Danita Fitch, Instructional Supervisor (IS) of World Languages, has been IS for about twenty years, starting in 2005 when her predecessor moved out of state. Fitch had never considered becoming IS, but after her colleagues encouraged her, she made the decision to apply and got accepted.
As head of the World Language Department, she coordinates foreign exchanges and the seal of biliteracy program along with teams of teachers.
“The biggest part of my responsibilities is the supervision of the teachers,” Fitch said. “I view supervision more [as] collaborating with teachers so that they can continue to improve and become the best teacher they possibly can.”
Although there are challenges and tough decisions as IS, Fitch has experienced many highlights, she said. Being an IS opens the perspective of seeing the World Languages department in a new light, Fitch explained.
“One of the biggest highlights is being able to step back and see all of the teachers build curriculum, modify it, teach it, have students travel abroad, earn the seal of biliteracy, get great Advanced Placement [AP] scores,” Fitch said. “It’s amazing what’s going on in the classrooms.”
When Jeannie Logan, Instructional Supervisor (IS) of Social Studies, was in high school, history was not her favorite class, she said. But once she experienced college history courses, she felt the power of the subject, she explained.
Majoring in History and Political Science at Northwestern University, Logan realized she wanted to go into education. Before working as a teacher in South, Logan taught at New Trier High School, she explained. Now, as IS, she teaches World History. It can be difficult to shift between a teacher and an administrative role, she said.
“I have to wear lots of hats,” Logan said. “Having a teacher hat is very different from having an administrator hat.”
Being able to teach a class not only allows her to be with students, but also gives her a perspective that allows her to see how teaching strategies will play out, she said.
“There’s so many books written on education but, when you have live, messy human beings in front of you and you’re trying to implement strategies, [you can see] that didn’t work the way it was supposed to.”
Not only does Logan enjoy working with students, but she is grateful for being surrounded by a collaborative department, Logan said. With this role being Logan’s first administrative job, she was surprised to realize that most of the work revolves around people, not just curriculum, Logan explained.
“[Being an IS is] a people-intensive job,” Logan said. “And it’s about having good working relationships with every member of my department [and] supporting teachers as needed.”
Phillip Gartner, Instructional Supervisor [IS] of Mathematics, began and continues his education journey at South, starting as a teaching assistant in 1995, and 30 years later is the head of the department, Gartner said.
The personal connections that Gartner has made with the Math Department and other staff at South adds to his job, he explained. Due to people staying at the school a long time, these bonds are able to develop.
“There [have] been a lot of relationships that have developed over a long period of time,” Gartner said. “You become a work family where people support each other. Working with the teachers, watching them grow, and trying to support [them] is really gratifying.”
In addition to the staff, Gartner’s favorite part of his job is the students, he said. Even though Gartner has been IS since 2005, he still has the opportunity to teach classes, he added. Gartner possesses a long-held love for math, especially Calculus, Precalculus, and Geometry, he said. Gartner has always found joy from helping someone understand a concept, he explained.
“There’s a lot of satisfaction seeing [students] working through something that’s difficult at first and instilling a mindset [to] not give up,” Gartner said.
Dawn Hall, Instructional Supervisor (IS) of Career and Technical Education (CTE), has a passion for business, and a compassion for people, she said. From when she was in high school, Hall delighted in helping friends in class. Now as IS and a teacher, she gets to support many more people, Hall said.
Hall earned her Master’s Degree in Business from Northwood University, and in 2009, joined South teaching business courses. Still, she teaches Consumer Education Honors. She became IS in 2012 so that she could support her department in that role, she explained.
“I love the content [of business], but I’m not going to be a hard-pitched salesperson wanting to make money,” Hall said. “The money wasn’t important, it was the relationships, the support, [and] the collaboration, and I wanted to do that for students.”
Because CTE uses many hands-on activities in their classes, budgeting, and purchasing based on her department’s needs is one of Hall’s many responsibilities, she explained.
A large part of communicating with teachers is through observations, Hall added. When challenges arise, it allows for Hall to better support her department, she said.
“Challenges provide more conversation and support,” Hall said.
