What if you could get a glimpse into the journey of an extraordinary education leader from his humble beginnings to his current role as a superintendent?
Meet Blake Enlow, the Superintendent of Bowie ISD, who graciously takes us through his life in Coppell, Texas, his move to Bowie, and his transformation from being a teacher to an administrator. We explore his roots, his college life at Midwestern State University, and his family's deep connection to Bowie.
Navigating the path of education is not an easy job, let alone transitioning from teaching to administration. It involves making tough decisions, valuing the experiences of others, and ensuring that everyone moves in the same direction. Blake opens up about these challenges, the struggle to find the right job, and his commitment to the school community. We also explore the process Blake went through to get his superintendent certificate and the decision to take on the role of Superintendent.
As the world grappled with the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the precipitous shift to online learning, Blake shares his experience dealing with these challenges. He candidly discusses his transition from high school principal to superintendent, the advice he received from his predecessor, and the impact of a four-day school week. The importance of communication and collaboration is underscored through Blake's journey, along with the power of building relationships. So, join us on this journey to gain insights into the life of an education leader and learn how he navigates through the challenges thrown his way.
Music by: Kim Cantwell
Bowie Mural: Located at Creative Cakes
Connect w/Aaron: www.aarondegler.com
What if you could get a glimpse into the journey of an extraordinary education leader from his humble beginnings to his current role as a superintendent?
Meet Blake Enlow, the Superintendent of Bowie ISD, who graciously takes us through his life in Coppell, Texas, his move to Bowie, and his transformation from being a teacher to an administrator. We explore his roots, his college life at Midwestern State University, and his family's deep connection to Bowie.
Navigating the path of education is not an easy job, let alone transitioning from teaching to administration. It involves making tough decisions, valuing the experiences of others, and ensuring that everyone moves in the same direction. Blake opens up about these challenges, the struggle to find the right job, and his commitment to the school community. We also explore the process Blake went through to get his superintendent certificate and the decision to take on the role of Superintendent.
As the world grappled with the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the precipitous shift to online learning, Blake shares his experience dealing with these challenges. He candidly discusses his transition from high school principal to superintendent, the advice he received from his predecessor, and the impact of a four-day school week. The importance of communication and collaboration is underscored through Blake's journey, along with the power of building relationships. So, join us on this journey to gain insights into the life of an education leader and learn how he navigates through the challenges thrown his way.
Music by: Kim Cantwell
Bowie Mural: Located at Creative Cakes
Connect w/Aaron: www.aarondegler.com
What happened to my hometown. It seems so different when I look around. It's funny how things have changed since I was young. What I wouldn't give to go way back and take a long look into my past. I remember this town the way that it used to be. Welcome to my hometown, our little town on the map and home to the world's largest Jim Bowie. Knife. To show you around our beautiful town is our tour guide, erin Degler. Erin has a love for road trips, taking the opportunity to stop along the way in small towns across the US, just like our very own, bowie, texas. Spend a little time with Erin each week as he takes you around Bowie, sharing the value of the small businesses, the organizations, the history and, of course, the people that make up my hometown. After this podcast is over, make sure you give it a like, a share, and please subscribe and review this podcast. I would now like to introduce to you your tour guide for today in my hometown, erin Degler.
Aaron:Welcome back to my hometown. Thanks for taking the time to join me today. Please welcome my guest today. He grew up in Coppell, graduated from Midwestern State University and, after moving back to the Metroplex and working for Keller ISD, he and his family moved to Bowie in 2011. In 2011, he started working in Bowie ISD and has been the principal at the elementary, the junior high and the high school campuses. Please welcome my guest today starting his fifth year as superintendent of Bowie ISD, mr Blake Enlow.
Aaron:Thank you, blake, for joining me today. Absolutely appreciate the opportunity. You're welcome, so I'm excited to sit down and visit with you. We have a lot of things you know, i'm sure, over the years as principal of all the different campuses, as superintendent, very challenging probably the last four years. You're starting your fifth year and some changes going into the fifth year, so we'll kind of get to all that. I kind of want to go back to kind of always send all my guests a questionnaire and kind of find out what the background is, what you know, where you're from. You graduated from Coppell, right, and so you went to Midwestern, in which soft falls. What made you decide to go to Midwestern?
Blake :Well, my parents are very close. We're a very close family. My dad has one brother and his brother actually lived down the street from us in Coppell growing up and he had two boys And when I was in upper elementary school they moved to which soft falls And so we started making this trip back and forth between Coppell and which soft falls to visit them a lot. And then in the summer of 1993, right before school started, we were coming this direction to go visit them for the weekend And he found my dad found 60 acres out off of 1125, past the lake a little bit, and so we stopped in there that night and took a look at it and went and ate at the Golden Corral here in Bowie. Now it's those chilies, that's correct. It is now those chilies I worked at Golden Corral in 1993.
Aaron:That's right, so you might have waited on this that night for sure.
Blake :But that was our first trip to Bowie was in August of 1993 to make to make that trip, and so we stopped through and ate dinner and my dad was very excited about that potential opportunity to buy that land And so he got back up the next morning, drove back down here and met the individual that owned the property and said, hey, what's it going to take to make this deal happen right now? And so that that was kind of our connection to the area to begin with. So he bought that land there and had old house on it And so we started working on fixing the, fixing the house up and spending time hunting and fishing and doing a lot of those outdoor, outdoor activities with my brother and I and my mom and dad. And then my grandfather actually ended up buying some land across the street And then my uncle has since bought some out there as well And so we've got a little over 200 acres out there And so that was kind of the connection to the area.
Blake :Spent a lot of those years in high school growing up spending time Out there and one of our real dear friends was our youth minister in Coppell, became the youth minister at First Baptist Bowie here during that time too, and that's his name was Mark Seacons, and so Mark was here for a little while And so we had a little bit of connection during that time, did a few things with the six flags with some youth kids from here, and so I had met a few people from here and spent some time here in town during high school and that kind of thing.
Blake :But when it came time to make a decision to go where to go to school had spent time in Wichita Falls with my aunt and uncle and their family in Midwestern, had a small town feel. I've always kind of been not a real big city guy and didn't want to the big crowds, so you know. So tech and big schools like that were I enjoy rooting for their athletic teams and that kind of stuff, but going to a place where there's 50 60,000 kids was not really up my alley. So really was interested in Midwestern and you know, at Coppell at the time was a growing small town. So we moved there in 1984 when I was five years old and it was to a. They played booey and stuff back in those days.
Aaron:It's hard to imagine now.
Blake :Right, you know, and we were the last really small class to graduate. There were only 298 of us compared to the 8900,000 kids they have in a grade level now And so that was that. We were the last kind of small group and so that's always been a draw the small town and being in a place that had those values in that field And so that was kind of the draw to Wichita Falls and how we kind of ended up there And actually we had a class together our very first freshman year.
Aaron:So were you living in Wichita.
Blake :I lived in the dorms when I moved in to Midwestern, lived in Pierce Hall and it's definitely not the same place that it was in the fall of 1997. I've gone back up with some kids here to visit and look around and going. Man, it's nice compared to what it was back then. Yeah, we lived. I lived on campus and she grew up in Holiday and lived in Lake Sun City and so she was from the area and was living at home and commuting back and forth And we just became friends at that point. So you made your freshman year. We actually had a freshman English class together that very first fall, our freshman year. Yeah, it was kind of crazy. We were in the same class together and became friends and we just started dating until we were seniors.
Aaron:Really.
Blake :Yeah, i teased her a lot. I said it took her a lot longer to figure out. I was the one. She had to try out a few other ones before We could reach to that point. But yeah, we were friends for a while and then our senior year we had a couple English classes again together, because I'm an English minor and she had an English emphasis on her interdisciplinary studies degree. And so we started dating our senior year and it didn't day very long and then got married that next fall or got a Gage the next fall And our student taught at City View ISD while she was teaching in Wichita Falls ISD at McNeil. And then I got a job at Keller High School and then we moved to Denton and got married in June of 2002.
Aaron:So she, what was it like? You got the job at Keller and then she said, you know, the Metronome was that kind of. The whole idea was to move Yeah.
