What Academic Success Really Means

   

Clarkstown School District Offices.

 

The four words labeled on the front of the building that stole my eyes and attention right away. The four words that would lead to an entrance of further exploration into education. The four words that were simple yet had so much more to it than just meetings and offices. It was the history behind those four words that made a huge impact on both myself and my interviewee: Martin D. Cox.

 

Mr. Cox is the Superintendent of the Clarkstown District and is an inspiration to all the students and aspiring teachers of Clarkstown. It was my honor to interview him in his office and have the chance to look deeper into the education system beyond all the papers and grades that I receive in school.

 

Within the six questions that I asked him, I was not only curious about the story behind his success, but his lesson and words of motivation for the futures of students and/or adults who are struggling with the challenges that they face on a daily basis.

 

Entering his office, our interview started quite straight-forward and all in an organized format. I first asked him the most obvious and common question:

 

Why and how did you become the Superintendent?

 

With a determined knowledge, he answered, “Well, I became the Superintendent of Clarkstown; initially I was the Superintendent of two districts prior to coming here. I researched the district and knew a lot about it in advance of the posting. I knew it was a high achieving district and I knew it was specifically a large district. I was at a point where I was quite interested in challenging my knowledge, skills, and experiences in a larger school district. I also knew that there were several elementary schools - nine of them in total. I thought that as an elementary background of 13 years as a teacher and also as an elementary principal, that could be an experience that I could apply to a district with so many elementary schools.”

 

His vast and bright knowledge in so many areas amazed me and I wondered how he kept everything in order within this multi-tasking job.

 

Further onto the location of the district he is working in, Mr. Cox continues, “Surprisingly, the location interested me as well; I am excited to be in a place where we are just 18 miles from New York City and where there is just so much to do. In addition to all the amazing advantages, it’s a great district, there are great people including high-achieving students, and I am very excited to be here.”

 

The message he has sent was almost a heartwarming hug to all the students and teachers of the Clarkstown District. His excitement made me feel excited in the same way and I could see the positive vibe spreading across the whole district.

 

 

To add on more to this question, I asked him how it was like being a teacher and what classes he mainly focused on. I wanted to know how he felt before becoming a Superintendent with a lot more attention and how/if the same kind of excitement was present during that time.

 

“I was an elementary teacher,” he responds, “I taught six years of first grade, one year of fourth grade, and six years in third grade.”

 

Right away, I imagined how the young and playful elementary students reacted when Mr. Cox was in the classroom. I could see smiles on each and every one of the students and I could hear the big, adorable laughs coming from those same students - perhaps it may be too loud that even the next door ahead could laugh along. It was great to imagine and hear his background as a teacher and the pathway he developed along the way to become a Superintendent.

 

After my quick and short imagination, I caught on with his eyes again and allowed him to continue his answer, “My interest were very much centered around literacy; reading and writing. I liked to embed within my instruction, my opportunities for students to perform.”

 

Letting out a small laugh, he says, “We did a lot of playwriting and acting and I thought that was a way to have students express themselves creatively. They would become actors and actresses and take risks by using public speaking skills, and enhancing their own language skills. Most importantly, being on stage is something that I feel really build self-confidence. I did a lot of that and even when it was summer time, I led a lot of theatre camps and recreation departments and partnered with teachers to continue on with those actions. That was one of my main interests - finding the interest of students and then unleashing their potential on stage.”

 

It was as if he cared about every single person he met eyes with, hence his title of leadership in the board of education. What surprised me was his main interest; looking at the students chasing for their own interests. This not only showed so much about Mr. Cox as an experienced teacher for 13 years and as a Superintendent now, but also as a human-being himself and the thoughtful feelings that he expressed. This led me to my next question:

 

There are probably a lot of differences and more responsibilities taking place as a superintendent compared to a teacher. Out of all the big leaps and differences, what is the biggest change between being a teacher and a superintendent?

 

He responded, “There are a lot of people that I feel responsible for in terms of who I’m meeting. In a large district such as Clarkstown, there are a lot of questions, needs, and desires that often make their way to the Superintendent. There is also a balancing act when making decisions and I ‘hang my hat’ on what is in the best interest of students and what I am able to do from an ethical standpoint. I shared with the board when they interviewed me that I’ll make decisions that are in the best interests of kids and that I won’t compromise my integrity - meaning that there needs to be a thought process. You would have to be true to yourself and often the answer is ‘yes’ but at the same time, the answer is ‘no’.”

 

 

 

I was curious to know what differences or more challenges he has to face as a superintendent compared to when he was a teacher, and though it truly did sound like a change in the level of obstacles, his integrity and courage to improve the education system and better the district inspired me and sparked a light in Clarkstown.

 

“I think there is an art to maintaining a relationship professionally with people while at sometimes needing to say to them that this is not something we are able to do simply because of the various reasons and rationales that I share.”

