Focus on TUSD - May 2008

Superintendent's Column
The "US" in TUSD is Teamwork
What author Frank McCourt wrote about high school teachers in his novel, Teacher Man, really speaks of all who have worked, even peripherally, in education.

"...I was more than a teacher. And less. In the high school classroom you are a drill sergeant, a rabbi, a shoulder to cry on, a disciplinarian, a singer, a low-level scholar, a clerk, a referee, a clown, a counselor, a dress-code enforcer, a conductor, an apologist, a philosopher, a collaborator, a tap dancer, a politician, therapist, a fool, a traffic cop, a priest, a mother-father-brother-sister-uncle-aunt, a bookkeeper, a critic, a psychologist, the last straw."

In the beginning, in the end, and in all times in between during my more than 40 years in public education it has been and still remains all about teaching and learning. No matter where we end up in the universe of positions in education, nearly 100 percent of us began as classroom teachers. Each of these roles is that of a public servant--one who is there to provide a service to students, their parents and ultimately their community. In the latter part of the 20th century we came to understand that the old model of the individual working in isolation in the classroom was not sufficient. That model has been replaced by the professional learning community model which trades a teacher's isolation for the dynamics of a team that shares information and expertise to bring out the best in teachers and students alike. That is part of the US in TUSD.

There are other significant roles in education designed to provide support for that student-teacher-parent relationship. These support roles include campus monitors, principals, purchasers, bus drivers, assistant principals, office managers, librarians, principal supervisors, counselors, human resource workers, instructional coaches, food service workers, exceptional ed aides, assistant superintendents, custodians, directors, school engineers, athletic coaches, vehicle mechanics, executive directors, dropout prevention specialists, psychologists, secretaries, budget analysts, attendance clerks, bus monitors, school nurses, school safety personnel, library and health aides, substitute teachers and yes, a superintendent. These are also part of the US in TUSD.

The outer ring is composed of all the remaining pieces required of and necessary for a successful school district. They include a Governing Board, an involved business community, employee organizations that ensure the rights of their members are upheld, a media that is interested in informing the public of all aspects of education in our community, and a network of social services that provide the safety net for our most vulnerable citizens. We also depend heavily on our local, state and national elected representatives whose responsibilities include the nurturing of education so the population is indeed an educated electorate capable of fully participating in the democratic processes. They are also part of the US in TUSD.

As I enter the final days as superintendent of TUSD I have reflected on this concept of US and how it relates to Frank McCourt's wonderful description of a teacher. I have come to the conclusion that no matter what role any of us occupies in the organization of TUSD, our job description can never accurately describe what we really do. I believe any of the roles I mentioned above, and I apologize for not having mentioned all of US, is much more complicated than any of the rest of us appreciates.

We are all, at some point, teachers. And we are all, always, public servants who work in concert with our colleagues not only to serve education, but to make the world a better place. In those moments when we recognize how interconnected we all are in these exhilarating, exhausting and rewarding efforts, then THAT is truly the US in TUSD.

--Roger F. Pfeuffer
Superintendent

Photos in the May issue by Jes Ruvalcaba of Communications & Media Relations, unless otherwise noted.

The deadline to submit material for the June Focus is Friday, June 13. The Focus will be published Monday, June 23. Email submissions to Chyrl Hill Lander or Sharon Dunham in the Communications & Media Relations Department or use the online Tip Sheet.