Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007
Incoming Eldersburg Elementary School Principal Michael Eisenklam is big on communication — electronic, phone and face-to-face.
It’s more about talking; it’s about knowing more, he said.
‘‘I’m really the type of principal that I know the name of every kid in the building, but right now I don’t,” he said during an interview in his office. ‘‘It’s more than just [knowing] the face. It’s knowing a little bit more about everybody.”
Eisenklam comes to Eldersburg after serving as assistant principal at Cranberry Station Elementary School for two years. Before that, Eisenklam taught technology integration in Baltimore County and fifth-graders in Harford County.
Eisenklam’s knowledge of Web technology will benefit the school, said Cranberry Station Elementary Principal Judith Walker.
‘‘A number of things he brought to the school has certainly made the tasks we do more efficient,” she said. Some of that includes training sessions with teachers to learn software or how to build a database, she said. Other areas include building and improving the school’s Web site and podcasting student works.
‘‘If I can put it up on the Web site or help a parent out or somebody understand our school, why not put it up there?” Eisenklam said.
His podcasts feature students reading a final draft of their work that a teacher found worthy of recognition. A teacher or student would introduce the piece, telling listeners what it was about and what parts of the curriculum went into the student’s work.
People will sync the podcast with their mp3 player or they can click on the link on the Web site and listen it on a computer, he said.
Cindy Bell, the school’s new assistant principal, also works well with integrating technology, he said. Bell comes from Runnymede Elementary School, where she was an assistant.
The school is full of high-achievers, Eisenklam said, and one way to make it better is to ensure he asks the community and staff for help. ‘‘I like to let people know where we’re heading and look at all my stakeholders, all of the community to get their opinions and use the experts,” he said.
The advice he gathers follows his basic philosophy — ‘‘doing what’s best for the students,” he said.
He said he’s met with the school’s PTA, and the school recently held a ‘‘Meet-the-Administrator Night” to introduce Bell and himself. He has heard ideas about what types of programs people would like to see in the school, he said, adding he encourages parents and students to talk to him about questions they have.
One program Eisenklam sees as beneficial to any school is what he calls ‘‘differentiated instruction,” where teachers adapt the pace of learning and degree of learning to each student’s needs.
‘‘Differentiated instruction is really meeting each kids’ needs in the classroom,” he said.
Flexibility is the key to success, he said, which from what he has observed the staff is. He points to the challenge of teaching in open-space classrooms where the lack of walls can pose barriers to learning.
‘‘It’s not too much of a concern in Eldersburg [Elementary],” he said. ‘‘My teaching background was in open-space, so I understand the themes to it.”
The school is slated to have its classrooms enclosed after the completion of Carrolltowne Elementary School’s enclosure as part of an $8 million project by the Carroll County Board of Education. Other schools to be enclosed include Northwest Middle and Westminster Elementary schools.
Eisenklam said he is ready to face his new challenge. ‘‘I’m really looking forward to getting school started.”