In an effort to understand each other's jobs, a collection of teachers at Pottsville Area School District will switch classrooms Tuesday.
For fun, even Superintendent Jeffrey S. Zwiebel is planning step in for Craig Shoener, band director.
"I was band director at Pine Grove Area from 1990 to 1997. So I asked Craig if I could conduct concert band during last period Tuesday," Zwiebel said at the school board's November meeting Wednesday night.
The school district had engaged a similar program previously, giving teachers a chance to learn what each other's jobs are like. But Zwiebel couldn't recall when it was done. He thought it was more than five years ago.
Tuesday's event is being coordinated with help from Kristyn Case, the first-grade lead teacher at John S. Clarke Elementary Center. So far, 18 teachers have signed up to participate, Zwiebel said.
"I would first like to thank you for being brave enough to volunteer to go into unchartered territory. I truly think that this will be a great way to truly appreciate one another and what it is we all go through in a day," Case said in an email to participating teachers this week.
The teachers planning to switch included: Leigh Ann Bosak, elementary art teacher, and Jessica Harle, middle school art teacher; Michael Towle, elementary physical education teacher, and Michelle Rhody, high school trigonometry, calculus teacher; Jill Quigley, elementary autistic support, and Jon Hughes, middle school computer/keyboarding teacher; Rachael Kubick, high school science teacher and Stephanie Maroukis, fourth-grade teacher; Adrian Portland, high school biology teacher and Kristyn Case, first-grade teacher; Maria Hinchey, elementary PSSA prep teacher and Beth Pillus, high school art teacher; Lloren Reichert, high school Spanish teacher and Jennifer Stock, fourth-grade teacher; Debra Moran, kindergarten teacher and Paula Jones, middle school literature teacher; Tiffany Reedy, high school principal and Jared Gerace, elementary school principal.
"It is strongly recommended that you all get together for a face-to-face meeting about your switch. Detailed lesson plans/letters are also a given. If you go to a different building you will need to know start times, procedures etc. and perhaps be caught up on quirks about the classes you will be teaching," Case said in her email.
In other matters at the school board's meeting Wednesday, the board took action on the following agenda items:
- Approved the following winter sports budgets for the 2012-2013 school year: boys basketball, $20,680.; wrestling, $10,442.; boys swimming, $5,797.; girls swimming, $6,826.; girls basketball, $17,258.
- Awarded the following bids for athletic supplies for spring sports: Aluminum Athletic Equipment Co., $632; BSN Sports, $259.48; Longstreth Sporting Goods, $181.60; M-F Athletic, $972.05; Sportsman's, $1,577.38; Triple Crown Sports, $1,954.40, and Valley Athletic Supply, $701.96.