January 15, 2024 • 28 mins
This week's heartfelt tribute to our educational leaders during Virginia School Principals Week takes you behind the scenes with two of Chesapeake Public Schools' finest, Mr. Paul Joseph and Dr. Michelle Ferebee. Uncover Paul's unexpected journey from an alternative school to his dream role at Oscar Smith High School, and trace Michelle's steps from a student in the corridors of Indian River High School to her influential position at Deep Creek Elementary School. As we honor their stories, you'll find inspiration in the unyielding commitment and passion they infuse into their roles, enriching the lives of students and setting a standard for educational leadership.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Matt Graham (00:00):
Welcome to Amplified the Chesapeake Public
Schools podcast.
Richie Babb (00:13):
Chesapeake Schools is located in the Hampton Roads
area of southeastern Virginia.
We serve 40,000 students in 45schools and three centers.
This podcast is designed totell the stories behind our
story and to introduce andcelebrate the people and
programs that make us one of thepremier school districts in
Virginia.
Matt Graham (00:32):
Alright, welcome back.
Here we are another new episodeon Amplified, the Chesapeake
Public Schools podcast.
This is Matt Graham here withRichie Bab, and this is our
January segment.
Yeah, new year, new episode.
That's right.
Do you have a good break?
Richie Babb (00:46):
I did, I did.
How about yourself?
I know you were busy, right?
Matt Graham (00:49):
Oh yeah, I mean, I guess everybody's busy,
Everybody is.
Richie Babb (00:52):
But is that?
Matt Graham (00:53):
time to have new beginnings, like a nice little
reset.
Richie Babb (00:57):
Right.
Matt Graham (00:57):
Yep, I hear you like the cold.
Richie Babb (00:59):
No, not really.
I don't need to wear that manyclothes at one time.
Matt Graham (01:05):
So you're anxiously waiting for summer.
Richie Babb (01:07):
Yeah, eagerly I would say, as opposed to
anxiously yeah, I am.
Matt Graham (01:11):
Alright well, one thing that we are excited to
highlight during this month isthere is a week set aside for
our principals.
January 14th through the 20this Virginia School Principal's
Appreciation Week.
Man, that's a mouthful.
Richie Babb (01:26):
It is.
That's a lot of words.
It's a lot of words, it is.
Matt Graham (01:29):
But we had the opportunity to speak with two
incredible principals that wehave here.
I mean, we have a ton of themto stop by and we chatted and it
was a great conversation.
We heard a little bit abouttheir backstory, things that
they're excited about.
Richie Babb (01:44):
Yeah, it's great.
Talk about getting to knowpeople and getting the stories
behind the story.
This episode's great for thatRight.
Matt Graham (01:50):
So sit back and enjoy With us.
Today we have two amazingprincipals.
We have Mr Paul Joseph fromOscar Smith High School and we
have Dr Michelle Furby from DeepCreek Elementary School.
One thing that we always do iswe try to find out a little bit
(02:10):
about you, or let our communityknow a little bit about you.
Do you mind telling us aboutyour background or even
positions that you held?
Mr Joseph, let's go ahead andstart with you.
Paul Joseph (02:20):
Well, I came to Chesapeake in 1980.
I graduated college fromVirginia Westland and Sissy
Chapel, was a social studiessupervisor.
And the third day of school hadcome and gone and a teacher
from the alternative schoolcalled in from Florida and said
I quit.
So they had it was a Fridayafternoon, so I went in with
nine other people to interviewfor the job.
I had a delightful job at thetime, cleaning out stables, you
(02:43):
know so I said I think I'll gothere.
Delightful, I don't think, isthe word I use for that, but but
I had to run home, didn't evenhave time to shower, so as the
old spray some clone on ran backup here, it came into this
building actually and, you know,did some lesson plans for talk
weather.
And next thing I know, I went tothe alternative school on
Monday morning and I didn't knowanything about an alternative
school.
I drove by it out the the oldNike missile site, drove by it a
(03:07):
few times and stopped inbecause it seemed like the only
landmark and I said, no, this isthe school, like really.
So that's where I was.
But I taught there for fiveyears and during the course of
that time I had the opportunityto meet Glenn Coons, who was an
assistant principal there.
I was coaching at PortsmouthCatholic High School at the time
and we scrimmaged againstGlenn's team and when he was
(03:28):
going to get promoted from beinga coach to assistant principal
he said, hey, would you considergoing to Deep Creek to take my
job, my old job there as a coach?
So I went over there and met MrHardy.
He was an amazing guy.
So, coach there, and then theyyou know, I'd coach boys
basketball at Catholic and thenover there they said well, we
don't have boys, we've got girls.
Would you do that?
Like, whatever, I'll do it.
(03:49):
So, I was there five years andthen I went to Indian River High
, taught social studies coach,soccer coach, girls basketball
there, eventually becamedepartment chair for social
studies.
I wanted to move intoadministration so I left.
I had a good opportunity fromGlenn Coons again, who was
principal of Oscar Smith,brought me over as assistant
principal in 93 and was therefor seven years and then
(04:10):
transferred to Western VergeHigh School, was assistant
principal for three years andthen was named principal of
Crestwood Middle, was there andthen finally got.
Really was my dream to go backto Oscar Smith High as the
principal.
So I've been there.
I think this is 17 years.
Richie Babb (04:25):
Wow, so you are living the dream then.
Paul Joseph (04:27):
Well, I can hold a job anyway, that's good.
Sorry to say that.
Yes, from this table, yeah, butI can hold it yeah.
Richie Babb (04:34):
How about you, Michelle?
Michelle Ferebee (04:35):
Oh, story's long.
So our paths crossed at IndianRiver.
So I was a student at IndianRiver High School and I
graduated from Indian River,went to TCC, then ODU and early
commitment.
So, Miss, who was it that gotme Hold on Miss Luthor?
Richie Babb (04:54):
Okay, yeah.
Michelle Ferebee (04:55):
She did the interviews at ODU.
So I accepted that earlycommitment under Dr Bateman and
I came into.
I actually interviewed atCrestwood Middle, Great Bridge,
Middle, and then by the thirdinterview I was like I'm just
gonna be Michelle and I went tocover and I'm a head gone there
as a child, and so it wasRaymond Hopkins and Nancy Brown.
(05:18):
And I just started cutting upduring the interview.
I was like whatever, you knowwhat, this gotta be it.
And so Nancy Brown told me thatMr Hopkins said are you sure
about her?
Because she turned into aJamaican and started talking
with her.
So anyway I did.
I worked there for two years.
(05:39):
Middle school concept came.
I went to Oscar Smith Middle asa sixth grade English teacher
and then from there became ainstructional specialist with
Dan Mulligan and then from therewent to Indian River Middle
School as an instructional coachunder Dr Scott.
And then from Indian River,naomi took over Naomi Dunbar.
(05:59):
She became the principal, movedover to Indian River High
School as an administrativeassistant under Mr Fry and from
Mr Fry I went back to OscarSmith Middle because our program
got cut.
So the administrative assistant, yeah, the funding got cut.
So I went back into theclassroom at Oscar Smith Middle
School for a year and a halfunder Dr Scott.
(06:21):
And from there, went to WesternBranch High School with Mr Sykes
and Hickory High School withFrida Turner and stayed there
for a year and ended up at GWCarver, south Norfolk.
That's when I met up with MrJoseph again, and then it was a
nice reunion.
Paul Joseph (06:37):
He was a nice reunion.
Michelle Ferebee (06:40):
Oh he's such a hero of mine, and then I went
to Deep Creek Elementary.
That's where I am right nowproud principal of DC.
Richie Babb (06:46):
There you go.
Now you know it's interesting.
In both of your stories you'vereferenced people who were
mentors and who you worked with.
It's interesting that that'swhat would come out, because it
really does make a difference.
