TOSS February Feature on Dr. Buddy Bibb

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” –Theodore Roosevelt

“I cannot remember any [teacher] who did not try to teach me valuable life lessons that have served me well over the years. I was blessed to have so many good teachers who challenged me and held me accountable.”

Find ways to keep a balance and reduce stress. Read the Bible and pray daily. Exercise daily. Get plenty of rest. Practice good nutrition. Read biographies/books on leadership. Spend time with family. Listen to your employees. This is a great list that resulted when I recently asked Dr. Buddy Bibb, superintendent of Tipton County Schools if he had any good advice or tips for new directors. Dr. Bibb has been in the education field for 35 years as a certified employee. He was first employed as a 7th and 8th grade Math teacher and girls' basketball coach in 1979. However, his service to education began even before when he was a student at Munford High School. "During the school year ... another student and I cleaned the cafeteria each day ... I also worked for the school system during the summer painting buildings." Dr. Bibb shared that his "first job in education was the summer prior to integration (1970)," when he was "hired, along with some other teenagers, to haul books from to school to school. I was paid one dollar an hour."

His relationship with education is one that is important to him, a loyal connection that continues today. When asked about some things that he was especially excited to have going on in his school system at this time Dr. Bibb shared that Tipton County students "are performing better every year." Examples of the students’ achievement can be found in their ACT scores which "are above state average (20.1 percent) and Tipton County's graduation rate which is above the state average as well at 97.7 percent." We have focused professional development specific to the needs of our system. Our new teachers are participating in COMP and the New Teacher Cohort. Tipton County is focusing on literacy by using the TN CORE reading professional development. Our goal is to have a great teacher in front of every classroom. We continue to have above average performance at below average cost (per pupil expenditure in $1, 087 below the state average).

Dr. Bibb continues to lead his students in reaching their goals and performing well in the classroom seeming to adhere to an ideal that was palpable when he was in school -- focusing on creating well rounded students. Dr. Bibb shared about the differences in student life between the hallways that students today walk and the ones he did back then. "Technology was not part of my educational experience as a student with the exception of an occasional film strip or microscope [and] there was not a great emphasis on test scores ... the focus was to create well-rounded students." In his quest to produce an education for his students that focuses on their well-being, I asked Dr. Bibb about a time when a student achieved or overcame something that stayed with him in an important way. "In my second year teaching, I taught 7th grade Tennessee History. I required my students to make/keep a Tennessee History notebook. Many of these former students who I have seen over the years have told me that they still have that notebook. They seem to be proud of what they made years ago."

When I asked Dr. Bibb what profession he would like to attempt if he were not a superintendent today, he shared that he would've liked to have tried law, politics, or real estate. He also shared an interesting answer about the oddest job he'd ever had that was balanced in both professionalism and in relationship to his family. "Appointing members of the School Board while I was employed by the School Board (Prior to the Education Improvement Act of 1992, school board members in Tipton county were appointed by the County Commission, of which I was a member (1982-2011) and performing the wedding ceremony of my daughter in June 2010.

Some things about Dr. Bibb that people might not readily know -- At the age of 25, I was elected as a Tipton County Commissioner and re-elected 7 more times (1986, 1990,1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010). For 25 years fellow commissioners elected me as the Chairman Pro Tem of the County Commission ... During these 29 years I voted for and we passed tax increases five times. Twice we doubled the wheel tax and three times we raised the property tax. The majority of this new revenue went to the school system.

When I asked Dr. Bibb about what a "perfect day" would look like for him, the first thing he mentioned is something that many, if not all, of us in TN would have in our "perfect days." "Plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures," he shared as it was 20 degrees at the time in Tipton County. He added, "Students achieving at high levels, learning new and relevant things from effective and enthusiastic teachers.” Dr. Bibb went on to say, “Parents very interested and engaged in what their children are doing in every aspect of their lives.” His perfect day would also include, “… playing and reading to my grandchildren – watching everything that is being absorbed in their young minds, spending time with my two children (his son, Eric, lives and works in Charlotte, NC and his daughter, Rachel, lives and works in Tipton County), and having a pleasant, uninterrupted, dinner date with my wife Sally.”

It is my hope that “perfect days” for Dr. Bibb do bloom out of this long winter. We here at TOSS are excited to see the continued positive affects as Dr. Bibb continues to sow into the students of Tipton County and the lasting legacy he will leave in Tennessee education.

Sara Bunch 1/27/14 Sara Bunch 1/27/14

Superintendent of the Year Reception

Please Join TOSS in Celebrating the 2014 Superintendent of the Year

Sara Bunch 1/16/14 Sara Bunch 1/16/14

Events Hosted By ENA During The AASA Conference

Please mark your calender to attend!

