Suzette Lovely’s interview of book author Liz Wiseman in “The Default to Assumptions and Answers” (February 2021) as part of your magazine’s Thought Leadership Series was just the right message at just the right time.
As I have led my district through the closures of this past year and the INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT REOPENING PROCESS this year, there is no question that my principals, teachers and executive cabinet have been stretched to their limits. Wiseman’s clear distinction between pressure and stress was right on point. What causes stress is when we hold to things that are outside our control. For my team, learning to accept what we cannot control has been the only thing keeping us mentally and emotionally afloat.
Lovely’s interviewing of Wiseman was well handled. Being an experienced superintendent herself, she asked ALL THE RIGHT QUESTIONS, often just as they were coming to my mind as I read the article. I greatly appreciated the encouragement to think beyond the pandemic and to begin imagining the future of education as we emerge from this period.
Thank you for helping me catch a breath and reflect on what we have learned and where we are going next.
ANDY JOHNSEN
SUPERINTENDENT,
LAKESIDE UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT,
LAKESIDE, CALIF.
I was thrilled when Liz Wiseman referenced, in her interview (February 2021), the power of identifying assumptions.
In a previous school district where I worked, whenever the central office needed to communicate a decision, we used a template, and one of the categories on the top was “Working Assumptions.” Think of how many times as school-based educators we read about a forthcoming change imposed by the central office and we uttered, “Didn’t they think about XYZ?”
That small but powerful segment of our template not only curbed many questions, it built trust of the top leadership among those in the schools.
THOMAS VAN SOELEN
PRESIDENT,
VAN SOELEN & ASSOCIATES,
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA.
Valuable Learning About Equity
I’ve been in public education for 27 years and have been a superintendent for eight, and while I have had some professional development related to racial equity, I want you to know that your magazine’s March 2021 issue was a professional learning experience for me in and of itself — from cover to cover.
While nearly every professional publication I’ve received recently has focused on anti-racism and racial equity, your edition spoke to me. The timeliness was impeccable, and the content was particularly spot on.
As a 50-year-old white male in a predominately white school district, I’m finding it a challenge to know how a superintendent can respectfully, effectively and honestly begin to have courageous conversations about equity and race within the classroom, board room and the community.
Lora De La Cruz’s My View column, “Promoting Equity Amid Polarization,” provided sage advice when one is in the fray: Keep close to core values; check in often with your team; and involve your board collaboratively. While this all may seem obvious or simple, her words will help me focus as I begin my work.
While all the articles in the March issue are impactful, the one that spoke to me the most was written by Lee Teitel (“Confronting Racism Together”). The network of white superintendents that he created to help support their own professional learning is something greatly needed because many of us know we need to do something to address racism and inequities but are not sure what to do. As one superintendent described it, superintendents often have a martyr complex, especially when we are passionate about something as important as this. The reality is, this dilemma will require attention by all stakeholders, but some of those stakeholders do not want to address it.
Honestly, I have been unsettled and somewhat paralyzed at the task at hand because this is something I have not been prepared to do. This is where Teitel’s advice helped me. He states, “Develop your own understanding of race and what it means to be white; connect with other whites within your community and be vulnerable and share experiences; and keep the pressure on without pushing too hard or fast.”
I’ve established a thought group in my school district, and our approach has been to conduct a “slow burn” rather than a blaze.
Teitel concludes with such wisdom and realness: “Recognize that racism is a white problem and one that needs to be addressed by whites.”
I’ve spoken to a Black colleague, and we agreed that it isn’t a Black person’s job to make white people feel better about being white. As Teitel advises, we must be humble about what we know and don’t know, and learn together in a trusted setting.
I have much to learn, and I’m ready to engage in that introspection.
JIM LLOYD
SUPERINTENDENT,
OLMSTED FALLS CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT,
OLMSTED TOWNSHIP, OHIO
Board Procedures
Karen Rue’s Board-Savvy Superintendent column, “Revisiting the Board’s Operating Protocol” (March 2021), resonated with me as the school board in my district is focused on continuous improvement.
I contacted Rue to request examples of board operating protocols, and she replied quickly with the requested information.
AASA continues to be an excellent resource for both the Norwalk Community School District and me on our continuous improvement journey.
D.T. MAGEE
SUPERINTENDENT,
NORWALK COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT,
NORWALK, IOWA
An Asset on Early Learning
I wanted to express my appreciation to
School Administrator magazine for the January 2021 issue on
“Early Learning Done Remotely.” This publication shed some much-needed light on the use of neuroscience to enrich online classroom instruction for our youngest and most vulnerable learners.
Since March 2020, making remote learning a positive, brain-compatible experience for students has been a struggle for many educators across the country, especially those working in prekindergarten through 1st grade. Fittingly, in
“Brain-Compatible Instruction for Young Learners in a Remote World,” Linda Jordan shared her knowledge of how the human brain learns along with a four-phase process (identifying patterns, making meaning, etc.) for practitioners to consider while using curricular resources for on-screen and in-home use, developing lesson plans, implementing instructional strategies and administering student assessments.
Sharing Jordan’s article with staff has proven to be not only informative but also beneficial. Like the school districts in central California and northern New York that were referenced in your coverage, our school district now is discovering numerous bright spots amid remote learning.
SHAWN K. WIGHTMAN
SUPERINTENDENT,
MARYSVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS DISTRICT,
MARYSVILLE, MICH.
Executive Coaching
Peg Portscheller’s column
“Your Case for an Executive Coach” (February 2021) was timely and beneficial for all readers.
Today’s environment in the educational leadership field does not provide new (or experienced) superintendents the opportunity to learn or execute the required responsibilities of the position in any normal way. Hence, there’s an important need to share their individual concerns and ideas with someone who has had experience as a superintendent.
Our board of education hired an inexperienced superintendent just prior to the entire educational system being turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic. Fortunately, with my background as a former superintendent, the new superintendent was able to discuss his concerns and ideas with me, acting as a coach, before presenting them to the entire board.
We have been fortunate to develop a positive working relationship, which would have been difficult to achieve had he not had the opportunity to discuss his many challenges with a person who understood his position before sharing his recommendations with the full board.
As Portscheller says: “The board’s success, as well as the organization’s effectiveness, is directly tied to the success of its chief executive officer.”
TERRE DAVIS
PRESIDENT,
CUSTER COUNTY C-1 SCHOOL BOARD,
WESTCLIFFE, COLO.
Letters should be addressed to: Editor,
School Administrator, 1615 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314. Email:
magazine@aasa.org