Principal jumps right in
to middle school routine
Daniel Bland working
with grades 5-8 in
Millstone Township
JEFF HUNTLEY Daniel Bland, new principal at the Millstone Township Middle School, is anxious to work with the 635 students and 45 staff members in his building.
MILLSTONE — When Daniel Bland began his new job as Millstone Township Middle School principal two weeks ago, he made it a point to visit all the school’s classrooms, getting acquainted with the young faces of about 635 students in grades five through eight.
Immediately after his first day on Dec. 4, he wanted the children to know his mission: to provide them with the best education possible; to help them to have as much fun as possible; and to ensure the safest environment for them as possible.
In meeting with the students, he was quick to communicate to them that he encourages their input to help him learn "how to make school a better place to be." Already, he has received valuable feedback — suggestions for improved cafeteria food and more playground equipment for recess.
This interactive process is one that is important for the youngsters but, he said, is just as essential for his growth as an educational administrator.
"The students have got to feel a part of the school. They can’t just think that school happens to them," he said.
Bland, a 34-year-old Hightstown resident, has stepped into a school district rapidly changing due to the tremendous development seen within this rural community, especially during the last decade. But Bland brings with him a wealth of experience for a man so young.
Earning a bachelor of arts degree in English education, Bland graduated in 1989 from Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey) in Ewing. He went on to obtain a master’s degree in education from the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education, New Brunswick. Although he has not yet acquired his doctoral degree, his post-graduate studies focused on educational administration and supervision.
"It’s one of my goals to go back to school when my kids get a little older," Bland said.
He and his wife, Amy, are the parents of two children, Abigail, 2, and Joseph, 8 months.
Prior to joining the Millstone Township staff, Bland was employed for five years as principal of the Knollwood School, a middle school in Fair Haven. His background also includes experience as a language arts teacher for six years with the Manalapan-Englishtown schools.
A man who describes himself as "understanding, hard-working" and humorous, Bland has several goals for his future at the Millstone Township Middle School. He said he aims to work closely with the faculty to help improve curriculum instruction and assist in staff development, working toward improved test scores.
"Our test scores haven’t always reflected what we’re doing," he noted.
The new principal also promised to help the teachers implement new strategies for "shifting the curriculum in order to make sure we’re teaching the right things. I believe I have the instruction and knowledge and people skills to bring the district closer to our vision of providing quality education for every student in alignment with the state’s core curriculum content standards."
Bland listed foreign languages, now known as what he termed "world languages," and critical thinking skills in mathematics as significant areas that are undergoing a wave of change in this academic generation.
State education officials, he said, are mandating that world languages be introduced to students at a much younger age and, in math, "they’re also expected to explain and understand why they’re doing the things they’re doing" with problem solving.
Instead of merely working out a math problem, he explained, students are being encouraged to be creative with solutions, a method that eventually helps when they apply their knowledge throughout their lives.
"Kids are being challenged to understand what they’re doing," he said.
Additionally, Bland said he intends to serve as a bridge to ease the school’s 45 educators in a transitional period, as the district prepares to receive a greater influx of students and the staff adjusts to a steady stream of new administrators. (Just in the last four years, seven members of the school system’s top-level personnel have been hired).
"I want to assist with that transition, to put things in place and try to stabilize for (the teachers)," he said.
Bland has landed himself in a career spot where he would like to remain, at least, for the next 10 years if not more.
"I’ve always wanted to be a middle school principal," he said. "I like working with the kids."
His new start represents a journey in which he looks forward to widening the scope of his own abilities.
"I believe I have to learn just as much as I’ve taught," he said. "I’m hoping that I will be able to move the district in the direction that’s been set by the Board of Education."