What Does an Elementary Principal Do All Day Long?

By Dr. William Ries

WHAT DOES AN ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL DO ALL DAY LONG?


Dr. William Ries is one of a limited number of school administrators who have considerable experience within both the public school system and the Catholic school system of our country.

A veteran of the Korean War, Dr. Ries chose the field of education over a possible baseball career.

He began his career in Cincinnatis inner city as a teacher of Physical Education, eventually being promoted to the principal ship and staying with the public schools for 22 years.

Upon retirement, Dr. Ries unexpectedly was hired within The Archdiocese of Cincinnati and remained as principal for another 15 years.

Is there a difference in running a public school versus a Catholic school?

Read his exciting, sometimes controversial, sometimes humorous, but never boring account of managing within both school systems.

Dr. Ries is retired from education. He enjoys reading, playing senior softball, senior volleyball, a card game called Hearts, biking and watching his 7 grandchildren participate in basketball, football, soccer and lacrosse games.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 10, 2013
• ISBN: 9781481703819

Dr. William Ries

Upon learning the author was an elementary school principal, a business friend exclaimed, "You must have the sweetest job in the world. What does an elementary principal do all day long?" The author's response, "Amazing. I seldom got a chance to eat lunch and frequently didn't have time to even use the restroom." Dr. William Ries is one of the few principals in our nation who has considerable experience within both the public and Catholic school systems. Is there a difference in being a school administrator in one system versus the other? What Does An Elementary Principal Do All Day Long is sometimes shocking, often humerous, never dull and an interesting read. For those unfamiliar with what goes on within an always busy school office, you should find this one enjoyable.

Book preview

What Does an

Elementary Principal

Do All Day Long?

DR. WILLIAM RIES

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©

2013 by Dr. William Ries. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 08/28/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4817-0382-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-0381-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013900234

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

DEDICATION

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

DEDICATION

To the many competent teachers, administrators, secretaries, custodians, lunchroom staff, teacher’s aides and others who so willingly devote their lives to children.

To those outside of education, particularly many in the field of business, most of whom have little knowledge of what goes on within a busy school building.

To past and present members of Phi Epsilon Kappa physical education fraternity in thanks for the many teachers who were promoted from their highly effective gym classes to successful school administrators.

For 7 wonderful grandchildren who seldom visit the principal’s office and have scant idea of the potential problems and risks facing school administrators today.

Finally, written in memory of Harry, a dedicated and beloved teacher and principal as well as a lifelong friend and companion.

Chapter 1

How Did All This

Get Started?

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My earliest recollection has me attending a Catholic school called St. Francis de Sales in Newport, Kentucky—a very small building in which grades one and two, three and four, five and six, and seventh and eighth were all combined. Therefore, I found myself in the same classroom with my older brother, Jim.

That lasted only two years. Our small three-room cottage did not adequately accommodate a family of eleven. We moved two towns over to Dayton and enrolled in St. Anthony’s, which was located in Bellevue. Both towns, just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, had populations of eight thousand, and our home was located the same distance from the Catholic school in Bellevue as the one in Dayton. Grade three went well, but we moved to a third school in my fourth year when the old pastor verbally attacked my mother.

The priest did not realize my father was upstairs overhearing his ranting. While he was raised Catholic, Dad had little love for either the Catholic Church or priests, but he wanted his kids attending Catholic schools because of mother’s insistence. Dad cussed a great deal in our presence but never as severely as when he verbally and nearly physically kicked Old Pappy, as we called him, out of the house.

That put me in my third school within four years in three different small towns. This time, it was one called St. Bernard in Dayton. That went well, and I managed to graduate into high school from St. B. I preferred Newport Catholic High; however, my two older brothers, Dan and Jim, were doing well at Dayton High, the nearby public school, and Dad thought it would be good enough for me as well. The parish offered me financial assistance, but Dad was too proud to accept that.

Chapter 2

Harry

Harry Herms was an early friend and fairly close neighbor. His true name was Harrison, but few called him that. Small in stature, Harry was a very good athlete, exceptionally fast and mobile. We finished grade school together and then went to the local public high school. Harry’s parents couldn’t afford a Catholic high school either.

Harry was exceptionally good in running track, and despite his size, he became a strong football halfback, sometimes running farther backward than forward in order to escape pursuing tacklers. He received a college scholarship in football from Morehead College in Kentucky.

I wasn’t a whole lot larger than Harry, and I happened to be blessed with the skills of playing baseball. I urged my younger brother, Tom, to take my four-dollar-per-week paper route each spring so that I could play baseball in high school.

Harry and I shared the same junior prom table at Dayton High School in 1948. His guest that evening was Margaret Speck, the woman he eventually married. My date was Nina Haley. She was pretty, smart, and a year younger than me, and she wound up marrying a close friend named Pat Brown.

We graduated the following year. Harry went on to Morehead, and I worked as the night cut man for The Cincinnati Post newspaper for two years. A cut man works between the stereotypers and compositors, moving advertising constructed of lead into each page. I once saw a compositor’s paycheck for $108. I was making $42 a week. That became my goal—someday making $100 per week.

The Korean War interrupted our lives. After a football injury, Harry enlisted in the US Air Force. I followed a year later. We both got onto flying status and became airborne radio operators with a full knowledge of Morse code. When I flew for Air Rescue, my primary plane was the SA-16, a search amphibious plane that could land on land, water, or snow. While in the US Air Force, I amassed about 1,100 hours of flying time—some on the C-54 four-engine cargo plane, some on the large H-21 helicopter, and some on the smaller H-10 helicopter.

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Four years later, with a chance of playing minor league baseball at Keokuk, Iowa, after I had played shortstop for service teams for three years, I ignored my US Air Force commander’s strong request for reenlistment and opted first for baseball, especially the possibility of playing at the collegiate level. Coaching seemed a viable option. Fortunately, I would be getting $110 a month on the GI Bill if I attended college.

When the dean of education at the University of Dayton reviewed my last high school report card, he noted one B ( in physical education), three Cs (in bookkeeping, English, and geometry), and one D (physics). I did, however, have perfect attendance that year.

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My son, he said, you couldn’t possibly make it in college with the type of grades you made in high school.

I tried to explain that while I was in high school, I knew there was absolutely no chance of a college education because I had no money, no place to study privately while at home due