Blake :I probably would have stayed in the area in the Wichita Falls area here down in this direction. But her she growing up in Wichita Falls and that wanted to try different scenario, different situation. And so I had a friend who had just become the head basketball coach at Keller High School, or he was going to be the assistant to the guy that was the new head basketball coach at Keller High School, and so I had done some camps with them in the summer and so they were looking for an assistant in the middle of the year I'm just kind of fortunate and worked out, and so I graduated in December and had he had actually graduated in May the year before and was working at McNeil Middle School there in Wichita Falls ISD, and so I went ahead and moved to Denton and we were already engaged and then when the school year finished for both of us, we got married in June and then she got a job at Hillwood Middle School at Keller ISD the next fall.
Aaron:And that was in 2002. 2002.
Blake :Right, and so you were there for five years roughly And well, in the teaching and coaching role for me, until I did two and a half years at Keller High School and then they opened Central High School in Keller ISD and I went over there for two years as a teacher coach And then. So I did five years of that and then was able to be assistant principal at Central High School for five years before we came up here. So nine years actually, four years in that role.
Aaron:And so when was it during that time that you said we won't try to get back to Booey in the area, because when were you? you have three kiddos, three kiddos, right? When was the first?
Blake :one born. Lanny was born in 2008. And so when I moved into the administrative role as an assistant principal, you know, after a couple years it said, okay, we want to start looking at the opportunity to be a principal of a campus, and so that was probably 2007,. Eight-ish, right in that range, you know, right around the time Lanny was born, and so my parents had moved up here full-time back to Booey in 2006. And so we put the dot in Booey and said how far are we willing to, you know, to move, because family is a big thing for us. We're very involved with my folks.
Blake :Addie's parents have both passed, but making sure that we're close to family, to be able to spend time with them, was important, and so we really put it at about an hour and a half commute to Booey. We interviewed a few places and some different things, and it never kind of worked out. I interviewed here in the spring of 2011 for the junior high principal job, made the finals two there, and they went with somebody else that had more experience. At that time I was 28, 29 years old. I was a young guy, you know, and so most people look at that as hey, that's a 29-year-old, 28-year-old kid coming from the Metroplex doesn't care anything about there. He just wants to get that principal's job and then take a stepping stone.
Aaron:So then you were at. So how old were you when you became a assistant principal? I was 26.
Blake :26. Yeah, by the time school started I was 27,. Yeah, because it was summer birthday.
Aaron:So I'm always curious, and then we'll go back to going back here How is it, when you move from teacher coach Because you're really worried, you know you're concerned about your kids and those kind of things When you move into a more managerial position of now it's teachers and staff that you're? is that a challenge to me, even though you've been through all the classes and all that? it's way different in life than it is in class.
Blake :Yeah, it's never the same, you know. It's never like it's written in the book. You know, and I've told everybody, every position level, whatever category or position you hold, it's always different. You can think you can be as prepared mentally with the book, knowledge and that kind of thing, but until you sit in that chair or have that weight of that responsibility, it's just different. You know. And so, yeah, absolutely Being moving from, i actually was an English teacher and assistant basketball coach at Keller Central as 26 years old and then my birthday was in the summer. I was 27 and then transitioned to assistant principal who was in charge of the English department.
Aaron:And so it has a response of teachers to a 26, 27 year old.
Blake :It can go bad in a hurry If you don't spend the time on the front end to build the relationship and the rapport with them. And you know a lot of times you know, you hear the do as I say, not as I do. That has to go completely the opposite in that environment. If I had been somebody who was haughty, puffed up and being able to tell them go, hey, you need to do this, you need to do this, you need to do this, instead of hey, i've been in here with you for the last two years, i know how hard you work, i know what you do, how do we do what's best for kids and how do I spend time supporting you in that role. I think that was the key to helping that situation and bridging that gap.
Blake :There were ladies in there that were, you know, old enough to be my mom. You know at that spot and had more experience teaching English at the high school level than I was had years on this earth, you know, and that kind of thing. So you've got to make sure that you value the experience of those folks and value those folks as individuals and who they are. And you can't come in, and you know. So I've got the title. I'm going to blah blah, blah blah on that kind of thing.
Blake :So I think, that's always been something that that's been heavy on me because I've always been fairly young in the positions that I've gotten And so making sure that I don't ever get the get the big head or allow those kinds of things to be get in the way, you know, or cloud the judgment and that kind of stuff, because it's not about title People most people, i'll say educators don't get into the business for the money or get in for the fame or the recognition, or whether they get in because they want to help kids or they want to care For me.
Blake :It's I care about this community as a whole, you know, and that's that's what it's about, you know, making sure that we try to make decisions that are going to set up our kids and set up our community to be successful down the road. So yeah, it's a definitely can be a challenge moving into that role. You know it was funny. One time I remember right after that first fall I was assistant principal there was a parent came in and we were having a conversation and she goes are you even old enough to do this job?
Blake :I said, well, i've got the certificate, so I've got enough experience you know, and I passed the test, but age, I'm not so sure I've got it all figured out.
Aaron:And does it comes with experience? Sure, i mean, like you said, you can have the, the, the degrees and the titles and all that, but it's really comes down to experience. And and I agree 100%, that is connections. And yes, you may not have the experience, all the years of experience of administration, but if you can rely on those teachers that do and say, hey, let's do this together, that makes a huge difference with people.
Blake :Yeah, If everybody's pulling the same rope. I keep a picture on my computer. You know, and it's a, the difference between a boss and a leader. You know, the boss is sitting on the platform and everybody's pulling the boss one direction, versus the leaders out in front. Everybody's pulling the, pulling everybody in the same direction. So there it's just a total different philosophy and a thought process on how to get everybody together and pull in the same direction.
Aaron:And so 2011 is when you applied for Buu Junior High School. Buu Junior High Right. Buu Junior High Principal Junior High Principal.
Blake :Right And overlooked.
Aaron:It didn't work, so did you kind of expect that, or did you go in thinking I'm going to, i got this job.
Blake :No, i had to. I you know I.
Blake :At that point I had interviewed for two other positions in other districts and thought, you know I am, i'm finding uphill battle you know, being a young guy trying to, you know, but I'm not going to give up, you know, and keep trying and keep working through that direction. And so, yeah, it was. it was disappointed, disappointment Actually. I had interviewed for at a neighbor, neighboring community and got this call two days later. I didn't get that job either, you know. but the Lord has his hands in in everything And I look back now at both of those spots and I would have. he directs our paths, he takes care of us and he doesn't. sometimes we may want something a little faster than he wants it for us And he has. you know, he has a different, different plan and purpose for what he's doing And I don't think either one of those situations would have been as successful for me.
Aaron:now, looking back, It's got to be pretty devastating at the time. Sure, yeah.
Blake :Young family going. Man Holly, this has got to work.
Aaron:And you look a little bit at the money and go man, that'd be all right, yeah, yeah.
Blake :They were my parents, you know. The parents were here. They'd been here a couple of years and I'm thinking this is going to work And it just didn't. You know, and I had a good spot in Keller and was very excited about that And but they were going.
Blake :This was also 2011, was the big house bill budget cut in education and they cut $5 billion out of the budget And so there were lots of budget cuts and things going around different places And so there were lots of challenges, especially in Keller. We were facing a lot of different stuff and I know they cut a lot of positions here And so that would have been difficult to walk into right on the front side of being a young guy and and knowing what Mr Monkress and that and the team had to deal with that spring and cutting the 20-something positions to the district. It would have been. It would have been a challenge for sure. But you know, like I said, the Lord has his plan.
Blake :And went back to Keller and went to one of the middle schools as an assistant principal over there And my heart knew that I didn't want to go to a middle school, but my head knew that career wise and things that I needed to go to a middle school because I had taught high school, coached high school and was a high school administrator and, knowing down the road what my career goes where, i needed to look at something else.
Blake :I'd worked for the same principal for those four years And it you know, like you said, making connections and seeing how other people do things is always beneficial. So going and working for another principal Lindsay Anderson was the principal at the middle school and had requested that I go over there and I was like I don't want to go do that. But I knew deep down in my head that another look was going to be beneficial, so went over there in the summer and it was. It was a neat place. It was a. The campus had only been open two years, so it was a brand new building. Addie actually had gone over there with Lindsay to open that school.
Speaker 1:And so.
Blake :Addie had worked there two years before I went. Addie was staying home with the kid, with Lainey at the time and was pregnant. Well, lainey and Molly was pregnant with Jake at the time when we went over there And so enjoyed that time and then got an email from a Bowie person And then I was only there for till October. Oh yeah, and then I went in August, july, august, transitioned over there And then in August got an email from Cindy Garrett, who was at the time was the secretary at the at Bowie Elementary and we're very close friends with my parents and said Hey, our principal job just came open. Would you even think about that? You know, i mean, i'd never stepped foot on an elementary campus.
