What A Great Job
On a recent school visit to Newark Academy, I was lucky enough to go to morning meeting. It began with the usual—adult announcements, kid announcements, and reminders about deadlines, games, club meetings, etc. Certainly information that might have been managed through email or news events postings—even scrolling on one of those cool electronic boards some schools have hanging in their foyers or dining halls. But the rituals were comfortable—even for me, a stranger to this community but not to similar communities. How great it is for adolescents to have the opportunity to stand up in front of a crowd and speak, even if to just announce the basketball score or the chess club meeting: never easy to do, but easier when it is your community.
It was the two science teachers who stole the show, as it was, and set the tone for the day. The science department at this school was sponsoring a trip to a nearby city’s science museum and these two teachers were drumming up takers—voluntary science trip on a Sunday. A very silly skit followed. The Biology teacher and the Physics teacher battling over which attractions—the heart you could walk through, the laser display—on and on—would be the main draw. It was 8:00 in the morning, less than a week before winter break, and everyone was laughing. These two teachers had a script, and while they probably won’t be quitting their day jobs to write for David Letterman any time soon, they had a script, and everyone was laughing.
The reason for my visit was because I was preparing to help this school manage a search for a senior administrator. As I sat there, laughing and watching the people in this community enjoying themselves, I thought: in what other world can adults begin their workday by performing a silly skit? What a great job; what a great place to work.
What a great way to begin the day. Everybody left the auditorium smiling.
(Check out our Current Searches under News & Events on the IT Home page to learn more about the search IT is doing for Newark Academy.)