County gears up for return to school

Published 12:00 am Thursday, August 5, 2004

Though their students still have a few more days to bask in the summer sun, teachers in the Dallas County School System headed back to the classroom on Wednesday to prepare for the upcoming school year.

In an effort to motivate the faculty and staff and provide them with up-to-date information, the school system began the day with its annual Teachers and Support Personnel Institute in the William R. Martin Middle School gymnasium.

The meeting marks the official kick-off of the new school year and sets the tone for what is to be expected from staff.

Email newsletter signup

Superintendent Wayne May said this year’s theme is based around team building and working together to improve education.

“I already saw a team of administrators in (administrative assistants) Don Willingham, Freeman Waller and the rest of the staff,” May said. “They didn’t skip a beat when I had my health problems.”

May spent the majority of the summer recovering from heart surgery and finally returned to his place at the helm of the school system three weeks ago.

“I am probably more excited to be back than I have ever been,” May said.

Now that the new school year has begun, May said he wants to focus on building a strategic team at each of the county schools with the principals, teachers, and support staff all working together to improve education.

“Our bus drivers, for instance, are the first faces these kids see when the come to school in the morning and the last faces they see before going home,” May said. “We need everyone to play an important role in encouraging these children to work hard in school.”

The superintendent said he already feels the school system works well together, but he would like to build an even stronger relationship.

To get the team building strategy started, the school system invited Luis Ibarra, a family therapist and president of the Arizona-based Friendly House, to be the guest speaker at the Institute.

Ibarra travels the country speaking about the importance of good management and working together.

“Leadership is a function, not a role,” Ibarra told the crowd of teachers and support staff. “Look for people who are competent and have good ideas.”

Ibarra said 30 percent of the school system’s staff are normally going to be very supportive, while the rest either “feel this is just a job, or they are creatures of routine.”

“If you feel this is just a job, then you need to move on or get out of the way,” Ibarra said.

Also during the meeting, Parent Facilitator Dorothy Irvin awarded Martin Middle School with a trophy for having the greatest amount of parental involvement throughout this past year.

Other speakers during the meeting included Lebarron Mack from the Alabama Education Association and Elizabeth Abernathy from All Kids insurance.

After the Institute, the teachers were required to attend various workshops and return to their respective schools ready to start the fall term with a clean slate and fresh ideas.