Admin Corner 2.0: September Insights from the Office
Photo from Hamilton School District.
Gia Quast
Welcome back Hamilton! With the first few weeks behind us, I am happy to congratulate everyone for jumping the first hurdle. A new year can be challenging, no matter if you’ve never been to Hamilton or you’re on your way out this year. This year, like them all, has had some new changes. From new staff to a new advisement schedule, we’ve all made adjustments. One thing that remains consistent from last year: our Admin. Corner series!
Just like last year, this serial will offer the administrative team the chance to address topics and opinions while sharing their own. However, we will also be offering everyone at Hamilton (including you, staff!) the opportunity to have input and ask questions.
To kick off the year, I interviewed the entire administrative team, including Ms. Goike (Associate Principal), Mr. Doyle (Associate Principal), and Mr. Bauer (Principal). I figured it would be a good introduction to the year where everyone could reflect on last year and share their thoughts about the beginnings of this one.
My interview began with a conversation with Mr. Doyle and Ms. Goike, and we discussed how this year has started versus last year. Their feedback was good! Ms. Goike stated that it was a great start to the year. In the now second year of being in their positions, policies have become more established, the admin team is working together better, and overall, the start has been smoother than last year’s. “It has been great but busy,” Goike admitted.
Mr. Doyle shared similar thoughts, expressing his gratitude for having the full summer to get closer with his fellow administrators, all of whom were new to Hamilton administration last year. This year he’s finding that the expectations for students have become clearer and that more students are comfortable with the team.
The conversation then shifted to moments the team was proud of. They learned a handful of lessons from the previous year. Doyle focused more on the Hamilton staff, detailing the emotional and instructional lessons the staff created over the summer for the new advisement curriculum.The learning over the summer also provided more opportunities to learn/teach postsecondary options and career paths that may not have been as commonly touched upon previously. He’s hoping to hear back on how it worked!
Meanwhile, Ms. Goike split her focus between both staff and students alike, including, but not limited to, the improvements she’s seen through Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (a system in which students receive extra support to ensure they understand core concepts in class) and the PreACT. She explained the systems in place to further student’s experiences were going well. She would also like to mention how proud she is of the staff. They work hard, stay engaged, and go the extra mile. This dedication is truly valuable to everyone.
After sharing some of the positives, I asked them about a question on everyone’s minds: What’s with the device policy this year? Specifically, the new policy ends Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) as an option and makes it a requirement to use the district-issued Chromebooks. The general consensus between our Associate Principals was the same; the main reason for the decision was about safety. Ms. Goike detailed that last year, people on their home computers could often bypass filters, connect to their phones, text, or scroll social media. However, with the Chromebooks, their activity can be monitored by pre-existing systems for protection by teachers and even the admin. team themselves. The district has the policy for a reason; there is an expectation by insurance and DPI (Department of Public Instruction, the governing body for education) to keep kids safe when on their laptops. If there are further questions students may have on this issue, Doyle encouraged anyone to follow up with the admin. team.
As we finished this conversation, Mr. Bauer joined our meeting—just in time to talk about some of the potential changes to AP classes currently being weighed and discussed. In school, there has been talk circulating of AP classes having their courses changed and potentially shortened to one semester—no matter the course. Mr. Bauer dismissed this talk as rumor, but admitted that the truth of the matter lies somewhere between that and not changing anything. In truth, AP class structuring is being looked into with the goal being that the best pathway will be provided to those pursuing post-secondary education. Ideally the classes will be appropriately scaled (shortened or otherwise). This could mean some classes will be combined and shortened.
Currently, Mr. Bauer is meeting with AP teachers for their input. By mid-October, decisions on AP class changes will be made. Mr. Doyle added that the goal of this is to provide a chance for students to experience more, since it is hard to take many classes with a four-block schedule when some classes take up a block each semester. Ms. Goike, as the overseer of CTE (Career Tech Education), said that she wants students to have the opportunity to explore all classes—and not necessarily just AP’s—that are applicable to their unique futures. The evaluation on re-structuring’s goal is to ultimately make it easier for students to create a schedule that best fits their needs.
And finally, we got to explore the things they wanted to comment on with an open-ended discussion. The enjoyable thing was that not one of them commented on the exact same things. Mr. Bauer talked about school culture. As a big culture person, he believes that culture is our biggest strength. He is seeing positive culture in a myriad of ways: better representation of Charger Pride at school and in the community, and student connection with each other, staff, and the rest of the building. He would also like to acknowledge students and staff, stating that your accomplishments are recognized and make our admin team grateful to work at Hamilton.
Ms. Goike also praised the staff, voicing her appreciation for them. All faculty have stepped up. It has helped immensely by forming a welcoming and encouraging community around the new staff.
Mr. Doyle used his final words to comment on the students. Watching students get involved tutoring, welcoming each other, and helping their peers has been a source of pride for him. It is especially encouraging to see when coming back to the new school year. He would like to encourage everyone to get involved in school and reach out to others.
Before closing, Mr. Bauer had a few final thoughts he wanted to share with everyone. Firstly, he is very appreciative of those who reach out to him and the rest of administration. He claims being an administrator is often an unliked job. But he would like to make it known, “The word no is not a word we believe is bad.” Bauer continued, saying that sometimes people need to be provided with alternative views. Not only that, but in life, ‘no’ happens. People are told no all the time. Here, it is not out of spite or an effort to be difficult; it is in everyone’s interest. Being principal, he has to say no regularly and doesn’t take decisions lightly.
Anything you’d like admin. to address?
