Dr. Victoria Pettis

Summer Cohort 2006

EOCS 7450

 

Practicum in Leadership 

Shadowing Field Notes, Part 1

 

Wilber Rilkins, CMS Assistant Principal

 

Date: November 9, 2006          Time:1:10 To  3:53                     Duration: 2 Hrs. 43 Min.

 

Notes

(Descriptive, non-evaluative)

 

Male black student sitting outside of his office.

 

Student T is sitting in his office with her jacket pulled up to her neck. I speak to her. Cordially, she smiles and speaks.

 

Can overhear principal on radio.

 

W. is at desk with back to student. He is responding to emails.

 

1:12 – Ask T: Having fun yet? It’s going to get worse. I am going to time you out for the rest of the day.

 

Calls teacher on the phone and tells her T. will be timed out and she should send work to ISS.

 

W. turns back to computer and resumes work.

 

1: ** -- Looks at his calendar to see what he is supposed to be doing. Makes comment about getting out of the office so he won’t have to answer another email.

 

1:25 On our way out of the office, he runs into Mr. A, and asks if he has time to talk to him. They go back to his office to meet.

 

1:28 There is a big uproar outside of the main office. It is the transition academy boys who are being admonished about walking noisily in the hallway. The teacher is telling them they must now go the long way by going outside. They boys are quite unhappy and are complaining.

 

1:31 – R walked out of office and behind the transition academy. Said to me that teachers have to be able to handle their own behavior problems. If he steps in to handle it, he’ll have to keep it up.

 

1:35 The teachers start leading the boys away down E-wing to end of hall and out the breezeway. We are trailing behind them. One of the students is still complaining. He is taken out of the line.

 

As we enter the 8th grade hallway, a student asks R where her class is. He gives her some possible answers.

 

1:37 – R stops by a classroom to talk privately with a parapro.

 

1:40 –  R walks all the way through the cafeteria. It looks like he making a “sweep.” He returns to his office. He gets something from his desk and walks it to the school registrar G.

 

R stops by principal’s (K) office and closes the door. R talks to K about complaints he has received from the counselor (from black girls) about allegations that A is overtly racist. R says black girls can’t go to the bathroom even though he clearly allows white girls to go.

 

K says he has talked to teacher A about his plans for next year. He may go half-time. Nothing is definite yet.

 

R said he just spoke to A about student K. A is not very tactful and skillful (dealing with students). He doesn’t handle things in generally very tactful and skillfully.

 

R said he had spoken to A’s about a parent complaint about him being racist.

 

K commented that A is not the most tactful or skillful speaker. Talked about band trip that A wants to take students on in the spring. He has told A that he will NOT approve this trip unless it happens after school is out due to the number of school days and the length of the trip. The superintendent has made it clear that he won’t approve the trip either.

 

1:48 Radio to R: Did you get message from T?

 

R walked to front office area, talked to Ms. B, and then returns to office.

 

1:49 – Student I comes into office with discipline referral.

 

1:50 – Begins talking to I about ISS.

 

1:51 On radio: Principal K & (?) talk about a student being out of area.

 

On radio (continued): K gives orders to custodian to provide student with “community service” work.

 

I (female student) is standing and looking at things on R’s desk.

 

1:52 – A black male student enters with a discipline referral in his hand. He stands in the doorway.

 

1:54 On radio: K says he is going to suspend student for refusing community service

 

1:55 Black male comes and sits in the chair outside of office.

 

1:58 – R asks A for the number of her mother. A says mother’s phone is disconnected. R asks for another phone number.

 

A gives grandmother’s number.

 

R on the phone: Talks to grandmother and asks if mother can be contacted. Tells grandmother that A is suspended for cutting classes, being disrespectful and rude, etc.

 

R informs A of his decision: She will be suspended six days and suspended off the bus until Dec. 1.

(R is filling out discipline referral while talking to her.)

 

A whines about her mother is going to kill her, and she’s sick. She starts complaining about school and its rules.

 

A asks: What am I going to do for six days?

 

2:03 – Officer G. comes in and reports that one 8th grade girl is calling.

 

R tells her to ****

 

Parapro T comes to the door and tells R that paper is due Friday.

 

R said he does not want her to do the assignment.

 

A keeps talking about how her mother is going to kill her.

 

2:05 R gives directions: You in. (A) You out. (Student W)

 

2:06 – W says to R: This time I really didn’t do it.

 

R (to W): What part of you in, you out, don’t you understand?

 

R begins discussing with W the facts of discipline referral. W is looking at video of student standing around talking, and writing on the wall.

 

R says to W: This is your 8th write-up. Been suspended twice and in ISS. You don’t hear people talking to you. Grades are going down. You’re headed out of here.

 

R tells W he is going to be suspended. (W slumps in his seat.) R advises W to wake up before his world becomes a nightmare.

 

R says to W: You don’t want to deal with your grandma.

 

2:16 – W is crying (silently).

 

W is dialing phone. Asks for Ms. F. Informs her that son was in ISS acting up – writing on the wall, refusing to do work, up and out of his seat, etc. Parent asks if there is a counselor. Tells parent there isn’t anything wrong with him. Informs parent that student will be suspended until Tuesday. Gets it okay with mother about books.

 

2:21 – Student T asks if she can go to ISS to get her books. R informs her she is to go directly to ISS.