I mean, it really is importantto have mentors, especially
going into a schooladministration.
(07:08):
What made you guys chooseeducation as a field to go into?
You wanna go first?
Michelle Ferebee (07:14):
Okay, I'll go first, because you went first.
It was gonna be short, so itwas between acting and educating
, so-.
Richie Babb (07:23):
So you get to do both.
Michelle Ferebee (07:24):
I do, it was the obvious choice.
It was like what better stagethan a classroom where?
Paul Joseph (07:29):
you can turn into somebody totally different.
Michelle Ferebee (07:32):
Engage your kids and have them experience
some of those joys of publicspeaking and acting out, role
playing, dramatizations, reading, writing, so all of those
things you know.
They say all the worlds arestaged, but I think the
classrooms one of the greateststages a teacher can have, so I
chose that one.
Mr Shirley, I'm sorry, I wentin a different path.
Richie Babb (07:53):
Linda Larmine led me this way.
How about you, Paul?
Paul Joseph (07:59):
A little different path.
I went to college.
My mother said you can be adoctor or lawyer, or dentist.
So she had three choices.
So I was pre-dental and I wasdoing okay.
But my chemistry professor sawthat you know, you don't really
seem like you're into this andhe had a good heart, you know.
He says well what do you reallylike?
And I said, well, I really like.
I like political science andhistory.
I've taken some of thosecourses.
(08:19):
I like geography.
He says, well, why don't you gointo that?
So I did and I remember talkingto my mother about it and be
honest with you.
She was upset with me.
She said you should be one ofthose things she goes anybody
teacher.
I said, no, no, mom, I want tobe a really good teacher.
I mean, we're really effective.
So that was one of those things.
My mom's a great support system.
But she just had other dreamsabout what great.
Richie Babb (08:39):
Now she's just so proud you know, so I got that,
but you know you said somethingbefore about mentors.
Paul Joseph (08:44):
I can't tell you how many people have been great
to me.
Michelle Ferebee (08:46):
I'm not agree.
Paul Joseph (08:47):
Carol Fleming took me aside one day and had
observed me and I had a lessthan stellar lesson, but she
knew I had more in me.
So she says I'm not going towrite this up.
You come back Monday and do itagain.
And I did.
I don't ever go below thatlevel again, cause I asked her
how did I do she?
Michelle Ferebee (09:01):
goes.
You know he did.
That's how you should do it.
Paul Joseph (09:04):
And so I was mad, but then I realized there's a
lesson there.
So it was good and you talkedabout some folks Jimmy Fry, you
know, art Brandriff, you know.
Janne and Draco Glankoos.
Richie Babb (09:14):
Just amazing people .
Paul Joseph (09:15):
And then other people, like Robert Shirley, I
mean people who are just soinfluential.
Richie Babb (09:19):
Linda Scott is another.
Oh gosh, yeah.
Paul Joseph (09:22):
I admired her so much.
She's like I don't know how shedoes this, cause she was 24,
seven.
Michelle Ferebee (09:28):
I mean always that way.
Paul Joseph (09:29):
Yeah, in fact she I'd tell her one time she got
sick and like you need to slowdown a little bit.
Richie Babb (09:33):
You know, but she was so dedicated.
She absolutely yeah, she was.
I mean, talk about theenergizer bunny.
Yeah, you know, but yeah,people like her and Ed Hughes
was a mentor of mine, you knowHarry Blevins.
Yeah so.
Paul Joseph (09:46):
And some of the mentors are ones that just came
along, that you know.
They're coworkers.
You know, I think of, like aBrian Dugan, a JD Degnan a.
Kenyatta, garrett, brendaAnderson.
You know people like that arejust, they're so inspirational
and they challenge you to thinkabout things a little different
way.
So it's, I don't want somebodyto be a S person who works with
me.
I want you you tell me straightwhat you think.
Yeah, and they do that andthey're just focused on the
(10:07):
right thing for the schoolsystem, which right for the kids
.
Michelle Ferebee (10:09):
So I appreciate that about them,
Right?
I'm glad you mentioned CarolFleming because that was Oscar
Smith middle school, myprincipal there.
She's the one where she taughtthe damn mulligan and said I got
somebody for you.
Paul Joseph (10:20):
And so that's how I ended up out of class.
Yeah, she's an amazing, amazingguest.
Yeah, yeah, no doubt.
Matt Graham (10:24):
Carol Fleming was my first principal at Oscar
Smith middle I started here, shewas so influential.
I was telling Richie at herretirement, or when she left
Oscar Smith middle.
I like dressed up as herbecause she was always
entertaining.
So I did this whole dress upthing and we kind of did.
She's like, I don't wantanything all sappy, so we did a
roast.
Paul Joseph (10:43):
And we just did this whole thing.
It was awesome, well, I will saytoo, I think, the role of it if
you have a spouse or partner,if you have, like, I've got a
great wife but she's been thereby my side and she's my sounding
board and I go home, becausethere's some difficult things
you deal with every day andsometimes you just don't know if
you can work through it, thingslike that.
But she gives me a perspective.
One thing she says to meremember a year ago what you
(11:04):
were fretting about that day.
You said this is going to bethat worst day.
What was that?
Richie Babb (11:07):
And you don't remember, you don't remember.
Paul Joseph (11:08):
She gives you that perspective on that and like
that keeps you kind of groundedand centered.
She has to make sacrifices.
This job takes up so much time.
Richie Babb (11:15):
Yeah, oh yeah, no doubt what's the hardest thing
about being a school principal?
Michelle Ferebee (11:21):
Wow, you got to take this one first.
I'm following you.
Paul Joseph (11:25):
I think for me it's just trying to take everybody's
little piece and part of whatthey do and make it the part of
the whole, how it fits in, howit's a piece there.
I think that's my job, istrying to translate their little
sections, which are incrediblyimportant to them, but make it a
whole and then for the kids andthe parents and even the
teachers sometimes it's like howdoes all these little parts
algebra, one, chemistry, english, nine, photography- how does
(11:48):
that make you a whole person?
And then the other things we do,unofficial things.
It's like filling and talkingabout character and good traits.
I think that's part of what wehave to do.
It's hard because sometimes youcan kind of get distracted from
that.
But if you got to go, always goback what's right for the kids.
So I think that's what makes itbetter.
You can get distracted easilyin this job.
Michelle Ferebee (12:06):
Yeah, oh yeah, I'm sure I think the little's
just coming from secondary,intermediate and now I have
young scholars pre-K, k one, twolearning their traits and how
they think and how they aretransitioning into a school
building, being home, some ofthem with their parents, and
(12:27):
then having to try to breakapart and getting them into the
building and feeling comfortableand safe from what they used to
know and then coming into anactual school building.
That's been eye-opening becausein most buildings the students
have already had that experience.
So, now ushering in kids thatnever been there before.
It's kind of like wow okay,okay little guy come on.
Paul Joseph (12:49):
I think, michelle, we've talked about this some too
.
Sometimes the parents didn'thave a good school experience.
You know, their schoolexperience was rotten.
And so they think their kids bydefault it's gonna be the same
thing and it's hard to convincethem.
No, we're trying to do itdifferently now.
I think we're better now thanwe were 10 years ago.
I think so we're better nowthan you know, and 10 years ago
they were better than they were10 years before, because you
learn, you grow and I think weget better at what we do, and I
(13:11):
think it's hard to get them totrust that we're actually there
for the betterment of theirchild because they had such a
bad experience.
Richie Babb (13:16):
What do you think are some of the most significant
changes in education since yougot in?
I know it changes constantly,but what do you see is really
some of the significant changesin the way we do business?
I wonder what you think andwhat I'm thinking.
Michelle Ferebee (13:28):
Go ahead.
