District 150 is mystified — mystified! — as to why they can’t get more parents to give the school board their input. After only 13 parents showed up to a recent public meeting, board president David Gorenz was quoted by the Journal Star as saying, “It’s one of the most difficult issues districts face, how to get input.”
It’s no mystery to me. I think people see these meetings (rightly so) as a complete and total waste of their time. Why? Because the school board has already decided what they are going to do, and the only reasons they have public meetings are (1) to satisfy legal requirements in some cases, and (2) to gain public support for their inevitable decision.
There is no shortage of examples to choose from:
- In August of this year, the school district had two public hearings to talk about their plans for the new Glen Oak and Harrison school buildings. Although supposedly a chance for the public to give their input, the district had no intention of changing anything about these plans, and they didn’t. Not one idea from the public was entertained; not one slightest variation from the district’s plan was made.
- When Ken Hinton unveiled his plan to cut 45 minutes of instructional time out of every primary student’s school day, parents came out en masse to oppose it. Did the district listen? Nope. They voted 5-1 to approve it. Then, after weeks of letter-writing, demonstrating, petitioning (over 1,000 people signed petitions against the plan), etc., Hinton decided to restore 60% of the time. Instructional time was still cut despite parents’ pleas that all the time be restored, and despite being presented with alternative plans that would have accomplished the same goals without cutting instructional time.
- Debbie Wolfmeyer, the new board vice president, when asked to meet with a parent regarding the aforementioned issue, responded, “It is not my role as a Board member to meet with individuals or groups.” So much for getting input from parents.
- Without any public input at all, the school district decided it was going to build a school in Glen Oak Park and started buying up houses to make that a reality. When parents and neighbors turned out en masse to oppose it (including five neighborhood organizations and a city councilman), they were dismissed as a “vocal minority” by one school board member. Only a lawsuit against the park board stopped that from going through.
Eventually, people get the hint. The school board isn’t really interested in hearing their opinions or input — unless it agrees with what they’ve already decided. They’ve already made up their minds what they’re going to do, and “public input” meetings are, at best, an attempt to convince the ignorant masses why the board’s ideas are best.
The school board should be happy that fewer people are coming to the meetings — it makes their jobs so much easier when there’s no one around to disagree with their predetermined plans.
Note: Merle Widmer has a different take on Gorenz’s comment.
Amen.
I agree with you 100% on this but I am one of the “vocal minority”! The school board is getting what they wanted, no public support or input and the King is still King and can do no wrong.
Plus, my understanding was that the last meeting was “invitation only”. What a conveniant way to manage the public input.
CJ – I heard that 2 Moms showed up at the last meeting and were put in a sub-group with Mary Spangler. They told Spangler that they were against the uniform policy for a variety of reasons, but mainly because one Mom said that she thinks it is important for her children to learn on their own how to dress appropriately. The Mom asked that the district show her the studies that would demonstrate that a uniform policy increases student performance. Spangler said that 1. she had none, and 2. The opinions of those two Mom’s present were not representative enough of the population for her to make a decision based on their expressed opinions. Sound familiar?
Why are we continually disparaging the school board and the District 150 officials? They are not going to change. They are not going to listen. They are not going to do what is the in students’ best interests?
We need to eliminate both of these worthless, dangerous dinosaurs and rethink how we want to run our schools. The first step is local control by the individual high schools and their feeders. (Step two is a total voucher system, including transportation to and from the schools of choice) Put the principals to work… make them responsible for being principals and not being figureheads.
Merle mentioned “city leaders.” We have city leaders? Isn’t ignoring the public ‘business-as-usual’ in Peoria?
At this weeks meeting there was a propsal to merge the two public comment – the first addressing agenda items and the second on anything – portions of the meeting. Would speakers then get ten minutes instead of 5? No. Someone on the board/administration suggested that it was the same people speaking during the public comment section – so?
kcdad – what “school of choice” are you referring to? Are you talking about within District 150 or otherwise?
