Long time readers know that I, and others, are a creation of the dysfunctional part of the Exceptional Student Education system of Hillsborough County Public Schools.
The conceptualized comment you find on the below link was exactly why the Whiteheads requested, within the remedies of their federal court case in which retaliation against the parents (not the student, their son) was proved, that a Superintendent's Advisory Board on Special Education be formed to address systemic issues. A good question to ask is "how many recommendations to the superintendent" have ever been submitted by that council.
Hopefully the right people will pay attention to this below issue before it costs the District a lot of money to say they didn't know anything about it.
Professional Standards is Broken : Goader Online
Showing posts with label professionalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label professionalism. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Oo ah oo ah oo oo, Kitty
....Tell us about the boy
From New York City
Oo ah oo ah come on, Kitty
Tell us about the boy
From New York City..." (The Ad Libs)
In case anyone missed the comments spread around on our blogs by Goader, I will post it again.
The subject of grade inflation should be taken seriously.
The subject of the credibility of public education should be taken seriously.
The slippery slope of public school systems that are more about image without substance should be taken seriously.
I know the public education system is not a business.....sort of. But what the public education system is selling and what the ignorant public is buying (talking generalities here) is "look how good our kids are doing because look how high their grades are". "There is a sucker born every minute".
It is my personal opinion that any "grading" of any "facet", (such as the FCAT, school site grades, District Grades, MAP grades, STAR grades etc) of the public school system has the same integrity as wholesale district grading curves. See here: Tampa Bay Online (note that the public comments were deleted); and here: Painted on The Wall; and here: Live again from New York with Matt Tabor.
To toot my own horn (that would be a trumpet or a sousaphone- treble or bass cleft), look here; and here; and here with Karl Marx
What I think is the basis of these inflated grades is that it is aimed at bringing the failing grades up- for the sake of money for the system or those within it. Inflated high GPA's can be used as a statistical means to camouflage "failing" students and school sites.
Here is the response to the criticism
I think this sentence speaks volumes about the issue: "Colleges recalculate GPAs to level the playing field."
From New York City
Oo ah oo ah come on, Kitty
Tell us about the boy
From New York City..." (The Ad Libs)
In case anyone missed the comments spread around on our blogs by Goader, I will post it again.
The subject of grade inflation should be taken seriously.
The subject of the credibility of public education should be taken seriously.
The slippery slope of public school systems that are more about image without substance should be taken seriously.
I know the public education system is not a business.....sort of. But what the public education system is selling and what the ignorant public is buying (talking generalities here) is "look how good our kids are doing because look how high their grades are". "There is a sucker born every minute".
It is my personal opinion that any "grading" of any "facet", (such as the FCAT, school site grades, District Grades, MAP grades, STAR grades etc) of the public school system has the same integrity as wholesale district grading curves. See here: Tampa Bay Online (note that the public comments were deleted); and here: Painted on The Wall; and here: Live again from New York with Matt Tabor.
To toot my own horn (that would be a trumpet or a sousaphone- treble or bass cleft), look here; and here; and here with Karl Marx
What I think is the basis of these inflated grades is that it is aimed at bringing the failing grades up- for the sake of money for the system or those within it. Inflated high GPA's can be used as a statistical means to camouflage "failing" students and school sites.
Here is the response to the criticism
I think this sentence speaks volumes about the issue: "Colleges recalculate GPAs to level the playing field."
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
A Jimmy Buffett Song Plays In The Background
"It's those changes in latitudes,
changes in attitudes
nothing remains quite the same.
With all of our running and all of our cunning,
If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane." - Jimmy Buffett
I am not sure how many people are laughing about the situation with the HCPS. I think there are more than a few going insane. And I think that there is a lot of running and a lot of cunning in attempts to keep it together.
I was asked this question: "Is the school district too large to make the changes needed in response to the public who finance the operation and use the system?"
My short answer is "no". My long monotonous answer is "no" also. At one point in time back in the late '90's, I was involved in several different areas with the District, mostly revolving around ESE issues. I was attempting to address "systemic issues". As my knowledge and experience increased, my skills and ability to analyze different aspects of how the District operates also increased. I will admit, I was at times lacking of diplomacy when I was being fed a line of bull snot and expected to believe it. Hence, I was invited in for a conference more than once, which I talk a little about in this post: "It's Not What You Say, It's The Fact That You Said It."
