Behind the Overseas School Administrator’s Desk

By Dr. Lance Starr

Overview

By Dr. Lance Starr

This novel, though a work of fiction, includes many reality based anecdotes about what happens behind the scenes in an overseas administrators office. Many actual interactions are included with the people, the city, the school and even the country name changed. The various travel vacation sections are accurate to the time the trips happened. The in-school anecdotes that at first might seem most far- fetched, are based on or closely related to actual happenings in these schools. Tips or advice about choosing contracts in certain countries are accurate, as of the beginning of the 21st Century. Take “the pressure cooker” to your office with you, you’ll be glad you did. In cross cultural positions, this could provide support. To help you judge the real from fantasy, don’t forget the high standards of behavior that are expected of school Directors stateside and around the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Feb 26, 2020
• ISBN: 9781532095061

Dr. Lance Starr

Author: Dr. Lance Starr Doctor Starr earned an M.S. in Educational Administration which qualified him for a teaching job in Spain. He then returned to the U.S. where he worked as an assistant principal and then a principal qualifying him as a competitor for one of those administrative positions internationally. He started as an assistant principal in South America for three years and then jumped the principal-ship to a Directorship in Central America. From there he served two years as a principal in the mid-east and in the remaining 35 years served as Director in nine countries on five continents. Now retired, Doreen wakes him two or three days a week to send him off to sub-teach in schools around the large cosmopolitan Beer City. They don’t make Pisner Urquell, but they serve it from the Tap.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

ANONIKI, THE THREAT, THE

DANGER, AND THE WAITING

Lance, where are you going.? My sweet and faithful secretary, Noreen, struggled to keep track of me around the school and school community. Dr. Starr, don’t forget your meeting with the PTA chairperson. It’s at 3:00 p.m. today.

After dodging two second graders barreling down the hallway to get to the Big Toys, I mouthed the usual and pathetic, Don’t run in the hall; as usual, competely unheard by the rug rats. Noreen, Rosemary called from home and asked me to come there to meet. I know she wouldn’t ask to see me there if it wasn’t an important, confidential issue. I’ll call if there should be any reason to be late to meet the PTA head.

Noreen, my Miss Money Penny, had over the years learned my priorities: students, teachers, parents, other administrators, Board Chair, and other board members; in that order. Happily she secretly agreed with these. Covered for me if ever my focus on one made another wait. She didn’t show outward agreement with me. She wouldn’t lower herself to that. But I had had a secretary back in the states who didn’t agree. She hadn’t agreed with much I did. It was one of those cases where she had been there years before me. I was 28 years old, had replaced a 65 year old retiree, and it was my first principalship. The superintendent was the most forward looking leader I had ever met. I had been on the committee helping to select him. Since he became my boss, the reverse loyalty was not as notable as the one in hiring a secretary who would be my employee. The teachers were all years older than me using instructional techniques 20 to 50 years behind present Best Practices. The superintendent and I bonded over addressing that. He was in his 40’s, but somewhere along the way had developed a tremendous forward looking philosophy. When we introduced flexible module scheduling, the teachers went into shock and the secretary retired. I got to choose the next one.

Later, in Greece, I had the opportunity to choose Noreen. The loyalty to the person who hires you is really a gift when I have that opportunity. I’ve been hired several times and I know the feeling well on the other side. Noreen and I got off to a good start and it had continued for three years now. My secretary, of course, had to be at least bi- lingual where I was weak in the local language. That culled the initial list of applicants. I needed him/her to translate letters and sometimes sit in at parent interviews. Previously, my level in Spanish had developed quickly. I was able to work professionally in conversational situations by the end of my time in Latin countries. This was Greek. She was an obvious choice at that time. Besides the office skills she also had firm professional ethics. The flash points that so often come a Director’s’s way are seen by the secretary. With Noreen, that’s where they ended.

Concerned about Rosemary, I drove off fast in my Lime Green Porsche from my district office at the middle school. Convertible top down; wind buffeting what was left of my hair, I secretly cheered Peter Pan’s I’ll never grow up philosophy. I have seen so many school administrators and compared myself to their attitudes, and how they talk. I can talk that way, of course, or I wouldn’t be in the leadership positions I’ve had. But that is really not how I feel on the inside. Although I am one, I’ve never particularly liked school superintendents. The exception was the first one that led me into flexible modular scheduling. It has often required me to act the politician. There’s not one of those in congress’s covered up train wreck I could name that I respect. Being selective in choosing your administrative colleagues can make it a good time. Or not! It can be a dicy selection process because so many are playing the role". Fine with parents or students around, but when hair should be down, I’m a straight shooter. I’m not straight laced and didn’t bond with those always in their spurs.

My negative attitude was clenched when the superintendent at my first school told me they were thinking of me for some administrative duties. However, I would have to stop having my girlfriend live with me on weekends. Some old neighbor lady living near me in my little one room house had complained. Small town; so we saw each other in more torrid locations, ah, perhaps more fun, too.

