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Timothy Steinhauer on Monday, October 22, 2012. Justin Merriman | Tribune-Review
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| Bob the Builder |
Ironworkers wearing safety ropes traipse along steel supports, a sight that often transfixes Steinhauer, he says. Students with the luxury of window seats in their classrooms also report daydreaming while watching the men at work.Apparently, Dr. Steinhauer is still transfixed. Just check his blog. Tim Steinhauer's Superintendent Blog Tim has started a series of photos from his office window. In addition, Dr. Steinhauer is quoting from his latest fortune cookie. Here is one for Tim.
“Building a castle is difficult. Defending and maintaining it is harder still.” – Asian Proverb
Besides reading fortune cookies, taking pictures of Post It notes with unanswered questions, Tim can daydream along with the students while watching the men at work. This is why we pay him the big bucks.
31 comments:
Say what... "Students with the luxury of window seats in their classrooms also report daydreaming while watching the men at work."
I'm sending my kids to high school at a cost of 27.13 mills so they can daydream. Sorry that's a "luxury" I nor my kids can afford!
What in heavens name is wrong with these people and the editor of lebomag?
I can just imagine the parent/teacher conference.
Teacher: "Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Tommy seems to be distant, not focused, lost in a daydream and his grades are suffering. I can't imagine what his problem is but if this continues I'm sorry I'll be forced to take away his luxury window seat."
Yeah, 4:24 you never daydreamed in class....How proud you must be.
Almanac-
Mt. Lebanon School Board voted 8-1 to grant superintendent Dr. Tim Steinhauer a 4 percent pay raise on Oct. 15, bringing the superintendent's 2012-2013 salary to $157,477.
Daydreaming earned the good doctor a 4% raise.
4:54 never said I didn't.
I wasn't though distracted on a daily basis by construction going on outside my window.
But that's a minor point.
The issue isn't that the construction is going on, and will go for some of these kids entire high school career. Its the spin to over sell this boondoggle that offends me. They've got their high school project, get it done somewhere close to the quoted price and knock off the BS.
Tomorrow I'm going to tell my boss with pride that I was transfixed by the view from my luxury office seat.
4:24 PM, my mistake. The article also appears in the hard copy edition of mtl Magazine. If you are questioning the editor, please come to the public hearing tomorrow at the commission meeting. See page 25 of the manager's recommended budget for more information concerning the public information office.
Elaine
4:54 it will be interesting to see if there is any correlation between "luxury" seats and test results (SAT, PSSA, Keystone etc).
If they stay at current levels or rise then I'll owe Lebomag and Dr. Steinhauer an apology. If there is a drop then that information should be a consideration on every future school renovation project. After all the district's goal is to provide the best education possible for each and every student. I didn't think distracting several high school class levels was part of that effort.
Life is so unfair. Life would have been so much easier if I could have told my parents that Dr. Green was transfixed by the 1972 renovation.
Elaine
I was transfixed by the view of my first girlfriend participating in her gym class on the athletic field. I daydreamed thru the whole section on the War of 1812 in my American History class. Thankfully my teacher caught on and moved me away from my luxury window view.
You wonder why your RTK’s take 35 days?
What goes around comes around.
Now and then this blog informs.
Too often it is just cheap shots from the unidentified.
Elaine's Right To Knows are purposely taking 35 days ? Is that the legal limit ? Increasing legal fees because you don't like what Elaine has to say ? That's mature !
10:43 PM, yes 35 days is the legal limit. They have five days to either provide the answer or to ask for an additional 30 days. Not only do they not respond to my emails, they are intentionally dragging their feet.
See what I mean about them? As I wrote before, "They get elected and re-elected. They read this blog and make anonymous comments, some that I publish and most that I don't. It is bad enough that they are in control, but they like to rub our noses in it." There is your proof.
Elaine
Seriously. With all the important things going on in education, the economy, the school budget and we get Chinese proverbs and pictures out a window.
How about the supers thoughts on how families will afford to send their kids onto to college.
How about discussing special needdeduction snd his plans to raise test scores.
How about his strategy to eliminate dirty dancing and drugs in the high school.
