Comments on: Maybe We Need to Cut Our Administrators Some Slack

By: Shelly Terrell

Shelly Terrell — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:38:15 +0000

We have so many administrators on Twitter doing great things like blogging for their schools, supporting teachers who use technology, and getting their staff to build a PLN. I am excited by the incredible feats of many of the administrators in my PLN. I say let us stand up give them a roaring ovation!

By: Teachers: Go Back to School, In Your Own Building! « EdTechSwami

Teachers: Go Back to School, In Your Own Building! « EdTechSwami — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:02:57 +0000

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By: Laurie

Laurie — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 01:22:27 +0000

I have been mulling over the problem of school administrators never being able to listen or think about the real “matters that matter” as the leaders of teaching and learning institutions. I have been told that it’s all they can do to focus on changes in legislation, new requirements and budget matters. What a shame. Sounds like the way state departments of education to area education agencies to school districts are set up is no longer working. Very few people in the top leadership positions have time to stop and reflect. They seem caught up in a whirlwind of revolving fads that have more to do with job preservation than establishing a learning environment.

By: ktenkely

ktenkely — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 04:06:49 +0000

I don’t envy the tough decisions that face our administrators. It is a tough rub. It is time that we get creative about the way that we do things. In my own world, I have seen tremendous waste. How do we take a step back and analyze the difference between necessity and fluff? Are there any easy answers? Probably not. How could our communities be more involved in aiding this fight? How can our students take some ownership in these decisions?
Thank you for helping me to remember that there are problems to be faced from every angle. When we are told “no” or “not now” it isn’t always because they don’t understand the value. Sometimes it is truly out of reach. It is our job to come up with new solutions to bring it within reach.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:02:54 +0000

Sarah. Thanks for the comment. That sounds like an amazing situation going on in your country. The situation in my district is particularly harsh because of where my school is located. Because my school is so rural and the tax base is shallow we rely very heavily on state funding and New York is facing particularly deep budget problems. I think that other states and districts are faring a little better . But America need a more equitable way to find public schools.

By: Sarah K

Sarah K — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:45:05 +0000

You make quite a good point. I mean no disrespect with the comment I'm about to leave. I live in Australia and schools have lately been flooded with funding in our government's "Building the Education Revolution" plan which involved a AU$16.2 billion investment in the upgrading of infrastructure in schools across the country. Our administrators spent a lot of countless, sleepless hours trying to come up with ways of spending the money - since there was a time limit on when building the new revolutionized buildings was to commence. So we've been given all this money to build all this stuff and fit it with all this extra stuff (to comply with the government's other big project - the digital revolution) and in doing so, created extra jobs for construction workers, electricians, plumbers, gardeners, etc. So not only are we forcing change on our teachers (those as yet unwilling) to migrate into the 21st century, providing opportunities for our 21st century learners, but we're putting money back into the strained economy and into the homes where it's required the most. I wonder if your government thought of that when looking at pulling funding for your schools. It's a sad state of affairs when the foundation of a nation - any nation - is continuously being cut back. But as teachers I'm sure you and your colleagues will find ways to successfully help your students overcome the difficulties life brings about. Because that's what we do.