After reading Jill Siler’s My View, “Thriving Through the Troubling 5 Percent” (November 2019), I shared it with our district’s administrative leadership team during a meeting.

Our school district had a run of really bad luck last year. We definitely WERE NOT ACCUSTOMED TO THE NEGATIVE PRESS. We had a lawsuit filed against us, and we dealt with two unfortunate teacher disciplinary issues. When I addressed the staff during these difficult times, I used the four words that Siler mentioned in her column: “This too shall pass.”

There is a great deal of truth to this statement. I also mentioned a comment that President George W. Bush used in the eulogy he read about his father: “Setbacks can strengthen.”

MARK MITCHELL
SUPERINTENDENT,
REED-CUSTER COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DISTRICT 255,
BRAIDWOOD, ILL.


That Troubling 5 Percent
As a retired superintendent in Washington state who stays active in mentoring, writing and consulting, I enjoyed Jill Siler’s My View column. It caught my attention as valuable counsel to current superintendents.
 
While I missed the growing challenges of leading in a social media environment, several of the “tough times” she mentioned tend to follow the superintendent position wherever one serves. I found her article provided practical approaches to addressing challenging leadership conditions and offered wise career counsel, too.

BRIAN BENZEL
AASA RETIRED MEMBER,
REDMOND, WASH.


Jill Siler’s article on the 5 percent is a great reminder about the 95 percent that makes our jobs amazing. Those unavoidable events can consume us if we forget about the rest or isolate ourselves from the support of others.

It was a great article to read around Thanksgiving time. I am certainly grateful for superintendents like Siler who share and inspire. 

NANCY WAGNER
SUPERINTENDENT,
RIVER TRAILS SCHOOL DISTRICT 26,
MOUNT PROSPECT, ILL.

Maria Ott’s Narrative
I tremendously valued reading “Coaching and Mentoring Superintendents of Color” (September 2019) by Maria Ott.

As an educator, I also have benefited from outstanding mentors who have guided me throughout my career, and Ott has been my role model. I can relate to her experience as the first Latina superintendent appointed in a district. The news story headline about my appointment read, “Glendale Unified selects city resident as first female, Armenian American superintendent.” As a result, I often am asked if I was selected because I was female or Armenian.

Things are better in 2019, but I still need to prove to the public that I am an advocate for all children and was selected because I was the best person for the position.

As we become coaches and mentors, we have an obligation to clear the path for future generations and to build a community of courageous leaders. 

VIVIAN K. EKCHIAN
SUPERINTENDENT,
GLENDALE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT,
GLENDALE, CALIF.


Maria Ott’s article resonated with me for several reasons. Although I am not a superintendent or even an educator, I am the chief operating officer of a tech company with approximately 2,500 employees. I love that Ott doesn’t let anything define her, but rather she listens to her instincts. Her practice of leadership put things in a perspective of importance and not demographics.

The value of coaching and mentoring is omnipresent in my professional world, and her article shares recommendations that are equally important to leadership in commercial settings. The point here is that I have had many encounters with leaders, but Ott sticks out. It’s not even about the article she wrote but rather about her drive to change things that don’t seem right to her. Her article is a great reflection of her leadership style.

TIMO SANDRITTER
PRESIDENT,
RIPPLEWORX,
ATLANTA, GA.


Correction
An article in December 2019, “The Angst in Affluent Communities,” incorrectly reported the membership total for the National Superintendents Roundtable. The group has 97 members who are current superintendents and several dozen others who are retired.