Blake :I didn't know anything. You know, i was like Oh my gosh, should I really? So I went home and talked to Addie. So what do you think about this?
Aaron:And the students really hadn't come to the middle school yet, right, so you were just doing. No, we were in school. Oh, okay, in school.
Blake :We were in school When that was in. The email came, probably mid September, so we'd been in school for a little while And so the application hadn't opened yet and that kind of thing. And so we were talking about it and prayed about it a little bit and talked to my parents and we said, you know, i think let's give this a shot, let's see, because we had tried the high school, i had tried the high school thing, i tried the middle school to try to get a principal's job, and I thought, you know there are more elementary And there are high schools in the state of Texas. And I said, so, let's give this a shot. And and lo and behold, went through the interview process and you know I'd interviewed already, so I was familiar with the leadership team and that kind of thing. And so they gave me a shot. You know they, i was the one that they picked And my goodness, what a, what a blessing that was And able to.
Blake :You know it was a challenge to move somewhere in the middle of the year. Yeah, i was going to say so. When do you start?
Blake :I started the Monday before Thanksgiving in November of 2011. Yeah, i finished the first grading period in Keller. We were done. They were out for the full week for Thanksgiving, but we went Monday and Tuesday, so I finished there on Friday. We packed. We had been packing, moved up here. My dad is in real estate and rental property that we could move in and moved in over the weekend, and I went to work at Louis Elementary School on Monday morning and had the other principal there with me for two days, for Monday and then half a day of Tuesday. Then we enjoyed Thanksgiving and then it was my deal.
Blake :Then the principal at the time was gone and she came to the administration building and became curriculum coordinator at the district level, And so she was gone. So I was like here's the keys.
Aaron:Get figured out. Figure it out, You know so that jumped from going from assistant principal to principal. I mean really on, i mean new school, just everything. I mean that is a week.
Blake :Yeah, It's a huge transition, you know to. You know, I didn't even know the teacher's names, you know, in that kind of thing. And so I spent a lot of time that whole first year, that fall or the rest of that winter and spring, just learning who people were. And I scheduled a meeting with every single employee on the campus, from the custodians to all the teachers, to the food service staff, to everybody, to sit down with me. So I put a face with a name and I had a set list of questions that I asked them just to, just to get to know who they were. I mean kids they had. Did the kids go to school here? You're married, You know what? well, who are you? Yeah, Tell me your story, You know. So I spent a lot of. That was a lot of what we spent there.
Blake :But you know, moving from an assistant principal, you don't ever really deal with a financial side of what happens on the campus. You don't really deal with the budget very much. So that was a new thing. But people help And Rhonda Russell was the CFO at the time and she took me under a wing and helped me understand, kind of that. You never really understand that either Till you jump in. Yeah, school finance is probably one of the most convoluted things I've ever experienced in my entire life. We could have several conversations on podcasts and nobody would still understand how that thing works, But you know.
Blake :so, moving from that assistant principal role, the principal role is it's eye-opening, you know, because then it is your responsibility. You know, as assistant principal, you're like, well, this is the decision we're going to make. But you know, the principal ultimately has the decision and they move into that. and then it's like, okay, now I'm the principal, You know, and how that works.
Aaron:If somebody's listening that is moving from that role from assistant principal to principal or from teacher moving into administration role of principal. What that first year? what is the one piece of advice you might give them that seemed to serve you the best that year?
Blake :Listen, listen, listen to everybody. Again, say yes when you can, and it's okay to say I don't know That's. I think those are the three things that helped me the most, because I didn't have the e-credibility. Thank you, you know, with the people, with the people there there were ladies there that they don't know you from anybody.
Blake :I know me from anybody. They may have known my mom and dad, you know, because they had a real estate office next to the Dairy Queen. They may have known them. They don't know me. All they know is I'm a guy coming from a middle school in Keller, isd, and so 27 year old. Was a little bit. I was 31, 31, the time that you know so some of the teachers.
Aaron:Still, that's a young.
Blake :I was a young kid and I can tell you some of them, i could name their names and we're like who's this young guy and why in the World would he tell me? why would I listen anything? Yes, you know. So spending a lot of time listening And acknowledging that I didn't know, mm-hmm, you know, just being honest, i don't know about Teaching second grade reading.
Blake :I still don't At that spot. You know they're the experts in that kind of thing. You know now operations and say in and safety and making sure our kids are safe and those kind of things. That. Those are things that we can. We can work together and I. But on a lot of that stuff I spent a lot of time listening. So if somebody was transitioning in and one of those roles, Listen, they'd meet. You don't know anything and say yes when you can. You know, because if you can say yes and then you're gonna get somebody behind you and buying with what you're doing. I think those, those are three things that would not go a long way.
Aaron:Mm-hmm then how long we get the elementary.
Blake :I was the elementary Principal for five school years, mm-hmm. So I was over there, you know, and I answered every year When are you leaving? because I was the fourth in five years They had. There were four principles before me every year, every year changed. They had changed every single year, huh, and so that group over there was ready for me to leave.
Aaron:And not that they wanted to leave, but they expected was expected, way it's been for the last four years. So he's 31 years old.
Blake :He's gonna get this and he's gonna move on to somewhere else. Mm-hmm, you know, i said I'm not going anywhere. I mean I'll go if they're ready for me to go. Yeah, i'm never good, i'm not. I'm not too prideful to be that that way. But you know, as long as the community and the board and super tinnitus happy with what I'm doing, you guys are happy, well, i'll stick, i'm not going anywhere. Mm-hmm, you know, and that was really. I didn't have any plans to do anything else.
Blake :I was gonna stay and you know Laney was fixing to go to school and she had started to kill. That was the point was to get somewhere And a small Community to raise our kids, and Laney was, and when I became principal she was gonna start school the next year And so I was a year away from you know that having to be whatever decision we made was gonna be long-term. Still, and it still is. Still is the goal for us to make sure that all three kids get to go to school And, like I said, we'll stay as long as the community will have us and then how does it, how does the kind of the order work in school?
Aaron:If you're principal at the elementary for five years, do you apply for junior high position, or does? Does administration come say, hey, we'd like to move you around, open up this position.
Blake :Yeah sure it can. It's both ways, it's lots of different ways. In that scenario I had, you know, been a high school assistant principal, middle school assistant principal in a Big district and and that's a big job and I and, and I will, i'm not sure I want to go do that again. You know, my kids are little, i'm enjoying being able to go go home And if I want to go to you know that kind of thing.
Blake :And so mr Bunkers came over one day and he said hey, i want you to think about something. He said I just want you to think about Our district as a whole and what we need and what we're looking at. And if Something was to ever change, just just think about it. Okay, oh, my god, i'm not gonna think about that. I want to do it. Oh, you know I do. And so then He said you know a couple you another. Another time, during my value, he said I think you might want to think about getting your superintendent about. It's a certificate. So that's no way, i don't want to do that. No, there's no way. So I put it off.
Aaron:You know, whatever and what's involved with getting that. Is it more school? is it yes, to get a?
Blake :superintendent certificate. Then and I Think it's pretty much the same It's you have to have a master's degree to be a principal Mm-hmm in Texas, and so I had the master's degree and then a superintendent certificate requires an additional 12 hours Graduate work and taking the test Mm-hmm. So I took I took a mini-master. It was. It wasn't one mini-master, but Lamar and University of Beaumont had a online program for a superintendent certification And you would take either two, one or two three-hour courses at a time and you just click those. So you could do if you did Sit six at a time. You could take six hours and then take the other six and then be finished.
Blake :Or you do three, three, three, three, and so I think I did six one time, and then three and then three. I got it finished and took the test, and so he finally convinced me that I that was something on I Probably should look at. And at that point we were still three or four years from him even thinking about retiring. So I was like, yeah, i'll get it, i'm not gonna. Yeah, okay, you ask me, do it, i'll have it, i'm not gonna use it. And then the conversation came well, i want you to think about going to junior high, the junior high. Miss Murphy had announced that she was gonna go back to no Kona and head over there, and So that was at the end of the fifth year prior, the spring of my fifth, fifth year at the elementary.