I was disturbing the troops. Again, admittedly, some of the teachers and staff were "innocent victims" of the system and they were blindsided when someone came along and challenged the "propaganda". I can recount countless numbers of incidents where the information being given to parents in IEP meetings was easily demonstrated as wrong by simply asking the information giver to "let's just read this section of the procedural safeguards out loud". I was once threatened of being ejected from an IEP meeting despite the fact that I was right on two out of two challenges of how the ESE specialist was "explaining the parent's rights" incorrectly. I was later told by an administrator that I should have waited "until after the meeting" to address these issues. How many of you want to be told the truth about the contract you are negotiating "after" you have signed it?
In several settings, both in IEP meetings and out of them, I heard that "the District is too big for everyone to get the right information". I think it was in one of the Superintendent's Advisory Council on Special Education where I heard this excuse one more time and I responded with "Are we going to change the size of the District? If not, then I don't want to hear that as an excuse anymore."
I said all of that to say this - size doesn't matter. One, because it is not an option to change the size of the District and two, if the District wants to address communication issues or deal with issues succinctly, they can and will, in my opinion.
A large part of the problem is that the majority of the public has no clue about what goes on. I believe that apathy, ignorance and blind trust is why a majority of the public don't know. For the rest who see the challenges, just look how hard it is for the teachers to get attention to what is going on. Parents have the same difficulty. And "they are just parents".
Only recently has the media seemed to be more enlightening. Just look how many articles have come out in the last year. But, then read how Mr. Otto was challenged about what he writes. Considering his wife is a teacher, he surely wouldn't want to bite the hand that feeds her. And now there is blogging. I have already cited in my previous posts how blogging may accomplish change effectively, mainly because it cannot be controlled, even though "they" will try. Those who are entrenched in "how it used to be" won't be able to overcome the new technology and the information age.
So, in my humble opinion, it won't be a change in the size of the District, it will be a change in how it is administered.
changes in attitudes
nothing remains quite the same.
With all of our running and all of our cunning,
If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane." - Jimmy Buffett
I am not sure how many people are laughing about the situation with the HCPS. I think there are more than a few going insane. And I think that there is a lot of running and a lot of cunning in attempts to keep it together.
I was asked this question: "Is the school district too large to make the changes needed in response to the public who finance the operation and use the system?"
My short answer is "no". My long monotonous answer is "no" also. At one point in time back in the late '90's, I was involved in several different areas with the District, mostly revolving around ESE issues. I was attempting to address "systemic issues". As my knowledge and experience increased, my skills and ability to analyze different aspects of how the District operates also increased. I will admit, I was at times lacking of diplomacy when I was being fed a line of bull snot and expected to believe it. Hence, I was invited in for a conference more than once, which I talk a little about in this post: "It's Not What You Say, It's The Fact That You Said It."
I was disturbing the troops. Again, admittedly, some of the teachers and staff were "innocent victims" of the system and they were blindsided when someone came along and challenged the "propaganda". I can recount countless numbers of incidents where the information being given to parents in IEP meetings was easily demonstrated as wrong by simply asking the information giver to "let's just read this section of the procedural safeguards out loud". I was once threatened of being ejected from an IEP meeting despite the fact that I was right on two out of two challenges of how the ESE specialist was "explaining the parent's rights" incorrectly. I was later told by an administrator that I should have waited "until after the meeting" to address these issues. How many of you want to be told the truth about the contract you are negotiating "after" you have signed it?
In several settings, both in IEP meetings and out of them, I heard that "the District is too big for everyone to get the right information". I think it was in one of the Superintendent's Advisory Council on Special Education where I heard this excuse one more time and I responded with "Are we going to change the size of the District? If not, then I don't want to hear that as an excuse anymore."
I said all of that to say this - size doesn't matter. One, because it is not an option to change the size of the District and two, if the District wants to address communication issues or deal with issues succinctly, they can and will, in my opinion.
A large part of the problem is that the majority of the public has no clue about what goes on. I believe that apathy, ignorance and blind trust is why a majority of the public don't know. For the rest who see the challenges, just look how hard it is for the teachers to get attention to what is going on. Parents have the same difficulty. And "they are just parents".
Only recently has the media seemed to be more enlightening. Just look how many articles have come out in the last year. But, then read how Mr. Otto was challenged about what he writes. Considering his wife is a teacher, he surely wouldn't want to bite the hand that feeds her. And now there is blogging. I have already cited in my previous posts how blogging may accomplish change effectively, mainly because it cannot be controlled, even though "they" will try. Those who are entrenched in "how it used to be" won't be able to overcome the new technology and the information age.
So, in my humble opinion, it won't be a change in the size of the District, it will be a change in how it is administered.
