Outsourcing Mom
Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 07:49PM This is a response to Dr. Doug Green's guest post "Should we get rid of technology directors?" on the Dangerously Irrelevant blog. Read it first and come back. I can wait.
Dear Dr. Green,
Thank you so much for your timely questions about the necessity of a technology director in schools. In an era of budget cutting, higher accountability and more budget cutting, taking a hard look at all positions in public schools to see which can be eliminated through outsourcing or decentralizing responsibilities is critical if we are to do fiscal due diligence.
Personally, I am doing everything I can to eliminate my technology director. He is also doing everything he can to eliminate his own position and doing a pretty good job of it - some of it even on purpose.
In fact, outsourcing efforts here at school have worked so well for us (food service, maintenance, insurance, payroll, online education, bus service, and soon all data services) , I am extending the concept to my personal life as well. I am preparing a proposal that I will be presenting at the next family board meeting that will result in significant cost reductions - the primary savings coming from eliminating the household position "wife/mom." Most duties currently performed by this position will be either outsourced or re-assigned*. The plan calls for:
- Requiring each of the children to cook his and her own meals, do his and her own shopping, do his or her own laundry and maintain assigned portions of the house and yard.
- Providing homework assistance through on-line tutoring services.
- Supervising and transporting children will be outsourced to a nanny who, because of immigration status, is willing to work for less than minimum wage.
- Contracting moral guidance to a counseling service on an as-needed basis, with Oprah and Dr. Phil providing free day-to-day advice.
- Eliminating tuck in and good night kisses because they have not been empirically proven to impact mental health.
- Negotiating conjugal services with a local independent contractor.
On reflection, the position of "mom" has simply kept our children from accepting responsibility for tasks that should rightfully be theirs. Junior is already four years old and is not yet tying his own shoes and heaven knows when Susie will learn to sew her own clothes with all the moddly-coddling her mother gives her. Had my wife not been opening the door each time he whines, I am convinced the dog would by now have learned to use the door knob and let himself out.
Again, Dr. Green, I appreciate the insight you've provided into eliminating redundant positions in schools. I'll let you know how my plans work out - both at school and at home.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert "Crabby" Crabtree, Superintendent
Left Overshoe Public Schools
Left Overshoe MN
* Mom will receive training so that she can be "repurposed" in society.
http://pbskids.org/arthur/friends/mom/index.html
Reader Comments (11)
Thanks for a little humor this morning Doug!
I couldn't help but reflect on the the original discussion as it might relate to school librarians. I don't think getting rid of tech directors is good idea but I wonder if some of the discussion relates to the tech director roles are ones that school librarians can and should take -- if they are given flexibility with adequate staffing (and are willing to take the leadership in those roles.) Of course, I was wondering if getting rid of the librarians was the next breath that might come after getting rid of the tech directors. I think both of these losses could not be made up by the teachers no matter how infused technology is in the curriculum. There are simply too many balls to juggle by the classroom teacher. They need the support that librarians and tech directors provide.
+++
I love what you've written. Dr. Green is a bit full of himself.
Thanks for the very cool response. Keep in mind that my experience is from a place where the tech director no longer had a meaningful role in moving the district forward. School districts are idiosyncratic to say the least. I know that in many districts the current "tech directors" are critical to moving the district forward in innovative ways, while in other district they soaking up central office expenses and not making a difference in schools. It is important that districts not assume that they need to have one as they are not all worth the cost. The one's who are making a difference should probably move up the food chain. How's that?
DrDougGreen.Com
Thank God a shallow wit is more appreciated in our culture than a deep intelligence!
Doug
Hi Floyd,
I've been advocating a greater technology role for library media specialists since about forever! And I also thought that now both librarians and tech directors share the distinction of having their positions eliminated instead of their performance improved as a solution!
All the best and thanks for the comment,
Doug
John,
Don't actually try this at home.
Doug
Hi Doug,
I actually liked your challenging post. George Bernard Shaw once wrote, "We should all be obliged to appear before a board every five years and justify our existence...on pain of liquidation."
I so worry that we in education tend to think in terms of eliminating a position rather than reforming the person filling it or re-defining the position itself. Lack of good management skills especially in terms of employee evaluation are crippling education, IMHO. And I am none too good in this area myself.
Keep us on our toes!
Thanks,
Doug
Doug,
I'm not sure what Dr. Green was talking about is a fair parallel with your "Outsourcing Mom" analogy. In his case they didn't exactly eliminate the Tech Director position, they made the Tech Director principal of the school (unless I am misinterpreting his post). Essentially, they are eliminating a principal position. This district isn't outsourcing Mom, they are divorcing dad.
(or maybe they are just making the dog sleep outside)
-Carl
Wonder if it means anything that all responses so far are male. Have all the women already been outsourced?
Hi Carl,
My interp was that they eliminated the tech director and divvied up his jobs among the rest of the staff. Not sure my analogy was 100% either but went for the outrageous.
Have a great weekend!
Doug
Hi Gerri,
Could be all the women have been outsourced. But I hope not!
Doug
Hey, Doug:
Too funny--though it sounds as if, in their district, the Tech Director really was outmoded (is that even a word?!) I can't imagine fore-going our Tech Director, though he irritates me no end on occasion (grin--and vice-versa, I'm sure)... He has an understanding of school needs that we would never be able to outsource.
And, as you say, librarians face a very similar conundrum: How to ensure one's relevance in an increasingly automated, digitized world. One has to move beyond the simply routine to a deep understanding of student/faculty needs and the best way to meet those. It's not enough to just make things available anymore, we have to guide our patrons in ways to work better, faster and smarter. Nothing profound there, I know, but I'm always surprised to find people who haven't "discovered" that yet. One of the candidates who interviewed for my position--and she was pretty young--wanted nothing to do with technology--her whole plan for an ideal library was building a great fiction collection. I fear she's obsolete before she even gets started...
Hi Jeri,
The original post on Dangerously Irrelevant and the comments to this post have me thinking that it is not professions that are in jeopardy, but professional "types." I too see young librarians with the mindset of your candidate you write about and wonder what will become of them. I wonder why their professional training has not given them a more realistic view of the changing nature of the profession.
I've always said good librarians will remain employable and employed - they just may not be called librarians!
All the best and happy Memorial Day,
Doug