After more than 30 years in the system, Anne Patterson has a well-developed
passion for education.
"I was always really good with children," says Patterson. She is a former
superintendent for the Houston Independent School District. "When I became
a teacher, I began to get kind of anxious about the way schools were run and
the future of public schools -- and that's basically how I got into administration.
I wanted to make a difference."
Patterson says it's a rewarding challenge to make a successful school
out of a needy framework.
"I really believe in public schools. And I think that when you can design
an individual school to meet the needs of a community, the schools really
flourish," she says.
"And that's very exciting because most people have faith in their
schools and they want them to be good. So the fun part is when you really
listen to what they want, and then talk to the schools that you supervise
and make them become responsive. It's just really exciting to see that
happen."
But Patterson admits that the job can be highly political and stressful.
It's one of the most demanding public service jobs out there.
"You work for communities that often put public schools under a lot of
attack," she says. "Everyone's been to school, so everyone feels like
they have a great deal of expertise in the area. So basically we're in
a people service job where we report to the community and we're accountable
to the community for what happens in our neighborhood schools.
"First, you're dealing with people's children, which is the most
valuable thing that they have. And second, a neighborhood's house values
depend on how good the local public schools are. So there's a tremendous
amount of local community pressure for the schools to be good and the children
to excel.
"On top of that, teachers are not paid competitively with private industry.
So there's a lot of pressure to keep good teachers and keep them motivated.
It's the same with principals -- they can make a lot more money in private
industry. So another pressure is to keep good employees."
As she kept on top of her job's complex demands, Patterson spent a
lot of her time on the road and in meetings.
"You can't know where your schools are going or what your schools
need if you're not there," she says.
But Patterson says she didn't have much direct contact with the students
themselves.
"That's more the principals' jurisdiction," she says. "However,
in a rural area, or in a much smaller school district, it's a good chance
that the super will know everybody's name."
Joseph Schneider is the former deputy director of the American Association
of School Administrators. He agrees with Patterson. He says although they
try to, most superintendents don't have time to get to know the students
they work for because of the heavy administrative aspect of the job.
"It depends on the size of the district, but I would say that the superintendent
gets as much contact with the students as they're capable of getting,"
he says. "The reason they go into this field is because of kids. So you'll
find most of them like to stay involved with students, although their job
demands make it so that it gets harder and harder to do that.
"But they try. I don't know a super who wouldn't fight to get
time to be in schools with kids. You have to remember, they all came up from
the ranks -- they were all teachers and principals first."
Neil Gannon is the former director of an organization of superintendents.
He says the job's headaches are well balanced with its rewards and benefits.
"Sure, it's stressful -- any of the issues relating to the school
district, whether it's the budget or problems with the personnel, students
or parents, a superintendent has to deal with directly," says Gannon. "It's
such a challenge that if you are successful at it and you realize you've
accomplished something, it turns out to be a truly rewarding experience."