Monday, April 7, 2008
There Is That Word "Arrogance" Again
In today's Tribune, we find this:
Parents Get Crash Course In Hubris 101
At the very end of the editorial, there is the word that I use a lot when I talk about the HCPS:
"They say it takes a village to raise a child. Apparently in Hillsborough, a few arrogant administrators will suffice."
I wonder if the editors will get a visit like Mr. Otto did here:
"Administrators Need Love, Too, I Suppose"
Parents Get Crash Course In Hubris 101
At the very end of the editorial, there is the word that I use a lot when I talk about the HCPS:
"They say it takes a village to raise a child. Apparently in Hillsborough, a few arrogant administrators will suffice."
I wonder if the editors will get a visit like Mr. Otto did here:
"Administrators Need Love, Too, I Suppose"
Sunday, April 6, 2008
One More Isolated Incident
I was in attendance in my son's IEP meeting on December 16th, 1996. I assumed it was going to a contentious meeting, as it had all of the earmarks of those types I had attended before.
Prior to this meeting, I had written a letter to the principal outlining some of my concerns. After six years of learning the ways of the District, I had become better at covering all of the bases, even though I knew there would be some angle I was not prepared for.
While there were a lot of interesting things that happened in this meeting, I will address one connected to the link below. The principal recorded the meeting. There were a lot of "damaging" things said by some of the District people and also there was a lot of "evidence" of how my "procedural safeguards" were compromised, some being outright violated. Keep in mind this was prior to me learning the rules of the game. In fact, that day started my official quest for knowledge regarding IDEA and how it is supposed to work.
It was the proverbial straw. Some of the people who were in that meeting are still around. I think one or two of them understood the injustice that was done. I think the others were more entrenched in how to spin the events so they were defensible.
The fallout of this meeting was immediate and widespread. It may not surprise some of you that despite the fact that I had an MO-12 inviting me to an IEP meeting on that day and a time specific and room specific, along with the fact that nine or ten other people showed up at the same time and place, upon my request for copies of the records of that IEP meeting, I was told by a District Person that there had been no IEP meeting. I guess it depends on what the definition of "was" was.
The principal had tape recorded the meeting. She had prepared for taping. I did not. Try getting a definitive "yes" or "no" answer today whether a parent can tape an IEP meeting.
Back to my point that speaks to the below. After I insisted on getting a copy of that tape, I was finally given a tape.
The tape I received was blank.
This post jogged my memory:
Saturday, April 05, 2008
I can't remember exactly how this poor mangled teacher came to my attention. I think she emailed me. I asked for a copy of her court case to put on our blog, and she said OK.
Prior to this meeting, I had written a letter to the principal outlining some of my concerns. After six years of learning the ways of the District, I had become better at covering all of the bases, even though I knew there would be some angle I was not prepared for.
While there were a lot of interesting things that happened in this meeting, I will address one connected to the link below. The principal recorded the meeting. There were a lot of "damaging" things said by some of the District people and also there was a lot of "evidence" of how my "procedural safeguards" were compromised, some being outright violated. Keep in mind this was prior to me learning the rules of the game. In fact, that day started my official quest for knowledge regarding IDEA and how it is supposed to work.
It was the proverbial straw. Some of the people who were in that meeting are still around. I think one or two of them understood the injustice that was done. I think the others were more entrenched in how to spin the events so they were defensible.
The fallout of this meeting was immediate and widespread. It may not surprise some of you that despite the fact that I had an MO-12 inviting me to an IEP meeting on that day and a time specific and room specific, along with the fact that nine or ten other people showed up at the same time and place, upon my request for copies of the records of that IEP meeting, I was told by a District Person that there had been no IEP meeting. I guess it depends on what the definition of "was" was.
The principal had tape recorded the meeting. She had prepared for taping. I did not. Try getting a definitive "yes" or "no" answer today whether a parent can tape an IEP meeting.
Back to my point that speaks to the below. After I insisted on getting a copy of that tape, I was finally given a tape.
The tape I received was blank.
This post jogged my memory:
Saturday, April 05, 2008
I can't remember exactly how this poor mangled teacher came to my attention. I think she emailed me. I asked for a copy of her court case to put on our blog, and she said OK.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Two Can Be As Bad As One
A little Three Dog Night to keep the home fires burning:
"One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
Two can be as bad as one, its the loneliest number since the number one"
***********
As I play keyboard critiquing of the local HCDS, cultivated on years of resentment to unprofessional treatment, every once in a while I wonder if I truly did experience more than my share of "isolated incidents".
How would one know they were isolated if one wasn't keeping track? I know I started keeping track after six years. I know for six years I gave benefit of the doubt many many times, continuing to trust that I was being dealt with professionally.