I'm thinking about the pandemic, because that brought on a lot
of change and we've hadconversations during the
pandemic and just seeing thatyou know, going so quickly from
being in school and then havingto go all the way virtual, going
to that one-on-one, and westill have a lot of those things
that we learned from thepandemic going on now you know
(13:48):
you still have kids going intoCVA and you know, virtual aging
and things like that.
So handling those two platformsyou know some of those kids
still come back to us and thentransitioning them back into the
regular building.
But we're looking at thingsdifferently.
You know it's not always one,you know way to do things.
Now we see there's a virtualcomponent.
(14:09):
We don't always have to comeinto a building to have a
meeting.
Now we can have one virtually.
Now we don't always have to dotrainings inside of a building,
you can do it virtually.
So I see that that technologypiece, that component of it,
being a big part of it.
That's a change.
Paul Joseph (14:23):
Yeah, I think we got a real forced jumpstart on
that.
I remember handing outChromebooks, I think day before
Christmas vacation out there itwas cold on the bus ramp and
people were coming up becausethey wanted to have some sort of
schooling.
Yeah, it was really importantRight, and I think now it might
be.
How do you manage that?
How do you balance theadvantages of technology with
the human interaction?
(14:44):
We had a little in-serviceyesterday at school on AI in its
role, and I think we're goingto have to learn how to balance
and juggle that.
That's going to be anotherchallenge.
It's not going to go away.
It's just how do you use itproperly and not let it overtake
you.
I'm so old I remember goingfrom a slide rule to a
calculator and the teachersbeing offended.
You would have a machine thatwould do, and somewhere even
(15:04):
offended.
We had a slide rule that waslike you should do it all by
hand the calculations Right, andthese old logbooks and things
like that yeah.
Matt Graham (15:10):
So yeah, there's a lot of change there.
I don't even know what a slideruler is, Just straight up.
I don't even know.
Paul Joseph (15:16):
You got to look you did calculations on it and it
had.
It looked like kind of likethree rulers with a little slide
thing on there.
You had to go with that, slideit down here, put numbers on
there, look in a book for tablesand then match it up.
Matt Graham (15:28):
Oh my gosh, it was crazy.
Richie Babb (15:29):
Yeah, yeah.
Paul Joseph (15:32):
And that's how you did kind of like, and I had some
of the higher level math inhigh school.
I wasn't really good at it, butI had higher level math in
there and you had to use thosetools and that was the tool of
the time and even then some ofthe teachers thought that was
cheating, yeah.
Right, I think like now likeyou know, there's, you know this
AI, but I get it.
You have to find balance withit.
Richie Babb (15:48):
How do you make it work?
Yeah, I missed the chalkboard.
Paul Joseph (15:51):
I did.
Richie Babb (15:53):
I am right, it wasn't great on it, but but I do
miss it.
Yeah, well, I miss the smell ofthe Ditto machine.
Yeah, oh yeah, and you'd handout the papers and they were
kind of slightly damp andeverybody would just smell them
yeah.
Paul Joseph (16:05):
You know, I was like yeah.
Richie Babb (16:07):
Right.
Paul Joseph (16:07):
Yeah, that's right, and my fingers are like my, the
skin would come off my fingersbecause of that liquid.
Richie Babb (16:14):
Yeah, right.
Paul Joseph (16:14):
Yeah.
Matt Graham (16:15):
Yeah, so I don't know.
Yeah, so what is your favoritething about being a principal?
Michelle Ferebee (16:20):
There's so many things Seeing kids light up
, seeing the light bulb go off.
Recently I talked about seeingone child who was having
difficulties transitioning tothe school building but this
year just walking in, makingfriends, being active, raising
his hand, speaking to me nowwhen he sees me in a hallway.
So just seeing those studentsgrow.
Paul Joseph (16:41):
Yeah, I think that personal growth is huge for me.
I can think of kids right now.
In recent memory and even backthere, they had an epiphany and
decided that what we wereselling was the right thing.
And when they do, when theyjump on board, they jump on
board with both feet and they'reyour biggest salesman
afterwards for it.
I have one that came back.
He's come back a couple oftimes.
He actually went to the middleschool with me last year to tell
(17:01):
them hey, I had a rough startin high school but I finally
listened to what they weretelling me to do.
They had this program there forus.
We can we have a merchant semenprogram.
He jumped into that.
He is so happy right now hesays I'm taking a trip to Japan.
But he was someone who had,didn't have a path, didn't have
a focus and now he's got it, andnow he's a total convert, in
fact he wants to tell othersthere's a path for you which I
(17:23):
love that.
Richie Babb (17:24):
Yeah, I think if anything really from the outside
has visibly changed is theopportunities that students are
offered now like that programand like all the CTE programs,
you know, we've recognized thatnot everybody has to go to
college, right, you know, andit's perfectly, it's fun.
I mean, when I was in school, Imean you went to college, I
mean that was the expectation.
Paul Joseph (17:45):
But you know, I've got my stepson is a welder,
right you know, and he's I meanhe's killing it, yeah, but yeah,
those opportunities, and I knowMichelle we talked about when
she was in our bureau we hadactually our bureau would talk
about from kindergarten to 12thgrade and beyond and where we
all fit in on that whole plan.
But then, like I said, I thinkafter COVID it kind of made me
set back because I was samething.
(18:06):
I thought college prep, that'sthe answer, and then some kids
would go military and some kidswould go over this.
Now we try to make it so youhave four options for high
school and I want every senior,when they graduate, to have
they're either certified for acareer because they go, let's
say, to the tech center or getcertifications that we can get
there at school.
You know they could go to themilitary and the military either
has career or to get careertraining to move you on to
(18:27):
another career.
Be college and college not justfor the sake of college, but
college leads to careers as well.
Right, or the fourth is where Ithink we're really improving
greatly is really that kind ofwhere career companies will come
in, offer our kids kind of paidinternships, things like that,
and then they go on to get thoseskills and just the awareness
for our kids, because a lot ofour kids don't even understand
what big companies, all thethings that they have.
(18:49):
Like, let's say, we haveNewport, new Shipbuilding and
they well, I don't want to builda ship, but you know they have
a communication department, yeah, yeah, they have a payroll
department.
HR department yeah, and the kidsjust don't have that awareness.
So we're trying to bring it toour kids and it's really it
makes me happy when I see thatyou know so they.
I want every kid to walk acrossthat stage, knowing the next
day of life holds for them.
So they don't say I'm going toget a job.
Jobs are dead ends.
Richie Babb (19:10):
Yeah, yeah, you need a career, you need a career
.
Michelle Ferebee (19:12):
Yeah, right, absolutely.
Richie Babb (19:13):
Right.
If you had any advice to givefiring administrators or new
administrators, what would yousit down and tell them?
Michelle Ferebee (19:20):
Yeah, kind of good mentor.
Find somebody who's going inthe right direction.
Talk to someone that it hasbeen in the field for a while.
They can give you some soundadvice.
Stay organized, stay on top ofthings but, most importantly,
find a peer.
Find a peer that you can talkto that understands what's going
(19:41):
on and can guide you.
Paul Joseph (19:43):
Yeah, I agree with that, and I think we had kind of
a a couple of years back.
We did that training wherethey're.
We were in that leadershipacademy, remember Right Right,
and we were kind of paired upwith elementary, middle and high
school administrators andnormally we don't really meet
and sit and talk in depth, butwe really did there and I
thought we we learned a lotabout each other and what we're
going through and I think youunderstand a whole lot more by
(20:06):
by the experience.
I thought, yeah, we were in thesame cohort and we just talked
all the time and we startedtalking a lot more after that
because it breaks down thatbarrier of the separation, the
the different, you know, levelsof school.
Michelle Ferebee (20:16):
Wow, well, I guess cause each level thinks
they have their things, they'regoing through, but we don't see
that other side.
Unfortunately.
