Four years as a high school teacher had given me an opportunity to study
the educational field. During that time I had made a practice of
attending county, sectional, state, and, whenever possible, national
teachers' meetings, so that I might become acquainted with current
school problems and with the men and women who were educational leaders.
After considering carefully my possible qualifications for
administrative work, I decided that to secure the superintendency of
schools in a small town was the proper educational step for me to
take. By an application through regular channels I succeeded in
being elected to the coveted position and thereby gained what I was
seeking--administrative opportunity.
As the election had been given me without a personal application, I
decided to invest eighteen dollars in a trip to my new field of labor
during the spring vacation, so that I might get acquainted with the
general school situation. The first important discovery that I made was
that the superintendent who was leaving had the ill will of a part of
the community, but still had the loyal support of the teachers. My
problem was to get his coöperation so that I could enter the work with
as little friction as possible, and to obtain general knowledge of his
plans of school administration. Both these factors were very essential
to a succeeding superintendent. He gave me the coöperation and
information most willingly--a service which I have never ceased to
appreciate.
I met the members of the board as individuals and was received very
cordially by them. No doubt they were interested in seeing me and
appreciated the interest I showed in getting acquainted with the work in
advance.
We moved to the town during the middle of August. As soon as we became
settled, my attention was turned to the work of the new position. I had
already given a close study to the grade and high school programs and
course of study. Copies of the different courses of study offered in
well-organized neighboring schools were also obtained in order that I
might get a broader view of the school conditions in that section of the
state.
Ten days before the opening of school I placed a notice in the town
paper inviting all the high school pupils who had attended school the
year before to call at the building and see me. A considerable number
responded to this request, and through these pupils I received a large
amount of valuable information.
One of my first tasks was to prepare a high school program which would
permit the pupils to carry the work that they should pursue in
accordance with their chosen courses of study. We had only three
teachers for the high school, including myself, which narrowed the range
of subjects that might be offered each semester. Before attempting to
make a program I compiled a list of names of all the pupils who had
attended high school the year before, with the lists of the subjects
each pupil had completed. I then made a statement of the subjects that
each pupil should take during the ensuing year. This gave the necessary
information for making a program. When school opened each pupil was
given a slip of paper showing the credits he had made to date and the
subjects for which he was to register. By checking carefully, all
conflicts were eliminated and the first day of instruction went off
without delay or friction. This was worth much to the school and to me.
Not all my time, however, was given to the making of a high school
program. I prepared a tentative time schedule for the subjects in the
elementary grades. This schedule, with a few minor changes, was
afterward adopted by the grade teachers.
The business side of the school was especially interesting to me. I
believed then, and still believe, that a successful superintendent must
be a close student of school costs. He must know and keep constantly in
mind the amount of money available for school expenses and be able to
recommend how that money can be expended to the best advantage. Too
often the superintendent, by the nature of his tenure, is forced to plan
only for the one year--a policy that is wasteful to the district and
harmful to the general efficiency of the school. In order to secure a
comprehensive idea of the school supplies on hand and what would be
needed, I asked the janitor to assist me in making a complete check of
all the books and supplies in the building. This work proved very
helpful to me later and was alone worth the two extra weeks I had given
to my new position.
With the school program made, supplies checked, and a good preliminary
acquaintance with the board members and school conditions, I left the
building on Friday evening preceding the opening of school feeling
_ready_ for the year's work to begin.