I’m sitting in my office, surrounded by an interesting and
slightly disconcerting combination of familiar and new. In the former
category are the old schoolhouse clock, the pictures of my wife and family, and
my favorite books. In the latter are this computer I’m using to
write, nice windows with a view of sky (which I did not have in my previous
office), and the Hamilton Southeastern High School sign on the wall by the
door.
In administration, there is a quiet time that I have
experienced once before. It is the time of being new and not knowing
quite what is expected or what I should do. This is a deceptive time, the
lull before the storm. Soon the pace will pick up, and we will start the
“new normal.” Until then, I am in a time of questioning, of wondering
what will come and how to fit in and make a contribution.
You may have some of the same feelings about a new assistant
principal. If you come into my office, you will see a slightly
disconcerting combination of familiar and new, and you may wonder about what is
to come and how you will interact with the new guy. This questioning is
certainly intensified by the changes coming this year in the teacher evaluation
process and the uncertainties associated with the unknown.
My intention with this email is to start the process of
learning to know each other and make a smooth transition to the new
normal. Therefore, I have listed below, in no particular order of
importance, information about me:
·
I was a classroom English teacher for 21
years. I taught middle school in Puerto Rico and Kansas and high school
in Indiana, and still think of myself as a teacher.
·
For the past 11 years, I was an assistant
principal at Goshen High School, working primarily with curriculum and
instruction.
·
My wife is an elementary principal as well—and
the best person and educator I know. My dad always told me to “marry
up.” I took his advice.
·
We married right out of college and have nine
children. Two will be HSE students this fall.
·
I come from a family of educators: one of my
grandparents, both parents, and both siblings are teachers/professors.
·
When I was a child, I went to a different
elementary school every year until I reached sixth grade. Until later in
life, I thought this was typical. My family settled in Kansas, and I’m still a
Jayhawk fan.
·
I am also a fan of Carol Dweck and will talk to
you about fixed and growth mindsets. Her work helps clarify my thinking
as an educator and as a father.
·
Professionally, Robert Marzano makes complete
sense to me, as does Thomas Guskey, Ken O’Conner, Doug Lemov, Harvey Daniels,
Marvin Marshall, and Jim Burke.
·
The best book I read for fun this summer was by
Elizabeth George. But she left me hanging, so now I need to wait for the
next book in the series.
·
As for TV, our oldest daughter got us hooked on
the PBS modern version of Sherlock Holmes. (There are so few shows in the
series, we are watching them judiciously.) On radio, my favorite is
StoryCorps on NPR. Full disclosure: I also have several buttons tuned to
country music stations.
·
I am learning American Sign Language and making
some progress, but I’m not there—yet.
·
Almost all my heroes are teachers. They
change the world one student at a time.
I hope this helps. Please stop by and introduce
yourself. Tell me what you think I should know about HSE and the town of
Fishers. Tell me how I can help you help students. Tell me not to write
long emails that take too much of your time. Tell me what you think I
should know about you.
It is good to be here, and I look forward to working with
you in the coming months and years to make HSE an even better place for our
students.
Phil Lederach, the new guy in B106