I did see secondary.
I knew elementary side, I knewthe differences between them,
but then when things startedchanging and and it evolves and
you know, you lose touch alittle bit.
You hear the things thatsecondary is doing and then you
(20:37):
hear the things that elementaryand I think we became empathetic
to each other and saying wow, Ididn't know y'all were going
through that.
Matt Graham (20:43):
Yeah, right.
Things like that Well that'skind of like what you were
mentioning, even as within yourbuilding principal role, your
role there is like gettingeveryone to have these little
parts to make the whole.
So even at the different levels, with elementary, middle and
high.
All those different parts ofthe whole.
And the same thing, too, withour our previous episode where
we had the SCA people come inone of the biggest things that
they were talking about was thetoughest job was to get the
(21:07):
different perspectives and ofeveryone to understand, maybe,
that common purpose.
So I think that's somethingthat is very insightful.
You know, within here, withwhat I'm hearing with y'all,
like it's just getting everybodyon kind of the same page come
together.
Paul Joseph (21:22):
So I think that's pretty cool.
Well, and like I said, socialmedia wasn't around when I was
younger.
It is now, and I hate to sayit's designed to feed you more
of what you already think.
Richie Babb (21:30):
Right, that's right .
That's right, it's echo chamber, yeah exactly it.
Paul Joseph (21:33):
So you're hearing the same thing more and more and
more and I think in school youget a chance maybe to just see
don't have to accept the otherside, just understand, there is
another side, there is anotherside and explore that.
Richie Babb (21:42):
Yeah, yeah, no doubt, Keep it in mind.
Of course this is a familyoriented show.
Do you have any inspirationalor funny stories or stories that
might sort of encapsulate whateducation is you?
Matt Graham (21:57):
probably have one that happens every single day,
right, right.
So, is there anything that popsup?
Maybe it is something that youwouldn't mind sharing.
That happens, you know what.
Michelle Ferebee (22:06):
My husband reminded me of something,
because I was at Oscar SmithMiddle School and it was a
teacher work day, so we werefree of kids and we were in the
room having a meeting.
And they called into the roomand said Ms Furby, your son is
on the phone.
He says it's an emergency.
I don't have a sign.
I was like what?
Richie Babb (22:25):
They said yeah, your son is on the phone.
Michelle Ferebee (22:26):
I don't know what it is, but it sounds urgent
.
I think you need to take thecall.
So I come down and I said hello, hey, ms Furby, what you doing?
I said who is this?
It's me.
I said, boy, what are you doingcalling me?
I just want to see how you doOne of my students, one of my
students.
Matt Graham (22:42):
And.
Paul Joseph (22:42):
I said why are you calling me?
It's a teacher work day whatare?
Michelle Ferebee (22:45):
you doing?
I don't know, I'm just bored.
I said, listen, I'm at work, Ihave the work.
I need to hang up the phone.
Okay, you gonna call me back.
No, I gotta go, yeah, yeah, sowe've established relationships
with the students.
I wanna hear from us every day.
Paul Joseph (23:05):
I've got another one, and then, if you have
another one, I've got one afterthat.
Richie Babb (23:08):
So the first one it goes way back.
Paul Joseph (23:10):
I was a pretty new teacher.
You'll get an idea of what yearit was because we were doing
current events in my class thereand I had at the alternate
school I had high school socialstudies, so I could catch all.
Richie Babb (23:19):
You know you had everything in there.
Paul Joseph (23:20):
So we did current events and we were talking about
the Falkland Island Wars.
So I pulled out my globe andthe globe was really old I mean,
but you know, had the globe upthere.
I said this is the UnitedKingdom and I pointed to it and
I pointed to Argentina.
Then we pointed to the FalklandIslands.
Talk about where they'refighting over.
So the student gets the thingshe points to the United Kingdom
and he shakes his head like Iunderstand what that is.
(23:41):
Argentina got it FalklandIslands.
He goes what's?
this blue stuff out here.
Michelle Ferebee (23:47):
So maybe I need to go back to.
I need to go back to a littlemore basics here, Maybe.
Okay, that would be the ocean.
Richie Babb (23:54):
So we can talk about that.
Wow, wow.
Well, he learned something thatday, for sure, and so did I.
That was the big one.
I learned more than he did.
Yeah, a little bit ofreflection there.
Let's go back to the basic.
Yeah, that's yeah.
Michelle Ferebee (24:07):
Oh Lord, Inspirationally, at Hickory High
School I had a student who wasa foster child.
She came in and she gave me herback.
She had a very rough start andfor some reason she would only
talk to me administratively.
She would get in trouble.
And she said no, I want thatone.
And she would come to me andshe told me her backstory
Backstory was more so.
(24:27):
She wanted to go to school.
She left whatever organizationshe was in and she enrolled
herself in a high school.
But now it's to anybody else.
She was under the radar, shewas living on her own and they
found out that she had Enrolledherself.
She was doing, she was lying onstuff, but she wanted to be in
school.
She knew she had to have aneducation and it was found out
(24:50):
because she got sick.
So she had to go to thehospital and they found out you
know, she's not under anybody'scare, she's doing this stuff on
her own.
She ended up at Hickory With anice family, but she was having
trouble adjusting.
Having trouble adjusting.
So we would talk, I would spendtime with her and it got to the
point when she said I'm sick ofschool, what can I do to get
out?
We got on a plan and she wasable to graduate through summer
(25:13):
school.
Well, miss Turner called me oneday.
She was in summer school.
She said we got to take a ride.
I said what's happening?
She said one of your youngscholars.
We got to take a ride.
So we went over to any riverwhere she was having her doing
summer school and she was asleep.
So we went in and talked to theteacher and he said he, she's
doing this.
She just keeps sleeping everyday.
(25:35):
So I tapped and she looked upand she saw me and she saw miss
Turner behind me and we did likethis, Talked to her in the
hallway and she said what arey'all doing here?
I said you teach a contact.
And miss Turner.
And miss Turner contacted meand we said we would go over
here to talk to our hawks tofind out what's going on Gave
her the speech and we saw herwalk across that stage.
(25:57):
At the end of summer school sothat was yeah, yeah to, and
she's in the military now.
Richie Babb (26:01):
She's doing well Wow.
Paul Joseph (26:02):
That's great, that's inspirational, for sure.
I think kids can keep youhumble as well.
So this is one I have and it'sit's G-rated, so it's good.
But in this case this littlegirl comes up to me in the
cafeteria because I spend.
I sit in the cafeteria duringlunch times so the kids have
access and I can watch them, butthey have access to me.
She came and says mr Joseph,you know what you look like a
(26:24):
movie star and you know in myhead like, oh man, I wonder
which one it could be you knowshe goes.
Yeah, you look like woody fromtour story.
Oh man, I'm like well you know,but I think actually I think
woody's probably more fluid andmove than I am, Because the kids
are always like do you know youwalk?
Funny, like yes.
Richie Babb (26:44):
I am aware that I walk funny.
Well, this has been fantastic.
I really could talk to the restof the day, but thank you for
all the work that you do and thedifference that you're making
in the lives of these kids.
It's uh, it's reallyimmeasurable.
So well, I want to thank youagain for coming in.
Michelle Fariby from um deepcreek elementary, apologize to
from ischel Smith high schooland uh, keep doing what you're
(27:06):
doing.
Paul Joseph (27:06):
All, right, until you're tired, I'm gonna give a
shout out to my adventime.
Yeah, down the fort for meright now.
That's right, you're mine too.
Michelle Ferebee (27:12):
Way to go, there you go.
Paul Joseph (27:13):
You guys, you guys going great.
Richie Babb (27:14):
Thank you, sure Thanks, guys, thank you so much.
Michelle Ferebee (27:17):
Bye.
Richie Babb (27:17):
Bye, bye.
