AASA Legislative Advocacy Conference

TN Superintendent delegation visits US Senate offices. (L to R: Dr. Lyle Ailshie, Mr. Wayne Miller, Mr. Randy Frazier, Dr. Donna Wright, Dr. Gary Lilly, and Mr. Chuck Cagle)

TOSS May Feature on Dr. Janine Wilson

“… Always make every decision based on what is best for students.”

Dr. Janine Wilson began her career in education as a speech and hearing therapist in Lincoln County, TN. She then taught eighth grade Mathematics and only ten years later became principal of a K-8 (eventually K-9) school. Dr. Wilson joined the Fayetteville City School System in 1999 after being a principal for 12 years. “I started as a supervisor of instruction and became assistant superintendent,” she shared. “I have served as superintendent for five years.”

When asked to relate an important factor in wanting to strive for a leadership role, Dr. Wilson stated, “I feel that we need people who stand up for children and are not afraid to speak on their behalf. Leaders must do what is right; stand up and speak out. We must stand on and for professional values, ethical practice and quality research so that our children have the care and opportunity to learn and grow and meet their potential. If superintendents do not, who will?

Many exciting things occurred in the Fayetteville City Schools District this school year. Dr. Wilson was “proud to report that [the system] had the highest ACT scores in the South Central region. In addition, we had 100 % graduation rate and almost 3.5 million dollars in scholarships awarded to approximately eighty seniors.” Some of the things Dr. Wilson is looking forward to next year are Fayetteville’s “Project Lead the Way” engineering program [which] will be expanded to the middle school. We have received a grant for Gateway Engineering for 7th and 8th grades. The Project Lead the Way Program at Fayetteville High School in one of only five accredited programs in Tennessee.”

When Dr. Wilson visits the students in her district she likes reading to the younger children and talking with the older ones. She shared that, in fact, her favorite subjects when she was a student were reading and English. Her “passion for reading started at an early age …” When relaxing, she still likes to take time out to read as well as golf or work in her garden. Students are of the utmost importance to Dr. Wilson who spoke about learners that had improved, overcome, or had been an encouragement to her, stories that stayed with her:

I can think of a lot of stories about impoverished students who have overcome their home situations and have gone on to finish college and become productive citizens because teachers took special interest in them. One particular student comes to mind – he was from a very poor background and fathered a child when he was a junior. He was encouraged to continue to play football, graduated, received a scholarship, and is completing his sophomore year in college. The encouragement he received from teachers and coaches made this possible.

An interesting fact that most people wouldn’t know about Dr. Wilson, is that she has had multiple sclerosis since the age of thirty-one. However, God has given her the ability to keep going unlike many who have the disease. She is immensely grateful for such a blessing. Dr. Wilson is looking forward to the sunshine in summer and a chance to plan for next year. She would someday love to visit England, Ireland, and Scotland.

When asked a tip that would have been/would be beneficial as a new superintendent, Dr. Wilson advised to “surround yourself with competent, trustworthy professionals, and always make ever decision based on what is best for the students.

Congratulations to Our Music City Marathon Participants!

We at TOSS are excited to announce that two of our staff bravely dared to take on the Music City Half Marathon April 25th and did a great job. We are proud of Susie Benefield, TOSS Office Manager, and Barry Olhausen, TOSS Assistant Director for such an amazing accomplishment! Go team!

TOSS April Feature on Dr. Linda Gilbert

“[People climb mountains] to move boulders out of the way so those who follow won’t stumble and can climb higher.”

Dr. Linda Gilbert has been superintendent at Murfreesboro City Schools for the past 5 years. Before stepping into the role of superintendent, Dr. Gilbert was a teacher for 26 years. During this time, she was a professor at MTSU where she taught such classes on curriculum and instruction, school/community relations, and leadership for the graduate school.

After spending so much of her career as a teacher, I asked Dr. Gilbert about her favorite teacher when she was a student. “My favorite teacher was a music professor who cared about his students and cared about his profession. He expected a lot from us. But he knew how to actively engage us – linking art, music, history, and literature together. He expanded our world. And we loved it! I am better because he was my teacher.”

