Re “Farris’s Classroom Skills Are Praised by Ex-Colleague Goldberg”
[img]1221|left|Dylan Farris||no_popup[/img]The new Principal of Culver City High School was talking about the transition process, from being one of three Assistant Principals with a low profile outside of campus to an Official About Town with, sometimes, perhaps, a signboard or target on his back.
Less than a month before the start of the new term, thirtyish Dylan Farris looks just right to the rest of the school community —solidly-trained, measured at all times, confident enough but not too sure of himself — modulated.
Even if he almost could pass for a member of the student body.
Moving Laterally, Kind of
The changeover isn’t going to be a mountain-climb, just a glide down the table to a new chair, friends say.
What transition? “I have worked pretty closely with Pam,” he said, referring to Dr. Magee, his predecessor, who moved on to Palisades Charter High School almost two months ago. “We spent a lot of time together. Many of the things we have done at the high school have been a team effort.
“Although there will be some day-to-day changes for me, in the grand scheme of things, I don’t feel it’s going to be a major change.
“Although I might be surprised,” Mr. Farris said in an afterthought.
His high-ceilinged, busy-walled office for the last two years has been in a front corner of the campus, but his perspective has spanned the entirety of the grounds. His eyes have taken in nearly everything.
In financial crunch times, specialization days are over — versatility is the new niche.
“Because of continuing budget shortfalls,” Mr. Farris says, “a lot of concentrated work has moved into all of the offices here.”
To the left of his desk, against the eastern wall, is a huge and dense map with a thousand squares that denotes all classroom assignments.
Not for aesthetic reasons, the nine different color markings on the map indicate the range of departments.
The Planning Stage
“In this office,” Mr. Farris said, “I have started out every year with building a master schedule (for the faculty), kind of a major task that involves getting teachers into the right places and making sure that the kids will balance out across this massive, monster of a schedule of classes.”
He has assigned all of the classes for the 100-member faculty. “I take the teachers’ schedule requests, and I work with department chairs to determine the best assignments, given the teachers’ strengths,” Mr. Farris says. “Then we figure out what the kids are requesting and what they need to take, and try to divvy it all up.”
Most teachers win the assignments they want, he says, because “they realize what their strengths are.”
The longer Mr. Farris spoke and explained, the more the gap between his old and new jobs seemed to narrow.
“My goal,” he said, “is to make this a very seamless process where the teachers don’t feel there has been a dramatic overhaul.”
For them and for himself.
There may be “some” restructuring of administrative assignments, but Mr. Farris’s new position is going to strongly resemble his old.
“I anticipate I will keep my hands in some areas where Dr. Magee wasn’t, just because I am so immersed in them now, and I don’t want to let go right away.”