Michelle Ferebee (27:18):
All right.
Matt Graham (27:25):
We hope you enjoyed the stories behind our story on
this episode of amplify thechesapeake public schools
podcast.
Feel free to visit us atcpschoolscom forward slash
amplified for any questions orcomments and make sure to follow
us wherever you get yourpodcast.
Welcome to Amplified the Chesapeake Public
Schools podcast.
Richie Babb (00:13):
Chesapeake Schools is located in the Hampton Roads
area of southeastern Virginia.
We serve 40,000 students in 45schools and three centers.
This podcast is designed totell the stories behind our
story and to introduce andcelebrate the people and
programs that make us one of thepremier school districts in
Virginia.
Matt Graham (00:32):
Alright, welcome back.
Here we are another new episodeon Amplified, the Chesapeake
Public Schools podcast.
This is Matt Graham here withRichie Bab, and this is our
January segment.
Yeah, new year, new episode.
That's right.
Do you have a good break?
Richie Babb (00:46):
I did, I did.
How about yourself?
I know you were busy, right?
Matt Graham (00:49):
Oh yeah, I mean, I guess everybody's busy,
Everybody is.
Richie Babb (00:52):
But is that?
Matt Graham (00:53):
time to have new beginnings, like a nice little
reset.
Richie Babb (00:57):
Right.
Matt Graham (00:57):
Yep, I hear you like the cold.
Richie Babb (00:59):
No, not really.
I don't need to wear that manyclothes at one time.
Matt Graham (01:05):
So you're anxiously waiting for summer.
Richie Babb (01:07):
Yeah, eagerly I would say, as opposed to
anxiously yeah, I am.
Matt Graham (01:11):
Alright well, one thing that we are excited to
highlight during this month isthere is a week set aside for
our principals.
January 14th through the 20this Virginia School Principal's
Appreciation Week.
Man, that's a mouthful.
Richie Babb (01:26):
It is.
That's a lot of words.
It's a lot of words, it is.
Matt Graham (01:29):
But we had the opportunity to speak with two
incredible principals that wehave here.
I mean, we have a ton of themto stop by and we chatted and it
was a great conversation.
We heard a little bit abouttheir backstory, things that
they're excited about.
Richie Babb (01:44):
Yeah, it's great.
Talk about getting to knowpeople and getting the stories
behind the story.
This episode's great for thatRight.
Matt Graham (01:50):
So sit back and enjoy With us.
Today we have two amazingprincipals.
We have Mr Paul Joseph fromOscar Smith High School and we
have Dr Michelle Furby from DeepCreek Elementary School.
One thing that we always do iswe try to find out a little bit
(02:10):
about you, or let our communityknow a little bit about you.
Do you mind telling us aboutyour background or even
positions that you held?
Mr Joseph, let's go ahead andstart with you.
Paul Joseph (02:20):
Well, I came to Chesapeake in 1980.
I graduated college fromVirginia Westland and Sissy
Chapel, was a social studiessupervisor.
And the third day of school hadcome and gone and a teacher
from the alternative schoolcalled in from Florida and said
I quit.
So they had it was a Fridayafternoon, so I went in with
nine other people to interviewfor the job.
I had a delightful job at thetime, cleaning out stables, you
(02:43):
know so I said I think I'll gothere.
Delightful, I don't think, isthe word I use for that, but but
I had to run home, didn't evenhave time to shower, so as the
old spray some clone on ran backup here, it came into this
building actually and, you know,did some lesson plans for talk
weather.
And next thing I know, I went tothe alternative school on
Monday morning and I didn't knowanything about an alternative
school.
I drove by it out the the oldNike missile site, drove by it a
(03:07):
few times and stopped inbecause it seemed like the only
landmark and I said, no, this isthe school, like really.
So that's where I was.
But I taught there for fiveyears and during the course of
that time I had the opportunityto meet Glenn Coons, who was an
assistant principal there.
I was coaching at PortsmouthCatholic High School at the time
and we scrimmaged againstGlenn's team and when he was
(03:28):
going to get promoted from beinga coach to assistant principal
he said, hey, would you considergoing to Deep Creek to take my
job, my old job there as a coach?
So I went over there and met MrHardy.
He was an amazing guy.
So, coach there, and then theyyou know, I'd coach boys
basketball at Catholic and thenover there they said well, we
don't have boys, we've got girls.
Would you do that?
Like, whatever, I'll do it.
(03:49):
So, I was there five years andthen I went to Indian River High
, taught social studies coach,soccer coach, girls basketball
there, eventually becamedepartment chair for social
studies.
I wanted to move intoadministration so I left.
I had a good opportunity fromGlenn Coons again, who was
principal of Oscar Smith,brought me over as assistant
principal in 93 and was therefor seven years and then
(04:10):
transferred to Western VergeHigh School, was assistant
principal for three years andthen was named principal of
Crestwood Middle, was there andthen finally got.
Really was my dream to go backto Oscar Smith High as the
principal.
So I've been there.
I think this is 17 years.
Richie Babb (04:25):
Wow, so you are living the dream then.
Paul Joseph (04:27):
Well, I can hold a job anyway, that's good.
Sorry to say that.
Yes, from this table, yeah, butI can hold it yeah.
Richie Babb (04:34):
How about you, Michelle?
Michelle Ferebee (04:35):
Oh, story's long.
So our paths crossed at IndianRiver.
So I was a student at IndianRiver High School and I
graduated from Indian River,went to TCC, then ODU and early
commitment.
So, Miss, who was it that gotme Hold on Miss Luthor?
Richie Babb (04:54):
Okay, yeah.
Michelle Ferebee (04:55):
She did the interviews at ODU.
So I accepted that earlycommitment under Dr Bateman and
I came into.
I actually interviewed atCrestwood Middle, Great Bridge,
Middle, and then by the thirdinterview I was like I'm just
gonna be Michelle and I went tocover and I'm a head gone there
as a child, and so it wasRaymond Hopkins and Nancy Brown.
(05:18):
And I just started cutting upduring the interview.
I was like whatever, you knowwhat, this gotta be it.
And so Nancy Brown told me thatMr Hopkins said are you sure
about her?
Because she turned into aJamaican and started talking
with her.
So anyway I did.
I worked there for two years.
(05:39):
Middle school concept came.
I went to Oscar Smith Middle asa sixth grade English teacher
and then from there became ainstructional specialist with
Dan Mulligan and then from therewent to Indian River Middle
School as an instructional coachunder Dr Scott.
And then from Indian River,naomi took over Naomi Dunbar.
(05:59):
She became the principal, movedover to Indian River High
School as an administrativeassistant under Mr Fry and from
Mr Fry I went back to OscarSmith Middle because our program
got cut.
So the administrative assistant, yeah, the funding got cut.
So I went back into theclassroom at Oscar Smith Middle
School for a year and a halfunder Dr Scott.
(06:21):
And from there, went to WesternBranch High School with Mr Sykes
and Hickory High School withFrida Turner and stayed there
for a year and ended up at GWCarver, south Norfolk.
That's when I met up with MrJoseph again, and then it was a
nice reunion.
Paul Joseph (06:37):
He was a nice reunion.
Michelle Ferebee (06:40):
Oh he's such a hero of mine, and then I went
to Deep Creek Elementary.
That's where I am right nowproud principal of DC.
Richie Babb (06:46):
There you go.
Now you know it's interesting.
In both of your stories you'vereferenced people who were
mentors and who you worked with.
It's interesting that that'swhat would come out, because it
really does make a difference.
I mean, it really is importantto have mentors, especially
going into a schooladministration.
(07:08):
What made you guys chooseeducation as a field to go into?
You wanna go first?
Michelle Ferebee (07:14):
Okay, I'll go first, because you went first.
It was gonna be short, so itwas between acting and educating
, so-.