 

2:22 R talks to W about being good and staying with grandmother. R says: Don’t blame me for suspending you. Nothing on this paper is anything that I told you to do. Take this opportunity to learn you’re your mistakes.

(R is filling out discipline referral and continues talking to student.)

 

2:25 – R tells student he went easy on him this time and will not be that easy next time.

 

2:26 – R gives student his card.

 

2:29 R and I (me) walk to ISS. W is getting his books.

 

Student Y comes in to talk to R. R tells her he can’t talk to her right now.

 

2:30 – As we walk out of ISS, W is behind us. We round the corner and then turn back to discover W has disappeared.

 

W asks me: Where did that boy go?

 

I suggest that W probably stopped at the bathroom. Fifteen seconds later, W pops out of the boys’ bathroom.

 

We walk behind W as he heads toward the front doors of the school. We walk all the way to the outside of the front doors and stand until W has literally started walking across the street.

 

2:40 -- As we start to walk inside the office, R sees a parent who seems to be lost. He responds by meeting and greeting her. He asks if there is anything he can do for her.

 

 

2:39 – R is back in his office.

 

2:40 – Telephone rings: R answers the phone and talks for 10 seconds.

 

R calls Teacher H’s room and asks that student K be sent to his office.

 

 

2:45 – K walks into office. R talks to her about not dressing out and acting appropriately in PE.

R asks K: Where is mother?

K: She’s in main office.

 

R steps out of office to talk to K’s parent.

 

2:51 W’s back in office. Working on paperwork. Looking up numbers for group of girls for bus issues.

 

3:00 Asks for students K and B to be sent to the office. Asks for K2 to be sent to the office.

 

3:01 Telephone (Someone calls him.)

 

R asks for student B to be sent to office.

 

3:02 Students K and B enter office. K snatches out tissue. R admonishes her getting a tissue off his desk without asking.

 

3:05-3:11 – I got called out of  R’s office to see the principal

 

3:11 – When I return, students A, B, & * are in his office. (He has talked to them about misbehaving on the school bus.)

 

3:12 – R gives A a pass back to class.

 

3:14 R advises B to select other people to sit around on the bus.

 

3:15 – R gives B a pass back to class.

 

3:17 – R asks girl to come look at his computer screen to look at her grades. Counsels her about being the BEST student she can be so that her behavior can improve.

 

3:23 – R calls classroom looking Student C. Asks for teacher to send student to him.

 

3:25 R resumes counseling student.

 

Phone rings. Conversation about someone needing to see him. Says the person ****

 

3:26 – Student L enters. Complains to R about phone being taken up.

 

3:27 – Phone rings. Conversation is about a student being sent to him. R tells teacher he will talk with student but will deal with discipline referral tomorrow.

 

3:32 – Student asks for a copy of the bus referral.

 

3:39 – Black male student shows up. He dismisses **.

 

W tells him he will ride the bus today but will be suspended until next Friday. Student was using profanity on the bus.

 

3:40 Walks out of office with a clip board to buses to do bus duty.

 

3:53 As buses leave, W walks up toward the front of the school.

 

***]Bus duty continues.

 

****End of shadow experience*****

Reflections

(Insights, questions)

 

Why is he here?

 

 

She’s been acting bad again. She is wasting her education for such a bright girl.

 

 

 

 

I wouldn’t feel comfortable turning my back on a student.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shouldn’t this student be working?

 

 

 

Emails are a BIG part of the job as an administrator. They cannot be avoided. I cannot imagine the amount of emails of an administrator. It get tons as a teacher!

 

Mr. A seems baffled as to why Rilkins needs to talk to him. Perhaps there is a more pleasant, non-threatening way to approach teachers about unpleasant situations.

 

 

 

Sometimes students (as well as teachers) need to vent.

 

 

 

You have to empower teachers to take control of discipline. It cannot possibly be the sole role of the administrators.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Administrators have to present themselves as helpers to anyone who needs it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Administrators need to be visible in the hallways and cafeteria.

 

 

 

Some situations pit students against faculty. How do you balance the two and still be fair to both?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How do you deal with charges of racist against a faculty member?

 

 

How do you deal with a disgruntled employee after you have had to say, “No” ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The use of radios in administration is vitally important to communication.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How can you justify a student doing “community service” to a parent (unless its to clean vandalism done by the student)? Community? BOE?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disconnected numbers will certainly be a challenge for me as an administrator. Are home visits the answer?

 

 

Many of our kids live with grandparents.

 

This grandparent happens to be a cooperative one. How do you deal with irate ones?

 

 

 

Dealing with bus situations is also part of a principal’s job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students don’t always connect their behaviors to consequences.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a future administrator, will I have benefit of videotapes to help me with decisions?

 

 

A large part of being an administrator is being a counselor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You have to establish relationships with parents so that they will work with you when things are unpleasant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have to make sure that I am dishing out consequences that are fair and fits the “crime.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Give students the benefit of the doubt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have to helpful wherever and whenever to whoever I can!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lots of time spent on the phone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You have to hold students accountable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Administrators should form relationships with school resource officer for such cases as this one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow. I just might lose weight with the amount of walking required for this job!

 

 

I wonder what duties will be required of me as an assistant principal? How different will they be from my teaching duties?