I started my first teaching job two weeks after my 21st birthday armed with my BS degree and new teaching certificate.

My first principal had wandering hands and was known to pat young women teachers on the behind whenever he had the chance. (I learned to stay arm’s length away.) When I went to him about a problem with a student, his response was, “If you can’t handle the situation, we will hire somebody who can.” Unfortunately, this man is not the worst I ever worked for. 

In my 33 years as an educator, I was supervised by 20 principals. (This was an unusually large number because as a counselor, sometimes I served multiple schools.) None of them was ever dismissed, although one of the best was told to resign or else be evaluated as incompetent.  One of the worst later became superintendent of the district.

This is not meant as a reflection on the current situation in our community; it just happened.

I think that becoming a principal takes a lot of courage because it puts a person on the spot constantly.

One single person becomes responsible for the perceived success or failure of the school, regardless of factors which are beyond his or her control. (Do you really think that those principals on Mercer Island are the reason their students score so high on standardized tests?)

Teachers are by nature independent-thinking people who have their own well-developed ideas about what works best in the classroom, and providing leadership sometimes involves letting them do it their way. Students are in the school for a variety of reasons, not always connected to educational aspirations. Each child has different abilities and needs. Parents do the best that they can, but factors like poverty, unemployment, illness or other unsettling events sometimes keep their children from learning in school. 

It is obvious that a school is good when you first walk in the door. If a school has a nurturing faculty and supportive parents, it will be evident immediately. The good ones have a principal and office staff who know the names of all of the students and their families and encourage help from the community. The teachers support each other and go the extra mile to make things work. The new child is welcomed.

Nothing else a school can do will have as great an influence on how well students learn.

I first met Gary Pflueger in August of 2009 when he interviewed me as a potential substitute teacher for the district. I was very impressed, both with his calm demeanor, and his ideas about educating the children of the community. When I have been to the elementary school, it has the obvious signs of a good school which is working to meet the needs of the pupils.

I could not help but feel envious of the people who were lucky enough to work or to have their children attend there. 

Over the years, I sat on a number of hiring committees and have observed that the best person on paper and in the interview does not always turn out to be good for the job. There is no guarantee that a replacement hired for the elementary principal’s position would be an improvement. 

Ignoring the parents’ and teachers’ pleas to keep the present principal will put an insurmountable burden on any administrator who follows him.

The current situation with the principal, superintendant and school board is very disturbing to me. I believe that Gary Pflueger is an excellent fit for the school and losing him would be a tragedy.

As a counselor, I want to see people communicate and work together to solve their disagreements, and I do not understand why the school board and superintendent cannot do this with Mr. Pflueger.  

— Laura Jo Severson is a retired teacher and guidance counselor. She and her husband, Bill, live on San Juan Island.