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The principles of being a good principal
Evangel alumnus Kevin Huffman believes in placing positive male role models in the elementary classroom; has three male EU grads working at his school
May 29, 2009
Evangel alumni Fred Romaine '04, Bryan Livingston '99, Jonathan Hughes '04 and Kevin Huffman '88 believe teaching at Robberson Elementary is more than a job — it's a calling.
Kevin Huffman came to Evangel University with one goal on his mind: to be a music teacher. After graduating in 1988, plans went accordingly and Huffman found a job working as a K-12 music teacher in an outlying school district in the Springfield, Missouri area.
Though content with his job, Huffman went back to school to obtain his master’s degree in public administration with the intent of going into management.
However, after a sudden turn of events, Huffman found himself in the hot seat — the principal’s office. He was not there as the one in trouble, but as the one in charge.
“The principal of the school in which I was working passed away suddenly and the school board asked me to take over,” Huffman says. “It was then that I realized this was my ‘calling’ and have been in that role ever since.”
From there, he held another principal job in the same district and was later hired by the Springfield Public Schools to lead Robberson Elementary in 1998.
The jump from high school to leading a pack of 275 preschoolers through 5th graders for the last 11 years at Robberson hasn’t been easy though, Huffman says. Many of the school’s student population live at or below poverty line. “The numbers fluctuate, but approximately 85 percent of our students receive free or reduced lunch — a majority of those are free,” says Huffman. “My school is one of extreme poverty.”
The public school as a mission field
With the high number of students coming from impoverished homes, Huffman’s job often becomes one of offering Christian service and compassion.
“If you’re not wiped out at the end of the day, you are probably not meeting the needs of your kids,” Huffman says.
“Any more, public schools are almost as much of a mission field as foreign countries. It is not necessary to always go to foreign countries to be a missionary — sometimes you can go across the street and serve.”
EU alumni serving with Huffman
Principal Kevin Huffman and Muggs,
a certified therapy dog, sit on the
steps of Robberson Elementary,
which was built in 1905.
Huffman’s position has also opened the door for other Evangel graduates to find jobs.
Currently, there are about seven Evangel graduates in a staff of 26.
“The quality of students that come from Evangel is outstanding,” Huffman says. “I have discussed this with teachers in the past, and I don’t know if it’s because the students who attend Evangel have a higher ‘mission and calling’ or if it’s because of the training they receive while at Evangel. Whatever the reason, I know that the Evangel graduates will fit well into the staff and become great team players.”
The importance of positive male role models
Three of the Evangel grads teaching at Robberson are male. There are three additional male teachers on the faculty, making men almost 27 percent of Robberson’s faculty — a figure far above national statistics.
According to the National Education Association, a study showed only nine percent of America’s elementary classroom teachers are male.
“Teaching has historically been considered a female occupation since they tend to be more nurturing,” says Dr. Colleen Hardy, chair of the Department of Education at Evangel.
“However, we need good male teachers in elementary schools. Male teachers can provide good, strong role models to the kids that don’t necessarily have a positive male figure in their life.”
Huffman agrees. “I have four classroom teachers that are male — three are Evangel grads. Additionally, I have a male physical education and computer teacher. Again, this was no accident,” he says.
“Many of my students have no consistent, positive men in their lives and I have taken steps to hire male teachers so that the students can see that there are men who are good, smart, non-violent, caring and moral.”
Why aren’t there more male teachers?
Huffman says that there are various reasons why few men choose to go into elementary education.
“Probably the biggest is that it takes a lot of patience to work with elementary children — and that usually isn’t a strong area for men,” he says.
“I also think that it isn’t advertised really well — most men might not even consider going into elementary education,” he says. “It also isn’t thought of as being very ‘manly,’ so that may run off a lot of guys.”
Huffman also says financial issues often keep men out of teaching. “If they want to support a wife and family, many men will seek a higher-paying profession,” he says.
The three male Evangel alumni working with Huffman are Fred Romaine ‘04, Richard “Bryan” Livingston ‘99, and Jonathan Hughes ’04.
It’s not just a job; it’s a calling
Huffman and Dr. Hardy both say they believe that teaching can’t just be a job or a learned skill, but that it has to be a calling from God.
“Evangel played a big part in developing me into a teacher,” Romaine says. “The Lord played an even bigger role in developing my heart into a big enough chamber to fit all these kids into. It takes a person who has an extreme sense of duty to children and to see that they succeed what they try to accomplish. I strongly believe that only a godly person can truly succeed with these children because of how hard you have to work to reach this type of child.” Read more about the story of Fred Romaine.
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