Richie Babb (07:23):
So you get to do both.
Michelle Ferebee (07:24):
I do, it was the obvious choice.
It was like what better stagethan a classroom where?
Paul Joseph (07:29):
you can turn into somebody totally different.
Michelle Ferebee (07:32):
Engage your kids and have them experience
some of those joys of publicspeaking and acting out, role
playing, dramatizations, reading, writing, so all of those
things you know.
They say all the worlds arestaged, but I think the
classrooms one of the greateststages a teacher can have, so I
chose that one.
Mr Shirley, I'm sorry, I wentin a different path.
Richie Babb (07:53):
Linda Larmine led me this way.
How about you, Paul?
Paul Joseph (07:59):
A little different path.
I went to college.
My mother said you can be adoctor or lawyer, or dentist.
So she had three choices.
So I was pre-dental and I wasdoing okay.
But my chemistry professor sawthat you know, you don't really
seem like you're into this andhe had a good heart, you know.
He says well what do you reallylike?
And I said, well, I really like.
I like political science andhistory.
I've taken some of thosecourses.
(08:19):
I like geography.
He says, well, why don't you gointo that?
So I did and I remember talkingto my mother about it and be
honest with you.
She was upset with me.
She said you should be one ofthose things she goes anybody
teacher.
I said, no, no, mom, I want tobe a really good teacher.
I mean, we're really effective.
So that was one of those things.
My mom's a great support system.
But she just had other dreamsabout what great.
Richie Babb (08:39):
Now she's just so proud you know, so I got that,
but you know you said somethingbefore about mentors.
Paul Joseph (08:44):
I can't tell you how many people have been great
to me.
Michelle Ferebee (08:46):
I'm not agree.
Paul Joseph (08:47):
Carol Fleming took me aside one day and had
observed me and I had a lessthan stellar lesson, but she
knew I had more in me.
So she says I'm not going towrite this up.
You come back Monday and do itagain.
And I did.
I don't ever go below thatlevel again, cause I asked her
how did I do she?
Michelle Ferebee (09:01):
goes.
You know he did.
That's how you should do it.
Paul Joseph (09:04):
And so I was mad, but then I realized there's a
lesson there.
So it was good and you talkedabout some folks Jimmy Fry, you
know, art Brandriff, you know.
Janne and Draco Glankoos.
Richie Babb (09:14):
Just amazing people .
Paul Joseph (09:15):
And then other people, like Robert Shirley, I
mean people who are just soinfluential.
Richie Babb (09:19):
Linda Scott is another.
Oh gosh, yeah.
Paul Joseph (09:22):
I admired her so much.
She's like I don't know how shedoes this, cause she was 24,
seven.
Michelle Ferebee (09:28):
I mean always that way.
Paul Joseph (09:29):
Yeah, in fact she I'd tell her one time she got
sick and like you need to slowdown a little bit.
Richie Babb (09:33):
You know, but she was so dedicated.
She absolutely yeah, she was.
I mean, talk about theenergizer bunny.
Yeah, you know, but yeah,people like her and Ed Hughes
was a mentor of mine, you knowHarry Blevins.
Yeah so.
Paul Joseph (09:46):
And some of the mentors are ones that just came
along, that you know.
They're coworkers.
You know, I think of, like aBrian Dugan, a JD Degnan a.
Kenyatta, garrett, brendaAnderson.
You know people like that arejust, they're so inspirational
and they challenge you to thinkabout things a little different
way.
So it's, I don't want somebodyto be a S person who works with
me.
I want you you tell me straightwhat you think.
Yeah, and they do that andthey're just focused on the
(10:07):
right thing for the schoolsystem, which right for the kids
.
Michelle Ferebee (10:09):
So I appreciate that about them,
Right?
I'm glad you mentioned CarolFleming because that was Oscar
Smith middle school, myprincipal there.
She's the one where she taughtthe damn mulligan and said I got
somebody for you.
Paul Joseph (10:20):
And so that's how I ended up out of class.
Yeah, she's an amazing, amazingguest.
Yeah, yeah, no doubt.
Matt Graham (10:24):
Carol Fleming was my first principal at Oscar
Smith middle I started here, shewas so influential.
I was telling Richie at herretirement, or when she left
Oscar Smith middle.
I like dressed up as herbecause she was always
entertaining.
So I did this whole dress upthing and we kind of did.
She's like, I don't wantanything all sappy, so we did a
roast.
Paul Joseph (10:43):
And we just did this whole thing.
It was awesome, well, I will saytoo, I think, the role of it if
you have a spouse or partner,if you have, like, I've got a
great wife but she's been thereby my side and she's my sounding
board and I go home, becausethere's some difficult things
you deal with every day andsometimes you just don't know if
you can work through it, thingslike that.
But she gives me a perspective.
One thing she says to meremember a year ago what you
(11:04):
were fretting about that day.
You said this is going to bethat worst day.
What was that?
Richie Babb (11:07):
And you don't remember, you don't remember.
Paul Joseph (11:08):
She gives you that perspective on that and like
that keeps you kind of groundedand centered.
She has to make sacrifices.
This job takes up so much time.
Richie Babb (11:15):
Yeah, oh yeah, no doubt what's the hardest thing
about being a school principal?
Michelle Ferebee (11:21):
Wow, you got to take this one first.
I'm following you.
Paul Joseph (11:25):
I think for me it's just trying to take everybody's
little piece and part of whatthey do and make it the part of
the whole, how it fits in, howit's a piece there.
I think that's my job, istrying to translate their little
sections, which are incrediblyimportant to them, but make it a
whole and then for the kids andthe parents and even the
teachers sometimes it's like howdoes all these little parts
algebra, one, chemistry, english, nine, photography- how does
(11:48):
that make you a whole person?
And then the other things we do,unofficial things.
It's like filling and talkingabout character and good traits.
I think that's part of what wehave to do.
It's hard because sometimes youcan kind of get distracted from
that.
But if you got to go, always goback what's right for the kids.
So I think that's what makes itbetter.
You can get distracted easilyin this job.
Michelle Ferebee (12:06):
Yeah, oh yeah, I'm sure I think the little's
just coming from secondary,intermediate and now I have
young scholars pre-K, k one, twolearning their traits and how
they think and how they aretransitioning into a school
building, being home, some ofthem with their parents, and
(12:27):
then having to try to breakapart and getting them into the
building and feeling comfortableand safe from what they used to
know and then coming into anactual school building.
That's been eye-opening becausein most buildings the students
have already had that experience.
So, now ushering in kids thatnever been there before.
It's kind of like wow okay,okay little guy come on.
Paul Joseph (12:49):
I think, michelle, we've talked about this some too
.
Sometimes the parents didn'thave a good school experience.
You know, their schoolexperience was rotten.
And so they think their kids bydefault it's gonna be the same
thing and it's hard to convincethem.
No, we're trying to do itdifferently now.
I think we're better now thanwe were 10 years ago.
I think so we're better nowthan you know, and 10 years ago
they were better than they were10 years before, because you
learn, you grow and I think weget better at what we do, and I
(13:11):
think it's hard to get them totrust that we're actually there
for the betterment of theirchild because they had such a
bad experience.
Richie Babb (13:16):
What do you think are some of the most significant
changes in education since yougot in?
I know it changes constantly,but what do you see is really
some of the significant changesin the way we do business?
I wonder what you think andwhat I'm thinking.
Michelle Ferebee (13:28):
Go ahead.
I'm thinking about the pandemic, because that brought on a lot
of change and we've hadconversations during the
pandemic and just seeing thatyou know, going so quickly from
being in school and then havingto go all the way virtual, going
to that one-on-one, and westill have a lot of those things
that we learned from thepandemic going on now you know
(13:48):
you still have kids going intoCVA and you know, virtual aging
and things like that.