The board members (at least, some) seem to be tired of the same people speaking more than once–and at every meeting. Now it would appear that they might try to change the rules to avoid this annoyance. It’s obvious who these speakers are; some of the board see them as complainers; I see them as advocates for many of us in the district– and especially teachers. If any of you have noticed, union leadership (or leader) rarely, if ever, says anything. I wish that some “new” speakers would show up at the next meeting–to speak to this issue and any others such as uniforms, etc.
My greatest complaint with District 150 board and administrators is that they never want to look at the worst case scenarios on any issue. Maybe the board members deal with the pros and cons in private, but in public they generally speak in agreement (with little mention of the negatives to any plan). It’s only common sense that those of us who write and/or speak would bring up the negatives. I think that there are some on the board–especially, the newer ones who are beginning to pay attention to the opinions of “outsiders.” Now isn’t the time to throw our hands up and walk away. That’s what got us here in the first place–too many in Peoria and West Peoria that have given up on District 150.
Sharon said, “I wish that some ‘new’ speakers would show up at the next meeting….” There were a lot of “new” speakers at the board meetings when the cut in the school day was proposed. It didn’t make a bit of difference.
Yeah, I hate the thought of people giving up on District 150, too. But people can only beat their heads against a brick wall for so long before they find better things to do with their time.
C. J., I do understand your frustration–we all feel much the same way. I just don’t want to give into it. I still disagree with you though that the protest against the 45 minutes per day didn’t work–it did work. In fact, we won twice. The next plan for every Wednesday was also rejected–and we were left with loss of only nine (or six, I forget) Wednesdays. That was a saving-face decision by the board and administration. And I think if we had completed our last petition drive (in fact, today I’ve decided it’s time to throw that stack away), we could have had a complete win. Most of our group decided to consider it a bit of a victory and quit protesting. I think we are still planning to check on how they are doing with common planning time, etc. We just have to work hard to make them accountable for their bad decisions after they’ve been made.
On the subject of uniforms–which I don’t feel too strongly about one way or the other (although I lean toward opposition)–I think some of the board members were sincere Monday night when they said they weren’t prepared to vote until they heard from parents over the next two weeks.
Of course, the administration and/or board is trying to railroad this decision by giving only two weeks for parents to speak up on a subject that will affect them (and them alone) personally.
I’m still in the no-win situation of trying to save Manual High School–that may well be a lost cause, but I invested too much of my life there to give up. It won’t be long before no one cares about the kids on the south side.
Actually, you and the other bloggers are contributing considerably by writing about 150 issues. And board members do read your blogs. You are a voice that hadn’t been heard until recently–who knows what impact it might have as more and more people read the blogs.
The avenue of FOIA is still largely untapped–we need to use this avenue to make the district more accountable and transparent.
Sharon – Do you know what the speaker (not sure of the name but it sounded like he was associated with Central) was referring to when he said the board members needed to get down to Manual because it is a MESS – and they shouldn’t expect the principal to be able to run things?
Yes, it was Jeff Adkins-Dutro. And, of course, he speaks for me and former Manual teachers (probably the present ones, also). Jeff was my student at Manual and later my colleague in the English department and, now he and his family are very much my family. His heart was always at Manual and with Manual students–his father graduated from Manual and also taught at Manual. Jeff has two masters degrees–one in English, but he was not chosen to stay at Manual. He is now happily at Peoria High. However, he, like me, will continue to be interested in Manual. Especially, since we live in West Peoria–Manual attendance area.
We have both heard many rumors and/or reports about problems at Manual. Principal Sharon Kherat herself presented the board with a list of complaints–publicly at a board meeting, much to the surprise of the board and administrators, I believe. Some problems are scheduling–which is a mess because of the addition of a 7th and 8th grade. Others are academic. And, I believe, most are due to the same discipline problems we complained about–and now teachers who do not know the kids at all–no history with Manual are trying to deal with discipline problems–probably with no more support than we got–Jeff complained about that Monday–complained about the ridiculous district rules that teachers have to follow to get discipline problems out of their classroom. He didn’t say that we couldn’t expect the principal to run things at Manual. He said she isn’t getting the support that she needs from the administration, etc., and, therefore, won’t be able to do so because of lack of support (and a poorly thought out plan that cannot be implemented). I was initially upset with Sharon for her choice of faculty, but I will continue to support her efforts–especially, if she continues to be honest about the problems, etc.
