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Classroom Teacher Interview Paper

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For the last forty-two years, Dr. Robert Woods has been a fixture in Elkhart Community Schools (ECS). Starting out as a classroom teacher he slowly made his trek away from the classroom into school administration, and finally into his current position as ECS’s Director of Business. Dr. Wood’ authenticity and his commitment to serve ECS and the city of Elkhart is what stood out in my interview with him. Dr. Wood’s alma mater was originally built to boost the development of the city of Muncie, but the original college failed to thrive and was a gift to the state of Indiana by the Ball brothers. The state in turn reopened it as a normal school for teachers, and the General Assembly changed the schools name to Ball Teacher’s College to …show more content…

Woods proudly belongs to the Indiana Association of School Business Officials (IASBO). The Indiana Association of School Business Officials is a professional organization founded in 1946 that promotes the school business management profession. Individuals involved in the Association are responsible for the following activities in Indiana’s public schools: finance, accounting, budgeting, auditing, purchasing, maintenance and operations, human resources, facility planning, risk management, cash management, food nutrition, technology, and transportation (“The Indiana Association of School Business Officials”, 2016). Dr. Woods stressed the importance of belonging to professional organizations because it helps not only him, but his co-workers as well. An example of how belonging to this particular professional organization has helped him was learning what qualities and/or characteristics are important to his position. Be that as it may, Dr. Woods held that “Having the ability to stay calm within the storm” as one the most important traits of someone in his position, and I totally agree. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath (James 1:19 King James Version). This bible verse along with Dr. Woods answer to my question is very important for school administrators in their dealings with staff, students, parents, and community organizations. Knowing to remain calm within the storm can sometimes determine whether you …show more content…

Woods is absolutely convinced that the state funding formula is NOT adequate for Elkhart Community Schools. Taking funds away from public education to support private schools is the major cause for inadequate funding according to Dr. Woods. He is convinced that our former and current governors are not for public education, and Pence is currently throwing bones at our Indiana educators. Dr. Woods also stated that when Governor Daniels was in office he used his contacts from his days of being a radio announcer to help get the word out about the vouchers. However, if I understood what him correctly, he feels like local dollars should be local and state dollars should be state. Dr. Woods would like to see a better calculation of the funding formula so that we can move in a different direction. Elkhart Community Schools is led under the direction of the Board of School Trustees, commonly referred to as the “school board.” The ECS school board is comprised of seven members from four districts, elected by registered voters living within the boundaries of Elkhart Community Schools. The Board’s main function is to oversee the operation of the school corporation and to promote continuous student improvement (“Elkhart Community Schools”, 2016). Dr. Woods explained the process of the school board adopting local policies like

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