 

Truly, Mr. Cox was creating this art and this masterpiece that expressed the connection and relationship with other people in the same field of profession.

 

With the amount of hard work that Mr. Cox puts in, I thought it to be necessary to hear his voice and lesson to other people who are looking up to him or those who simply wants to be defined as “successful”. I asked:

 

What lesson or motivation would you give to the students who are aspiring teachers, superintendents, doctors, or any other professions that require a specific amount of time and effort?

 

Right off the bat he stated, “Well, there are a lot”.

 

I would definitely love to hear all of them Mr. Cox, even if it would take hours to sit here and listen, it would be worth the time to hear your words for all of us.

 

“I would say that one of the most important thing is to listen. That’s what I have to do probably more than anything else - I have to listen, process, and I have to find what people are thinking that is good for the district and then take those ideas and blend them together with my ideas. It’s not the situation where just because you’re the Superintendent, you’re like ‘here are the ideas that I have, this is what we’re going to do’. That’s the destination for failure because I need to make sure that there is ownership among people. There are ideas so listening is very important. Problem solving, strategy, tactics, understanding the landscape of the district - where we are, where we are going, and how we are trying to get there - are all important aspects and responsibilities that a Superintendent has to be in touch with.”

 

There was always a strong sense of leadership and teamwork beneath his lines that showed the important steps to true success.

 

“There are two more things that are very important: you have to stay calm as possible and not get too excited when things get a little dicey and on a personal note, there is a lot of conflict, strife, and stress but I try to find balance through health and wellness. I like to maintain the lifestyle that includes exercise; I have a lot of hobbies like running, bicycling, swimming, and those hobbies really give me the balance that I need in order to stay fresh and recharged.”

 

It would be great to see everyone find and maintain the equal balance between success and health just like Mr. Cox. As we were talking about this balance in life, I thought about the lack of success for some people and the struggles that they face that demolish this balance that they need. I told him about students and how their grades (GPA) could affect their future. A lot of students tend to worry about this in high school but for some students, it takes them almost years after high school to realize what success really means in terms of their grades and how they could either pave a pathway for their goals or destroy them. After this whole context of information, I asked for his opinion on this particular topic and the connection to success:

 

Do you think it is possible to go from working at a small place with little progress to owning a building and earning a lot of money full of success? How would you define success to those people or students in general?

 

He stated, “I understand the importance of students striving for success and having good averages; I get that and I understand that. But what I think equally important is effort. To me, effort should never slump for students and for myself as a Superintendent. I believe that effort matters a lot and that we need to have grit and the concept in mind that anything is possible.”

 

After hearing just that, I felt so honored to be sitting right in front of Mr. Cox and receiving all this special and diamond-like advice. I wanted to join the whole district in our interview so they too can hear these wonderful words.

 

He continued, “To answer your question directly - about someone going from a small place to a higher place in terms of where they are in society and their job - absolutely yes. As a Superintendent, I need to believe in dreams and I stated that when I started on September 6th that we need to give students hope and by giving them hope, they can be in positions to chasing their dreams. I’m proud of all the different jobs that I had, not only in education, but before I was in education. They taught me a lot of discipline and they taught me the importance of hard work and I think that comes from habits. Habits that we learned from the people that we grow up with: our parents, siblings, friends, and teachers. We develop these good habits, we develop work ethic, then transfer that work into the classroom or for me, transfer that work in the school administration and that’s important. We should focus on habits.”

 

Watching a motivational video from the internet coming to life was more than just amazing. I could hear this all day and not a single second would I be tired - instead, it would benefit me with gracious words in my head reminding me about true success whenever I feel failure hitting me.

 

 

 

 

To wrap up our interview session with one last question, I thought of something that would spark the main idea of all my questions and create a strong punchline. Letting out a silent sigh of awe and amazement, I asked:

 

What do you feel proud about the Clarkstown district and what would you say to those who are wondering whether to go to a private school or a public school like Clarkstown?

 

“I would say to those students that the Clarkstown Central District offers them a very enriching, challenging, rewarding balance and structural program that can meet the needs of students so they can find their niche. I think that there is evidence of that every place we go. I see students performing at concerts and the athletic field or during drama and musicals. There are opportunities for students to be challenged in Clarkstown and be prepared to go to colleges of their choice. Absolutely yes, this is a high achieving school district and I was proud to be the academic banquets for North and South recently and listen to the very good schools that the seniors are planning to attend. It truly is a great district.”

 

The determination, the amount of hard work, and the thoughtfulness that Mr. Cox expressed and put out to the district was truly inspiring. Anyone would have their eyes and ears wide open if they see Mr. Cox and listen to the great words he has to say and the motivating lesson he has for all of us as students, aspiring teachers or any other profession, and especially those who believe that success is impossible.