Apparently, things haven’t worked out between the Holland Public School Board and the recently hired and recently fired superintendent. It is unfortunate for both of them. I wish things had turned out better, but these things happen. Now Holland Schools is again tasked with finding a new leader.

I’m thinking of throwing my hat in the ring.

If I officially apply, the board is unlikely to review my application, so I take a different approach. Today and tomorrow, I present to you my imagined interview with the HPS Council.

Board of Directors: Mr. Buursma, what first actions do you plan to take as superintendent?

Me: Right away, our district will be hiring a full-time grant writer to raise funds for several programs that I hope to implement.

Board of Directors: What do you have in mind?

Me: First, Holland Schools needs more parenting connections. Their tasks will be to promote greater interaction between neighborhood families and schools and between children and parents.

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Tip: what do you mean?

Me: This business will have two main goals.

The first is to make sure that all parents are familiar with the resources and operations of the district. They will become familiar with all of their children’s schools, programs, programs, teachers and staff, daily operations, district policies and procedures, etc. Parents will be invited to classrooms, team practices, canteens, gyms and soon. Parents will observe for themselves the functioning of the schools.

The second is to meet with parents to show them and explain to them how they can interact with their children so that their children’s brains develop faster and more fully. Such brain development will result in more capable students for the district to teach.

Board of Directors: How will this work?

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Me: Studies show the brain thrives best when stimulated during toddlers and preschool years, especially through conversation. The Liaisons will show parents how to converse with their children, starting soon after birth, with age-appropriate dialogue. The same applies to mathematical concepts. Parents can learn to develop math areas of their children’s brains through age-appropriate activities and games.

There is more. Liaison officers will provide materials to parents well in advance of their children entering school. They will receive picture books, puzzles, thinking games (like Connect Four, Guess Who, Uno, etc.) with demonstrations on how to interact with their children using these resources. They will teach parents to play puzzle games, word games and number games with their children.

This will all begin a few months after the birth of a child and continue throughout the child’s educational involvement with HPS. Liaison officers will meet with parents three or four times a year.

Tip: Shouldn’t teachers be doing this?

Me no. Again, brain development has to start before a child is even a year old, so teachers are not yet involved. Even during the years when students are in school, teachers already have too much on their plate. Teachers don’t need another responsibility.

Let me add that the Liaisons will visit parents in their homes. As the saying goes, “If you cannot bring Muhammad to the mountain, bring the mountain to Muhammad. “

In addition, the neighborhood should offer a free universal kindergarten to residents. Preschool teachers should be paid at levels equivalent to those of other teachers in the district. Of course, they too should have the training and certification levels of professional staff.

Tip: Explain your opinion of data-driven programs.

Me: Year after year, Dutch schools tend towards the bottom of the middle school district. This is no surprise, as the socio-economic status of students in Holland District is lower and more diverse than that of other districts. It won’t change.

Research shows that socioeconomic status is the greatest correlate of academic success. Why? I think the reason is that the parents in these groups know how to develop and develop their children’s brains and provide them with the activities and structure necessary for academic success. The same skills can be taught to parents who may not know or use these techniques. Again, the goal is to help parents develop their children’s brains. This will make the education of children much more efficient.

Board of Directors: How do you know it will work?

Me: No, but it makes sense. Let’s take a look at the district file. Holland is constantly trying to refine its programs based on the M-Step questions. Did it work? Are the scores higher than in previous years? No, despite the remarkable efforts of the school staff.

I think the emphasis is out of place. Changing curricula and changing teaching practices do not work in isolation. We need to change the learners.

Tip: Do you have other plans to develop better learners?

I do. It is time to end the agricultural school calendar of the 1900s. We need to increase the school year from 180 teaching days to at least 200 days. Summer vacation should be reduced to just six weeks and more breaks should be included in the school calendar. Of course, the staff must be paid fairly, and that will present difficulties, but a solution must be found.

Tip: Families love the summer vacation, and students love to earn money in the summer. How are you going to address these concerns?

Me: I won’t. We’re going. It’s you and me together. Remember, our mission is to educate children, not to plan family vacations or student work opportunities.

Teachers will have a similar situation. Teachers should be in the classroom as much as possible, not attending meetings, conferences, professional development, etc. during school days. Of course, teachers get sick or have to miss school for medical reasons, but regular teachers are needed in their classrooms. Substitutes, bless their hearts, do not usually offer the same quality of experience as regular teachers. This is not an indictment against the substitutes. It is an indictment against the current system.

Tip: Tell us how you interact with parents who are unhappy with how the school works.

Me: Schools are not businesses, and parents are not customers. Schools are institutions and parents and their children are clients.

This means that the school staff and structure must focus on the best interests of the students, not on what makes them or their parents happiest or most satisfied. Some decisions can cause discontent.

For example, state law states that a child must attend school regularly. It’s in the Michigan State Education Code. Of course, medical situations are exceptions, but other than that, students should attend school regularly. It’s the law. When a student is absent from school for a week because the family wants to ski or see Mickey Mouse in Orlando, they are not learning. These absences must change. If they don’t, students should be counted as truant and the legal system should be used to effect change. Again, the district’s mission is to educate. Students cannot play hooky, even when parents provide the opportunity.

Parents have every right to discuss procedures, policies, practices and grievances. Me and you will listen to every suggestion or criticism. If a situation reasonably and logically justifies a change, it will change. If the change is not justified, we will explain the reasons and state that sometimes we have to accept to disagree.

Board of Directors: Do you have other initiatives?

I do. I believe that creating a culture of inclusion and belonging is vital for a school community. We must and will find ways that students with Asperger’s disease, with poor social skills, academic difficulties, behavioral issues, and any other challenges, feel accepted and welcomed by their peers.

Programs already exist to promote such acceptance. Counselors and / or administrators should put systems in place, if they are not already doing so, and ensure that every student feels valued and accepted. The Oxford HS incident shows what can happen when even a student feels troubled and alienated.

Counselors should not wait for referrals to be made. Rather, they will proactively seek out those who feel troubled and suggest interventions before problematic behaviors arise. Of course, there is no guarantee of success, but we must try.

Board of Directors: What is your position on discipline for student misconduct?

Me: The first thing to consider is whether a student has the ability to control bad behavior. If it cannot, we must provide it with the least constraining environment to meet its needs. But other students cannot be routinely and continually interrupted by blatant negative misconduct. This is unfair to the majority and interrupts the district’s mission.

If a student chooses to repeatedly misbehave or act irresponsibly, administrators and school-parent liaisons will interact with students and parents to effect change. But the 99 percent of students who act appropriately cannot be hindered by the few who cause continuous disruption or disruption of learning opportunities.

Also, I like non-harmful student pranks. I would be grateful if the students would allow me to join them in playing pranks on principals and teachers from time to time.

Board of Directors: Wow! It was a great interview. When can you start?

Me: I’m not sure. I have to check with my wife to see if she would even let me take on the job.

– Community columnist Ray Buursma is a resident of the Netherlands. Contact him at [email protected]