Where does the Buck Stop?

I have often wondered what would happen in a school if the principal was gone? I have been a student, a teacher, and an administrator. They are all important for the smooth running of the school, but I know that if a principal is gone to a conference or something like that, no one knows. If a teacher is out sick or taking a vacation day, a substitute is hired. If the secretary is gone, the whole place goes to hell in a hand basket. That being said, all areas of the school workforce are required for a smooth and peaceful educational day for the students, Oh yes, the students.

Over the years I have observed some of the following things that may or may not interest you, but they do me. There are many who think that schools were created so that they might have a job, students are just a necessary nuisance that they must put up with. The truth of the matter is that the students are there to be taught, counseled, fed and always taken care of by all areas of the educational system, from the time that they leave their home and ride the bus to school until they return.

Now that I have had my little tirade, I want you to know of the many wonderful people there are who look after, teach, and take care of the students’ welfare. There are many in the field that receive accolades which are well deserved; such as administrators, teachers, and counselors. There are many more who receive little recognition, such as secretaries, bus drivers, lunch workers, custodians and I’m sure many more that my brain cannot think of now.

I will take just a little time to talk about one category. I choose the lunch workers, better known by me as the lunch ladies. We had seven or so women who prepared and served the lunches to the students at our high school. They were not appreciated as they should have been. They worked long hard hours from early in the morning until most other employees had left for home. One of the worst offenders was the administration; they called them the “lunch ladies from hell.” 

I was new and had no real experience in administration. The rest of the administrators were well trained and had some experience. I had none. I don’t know why they had me come in with them. Maybe because we had just had an old dominant principal, well-liked by the teachers. The district had pushed him out. I think they thought that because I was friends with most of the teachers, it might help to smooth things for the new principal. The new principal, in my opinion, was a much better leader.

Orem High School faculty and staff about 1994 I'm on the left side in the back between the blue plaid and plain blue shirts.

I came in and received some of the jobs that no one else wanted. I wasn’t aware of that, but it worked out fine for me. I was put in charge of the lunch ladies. I chose to eat with them once a week. I would sit down and eat before they went to serve. The fact that I would sit in the back room and eat with them seemed to do wonders. Soon the principal saw a difference in the lunch ladies. They were bringing food down to my office. They brought me potato salad, pickled cabbage, macaroni and cheese, cake, pie and other things that they had made. To get to my office they had to pass the other administrators’ office doors. The other administrators called them “Stubbs’ Babes.”

I had some trials in the new job, but I loved it. The district vocational director asked for me to start an experimental program at Orem High. The other principals were just fine with that because they didn’t know what the job was and knew that if it failed the assistant principal in charge would not do well in the district. It turned out to be the greatest job anyone could wish for. I was on the district payroll which paid me more than the other assistant principals. I started eating lunch out in the shop area with the vocational teachers and looking for money for their projects and for equipment.

I was truly blessed; I loved my years spent at Orem High. I was able to stay at that one school for thirty-two years. My own family must have thought that it was a good profession. Counting the in-laws and grandchildren, my wife and I, there are nine of us in the education world. There are many more experiences at the high school that I may write about.