Blake :And you know, i was like you know they were, we had had a Little bit of challenge academically and some things going on, and so we needed some stability. Mm-hmm, i'd been here for five years and all of those kiddos that I'd had at the elementary were in the junior high, you know. And so that was a hard decision to really make For me, because personally what I would have Liked was probably say it's elementary, you know, cuz I that that's a great job. Yeah, that is a great job, you know, because my kids were still in school and I still had mine at the elementary, and so I was like you know, but then I start stepping back and I've always kind of been a very loyal person, you know and start think through What's best for us collectively of the school district. You know, we probably need a little more stability and and and I've Done, i thought I had done a good job at the elementary, providing some of that stability I've. You know, i'm in for four principles in five years and being able to be a steady person, you know. So maybe that's what, maybe that's the direction we need to go.
Blake :And so I talked to mr Marcus about it and he said, yeah, i'd really like you to go over there. And so I'm like okay. And so I made that announcement. I'm probably February, no, probably April, around that right April of that that year, and I can't remember exactly what year it was. And so I started going over some and and Doing some of the spring work and then some of the planning, scheduling and hiring, doing all the hiring for the next year, and Got through a middle of June We're in.
Blake :Coach Stark was the athletic director at the time. He came over to have a meeting about hiring a junior high coach and he said I'm gonna tell you something. And he said I want you to think about it. I said okay, he said mr Schackelford is resigning This week. On Monday morning and I don't know he's, because I had heard nothing, no idea, he goes. Yeah, he's out of here and it's gonna happen on Monday and I, he goes, and I think you need to be the high school principal and I was like no way, no way, you know, no way now.
Aaron:So you're you just kind of planning on junior high getting it?
Blake :Yep, I was gonna take the junior that we were junior high we've been working on. In the summer I'd met with staff and we were getting planning and we were doing all that kind of stuff. Everything was rolling and I was still helping. Mr Volkinar had come to be principal at elementary So I was still helping him transition and all that kind of stuff. And then coach start goes. Yeah, think about he goes just telling you it's gonna happen on Monday. I'm like and uh, yeah, you've got some bad information somewhere. Well, sure enough, sunday afternoon We get a text message.
Blake :All the principals that said, hey, we need to have a meeting tomorrow. Mr Schackelford is gonna be the new principal at Glenrose High School and need an administrative meeting in the morning. And I was. I remember I was sitting in the car with addy when it came across and I looked over at her and I said we got, we, we need to have some heavy conversation right now. And I said, because we're fixing to transit change another principal in the school district.
Blake :And You know, and we had talked through you know, when I got my superintendent certificate, is that you know, if the high school principal job ever opened, what should I consider it? Is it something that we would want to do And she said well, call your dad. I was like, okay, you know. So I called my dad and we went and sat down and visited with them For an hour or so just through the whole process, and I Texted mr Monkers and I said I need to talk to you before we have that meeting tomorrow. I said because I'd like to Express interest in the position. And he said, okay, i'll meet you at seven o'clock or something. You know. And I had been pretty Adam, it's not the right word, but I didn't really want to be a high school principal right then.
Aaron:And for a while really and now you went from elementary skip.
Blake :Really, i did three about three months at the junior high, and then I was fixing to, you know, and, and so I got into Steven's office the next morning and he said all right, tell me what you think in. So I talked through and he said you know, i know What you want to be and where you want to go. And he said and I know where you are with your family. He said so, i'm not going to ask you to be the high school principal. He said but if you ask me To be the high school principal, you can be the high school principal. And I said, well, he goes, i want, you know, he goes. Obviously I would like for you to be the high school principal. I said, well, let's do it, you know. And so, um, we went through the process and did those kind of things, and so that was the probably the craziest and busiest summer in my career, even with all some of the other crazy stuff that we've dealt with. It was trying to, because I still Maintained being the middle school principal, junior high principal, till we were able to get a middle school principal higher And then so, being in the planning process from April till that about first of july, um, i had to help that guy mr Madrigal when he came in and so trying to transition, i felt kind of like I was principal of three places in one summer, you know, with all the transition and that kind of stuff and so But it was good you know,
Blake :because I felt again It came back to, you know I don't really want to do what's best for me, but I felt like for stability, wise for the district, and knowing where we were in the middle of hiring, you know, and I I've been around enough that I knew most of the people and I felt like I could Just maintain a calmness.
Blake :You know that it didn't feel like everything was going Willy nilly and everything there at the, you know, and so it was busy, you know. But really being able to enjoy That opportunity and get another group of kids that I really didn't know, that was another really Positive to the experience was I didn't know those kids. They were already gone middle school and upper intermediate when I became principal at the elementary, and so I was able to go spend the next three years, you know, with your kids Yeah, you know, and the kids that I didn't really get to know as well, and so I really didn't. You know, that's what I do. I do this job for the kids And I really do enjoy being around kids, and so that was that was really fun, you know, and go and support them and all the different stuff that they were in and those kind of things, and that's a big jump too from elementary because you're not really going to sporting events.
Aaron:You're not, yeah, in high school, now you have all the sporting events, everything as a principal, you're going to those things, you're Attending those, and that's got to be a lot, especially with the young family.
Blake :Yeah, it was definitely a change, and that's what.
Blake :That's why, when I was looked at adi, i said we got to talk because, I've been on that side, i've been a high school assistant principal and I've been a coach, and so I knew What we were getting ourselves back into, um, and with the kids being a little and that kind of thing. And so I had to make sure she was good, you know, she was okay with you know, and she had just gone back to working too. That year she had gone back to teach it to junior high, and so she was good, you know, and she she's a kid person too, you know that's. We've just been blessed that that's kind of what we feel the lord has called us to do in our careers, you know, was be around kids and work with kids at school and at church, for that matter.
Blake :And so She'd gone back and she was good because, she knew the enjoyment piece of being around kids and getting to support them. Yeah, you do a lot with school, but being able to go see a kid be successful in whatever it is they choose whether it's a fine art, whether it's an academic, whether it's ag, CTE, athletics, whatever it may be.
Blake :Those kids know when you're there and it means something. It means something that somebody from school took the time to recognize and acknowledge what it was that they are passionate about or spent time and put the effort into to get those kind of things done, And so those were fun times And I think that's one of the things. Transitioning to this one I may be jumping ahead Has been a little bit different because I don't know the kids as well.
Blake :I spent as much time with the kids that I used to be able to do. I mean, i could go sit down in the cafeteria during lunch duty and rotate tables and just sit with kids and have lunch with kids and talk to kids and know what's going on Kids getting trouble, they got to come talk about it. You know, deal with it. You know those are just realities of what we deal with. But being in this role has definitely is different from that. You know, i think you always know when you get off of a campus that you're going to be away from kids. The kids are going to be around as much. But I don't think you really know So kind of what we were talking about earlier until you really get into those spots, like you have a head knowledge Oh yeah, the kids aren't going to be there, but I'll still be able to. You don't really know until until it's two or three days and you go. I haven't been in a building with kids doing anything. You know I've been dealing with this, that and everything.
Aaron:And then many times you walk through a campus and the kids don't know who you are.
Blake :They don't know who you are anymore.
Aaron:And if you don't spend?
Blake :time and I will really say that the younger kids, the kids that are below my own kids age, are the ones that I don't know as much as well, and if you know so, i told somebody that this fall, this spring, that I really need to make an effort at the elementary age kids, if I don't know you or know your family, i don't know them very well. And so spending some time back over at that place again is going to be a priority for me in the fall.
Aaron:And then moving from the high school to superintendent. That's starting on your fifth year as we come up to the new school year in 2023. So is that that's kind of a natural progression, is high school principle, And then it's kind of the idea of go for superintendent And so superintendent over the last four years. So when you went into that role as Mr Monqueries left, did you kind of guide you starting out or was it just like Well, it was kind of interesting how that all kind of worked.
Blake :During that last spring, when he was about to retire, he was going to transition to another position with the company And so there we had built in a little bit more of a cushion in a transition time. But that company had experienced a tragedy with an employee and they needed him way earlier than he had really planned to go, and so they made it, made him an offer he couldn't refuse, you know that kind of thing. So he had to go ahead and go, and so he went in late April, first part of May, and so he was gone.
Blake :But I had kind of been tagging along him for a couple of years when I was elementary, just kind of watching and learning, and I was very fortunate he'd let me go to things with him. You know different things leadership wise, because in a big school district the superintendent role is way different, in my opinion, than a smaller place.
