Phil Oates makes big move to Lowell Elementary
Splash photo Courtesy John Tlumacki/Boston Globe
Phil Oates (center) has taken on a new role in Watertown: interim principal at Lowell Elementary School.
February 16, 2017
Math teacher Phil Oates, an important member of the Watertown Middle School community, recently left to work in a new position as the interim principal of Lowell Elementary School. The following is an interview conducted at Lowell Elementary about his transition.
Q: How is this room different from your old classroom?
A: I can tell you that there is less traffic here then there was right across from the library. I don’t get to high five Ms. Maroni-Wagner each period, which is disappointing. And I don’t have Ms. Dube’s cat stories to get me through the day, which is also a bummer. I miss Best Buddies terribly, and all the Connections kids. I don’t socialize that much at the middle school anymore.
Q: Do you miss teaching math specifically?
A: I have jumped into classrooms to teach math. I have done multiplication table races, and I have tried to jump in and talk about how I multiply. I’m also trying to implement math RTIs [response to interventions].
Q: How is the location of this school different from the location of the middle school.
A: We have two playgrounds here which is awesome. It’s technically a half-mile closer to my house. The one downfall is that there’s no Pokestops on the grounds, so I can’t get any more Pokeballs.
Q: How is your job at the Lowell school different from you previous job at the middle school?
A: There are certainly more hours to put into the day. I have less time to get to know kids, which is not as fun as it used to be, My favorite part about teaching seventh grade was getting to know a hundred kids every year, I’m getting to know 400 kids, which is awesome, but you get to know them on a less deep level.
–Feb. 15, 2017–