I think school administrators are provided the "isolated defense" strategy in Administration 101 through Administration 599 under "Strategies to Minimize Credible Critiques."
Somehow I missed this post until today:
"......April, do not believe any number the county gives you. They skew exams to fit their agenda and this will be no different. ...." (anon - March 22, 2008 12:51 PM)
So now there are at least two of us on record for questioning the reliability of numbers.
I will continue to label my posts, but I have frequently written about my perception of how HCDS relates to "numbers", and of course this article fed right into my perception.
It may or not have any bearing on the subject, but a previous principal would have first hand knowledge of how "numbers" are generated and recorded. Therefore, if there were any shenanigans going on, a previous principal should know how to ferret it out.
What should be concerning for all of us is at what point do those who are tracking numbers and relying on their reliability know if and when to decipher fact from fiction?
I have written about how a lot of my personal experiences with the HCDS was like looking through smoke and mirrors or playing a shell game, and "the nailing jello to a wall" difficulty in trying to obtain accountability.
I know I was "just a parent" and had no business complaining about how the system operated, but I do wonder while professional decisions are being made about how to manage the "x" largest school district and one that claims it is a national model for some latest accolade, who knows what the real numbers are?
"One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
Two can be as bad as one, its the loneliest number since the number one"
***********
As I play keyboard critiquing of the local HCDS, cultivated on years of resentment to unprofessional treatment, every once in a while I wonder if I truly did experience more than my share of "isolated incidents".
How would one know they were isolated if one wasn't keeping track? I know I started keeping track after six years. I know for six years I gave benefit of the doubt many many times, continuing to trust that I was being dealt with professionally.
I think school administrators are provided the "isolated defense" strategy in Administration 101 through Administration 599 under "Strategies to Minimize Credible Critiques."
Somehow I missed this post until today:
"......April, do not believe any number the county gives you. They skew exams to fit their agenda and this will be no different. ...." (anon - March 22, 2008 12:51 PM)
So now there are at least two of us on record for questioning the reliability of numbers.
I will continue to label my posts, but I have frequently written about my perception of how HCDS relates to "numbers", and of course this article fed right into my perception.
It may or not have any bearing on the subject, but a previous principal would have first hand knowledge of how "numbers" are generated and recorded. Therefore, if there were any shenanigans going on, a previous principal should know how to ferret it out.
What should be concerning for all of us is at what point do those who are tracking numbers and relying on their reliability know if and when to decipher fact from fiction?
I have written about how a lot of my personal experiences with the HCDS was like looking through smoke and mirrors or playing a shell game, and "the nailing jello to a wall" difficulty in trying to obtain accountability.
I know I was "just a parent" and had no business complaining about how the system operated, but I do wonder while professional decisions are being made about how to manage the "x" largest school district and one that claims it is a national model for some latest accolade, who knows what the real numbers are?
Monday, March 24, 2008
Elephants Have Good Memories
I have a comment to make about a comment to me:
Nobody's Patsy said...
Hey Pro--
"It's all about the documentation. If it isn't on paper, then it never happened. The best things people like you and myself (and countless others) is to teach our breatheren who, how, when, and why to document. We are all highly educated folks, we of all people should know about the power of the pen. I am availble for lessons if need be.
March 23, 2008 10:18 PM" and can be found here
I have started the process of labeling my previous posts. I am now more and more seeing issues and ideas coming up that I have given an opinion or comment on from my position. I can't find my comments very easily, so maybe if I have a label system, it will help me find the links faster.
I know full well about the importance of a paper trail. Of equal importance is whether the trail is present or not present. Somewhere I wrote about how much power the entity has that controls the paper trail. Fabrication, fraudulent change and missing documentation is all part of the game. Somewhere I wrote about how important it is to make copies and make sure someone else has a copy, and everyone knows that someone else has that copy. It is called insurance.
Below is what I wrote about my perception of district documentation. The full context can be found here: Big Fat Money
"I have been in many, many IEP meetings. I know the game. If an elephant came into the IEP meeting, dropped a load right in the middle of the table, no one could ever prove it if it wasn't written in the IEP form or the conference notes. Even when there are teachers, ESE specialists, related service personnel, principals, directors and parents that see the elephant, moved their papers out of the way of the big dump, and smelled the aroma that stunk up the whole room. If it wasn't written, it didn't happen."
S""t happens all of the time, and with elephants in the room, it's a load.
Nobody's Patsy said...
