MARK MCGEE

Staff Writer

Most kids in junior high struggle to decide what they are going to wear or what they want to eat for lunch each day, much less have any idea what they want to be in the future.

Dr. Robert Ralston was an exception. In junior high he knew, without a doubt, he wanted to be a math teacher.

“When I was in junior high I was very well-known among my peers someone who could help and work with them, especially in math,” Ralston said. “It is a gift that I had to tutor and work with individuals.

“If a student didn’t understand something they knew they could talk to me. I would teach a concept two or three times and that tapped into my talents and reinforced what I wanted to do.”

Ralston, who attended Community School, was influenced by two math teachers – Vickie Lamb in middle school and Lana Carlton in high school.

“I had some very profound math teachers here at Community,” Ralston said. “They really modeled what I wanted to do and what I wanted to be. I never deviated from that.

“We only had two math teachers at the time.  I was exposed to solid instruction. It was challenging.”

As an undergraduate in college he was a math major with a minor in secondary education.

While he knew with certainty his future would be as a math teacher, he didn’t consider academic administration as part of his career path.

Time to move on

Ralston has announced his retirement as principal of Community High School, a position he has held for 27 years. Prior to Community where he replaced Mike Landis as principal he taught math for five years at Harris Middle School and spent one year as an assistant principal from 1998-99.

“After teaching five years in the classroom I had the feeling I could do more than that,” Ralston said. “I did not pursue administration to get out of the classroom. I loved the classroom. I felt compelled I had talents to help others have that enjoyment.

“Being an administrator for 27 years I hope I have enabled others to achieve their callings and their passions.”

There is no such thing as a typical day as a high school administration. There are always challenges to deal with.

“There always challenges,” Ralston said. “Where do you find faculty? Where do you make all the programs fit together? How do you make the schedule?

“You have to find a balance. That is just a part of having the extra programs.”

Ralston stresses there is no doubt his blood runs purple and gold. Both his children, sons Gage and Stone graduated from Community. He is quick to point out that being an administrator on the high school level means the whole family is involved in all activities.

Gage is teaching his first semester of mathematics at Shelbyville Central. It is a goal he had as a six-year-old. In college, he started out in physical therapy but changed to math. Stone works for the Lee Company.

Many changes

Ralston has been part of two building programs and watch enrolment increase. New classes, additional faculty members, the expansion of the number of athletic teams and clubs have all been part of his time there.

“You don’t know what it is going to be like to do this until you do it,” Ralston said. “It is hard to define because there are so many different elements.

“It is blessing. It is a headache. There is frustration. But it is the opportunity for personal growth, for collegial opportunities and the growth of the community. It is energizing, but at this stage in my career it is do demanding and tiring too.”

Ralston is quick to say he isn’t burned out and he has no regrets, but he wants to leave before he reaches the burn out level.

“You never really get it right,” Ralston said. “You just come back each day and try to do it better.”

Keith Williams worked with Ralston for 25 years as an assistant principal.  Tracey Harvey has been the SRO for 23 years.

He has also been on the front lines with teachers dealing with changing strategies in the classroom such as standardized testing.

“The teachers are being bombarded with a lot of different strategies,” Ralston said. “It is easy to get overwhelmed. Education has moved from an art to a science. The field of teaching is an art that is so hard to measure, but it is being pushed more into a field of science and analyzing.

“Teaching a child to read in an elementary class is nothing short of a miracle. Those individuals who have that patience and that God-given gift to do that which is something science just cannot measure.”

He has seen the outcome become more concerned with test scores than what is accomplished with individual students.

 “It is important we understand what is going on but I fear we get so wrapped up in the testing that we forget what is best for the child,” Ralston said. “The concentration is shifting more to the testing and the analysis and outcome of the testing. That is the biggest change.”

Adjustments to a new life

“It is so much a collage of memories that I cannot point to one singular thing that stands out,” Ralston said. “The first day of school is always special because it is new. Graduations are always bittersweet. They are going to go out and you hope they are prepared.

“You have teams make it to state tournaments or clubs and club members who exceed expectations. See my boys and their friends grow up and be on the first row to see all they did was special. But it is the big picture.”

 His wife, Carla, is president of Bookkeeping Plus. Robert has spent time working there and plans to be more of part of the accounting business.  They also have a farm where he plans to spend more time. Wood-working is also a passion he plans to have more time to pursue.”

He isn’t just leaving a job. He is leaving a family.

“I will miss the social side…the family I have here, ‘Ralston said. “I will miss the interactions. I am still going to pray for them and talk with them.

“I have never been in a quiet spot for 33 years. There has always been noise. I am going to have an opportunity for quiet, but much of that can I handle. I will miss the relationships with the students and the faculty.  I am going to see where the Lord leads me.”