Arizona Association of School Psychologists Award

Last Friday I attended the awards ceremony for the Arizona Association of School Psychologists' Awards ceremony. One of my wonderful friends and colleagues from my time as a principal in Gilbert received this award.  When I found out that she was being nominated, I wanted to write a letter in her support.  And the reason was, I felt she was most deserving and I had received this award in 2005 and it meant more to me than any award I have ever received.   Here  is the letter I wrote:

 

September 20, 2017

To Whom It May Concern:

It is not only a pleasure but a privilege for me to write this letter of support for Jean Woods for the Arizona Administrator of the Year to be awarded by the Arizona Association of School Psychologists.  

I am writing this letter as the President of the Gilbert Governing Board.   However, I would like to give you a little background about myself before I explain to you why I feel that Jean is so deserving of this award.

My career has been as an educator for 46 years.  I started out as a special education teacher in 1971.    I  taught special education, then regular ed where I had  many students on IEP’s.   I then spent 21 years as the principal of Gilbert Elementary School.   After that I was the Superintendent of Douglas Unified School District from 2010-2015 when I  retired.    I moved back to Gilbert and ran for the Board last November and won.  I was elected GPS Board President In January.  I am telling you this because I have had a very long career in education.

During my tenure as principal of Gilbert Elementary School for 21 years, I was privileged to have many of the District special education programs on my campus.    I absolutely loved working with the children and parents during that time.   In 2005, I was awarded the Arizona School Psychologist Administrator of the Year award.   I have received a number of awards during my time as an educator.   I will always believe it was because of the incredible teachers, staff, children and parents I had the privilege to work with  during those years.    However, this award was the absolute highlight of my career and has meant more to me than any other award I was ever given.  And that is because I believe that working with special education students  is a blessing in so many ways.  

During my many years in GPS, I have known Jean as a teacher and we were colleagues as principals.   I always had the utmost respect for the work that she did at so many levels.   When I became a board member, I saw the incredible work that Jean has been doing at her school.  I would have never known that if I had not had this role.  

I have had the opportunity to visit with Jean on several occasions and discuss with her the importance of her role with all students.   I absolutely love her passion for working with students who aren’t always successful in school and her willingness to understand why.   She truly cares about all children and does everything in her power to make sure that all children have access to all services and everything a junior high has to offer.  

I know from our many conversations how much Jean cares about the success of all students and how much she does to insure that each and every student has the opportunity to be successful.

Jean values the input of her school psychologists and supports them totally.   I know this to be a fact because we have had conversations about it.   She understands that all students need social, physical, and mental health support and she is always there to make sure that this happens.  

Her school community, because of her leadership, is extremely inclusive of all children and her students and parents support the diversity of needs.  

She is continually striving to make sure that all of her students not only get their academic needs met, but also their social/ emotional needs met.   She understands that a child cannot learn unless their basic human needs are taken care of.  

Jean is a role model to other principals.  In my interactions with district principals, I have found that Jean is so well respected.    What I admire the most about her, is that she never draws attention to herself.   She just goes to school every day and does the very best she can do for all of  her students.

During my campaign for GPS Board, I got to know a number of Desert Ridge parents.   Most of them have students who do well academically.   What impressed me the most was that these parents love that Jean includes all students.  These parents appreciate that she is an advocate for all children.   I heard over and over again that she includes each and every child.   That doesn’t always happen with parents of children who are high achievers.  Sometimes these parents can be critical of special needs programs and children.  But the fact that Jean has instilled in her community acceptance and inclusiveness of all students speaks volumes in my opinion.

I absolutely believe that Jean is more than worthy of this incredible honor.  I hope that your association will bestow this award to her.  I will say it again, to me, this is the greatest award I ever received and I can’t think of anyone more deserving than Jean Woods.  

I give her my highest recommendation.  Please feel free to call me at 520 368 2700 should you need any more information.   Jean truly cares about all children and she gives 110% for each and every student at Desert Ridge.. I can’t think of a better administrator anywhere who deserves this honor more than Jean.

