"You're Looking for Black and White"

It is Saturday August 29th and I am relaxing back in my good ol town Austin, Texas. My first week as an Assistant Principal was very, very interesting. I have stories about students, teachers, and parents. Heres how it all went down....
The first day of school was great. We welcomed everyone and they all went into the gym. Once 8:00 am rolled around the Superintendent started the assembly by instructing everyone to stand for the pledge. Once done, he immediately said, "As you know we have a new face and we are very excited to meet him. He has a few words for you." Although I am not afraid to speak in public, especially to students, I was not ready. I did have my speech ready for later so I included a bit of that. I had a little speech "why am I here" which pretty much talked about the goals I have for the school...about pride and how important it is for the school and town and the last part of it said, "I am also here to make sure teachers succeed" which was my entrance into the rules, dress code, and consequences.... It went well....
A few funnies that happened during the week..
* a teacher opened a kids bag to help him with unpacking his school supplies and a dead mouse was there.... she called me, i took the bag, asked the superintendent what to do and in the calmest tone said, "just throw it away" haha its like he has been there a million times...
* all the kids saying Mistah H
* parents complaining that we gave free backpacks bc they had already bought some... (insane!)
* driving the volleyball girls to a private school for a game (the second day of school!) and getting there with them wearing unmatching kneepads, old uniforms, and NO PRACTICE! These are 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.... the opponents all had matching everything including a shinny headbands..... we beat them the second game, but lost the series... its ok though!
* 1st grade teacher in her second year having a panic attack because she could not control her class.... i talked and calmed her down, we went in the classroom and went over procedures with the kiddos..... they were quiet, but still need to improve alooot..... its soo loud in there and they are bullying her! "BOYS AND GIIIRLS GET QUIET!!!" i dont think that is a good strategy....
* Skulls everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! there are skulls on shirts, shorts, shoes, backpacks... everytwhere.... They are unofficially not allowed (not in the handbook) but there was no way I could enforce the ban since most students wear them. I sent out an email to everyone saying that skulls were ok. Below is the email...

Teachers,
As you know, we currently have an issue with students wearing skulls on almost every article of clothing. Knowing that they are popular, retailers jumped on the back to school opportunity to dress everything with them. This week I have seen skulls on t-shirts, pants, shorts, backpacks, and even shoes. From students in Pre-K to Adults, skulls are in.

Evil, no….rebellious, maybe…..accessible, affordable, trendy, and in our students closets, yes. Instead of making parents buy their children new clothes, let’s make this a transition year and allow students to wear them for now unless they have blood, knives sticking out, or anything of that sort. Use your judgment. The same will go for shorts without buttons or zippers since parents and students were not notified of the changes until the first day of school. We have had problems with that as well.

Below are some pics I got from your regular retailers. (Wal Mart, Tj Max, Kohls) These would be acceptable. Let me know if you have any questions.

The response was good... not much resistance... so we're good!

* Working with my football team all week (im also the AD/Football Coach... my title has alot of slashes ///////) Anyways I have great kids. 6 Man Football is going to be interesting....... Im having them do something every Friday and this one was to write their teachers letters thanking them... this is an email i got yesterday
I just wanted to let you know that I was very impressed by the letters that I received from 4 of your athletes that are in my pre-algebra and algebra classes. That was very thoughtful and meant a lot to me as well as to them. Thanks for making a difference!