Hey Pro--
"It's all about the documentation. If it isn't on paper, then it never happened. The best things people like you and myself (and countless others) is to teach our breatheren who, how, when, and why to document. We are all highly educated folks, we of all people should know about the power of the pen. I am availble for lessons if need be.
March 23, 2008 10:18 PM" and can be found here
I have started the process of labeling my previous posts. I am now more and more seeing issues and ideas coming up that I have given an opinion or comment on from my position. I can't find my comments very easily, so maybe if I have a label system, it will help me find the links faster.
I know full well about the importance of a paper trail. Of equal importance is whether the trail is present or not present. Somewhere I wrote about how much power the entity has that controls the paper trail. Fabrication, fraudulent change and missing documentation is all part of the game. Somewhere I wrote about how important it is to make copies and make sure someone else has a copy, and everyone knows that someone else has that copy. It is called insurance.
Below is what I wrote about my perception of district documentation. The full context can be found here: Big Fat Money
"I have been in many, many IEP meetings. I know the game. If an elephant came into the IEP meeting, dropped a load right in the middle of the table, no one could ever prove it if it wasn't written in the IEP form or the conference notes. Even when there are teachers, ESE specialists, related service personnel, principals, directors and parents that see the elephant, moved their papers out of the way of the big dump, and smelled the aroma that stunk up the whole room. If it wasn't written, it didn't happen."
S""t happens all of the time, and with elephants in the room, it's a load.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Feel Like A Number
"To workers I'm just another drone
To ma bell I'm just another phone
Im just another statistic on a sheet
To teachers I'm just another child
To IRS I'm just another file
Im just another consensus on the street
Gonna cruise out of this city
Head down to the sea
Gonna shout out at the ocean
Hey it's me
And I feel like a number" - Bob Seger
hghhhghgghhgggghh - not sure what "a number" really means, but I have a few hits on numbers when it comes to the HCDS.
Today, we have this article from the Tampa Tribune: Lack Of Students Makes 'Lonely' Day
While a lot of people can debate the issues of religion, I want to focus on an interesting phenonenon I see. When one makes statements about how well someone does something, how does one know? Is there scientific methodology or just a call for faith and good will -in other words "trust us".
This part got my attention:
"Student Numbers Not Precise
Principals were told to count heads Friday morning and reported those to the district as well as to reporters. By late afternoon when the district issued its official school-by-school count, some numbers didn't match.
For example: Durant High Principal Pam Bowden told a reporter Friday afternoon that 220 students showed up. The district numbers shows 611.
Also, Boldt's head count at Chamberlain shows 260. The district report shows 386.
"I wonder where they got that from," Boldt said. "It doesn't match my hand body count."
Shortly after being asked for a head count, principals were asked to send in the number of absences. Either way, Boldt said, he had 260 students and can't believe another 126 showed up later.
Every day, school personnel scan attendance cards collected from teachers. That number is the official count sent to the state for funding and other reports. Chamberlain does that during the second class period.
That could be the difference in those two counts on Friday, Boldt said, if fewer cards got scanned because they were locked in teachers' desks or substitutes didn't have access.
Lewis Brinson, the district's assistant superintendent for administration, also unofficially reported low numbers from high schools during the day. He said they came from principals.
Scanned numbers sent to the district mainframe "are as accurate as the person who was on the other end scanning," Brinson said. "Whether they're right or not, these are the official numbers."
"I don't know if scanning created this problem or not," he said. Then he promised, "We're going to get to the bottom of this."
I humbly ask - bottom of what and how will you know when you get there. And who will you tell, if and when you do?
"Numbers" that the District have, or don't have, seem to be a recurring issue. I guess it is based on trust.
I found a couple of hits right here:
Numbers and Coke Leave One Out of Touch with Reality
Footballs, Business Cards, Gavels and Scientific Method
To ma bell I'm just another phone
Im just another statistic on a sheet
To teachers I'm just another child
To IRS I'm just another file
Im just another consensus on the street
Gonna cruise out of this city
Head down to the sea
Gonna shout out at the ocean
Hey it's me
And I feel like a number" - Bob Seger
hghhhghgghhgggghh - not sure what "a number" really means, but I have a few hits on numbers when it comes to the HCDS.
Today, we have this article from the Tampa Tribune: Lack Of Students Makes 'Lonely' Day
While a lot of people can debate the issues of religion, I want to focus on an interesting phenonenon I see. When one makes statements about how well someone does something, how does one know? Is there scientific methodology or just a call for faith and good will -in other words "trust us".
This part got my attention:
"Student Numbers Not Precise
Principals were told to count heads Friday morning and reported those to the district as well as to reporters. By late afternoon when the district issued its official school-by-school count, some numbers didn't match.