Thank you for your time in reading this.  I know that Jean will make your association proud at so many levels.

Respectfully,

Sheila Rogers

GPS Governing Board President

46 Years as an Educator

 

I took a picture of my award today.  It was November 8, 2005 at the San Marcos in Chandler.  Judy, Teresa and Kerri came to it, if I can remember correctly.

What touched me the most was Jean's acceptance speech.  She acknowledged all of the administrators, parents and her family who was there.  But she ended it with what I had said to her and how much it meant to her.

I loved getting this award because it speaks to working with ALL children of ALL abilities.  And there is no one more deserving than Jean.  She is so humble and just does her job.

Tiger Buddies and My Favorite Pasttime--Reading

One of the programs that was started during my tenure as principal at Gilbert Elementary was the Tiger Buddy program.  This is a mentoring program where an adult is the buddy to one of the students who may need a little more or different attention.

Through the years, it was an incredibly successful program.  Because of the proximity to the district office, many of the adult buddies were district office staff.

There were many times during my years as principal that I would talk to a child about an issue and find out about another situation.  I would often call the tiger buddy and give them a heads up to maybe make contact with their buddy.

My first year back from Douglas, I had a buddy.  I didn't feel that I did a very good job.  With all that was going on with taking care of Teresa, etc., I didn't have one last year.  When I was asked this year, I hesitated but was "urged" to please do it.  I said yes.

The kick-off party to meet tiger buddies was when I was in Douglas packing up the house.  One of the wonderful ladies at the district office covered for me that day.   When I got back, I went to meet her.   She is a fourth grader and is really cute.  Today I had lunch with her and one of her friends.  It was really fun and I know it is something so very important for some kids--the gift of time.

After lunch, I stopped by a former teacher's room who I hadn't seen for a long time just to say hi.  She was so excited to see me and asked if I would stay and read to the class.  She explained to the kids who I was and they were so cute.  So I read my second favorite book, "The Language of Doves."  The kids were amazing and so attentive.   

To me, this is what it is all about. This is probably the only "perk" I have as a Governing Board member.  I can go to any school and be welcomed to read.

Cabin Visit

Had a wonderful weekend at the cabin with Elise and Jessie.  I went down on Friday after an awards assembly for a special principal that I will post about later.   I went down on I10 and went to the New Mexico state line instead of going through Douglas.    It is the same amount of time, and I just can't go back to Douglas right now.   

The weather was wonderful.   We had a fire outside and inside.   On Friday, there was a full moon.  The picture above shows it.  It was so bright you couldn't even see the stars.

The leaves are starting to change.  The bright yellows and oranges were beautiful. The peace and quiet is so relaxing.

Friday night, we were getting ready to grill steaks and all of a sudden a skunk comes down the road and turns into the cabin driveway.  Jessie and I grabbed the pugs, but the skunk saw us and took off, for that I am thankful!

On Saturday, we went down to the Rodeo Tavern.  I had told Elise that it was open again.  So we went down and had a couple of drinks.  Talk about being in the middle of nowhere at at bar.  There were locals and there were people going through on Highway 80.   It was fun.

I want to be able to keep the cabin.  It has been a part of our family since 1960.   After losing 858, I still need this.  But I also know that we need to use it more often.  

It is my "heaven on earth."

Time of Reflection

I have been back from cleaning out 858 for a little over two weeks.  For truly the first time in my life, I am living alone.   I have to say that I really like this. I have spent quite a bit of time over the last two weeks getting rid of clothes and other "things" that we have collected through the years.

With the house selling so quickly in Douglas, it has been a bit of a relief. It should close the end of November.  It is still hard for me to wrap my head around not having that house.  I am going to the cabin on Friday and most times in the past I would stop and take a shower at least or spend the night before coming back to Gilbert.  This time I am not going to go through Douglas at all.  I will go on I10 instead. I just can't quite bring myself to go to Douglas right now.  I hope that I will be able to some time in the future.