So handling those two platformsyou know some of those kids
still come back to us and thentransitioning them back into the
regular building.
But we're looking at thingsdifferently.
You know it's not always one,you know way to do things.
Now we see there's a virtualcomponent.
(14:09):
We don't always have to comeinto a building to have a
meeting.
Now we can have one virtually.
Now we don't always have to dotrainings inside of a building,
you can do it virtually.
So I see that that technologypiece, that component of it,
being a big part of it.
That's a change.
Paul Joseph (14:23):
Yeah, I think we got a real forced jumpstart on
that.
I remember handing outChromebooks, I think day before
Christmas vacation out there itwas cold on the bus ramp and
people were coming up becausethey wanted to have some sort of
schooling.
Yeah, it was really importantRight, and I think now it might
be.
How do you manage that?
How do you balance theadvantages of technology with
the human interaction?
(14:44):
We had a little in-serviceyesterday at school on AI in its
role, and I think we're goingto have to learn how to balance
and juggle that.
That's going to be anotherchallenge.
It's not going to go away.
It's just how do you use itproperly and not let it overtake
you.
I'm so old I remember goingfrom a slide rule to a
calculator and the teachersbeing offended.
You would have a machine thatwould do, and somewhere even
(15:04):
offended.
We had a slide rule that waslike you should do it all by
hand the calculations Right, andthese old logbooks and things
like that yeah.
Matt Graham (15:10):
So yeah, there's a lot of change there.
I don't even know what a slideruler is, Just straight up.
I don't even know.
Paul Joseph (15:16):
You got to look you did calculations on it and it
had.
It looked like kind of likethree rulers with a little slide
thing on there.
You had to go with that, slideit down here, put numbers on
there, look in a book for tablesand then match it up.
Matt Graham (15:28):
Oh my gosh, it was crazy.
Richie Babb (15:29):
Yeah, yeah.
Paul Joseph (15:32):
And that's how you did kind of like, and I had some
of the higher level math inhigh school.
I wasn't really good at it, butI had higher level math in
there and you had to use thosetools and that was the tool of
the time and even then some ofthe teachers thought that was
cheating, yeah.
Right, I think like now likeyou know, there's, you know this
AI, but I get it.
You have to find balance withit.
Richie Babb (15:48):
How do you make it work?
Yeah, I missed the chalkboard.
Paul Joseph (15:51):
I did.
Richie Babb (15:53):
I am right, it wasn't great on it, but but I do
miss it.
Yeah, well, I miss the smell ofthe Ditto machine.
Yeah, oh yeah, and you'd handout the papers and they were
kind of slightly damp andeverybody would just smell them
yeah.
Paul Joseph (16:05):
You know, I was like yeah.
Richie Babb (16:07):
Right.
Paul Joseph (16:07):
Yeah, that's right, and my fingers are like my, the
skin would come off my fingersbecause of that liquid.
Richie Babb (16:14):
Yeah, right.
Paul Joseph (16:14):
Yeah.
Matt Graham (16:15):
Yeah, so I don't know.
Yeah, so what is your favoritething about being a principal?
Michelle Ferebee (16:20):
There's so many things Seeing kids light up
, seeing the light bulb go off.
Recently I talked about seeingone child who was having
difficulties transitioning tothe school building but this
year just walking in, makingfriends, being active, raising
his hand, speaking to me nowwhen he sees me in a hallway.
So just seeing those studentsgrow.
Paul Joseph (16:41):
Yeah, I think that personal growth is huge for me.
I can think of kids right now.
In recent memory and even backthere, they had an epiphany and
decided that what we wereselling was the right thing.
And when they do, when theyjump on board, they jump on
board with both feet and they'reyour biggest salesman
afterwards for it.
I have one that came back.
He's come back a couple oftimes.
He actually went to the middleschool with me last year to tell
(17:01):
them hey, I had a rough startin high school but I finally
listened to what they weretelling me to do.
They had this program there forus.
We can we have a merchant semenprogram.
He jumped into that.
He is so happy right now hesays I'm taking a trip to Japan.
But he was someone who had,didn't have a path, didn't have
a focus and now he's got it, andnow he's a total convert, in
fact he wants to tell othersthere's a path for you which I
(17:23):
love that.
Richie Babb (17:24):
Yeah, I think if anything really from the outside
has visibly changed is theopportunities that students are
offered now like that programand like all the CTE programs,
you know, we've recognized thatnot everybody has to go to
college, right, you know, andit's perfectly, it's fun.
I mean, when I was in school, Imean you went to college, I
mean that was the expectation.
Paul Joseph (17:45):
But you know, I've got my stepson is a welder,
right you know, and he's I meanhe's killing it, yeah, but yeah,
those opportunities, and I knowMichelle we talked about when
she was in our bureau we hadactually our bureau would talk
about from kindergarten to 12thgrade and beyond and where we
all fit in on that whole plan.
But then, like I said, I thinkafter COVID it kind of made me
set back because I was samething.
(18:06):
I thought college prep, that'sthe answer, and then some kids
would go military and some kidswould go over this.
Now we try to make it so youhave four options for high
school and I want every senior,when they graduate, to have
they're either certified for acareer because they go, let's
say, to the tech center or getcertifications that we can get
there at school.
You know they could go to themilitary and the military either
has career or to get careertraining to move you on to
(18:27):
another career.
Be college and college not justfor the sake of college, but
college leads to careers as well.
Right, or the fourth is where Ithink we're really improving
greatly is really that kind ofwhere career companies will come
in, offer our kids kind of paidinternships, things like that,
and then they go on to get thoseskills and just the awareness
for our kids, because a lot ofour kids don't even understand
what big companies, all thethings that they have.
(18:49):
Like, let's say, we haveNewport, new Shipbuilding and
they well, I don't want to builda ship, but you know they have
a communication department, yeah, yeah, they have a payroll
department.
HR department yeah, and the kidsjust don't have that awareness.
So we're trying to bring it toour kids and it's really it
makes me happy when I see thatyou know so they.
I want every kid to walk acrossthat stage, knowing the next
day of life holds for them.
So they don't say I'm going toget a job.
Jobs are dead ends.
Richie Babb (19:10):
Yeah, yeah, you need a career, you need a career
.
Michelle Ferebee (19:12):
Yeah, right, absolutely.
Richie Babb (19:13):
Right.
If you had any advice to givefiring administrators or new
administrators, what would yousit down and tell them?
Michelle Ferebee (19:20):
Yeah, kind of good mentor.
Find somebody who's going inthe right direction.
Talk to someone that it hasbeen in the field for a while.
They can give you some soundadvice.
Stay organized, stay on top ofthings but, most importantly,
find a peer.
Find a peer that you can talkto that understands what's going
(19:41):
on and can guide you.
Paul Joseph (19:43):
Yeah, I agree with that, and I think we had kind of
a a couple of years back.
We did that training wherethey're.
We were in that leadershipacademy, remember Right Right,
and we were kind of paired upwith elementary, middle and high
school administrators andnormally we don't really meet
and sit and talk in depth, butwe really did there and I
thought we we learned a lotabout each other and what we're
going through and I think youunderstand a whole lot more by
(20:06):
by the experience.
I thought, yeah, we were in thesame cohort and we just talked
all the time and we startedtalking a lot more after that
because it breaks down thatbarrier of the separation, the
the different, you know, levelsof school.
Michelle Ferebee (20:16):
Wow, well, I guess cause each level thinks
they have their things, they'regoing through, but we don't see
that other side.
Unfortunately.
I did see secondary.
I knew elementary side, I knewthe differences between them,
but then when things startedchanging and and it evolves and
you know, you lose touch alittle bit.
You hear the things thatsecondary is doing and then you
(20:37):
hear the things that elementaryand I think we became empathetic
to each other and saying wow, Ididn't know y'all were going
through that.