Blake :They're much less they're involved, you know. But I mean I remember in Kellard I mean I think the superintendent may have come to our campus, you know, a couple of times a year, you know. And then I don't, you know, it's just because there's there's 40 campuses, you know, and even so, if you went every once a week you might get one campus, you know, get it checked off. And so just I was kind of more fascinated with kind of what he did and how that all worked And so just watching, and so that's why I was a little more amiable, the further along the process I got to being open to doing the job, because down there I was like I don't want to do that, i don't want to be that thing, because you're on the news all the time and there's always something, you know I was like I don't want to do that. But you know so was he grooming me or helping, you know?
Blake :maybe you know, as I look back, he was just providing me opportunity to learn, so I spent a lot of time with him picking his brain and just hanging around.
Blake :And so then that spring, as we went through the interview process, i really kind of just kind of hung on everything Hey, what about this, what about this, what about this? And then when he left in April was they were still finishing up the interview process, so they made Miss Walker the interim And then in Texas you have to wait 21 days once they name a lone finalist, and so they named me lone finalist in the April, first part of May at some point. So there was a 21 day waiting period where I had the job but couldn't do the job, you know. And so that's when Miss Walker and I worked very closely together because she was doing the job and her job currently at the same time as assistant superintendent. So it was very, very busy on both of us And then transitioned and so for a week, a week and a half I think it was about a week and a half I got to be superintendent and high school principal. That last year, as we transitioned until we got somebody hired and those roles and that kind of stuff.
Aaron:So, and that was 2019. I think, yeah, 19, spring and 19. Yeah.
Blake :Spring and 19. 19, 20, 21, 23, 22, 23, 23. So 18, 19.
Aaron:I can't remember, but right at that rate, maybe 18, 19 year, 1920. So you're just a superintendent about a year when I know where this is going. When 2020 happens and COVID happens, so there's no. I mean that's got to be hard as a superintendent for just a year. I mean there's nothing, because it happened at spring break, basically.
Blake :I mean, we were in about nine months and you start hearing rumblings in the fall, right around Christmas. What is this thing, What's you know and what's going on and about? about three weeks before spring break, the mayor called and said Hey, i'm hearing about this.
Blake :We're going to have a city council meeting. We'd like to have you all come talk about what, how this, i guess coronavirus or whatever they what the I think that's what they were calling it First and how that's impacting school and all this kind of stuff. And at that point there hadn't been very much communication to us about it, and so we were like, okay, well, we're going to just handle things as normal. We're going to keep doing extra cleaning every couple of days. And so I went to the end of the day And then it was almost like everything just hit fast forward over the next three weeks And you know the news and all that kind of stuff. And then, and then it just came down at you know, the spring break. We're going to go on spring break and that's going to give this. We're going to slow the spread and it's all going to be good.
Blake :And then we came back and governor Abbott just shut him down And we're going to going online. And so it was like, okay, now we were in a better spot than a lot of people were because of the, the number of devices that we had laptops and iPads and those kinds of things on that side of it, but on the other side we still had families and community members that didn't have a wifi access And so making paper packets and making copies, and then all the sanitary issues with passing things back and forth the families and clothes and stuff because kids left school and there was stuff still in the backpacks. They were still in, they expected to come back.
Blake :They thought they were coming back, yeah, you know. And so we had stuff all in lockers and in classrooms and on lots of found, you know, let alone on top of all that, how do we keep teaching these kids in an environment where they can learn anything? And so, and we are now definitely seeing what impact that had on the kids and for the first time, they're seeing a little bit of a tip back up in statewide scores and some information, depending on which politician you listen to.
Aaron:Because it definitely was a challenge. Oh gosh, and what students were able to learn. and I think it's just like us. you know, if we try to learn our own, it's different, even as adults and kids. And then now you know yes, they have online, the teachers are teaching online, but also the parents now have to have some responsibility And when they're not used to that responsibility, they're used to sending them to school, picking them up and learning everything you need.
Blake :I don't want to do it at home. You take care of that, that's right.
Aaron:Yeah, you need to do that, that's right. And now it comes on the parent and we find that parents didn't do so. Good Right, but yeah, i think parents are sometimes quick to blame it on the school, when it really required a partnership It is absolutely a partnership.
Blake :You know that's the. it takes a village. You know we all have a role to play. so much in that And I think that's a.
Blake :it is kind of sad sometimes, too, that I think through that, and I don't know if it was directly related to COVID or whatever, but there, there for a little while, there was a lot of animosity towards educators, you know, and maybe that's something that maybe opening up and being able to see what was going on or not going on or how things were working, it kind of just kind of shifted there for a little while to where we can't do it all. It's like the parents can't do it all. We have. like you said, we have to work together. We have to work together because that may ultimately, a lot of times we spend more time with the kids than they do. You know, if you take out the sleep at time, you know they're with us all day. Yeah, you know, and so and it goes to some of them It was on back to coat coronavirus and all that was.
Blake :I was worried about feeding some of them. You know we've. you know over half of our kids are on a free and reduced lunch, and so that was a big priority was how do we make sure that these kids are actually getting to eat? you know, and so you know, given our food service department and transportation department and all those guys did an unbelievable job of packing lunches and delivering them and having drive-throughs and people could drive through and make sure and all that kind of stuff. But yeah, back to the teaching and learning thing. It was a definite challenge. I mean, i watched daddy teach junior high English classes online, you know, and then I watched my three kids One of them was in middle school at the time taking middle school classes and then my other two were in elementary and how that just was a challenge. you know of how you teach a kid to read through a Zoom meeting.
Aaron:And those younger kids too. They need connection, absolutely And same thing, and I think they're finding that too, that it's not just what they lost education wise, it's what they lost from social and connection and interaction and what those teachers give to those kids And sometimes those kiddos aren't getting at home.
Blake :Unfortunately, unfortunately, there's a love piece that they're not getting. You know, some of those kids just need a hug, you know. And you know, back to when I was elementary principal, you know I'd get hugged around, i'd get called mom, dad. You know, all those little kids, you know, they just need to know that you care, that you're there and you care for them, and so I think that was a big, a big challenge too, because you don't get that through a screen, you know. And so a lot of people just said I just want to see my kids, i want my kids back, you know. And so I know, as we transition to the next year and we kept the online option, it didn't take very long for us to continue to see we're not getting the results. I mean, we had all summer to plan and we, you know, we put together a, i'll say, a decent plan to get things rolling, you know. So you could rock and roll, but about mid-October it was like this isn't working.
Aaron:I mean our again, you can have the plan, but on the other end of that screen there needs to be some commitment, yeah. Otherwise you know, i mean, if the school has a great plan, if they're not connecting on the other end, it's not doing a whole lot of good.
Blake :It's not doing any good on the other side and that kind of thing. And so, i mean, at the end of that deal we were like you know what, let's cut this thing, you know. And so we started doing some research and they said it had to be an option And if the district makes the decision, you don't have to offer it, they can go somewhere else, you know. And so about mid-October we went to the board and said, you know, we pulled some of the information. You know. I mean, our kids were not being successful. I don't remember the numbers off the top of my head, but we had the data to support it and the board was like, no, bring them back. So we passed the resolution and said, no, we're not going to offer online, you don't have to come, you can go somewhere. You know, you can go to a neighboring district that offers remote or you can do a home school or you can do it online and something.
Blake :But the best place for kids in Bowie was in front of a teacher in one of our classrooms And so I had a few conversations with parents and I said I will not guarantee that your kids not going to get sick, not going to do it, but I wouldn't have done it five years ago I wouldn't have guaranteed they weren't going to get sick. But I will guarantee you that they'll get a better. They have a better chance at a positive impact of education being in one of our classrooms than trying to sit on a computer and learn back and forth from us.
Blake :It's just not the same, and so the overwhelming majority of people came back, and so that was a good thing, but it was still a challenge throughout the rest of that year just navigating all that masks and, and that was into 2021.
Aaron:That was my second year And then in 2122, it was back to full.
Blake :Pretty much back to full full go. We had to have a little bit of stuff with the federal government at some requirements due to some funding that they had given out. But governor the state and governor avid it said no, we're not going to do that. So it was kind of like, well, who gets to be, who gets to be the boss, you know, and who gets to make the decision? And so we kind of there were a few things at the beginning of that year, but there weren't, there weren't very many.