* LESSON OF THE WEEK - "You're looking for Black and White" I had a huge incident that came up this week..... While I was at a meeting for the elementary teachers talking about different things (changing the lunch schedule since we have like 100 kids eating at once... its a mess!) a little 1st grade girl came to me and said "We were in PE in the playground and that little boy kissed me on the lips." WOAH... my stomach immediately dropped and I was being faced with my first serious situation. I asked her to describe it and she did... apparently there were a few little boys playing and egging on another kid to do it... they all went to her and it happened. I talked to the little boy, which is a great charming kid, and he denied it and blamed it on someone else. When I called the other kid in, he was taken by storm "WHAAT, I DIDNT KISS HER, YOU DID." He was starting to cry.... In response to that, the original kid said, "OK, WE BOTH DID" Baam... that was all I needed. I told the other one to go back to class, the guilty one to sit outside, and then tried to figure out what I was going to tell the little girls parents. ring..... ring.... ring... "Hello" - "Hi Mrs. A, this is Mr. H from school. There was an issue today...... " I went on to explain it and she thanked me for the way it was handled and for contacting her.... She even said not to punish the little boy much..... Now off to call the parents of the little boy.....ring...ring...ring... "Hello.." did the same as above, but this time the response was incredibly rude! The mistake I made was to tell her about the possible consequences.... as soon as the mom heard ISS, she started yelling and yelling and yelling..... She said the boys grandmother would go pick up the kid.... in 1o munutes she was there and COMPLETELY IGNORED ME! "Come here sweetie.... lets go"
Later the mom called wanting to talk to the Superintendent, not me.... He was not there so I answered the phone in an attempt to reason with her.. aside from lawyer threats and inexperience insults. I made an appointment to meet with her at 5:15 with the Sup.... 5:15 came along, she came in, and also, completely ignored me.... the meeting lasted about 2 hours and she yelled, cried, insulted, and offended me... I had soooo many things to say back at her, but I did not.... she would not have listened. When I spoke, I said nothing but positive things in a low tone of voice, honered her for being so involved in her kids life, and mentioned how everythign played out. I also told her that as far as I knew, her kid had been in ISS for about 2 hrs, had a call home, and a parent conference so as far as I knew that was 3 consequences and that would be the extent of the discipline. After I said this the tone changed.... we chatted a bit more, and she left happy although she requested that I always consult the sup for discipline problems with their kids..... whatever... haha
She left, the sup raised his eyebrows and said good job, and told me Welcome to Administration.... He then shared his crazy parent stories and this one was nothing compared to his.... When I asked him, what is the rule? The kid kissed a little girl! He said I was looking for a clear black and white line... a rule in the rulebook.... and in school, especially with the little ones, you cannot have that... the consequence should be a gut feeling...you assess the entire situation and give the appropriate consequence...

well that was a little summary of my first week... i will get on here as much as possible and share interesting things that happen... ohh!! one last thing... i got a call from a grandmother and she said I was a blessing to the school.... then she said the funniest thing ever in her country accent.... "white people like you because you look like us, and the messicans like you because you speak their language.... " funny.

Sunday Night - Getting Ready for my First Day as an Assistant Principal

Well.... its sunday at about 10pm and I am getting ready for my first day as an AP.... I had a house warming party last night which was pretty nice.. about 10 people were here and we ate LOTS of food... my good friend Josh came from Dallas and we pretty much just hung out at the casa.... today we went to IKEA and shopping for some coaching clothes (remember I am coaching as well!). Came back did a few chores and now I am here thinking what I am going to say tomorrow... what will i wear?? lol

There will be an assembly in the morning and I will pretty much introduce myself and talk about why I am there. Ill also highlight the student code of conduct.... which is one of the main things i am responsible for.... discipline is all me... along with just a few other things.. haha

well...back to work!

2nd Week of Inservice- Geteting ready for the kiddos

Hello hello....
The second week of inservice was interesting. Did a whole lot. In order of events I dont remember, but the highlights were going to the houston museum of natural science for some GT training and afterwards going to teacher heaven. I drove the bus on the way back.... first time i had driven in traffic in about 2 years.... i did ok.. no bumps or anything.... at teahcer heaven teachers all had 100 dollars to spend... i think that was a nice gesture from the sup. i threw in some stuff for myself in the office.