TO Frustrated;
I mean schools of choice within commuting distance. Eliminate the districts, they are archaic and useless. If you live in West Peoria and you want to go to Manual, Limestone, East Peoria or Dunlap why should it matter? Each “district” would now be a High School and its feeder elementary schools.
Before going to such drastic measures–not sure how the tax structure would work since West Peoria and Dunlap don’t share school tax money, right? I think District 150 should start by going backwards to K-8 schools in neighborhoods. For instance, Calvin Coolidge was once West Peoria’s K-8 school. I believe the district made a big mistake when the primary, middle school split was adopted. I know (or at least he has stated so in the past) that Jim Stowell agrees.
West Peoria is in District 150
Agreed! West Peoria’s educational tax money goes to District 150 (but not Dunlap), but at one time all K-8 students went to Calvin Coolidge. Of course, West Peoria parents seem to be happy at Whittier. In fact, according to a recent FOIA, I just reported the following in the West Peoria News: West Peoria enrollment is as follows: 140 at Whittier, 116 at Calvin Coolidge, 49 at St. Mark’s, 1 at Manual 7-8 grade, 55 at Manual, 7 at Peoria High, 17 at Richwoods, 1 at Woodruff, 34 at Peoria Notre Dame. I have not yet been able to get figures for Peoria Christian or Peoria Academy. Actually, I think more recent numbers put fewer at Manual.
CJ, I was one of those who attended that meeting and I left after the first five minutes. I came back an hour later to pick up my wife but did not participte. It was obvious from the onset that this would be business as usual.
As for Debbie Wolfmeyer, correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that why she ran against Garrie Allen? Did she not charge him with not responding to constituents calls and emails?
I agree with Sharon Crews on a lot of issues however I disagree on this one. It is no good wasting time at a district meeting. They will not change. Even if some don’t agree with Ken or Gorenz, the rest don’t have the balls to oppose them. Even when they know they are right. Wacky Wednesday was not a victory. It is an even a bigger mess. Parents can’t even schedule their calendar on a regular basis, because it’s not even every Wednesday. The victory would have been to leave it the same.
We should stop fighting this battle from the podium and start fighting it in Springfield at the State Board of Education and other avenues. At the next election, vote them out. I really don’t understand everyone complaining about Martha Ross. Evidently she wasn’t bad enough to run against her. If you don’t stand up when you need to, IMO you really have nothing to complain about.
In the end, we get the government we deserve
I did fight them at the Springfield level, and I’m sorry to report there is a lot of crony-ism and “attaboy’s” flying between the ISBE (State Board of Education) and the District. They share an “us against them” mentality, with the parents and Civic leaders who want was is best for the children and community on one side, and the people entrenched in Administration (at both state and district levels) – many whose primary motivation is a preservation of their cushy jobs and perks for themselves and anyone who helps maintain the status quo – on the other. (pardon the run-on sentence). Caught in the middle, it seems, is the Regional Superintendent, Gerry Brookhart, who I believe has a good heart but for whatever reason, is reluctant to stand up to the District/State juggernaut.
That said, I would never discourage anyone from taking up the D150 cause with the ISBE. Our District Watch Group’s intervention & objections to their cozy relationships, both verbally and in writing, I believe took them by surprise and they would be stupid if they didn’t realize by now that they are no longer “under the radar”. One avenue we did not pursue due to a simple lack of time was to contact the ISBE board members.
For a little more insight into how the ISBE operates, here is a link to a blog post of mine back in July:
http://peoriarocks.blogspot.com/2008/07/local-still-swingin.html
Always great to hear your comments, General. Please keep up the tireless work you do on behalf of Peoria children.