Sara Bunch 12/16/13 Sara Bunch 12/16/13

TOSS December Feature on Dr. Melanie Miller

The Spirit of Giving

… remember to pray and rejoice each day! Some days (many days) are extremely difficult, and it is easy to become frustrated. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 & 17 are my reminders and fit perfectly in this job – ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing!’ Spending time with the students creates rejoicing and, as a superintendent finds out quickly, the job itself requires unceasing prayer. – Dr. Melanie Miller

Twenty-three years ago, Dr. Melanie Miller began her journey in the field of education as an intern in Georgia with 3,000 students. Dr. Miller remembers this entrance into being an educator as a “baptism by fire.” However, this time in her life also brought a lot of valuable life lessons and many blessings. “In Atlanta, I also worked with mentally challenged adults. We taught them life skills, home skills, and job skills.” Later. Dr. Miller would go on to spend time in Mexico before moving back to Tennessee to teach high school Spanish. This is something she “loved doing for ten years.” As Dr. Miller continued to teach Spanish to students, she realized she wanted to be able to reach more students so she worked as a counselor for six years and found it was something that she really enjoyed as well. “Again, I continued to think that I should still try to reach more students. I became an assistant principal, moved, into a principal-ship for four years, and I am now entering my third year as Superintendent of Sweetwater City Schools.

When asked about the things currently going on in the Sweetwater City School System that she is excited about, Dr. Miller mentioned the hearts and giving spirit of her students, especially during this season of giving with Christmas barely over a week away, was especially touching. “ … although our free and reduced lunch rate has exceeded 83 percent, our students are so willing to be a part of activities and opportunities to help others. The students at each school help provide food, clothing, and other necessities to those in need. The administrators and teachers create an atmosphere of caring and giving to others … important qualities and characteristics that can never be measured on a test.” Dr. Miller is also happy that the focus of quality instruction continues to improve in her schools system. “As I visit classrooms, I see high quality instruction with student engagement along with a positive atmosphere which is always exciting.” Sweetwater City has also “implemented two system-wide programs at all four schools – Quantum Learning and Learning Focused.” Dr. Miller goes on to explain that by the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year all four schools will have these programs fully implemented. She states, “The culture at each school was already positive; however, the combination of focusing on behavior and instruction together is powerful. Additionally, Learning Focused is truly helping all teachers to really ensure that every lesson is a quality lesson. We have great administrators and teachers who consistently want to improve and see their students succeed.”

Along with a spirit of giving, the Sweetwater City System also functions as a family, “We are a family in this system. We rejoice together and sorrow together throughout many personal and professional events. I am blessed to be a small part of this wonderful system,” Dr. Miller shares when asked her favorite things about being superintendent in Sweetwater it is the people, the students, the teachers, the administrators, the families, and the community members that top her list. “I know the students and families personally, and it is always a blessing to be chatting with those families and hear how pleased they are with the school system.” Reaching out to the community around her is not just something that Dr. Melanie Miller practices in her own life, but an action that she encourages others to take as well. When asked if she had any advice to give to new superintendents Dr. Miller replied,

Reach out to the other Superintendents and to those at TOSS. The superintendents and the TOSS staff are phenomenal individuals who are so willing to help … A camaraderie exists that cannot even be explained to those outside of [this] circle. I would also tell [a new superintendent] to never hesitate to call any of their fellow superintendents as there is not one who wouldn’t offer assistance, advice, or just listen. I feel blessed to a part of this great group of professionals.

As all our thoughts begin turning to family, love, peace, and giving during this special time of year where Christmas lights glow bright, cookies are decorated, and live nativities seen in front of local churches it was inevitable that I would ask Dr. Miller about her own special traditions and Christmas’ past. It is no surprise that many of the sweet things she shared included quality family time. When asked if her family has any special Christmas traditions she stated, “ … each of my daughters take an angel tree child and goes shopping to provide Christmas presents for her particular child. They take so much time thinking about the best gifts and wanting to do so much for someone in need.” Dr. Miller spoke of this wonderful season mentioning dinners, caroling, parades, but it was the family time that she enjoyed the most. “I have always enjoyed participating and watching my daughters participate in the Christmas plays at church. I never get tired of watching children be part of a living nativity representing the birth of our Savior. Also, one of our sweetest times is on Christmas Eve when all my family is together and one of the girls gets the Bible and reads the Christmas story aloud.”

When asked about a favorite Christmas she could recall, Dr. Miller describes a Christmas when her girls were three and four years old,

My husband and I had sat on their beds Christmas Eve night talking about Santa coming in the night and the importance of them not getting up and possibly scaring Santa away if they awoke in the night and came downstairs. The four year old asked how would they know if he was gone, and I told them that they should look out the window and if they could not see daylight then they should not get up since Santa could come anytime during the night. The next morning, my husband and I were up early before daylight, and I heard the girls talking. They were discussing whether it was daylight or not. I slipped up to the bedroom where I could see them and they were sitting on the window seat looking out the window. The discussion went on a little while and then they decided they would go down the stairs quietly to see. The three year old looked so seriously at her sister and told her that they had to be very quiet. They came out of the bedroom holding hands and sat down at the top of the stairs and scooted down quietly one step at a time. After each step they would look at each other almost holding their breath. By the time they had landed at the bottom step day was breaking. The three year old screamed, ‘It’s daylight.’ They looked at each other and jumped up and ran into the living room squealing and looking at the presents.

Do you still believe in Santa? I asked.

“Of course … I have always told the girls that when they stop believing in Santa those special presents on Christmas morning will stop!”