July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Veteran administrator enjoying Jay (11/26/2008)
Veteran administrator enjoying Jay (11/26/2008)
By By MIKE SNYDER-
He says he was "born to be an educator," but almost went to law school and counts jobs in a factory and running a pizzeria as formative experiences.
He holds three degrees - including a doctorate - from Ball State University, but among the items decorating his office are action figures of Dennis Rodman and Pee Wee Herman.
It's safe to say that Tim Long, nearing the end of his second full year as superintendent of the Jay School Corporation, is a man of multiple layers.
Long, who at 49 has already led school corporations for 17-plus years, is passionate about a variety of activities - including education.
"What I've learned is education is the pathway for improvement to your situation. If in your life you feel stuck or want to make that change in what you're doing ... that's why I believe in education - because it's always been good to me. If I've wanted to make any movement or change, I've been able to do that through ... education," says Long, a native of Rush County who has most of his career in various parts of East Central Indiana.
"I know how important community is, and how important it is to get out to the buildings and see the people and be interested. I like to get out and meet people, and get information. You gain so much in life by getting out and ... meeting people.
"Education's a business of emotion. It's less about 10 items on a test and getting eight items out of 10. You aren't going to remember that 20 years removed from school, but you are going to remember the people who had an impact on you and your character; who treated you kindly and who made the difference in that side of your life," Long says.
Long, who took over the top position in Jay Schools following the retirement of Barbara Downing, came to Jay County from Anderson, where he had spent the past five years. He had also served as superintendent of the Monroe Central School Corporation from 1992-2001, and before that was principal of Daleville Elementary School.
The first two years of his tenure in Jay County have been relatively smooth sailing, with one of the few "storms" coming over an auxiliary gymnasium at Jay County High School.
Long says the two most important accomplishments of local schools in that time span are the creation of the "Character Counts," program, and the implementation of full-day kindergarten district-wide.
Character Counts, which teaches six "pillars of character," also has honored three "Stars of Character," in an effort to give kids role models and what Long calls "heroes."
"Kids today don't have heroes. When I was growing up, John F. Kennedy was a hero for me ... I don't know today that kids have the same types of heroes. We really have to keep that in front of them and say we're going to give you some good words to describe good character, and we're also going to give you some words to describe poor character," Long says.
"We don't need to use profanity, we don't need to call names ... That's a powerful thing we've put in ... also a thing you know is working, because when people get upset with the school corporation, the first thing they say is 'you're supposed to be a character counts corporation.' That tells you they're getting the message," Long says with a grin.
The "pillars" of the character program are trustworthiness respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.
Long feels that the implementation of all-day kindergarten will help improve students' reading skills and test scores. "The better foundation you build, the better the building will be at the end, the better the child will be in the end," adds Long, who says that next year, the third of the program, should provide data on the impact.
Long says that running is a collaborative effort between himself, other administrators, the school board, school employees and the community.
"We need to be open enough to listen and get valuable input on our goals. In a school corporation, it's not about one individual ... I think you have to be open-minded. It's the sum of the parts that make the whole, if you will. Our mission ... is we want to put out kids that are going to great things," Long says.
Long, who says his upbringing in Rush County reminds him in many ways of Jay County, has been close to education his entire life. His father served as a teacher and principal of an elementary school. After retirement, his father served as a mayor and currently, at age 76, is a member of the Rush County School Board.
Long, who holds bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees from Ball State, says his work resume includes stints at an apple orchard, a pizzeria, painting barns, broadcasting, and current side jobs as a fiscal consultant for school corporations and as an adjunct professor at Ball State University, where he has helped educate more than 100 principals and superintendents from throughout Indiana.
A self-admitted "collector," his office in the former Portland Armory is filled with an eclectic mix of serious and irreverent items - including the aforementioned Pee Wee Herman and Dennis Rodman action figures, a Terminator 3 lunchbox and a Mr. Potato Head doll, along with a caricature of Barack Obama riding a donkey that he bought from a beach vendor this past summer.
His recent passions include biking. This summer, that led to a one-day solo bike ride across the state from Terre Haute to Richmond.
Long says that keeping open lines of communication with students, staff and the community is among his top priorities.
"We need to be transparent, we need to be open ... when you look in the mirror, it's not always going to be pretty. You're going to have a few warts, you're going to have a few lines. The reality of it is everybody has those, but you try to address it ... and make good things happen. That's what I want people to know about me: My door's open, and I'm here for their kids," says Long.