There's nothing wrong with showing the progress on the construction, but do we really need the pablum.
Can't we have something a little more thought provoking on the supers blog. How about discussing 21st century education, charter schools, ethics, world affairs. How about his insight into what the recent elections will mean for education, door our kids future.
I dunno, perhaps we're not paying enough to have the right to critique "our" school district.
"cheap Salford from the unidentified" that's a good one... Un... er...um... Oh yeah---- 10:13!
That' was suppose to be "cheap shots" not "cheap Salford".
I would like to show Dr. Steinhauer how to include links on his blog and he may remember. I am also willing to involve him so that he'll understand.
Here is the link for his September 19 post. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore
I also provided the link to Daniel Pink's book for Tim's thought-provoking Post It note.
Elaine
12:23 Anything that the sup would write would be picked apart and ridiculed by the ten or so malcontents who post on this blog. "his insight into the recent election" frankly that's not appropriate. I care neither about his insight not yours
Yea! I have gone from having six people who post, to ten or so! It is nice to know that my blog is picking up.
Elaine
8;35 are you counting yourself in that count of 10? Wouldn't your "sup" earn more respect as an educator rather than as a tourist snapping pictures of the landscape by Blogging about education?
8:35 - his insight into the recent election isn't appopriate- why isn't it.
A lot of his funding comes from the results of the election results. The NEA has no problem injecting itself into the election process, Posti has no qualms bashing the governor. It's inappropriately for the duper to educate his "shareholders". Really?
I'm with you 8:47!
There is an article in today's Trib and in my opinion is pertinent to a number of issues covered on Lebocitizens.
#1. this is the kind of topic I would expect to find discussed in depth on our superintendents blog. Perhaps I expect too much, but this would seem to cover many issues such as dirty dancing, bullying, drinking etc., etc.
#2. Youth sports. Are we overindulging our youth by not keeping score, providing them with professional-grade facilities, everyone is a star parental involvement? Promises of Pavlov after game treats to get them to participate in sports?
"Psychologist John Rosemond advises parents to quit fawning over kids
By Kellie B. Gormly 412-320-7824
Staff Writer
Published: Monday, November 12, 2012, 8:52 p.m.
Updated 2 hours ago
Sometimes, kids who are overconfident and have been told that everything they do is wonderful actually can fear failure and be less likely to take on challenges, says Rosemond, who cites studies and figures in his book to back up these statements. Children who are told that they have a talent that they really don’t have can face a rude awakening, he says.
Take “American Idol” auditions, for instance. People who can’t sing, but think they are brilliant singers, seem shocked and devastated when judges tell them otherwise."
Like I said, maybe I'm wrong. Post it notes and fortune cookie philosophy may be far more than we deserve.
Don’t be so hard on Builder Bob. It was Builder Dick that lost a bolt at the Convention Center and someone died.
Guess I'm a malcontent. No, on second thought, I prefer disgruntled taxpayer, Lebo resident and citizen.
I'm just as disappointed in the lack of depth from our superintendent. But it's kind of like having a dog. If the owner doesn't spend time training the animal, it's not entirely fair to get upset when the dog pees on the rug.
As for the comments from 835, perhaps if we had a school board receptive and responsive enough, this blog wouldn't be necessary. Further, if you don't like what you read, why take the time to comment? That's asinine.
Everyone else--if we want to fix things and reverse course, it will take cleaning up the mess the school board has become. That means backing strong candidates in spite of the local political committees, staying involved, getting out the vote and above all else, not allowing criminal behavior go unabated and unreported. While I wiLl not run for school board again, I do vow to help get sane, rational and honest people elected. We can get it done. So let's stop complaining and let's start working.
8:35 you write: "I care neither about his insight no[r] yours."
Then why are you here on this blog? For someone that doesn't care you have a helluva lot to write.
It's funny you're criticizing Elaine for criticizing Dr. Steinhauer's blog. Amazing rational there.
Elaine pays for and maintains her own blog, you don't like it don't read it. The district website is owned by the school diatrict stakeholders, giving them every right to be critical.
