daniel, Page 5 Author

When I began teaching at Syracuse Central Tech (my alma mater), I was right out of grad school and just twenty-five years old. My kids were in grades 10-12. My seniors were tech boys being trained in a variety of world of work skills like Air Conditioning/Heating, Auto Mechanics, Computer Tech, Cosmetology, Nursing, etc. They were 18+ years old. Beginning in the first year, one of my boys returned each June for six years to ask if I would marry him. Each June, I told him that I would not marry him and he quietly left. If offered a million dollars, I could not call his name but I will say that the year he didn’t come to me in June, I missed him … and missed him for the next seven years that I taught. It was as loving and touching experience as sharing two simple sentences can be. I always prayed that he had found a young girl who was as sweet and caring as he.

As a principal, I did not allow grades below 60 nor grades between 61-64. When a teacher gives 0-59, s/he has determined that a student does not deserve an opportunity to turn around. By 6-8 weeks into such a semester that kiddo could make 90s for the rest of the term and still fail the class. To those who say s/he deserves to fail, understand that you lack the heart of a teacher and should make a career elsewhere. Those people who give grades between 61-64 are much more interested in punitive “teaching” than anything else. They like to tweak the student more than teach the student. They should sell shoes.

I was the VP of a large high school. It was a stressful job as the principal was extremely difficult and the other VP was constantly undermining me as a stepping stone out and to divert attention from himself. Here are some tales of that period.

1) As soon as I arrived in the job, the pressure was on. The principal came into my office and threw a Handbook on how to do the job on my desk. He told me to memorize it. The cover sheet had my predesessor’s name on it. I said that it should be easy as I had written it. It seems that the weasel who was now a principal in another school had taken the entire document, removed my name, and put his name on it. This was just the beginning of a very toxic relationship between me and my boss who was never wrong.

2) There was a disagreement between two male students of a day. Apparently, one of them made a call out of the building. Three very large, angry Black men (not boys) showed up at the school. The Principal said to me, “They’re your people. You handle it.” And then he left the building. I spoke to the men and, in time, they left the building. Only then did the Boss return.

 
3) The principal came to my office one day, out of the blue, to tell me how much I looked like and thought like the wife from whom he was, apparently, not happily divorced. I wonder if that might have had cause for his constant animosity. Duh!
 
4) After three very long years, I returned to the classroom only to be pulled out to begin to work under the aegis of the Superintendent. That hiatus in administration occured because the Super was very angry with me. He told me he had placed me in that job in order to supply him with info on the principal. At that, my anger surfaced. I vividly remember saying to him. “Why didn’t you let ME in on that so I was not stupidly concerned with loyalty to the person to whom I reported?” There was no answer but it was as if I was given a “time out” for my lack of clairvoyance.

5) Years later, my old nemesis was also in a Central Office position. He made a stab at purloining one of my employees (I had over 80 in four divisions … he had clerical help.) I went off on him at very long last making it quite clear that he would not be having this gentleman on his staff. As I left the meeting, his secretary was applauding silently. It often takes time but I do so believe in Karma!