The night before, on wednesday we had meet the teacher night. Here I met many of the students and parents. Everyone seems very nice. Since we are a pk-8 campus i had all kinds of students. Some kindergarteners were going in between my legs as I talked to the 8th graders.... everyone seems to have welcomed me pretty well... i think they are happy i am there. that day was also tha athletic parent meeting. there were about 20-30 people there and i wasnt really ready since alot of the AP stuff was priority. i did talk about the handbook, the different expectations, as well as about me.... then the other coaches did the same.... easy money...

Overall the feelining of being the "boss" is kind of weird.... teachers use "yes sir, and no sir," they come ask if they can leave early, ask about procedures..... im handling it well, but it is very new.... i consider myself a leader and i feel like i have always been one... as far as in the school business i plan on leading this school to lots of success.... the leader part that also labels you as the boss is something i need to get used to.. i know i cant be their friend friend and be totally myself around them, but i also dont want to be dry....itll take me a while to figure it out. for now i think im doing an ok job.....

School starts on monday... i am definitely excited. there will be an assembly where I will talk about various things dealing with changes in the school.... Throughout the day i plan on organizing my teacher and student files as well as make my way around the school and go to every classroom.... we will hand out equipment for football and im gonna meet the team..... stay tuned for more updates on the fun life of the prinscipal....

Week in Review... First Week of Inservice

Well, it has been a very interesting and fun week. Last tuesday I moved into my new place in Sugar Land. It is a 2 story house with 3 bedrooms and a living room upstairs and the master bedroom downstairs. My roomate, Mike, is a cool guy. He is a Navy Reserve officer and does marketing and sales for a company out here.
My wonderful family (mom, dad, brother, and cousin) drove up to Austin on Monday August third and helped me pack all my stuff in my condo. (which i did rent to someone.... they are already living there so i hope it turns out well) My brother had an infection in his arm so we went to Brackenridge Hospital to get him checked out. After being around 4 hours in the ER he came out with a big cut and a band around his arm. My last night in Austin in the ER.... it was quite interesting. Sooo many different people, all with different stories.... The diversity in the waiting room was crazy. The ER is a pretty slow process.... I wish they had a better system..... there were people in PAIN... some looked like they were about to fall over... Anyways, i think those observations are a whole other story.... back to my place now...
We finished packing the uhaul which was huge since the guy offered me 100 bux off for taking it off his lot.... DEAL. The next morning we woke up and finished everything else.... we cleaned, and cleaned, and cleaned, and headed off to my new life.... Adios Austin, Hola Houston....
I reflected alot during the 3 hr drive.. I was in my 72 Cutlass since it has no AC and I didnt want my dad driving in the heat... .my mom drove my volvo, my cousin my parents truck (which was also loaded) and my dad the UHAUL.... we were a 4 car caravan...... We stopped to eat at an awesome barbque place on 71....after that we kept going and got to my new place at around 3PM. As we are pulling into the neighborhood, my roommate is driving behind us.... coincidence, right? lol We started moving everything off and it took us a few hours to get done. Nonetheless, we finished, showered, ordered some pizza, and went to sleep. The next morning my parents left and I headed over to my new job.... Assistant Principal and Athletic Director....

I arrive and my office is ready. It is a small, humble office, but i love it. I got a nice chair for me, 3 visitors chairs, a printer, and an awesome bookcase... its looking sharp. I will be spending lots of time there trying to change the world.... starting with this small town. The superintendent and office ladies are wonderful. I am like a baby absorbing vasts amounts of knowledge of the education world. The earliest I've been home in 2 weeks is about 9. I love it though.... So far here are what I will be doing for the school...

* Discipline
* Testing Coordination
* Team Meetings
* Special Education Meetings
* Present different things to the School Board
* Communication Director
* Look at Teachers Lesson Plans
* and everything that has to do with Athletics...

Doesnt that sound fun? I love it..... ohh, last week i had my CDL bus driver training and it took me 2 hrs to get to the place..... i went to 1506 bissonet and it was at 15706 bissonet... Rookie!