Aaron:So this year was full, full go, and so this year we're moving into 2324. So I want to ask about there's going to be a big change And I'm sure you've gotten a lot of concerns about it, a lot of. Yes, it's a great idea, but this year, this coming up school year, boogie will go to a four day school week. There are a lot of districts around us that have already gone to a four day school week. And what? what are some of the benefits of that? I think I think probably a lot of people come out with the negative of childcare long days of what are they going to do for food on those days?
Aaron:What are some of the positives? I think we can come up with a lot of negatives, but what are some of the positives that that the district looked at of going to a four day school week for the?
Blake :kiddos. I think number one is the gift of time, knowing living with a teacher and knowing what our teachers do and the continual increase of the requirements on teachers and stuff. Right now, the vast majority of them work on Saturday and Sunday, and I know at my house about 5, 36 o'clock on Sunday afternoon is is prep time, and so she will start in on whatever she has to prep and be ready to go so that when they hit the ground running on Monday morning And so Sunday afternoon is when she transitioned, and so being able to give Friday back to the teachers is a, is a is a positive. I think so. I think that's a. That's one of the benefits, is the gift of time, and so she can work on Friday and get ready for Monday and then have Saturday and Sunday back to her, to the family. Not just her, but all of our teachers can do that. So I think that's one. I think two, i think it's a recruiting tool. I think us having a four day week versus um Alvord Decatur, someone that we air quotes, compete against for staff, uh, gives us a little bit of a leg up. Maybe they pay a little bit better, um, but we get an extra day off and an opportunity there. So it's. It's somebody that you may have to weigh that out.
Blake :That actually played itself out. A teacher from Decatur who lives in Buoy was driving back and forth to work at Decatur And as soon as we passed the calendar, the board adopted the calendar. Um, she reached out and we hired her and she's going to teach for us next year. She said the benefit to not drive and have the extra day here versus driving down there every day. Uh, suede her. So I think that's one Um, and so a lot of it came down to teacher incentive and things to uh benefit for teachers.
Blake :I think some of the parents I think there's some flexibility to take some trips to do some things. Um, i think some parents are excited about um, having an extra day to do stuff, whatever those kinds of things may be. Now, you know there was some conversations well, you can do your doctor's appointment with Dennis off. Well, most of them close on Fridays anyway, so you don't really run into those kinds of things. But uh, you know, i just think there's a, there's an opportunity to try something different. You know, i know that's one of the board members said. You know it may not work, but at least let's try something to give us a. We can't pay what Northwest base people can drive to Northwest ISD on the other side of the cater and people will do it and get a $20,000 race.
Speaker 1:Somebody's going to do that.
Blake :Um, but let's give it a shot, and so we picked out seven or eight measures that we're going to check to see is it working, did we get a more increased um applicant pool and it has felt I haven't pulled the numbers recently but it has felt that that was a yes. We feel so far this spring and summer we have felt our applicant pool has been a little bit better than it has been in the past. Um, we're going to run the numbers on the financial side.
Blake :Do we save any money by not running the buildings on the fourth, the fifth day of the week? Did we save any money by not having that extra route on the buses to those kinds of things? We're going to look at that kind of stuff. How does it offset with longer days on the other ones? Um, so we've got some different measureables that we're going to measure on those kinds of things.
Aaron:And you mentioned that it's, it's this year's we're going to say that it works. If it doesn't, then we can go back. So is there any concern about especially the younger grades probably junior, high and high school maybe not be affected as much, but those younger kiddos uh, probably fifth grade and down those longer days? Um, will that have any kind of impact on learning, just because of little little brains and being tired? I know for me sometimes if I sit somewhere for eight out nine hours learning new things, that get tired. Is there any concern? or is there things in place? Um, cause I'm sure some parents are concerned about a long day for those little ones, right, Um, they're going to have to be intentional and that's been a conversation that we've had.
Blake :Um, it's 15 more minutes in the morning and 30 more minutes in the afternoon, so we tried to uh to uh, to split it a little bit where it wasn't as much And so you had to a little bit earlier, uh, specifically, but uh, i remember well when I was at the elementary there's a ton of those kids there early And so 15 minutes they're most of them are sitting in the cafeteria and they're waiting for class to start And so there, i think that's a little bit of well, less than that a little bit, um, uh, but I think they back to the learning piece. I think they're going to have to be intentional on chunking some information. So we're going to spend, we're going to go hard and heavy on this time here And then we're going to take a break. We've talked about additional and there's a lot of research that supports active activity and play and those kiddos and those younger grades specifically being active. So being, are we going to put in another 15 minute recess where they get up and they get out and they go run and and those kinds of things. Then when they come back we pull them back in and we go back on the academic side. So I think there's there's definitely been, uh, some flexibility and some some creativity going on at both of those campuses on some of that.
Blake :But, yes, you definitely have to be intentional, uh, on that, because, technique, i mean, the minutes are all the same. The minutes are the same, they're just distributed a different way And so, yes, they are longer. So there's also the kind of the fear that, well, it's just going to be another, that extra 30 minutes is just going to get lost or wasted. So we, instead of having it on Friday, we got to maximize it. We can't use four days and like. So if Friday you know, my son said, well, friday was the fun day, you know, the fun day where we played games We can't, thursday can't become the fun day, you know.
Aaron:So every minute really needs to be utilized.
Blake :It needs to be utilized and maximized, and I think that's one of the things that we've been, uh, been preaching and talking, going, hey, we got to do, we got to be intentional. You know, not that they're not, not that I think that they weren't, you know, but I think just the change and that transition they're going to have to be really intentional on making sure we maximize what we have, cause the last thing you want we go to school to teach kids, to teach kids and for kids to learn, and you don't want to do something knowingly that's going to hurt a kid anyway, but especially academically, cause that's what we're here. We're here to teach our kids and prepare our kids so they can go be successful later on. But, like you said, the high school kids, they're already there anyway. My oldest daughter's like, well, i don't like the five day, four day week, cause I got to go on Friday anyway, cause I got practice or whatever.
Blake :Well, yeah, some of those kinds of things are still going to happen, you know, and so I think there's a lot, of, a lot of excitement about it, cause the places that have gone ahead of us nobody has gone back that I can know that I had found. Nobody has said no, that didn't work, we're going back, so we'll see. You know, we tried to to let somebody else go make all the mistakes and try to learn from them. And they'll still be bumps in the road, because definitely there are some childcare challenges There. Childcare in our community is a challenge anyway. There's just not enough providers, and so that was definitely one of the biggest conversation pieces that that we had focused around opportunities for people just to take care of kids, you know, and so We threw out some different ideas. You know, i said, hey, i've got a 15-year-old, a 15-year-old that could babysit on some Fridays, and I know there's other kids that could, you know.
Aaron:Those are some opportunities, and I don't know that doesn't work for everybody, but it could open up for somebody And I think people will find solutions. Correct, when there's new problems, people will find new solutions. I agree with that too, yeah, and I encourage everybody, really, that when there's new things we're quick to well, that's not going to work. Right, give it a shot, because that thing might be better than the old thing. Right, but sometimes we're scared of change because we don't know how it's going to work, how it's going to look, and it really, i think, creates, helps people be more creative and find better solutions. Right, like, how can the kids learn better now? Right, and one of those is by being intentional And the teachers get that opportunity now that they get that new.
Aaron:Even somebody that's been teaching 30 years oh, i have something new, right, And if you, i think, if they take the opportunity to look at it like that, like instead of you know I've been doing this way for the last 29 years, i don't want to change it's a new opportunity for new things for our community. Right, i know there's a new daycare opening up. That's an opportunity. Absolutely. That may have not been born out if we had not adopted the four-day school week. So there's a new business opportunity. Maybe teenagers that have a hard time finding a part-time job can have new opportunities for making some income, and then it just creates new things. That I think, if we're open to and not be so quick to debbie downer them, that I think we can have some real growth And conversation. Sure, and so often we don't take time to find out how everything works, We're just quick to well, it's not going to work.
Speaker 1:It's not going to work.
Aaron:We're going to talk negative about it And we don't take the like. I was on the SHAC committee a long time. Still am but a long time ago.
Aaron:Right, i liked the high-calorie meals and the cafeteria. So I got on the SHAC committee and I'm going to change the world. So I get on the SHAC committee and find out that, oh, it's not a district thing, it's a state thing. So if I really want to make a difference, i have to commit to go to the state and lobby and do all those things. And then when I understood, i was like, oh, i get it now. And I was like, okay, i'm good with that because it averages out your meals And if those kids are eating five days a week, it's going to average in the week.