Now in a different kind of leadership position, I asked Dr. Gilbert the greatest rewards in her job as superintendent as well as the biggest challenges. “Greatest rewards: watching the magic that happens between children and teachers, seeing the leadership of others grow, being part of a professional family that does whatever it takes to ensure children reach their potential. Greatest challenge: helping colleagues remain positive and motivated – while politics seem to be engulfing the most important profession in the world.”

Dr. Gilbert shared that it is “hands down, the children [that] drive [her].” She is inspired by “hearing their stories, seeing their faces, and watching them learn.” She continued. Children drive me. The professionals I work with on a daily basis inspire me. Their work ethic, dedication to children, and honest conversations keep me focused, learning, and energized.”

I asked Dr. Gilbert to relate to us her thoughts on the approach to education and the specific ways students need to be encouraged compared to when she was a student. “Today, all means all.” She replied. “That was not the case when I was a student.  Children with disabilities were isolated, ethnicities were separate.  Diversity was limited, at best.  But, today, diversity is celebrated.  Today, we have the privilege of working with all children—finding what motivates each individual child and working collaboratively to address the needs of each child—so that all children learn.”

My favorite day of the year is when we take all of our 1st-6th grade students (7,000+) to an MTSU basketball game. The Murfreesboro City family comes together in one place at one time!  Remarkable to see the smiles and hear the cheers of students who have never seen a basketball game or been on a university campus.  It’s a day when students can visualize their future.  The energy, excitement, and learning are palpable!

Click above to hear, Rainbow Fish. By Marcus Pfister. Read by Ernest Borgnine.

 Some of Dr. Gilbert’s favorite books to read to the students when she visits their schools include Jamberry (she enjoys taking raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries to the Pre-K children), Rainbow Fish, Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon, and The Little Engine That Could.

What are some of the things going on in Dr. Gilbert’s district that she’s looking forward to? “Wow! Tough to settle on only a few things!”

• Recently, we received a Farm to School grant which will expand experiential learning for our children and teachers. 
• We are changing our special education Pre-K model to be more inclusive. 
• Over the next five years, we will expand two of our schools and build another. 
• We are intensifying our technology initiative, expanding our gifted program, and broadening our partnership with postsecondary institutions.  More than 100 of our students travel to MTSU monthly for Saturday activities sponsored by different university departments.  This summer, in partnership with MTSU, we will offer a Gifted Academy for our teachers. 
• Also, this summer, our partnerships with the faith-based community will provide summer literacy, sports, and technology camps in federal housing projects and mobile home parks. 
• We continue to serve the whole child, as evidenced by the Junior Chef Program, community eligibility, Comprehensive Integrated 3-Tier Approach to Behavior (CI3T), and the mobile feeding unit (The CHOW Bus).   

When Dr. Gilbert isn’t working to improve her district and encourage her students she likes to read, garden, and go on “grand mommy” adventures with her three grandchildren. She found it tough to think of doing any profession but the one she’s in now, but if she had to choose she’d choose farming. “Maybe.”

Thankful to Dr. Gilbert for taking the time to share with us about her school system. Here’s to a great remainder of the school year to Murfreesboro City Schools!

TOSS March Feature on Dr. Lyle Ailshie

“Those who want to be a servant leader may take time to appreciate the view once ascending the mountain, but the sense of accomplishment comes from the journey upward.”

Dr. Lyle Ailshie has been involved professionally in education for 33 years. This is his 3rd year as superintendent in Kingsport, following 17 years in Greeneville City Schools (12 as superintendent and 5 as assistant superintendent) Originally Dr. Ailshie had no intentions of becoming an educator. After graduating from college, he began working in business. “I was offered a teaching position at the school I graduated from in South Carolina. It also included some coaching duties and was enticing. Since I was then single and living with my parents, I thought, why not give it a try and see what it was like. Needless to say, I fell in love with working with young people and that is still what drives me today, even though my direct contact with students isn’t what it was when I was teaching.”

When Dr. Ailshie was teaching, his favorite subject to teach was math. “Math was always like a puzzle to me and I enjoyed finding different ways to get to the correct answer. This can only be done if you have a good conceptual knowledge of mathematics and I enjoyed helping students really understand the principles behind their work instead of just learning a recipe to get the quickest answer. You really knew students “had it” when they started visualizing the problems and their faces lit up.” Just as seeing a student’s face light up with recognition and accomplishment is an important thing to a teacher, I asked Dr. Ailshie to share something important he learned from one of his students or one of his teachers.

