Kimberly Moritz BlogPosts

As the high school principal, I have the luxury of working with Dan Cassidy, our Dean of Students who handles 99% of the disciplinary issues in our building. I’ve worked as an assistant principal responsible for all discipline for 900 students in a middle school and I’ve been the principal responsible solely for a 7-12 building. In G-Town, I can be effective in all of the aspects of the job that I’ve written about here because I have a Dean of Students who takes care of discipline.

Dan wasn’t in school today, he left before lunch yesterday. I’m not at all reluctant to do discipline, but today I remembered why I need someone else doing the job. On a day like today, a day that makes it impossible to plan, to evaluate, to think, to read and reflect, to complete a coherent thought, to problem solve or to analyze, I realize how ineffective a leader I would be if I tried to lead G-Town at the same time that I had to do the triage, crowd control, reactionary, “holy cats, what next?”, kinds of things that discipline can become. It’s exhausting and draining and leaves no time for forward thinking and planning.

The following exerpt of my day is written the same way it happened, in run-on and fragmented sentences– where I can’t even complete a thought before the next thing comes along.

Let’s start at 7:25 with the parents who were in to see me before homeroom because of a complaint about a grade. At 7:45, three girls squaring off in the hallway over a long standing disagreement, ending in a screaming match, an hour conflict resolution and another hour with parents and each girl separately. (Thank goodness for excellent guidance counselors.) Try to catch up with discipline referrals, phone calls to parents of the alternative ed kids who were swearing at the transportation supervisor, see the kids for throwing slushie in the hallway, going late to class, skipping class, coming late to school without a note, going late to class, calling someone a pig, hitting someone with a baseball hat, and going late to class. Meeting with a teacher. Debrief from the conflict resolution. Two bus referrals with alternative education kids that result in suspension and a bus video to watch. (Thank goodness for the middle school principal for going to watch the tape.) A cell phone is stolen, a locker to search, a kid to search, NO, I won’t search the kid again–you don’t know she stole it, I’m not harassing her and you shouldn’t have left it in the locker room, THAT’S WHY WE GIVE YOU A LOCK FOR YOUR LOCKER. It’s 1:50 and time for A send off with the local newspapers for our Sensational Senior who’s off to States for Cross Country where we form a human tunnel with all 494 students through the hallways as the coach and team members walk first, followed by our Super Fast Runner in a wagon while music blares through the PA system and the Press takes pictures as he throws candy to the crowd. BEST part of the day, by far. Must have planned this when I wasn’t inundated with discipline.

Readers are given a look into G-Town as often as I write. This is a part of G-Town and every school in the country. What’s the key to managing it? Dedicate staff to take care of it, support them, and get about the business of leading the school. (Thank goodness for Dan Cassidy, Dean of Students.)