Aaron:So, by learning, because I was quick to say, well, the school's not doing right. But then I took action, got on the committee and go, oh, they're doing exactly what they need to, but the district is following what they're supposed to do. And then it was up to me do I want to take that big step and go to the state, and I didn't want to. So I always use that as get involved and find out what's going on. Don't sit on the sidelines and be negative about it or say, well, this isn't going to work. Well, they don't know what they're talking about. Get involved, talk to the administration. Yeah, there's got to be something In 2020, graduation You and I had a conversation about graduation Because, again, so many people were on the sidelines talking about what was going to go on, go find out And it was. I thought it turned out to be a great graduation for 2020. It was really neat. I think one of the best ones.
Blake :It's unique because nobody else is going to have that experience, ever, ever. They're the only ones that will be able to say they had that.
Aaron:Yeah, it was great. So I encourage people all the time, whether it's the city, whether it's the school district. Talk to those involved, come talk to you, come talk to Ms Ferris. That is now the assistant superintendent Assistant superintendent, talk to your teachers, talk to your district or your campus principals, find out, have those calm conversations where you have conversation and communicate And, as you said and you have been an example of all these years, listen. The principal will listen to you and administration will listen to you if you listen to them.
Blake :It's a two-way street, absolutely. And kind of back to earlier we said listen when we can, say yes when we can and admit when we don't know. I think so many times people get in a position or get into some and they just think they have to be. I have to be right and I can't ever say I don't know And I'm like shoot, there's so much I don't know And to me that helps people understand that I'm just a human guy, just like everybody else, and I'm honest, like when we talked about the calendar, i don't know what this is going to look like. We think we know and we are going to measure, with some things and based on some others, and plan to the best your ability, absolutely, and it may not be great, but it may be the best thing we've done in this place in 20 years.
Aaron:We'll see. You know, when I plan group workouts, classes, i write down on paper and sometimes I tell them well, that didn't look like it did on paper, right, you know, because sometimes it turns out better, right, and sometimes it turns out way worse, right. But you don't know until you put that into action.
Blake :Right, you get in there and start seeing what actually, how does it work and how does it play out and what are the outcomes?
Aaron:from it too, for sure. So I just encourage people to be patient.
Blake :Yeah, be patient and have some conversations. You know we talk a lot of people talk a lot about a lot of things You know, and sometimes just sitting down and be able to talk through things gives us ideas and helps us understand, because you know you'll send out surveys and you get bits of pieces of information. So we kind of feel like we know what people really you know. and then, but then somebody said I didn't really like that or this, you know because the big survey for the four day was it was overwhelming, overwhelming.
Aaron:We want to do it.
Blake :80 by 80, 20. Yeah, You know, and so I'm thinking well, you know, there's a lot of things that we can do. You know, there's a lot of people that either really like this and aren't saying anything.
Aaron:And so we're a little shocked. When because I'm sure you heard plenty of criticism were you a little shocked when that came about with such an overwhelming survey?
Blake :Absolutely, absolutely What I, if I want, i want to say let's see who was first. Montague, i think Montague and Prairie Valley were the first. Goldberg were the first ones to really do it, and that is there's no way that goes over here, no way. And so we were in a admin meeting one time and we said, all right, we need to start looking at next year's calendar, let's throw this question in. So we put in all the you know you like to start this kind of thing.
Blake :And then what's your opinion? It was real generic, but what's your opinion of a four day school week and overwhelming 80 by 80, 20, four? And we're like, oh my gosh, there's a whole lot more work that we need to do to talk about what this actually looks like. It's not, you know, on those kind of things. So that's when we started having some of those campus and district meetings and then had some campus improvement meetings and had some parents in, and then we actually had a town forum, you know, where people could come ask questions, and I did one of each one of the campuses with the staff, so did that kind of thing where the staff could ask questions.
Aaron:And I remember the town forum and it go, but there wasn't a big attendance.
Blake :Is that correct And it rained like crazy that night, but yes, there was probably 30. About 30 people.
Aaron:And people are quick to say well, it was raining, i didn't want to go out. But again, i encourage people. If it's important to you, the rain is just an obstacle, the thunderstorm is just an obstacle, we were still there. Yeah, if it's important, you will get there. I think too quick were to blame a teacher, an event, something, because sometimes we don't want to take responsibility for that. If I felt strong, i take it on me that if I wanted to change something about the cafeteria meal plan, I would go all the way to the state, maybe the nation, whatever I had to do, if I felt that strongly about it. But I have to say I wasn't that invested in it. And I think sometimes people need to own that and say, maybe I wasn't invested in that, so I can't complain about that, so I don't complain about it. And if we can have all kinds of reasons, but if you didn't go, for whatever reason, own that and say, okay, let's see how it goes.
Blake :I ask our staff to be solutionaries. Let's don't be complaining just to be complaining. We can complain about the state all day long. They said we got to do this, we got to do that. they don't give us enough money. It is what it is. So let's make a solution out of what we have. Let's be a solutionary. Let's come up with something and figure out what can we do to make a difference with what we have for our kids.
Aaron:I listen to a lot of entrepreneurs on podcasts and things and the most interesting thing I hear over and over and over from the entrepreneurs is that when they don't have anything, the best ideas come about. And you can come up with the best solutions when you have minimal. Yeah, we have nothing.
Blake :And we got to make this work with what we've got, And a lot of times. what is it? Breeds necessity, necessity breeds invention, or something like that, whatever that comes out of it. It's true in all aspects of life, everything from folks to schools, to entrepreneurs, to whatever.
Aaron:And so just encourage people to be open minded and listen and have those two-way communications. I think that's the greatest thing we can do, not only in the school but in our community, is have those conversations face to face, not via, because I think sometimes even via text, email, things get lost.
Blake :Oh yeah, it's hard to interpret what's being said and interpret. We literally had our entire office staff today do a personality inventory, And so remember, when that person does something that frustrates you, it's not because they're trying to frustrate you. Did you do a disc? No, we actually did the personality course And so we have our well, lots of blue people in there today, which was interesting.
Aaron:So they know how to deal with people.
Blake :We absolutely do And that's important, absolutely. I've done that. when I was elementary principal, i did it. I actually did it with my classroom when I was first teaching and I wasn't getting the results I wanted. and I went to a training and I'm like this when you're 22, 23, you think whatever's the key to everything you know.
Blake :I was like this is the greatest thing I've ever done, but I was teaching my classroom, my kids in my classroom, the way I wanted to be taught, and there wasn't a classroom full of Blake Innos, you know. And so when I realized I go, i'm frustrating them by what I'm doing and they're frustrating me by what they're doing, let's adjust. Let's take a look back and have a conversation about how do we, how do we all work together? And that's what I told the staff of acid in November when we're frustrated with each other, take a step back and go. That's who they are, cause, ultimately, the culture we're trying to build is all together, pulling the same direction for the same goal, and it will be the strongest when we're doing that. But when we're individualized and pulling, trying to do our own things for our own self, we're going to hurt our organization And that's not what we need to be doing.
Aaron:And and when everybody does a little, a lot gets caught, a lot gets done, and going against each other just doesn't get anywhere, it doesn't help anywhere, doesn't get anywhere For sure. So just a well, just a couple of things for you to wrap up What is probably one of the biggest successes that you've seen over your time here at Buass University from elementary principal to, briefly, junior high school, now superintendent Oh gosh.
Blake :I'm definitely not a braggart. I hate talking about myself. One of the things that I would be successful that, i think, is the relationships. You know, i think the relationships with the kids, with the staff, with the, with the community, with parents, with, you know, the older generation you know, can you know, just having being able to have conversations? I think that's one of the things that I would say has been a success is that we we've I've been able to build strong relationship and rapport with, with staff, students and community all the way across.
Aaron:And I and I would agree with that And I think that's so important. So many times we look at what's the education and, yes, education is important. Those things are very important, what you have, what you need to do the job. But you can have the book, knowledge, but if you don't have that relationship and that way to connect with people, you can lose, especially as a leader. If you can't connect and you can't listen and you can't communicate. You can have all the knowledge in the world. You can be the best administrator on paper, well, but has that looked with your teachers leaving, with your principals leaving? It may not be because of money or anything, because of upper administration.