Still rebellious! Only my outside is aging. Good that I have a solid theater background. Bad perhaps that I, in rebellion, drive off the school a bit too fast. Well, the Porsche contributes to my youth. I didn’t buy it as a chick magnet, but along the way it did get some pleasant looks from the right women. It has contributed to some danger for me. But that’s coming later. My ego was hoping to capture the girls with whatever personality I might have. On the inside I am not old enough to exhibit middle age symptoms anyway.

I knew that my school counselor would not have called me urgently to her home for any frivolous reason. I hurried out along the driveway that fronted the road side of the school through the trees. The trees were not Elms fighting Dutch Elm disease, but fighting the intense air pollution from nearby traffic. The new school building was located behind a few trees and bushes at the corner of two busy highways. It could have been placed in a location further out in the country, but the school board feared that the number of students would decrease.

This had not been the fate of scores of international schools in other locations around the world. In fact further out and cleaner air caused increasing student numbers. As Director I had used the resources of the Association for the Advancement of International Education. Its Headnet list-serve showed that demographics of out of city schools in scores of cases had increased student numbers. The board with typically insulated viewpoints did what I certainly felt was without good vision.

Many of these school boards driving purpose-built schools and invading in elements of administrator activities have stymied progressive development. Educators struggle to find a different, more informed and objective manner of governance. There are some options but few schools have considered adopting them. The one that seems to be getting some acceptance is creating a board including some Sustainable Trustees from local major companies. Only a minority should be elected from the parent body. Sustainable candidates must be among the top three in the company. Their demanding day job doesn’t permit them to help the Director do his. Director’s have for more than half a century tried to develop board training to relegate members to funding and policy making. Programs like Leadership Through Partnership may have short term impact until board presidents who went to the training are transferred to country B. A Director who can survive in a situation for several years of Board shuffle; have members who realize his/her continuing skill in school leadership, has a miracle. It was an abberation where a board wanted to pass a policy that their Director be the board president. He declined!

Rosemary was one of the welcoming party who met me at the airport when I first arrived to take the Director position. She was of medium height with long black hair and deep brown eyes. A rounded and pleasantly warm face showed the lines of years of kind support she had provided. This is a challenging time for Directors. We know only what is described on the website and what we picked up from nuances in the three day, intense, interview time. Sometimes we have a friend who has been on the inside and has conveyed accurate information. Only in one new school in my career, a really big one, did the departing Director come back in July to review his memos with me. A great boon more schools should consider arranging.

Some members of the welcoming party may have ulterior motives for being there. My intuition with Rosemary was that her purpose was limited to being helpful. I maintained my distance anyway for a while. My typical personal first impression that I have been informed of is that I give: cold, aloof, arrogant, distant vibes. That does keep people away for a while. Then they spend some time with me and find out there really is a warm fellow inside that shell. I soon learned that there was no ulterior motive driving Rosemary. We began attending many meetings together, normal practice, and after a while that first impression was ancient history.

In this international school, as in most, teachers were recruited from other countries, mainly England, Canada and the U.S. for their native speaking of English. They were provided housing at school expense. Rosemary, with strong local Greek roots, was coming from birth in the U.S. and an M.S. degree from Tulane University. She also had had more than the required minimun of two years full time teaching or counseling. Originally she wanted to live right on the sea. Reluctantly the school housing coordinator let her accept an apartment there. It was on the seventh floor of a building right on the sea above a major highway. The balcony above had a beautiful view of pure sea. The highway noise luckily didn’t focus upwards. She was enamored of that balcony until the first serious windy rainstorms came with winter. The apartment, relatively old, had a seaside external balcony sagging inward toward the living room. She frequently had to sweep water off the balcony to keep water off the lovely Turkish carpet. Towels placed as dikes outside the sliding door had to suffice for the night. She weathered it all to keep the view.

The master bedroom, though small, was inside the home and away from exterior walls. Back in the guest room, after the storm had evaporated, there was some water on the floor. This happened after every storm. The window was repeatedly sealed and waterproofed with no improvement. One day a boyfriend came to visit and spent some time in that room, during a raging storm. Looking carefully, he was able to see the rain water coming directly through the wall. Directly through the wall! I am now driving up to her new house not so close to the sea. Warm and dry! People going overseas for the first time or transferring to a new post should give credibility to recommendations of local staff who live there!

Watching for me through her window, which created me some concern, she was at the door before I knocked. She and I had been through innumerable stressful parent/student conferences. Everything from cell phone interruptions to teen pregnancy. She was the person, being fluent in both English and Greek, knew the hidden relationships in families that often affected our concerns. We both handled the stress well when the parent blinded by family pride blamed the delinquency on our incompetence. We seldom agreed. I laid out a letter confirming the three day suspension for disrespectful insubordination to a teacher. Even with our experience, these confrontations drained energy. These pressure ridden conflicts seal some bonds among school people who face them together, or sometimes alone. We got along very well.

Light on her feet with long legs, she was wearing short shorts and pixie-like footies around the house. The light-clothes look could cover for the bottom, but an industrial strength bra was needed to keep the top under control. Rosemary had planted fragrant flowers having an interior garden providing fresh air and extra oxygen. One and a half walls were covered with vines that could be draped across the ceiling for a party. Definitely a house cared for with intentions of a long stay, and lots of dancing. In the world of international education, retaining staff for an average of three years is normal. To have a counselor and a good one, who would stay for a long time was a great advantage.

