosed with reading problems need I. All pod schools should be modified as soon as small group instruction in the primary grades. This possible to enhance will improve their self- learning. I was amazed esteem and save many when I began working in At the board meeting, I was im- dollars in remediation Seminole six years ago at pressed with all the innovative ideas later. dhow we handicap our 6. Parents need to sign si ,children by having them that schools are implementing to contracts with the school in a pod. The shod dis- trict a foster self-esteem. More needs to be stating they will be has conducted a H Y Pol. study on these schools, done, but what we need most of all oars with the rchol. and the changes need to When parents are noti- be made as soon as pas- is a commitment from everyone that fled that their child is Bible. misbehaving, they 3. Support education is a top.priority. should be willing to dis- pport staff, such cipline their children as guidance counselors, (after getting all the need to be on an extended contract when working in facts)instead of defending them. a multitrack school.Winter Springs Elementary,with more than 1,200 students,has two counselors,but we At the board meeting, I was impressed with all the are only there together half the time. It is very diffi- innovative ideas that schools are implementing to cult to piayide services when there is so much com- foster self-esteem. More needs to en be done, but what ing and going. I enjoy my vacations but I could do a rue °� most of all top is a commitment from everyone more effective job if permitted to work year-round. that education is a top priority. Large class sizes,pod schools, inadequate staff coverage,too manyap- 4. We need to carefully monitor the daily and [ions, ill-prepared students and lack of parental l su sup- port are at the top on my list of what needs to be ad- dressed in many of our schools. I am encouraged that our school board is addressing these and other concerns. Ernest Startup is a guidance counselor at Winter Springs Elementary School. gSo a i 9 In public schools' top positions, the day seems to have too few hours ❑School administrators # s is d .� i- named were: are pulled by conflicting �� ---:%� • Encouraging a teacher to demands from students, resign. j 4 � • Dealing with unsatisfactory parents, bosses— and performance of professional families waiting at home. staff. By Mike Be �- � d Taking part in a forced staff •y Berry reduction. • Keeping up with paperwork. ormaSENTINEL STAFF • Balancing personal time Today's assignment with evening and weekend Teacher stress and burnout are responsibilities. familiar subjects. SEMINOLE'S SCHOOLS Less discussed is the strain When elementary-school built into the job of school' administrators are taken out, administrator—a job that can coping with school violence involve rude hours,monstrous ii moves into the top five. paperwork and conflicting An increasing source of stress demands from faculty,students, is community problems spilling parents,boosters,the public and, Sometimes I g et up into the school,Duvall said. finally,the bosses at school Pat Principals deal not just with district headquarters. 5, and I'm pulling into curriculum,instruction and While the job of principal or my driveway at 11, and discipline,but also with assistant principal has its divorces,custody battles and rewards,administrators say,it I never even went restraining orders,she said. can exert harsh demands in the home. I'm tired. But it At the same time they must thick of the school year. tend to the most mundane of To begin with, most principals comes with the tern- details,like air-conditioning are up before sunrise and rarely tory. failure. home by sunset. _ The pay is good,if not wealth- Seminole High principal Seminole High Schenker, producing.are Salary ranges in Gretchen Schapker said she 9 principal Seminole aze$87,300 to$81,700 attends an average of three to for high school,$55,800 to four nighttime school-related are fun,she said,parents must $73,200 for middle school and events a week.There are weeks realize that principals and $52,500 to$70,000 for elementary with no free nights at all. assistant principals have school. "Sometimes I get up at 5,and families and occasionally want Despite the aggravations, the night off. Duvall makes it clear that she I'm pulling into my driveway at likes her job,and Seminole is a 11,and I never even went home," For her doctoral dissertation, good place to work.When she Schapker said. "I'm tired.But it Winter Springs Elementary needs a morale boost,she leaves comes with the territory." principal Fran Duvall surveyed her office and mingles with the It's important to maintain a more istr 100 r Sbout stress ss and children to get a dose of"the administrators about stress and presence,Schapker said,though how they deal with it. She is warm fuzzies,"as she puts it. a principal can't possibly accept passing the results along to the "I get reaffirmation of why I do every invitation. superintendent. this,"she said. "Sometimes the public doesn't About 38 percent of those Schapker said older kids may always understand that just surveyed described their overall not be as demonstrative of because you're not at Johnny's stress level as high.About 47 affection,but it's there. soccer game,maybe you're at a percent called it moderate. "They have their own way of PISA meeting,"she said. letting you know you're not so Although many night events The top five causes of stress old and decrepit," she said. 9 (- aroy