Aaron:It might be the person, it might be the leadership that you know that is leading the organization, but it that being able to connect and communicate can take you a long way in a career. Can take you a long way in a school career as a student. Can you go talk to your teachers, can you have that conversation of what did I do wrong? How can I correct it? How can I be better? How can I play better? Right, how can I get more playing time? Instead of when you have those conversations and connect, it doesn't matter if you're a freshman in high school and you need to have that conversation with your baseball coach, your volleyball coach Right. Have that conversation, don't I think don't tell mom and dad, hey, go have that conversation, you're going to be a grown up in just a few years. Have those conversations and that and that teacher, that coach, is going to have that conversation back because they've seen that from the top down.
Blake :Yeah, they can. Actually I've had that with my junior high daughter this summer. I said, well, i don't want to play summer league basketball. Okay, well, in the grand scheme of things, is summer league basketball for a little girl going into eighth grade a big deal? No, not on the grand scheme of things. But at the end of the day I said I'm not having that conversation for you. I'm your dad, i'll support your decision. You're going to make the decision, but you're going to talk to the coaches.
Blake :They have to learn to have conversations about topics that may not be as comfortable as they think They lose. That that's a skill they've got to learn. But you're absolutely right Being able to sit down and have a conversation with somebody about a topic, whatever it may be, is a skill that our kids need, must have. It is lacking a lot And when that opens that up, that just opens it up for interpretation and perception as to whatever you may think that person is trying to do, And nine times out of 10, it's not anywhere near what is bad or whatever you've dreamed up in your head.
Aaron:Because we see it from our perspective, Because we haven't gone to their side to have that conversation to see. oh, I do see it your way. Yeah, I do understand where you're coming from.
Blake :And that's a key thing, that people are missing, and that's why I think there's a fear of the unknown, because they won't go have that conversation, they won't go talk Because they don't know how it's going to come out. I got to know what I'm going to say, or whatever, versus no, let's just talk through and see.
Aaron:We'll mumble through it and have that conversation. We might one might be wrong, and I too, i think out of conversation comes, like you said, better new ideas, something one person says another one oh yeah, i didn't think about that. Or together to go, oh yeah, we can do that better. And it's by those conversations that and I think we need to do that not only in school but in life is see what perspective somebody else is coming from. Before we have, like you said, because we think, oh well, they're saying this or they're saying that. That's the way the thing is When that's not what they're thinking about.
Blake :Yeah, i'll grab something and run down the hall and ask Ms Ferris or ask one of the people hey, what do you think about this? Just so I get another thought process on something. It might be the great idea, that may be the way we go, but they'll say have you ever have you thought about it? Have you ever thought about it this way? You know there are a lot of reflective conversation and coaching goes into a lot of what takes place in leadership. I think Helping other people think through where they're trying to get and how they're going to get there, because if you just tell them how to get there, that's not necessarily helping them on their journey.
Aaron:You want them to be able to. Because they may get there in a way that you never thought of.
Blake :And that's the experience piece that's invaluable. But you can't. You know, as a 27-year-old assistant principal I didn't have. But I got five years worth of it, four years worth of it before I went to elementary and then became. I got five years of elementary experience that I had no idea. I could have read a book on how to be an elementary principal, But until I, you know, To experience that Experience, those kind of things, you have no idea.
Aaron:And those experiences help you prepare you for being a superintendent. Yes, you had the certification years before You ever took the position, right, but you still need those experiences to be and still not prepare you totally, because there's still things that had never happened before And there's still things that can happen in the future. Correct That there's no preparing for Because it's never come about before. Exactly, they're not in textbook, they're not history books.
Blake :They don't teach you about a global pandemic. They don't teach you about a tornado. They don't teach you about student staff death. And how to lead and wrap your arm around somebody when you lose a kiddo or a teacher All those kind of things. They don't teach you that kind of stuff And until you walk through those experiences you don't know what you're going to do. You know.
Aaron:And that always encourages people, because you're saying that it's not about what's in the textbook, it's not. What should I do as administrator? I think sometimes it comes down to what should I do as a human with another human, whether it's a tornado, whether it's death. What should I do, what's the right thing to do? And I think sometimes we work, we do a lot of book work, but we need to do a lot of self work. Yeah, because when we're better humans, there's, there's, we're not wondering what to do. We put that arm around that individual and give them a hug. Yeah, and so we'll figure this out, because that's the right thing to do.
Aaron:My dad always tells me you can never go wrong by doing the right thing. Right, he said. The right thing may not always be easy, correct, but you can never go wrong, yep, by doing the right thing. That's right, and I remember that all the time. And I think, as humans, we need to remember that, as people, when we're dealing with other people. Mm-hmm, what I always like to ask everybody. The last question Okay, what makes Bowie your hometown? You're not moved here, right, and I've had a lot of guests that I've had that weren't from here, but it's their hometown Right. What makes Bowie your, your hometown?
Blake :The people, the people here. I have some of the the best friends that I'll ever have And that I met while we were here. That we're still here, and for my kids it's their home, mm-hmm, and for me it's my home. I grew, i went to school in Coppell, mm-hmm, i spent a lot of time in Coppell, but Coppell's not my home.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm.
Blake :A lot of people. People don't realize that I didn't go to school here, mm-hmm. There are a lot of people that go. You didn't go to school here Because it is we're, we're all in. Mm-hmm, you know, this is, this is where we will be as long as the Lord wants us to serve here. This is where we'll be until he tells me to go do something else. Mm-hmm, you know. So. That's why it's the people, the relationships that we've built, and that the community and just trying to help this community be better tomorrow than it was today.
Blake :Mm-hmm, you know, in one little step, whatever piece that Addy and I get to play in that role, that's what we want to do.
Aaron:Mm-hmm. Make for a better community.
Blake :Absolutely Make it a little better than than when you came.
Aaron:That's right And I want to thank you and commend you. Do a plug for our, our 5K that we do ever since we did the synergy shuffle Absolutely.
Aaron:We've got you you came to. All of those are now are all for one community 5K. You still come and participate and I want to thank you for that Absolutely, because you do lead from the front, right, and you've gotten teams together and and that is just a a small thing, and, and that you do that, that I notice that you do lead and you do support, and I know you do that with so many other things, right, but that's one thing that affects us, um, that that I noticed and I want to commend you and I appreciate you doing that and and encouraging staff and but just just being there taking the time again, because that's the most anybody can give any amount of money, um, money can be replaced. Mm-hmm. Time is invaluable, right, we never get that back.
Aaron:So when I see somebody spend their time in that manner, um, that might be something for I'm putting on or something you do for someone else, sure, um, that that's very noticeable because we don't get that back, right, and that's, um, that's the biggest investment. When you give somebody your time, you can give them money. That's easy, right, um, but when you give them your time, when you could be with your kid, you could be doing other things. That's. That's, that's the best, yeah Well.
Blake :I appreciate that.
Aaron:So so, thank you, and thank you for taking a little time, um, and thanks for leading um, our school district, being a part of our community, and leading our community and make a difference in our community, um, and, and leaving it better than you found it, because you've been through a lot of your time here, um, and and you've managed it all Um well, um, i know there's a lot of people that that um watch and look, and it's just been handled well. I appreciate it, um, and with humility, and I think that's with an attitude of we don't have all the answers, but we'll learn together, we'll figure out the answers together, right, and I appreciate that. And sitting down with you, it's not, i have all the answers and follow me.
Blake :Um and.
Aaron:I hope through and my goal is through the podcast My hometown is that people get to know the individual, not the position. Right, because the position is just the title. There's more to Blake Enlo than superintendent of Buoy ISD.
Aaron:Yes, and at some point he will just be Blake Enlo, and hopefully he's still around here And there will come a day when, um, you know it's more than uh, well, you know Blake is superintendent, Yeah, Um, there's more to you. There's a family man, There's a Christian, There's somebody that wants to make a difference in kids lives, in school, in church, um, that love. Your parents still look for advice from your parents. Um, moved here because of family, Right, Um, so there's so much more than just superintendent. So I hope we today shared a little bit of that um and your heart for for our school, for our kids, for our staff, for our people, And so thank you for taking that time to to join us. Well, absolutely, Thanks for what you do for our community.
Blake :Well, thank you.
Aaron:And thank you to each of you for stopping by and we're looking forward to seeing you around my hometown.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to today's podcast. If you would like to connect with Aaron, you can do so by going to AaronDeglercom or find him on social media as Aaron Degler on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Once again, we greatly appreciate you tuning in. If you have enjoyed this show, please feel free to rate, subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcast. We greatly appreciate that effort and we will see you around in my hometown.