Before he left, Ken took down the big 858 from the front porch and put regular numbers up.  He figured that it would look nice in my house.  I spoke with our friend, Shad, who does beautiful art work with wood.  He had no problem creating something.   He brought it by and will be putting it up.  It is absolutely beautiful and he did the name in Celtic lettering with the Celtic knot on the "S."

Cameron came home for a little over a week so we can get his room and closet cleaned out.  Shad is here doing some handyman work for several small projects I have to get the house in order.  

I still have a lot to sort through from Douglas and decide what to keep, what to send to cousins and what to throw away. It seems like every day I find something new that is worth writing on my blog to keep the family history going.   Even though I know a lot of family doesn't read this, at least it will be here for the future.

When I first came back from Douglas in July, 2015, I was worried about what I was going to do.  For the 27 years I had been an administrator, I had worked many, many hours. There is really no such thing as a 40 hour week in the life of an administrator.  I was thinking that I should get a job, but with everything else going on at that time, a full time job would not have worked.

I kept fairly busy helping Judy with Teresa, although at that time she could still be left alone.  But I took her to doctor appointments and family gatherings. I also did some work with ASU and then in the spring subbed a few days every other week for an elementary principal.  After that was when I decided to run for Governing Board and so that kept me very busy from June through November.  In addition, I had Teresa during that time and she could not be left alone.  She was really starting to decline and was up a lot during the night.

Last November we put her in a group home. I went over to see her just about every single day.   When my term started on the Board, I was elected president. That required a lot of work and I spent many hours on it.   

We were fortunate to hire Shane McCord as our new superintendent and he started on the Monday after I went to Douglas. Even though there is still a lot to do being on the Board, I am not nearly as busy as before and that is the way it should be!!!

So two weeks ago when I came back from Douglas, the true reality of retirement struck me. I no longer had to do as much with the Board, taking care of Douglas was done, I didn't have to go visit Teresa (and that is the sad part), Cameron stayed in Oakland with Patrick so he wasn't home,  and Kerri moved in with Chris.

Being alone has been great.  I can eat what I want and when I want.  I can leave things out or straighten things up.   

So where do I go from here? That is a question that I have been reflecting upon each day. I have been extremely tired from the physical and emotional exhaustion of cleaning out 858, but I am starting to feel much more rested.

I have always had a purpose and I know that I still do. I just need to decide do I want to take a couple of classes on writing or such?  I don't have hobbies other than writing, and I have thought maybe I should try to figure something out, but nothing really appeals to me right now.

I do know I can do more with the Board by visiting schools, etc. It is just going to take me some time to figure things out.     

  

    

Voting for President

One of my absolute favorite stories about Teresa is about the 2008 presidential election.  She told me this story one day and didn't want me to tell anyone.  I believe it is the worst thing that she ever did in her life and it really was NOT bad.  I am sure she went to confession right after.  

Let me give a little background on this.  In 2004 when John Kerry was running for president, the church came out about voting for candidates who were "not" pro life.   Teresa said she wasn't going to vote because she couldn't vote for George Bush. My kids had a fit and told her that their grandma would be really upset with her if she didn't vote for Kerry.   We talked about it because it was hard for her to go against what the church said.  Part of the conversation involved what happens to children after they are born and that the people who are "pro life" sometimes forget that social services and education are important.  She voted for Kerry and never worried about voting for who she wanted after that.  Interestingly enough, John Kerry is a Catholic.

Teresa had a good friend who was legally blind and also a Republican.  In the 2008 election, her friend asked Teresa to fill out her mail-in ballot. Well, guess what our dear aunt Teresa did--yes, she voted for Obama and other Democrats!!!  When she told me about it, she said she just could not mark the spot for a Republican.

