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School Superintendent

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After more than 30 years in the system, Anne Patterson has a well-developed passion for education.

"I was always really good with children," says Patterson. She is a former superintendent for the Houston Independent School District. "When I became a teacher, I began to get kind of anxious about the way schools were run and the future of public schools -- and that's basically how I got into administration. I wanted to make a difference."

Patterson says it's a rewarding challenge to make a successful school out of a needy framework.

"I really believe in public schools. And I think that when you can design an individual school to meet the needs of a community, the schools really flourish," she says.

"And that's very exciting because most people have faith in their schools and they want them to be good. So the fun part is when you really listen to what they want, and then talk to the schools that you supervise and make them become responsive. It's just really exciting to see that happen."

But Patterson admits that the job can be highly political and stressful. It's one of the most demanding public service jobs out there.

"You work for communities that often put public schools under a lot of attack," she says. "Everyone's been to school, so everyone feels like they have a great deal of expertise in the area. So basically we're in a people service job where we report to the community and we're accountable to the community for what happens in our neighborhood schools.

"First, you're dealing with people's children, which is the most valuable thing that they have. And second, a neighborhood's house values depend on how good the local public schools are. So there's a tremendous amount of local community pressure for the schools to be good and the children to excel.

"On top of that, teachers are not paid competitively with private industry. So there's a lot of pressure to keep good teachers and keep them motivated. It's the same with principals -- they can make a lot more money in private industry. So another pressure is to keep good employees."

As she kept on top of her job's complex demands, Patterson spent a lot of her time on the road and in meetings.

"You can't know where your schools are going or what your schools need if you're not there," she says.

But Patterson says she didn't have much direct contact with the students themselves.

"That's more the principals' jurisdiction," she says. "However, in a rural area, or in a much smaller school district, it's a good chance that the super will know everybody's name."

Joseph Schneider is the former deputy director of the American Association of School Administrators. He agrees with Patterson. He says although they try to, most superintendents don't have time to get to know the students they work for because of the heavy administrative aspect of the job.

"It depends on the size of the district, but I would say that the superintendent gets as much contact with the students as they're capable of getting," he says. "The reason they go into this field is because of kids. So you'll find most of them like to stay involved with students, although their job demands make it so that it gets harder and harder to do that.

"But they try. I don't know a super who wouldn't fight to get time to be in schools with kids. You have to remember, they all came up from the ranks -- they were all teachers and principals first."

Neil Gannon is the former director of an organization of superintendents. He says the job's headaches are well balanced with its rewards and benefits.

"Sure, it's stressful -- any of the issues relating to the school district, whether it's the budget or problems with the personnel, students or parents, a superintendent has to deal with directly," says Gannon. "It's such a challenge that if you are successful at it and you realize you've accomplished something, it turns out to be a truly rewarding experience."