"I try to balance that with the needs of the community ... sometimes we get that right and sometimes we don't. When we don't, people let us know."
Although there have been critics, including a recent letter to the editor from a former trauma therapist that was a thinly-veiled shot at Long, there seems to be little turmoil in the school corporation.
Jay County High School principal Phil Ford, although definitely not an unbiased source, said recently that he believes the atmosphere in the school corporation is as positive as it's been in years.
Long, whose life is focused on setting and achieving goals, is proud that of the 66 initial goals established by the school board early in Long's tenure, 61 have been accomplished. The initial goals were established from a survey Long sent to 1,000 people in the school corporation and community.
"I still keep (the surveys); still refer to them. That's the best baseline data you can get," Long says.
Although he says there are many challenges facing school corporations and society in the future, Long is optimistic those challenges can be overcome.
Questions about school funding, rising levels of poverty and the world economic climate and tackling high dropout rates will all have to be answered.
"How do we take math, science, social studies and English, and package that ... and turn it into a worker that's going to be viable for the next 50 years?" Long asks rhetorically before discussing the changing philosophies and approaches of education.
"The one problem with Indiana education is we tend to do what lemmings do ... go off the cliff. We run from one program to another and we invest money in programs. That's symptomatic of all education. Everybody's looking for that magic pearl that's going to create jobs."
Long says that society must recognize that the world has changed since 1978, when he graduated high school and when a graduate could likely get a well-paying manufacturing job at a local factor.
"Today, other counties can do it cheaper, they can do it quicker. If it's hand-manipulation, that industry is gone, or at least is going to be changed, in America. In 1978 you didn't have to be too smart to push a button at RMC Mallory. You had to show up on time and you had to show up every day. Right now we're not doing a very good job of teaching kids those things," Long says.
"What you're doing is teaching a process of how to learn ... you have to demonstrate you're able to learn and be trained. Those people that can't, life's not too fun for them."
But no matter the vocation, Long believes every person is valuable.
"Martin Luther King said everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. I believe that. I believe everybody has a God-given talent that they can do something that will benefit humanity. My bent in life is to be positive. I look at possibilities, not the negative side of that," says Long.
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He holds three degrees - including a doctorate - from Ball State University, but among the items decorating his office are action figures of Dennis Rodman and Pee Wee Herman.
It's safe to say that Tim Long, nearing the end of his second full year as superintendent of the Jay School Corporation, is a man of multiple layers.
Long, who at 49 has already led school corporations for 17-plus years, is passionate about a variety of activities - including education.
"What I've learned is education is the pathway for improvement to your situation. If in your life you feel stuck or want to make that change in what you're doing ... that's why I believe in education - because it's always been good to me. If I've wanted to make any movement or change, I've been able to do that through ... education," says Long, a native of Rush County who has most of his career in various parts of East Central Indiana.
"I know how important community is, and how important it is to get out to the buildings and see the people and be interested. I like to get out and meet people, and get information. You gain so much in life by getting out and ... meeting people.
"Education's a business of emotion. It's less about 10 items on a test and getting eight items out of 10. You aren't going to remember that 20 years removed from school, but you are going to remember the people who had an impact on you and your character; who treated you kindly and who made the difference in that side of your life," Long says.
Long, who took over the top position in Jay Schools following the retirement of Barbara Downing, came to Jay County from Anderson, where he had spent the past five years. He had also served as superintendent of the Monroe Central School Corporation from 1992-2001, and before that was principal of Daleville Elementary School.
The first two years of his tenure in Jay County have been relatively smooth sailing, with one of the few "storms" coming over an auxiliary gymnasium at Jay County High School.
Long says the two most important accomplishments of local schools in that time span are the creation of the "Character Counts," program, and the implementation of full-day kindergarten district-wide.
Character Counts, which teaches six "pillars of character," also has honored three "Stars of Character," in an effort to give kids role models and what Long calls "heroes."
"Kids today don't have heroes. When I was growing up, John F. Kennedy was a hero for me ... I don't know today that kids have the same types of heroes. We really have to keep that in front of them and say we're going to give you some good words to describe good character, and we're also going to give you some words to describe poor character," Long says.
