About+the+host

“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” William Butler Yeats
 * Educational Philosophy**

Learning is often approached as a prescribed method of filling our students’ minds with a finite knowledge set, then sending them to the next level until attaining the predetermined goal. By approaching curriculum as what must be covered we short our students the opportunity to own the knowledge and make lasting connections. Rather than filling a bucket, we should be pushing them to question the world they live in and have //them// define the outer limits of learning. Our job in education is to light the fire of passion in our community members so that learning extends beyond the expected.

As an educator, I have dedicated my career to learning how to create long term school improvement plans that will allow students to develop measurable critical thinking skills. To accomplish this, we must find avenues for stake holders to identify where we can improve and develop staff understanding of essential learning outcomes, ensure that the mission and vision are fully understood and followed and that the community owns the purpose of the school. As a catalyst to the fire, I work with the community to make sure structures for growth; assessment and curriculum review are in place, and resources are in place, to promote an environment that learning is not just for the children but for all.

As an administrator, I know that people are the heart of our business. As we engage in our cycles of improvement, we must remember that each decision, interaction, communication, and strategic plan should have the best interest of students, families and staff. It is my task as a lead administrator to create opportunities for teachers, parents and students to understand that education is more than the road map to a good university or career. It is more than teaching Socrates, Calculus and persuasive writing but rather how these three areas might inspire the arts, free thought or exploration. Through connections, we unlock the mysteries of the world in which we live and encourage further inquiry in to that of which we can not define.

Education encourages meaningful communication with those outside our own culture and geography, engaging us in a conversation with people across the world, both present and past. Through education, we learn that we must work together to discover solutions to the questions that are created in the complex world. I once read and truly believe that education is a force that can light a fire. It is ignited by three elements – fuel, oxygen, and heat. The fuel is the learner, the curriculum the oxygen and the teacher the heat. As an administrator, it is my responsibility to create an environment where these three elements can ignite.

Ronald A. Roukema, Ed.D



email: ron.roukema@gmail.com http://teachers.saschina.org/mspudong/ _ _____________________________________________________________________ Statement of Objective: I am an innovative, energetic educator with a myriad of leadership experiences in administrative roles seeking a challenge that will utilize both educational and leadership skills to create positive change; I am a leader with skills in curriculum management and design, as well as educational pedagogy; who excels at trouble-shooting weaknesses and targeting areas for improvement while maintaining positive relationships.
 * Ronald Anthony Roukema **

**EDUCATION** Concentration: Curriculum and Instruction Concentration: Secondary Social Studies **EXPERIENCE**
 * Ed.D in Educational Leadership:** North Carolina State University, Concentration: Curriculum and Instruction
 * M.A. Certification in Administrative and Supervision:** East Carolina University,
 * B.A. in History Education:** University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,
 * 2007 – Present: Administrator,** **Shanghai** **American** **School**
 * Middle School Principal,** **Shanghai****,** **China**
 * Founding Middle School Principal of the Pudong Campus responsible for programming, curriculum, staffing, budgeting, and day to day operations
 * Develop programs to bolster enrollment
 * Present information for professional development including workshops at international conferences like EAROCOS
 * Recruit on average 15 staff members a year – through numerous international job fairs and year long recruitment
 * Establish a budget rationale
 * Work with the Board committees for Finance, Trusteeship, Governance, Superintendent Search, and Western Association of Accreditation (WASC)
 * Implementation of ATLAS for curriculum alignment, Power School, School wide use of Blogs for communication, Student Lead Conferencing
 * Work with staff to develop protocols for communication, grading, and advisory
 * Implement staff development and student use of 1:1 laptop program


 * 2002 - Present: Adjunct Professor and** **Mentor** **Administrator for Masters of School Administration candidates**
 * Professor of Masters of Education, Bachelors of Education, Pedagogy classes: Campbell University
 * Professor of Masters of Education: Plymouth State University
 * Principal Mentor Masters of School Administration: North Carolina State University / The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill


 * 2000-2007 Administrator, Durham Public Schools**
 * **Durham** **School** **of the Arts**
 * Developed a site plan for a $12 million renovation
 * Created a faculty council to obtain teacher input to assist with strategic planning and instructional support
 * Developed and maintained a sense of community in an ethnically diverse secondary school in a major city center
 * Developed a comprehensive curriculum review process that included training, implementation, and support
 * Implemented professional learning communities strategies to engage teachers, parents and the greater community in the school
 * **Rogers-Herr** **Year** **Round** **Middle School**
 * Developed a construction plan for a $20 million dollar addition
 * Developed a comprehensive curriculum review process that included training, implementation, and support
 * Implemented administrative classroom walk throughs to assure essential learning questions
 * Implemented programs such as Advisory, Electives and Music to increase enrollment from 250 students to 650 in a two year period of time
 * **Eno** **Valley** **Elementary School** **Principal**
 * Created and implemented a technology plan
 * Implemented a program for evaluating reading levels and support for students below grade level
 * Developed a plan to address the purchase, training and instructional integration of technology into the core instruction


 * 1995 – 2000 Educator, Moore County Schools**
 * Assistant Principal, Southern** **Pines** **Middle School** **(grades 4 – 8)**
 * Social Studies Teacher,** **Pinecrest** **High School** **(grades 9 -12)**
 * Overseeing curricular issues and implementing a MYP program and creating a PYP program
 * Evaluated instruction and Athletics
 * Observed and Evaluated staff
 * Interacting with all stakeholders in school and community
 * Enforced system policy and school procedures and rules
 * Designed and implemented staff development
 * Designed and implemented remedial educational options for struggling students
 * Organized and managed school committees
 * Created class schedules
 * Created a positive, caring environment

Roman Catholic, history, family time, golf, and life long learning
 * Personal Interests:**