Short tidbits about distinctive activities spotted around the convention center in New Orleans during the AASA national conference.
Parallel Lives
Ravi Hutheesing told his audience at the 2nd General Session that until he started speaking on the education circuit a few years ago, he never really knew what a superintendent did. He did, however, know that Ernest Fleishman served as the superintendent in the school system where he grew up, Greenwich, Conn.
In the process of preparing for a speech to New York State Council of School Superintendents, Hutheesing started to inquire about Fleishman, who went on to work for Scholastic Inc., only to hear back from him within days. Then Hutheesing made a remarkable discovery: Fleishman’s tenure as Greenwich superintendent started in 1976 and continued until 1989. Hutheesing started kindergarten in 1976, and he graduated from high school in 1989 – meaning their lives in the school system forms a perfect parallel.
“It seems we served the same sentence,” Hutheesing said with a smile. “He was visible in the classrooms and trusted by the teachers, which indicates he was a good superintendent. His tenure was a lot longer than the average (superintendent).”
Follow the Croaking
Orange frogs led the path for participants into a Friday afternoon Thought Leader session at AASA’s conference.
The laughter was loud enough to echoed through the outside hallway as superintendents learned about creating contagious happiness. After the session, attendees flocked to see the frogs at the sponsoring group’s booth in the AASA exhibit hall, where visitors were given a free copy of the book The Orange Frog, along with T-shirts and, of course, a personal soft orange frog.
Stories Near and Far
Coverage of the AASA national conference is showing up in farflung places.
According to a first-day analysis of AASA conference news, Jimmy Minichallo, the communications director, found stories in the following media: Education Week, Oregon City Patch, Portland Tribune and Orlando Sentinel. The CBS-TV affiliate in New Orleans did a live interview early Thursday with AASA Executive Director Dan Domenech.
(Compiled by Jay P. Goldman, editor of Conference Daily Online)