"We don't need to use profanity, we don't need to call names ... That's a powerful thing we've put in ... also a thing you know is working, because when people get upset with the school corporation, the first thing they say is 'you're supposed to be a character counts corporation.' That tells you they're getting the message," Long says with a grin.
The "pillars" of the character program are trustworthiness respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.
Long feels that the implementation of all-day kindergarten will help improve students' reading skills and test scores. "The better foundation you build, the better the building will be at the end, the better the child will be in the end," adds Long, who says that next year, the third of the program, should provide data on the impact.
Long says that running is a collaborative effort between himself, other administrators, the school board, school employees and the community.
"We need to be open enough to listen and get valuable input on our goals. In a school corporation, it's not about one individual ... I think you have to be open-minded. It's the sum of the parts that make the whole, if you will. Our mission ... is we want to put out kids that are going to great things," Long says.
Long, who says his upbringing in Rush County reminds him in many ways of Jay County, has been close to education his entire life. His father served as a teacher and principal of an elementary school. After retirement, his father served as a mayor and currently, at age 76, is a member of the Rush County School Board.
Long, who holds bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees from Ball State, says his work resume includes stints at an apple orchard, a pizzeria, painting barns, broadcasting, and current side jobs as a fiscal consultant for school corporations and as an adjunct professor at Ball State University, where he has helped educate more than 100 principals and superintendents from throughout Indiana.
A self-admitted "collector," his office in the former Portland Armory is filled with an eclectic mix of serious and irreverent items - including the aforementioned Pee Wee Herman and Dennis Rodman action figures, a Terminator 3 lunchbox and a Mr. Potato Head doll, along with a caricature of Barack Obama riding a donkey that he bought from a beach vendor this past summer.
His recent passions include biking. This summer, that led to a one-day solo bike ride across the state from Terre Haute to Richmond.
Long says that keeping open lines of communication with students, staff and the community is among his top priorities.
"We need to be transparent, we need to be open ... when you look in the mirror, it's not always going to be pretty. You're going to have a few warts, you're going to have a few lines. The reality of it is everybody has those, but you try to address it ... and make good things happen. That's what I want people to know about me: My door's open, and I'm here for their kids," says Long.
"I try to balance that with the needs of the community ... sometimes we get that right and sometimes we don't. When we don't, people let us know."
Although there have been critics, including a recent letter to the editor from a former trauma therapist that was a thinly-veiled shot at Long, there seems to be little turmoil in the school corporation.
Jay County High School principal Phil Ford, although definitely not an unbiased source, said recently that he believes the atmosphere in the school corporation is as positive as it's been in years.
Long, whose life is focused on setting and achieving goals, is proud that of the 66 initial goals established by the school board early in Long's tenure, 61 have been accomplished. The initial goals were established from a survey Long sent to 1,000 people in the school corporation and community.
"I still keep (the surveys); still refer to them. That's the best baseline data you can get," Long says.
Although he says there are many challenges facing school corporations and society in the future, Long is optimistic those challenges can be overcome.
Questions about school funding, rising levels of poverty and the world economic climate and tackling high dropout rates will all have to be answered.
"How do we take math, science, social studies and English, and package that ... and turn it into a worker that's going to be viable for the next 50 years?" Long asks rhetorically before discussing the changing philosophies and approaches of education.
"The one problem with Indiana education is we tend to do what lemmings do ... go off the cliff. We run from one program to another and we invest money in programs. That's symptomatic of all education. Everybody's looking for that magic pearl that's going to create jobs."
Long says that society must recognize that the world has changed since 1978, when he graduated high school and when a graduate could likely get a well-paying manufacturing job at a local factor.
"Today, other counties can do it cheaper, they can do it quicker. If it's hand-manipulation, that industry is gone, or at least is going to be changed, in America. In 1978 you didn't have to be too smart to push a button at RMC Mallory. You had to show up on time and you had to show up every day. Right now we're not doing a very good job of teaching kids those things," Long says.
"What you're doing is teaching a process of how to learn ... you have to demonstrate you're able to learn and be trained. Those people that can't, life's not too fun for them."
But no matter the vocation, Long believes every person is valuable.
"Martin Luther King said everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. I believe that. I believe everybody has a God-given talent that they can do something that will benefit humanity. My bent in life is to be positive. I look at possibilities, not the negative side of that," says Long.
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