Leadership Matters April 2015

Villa Grove Superintendent Dr. Mary Ann Manos, surrounded by second graders.

What do superintendents do? Second graders know!

By Dr. Mary Ann Manos Superintendent, Villa Grove District 302

One big problem with being an effective school superintendent is trying to communicate what this job is all about. No one, except another school superintendent, really understands the length, width and depth of the job description and ever-changing responsibilities. Parents think they know and will gladly complain about “Fat Cats” who don’t teach, don’t coach, don’t cook and don’t drive the kids, but they really cannot clearly explain the parameters of the job. So here we are in a job no one can clearly describe, but a job that everyone else can do better than we are doing it. We are reminded of the old spiritual lyric, “Nobody knows the trouble I have seen.” Into this environment of confusion and partial knowledge, comes one group of second grade elementary school students who have a 20/20 view of how a school superintendent spends the work day.

What do school superintendents do?

She could help tie shoes. He has to buy books. She can swing. He makes sure there are no robbers. She does homework. They can hold the door for you. He can hide behind papers.

She can call our Moms. They put Band-Aids on people. She can drive the bus. He looks at spelling tests and baseball scores. She checks the phone. He can fix kids by calming them down. She hires people. They could do recess duty. She lives at school. A superintendent grades papers. They plan field trips.

She makes important decisions. He can play basketball anytime. She can clean desks. He writes notes. She gets to choose what is for lunch at school. He keeps all records. She can play in the park. He helps principals.

She has to keep kids safe. He can write book reports. They buy stuff for the school. She can do anything.

Easy job, right? But the best descriptor from the kids: They love our school .

That says it all!

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