So we create our schools by tax bases? Richer areas getter better educations and go to better colleges and the poorer areas get to become fry cooks at McDonalds? Ahhh, justice! I think the idea that education (or health care, or anything else) is a commodity left to the workings of our not so free market system is repulsive.
kcdad, Certainly, of all people, I decry this unfairness in the way money is doled out to schools–and the poorer areas do not get the tax advantages or the advantages of parent organization that give money, equipment, etc., to their schools. However, I don’t understand how your idea of each high school being a district would be any different. I’m not at all saying “no” to the idea because I really have never heard such a proposal–and don’t understand how it would work better than the present system. If Manual and its feeder schools were a separate district, how would that help Manual area students? How can Manual students be in “commuting” distance and attend school in East Peoria or in Dunlap? What changes would have to be made in the funding of schools according to your plan?
I do not think that just putting more money into the educational system is the silver bullet. More money will not change students who are not motivated or willing to learn. It is an inside out process. Sharon, how would you propose to change the mindset of such students?
I am not a parent, but I do know that parents must be involved in their children’s education or it will never succeed.
Karrie, I worked my lifetime trying to figure that out. And I believe that my colleagues and I did change the mindset of a significant number over the years. But I can’t begin to provide a formula for such abstract change. There are no education courses that prepare teachers to work those miracles–yet they do happen. Teaching is a very personal thing and there is no way to explain how it is that we reach some children and not others. However, I believe that children with the “wrong” mindset deserve just as many tax dollars as do the children who come from homes where education is valued.
Of course, home is the place where the mindset is established–but some kids are lucky enough to run into the right teacher at the right time and miracles do happen. I believe, also, that sometimes children from supportive homes, etc., make a wrong turn. Who knows why, but teachers are expected to fix it all–and, of course, we can’t.
It starts by building a culture of collaboration. As long as Hinton and his buddies are on Wisconsin there will always be a culture of fear and intimidation. Its Hinton’s way, period. And the board allows it.
I hear the Title I director is leaving. Culbertson, I believe. What happened?
Serenity…I heard JBC was given the king hinton tirade mandate of “my way or the highway” as she has clashed with his and cahill’s use of Title 1 monies on many occasions. Even the ISBE audit last fall and yet another one pending reviewed massive abuse of federal funds! As road kill maybe JBC will relate to folks back in Springfield where she came from at ISBE as a Title 1 auditor and just maybe king hinton will be the road kill. I bet JBC has more inside information on D150 than king hinton can imagine. Anybody want to make side bets in this high stakes poker game? GO JBC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is One feral kat dead?
OK, I give up … “JBC”?
Diane,
I have spoken with Dr. Gerry Brookhart about a couple of different issues with District 150’s actions and policy. After explaining the procedures to me he then told me which ones he agreed with and took the next step. The only problem is the next step was the states attorney’s office. He’s updated me once since then and said it is just sitting on Kevin Lyon’s desk. He also couldn’t understand why Lyons had taken no action on the complaint either.
So Dr. Brookhart is not as reluctant to stand up to the district as you think. He just can’t get a response from you state’s attorney to do his job.
SHARON CREWS; Funding is distributed the same way as now, except instead of the money going to the school district per student, it goes directly to the student (or the parents of the student) and they decide which school gets it. It is then distributed to the schools (through the students) to the schools the students want to attend. If everyone wants to go to Manual or Limestone, that school gets more money to expand and improve its services, the teachers will then compete to get those jobs at the schools where the students are and the teaching positions are. The other schools will have to do what they have to do to attract students to them… improve, hopefully…. or close. Every school will have a feeder group of elementary schools that will provide a revenue base, but the choice of middle and / or high schools will be the determining factor of which high schools grow and which ones go.
