He misses being around the kids and the school environment and wishes to be back in the education system. Suddenly, an opening for a desirable administrator position becomes available. With a successful interview and no hesitation, he takes the job.
He is no stranger to the pride and tradition White Oak has to uphold. After a six month hiatus from the district, former baseball coach, Paul Bucher becomes the high school’s assistant principal.
“I think a part of me has always thought about getting into the administration side of things,” Bucher said. “Seeing the position become available sparked my interest in getting back into education. All the pieces are aligned as they do when you’re supposed to be somewhere.”
As assistant principal, Bucher hopes to promote a strong, competitive and productive school environment, whether that be UIL academics, sporting events or extracurriculars. He hopes students find success and passion in what they pursue throughout their high school career.
“School is to help prepare you for whatever journey that you want to do,” Bucher said. “I think that school culture and environment promote this and should be at the forefront of trying to get you where you need to be.”
While trying to promote a positive environment, he faces the challenges of the new cell phone law, enforcing dress code guidelines and student attendance. As well as that, Bucher has also received many complaints about dual credit kids no longer having flex on Fridays.
“I think a lot of the time it becomes about things that you can’t do,” Bucher said. “If all you’re focusing on is the negative aspects and rules, then sometimes that’s what students think this place is all about. If you can promote positive things more, even if you don’t agree, students may start to understand why we’re doing things this way.”