For example: Durant High Principal Pam Bowden told a reporter Friday afternoon that 220 students showed up. The district numbers shows 611.
Also, Boldt's head count at Chamberlain shows 260. The district report shows 386.
"I wonder where they got that from," Boldt said. "It doesn't match my hand body count."
Shortly after being asked for a head count, principals were asked to send in the number of absences. Either way, Boldt said, he had 260 students and can't believe another 126 showed up later.
Every day, school personnel scan attendance cards collected from teachers. That number is the official count sent to the state for funding and other reports. Chamberlain does that during the second class period.
That could be the difference in those two counts on Friday, Boldt said, if fewer cards got scanned because they were locked in teachers' desks or substitutes didn't have access.
Lewis Brinson, the district's assistant superintendent for administration, also unofficially reported low numbers from high schools during the day. He said they came from principals.
Scanned numbers sent to the district mainframe "are as accurate as the person who was on the other end scanning," Brinson said. "Whether they're right or not, these are the official numbers."
"I don't know if scanning created this problem or not," he said. Then he promised, "We're going to get to the bottom of this."
I humbly ask - bottom of what and how will you know when you get there. And who will you tell, if and when you do?
"Numbers" that the District have, or don't have, seem to be a recurring issue. I guess it is based on trust.
I found a couple of hits right here:
Numbers and Coke Leave One Out of Touch with Reality
Footballs, Business Cards, Gavels and Scientific Method
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Now We Get To See Why Kids And Parents And Public Education Lose
Public Education is nothing if it isn't about big money. Bottom line.
Defending this money is a paramount goal. Statistically, the public systems protect each other. They have unlimited resources and expertise in strategies. What seems to never be of concern is that there is more to life than money. But at a $200,000 liability cap for public school systems, that is as insignifant as hiring a consultant.
I write frequently about the abuse of power by public school employees. They are afforded protections that most people don't get.
In this case, the charges against a teacher seem to fit with the physical signs of the kids. Goose egg lumps, busted lips, extracted teeth, and bruises are hard to fabricate.
I am not surprised in the least at how the defense is shaping up. It is the nature of the defense culture for public schools.
Another story is here :
Click here: HeraldTribune.com - News - News stories about Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties in Florida, from the newspa
We have a time line:
"Two aides in Diana O'Neill's class started documenting instances in which they believed she abused students as early as October 2007. But it was three months later -- after more than a dozen instances -- before the police and the state Department of Children and Families were notified"
Some one had concerns, but if it isn't on paper, it didn't happen: "Police records also indicate that O'Neill, 45, had been "talked to" in the past for her behavior with her profoundly disabled students. But there is no record that any concerns were ever reported to the police or the school district to investigate."
We have a kid who has no chance of telling the truth so how could anyone believe anything about her wasn't done by herself:
"Tara, who cannot walk, talk or see, has been in O'Neill's class for eight years.
During that time she often came home with bruises, prompting Hatfield to go to the school and question the teacher. Every time, O'Neill had a different explanation that ranged from other children hitting her to her falling out of her wheelchair, Hatfield said."
A few details by the aides:
"Police identified four of O'Neill's five students as victims. With one child, aides reported that O'Neill parked his wheelchair against a wall and watched as the boy hit his head against it, sarcastically telling him, "Don't hit your head."
Aides also reported that O'Neill had kicked one girl in the legs, hit her in the head with objects, pushed her to the floor and used a "weighted blanket" and a "body sock" -- two therapy tools that restrict movement -- to punish her."
Setting up the need for understanding a unique situation:
"Educators and parents alike complain of little support from the rest of the school system, and even fewer resources. It is a pressure cooker that can pit teachers against parents, or unify them in the face of shared challenges.
Despite efforts to include students with disabilities in the regular school setting, at most schools these small classes stay clustered together, sharing resources and working as teams, creating a tight-knit community.
It is also a place where teachers employ unusual techniques to control their children's behavior and help them develop physically and mentally."
And then we have common place actions:
"For example, the aides reported an episode where O'Neill shoved a cloth into a child's mouth and then pulled it out so hard the child's tooth came out.
But Sloan said this is a common technique used to build the biting reflexes of students with disabilities. In this case, O'Neill accidentally knocked out a baby tooth, Sloan said."
And I wrote previously about how the system will make sure no one speaks out without themselves becoming liable:
"School Superintendent Gary Norris said the district would review not only the allegations against O'Neill, but also how the other employees responded."
And here comes the "defense of professionals":
"These charges were observed by aides who are not sufficiently trained to work with handicapped children," Sloan said. "This woman is completely professional.""