Kcdad: I definitely know how the voucher system works, but I didn’t understand the high school “choice” factor. So if a student from the Manual area wanted to go to Dunlap would he/she be guaranteed that choice–or would Dunlap be allowed to screen students (and on what basis)? And if Manual were forced to close (and under this system, it probably would)–where would Manual students go to school, especially if all other high schools were filled to capacity? I know–way too many hypotheticals. At this point anyway, the possibility of vouchers in Illinois is also still hypothetical.
Kcdad: What would be the motivation for another school district, for example Dunlap, to allow “voucher” students in from Peoria? Dunlap has plenty of students already to fill its classrooms. Are you sure that a student from Manual would really be better off attending Dunlap school?? Dunlap has a very competitive college prep program, thus its ranking as 23rd highest performing public high school in the State
based on the Chicago Sun-Times’ 2007 rankings. So . . . unless the Manual student was strong academically, I am not clear how that student would be better off. Manual has just revamped itself and put in place many new programs to help energize and focus students that may face learning challenges, so it seems like it would be the best place for a student requiring extra attention and assistance to grow and develop.
I think also your voucher system proposal ignores the reality that often times, it is not the school’s system of education that is the culprit, but the population of students that feed into that particular school. Blogger Merle Widmer cites a book by Charles Murray entitled Four Simple Truths for Bringing America’s Schools Back to Reality, which posits as it first “truth” that student’s academic abilities vary. Murray claims that the heart of American’s education woes is the disconnect between what we profess and what we know, that is, that failing schools are not a result necessarily of the quality of education offered but rather the limits of the population of students they are charged with educating.
Just a different point of view to consider!
The motivation is the same motivation schools have now, except instead of kissing the government’s arse, the schools would have to start paying attention to the student’s. It is all about money.
If Manual (Central, or any other school) faces closing then several hundred people are going to be unemployed, most importantly the Principal, who would have the ability and responsibility to gear that school’s function to meet the needs of the students or not. My suggestion is that that would not happen, and the principal would FIGHT to keep his school open, even if it meant teaching classes himself.
Under the present system, there is no risk, and no responsibility on the part of the schools… they just keep getting more and more money and produce less and less in the way of educated students.
I asked my colleges students for some definitions of concepts like Wealthy, Freedom, Justice, Good and Evil, Love, Faith, Myth and others… and it was the rare exception that didn’t answer : having more money and power than anyone else, being able to do whatever you want, punishing people who break the law, things that make me happy; people who are mean and bad, passionate feelings about someone, believing in God, and finally, something that isn’t true.
These were for the most part bright, well educated (by public school standards) young adults 19-20 years old.
Sure, they could pass the ISAT… One told me he had NEVER read a newspaper, other than to see the sports scores and or/ the comics.
Blame the students!?!?!? Blame the parents!?!?!?!? Blame the government!?!?!?! Blame everyone except those educated, trained and certified to teach the children. How many hours a day and how many years do you think it takes to teach a kid to give a crap about themself? That is all it is about. It is about “training” children to become good citizens, as our school system seems to think. It is about nurturing and enhancing the NATURAL CURIOSITY and desire to learn that ALL CHILDREN possess at birth. We have all experienced it…. ” Why, Why, Wh,y Why, how come, how do it work, where did it come from, what came first..” and then they get into school and the first thing they hear is “Don’t talk”. They learn very quickly that what they want to know is unimportant and in fact, a DISTRACTION, and all that matters is what some grown up wants them to learn. Forget about learning about the weather or the first snowfall of the year or that the first frost appears right around October 12 EVERY YEAR! Today we are going to hear the story of Sammy Squirrel storing up his nuts for the winter… in his bank account and stock portfolio…. GREAT LESSON!
KcDad: I must have misunderstood this statement of yours,
If you live in West Peoria and you want to go to Manual, Limestone, East Peoria or Dunlap why should it matter? Each “district” would now be a High School and its feeder elementary schools.”
I thought you were suggesting that West Peoria students (who are Manual students) could take their vouchers to Dunlap. Frankly, I thought that was a crazy idea for many reasons. So evidently I misunderstood. Today’s curriculum is becoming more and more geared to teaching to NCLB tests–little time to do the things we used to do–along the lines of what you are suggesting.