Like most who have been teachers, I have saved a variety of things over the years – letters, plaques, cross-stitch items, and various gifts. Back in the days that such things weren’t an issue, I received a beautiful pocket knife from a student. It has a different colored bone handle. While it is a very nice knife and I have it safely stored still today, the thing that I will always remember is the look on the student’s face when she gave it to me. I was fortunate to be one of her favorite teachers and she had done odd chores and saved up money to buy me the knife. I think she was as proud of it as I was. That was one of the first times I realized how important it is for students to learn to give. Even those from limited financial backgrounds can learn and get a sense of empowerment from giving. They are the ones usually on the receiving end, and to see the sense of pride they have from being able to help others is special. It is also a great motivator for creating a vision of a future where they can do more of this.

Although, there are many rewards when it comes to education, students also face many challenges. I asked Dr. Ailshie to talk about the difficulties/rewards of having a good education now vs. when he was a student.

There are many more options for students now and the bar has been raised regarding the expected education level. While college, going into the workforce, or enlisting in the military were the primary options for me, there are now those plus community college, technical centers, and a growing number of career and technical programs at both the high school and post-secondary level. I believe it is more difficult for today’s students to know the right path because regardless of the desired job, it most likely requires something beyond high school. [However], there is also much more stress on today’s students due to increased competition for jobs and to be able to have a career that is both meaningful and generates the finances to support a family. Jobs are evolving faster than ever before and more are being out-sourced. We are seeing this even in the medical field where someone overseas can interpret x-rays less expensively than someone in the U.S. Students have to be better and more agile learners due to the probable need to change jobs several times during their lifetime.

Dr. Ailshie is looking forward to the progress occurring in his district right now. He shared with me about some new programs being implemented and how they would benefit the students.

I am tremendously excited about the implementation of our technology vision. We have started down the road of a 1:1 mobile device initiative that will ultimately lead to students in grades 4 – 12 having their own device for school and home use. We began with our middle school and this fall all students in grade 6 – 12 will have a device. It really isn’t a technology plan as much as it is a learning plan. We know we need to have better ways to personalize instruction and to provide a challenging and engaging curriculum and the effective use of technology gives us the best avenue to success. I am also excited about the continued implementation of our non-traditional high school program, named D-B EXCEL. This program is a blended learning program off-site from our high school in order to create a smaller and more flexible learning environment. Students have more scheduling options, can choose from a variety of learning formats, and are able to better juggle personal demands and desires. We have approximately 100 students already in the program and have a waiting list. We are looking for a larger facility that will allow the program to grow to around 300 students or more.

After inquiring about tips or advice that Dr. Ailshie might share with a new superintendent, he talked about “several key learnings that are important.”

. . . listening to your staff, knowing when to delegate vs. when to be more hands-on, be open and honest regardless of whether what you have to share is good news or bad, and to keep your board up-to-date. I would also share that there are many good managers but it is quite different to be a leader, particularly an instructional leader.

At least as important as the thoughts above, I would stress that it is vital to create a vision for the school system. This needs to be a shared vision that the staff, board, and community will support. Once a vision is in place, a strategic plan must be developed so guide the system toward that vision. I have found that some new superintendents don’t know how to start this process and it is extremely important. As Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you are going you might end up someplace else.”

 What does Dr. Ailshie do when he’s not working?

 He enjoys University of Tennessee football games. Going to games “is something that my brothers and I do to stay in touch.” He also likes to read. When I asked him what his favorite book was, like most avid readers it was a difficult question to answer. “I suppose I would have to say my most favorite book is the Bible. Regardless of the situation, you can always find what you need, whether it be direction, advice, comfort, encouragement, etc. Beyond that, I would probably say that any type of biography or historical book is something I am always interested in as I choose a pleasure read. I am usually reading a professional book and a pleasure book at the same time and find myself switching between the two based on the other things happening at the time.” Dr. Ailshie also enjoys spending time with family when he’s not working.

 “I am at the point in my career and personal life that the most enjoyable thing away from work is spending time with my two granddaughters … My favorite thing is doing activities with [them], they are full of energy and are a constant reminder of why I have spent the last 33 years in education.”