There is the "culture of defense" in a nutshell.
If these aides are lying, our kids will suffer yet another setback.
If these aides can not prove they are telling the truth, our kids will suffer another setback.
Afterall, it is about numbers. The fact that this is an isolated incident eases our anxiety.
Unless it was your kid.
But in that case, you would just be a parent.
Defending this money is a paramount goal. Statistically, the public systems protect each other. They have unlimited resources and expertise in strategies. What seems to never be of concern is that there is more to life than money. But at a $200,000 liability cap for public school systems, that is as insignifant as hiring a consultant.
I write frequently about the abuse of power by public school employees. They are afforded protections that most people don't get.
In this case, the charges against a teacher seem to fit with the physical signs of the kids. Goose egg lumps, busted lips, extracted teeth, and bruises are hard to fabricate.
I am not surprised in the least at how the defense is shaping up. It is the nature of the defense culture for public schools.
Another story is here :
Click here: HeraldTribune.com - News - News stories about Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties in Florida, from the newspa
We have a time line:
"Two aides in Diana O'Neill's class started documenting instances in which they believed she abused students as early as October 2007. But it was three months later -- after more than a dozen instances -- before the police and the state Department of Children and Families were notified"
Some one had concerns, but if it isn't on paper, it didn't happen: "Police records also indicate that O'Neill, 45, had been "talked to" in the past for her behavior with her profoundly disabled students. But there is no record that any concerns were ever reported to the police or the school district to investigate."
We have a kid who has no chance of telling the truth so how could anyone believe anything about her wasn't done by herself:
"Tara, who cannot walk, talk or see, has been in O'Neill's class for eight years.
During that time she often came home with bruises, prompting Hatfield to go to the school and question the teacher. Every time, O'Neill had a different explanation that ranged from other children hitting her to her falling out of her wheelchair, Hatfield said."
A few details by the aides:
"Police identified four of O'Neill's five students as victims. With one child, aides reported that O'Neill parked his wheelchair against a wall and watched as the boy hit his head against it, sarcastically telling him, "Don't hit your head."
Aides also reported that O'Neill had kicked one girl in the legs, hit her in the head with objects, pushed her to the floor and used a "weighted blanket" and a "body sock" -- two therapy tools that restrict movement -- to punish her."
Setting up the need for understanding a unique situation:
"Educators and parents alike complain of little support from the rest of the school system, and even fewer resources. It is a pressure cooker that can pit teachers against parents, or unify them in the face of shared challenges.
Despite efforts to include students with disabilities in the regular school setting, at most schools these small classes stay clustered together, sharing resources and working as teams, creating a tight-knit community.
It is also a place where teachers employ unusual techniques to control their children's behavior and help them develop physically and mentally."
And then we have common place actions:
"For example, the aides reported an episode where O'Neill shoved a cloth into a child's mouth and then pulled it out so hard the child's tooth came out.
But Sloan said this is a common technique used to build the biting reflexes of students with disabilities. In this case, O'Neill accidentally knocked out a baby tooth, Sloan said."
And I wrote previously about how the system will make sure no one speaks out without themselves becoming liable:
"School Superintendent Gary Norris said the district would review not only the allegations against O'Neill, but also how the other employees responded."
And here comes the "defense of professionals":
"These charges were observed by aides who are not sufficiently trained to work with handicapped children," Sloan said. "This woman is completely professional.""
There is the "culture of defense" in a nutshell.
If these aides are lying, our kids will suffer yet another setback.
If these aides can not prove they are telling the truth, our kids will suffer another setback.
Afterall, it is about numbers. The fact that this is an isolated incident eases our anxiety.
Unless it was your kid.
But in that case, you would just be a parent.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Maybe It's Just Me
While my local school system is in the public throes of who is really running the show, I get stuck on the meaning of words.
Now that freedom of speech issues have finally reached the point that the HCDS police are called to action, I wonder where has everyone been all of these years.
I will always vividly recall the day at Mann Middle School when I was told by the principal that if I came on campus without checking in to her office first, I would be charged with trespassing.
The fact that I was making a big squawk about my repeated attempts to address issues with my son’s education and the fact that this threat came the day after I wrote a complaint letter gave me reason to believe that the 3 months of previous same actions on my part were now under a different line of scrutiny.
At least I didn’t have the security called on me. Instead, I called the Director of ESE while sitting in the office. I had the number saved because I used it a lot over the years. This may have saved my immediate arrest. It was a gutsy move on my part, because Directors have as much say over what a principal does or does not do as I did. But there is something to say about safety in numbers, and how many people know.