I gather you teach college? Have you ever taught in an inner city school? The inner city truly needs teachers who can turn kids around–so if you know how to do it, please, please do so.
Inner city kids are different from suburban kids? How? How is the circumstance of where you live indicative of your ability to learn?
I am suggesting that each student in the state have a $8000 voucher with which to choose from competing schools in his area. Just as you might shop for a car or a new pair jeans, schools will have to provide services and become responsible and accountable for what they do or do not teach.
Many students will choose to go to local schools for all kinds of reasons, and others will choose to go to other schools for all kinds of reasons… so what? As schools fail and succeed, the students will know where to go in order to get into Northwestern, U of Illinois, or Midwest College, to get a job at McDonald’s or Caterpillar. They will know where to go to study science, music, industrial arts or gen ed.
Yes, I am familiar with inner city schools… they have serious problems, but the problem is not the kids. It is the school system. No discipline or guidance at home, perhaps, and then they get to school where all of a sudden it is like boot camp. No wonder many of these students quit and give up. Education as training is much less effective than education as discovery… for any children. Our school system is built upon behavioral psychology rather than humanistic psychology.
Many of the college students I teach come from these inner city schools, and the difference at the college level is one of social differences, not intellectual ones. The suburban students have been able to explore their curiosity and been exposed to much more of the world outside their immediate existence than urban kids. Experiences with museums, vacations, books, theater, film, toys and games are all different for inner city and suburban kids. (and of course, the white male Christian capitalist society looks different to the suburban kid than the urban one.)
The vast majority of ALL the students I encounter at the college level have no critical thinking skills, couldn’t care less about the courses they take (other than the grade they receive), and see education as a means to an end (a good paying job)_ rather than the end in itself… being educated.
My students like me because I don’t try and “train” them, I teach them HOW to think, not WHAT to think. There are no right and wrong answers, there are no correct or incorrect ideas… only curiosity and how to find plausible and reasonable questions to ask regarding the world in which they live.
When talking to graduates that come back to me after being in the work place, they tell me, most of what I learned in school was obsolete by the time I got a job, and ” they had to reteach me” in everything. (it doesn’t matter if they are nurses or engineers) Most business people I talk to would rather hire people with limited knowledge in the field but with a curiosity and creativeness that will press on to the future and not rest on past knowledge.
It is the old saying: give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Take a look at The Albany Free School if you want an example of what education should (or could) be like.
KCDad – I’m not sure how to respond to your comments which seem to assume that you are telling me something that I don’t know. I taught in the inner city for 43 years (worked Urban League and Headstart for many summers). Some of my dearest friends today are students from the south side that I taught from the 1960s – 2000s–actually a couple are my relatives. I guess I should add that several of my former students became my bosses in District 150. Manual certainly never resembled a boot camp. You would be amazed at some of the relationships we built with our students. I think you’re selling some of my colleagues quite short. Of course, many of our students who had the most problems, etc., never got to college.
KCDad: Doesn’t this comment of yours contradict what you wrote later when you listed all the things that are different about the experiences of inner city kids?
Inner city kids are different from suburban kids? How? How is the circumstance of where you live indicative of your ability to learn?
I agree the intellect can be the same but many children enter school behind their peers because of the experiences (or lack of experiences) in the first five years of their lives. Recouping what they have lost is one of the major challenges of teaching. I did have to laugh at your list of topics about which your students were asked to write (freedom, justice, good, evil, etc.) as the list was almost identical to the topics I gave my students. Every piece of literature I ever taught dealt with at least one of those topics–those abstract ideas are the underpinning of literature. And it’s great to talk in the abstract about no right and wrong answers, etc.–it’s too bad that the NCLB test does test material for which there is a right and wrong answer. In fact, I do believe NCLB has done more harm than good for some of the reasons you give–because public school teachers are no longer as free to do the kinds of things you suggest as a better way of teaching.
