School Matters Week of 04/11/2022

When I first began hunting, two friends and I leased a hunting property. We managed the lease carefully and only harvested mature bucks and large toms. We took care of the land and made sure we improved the roads, cabin, and feeding areas. As happens with most hunting leases, there came a time when the owners sold the property, and we were notified it was our last year to hunt there.

By the campfire, the three of us talked the evening before opening day. My high school buddy and I were talking about harvesting any buck that we saw that year because it was our last year. We also talked about bringing other friends onto the property and allowing them to take whatever they wanted. We continued to express our frustration. We even told our older hunting buddy that we were not going to make any improvements to the property that year. We were a little resentful of the new owners and were resolved to do all we could to diminish the hunting value of the land so that they could not enjoy it as we had.

During this conversation, our hunting partner remained silent as he often did. I can now see that he probably enjoyed listening to these two young kids who thought they knew everything. At the end of our rant, we asked him what he thought. As he did often, he gave us some valuable lessons, and I remember specifically two things he mentioned that night. First, he said to us that God was not really interested in JV Christians. He wanted followers to be full-time varsity starters and not just pick convenient times to be kind, considerate, and loving. Second, he talked to us about the way that small things could impact our life. He gave an example that has remained in my conscience for nearly 40 years. If we were walking in a field and dropped a cookie on the ground, we may pick it up, dust it off, and eat it. However, we probably would not consider the cookie if it landed on a cow pile. Few of us would say that the cookie only landed on a small part of the cow pile and that most of it was okay to eat.

He continued this story by comparing it to our life. Small things could have a tremendous impact on our life and grow larger. Our life could be permanently stained if we allow our actions to constantly fall on cow piles. Some of those stains would be superficial and could be washed away with good works and apologies. However, some of those stains would be deeply engrained into our life, and we would never be able to wash them away. As young boys, we did not fully appreciate what he was talking about and continued to have our thoughts of ways to sabotage the new owners. He realized that we were not smart enough to understand, so he made it extremely clear to us.

He told us that we were going to improve the road and leave it in the best shape we could. He said that we were going to strengthen every tree stand to ensure it was safe and comfortable for the new owners. We would continue to harvest only mature bucks so there would be a healthy stock for the next set of hunters. We would also make much-needed repairs to the cabin before we left. He ended the conversation by telling us that we were going to invite the new owners into camp and would share our best hunting spots with them. Basically, we were going to make them successful. As I look back on this experience, I now fully understand the wisdom he shared with us. We are not held in high esteem, and our character is broken a little when we choose to be resentful to those who follow us. I have committed myself to making sure this district is in the best possible condition for the next leader when he arrives.

The Board of Education made the decision to employ a non-traditional candidate for superintendent of schools. There has been a great deal of social media posts, comments, and conversations concerning this individual. However, the decision has been made, and I personally want only the best for Mr. Bunch. Without question, he has enjoyed an incredible career, and it takes significant leadership skills to reach the level of a four-star general. While he may not possess some of the educational background experiences, he has massive leadership skills and experiences which will be invaluable to this job.

Although I had many years of superintendent/educational experience prior to my appointment to Hamblen County, I was still unfamiliar with many of the educational requirements of Tennessee. In fact, there are still some aspects of TVAAS and TNCompass that I still do not understand and depend on my colleagues to help me complete these assignments. No one individual will ever possess all of the necessary skill sets to be the total package, and all of us must depend on others to be effective. I was involved in helping a district find a new superintendent many years ago. We started the process by holding a community meeting to solicit feedback on the skill sets which would be needed in the new superintendent. After listing the necessary characteristics for nearly an hour, the facilitator took a pause to review the criteria. He left the crowd with a very profound thought. He stated that he would find a quality candidate with all those required characteristics as long as a divine being applied for the position.

I have learned a number of things in nearly four decades of service in public schools, but there are two extremely important lessons. First, no one individual will ever possess all of the necessary skills and characteristics to be the complete superintendent. A successful superintendent must surround himself/herself with a wide variety of personalities and attributes to be effective. Great leaders will search for diversity and will hire those individuals who are a little different from him/her to ensure the leadership team will be complete them. Second, there is a common belief that a chief executive officer must make those around him/her be successful. While this is true to some degree, I have grown to understand that the opposite is also true. Everyone in an organization has the responsibility to help their leader to be successful. It is not a one-way street in which the leader has all of the answers and solutions. We must constantly ask of ourselves what we can do to make our leaders, schools, community, and nation more successful instead of always seeking assistance.

Mr. Bunch will assume the duties of superintendent of schools in less than 90 days. He will come to his position with a deep understanding of the community. He understands the values, culture, and norms of Hamblen County. He also possesses an extensive network of personal connections which he can rely upon to advance the cause of the school system. He has faithfully served this nation for over three decades, so there is little question about his integrity, service, commitment, or character. I extended my congratulations to him the night of the board meeting and offered my assistance to him. He was very gracious in his comments, and I was impressed by many of the things he said. One of the things which stood out the most was that he recognized he needed more experience with the education system. He wanted to know the resources which would help him gain those skill sets. He seems to be a life-long learner who is eager to assume this position and who will work relentlessly to improve any deficiencies he may have.

I made it clear to Mr. Bunch, and our staff, that I am 100% committed to helping him be successful. I will do everything within my power to use these remaining days to ensure a smooth transition. We could all be frustrated with the selection process and other elements of the search. However, the Board acted within its authority, and they chose Mr. Bunch. It is my hope that all of us come together and demonstrate our support of our next school leader. He will not come to this position with all of the necessary experience, but then again, none of us come to this seat with all of the required skills. It is our responsibility as colleagues, as parents, as community members, as citizens, to provide the necessary support to help him. He is a strong leader with vast experiences working with multiple entities which will help make him an effective superintendent. However, all of us need that initial support and encouragement to be our best.

I think many in our community and nation constantly degrade, humiliate, and complain about our leaders. We are quick to judge others and express our frustration without actually investing the time to become truly educated about why leaders make the decision they made. It is much easier to shout the common negative rhetoric without understanding our responsibility in changing the situation for better. I once heard a civil rights activist who spoke about the difference between a rioter and a change agent. The rioter would shout, march, destroy property and demand equal rights, but those individuals never made a legitimate change. The change agents possessed the same passion, but they expressed themselves in a much different manner. They analyzed the situation, were strategic in their approach, worked within the system to make fundamental changes, and most importantly, they helped current leaders become what they needed to be.

Without reservation, or hesitation, I am fully supportive of Mr. Bunch assuming this position in July. We all need him to be successful. We should provide the necessary support and encouragement enabling him to be the best superintendent he can be. Being a school superintendent is not always the easiest job in the world under the best of times. We have a number of challenges, and we need to have full community support for the next superintendent to empower him to address these issues. I ask everyone to join me as we welcome Mr. Bunch into our school system and back home to his community. Thanks for your attention to this article and remember, School Matters!