the school administrator-up the river, broken oar-3

the school administrator-up the river, broken oar-3

fiction
edward w pritchard

Parnell Stubbs, assistant principal, was working his first day in the rotating jobs program and the super's office had thrown him a curve ball. He had been assigned to work in a wealthier suburban district north of Akron. Parnell was Black and most of that school's students would be white. Parnell would be a teaching math, not a favorite of his or not something he used much anymore. He had got an excellent review course at Borders and was bringing his notebook laptop to get information off the internet through-out the day to help him teach.

Parnell was a large important looking young man of about 35 and today had on an expensive suit.

He had arrived 45 minutes early and had waited in the office for twenty minutes to get the sub folder from the secretary who was very busy with the phones for her fellow secretary was a little late. No one from the school administration spoke with him. He had no room key but found the janitor and had a talk with him and got some advice on school rules.

The first class, his homeroom, was honors trig and didn't need a teacher, they did the attendance, collected the donation money for the earthquake victims and collected the permission slips for the in school camping. They wanted to get to work and asked if he would let them skip announcements and work. The teacher he was replacing was very organized and had left him an excellent lesson plan. The teacher hadn't known about the Canton rotating jobs program, he was just sick today.

Second period and third was ninth grade review algebra. Seven of 26 students came with-out books and there were none in the room. Parnell tried to read aloud to them but no one listened. The better students started the hand-out and ten or more just sat around. He walked about the class and individual by student he got pencils, paper and tried to find books or helped with the first problem, for the problems were quite simple. Three foreign girls, one in a barka, asked for permission to work in the language room with their interpreter. They were quiet and shy and he hated to see them leave, but let them. Several students didn't say much, and one or two glared at him. They usually had been sat well away from other students by the teacher. The teacher was very organized but the seating chart was all wrong. All the disruptive students seemed to be moved daily. The last 30 minutes of the second class he let the students sit quietly and eventually talk to their friend. Many wanted to talk to him about different things. One student reminded him about attendance. He asked one of the girls in the front to help. From time to time students walking in the halls would try to enter his room or tap on the door which riled up the class.

There were 7 Asian students in forth period and he had a lot of trouble with them. A few of them turned out not to be in this class. He sent one to the office with an office card and the secretary sent the kid back. He was supposed to call security, per school policy, and have the student walked to the assigned class. No one had shown him how to operate the phone, it looked simple but he didn't have time to figure it out now. The students of this class couldn't seem to sit still. He had to face them and walk around constantly to maintain order. He shut the door to the room and began to scream a little. He was having trouble getting attendance because no one was in the assigned seats. The Chinese students in the back were becoming very disrespectful. Several students were swearing when his back was turned. The teacher down the hall knocked and introduced himself and asked for permission to talk to the class. "James, Cho, up here now, Lou ,you three my room. The teacher left and offered to take anyone for any period for the rest of the day who was being disruptive. The class was better for the rest of the period but he couldn't get anyone much to do any math. He hadn't had a chance to use his notebook laptop.

Next period was remedial math. The students were very different in intelligence and ability. All had failed the standardized test. The students sort of worked on the assignment. In ten minutes 5 or six students were done and some were still on number 5 of thirty problems,,two of which he had given them the answers to. Another teacher entered the class. She was the intervention specialist funded by a Government program. She worked with several students, two of whom had left with the teacher who came in earlier. She got right to work but didn't introduce herself. With her in the room Parnell spent the rest of the time cleaning the room, straightening desks and picking up papers and broken pencils and even had time to get a girl to put away a cell phone. He had forgot attendance again and had not done a flick sheet. No one had told him about the flick sheet until the intervention specialist. He asked her if there was a procedure manual but the intervention teacher wasn't sure. The class teachers instructions were excellent however. He hadn't received a list from the office of who was absent for the day.

Seventh and Eight Period was the problem class. Algebra 9th grade. Many of the students were older. Some were adults, but not chronologically. Everyone had flunked the standardized test. Everyone was hard to control. Everyone. At length Parnell put the math assignment away and began to tell the students about his trip in college when him and a friend had sailed a small boat along the Atlantic coast from Boston down to North Carolina. The students listened politely for a few minutes, some interested. They began to relate to him a little. As he looked around the room he realized he especially liked this group of kids but a lot of them would never graduate.

Parnell hadn't had a chance today to stand in front of the doors between classes because he was always cleaning the room and putting away things left by other students. He also hadn't taught much. When he left no one introduced themselves in the office but most of the teachers in the halls had said hello and were friendly.

Parnell stopped off at a little ethnic bakery up near this suburban school system. This system had been the best in the area and one of the best in the State when Parnell grew up, but now it seemed similar to his school district. His school district was poorer but the students weren't that much different in terms of achievement, although the best students at the suburban school seemed ahead a bit. At the ethnic bakery Parnell had an expensive coffee and an excellent sandwich. As he sometimes did at the end of the day in his home school district, Parnell sat quietly for a few minutes. It was nice to be somewhere with tranquility and order about.
end part 3