Saturday, May 1, 2010

Episode 102 The Commish

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Dan and Jeff discuss what they would do as commissioner of education in Maine.

Listener feedback is encouraged. Contact us at wickeddecentlearning@gmail.com or leave us comments at http://wickeddecentlearning.blogspot.com or on Twitter, name Wicked Decent, or on Skype- Wicked Decent Learning. Leave us a voicemail at (207) 518-8827. This episode was recorded April 28, 2010.

1 comment:

Mark said...

Hey guys,

Just so you know, getting your budget passed is a DC18 skill check. Now you do get to add your Charisma modifier (+4 in my case). I rolled a 13 on my Budget check which modifies to a 17. So sadly, I do not get everything I asked for in my budget.

Seriously, one of the things that I think is a real problem for administrators at all levels (I'm looking at you Arne Duncan!) is the complete disconnect that they have from the real, everyday classroom.

Now I know this may be no surprise, but I am from away. I grew up in Florida. I remember a fellow named Bob Graham who was Governor of Florida and later a Senator. One of his trademark things was what he called his "workdays." He would take one day on a regular basis and go work another job. He worked all kinds of jobs, even as a teacher.

If I were Commissioner of Education, I would make it a practice to take one day each month and go work a job in a school. It could be teaching, bus driving, anything. But it would be an opportunity to stay connected to what is really going on in schools, and a way to see what impact the decisions that I made had on the day to day operations in the classroom and beyond.