Roth Returns To South WhitleyWhen George Roth took the job as the South Whitley Elementary School principal in 2007, he was returning to where he started.
Originally from Madison, Wis., Roth earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin. He then got his first teaching job at South Whitley in 1980 as the physical education teacher.
After seven years, he took on his first administration job at North Manchester as the high school assistant principal. He remained there for four years.He then left Manchester Schools to become the assistant high school principal in Butler. Two years later, he served as the elementary principal in Butler for eight years.
Roth was then hired as the principal at Coesse Elementary, serving for six years.
That's when the job as the South Whitley principal became open. He's in his third year at the school that is just three blocks away from his home.
Roth said going into administration was a natural thing for him. He had done managerial type of work even before he went to college.
"It's kind of nice," Roth said of being a principal. "Every day is different."
He's served in the administration level at all three different school levels.
"Every place is different. I've worked at all three different levels. I've seen different challenges. It's been rewarding and a learning (process)," he said.
Of the three different levels, he's found working at the elementary level better than middle and high school levels.
"With them, you can really have a big impact on them, how they'll feel about school for the rest of their lives," Roth said of elementary students.
"We have to make learning fun. I think our teachers do a good job on that. We can't skimp on curriculum, but we can make it fun. If we don't, the kids don't tune in," Roth said.
One of the challenges of being a principal is getting parents involved.
"It's more difficult than it was 25 years ago," Roth said.
Parents are busier, and schools are seeing more fragmented families, he said.
Another challenge for schools is meeting government requirements.
"One main challenge is keeping up with the expectations of federal government and state government," Roth said. "Lots of unfunded mandates. Justifiably, they are asking us to get students to a higher level, and there's more accountability."
South Whitley strives to meet their goals and educate students well, he said, but there's just more pressure on schools to do it all.
That's not to say there aren't benefits to being a principal.
"I get to see students succeed, and I'm just glad because they are succeeding," Roth said.
While one of the challenges for schools is broken families, Roth said a benefit is seeing parents who do care for their children and are getting involved.
Helping Roth meet the challenges placed on South Whitley are the faculty and staff.
"There's not one person in this building I don't hold in high esteem," Roth said. All of them have great morals and great dedication to the students, he said.
"I think they (the teachers) want to be treated like professionals, and I think respect is the biggest thing," Roth said. Teachers also want to feel like they are part of a team. At SWES, they are.
In his time at South Whitley, Roth said his goals have changed. His leadership style has changed. He used to think of himself more of a manager. Now, he considers himself more of a leader.
"Here, the expectation now is that you will lead the school to new and bigger things. It's been very rewarding," Roth said.
To help him with his leadership role, he's reading two books on the topic in his free time. This year, the school staff also is doing a book study on Ron Clark's "The Essential 55".
"That's one goal, to get students to utilize life skills more, to get them ingrained in them," Roth said.
Another objective is for the school to work and use differentiated instruction more, he said. Thirty years ago, schools did a really good job of reaching the middle-level learners. Then schools started reaching out to the lower-level learners more. But the higher-level learners didn't always get their needs met. Now, schools, including South Whitley, are using differentiated instruction to reach students at whatever level they may be at in their learning.
So what does it take to be a good principal and get everything done and done in the right way?
"Patience," Roth said. "I think you have to be goal driven. You have to be a hard worker. And be able to handle situations that come up instantly. And I guess the other thing you have to be is a motivator."
Even with all those hats he has to wear, Roth still enjoys his career.
"I still get to say, 'I get to go to work' instead of being a person who says, 'I have to go to work.' I feel bad for the people who say that," Roth said.
Roth and his wife have other reasons to see Whitko Schools do well. They have two sons, and each son had two sons. They also have a granddaughter. One grandson is at the high school, two are at the middle school and one grandson attends South Whitley Elementary. The granddaughter is still at home.