She also told me that she always felt just a little guilty about it. We laughed about it through the years but she still didn't want me to tell anyone about it.   Of course, I LOVE this story and it was hard not to tell it.  

I think I am safe now!!

Local Y-Teen Delegates Sheila Shannon, Libby Duron Journey to Washington, D.C.

I believe this article was from the Border Bulldog (DHS newspaper) because it was authored by Julie Quinonez who was a year ahead of me in school (and our childhood neighbor).   We went to The National Y-Teen Conference in August, 1965. It was one of the most amazing experiences I had in high school.   Being a delegate to a national conference is always an incredible experience.  Y-Teens were service clubs in high schools sponsored by the YWCA.  I had the privilege of being the president of the three different clubs  during my time at DHS.  The article isn't complete and I couldn't find the rest of it, but I will try to improvise.

If you had the opportunity to see Times Square in New York City, how do you think you would describe it?

A girl from Phoenix pictures it as looking "like Phoenix on Saturday night," but DHS Senior Libby Duron compared it to "Douglas on the Fourth of July."

You're probably wondering what Libby was doing in New York.  Actually, she didn't go alone.  As delegates to the Third National Y-Teen Conference in Washington D.C., she and DHS Junior Sheila Shannon were privileged to see not only the city of Washington but also were fascinated by Times Square and the city of New York.

Why of all the girls in Douglas Y-Teen clubs were Libby and Sheila chosen?  No, it wasn't pure luck.

The girls were selected by the Bisbee YWCA Board of Directors on the basis of their outstanding leadership, conference experience, physical fitness, and scholastic average.  The funds for the trip came from the YWCA, the Y-Teen clubs, and during the summer the Y-Teen Inter-Club Council had several money making projects.

Can you recall what  you were doing Thursday, Aug. 5, at 8 a.m.? Libby, Sheila and their advisor, Mrs. Foncie Dees surely can.   This was when they departed from Douglas to begin their journey to Washington D.C. 

Their first stop was El Paso, Texas, and the trip from here to there was made by car. However, once in El Paso,  the trio boarded the chartered bus which would take them the rest of the way.

Boys, get this.  Also on the bus were 38 other girls.  You would've loved to have been there, huh?  Well, forget it.  There were also six chaperones.

From El Paso and its beautiful warm weather they headed for Santa Rosa, New Mexico where it was raining and pouring.  While in Santa Rosa, they picked up three New Mexico Y-Teen represntatives.

Having traveled all night, the next morning they stopped in Shamrock, Texas, ate breakfast, and continued on their way.  They passed through Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, lunched in Tulsa and set their sights on having dinner at St. Louis, Missouri.  However, due to a mix-up with Daylight Savings Time their reservations weren't ready for them when they got there.  After quite a while they did eat, though.

Their next stops were Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio.  At Terre Haute Park--a park the size of Douglas, they all had a picnic lunch.

In Springfield, Ohio, where they ate dinner in one of Howard Johnson's Restaurants, Sheila was quite shaken up.  In the restaurant was a beautiful, three-inch-think carpet and as Sheila was dancing and singing in a clowning manner, she accidentally tipped over a glass of tea.  As a joke, one of the girls gave Sheila a bill of $45,000 for a new carpet, and they really laughed it off.

Finally, Sunday, August 8 at 5:00 p.m. they reached their destination--Washington, D.D.  They all checked into the Shoreham Hotel and prepared themselves in order to attend the opening Session of the Y-Teen Conference that same evening at 7.  Well, that's how their trip to Washington was.  What about some of the places they saw, where did they go, what did they do?  For the answers to these questions keep on reading.

Every night the Y-Teens were provided entertainment such as plays and tours of government agencies or of Washington, D.C. The girls were privileged to see the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, ride along the side of the Potomoc River and tour the White House.  This trip through the White House was an early bird, specially guided tour.  Why "early bird?"  It was conducted at 7 in the morning, that's why!  Libby and Sheila were especially tickled by all of the chandeliers they saw there. Also of particular interest was the collection of different silverware each President has used.  The girls were so observant that they even noticed the ancient wall paper or silk which was used on the walls of the rooms they saw.  For example, the Blue Room had blue silk, the Yellow Room had yellow silk, etc.  Pretty good, huh?

