A District’S Success Hinges On Good People Doing Their Best

Wed., June 28, 2000

Tim Williams Special To Opinion

I worked for Riverside Schools for nine years. Two years ago, I accepted a position in the Spokane School District. I’m currently assigned to the REAL School in the Havermale Alternative Center. (REAL stands for Regional Educational Alternative Laboratory.)

After our REAL High School graduation ceremony recently, Dr. Gary Livingston, superintendent of Spokane schools, shook my hand. He chatted and said it was people like me who help kids succeed in school.

In his staff letters, Dr. Livingston always begins, “Dear Colleagues.” While he was talking, that is just how I felt. I felt valued, like a colleague.

Like all superintendents, Dr. Livingston’s responsibilities cover a wide range. I’m glad our district has a man like him in that position but I wouldn’t want it.

I want the job I have. I am a teacher. I feel that I do my job well. Nonetheless, it felt good to be personally acknowledged by the superintendent.

In my nine years working in the Riverside School District, I had no such feeling from Superintendent Jerry Wilson. It wasn’t that he was demeaning, it was his supercilious attitude, as if I were a small pile of mortar in one of his white brick buildings. In my view, this is his major failing. Teachers are neither brick nor mortar. They are thinking, feeling human beings, who should be treated as people instead of supplies.

Wilson has left a creditable legacy at Riverside. He’s overseen facilities improvement and he’s a good businessman. His personal contract attests to that.

However, leading a school district is more than raising an edifice, personal or otherwise. It’s raising people’s hopes. It’s building an atmosphere of trust. It’s looking to the future. Wilson inspired none of this in me when I worked in his district. Quite the opposite. His top-down management style effectively doused my zeal. For these reasons, I concur with the Riverside teachers’ vote of no confidence.

I hope things turn out well for Riverside schools. Many quality people within the district are working to find the best solution for everyone. I’m relieved that I’m no longer one of them. I enjoy directing my full energies into working with kids.

Teaching children is challenging work. It takes the full energy of those who choose to do it. It doesn’t hurt, either, to receive a “job well done” once in a while from someone who should know the difference.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.