05-19-2009, 09:05 PM
Here's one view of the situation: (and for everyone on this post: focus on the topic at hand, please-not personal issues)
1. Of the top administrators, three have limited or no high school experience-
2. The philosophy is, "We don't want to hear about the past." That results in throwing the baby out with the bathwater, to be cliched. As a result, the many programs and policies that worked, most on automatic pilot, are gone: cases in point: plain old procedural stuff: submitting senior failures, scheduling for graduation assignments. Most egregious among these lapses is the one involving approval from the AP national organization for previously approved courses. All that's involved is pretty much pushing a "send" button to the AP Audit committee. The person in charge has yet to do this, even though she has had the already-approved curricula since March. Her explanation at the time was that she had to make sure that the audit info included the district's mission statement. Realistically, the AP committee doesn't a flying f--- about our mission statement. Our courses need the "stamp of approval," meaningful or not, for colleges to look favorably upon our AP classes. (This was the same person who wanted to know when we "wanted" to give the AP exams.)
3. No one recognizes the real needs our students face: The house principal for one CSP house is experienced at the elementary school level and in women's prisons. Just what we want for our advanced programs. And no one has directly addressed the situation of student in lower level classes. What are we going to do for them so they have the skills necessary to function in the "real world"?
4. Friday's assembly was just one more indication of the lack of foresight on the people up front. Teachers did not receive notification of the final schedule until Thursday, and that schedule differed dramatically from what we had discussed at department meetings the day before. Our assemblies are, in effect, an open invitation for kids not to come to school-and this most recent one occurred the last Friday before senior exams. At the assembly, Hamlin totally lost his cool with the kids and his presentations to the faculty focused exclusively on making himself look good, rather than on a substantive exchange of ideas.
5. Considering the massive and probably chaotic change that's about to occur, an exchange of suggestions and concerns between administration and staff would be helpful. Not so-teachers and other staff members have no say, no opportunity to question, no route of information-in fact, no information at all. It's all Steve, all the time
6. Discussions with students and faculty on the various interview committees (for associate and house principals) all confirm that NO ONE recommended the people that eventually got jobs. So what's the point of the interviews?
7. Despair prevails. The union does not take a stand-but at least the faculty is clearly united on one side (except for those people who continue to laugh at Hamlin's jokes and applaud his comments)
8.. Ultimately, everyone is out in the cold-students of all abilities, teachers of all disciplines, support staff in every part of the building.
It has to all go back to the top
1. Of the top administrators, three have limited or no high school experience-
2. The philosophy is, "We don't want to hear about the past." That results in throwing the baby out with the bathwater, to be cliched. As a result, the many programs and policies that worked, most on automatic pilot, are gone: cases in point: plain old procedural stuff: submitting senior failures, scheduling for graduation assignments. Most egregious among these lapses is the one involving approval from the AP national organization for previously approved courses. All that's involved is pretty much pushing a "send" button to the AP Audit committee. The person in charge has yet to do this, even though she has had the already-approved curricula since March. Her explanation at the time was that she had to make sure that the audit info included the district's mission statement. Realistically, the AP committee doesn't a flying f--- about our mission statement. Our courses need the "stamp of approval," meaningful or not, for colleges to look favorably upon our AP classes. (This was the same person who wanted to know when we "wanted" to give the AP exams.)
3. No one recognizes the real needs our students face: The house principal for one CSP house is experienced at the elementary school level and in women's prisons. Just what we want for our advanced programs. And no one has directly addressed the situation of student in lower level classes. What are we going to do for them so they have the skills necessary to function in the "real world"?
4. Friday's assembly was just one more indication of the lack of foresight on the people up front. Teachers did not receive notification of the final schedule until Thursday, and that schedule differed dramatically from what we had discussed at department meetings the day before. Our assemblies are, in effect, an open invitation for kids not to come to school-and this most recent one occurred the last Friday before senior exams. At the assembly, Hamlin totally lost his cool with the kids and his presentations to the faculty focused exclusively on making himself look good, rather than on a substantive exchange of ideas.
5. Considering the massive and probably chaotic change that's about to occur, an exchange of suggestions and concerns between administration and staff would be helpful. Not so-teachers and other staff members have no say, no opportunity to question, no route of information-in fact, no information at all. It's all Steve, all the time
6. Discussions with students and faculty on the various interview committees (for associate and house principals) all confirm that NO ONE recommended the people that eventually got jobs. So what's the point of the interviews?
7. Despair prevails. The union does not take a stand-but at least the faculty is clearly united on one side (except for those people who continue to laugh at Hamlin's jokes and applaud his comments)
8.. Ultimately, everyone is out in the cold-students of all abilities, teachers of all disciplines, support staff in every part of the building.
It has to all go back to the top