Again, I will say that if you teach at the college level, you didn’t see many of the students who were so much harder to reach. And believe me I tried and even loved many of those students who just couldn’t overcome all the obstacles placed in their path–and I really don’t believe that the most devastating of those obstacles came from school and teachers. In fact, I think school was often a safe haven for them–even when it didn’t change the course of their lives. For me, I probably would never have been happy teaching in the suburban schools. My teaching career gave me much joy–I count myself lucky to have had so many wonderful experiences and to have built relationships with so many of these young people–even or especially with some of those who did not fit the conventional image of “student.”
The kids are NOT fundamentally different, only their preparation for and expectations of school are different. My point is that our school system has quit educating and now only “trains”.
Sharon crew – thank you for sharing your insights. I think more citizens that don’t believe there are caring educators in failing schools, should spend a day in one these schools and see for themselves.
Frustrated: Thanks for your kind words–inner city teachers are indeed blamed for so much that is not their fault and given little credit for all that they have done to help young people. Manual teachers have been blamed, etc., since the day NCLB was instituted. I remember clearly how we were introduced to NCLB. An administrator said, “If I’m going down, you’re going with me.” And thus began a very rocky road.
KCDad: I sort of understand what you’re saying about the difference between educating and training–but the reality isn’t as simple as that. Neither education nor training can take place if a child has not learned the basics–and way too many young get to high school having never grasped the basics. My own opinion is that the greatest problem that the inner school teachers face is recouping those losses and maintaining discipline. And those problems are often major in the lower grades. Teachers are not free to teach when they have to spend so much time just getting children to behave. At the high school level, I’m not sure that some of you can even imagine the kinds of problems that face teachers every day. Certainly, blame goes to parents who have not taught their children the necessary social skills before they get to school. However, much of the blame goes to the system that asks teachers just to put up with the problems–to try to deal with them with little support from administrators, etc. I truly have believed that only about 5% of students in my classroom were creating the problems–but the system allowed them to continue in their bad behaviors day after day–and soon some of the other 95% were influenced by the bad behaviors. And gradually over the last 20 years the parents of the 95% have found ways to remove their children from this environment. I know that blaming discipline for all the problems seems simplistic, but common sense indicates that every minute spent on discipline reduces teaching time. Well, I’m repeating myself.
Not to change the subject but I hear King HInton let his son-in-law, Charles Davis, of Human Resources go. Does anyone know what happened there? Did he get upset with him too?
General: Really, can’t understand or refuses to read the writing on the wall? Sounds hauntingly familiar as in destruction of executive session tapes without authorization(aka a felony) and no charges are brought.
Did anyone know that Cindy Fischer was hired back as a contract worker? When was this voted on?
Board Member Rachael Parker should have known…
Let me share with you a statement by a female teacher at Manual a couple of years ago, when I subbing there. We were speaking of a young female student that was not putting much effort into her writing… a full time tenured teacher said, “I had her last year, and told her there was no excuse for her not being in the top ten of her class… after all this is Manual and you are white!”
Kcdad–Of course, I am concerned about your quote of a Manual teacher, but I am a little unclear as to what you or the teacher was implying. What do you think the teacher was implying? I really do not know how to interpret such a statement. Maybe racially motivated in some way–but it just isn’t clear to me. Of course, I do not think “white” or “black” needs to be mentioned when discussing a student’s academic abilities–because I don’t believe race determines academic ability.
Hey General, Fischer might have taken Charles Davis’ job in Human Resources after he was fired, what you think?
Red I’m not sure but I do know that she is going out of town on business for them at the end of this month. Three questions:
Where do they keep getting this money they supposedly don’t have? Is she making $500 a day plus pulling down a pension? Why doesn’t this bother anyone else?
General: I’m sure these consultant jobs bother people–we just haven’t figured out what to do about it. As you’ve stated before, speaking out at board meetings does nothing. The press–and these blogs–are the only chance for putting public pressure on people. Oh, then there’s the union–too bad no union leaders are questioning the availability of money for consultants when teachers’ negotiations are soon to begin.