ST. JOHN’S SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER
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2401 CLAREMONT LANE · HOUSTON, TX 77019
VOLUME 66 · ISSUE 4 · DECEMBER 5, 2014
FRIEND OR FOE? Examining the distinct contrast in identity between teacher and administrator by Christian Maines
hen Stephen Popp was offered the position of Dean of Students in 2010, he knew that he would need to stock up on aspirin. “Coach Mercado once told me when I was applying for the job, ‘Why don’t I just give you a hammer and let you bang yourself in the head with it,’” Popp said. “The perception is that the job is a walking headache.” Although the position entails more than simply handing out detentions for dress code infrac-
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ing perceptions while Division Head Eric Lombardi was on leave studying at Columbia University. “I became the traffic cop that issued detentions for obvious transgressions,” Thompson said. “I was the person that teachers came to for perceived Honor Code infractions.” Thompson’s role largely centered around discipline and the student handbook. “I became the judge and the jury because we did not have SAC in the Middle School,” Thompson said. “I spent a lot of time that year looking at what was in the student handbook and working in the low-hanging fruit areas where Middle School students tend to make poor decisions, like the recess time.” Part of Thompson’s role was to act as a deterrent to poor behavior. “I knew that if I were sitting in the cafeteria, I was like the cardboard cop at the back of the store that was keeping people from stealing,” Thompson said. “A lot of what I did was try to be a visible presence.” Since the position was temporary, Thompson did not attempt to drastically change the role. “Because I was taking on a role that Dean Henry had been doing during the previous 10 years, my view of what students did and how I should function was very much defined by her,” Thompson said. “Dean Henry was very good at making sure students knew the consequences of their actions.” Despite maintaining his status among students, Thompson witnessed a different role among his peers. “The strangest thing was, in terms of my colleagues, it felt like I was a player on the team who had been asked to be the coach.” Thompson faced challenges in his transition from teacher to interim dean, especially in his role with students. “I was used to being in a classroom with 18 other human beings and sustaining that conversation throughout the year. My year as an administrator, when the bell would ring, it was as if the cockroaches scattered back into the walls,” Thompson said. Popp softens his image as an authority figure by teaching an AP Government class,
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“Those who have him as a teacher definitely get a very different perception than those who haven’t had him. As a teacher, he has the ability to make everyone genuinely excited about government and politics, and I think we all have a better appreciation for how hard he works in both his jobs,” senior Elizabeth Elrod said. Ultimately, Popp appreciates his position due to the interactions with students. “The most edifying aspect of the job is that I get to work with the students,” he said.
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tions, it is often stigmatized for its focus on rules and disciplinary infractions. “Contrary to popular belief, it’s not my life mission to combat Goldfish in the hallways,” Popp said. “I do it because I respect the place, and I respect the school.” Popp’s disciplinary duties include promoting and facilitating discussion of the Honor Code and organizing dances and school assemblies. “My charge is all non-academic areas of student life,” Popp said. Popp became Dean of Students four years ago when Daniel Alig stepped down to become English Departmental Head. At the time, Popp was a popular history teacher. “My junior students had me as Mr. Popp and then knew me as Dean Popp. I think it took them some time to get used to that,” he said. The new title gave Popp not only disciplinary responsibilities but also a different public image. “I don’t think that anybody, in my time as a teacher here, ever rolled or tucked their shirt in when they walked by me in the hall,” Popp said. “Once I became dean that started happening almost automatically.” Several challenges accompanied the transition from history teacher to administrator. “Some of the conversations you have to have with people are tough,” Popp said. “Perhaps the worst thing is that I feel like I’m combatting a perception more than anything else.” Some of the minor infractions, such as uniform violations, can be solved without the need for detentions, but Popp wants to steer away from discipline. “I try to talk about things other than untucked shirts so that uniform issues aren’t always the focus of the discussion,” Popp said. The most recent point of discussion has been eating in the halls. Popp once discovered a lunch bag left in the hallway. The food had been there so long it became infested with maggots. “What I’ve been enthused by is the response to discussions like that of the maggots — students got it,” Popp said. Director of Experiential Education Marty Thompson served as Dean of Students for the Middle School two years ago. He also faced chang-
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