Can you imagine the feeling of being locked up in a cemetery at night. This was the kind of scare Libby and some of the other girls experienced when they visited Arlington Cemetery. You see, they close the minor gates at 7 p.m., the main gate alwys being left open.  While taking pictures, LIbby was left behind, and the other girls boarded the bus.  Realizing she and three other girls were abandoned, the quartet started toward the bus and discovered that the gates were locked, to top everything, and the bus had taken off.  After wandering about, it finally occurred to them that they were in the wrong place.

(Here is where the article ends.  I could not find page 4 anywhere. Obviously, all ended well as Libby made it back.)

That was an amazing trip. I had forgotten about our trek across the country until I read this.  I have written a little about this previously because this was when I was able to stay in Washington with Tom's family.

The trip to New York was just a side trip that just our group did.  We stayed at the YWCA there.  I remember going to Radio City Music Hall to see the Rockettes.  But the highlight of that part of the trip was the World's Fair was in New York that year.   The Beatles were playing at Shea Stadium (I think).  While we were at the Fair, there was a plane that kept flying by with a banner behind it that said--"Ringo says to save water."  There must have been a water shortage at that time.   The other really great part was that at the Fair, we got to see Michaelangelo's "Pieta" which was absolutely amazing,  I still remember it vividly.

I haven't kept in touch with Libby through the years or her brother, Gilbert.  They were awesome and I have thought about them often. 

Telegram from Bill to Grandma Scott

It has a stamp on it that says it passed the Naval Censor.   His return address is:  W. F. Scott RDM3/C; USS LSM 220 % F.P.O.; San Francisco, Calif.

May 13, 1945

"MOTHER"S DAY"

DEAREST MOM,

JUST A FEW LINES TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I AM THINKING OF YOU ON THIS VERY SPECIAL DAY.  THERE HAVE BEEN LOTS OF OTHER MOTHER'S DAYS BUT SOMEHOW  OR OTHER THIS ONE SEEMS TO MEAN MORE TO ME THAN ANY IN THE PAST BECAUSE NOW THAT THERE ARE SO MANY MILES BETWEEN US AND YOU'RE NOT AROUND TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO TO KEEP ME OUT OF HARM'S WAY, I REALIZE THAT YOU MEAN MORE TO ME THAN I CAN SAY.  THERE'S NO NEED OF MY REMINISCING BACK TO THE GOOD OLD DAYS WHEN I WAS ALWAYS IN TROUBLE 'CAUSE I KNOW YOU HAVE DONE SO A MILLION TIMES BUT SINCE I'VE BEEN AWAY FROM YOU AND HOME, I'VE OFTEN WISHED THAT I WAS BACK IN THOSE DAYS SO THAT I COULD MAKE YOU HAPPY RATHER THAN ADD GREY TO YOUR HEAD WORRY ABOUT WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO NEXT.

I KNOW THAT THIS LETTER ISN'T GOING TO REACH YOU ON MOTHER'S DAY BUT I HOPE YOU HAVE A NICER TIME THAN YOU EVER HAD BEFORE AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT ON THIS EXTRA SPECIAL DAY I'M THINKING OF YOU AND LOVING YOU MORE THAN EVER BEFORE.

ALTHOUGH I CAN'T BE WITH YOU ON THIS MOTHER'S DAY I HOPE AND PRAY THAT I'LL BE WITH  YOU THE NEXT AND SO IN CLOSING, I WANT TO WISH YOU ALL THE HAPPINESS IN THE WORLD.  YOU DESERVE IT.

ALL MY LOVE AND KISSES

YOUR LOVING SON

BILL (his signature)