May 22, 2002
School nearly out for Dobler
Westwoods principal retiring after 33 years in education
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
How do you spell love at Westwoods Elementary School?
D-O-B-L-E-R.
For retiring principal Larry Dobler, all the students, parents and staff at his school are one big family and he truly loves them all. Though he is stepping down after 33 years in education, 12 as principal of Westwoods, Dobler will leave behind a legacy of caring for years to come.
Dobler has been flooded with notes and appreciation from around the community as his retirement approaches next month. An open house Saturday afternoon at the Twin Lakes Camp drew hundreds to wish him well and say thanks. As everyone gets used to his leaving, they realize how much he contributes.
"We will definitely miss him, he's so caring and knows every child's name and, not only that, but their sibling's and parent's names," said Kim Hubbard, vice president of the Westwoods PTO. "Every time he walks down the hall, they all run to hug him."
Dobler is not a stay-in-his-office-and-administrate kind of leader, by any stretch. With 400 students and 40 staff, he has the largest regular education elementary school in the district.
Dobler arrives every day just after the custodian does. He makes sure to greet children as they arrive, standing in the stream of students, calling out names or a favored nickname (most students acquire one from him), dispensing hugs and listening to stories. Every morning, he also spends time in the school's kitchen, where many staff members gather every morning much like a family would.
"Of my day, the mornings are the best part of it," he said. "When a significant adult calls a kid by name they feel good about themselves and about being here."
Every day, he also walks the halls, visits classrooms and the lunchroom and helps keeps everything running smoothly just from his presence. His booming laugh echoes through the classrooms and halls, while kids follow him like the Pied Piper, eagerly sharing projects, triumphs or worries.
Dobler is a firm believer in establishing relationships as the basis for education and he works daily with his 'family' to keep everyone moving forward. He also reaches out to parents, creating a partnership with them in their child's education.
"If anybody asks what makes your school different, I would say the, 'The people here truly care about each other,'" said Dobler, who hand-picked the staff 12 years ago when it was opened; 70 percent of the staff are still there with some coming from as far away as Kalkaska.
"It has to do with relationships," he continued. "Reading, writing and ciphering only come when you have relationships because when you create relationships with people, things happen; positive relationships make wonderful things happen.'
For Dobler, test scores - the Holy Grail of education these days - are just one indicator of a school or student's success. He has been increasingly concerned by the heavy emphasis on testing and next year's grading of schools based on their scores.
"The legislature is telling us what makes kids successful and they don't have a clue," he said. "When we focus on testing alone we become less than we are. I believe it is more important to create good human beings than good test takers."
Dobler's career has spanned a number of major changes in education. This includes open door policies welcoming parents to schools, competition from charter schools and homeschooling and school providing the bulk of social education on everything from manners to conflict resolution to sex.
"Education has changed so much," he noted.
Glenn Solowiej, principal of Blair Elementary School, has known Dobler for 22 years. Solowiej was a teacher at the West Junior High when Dobler became assistant principal there. Over the years, Solowiej's respect for his colleague has continued to grow.
"The principals really do look toward Larry as far as how he approaches not only life, but his job," said Solowiej, noting all TCAPS elementary principals meet weekly during the school year. "He keeps things in an excellent balance and we admire him for being able to do that, and yet being so successful at both ends of the spectrum."
"He's just a remarkable guy," Solowiej said.
Dobler is a native of Flint who said he himself struggled in school, bouncing from public to parochial schools because of discipline or attitude problems. Admitting he was a difficult student, he has a vivid memory from the sixth-grade of sharpening his pencil and staring out the window at a busy Flint street, firmly resolving never, ever to set foot in school after he graduated.
Despite this, he has spent the bulk of his life in schools. He taught in Catholic schools and Flint public schools before relocating to Traverse City in 1980. He also spent a year's leave of absence in 1989-1990 working at a homeless shelter in Flint.
Dobler wryly notes that except for this year, all but the first five years of his life have been spent in one school or another, whether as a student, teacher or principal.
"I went into teaching to touch some kids who were falling through the cracks because I was one of those kids," recalled Dobler, who now eagerly looks forward to spending more time with his granddaughter, Phoebe, 2.