Luke Rapley
EDAP 7802 (2nd hour – Saturday)
Dr. Bill Kruskamp
Commons Supervision
After school each day, I assisted two other assistant principals in maintaining order in the commons area at the school. Over 1,500 students congregate and pass through this area at the end of school each day. There is always a chance of something erupting in the commons area after school because of the large number of students. The presence of myself and the two AP’s have made the commons area a safe place after school. There have not been any problems thus far this semester. We allow the students to stand around a talk with each other for about five minutes and then we start to push them out to the buses and parking lots. During the first five minutes, I circulate and speak to different students. This time allows me to see a different side of the students than I normally see in the classroom each day (and the students get to see a different side me because I there just having a conversation with them). Because of our presence in the commons, the troublemakers have moved to other parts of campus at dismissal to cause problems. They usually try to find a place where they can create trouble and it will take a few minutes for faculty to break them up. On one such occasion, there was a fight out by the buses. I stayed in the commons as all of the AP’s rushed out to the bus lanes. Once the commons was mostly empty, I went out front to assist. Just as I arrived, one of the troublemakers was running away from the principal and he asked me to catch him. I chased him down and held him for the principal. This was the extent of my help during this situation. I wish I could have been an administrator the following day because they were investigating the incident and handing out the punishments. I enjoy doing this duty everyday because it gives me a chance to interact with the students outside of the classroom. This duty is a one of the less glamorous duties of an administrator and on most days is one the least stressful.