The politics of high school

No, this isn't an expose of how kids treat each other, although I guess it could be. However, I have been really slow to understand that high schools, students, and teachers are used as high-priced, valuable pawns in a political game. See, it starts out with the position of principal. In my former position as high school librarian where I was for five years, I was so concentrated on what I considered my job that I completely missed the whole political thing. Here's what I am noticing: 

The Principal of the high school belongs to the Superintendent.

This middle manager, no matter what, knows that he must please the Superintendent. I have been at three high schools-- at the first one, the principal had never moved from his building! He began his professional life as a teacher of English at the same school at which he presided as principal. How's that for continuity?  One doesn't see that in business much. He wasn't bad, wasn't great, but was completely blind to the needs of students and staff. Why? I think it was because he was so complacent and didn't feel the need to work any harder to understand anything. Weird. He saw the kids who were going to our school from other cities (read: Detroit) as a threat and kicked them out. Today we would call that "school of choice." the rubber hit the road with the assistant principals, who get the heavy lifting done. The principal strong arms the staff, or doesn't, according to what he's told to do. At least this guy was a teacher. How people get to be principals without being teachers is beyond me.

Let's look next at the next assignment. This principal said it was not (Real name)  High School, it was "(Insert principal's name here) high school." Amazing, the arrogance. Although he had much to add and was instrumental in my understanding of the population and the students, he had favorites on the staff (known as the harem),  favorites in the student population, and was uneven in his discipline. Unbelievable. When we got a new Superintendent, the principal tried to poison the guy against the high school staff, saying that most of the problems that the school had, probably up to and including the leaky roof, were our fault.  Personally, he tried to tell the students that I was being punished by having to open the middle school library. "I'm going to change her schedule." As though I were a recalcitrant student. But look in my record! Nothing but stellar recommendations and rave reviews from teachers, administration, and staff. Heck I even got the former superintendent to write me a letter of recommendation for graduate school! So I know I did a job that was done right and needed to be done. He just didn't like that I didn't put a new teacher in her place and tell her that she couldn't use the library the first week of school as had been the custom. Why this made him angry with me (and therefore forever on his sh**list), I don't know. At the end of the school year he left without saying goodbye. That's not a very good way to go.

In my next assignment, the population was a totally different demographic and definitely different problems.

The School Board need to be aware of what's going on in schools today.

Those people who want to be on school boards, for whatever their reasons, need to know that they have one of the most important jobs out there today. Schools get to be on the bleeding edge of creative economics, because they are constantly having to do more and more with less and less. 

High Schools are political footballs.

High Schools are not just the "9-12" of k-12 learning. for some reason, they seem to mean more to people than just schools. People play politics with students' lives. Witness the MEAP that has morphed into the MME. Someone said that Jennifer Granholm needs to get into schools and out of her office once in awhile, and I agree. we aren't ever going to be a "white coat" state. There are lots of us folks who believe that working with our hands is an honest way to make a living. After all, someone's gotta cut hair, build my house, make my window frames, and god forbid build my car! We in Michigan have a special respect for blue-collar work. Walter Reuther made his greatest contributions here, remember? It's a shame and a travesty that we no longer respect these types of jobs, and denigrate those who make a living with their hands, backs, and hammers. High School seems to be a lightning rod for the crazies when it comes to trying out new things, never once checking to see whether they work, and then leave the programs and the students high and dry when we are finished.

I just see this happening over and over. Yes, the principal of the school answers to the superintendent. I get that. But what about the good of the kids? Who is their guardian? Who will speak for those who have no voice?