Better Not Send Us Any Pretty Pictures - Brief Article

School Administrator, Nov, 2000

Here Today, Not Tomorrow

The venerable trade newspaper Education Week made light a few months back of the supposed photograph curse afflicting The School Administrator.

The newspaper noted how our magazine's use of a superintendent's photograph in a prominent position often signaled that administrator's certain departure in the coming weeks or months, whether by force or by choice. The latest example: District of Columbia Superintendent Arlene Ackerman, whose countenance appeared with an article about the paucity of women superintendents, announced her decision to leave for a similar post in San Francisco just days after the June issue of The School Administrator had gone in the mail to readers.

An enterprising superintendent recognized the value of our great disappearing act when he begged the editors: "Is there anything you could do to get my school board on your cover?"

A Double Jackpot

Even a $700,000 windfall from a casino slot machine earlier this year doesn't alter the way Larry Curtis views his job as superintendent in Whitehall, Mich.

Curtis, who is eligible to collect his full retirement benefits, told a local newspaper he has no intention of abandoning his educational career despite winning $709,731 on a 25-cent slot machine at the Little River Casino operated by the Ottawa Indians.

A couple of months later, Curtis hit another jackpot when his board of education extended his contract through 2005.

Electronic Fulfillment

Susan and Roland Smits weren't going to let their attendance at the AASA rural schools conference in Killington, Vt., last summer prevent them from fulfilling their role as proud, first-time grandparents.

So the Smits, who are both district superintendents in South Dakota, cajoled Geannie Wells, AASA director of knowledge management, into helping them locate a photo of their newborn grandson on the Web site of a hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D. The pair checked the site of new deliveries every two hours before finally feasting their eyes on Trevor Smits.

Once that was accomplished, Wells posted the photo on the overhead display screen at a workshop session on the merits of the Web.

Which Job Is This?

When Rick Gilbert left his seat after five years on the school board to accept a job as an assistant varsity football coach, his board colleagues in the Thousand Islands Central School District in upstate New York, joined by Superintendent John Slattery, concocted a parting quiz to ensure he appreciated the difference between the two roles.

At a dinner roast in his honor, Gilbert was asked to decide which of the following would be more likely to be associated with his service on the school board or his work with the Viking offensive linemen:

* exhorts students to hit other students, especially ones they do not know;

* takes abuse from parents and the community;

* grunts, growls and mumbles;

* often comes home bruised and exhausted;

* never has a decision questioned; and

* is expected to produce miracles given limited resources.

No Fakers Allowed

Kids have an unusual say over who's leading the schools in Portsmouth, N.H.

During the past summer, a panel of 10 students from the district's middle and high schools interviewed the six final candidates for Portsmouth's assistant superintendent post. Superintendent Lyonel Tracy says students are especially adept at identifying candidates who don't relate to children.

"You can't fake it. Nobody in the world can spend 40 to 50 minutes in direct contact with kids and fake it," Tracy says.

Tracy didn't even provide students with sample questions, only guidance on privacy and confidentiality issues. The students' top choice, Robert Lister, got the job.

A Day at the Races

The moral of this story to all educators: Never wear anything too conspicuous if you plan to take a day off from work.

Sian Hughes, a teacher of technology at a school near Cardiff in Wales, lost her job after she was spotted on television at the Royal Ascot, a horse-racing venue known for attracting flamboyant fashion and pomp and ceremony. Hughes was wearing a colorful hat she had made from newspapers and bin liners. She told The Daily Telegraph she had arranged for the day off many weeks in advance.

But when she returned to her job the next day, the headmaster told her she had publicly embarrassed the school and asked her to leave immediately.

Hughes, who runs a children's clothing business on the side, said after the episode: "It has always been a dream of mine to go to the Ascot races and we had a great time. But this has taken the shine off my big day." She is now considering a new career as a milliner.