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Cape’s Fulton goes back to class

Job switch gives administrators fresh perspective
November 22, 2018

Cape Superintendent Bob Fulton recently found himself surrounded by cross-legged kindergarteners while  he read a book about lions.

“The kids made me laugh all day long,” he said. “It was awesome. They didn’t know or care I was the superintendent. They just thought I was a sub.”

A former elementary teacher, Fulton showed he still knows his classroom management skills when he took over Nicole Anderson’s class at Shields Elementary for the day, in what Assistant Superintendent Jenny Nauman calls administrator switch.

Nauman said Cape administrators are randomly matched with an employee whose job they take over for the day while the staff member gets a free professional development day to attend a class or seminar.

“You go in and get a new perspective on other staff members’ roles,” she said. “It’s always one of my best days of the year.”

On Oct. 23, Nauman served up food for Love Creek Elementary’s hungry students when she took the place of cafeteria employee Sherry McDonough.

“The health inspector came that day,” she said. “Thank goodness I had my hair net on!”

Nauman said her first job was preparing silverware and trays for use. She then served breakfast, a sausage biscuit, and after cleaning up, immediately began two-and-a-half hours preparing for lunch.

“I baked cookies, and I ate one of them, too,” she said. “They were really good.”

Lunch that day was sweet-and-sour meatballs with rice. As the food-runner, she constantly stocked both serving lines with other options.

After lunch, Nauman helped inventory, worked in the dishroom and prepared for the next day.

“It was good to do something physical and active,” she said of her nonstop workday.

Fulton said his time in the classroom was fun but exhausting.

“The other teachers came in and checked on me,” he laughed, noting one of those teachers was his daughter, second-year teacher Hadley Fulton.

“As administrators, we’re in the schools a lot, but not to that degree,” he said. “It was a great experience.”

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