Lance, I’m sorry to take you away from school, she said. This is perhaps the most serious issue we have ever faced together. We need to speak in absolute confidentiality.

Rosemary was involved in the entrance competition caused by class size limits beginning with first grade. We tested more than 40 children coming from various KGs and accepted only 25. She had long been one of the team of assessors trying to select five year olds who could succeed in a bilingual school taught mostly in their second language, English. Being considered the best school in the community, parents whose children were not accepted were very distressed. Many a parent quietly offered the well known bribe or offer of purchase of school resources to get their child into the 25. Never taken! In this small community every parent knew every other child’s test score. Such an action would have put the whole community up in arms. Nobody was willing to give me the $750,000 that I would need to retire. We learn from media of the corruption in the world, and realize it exists in the U.S. too; it’s just much more expensive. The non-existing ethics group in the Senate exposes it sickly. Well, you know my price, anyway, but not for murder.

Her concern is we have the son of an ex-board member. He is unfortunately an alleged major drug smuggler’s son. I’m fearful of what might happen to you or the testing team if the child does not make the top 25.

Frequently teachers have expresssed appreciation for my calmness when dealing with conflict situations. I took the same tact with Rosemary. She had worked so long with me that she didn’t believe it for a minute. She didn’t call me on it. Inside I really was worried for all concerned. Me included!

We switched from beer to some some more embracing beverages and reflected on possible strategies to deal with the situation. A good dose of Captain Morgan Rum can switch a person to the right brain where some creativity occassionally develops. It has to be reviewed in a sober, left brain state though, to be sure it is feasible.

I have been visiting closely with teachers in the various kindergartens who compete to get their children into our school, Rosemary continued. "Unfortunately, from conversations with teachers in this child’s school, we know he is not working much at all and has little or no support from home.

These kindergartens watched our curricula, reviewed the previous years’ written tests, and had kids memorize the Metropolitan Readiness Test. They checked the other non-paper and pencil activities because their reputation was built on how many of their kids we selected. This boy had little potential to do well on the test. It was a high potential we would have to deal with a disgruntled, bribe money waving, armed drug kingpin.

Thank you for the heads up on this. This ex-board member has been a thorn in my side and that of many in the school. His actions and behavior show him to be a dangerous person. How he ever got on the board in years past astounds me. I will take whatever protective action I can in this environment and run it by you in advance of the testing. We’ll inform the other necessary teachers, but try to keep this as low-key as possible. Fat chance!

With a caring but only friendly hug, I left Rosemary and sped back to school in the green machine.

I would not have time to digest in deph; the PTA head would be there when I returned. Noreen was all smiles that I got back in time. She was a woman in her early thirties with black hair, brown eyes, and bangs. She dressed and prepared herself in very simple ways. She wore only lipstick which I ocassionally noticed her fixing. I see her so often that unconsciously I learned her face and know that if she just used more make-up and let the hair grow onto her shoulders, she would be a real head turner. I would think, but say nothing. I was her boss.

"She may be a little sweet on me, which is complementary, but I am doing my best not to notice. She’s sarcastic at times but endearing rather than nasty.

Thank goodness you are back on time!, Noreen said, I won’t have to make small talk incessentally with this boring woman."

Noreen enjoys scolding me. Too much I think. I have to resist.

After an hour with the boring woman planning the international fair, I would need a couple of stiff ones. I was going to be the amiable Director who sat in the contraption above the tank of water. A target connected to my seat; if hit with a softball, would put me in the water. Ultimately, good sport that I am, some board members held an auction to see who would throw the first ball at my perch. Good money, and it took several tries to dunk me. In the mean time I had license to sputter whatever insults and jeering at them that I wished; anything to cement relations outside the board room.

I decided to inform the school board president and discuss some increased security for the people directly involved with testing. The school board president also General Manager of the major fruit company in the town had scores of security people he could call on.

He didn’t seem particularly concerned though he had three children in the school. He may have called someone, but no-one was told that was happening, not even me. Beyond that, in the community, there were few ideas. As has been often true in countries where I have served, the police were not dependable. Perhaps they were not interested in dealing with a potential conflict with a strong criminal. Without a hefty bribe, at least. Yes, the police, too. The other party could offer heftier bribes than we. Better late than never would not meet our needs of protection. The male and several of the female teachers including Rosemary agreed to converge on my office if I were to appear to be in danger. Other than that, we had no clever ideas.

My only fight training, with no military training, had been in high school when black haired, angry eyed Reggy Mare incessently tried to push my buttons. He repeatedly knocked the large number of books I carried to the floor. No backpacks then. This in the mix of students passing in every which direction. Embarrassed, I tried to pick them all up. The girl that I wanted to join the Five Mile High Club with was the one there feeling sorry for me (wrong emotion) and helping me pick them up.

I finally lost patience but stayed civilized telling the assistant principal, "if this continues, I will not be able