Pertinent to the conversation here, I just caught the tail end of the Ch 19 broadcast of the board meeting.
To give credit where it's due, I applaud Mr. Lebowitz's reaction to the math curriculum issues and the length of time. He's rabsolutely rght (happy 8:35 positive feedback) and I hope he delves into this and gets the concerns resolved.
How come this issue hasn't been addressed on the supers blog? How come monaural for stakeholder input? No input on the direction the district is taking on the two ladies concerns?
How come [no appeal] for stakeholder input?
Gotta quick blogging on the run or learn to turn off autocorrect though that might generate more errors.
9:29 AM, there is no cost to maintaining my blog, other than time invested. The website, on the other hand, does have a cost to it.
As far as 8:35 AM's comment, I will repeat what I told a woman who demanded that I remove James Cannon III's letter about Benghazi or she would stop reading my blog. The ACLU told me that the residents of Mt. Lebanon need to be reminded from time to time of the Constitution. The letter was staying. I told her that I was sorry to see her go.
Elaine
You lnow best Elaine but the old saying "time is money" comes to mind. Plus, your travel to meetings, coffees, phone and utility bills could certainly be applied against the upkeep of your blog.
It's your call, there are a great many people that find your blog informative, relevant and yes sometimes infuriating (but that's what makes it so entertaining) and - thank you!
Mr. Ostergard's comments about the challenges of the strategic plan over the next 5 years would be great topics for the supers blog to give parents a preview.
In light of the comments made by two moms at Monday's school board meeting regarding math instruction, wouldn't MTL parents be better served by the Superintendent's blog, reading info on topics like this one in today's Wall Street Journal?
Does he agree or disagree? If he does, what are his thoughts for improving math ed in the district?
Am I wrong and expecting too much of an administration that strives to be #1?
I'd love to hear opinions, especially from the two moms that spoke up. Is this what they were driving at?
WSJ OPINION
November 14, 2012, 6:17 p.m. ET
Arthur Levine: The Suburban Education Gap
The U.S. economy could be $1 trillion a year stronger if Americans only performed at Canada's level in math.
Parents nationwide are familiar with the wide academic achievement gaps separating American students of different races, family incomes and ZIP Codes. But a second crucial achievement gap receives far less attention. It is the disparity between children in America's top suburban schools and their peers in the highest-performing school systems elsewhere in the world....
Thanks for the tip. I found Mr. Levine's closing summation (bellow) enlightening:
"So what do Americans do? We talk a great deal about the achievement gap. We write books and reports about it. We wring our hands at its existence. We adopt a revolving door of short-term reforms in response. But nearly 30 years after the alarming federal report "A Nation at Risk," not one major urban district has been turned around. Many of our suburban school districts are losing ground. We have settled on a path of global mediocrity for students attending our most affluent schools and national marginality for those attending failing inner-city schools.
A Hollywood drama released in September, "Won't Back Down," offered an alternative. It told the story of two parents (one a teacher) determined to transform their children's failing school in the face of opposition from administrators, teachers and unions. The protagonists faced apathy and intransigence at every turn.
Hollywood caricatures aside, the movie correctly conveyed that parents are the key. Parents need to say that they won't stand for these intolerable achievement gaps. The first step is for parents to learn what quality education is and how it is achieved.
This isn't a game for amateurs. Parents need to use every resource at their disposal—demanding changes in schools and in district offices; using existing tools such as "parent-trigger" laws and charter schools; organizing their communities; cultivating the media and staging newsworthy events; telling politicians and officeholders that their votes will go to candidates who support improvement; even going to the courts. If parents want change, they have the capacity to make it happen, but it isn't easy.
At the same time, it is critical to recognize that school districts can't perform miracles. They can't overcome the tolls of poverty and poor housing, but they can close gaps. They can raise the floor and the ceiling of student academic achievement. Some schools in high-need districts and suburbs are already doing this. There is no excuse not to—and, if we hope to compete globally, there is no time to lose.
Mr. Levine, a former president of Columbia University's Teachers College, is president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.
(Gee, he doesn't appear to be a Concerned Citizen hater.)
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