Matt Graham (20:43):
Yeah, right.
Things like that Well that'skind of like what you were
mentioning, even as within yourbuilding principal role, your
role there is like gettingeveryone to have these little
parts to make the whole.
So even at the different levels, with elementary, middle and
high.
All those different parts ofthe whole.
And the same thing, too, withour our previous episode where
we had the SCA people come inone of the biggest things that
they were talking about was thetoughest job was to get the
(21:07):
different perspectives and ofeveryone to understand, maybe,
that common purpose.
So I think that's somethingthat is very insightful.
You know, within here, withwhat I'm hearing with y'all,
like it's just getting everybodyon kind of the same page come
together.
Paul Joseph (21:22):
So I think that's pretty cool.
Well, and like I said, socialmedia wasn't around when I was
younger.
It is now, and I hate to sayit's designed to feed you more
of what you already think.
Richie Babb (21:30):
Right, that's right .
That's right, it's echo chamber, yeah exactly it.
Paul Joseph (21:33):
So you're hearing the same thing more and more and
more and I think in school youget a chance maybe to just see
don't have to accept the otherside, just understand, there is
another side, there is anotherside and explore that.
Richie Babb (21:42):
Yeah, yeah, no doubt, Keep it in mind.
Of course this is a familyoriented show.
Do you have any inspirationalor funny stories or stories that
might sort of encapsulate whateducation is you?
Matt Graham (21:57):
probably have one that happens every single day,
right, right.
So, is there anything that popsup?
Maybe it is something that youwouldn't mind sharing.
That happens, you know what.
Michelle Ferebee (22:06):
My husband reminded me of something,
because I was at Oscar SmithMiddle School and it was a
teacher work day, so we werefree of kids and we were in the
room having a meeting.
And they called into the roomand said Ms Furby, your son is
on the phone.
He says it's an emergency.
I don't have a sign.
I was like what?
Richie Babb (22:25):
They said yeah, your son is on the phone.
Michelle Ferebee (22:26):
I don't know what it is, but it sounds urgent
.
I think you need to take thecall.
So I come down and I said hello, hey, ms Furby, what you doing?
I said who is this?
It's me.
I said, boy, what are you doingcalling me?
I just want to see how you doOne of my students, one of my
students.
Matt Graham (22:42):
And.
Paul Joseph (22:42):
I said why are you calling me?
It's a teacher work day whatare?
Michelle Ferebee (22:45):
you doing?
I don't know, I'm just bored.
I said, listen, I'm at work, Ihave the work.
I need to hang up the phone.
Okay, you gonna call me back.
No, I gotta go, yeah, yeah, sowe've established relationships
with the students.
I wanna hear from us every day.
Paul Joseph (23:05):
I've got another one, and then, if you have
another one, I've got one afterthat.
Richie Babb (23:08):
So the first one it goes way back.
Paul Joseph (23:10):
I was a pretty new teacher.
You'll get an idea of what yearit was because we were doing
current events in my class thereand I had at the alternate
school I had high school socialstudies, so I could catch all.
Richie Babb (23:19):
You know you had everything in there.
Paul Joseph (23:20):
So we did current events and we were talking about
the Falkland Island Wars.
So I pulled out my globe andthe globe was really old I mean,
but you know, had the globe upthere.
I said this is the UnitedKingdom and I pointed to it and
I pointed to Argentina.
Then we pointed to the FalklandIslands.
Talk about where they'refighting over.
So the student gets the thingshe points to the United Kingdom
and he shakes his head like Iunderstand what that is.
(23:41):
Argentina got it FalklandIslands.
He goes what's?
this blue stuff out here.
Michelle Ferebee (23:47):
So maybe I need to go back to.
I need to go back to a littlemore basics here, Maybe.
Okay, that would be the ocean.
Richie Babb (23:54):
So we can talk about that.
Wow, wow.
Well, he learned something thatday, for sure, and so did I.
That was the big one.
I learned more than he did.
Yeah, a little bit ofreflection there.
Let's go back to the basic.
Yeah, that's yeah.
Michelle Ferebee (24:07):
Oh Lord, Inspirationally, at Hickory High
School I had a student who wasa foster child.
She came in and she gave me herback.
She had a very rough start andfor some reason she would only
talk to me administratively.
She would get in trouble.
And she said no, I want thatone.
And she would come to me andshe told me her backstory
Backstory was more so.
(24:27):
She wanted to go to school.
She left whatever organizationshe was in and she enrolled
herself in a high school.
But now it's to anybody else.
She was under the radar, shewas living on her own and they
found out that she had Enrolledherself.
She was doing, she was lying onstuff, but she wanted to be in
school.
She knew she had to have aneducation and it was found out
(24:50):
because she got sick.
So she had to go to thehospital and they found out you
know, she's not under anybody'scare, she's doing this stuff on
her own.
She ended up at Hickory With anice family, but she was having
trouble adjusting.
Having trouble adjusting.
So we would talk, I would spendtime with her and it got to the
point when she said I'm sick ofschool, what can I do to get
out?
We got on a plan and she wasable to graduate through summer
(25:13):
school.
Well, miss Turner called me oneday.
She was in summer school.
She said we got to take a ride.
I said what's happening?
She said one of your youngscholars.
We got to take a ride.
So we went over to any riverwhere she was having her doing
summer school and she was asleep.
So we went in and talked to theteacher and he said he, she's
doing this.
She just keeps sleeping everyday.
(25:35):
So I tapped and she looked upand she saw me and she saw miss
Turner behind me and we did likethis, Talked to her in the
hallway and she said what arey'all doing here?
I said you teach a contact.
And miss Turner.
And miss Turner contacted meand we said we would go over
here to talk to our hawks tofind out what's going on Gave
her the speech and we saw herwalk across that stage.
(25:57):
At the end of summer school sothat was yeah, yeah to, and
she's in the military now.
Richie Babb (26:01):
She's doing well Wow.
Paul Joseph (26:02):
That's great, that's inspirational, for sure.
I think kids can keep youhumble as well.
So this is one I have and it'sit's G-rated, so it's good.
But in this case this littlegirl comes up to me in the
cafeteria because I spend.
I sit in the cafeteria duringlunch times so the kids have
access and I can watch them, butthey have access to me.
She came and says mr Joseph,you know what you look like a
(26:24):
movie star and you know in myhead like, oh man, I wonder
which one it could be you knowshe goes.
Yeah, you look like woody fromtour story.
Oh man, I'm like well you know,but I think actually I think
woody's probably more fluid andmove than I am, Because the kids
are always like do you know youwalk?
Funny, like yes.
Richie Babb (26:44):
I am aware that I walk funny.
Well, this has been fantastic.
I really could talk to the restof the day, but thank you for
all the work that you do and thedifference that you're making
in the lives of these kids.
It's uh, it's reallyimmeasurable.
So well, I want to thank youagain for coming in.
Michelle Fariby from um deepcreek elementary, apologize to
from ischel Smith high schooland uh, keep doing what you're
(27:06):
doing.
Paul Joseph (27:06):
All, right, until you're tired, I'm gonna give a
shout out to my adventime.
Yeah, down the fort for meright now.
That's right, you're mine too.
Michelle Ferebee (27:12):
Way to go, there you go.
Paul Joseph (27:13):
You guys, you guys going great.
Richie Babb (27:14):
Thank you, sure Thanks, guys, thank you so much.
Michelle Ferebee (27:17):
Bye.
Richie Babb (27:17):
Bye, bye.
Michelle Ferebee (27:18):
All right.
Matt Graham (27:25):
We hope you enjoyed the stories behind our story on
this episode of amplify thechesapeake public schools
podcast.
Feel free to visit us atcpschoolscom forward slash
amplified for any questions orcomments and make sure to follow
us wherever you get yourpodcast.
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