This week i have gotten ahead on alot of things..... today we had a teacher barbque and it was a great success. I cooked and everyone loved it, especially the jalapenos i made.... with cream cheese and bacon. When we got everyone together I introduced myself officially and let everyone know how excited I was to be where i was. New city, new life.... same goals and dreams. Being idealistic can have its critics in big cities, but in a small one i really think you can make a big difference with the changes you make. I will really try my best to transform that school into one who has pride, enthusiasm, cutting edge teaching styles, culturally knowledgable, and the many elements that will make students successful. It will be interesting how teachers respond to the changes.......

On a personal life note, me and my girl have been together a year. This last weekend I went home to spend time with her. It was a great time..... She is really something special. I gave her a diamond necklace... a diamond! Can you tell im into her? Its the first ive ever given.... :) hope it doesnt jinx us...

Well tomorrow is the first day for teachers..... we have CPR training and teachers will work in their rooms... I think im going to stop by each and talk to them individually giving them a heads up of the changes that way they dont get it all at once on monday and freak out. I have sooooo many ideas.... Im even going to try to help get funding for a new building. The school its at its fullest capacity right now.....

Ok... im out.. i could write all day....no spellchek, no grammar check, just me typing away.... we'll see how this blog develops.... Will be back soon.....

Just a See You Later... Not a goodbye...

The past few days have been pretty good.. I did my last real estate work by helping a family from Monterrey find a place to live.... during that time the guys that was going to rent my place texted me and said that he had a setback and was not going to anymore... i was bummed since i told many that were interested that it was already rented.... the guy called back yesterday and asked if it was still available... it was and he got it... lets hope hes a good tennant.... I also got a new place... Ill be living in a pretty cool house in Sugarland... A guy posted on Craigslist that he was looking for a roommate to share his huge house.... I called him and we traded facebooks... apparently he had had a few weirdos check out the place and he was holding out till i went to see it... i was reluctant due to the distance from my school, but after the meeting with the school board and superintendent i had in the morning i timed it.. it was about 30 minutes which is not bad at all..... I arrived at the house and it was nice, surrounded by many other niiice houses.... after checking it out I decided thats what I wanted and that i didnt have to go see anything else... theres a lifetime fitness down the road, its close to DT houston (which i probably will never go to) and has tons of shoppping and restaurants..... i couldve lived in a small town close to my job, but naaa.... ill work rural, live city..... I paid him the first month and now im here in Austin packing and waiting ... my parents are coming up tomorrow to help me with the move...
The Board Meeting.... I was offered the job by the Superintendent based on a unanimous selection by the site based team that interviewed me (teachers, parents) The hire was contingent upon the school board approving it. The meeting was on Saturday morning.... I arrived an hour early and the Sup was already there... we took a tour around the school and he showed me my office...its small but cozy.... after that we sat down in his office and talked business... i have 1000 things to do by the first day of school which is the 24th.... The board members walked in one by one and I stood up and introduced myself as they came in... i knew they were secretly thinking, "who is this young guy they selected." Once the meeting begun the first order of business was me.... The superintendent talked about the hiring process... how they interviewed 15 applicants and asked 3 to come back for a second interview... he talked about how i did and how much the teachers liked me.... then he asked me to talk about myself.... I gave them the typical bio.. they then proceeded to ask me tons of questions ranging from, "you seem to be great with minorities and will do wonders with them, but what about the GT kids.... to ARE YOU A SMALL TOWN GUY OR A BIG CITY SLICKER?" One guy, the fire chief of the town, slammed his hand to the table and said, "i like what i hear." They then asked me to step out while they talked.... and talked...and talked... it took them about an hour.... when I came back they made a motion to hire me and i was unanimosly hired....... my life as an Assistant Principal has officially begun....

Highlights...
- rented a new place in Sugarland..
-rented out my place in austin
- gonna go have dinner and bowl with my austin coworkers/friends
-parents coming in tomorrow to help me move... might bring my little brother and cousin to help out...
- will help HB hire a new Spanish teacher tomorrow...
- Try to get as much info from the AP's I know...



Stay tuned......