By Kathleen Acuff

Fischer

New teachers in the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District last week learned how to succeed in school from someone with inside information - Superintendent Rich Fischer.

Fresh from his first appearance as the new president of the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce, the self-styled “luckiest superintendent in the state” briefed 25 district newcomers on his expectations of them during an orientation session in the Los Altos High School library.

“We have a very simple perspective in this school district: We are only here for the kids,” Fischer told the men and women of all ages and backgrounds who have signed on for their first year in district schools and programs.

“We’re all about relationships - nobody else in the country is transmitting our society’s cultural expectations to young people, so our job is hugely important,” he added.

He told the teachers he expects them to care about their students, though not necessarily in a “warm fuzzy” way.

“If you don’t like teens, then teaching them will be like being in prison - with adolescents!” he said.

The district expects teachers to “drop your provincialism, drop your ego, and work together,” he told them. He explained how to get fired.

“It is OK to criticize or remind the superintendent if we are off track - that won’t get you fired. What will get you into trouble here is if you stick your head in the sand and blame it on the kids,” he said.

As an example of the teamwork he expects from all personnel, Fischer cited the three-year plan to improve students’ algebra 1 performance, begun last year by a team of teachers from both Los Altos and Mountain View high schools. This summer, all math teachers attended a workshop on how to teach algebra, and expert teachers coached others.

“This is a huge initiative in the district. The board and I met, as well as the administrators, and put resources behind it. We’ve committed ourselves to making this work, and we expect to see a payoff,” Fischer said earlier in the week.

The orientation group headed outside to plant a redwood tree to commemorate their entry into the district, a tradition begun nine years ago.

“This tree is going to grow and develop just as you’re going to grow and develop this year,” Fischer told the teachers. “It’s going to be sloughing off things it doesn’t need, just like you over the years. That’s what we’re all about: continuous improvement, continuous growth.”

The high school district is encouraging such growth in students by pushing them to take challenging courses, Fischer said.

“We know that taking challenging coursework is a real predictor of success in college and the future - they’re going to be better off if they do. More and more kids are taking (those classes),” he said.

Fischer said 98 percent of the class of 2006 passed their first go at the new high school exit exam. These students are in the first class that has to take the exit exam to graduate. Students take the exam for the first time in their sophomore year, and they can take it five more times, if necessary. The test is a useful tool for teachers, indicating who needs help in which areas before it is too late.

The newcomers will be working in spruce schools in the fall, with the exception of teachers at Alta Vista High. They will hold class in the old building this fall and move into a brand-new building in January. Construction of the new Alta Vista is on schedule and on budget. The district has enough left from its modernization budget to give Mountain View High a perk, too. Students will have a restroom and a snack bar on the football field in short order.

It will be a while before new Mountain View High teachers get a chance to know Principal Pat Hyland, however. Assistant Principal Keith Moody will hold the fort until Hyland has recuperated from surgery.