Partnership Principal John A. Butterfield  

     John A. Butterfield, principal of Mather High School in Chicago, has been in education for 40-plus years, and he still looks forward to time in the school cafeteria. "There's nothing more enjoyable for me as a principal than interacting with kids," he explains. "My assistant principals and I each have lunch duty. This may sound weird, but I really look forward to it. The students seem to enjoy the connection. If I'm not there, the young people will ask for my note when I return!"

      "Forget paper as much as possible. What's important is being with students. I get to school each day at 6:45 a.m. because I love to greet the kids as they come through the door. That makes my day."

     A naval veteran of the Vietnam conflict, John taught for three years before joining the military. He decided during his four years of service that education would be his lifetime career.

     Butterfield believes that his school is the most diverse in the Chicago Public School system and perhaps in the United States. Going into his eighth year as principal at Mather, he calls the school his "home away from home" and continually refers to it as the Mather Family.

    Eighty percent of the almost 2,000 students at Mather were born outside the United States. Butterfield considers the 36 different languages spoken at school a strength rather than any kind of problem. What is a challenge is that 83 percent of the students come from families below the poverty line and the school is full to overflowing.

    One of the primary aims of the Mather staff is to connect with every student in the school because of the large population. "Room for all," says Butterfield. "Every child should be connected to at least one - but hopefully a bunch - of adults in the school. Connections provide security, and that's essential for teenagers as they face the challenges of maturing."

     Butterfield has worked toward building an environment of high expectations. "There is a solid belief at Mather that nobody succeeds unless we all succeed." When John became principal, there were three AP and six honors classes. All of them had stringent prerequisites which scared away potential enrollees. The principal worked with staff to eliminate all prerequisites. The result has been a significant increase in honors classes, and Mather now has 12 AP classes across the curriculum. "When students are given the opportunity to stretch themselves, they will rise to the level of expectation. Every child can learn. Our job as school leaders is to expect success and then provide them the supports to achieve it."

     Inclusion for special education students is another key component at Mather High. The school serves 362 special educational students. "We have as little self-containment as possible in our special educational program," Butterfield explains. "I'll always remember one special ed young lady saying, 'I want to be just like everyone else'. That feeling has guided us in becoming the poster child for inclusion in Chicago Public Schools and perhaps in all of Illinois.

     Connecting with people and providing support is also a key component of The Principals Partnership in Butterfield's mind. "Union Pacific volunteered to bring us into the planning process for The Partnership, and that doesn't always happen when corporate America starts helping educators. UP has taken our requests to heart, listening to what the principals want since the get-go."

     Butterfield concluded with the following: "Knowing that business people respect our opinions and what we do gives me a wonderful feeling. I feel very rewarded by my participation in this program. A big THANK YOU to UP. As the song says, they've been 'true to their school'.”