Novaya metla…

metet po-novomu. or is it chisto metet? (Новая метла метёт по-новому or …чисто метёт) It’s one of the sayings I remember from Russian. A new broom sweeps in a new way, or a new broom sweeps clean. (My favorite is at the bottom*).

My school has a “new broom.” From the programmer’s point of view (mine), the new sweeping is noticeable. I worked in the Spring and part of the Summer without interference, got support where I needed it, got answers when I asked questions, and if that doesn’t sound special, well, it was. I provided updates, got feedback, but not of the micromanaging variety. By the end of last week, 97% of the students had complete schedules, no classes were oversized, and remaining equalization issues involved few classes. We mailed home tentative student schedules.

When teachers report this Thursday, they will have relatively stable class lists. There will not be odd mixtures of huge and tiny classes. There will be complaints. There always are. But the scale and quality will be different.

And students? No changes for our freshmen, who are new, vulnerable and easily upset. Relatively few for our older students. They never had tentative schedules at home before. In the past we started with balance issues and gaps in programs. And now, we should be resolved in 4 days rather than 3 weeks.

*That other saying in Russian? (unrelated, but really my favorite) Len’ rodilas’ ran’she menya. Лень родилась раньше меня. Laziness was born before me.