Named Best in State : Seal Beach School Principal Honored

John M. Blaydes, principal of McGaugh School in Seal Beach, said he believes that being head of an elementary school is very important.

“Children in those early years can learn to like school very much or dislike it,” he said. “It also seems to me that an elementary school principal can have an impact on a large number of people--many children, many teachers and many parents.

“So I think caring is the most important thing. You care about what you do, and you do it the best you can.”

National education experts agree that Blaydes cares about his work and that he does it extraordinarily well. This week the U.S. Department of Education and the National Association of Elementary School Principals in Washington, D.C., announced that Blaydes is this year’s California winner in the annual National Distinguished Principals Program.

Each state annually has one elementary school principal named for the honor. Nominations are made by other principals. The selection at the state level is made by state affiliates of the National Association of Elementary School Principals. There is no overall national winner.

Banquet in Washington

Blaydes, 49, who lives in Brea, will receive his Distinguished Principal award with the other state winners at a banquet Oct. 9 in Washington, D.C.

In announcing the Seal Beach principal along with other winners this week, Education Secretary William J. Bennett said, “These educators inspire and motivate through their own example. Their leadership has produced excellence in their schools--in short, schools that work.”

Bennett is scheduled to present the awards to Blaydes and the other state winners at the banquet in the nation’s capital.

In an interview Tuesday, Blaydes said he was “very, very pleased, and very surprised” at being named the 1987 “distinguished elementary school principal” in California.

He credited the “truly outstanding teachers and staff” at McGaugh. “They make my job easy.”

School Nurse Lauded

One of the staff members to whom he referred is Meredith Meals, McGaugh’s school nurse, who this spring was named “1987 National School Nurse of the Year.”

Blaydes said Meals and other staff members at the school in the 1600 block of Bolsa Avenue all like their jobs and enjoy being with children. He said he makes certain of that:

“When we get new teachers, we want to make sure they really like to teach. You know a person can look very good on paper. But we have our prospective teachers teach in our classes on a tryout basis before they join our staff.”

Blaydes was nominated for the state honor, according to the Washington office of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, because McGaugh School “has repeatedly received high scores for staff performance, curriculum development and student achievement.” Association members also praised him for devising a 72-page “parent guide” to help involve parents more in students’ homework.

Believes in Praise

Asked about his techniques, Blaydes answered: “Well, I try to catch children--catch them doing something good--then I praise them. I want children to feel good about themselves, so I look for ways that I can praise children.

“It’s very important that children have good self-images. If you let children know they’re good and can do good things, they will succeed.”

Blaydes--who received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University, Long Beach--has been an educator since 1962. Before coming to Los Alamitos Unified, where he has been principal of McGaugh School for the last four years, he taught elementary and junior high schools in Brea. He was also a member of the Brea-Olinda Unified School District Board of Trustees in 1972-76.