I was not accustom to this type of treatment, or rather, the treatment was getting worse. I did not think the setting was safe for my son. So when I said I was keeping him home until we could have another of those countless meanings, the veiled threat of truancy was thrown out. Knowing the absolute power of the school District, I made sure I obtained a Dr's excuse to protect me.
As the days and weeks played out, since I had become learned in the ways of paper warfare, my documentation along with proof that “they” had changed theirs, probably saved me from the usual bulldozed flattening that most parents end up with.
Taking on the system means that you must have documentation and make sure some one else has a copy of it too.
Yesterday I posted the link to some probable cause affidavits.
One of the sentences struck me as odd, so I revisited it today. On page two, it says that the teacher’s strikes (to the kid who was an “equivalent 11 to 14 month old reference motor skills”) “were often prompted by an incorrect answer to a question, not any disciplinary problem or wrong doing. In that sense, there was no legal justification for her to strike the child.”
And then on page 3, we find: the teacher’s statement of “you gonna kick me, I’m gonna kick you (pg 2),” “implies revenge as a motive and a desire to hurt of cause pain to … rather than any educational purpose.”
I am thankful that the writer was able to determine that there was no educational purpose for the actions the teacher took upon the kid. It must have been a tough legal decision to write that out.
Now that freedom of speech issues have finally reached the point that the HCDS police are called to action, I wonder where has everyone been all of these years.
I will always vividly recall the day at Mann Middle School when I was told by the principal that if I came on campus without checking in to her office first, I would be charged with trespassing.
The fact that I was making a big squawk about my repeated attempts to address issues with my son’s education and the fact that this threat came the day after I wrote a complaint letter gave me reason to believe that the 3 months of previous same actions on my part were now under a different line of scrutiny.
At least I didn’t have the security called on me. Instead, I called the Director of ESE while sitting in the office. I had the number saved because I used it a lot over the years. This may have saved my immediate arrest. It was a gutsy move on my part, because Directors have as much say over what a principal does or does not do as I did. But there is something to say about safety in numbers, and how many people know.
I was not accustom to this type of treatment, or rather, the treatment was getting worse. I did not think the setting was safe for my son. So when I said I was keeping him home until we could have another of those countless meanings, the veiled threat of truancy was thrown out. Knowing the absolute power of the school District, I made sure I obtained a Dr's excuse to protect me.
As the days and weeks played out, since I had become learned in the ways of paper warfare, my documentation along with proof that “they” had changed theirs, probably saved me from the usual bulldozed flattening that most parents end up with.
Taking on the system means that you must have documentation and make sure some one else has a copy of it too.
Yesterday I posted the link to some probable cause affidavits.
One of the sentences struck me as odd, so I revisited it today. On page two, it says that the teacher’s strikes (to the kid who was an “equivalent 11 to 14 month old reference motor skills”) “were often prompted by an incorrect answer to a question, not any disciplinary problem or wrong doing. In that sense, there was no legal justification for her to strike the child.”
And then on page 3, we find: the teacher’s statement of “you gonna kick me, I’m gonna kick you (pg 2),” “implies revenge as a motive and a desire to hurt of cause pain to … rather than any educational purpose.”
I am thankful that the writer was able to determine that there was no educational purpose for the actions the teacher took upon the kid. It must have been a tough legal decision to write that out.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Thankfully the Aides finally got the courage
This is not a broad brush attack against teachers.
I will readily agree that this (teacher) is an isolated incident. Obviously, her patterns of behavior towards the kids were not isolated. There was enough of them that some how it overcame what ever barriers the aides had in reporting these events.
I know a lot of people don't believe parents. The principal makes a comment that she doesn't think the aides would make this up. But she likes the teacher and is surprised these events happened. Like being slammed on the head for not answering a question. It's in the reports.
It reminds be of a kid at Randall Middle school who was given 7 felony assualt charges against a school employee. Part of the reason his behavior escalated was he refused to obey an order to stand up. The fact that he had a disabilty to the extent he could not stand up without assistance of some type didn't seem to have much meaning to the authority figures. I never could understand the mindset of an adult who puts themselves in striking range of a kid who can not stand up, other than to prove the adult was the boss.
Sort of that arrogance with ignorance thing. The charges were later dropped, which probably really pissed the teacher off. Upsurped the teacher's authority over noncompliant kids. Tons of CYA paperwork were generated.
On page 16 of the attached link, it states that one parent said there were no other options for her child. I know what it is like to not be heard.
And it didn't happen in my county, so why should I even bring it up.
But I just couldn't help reading the probable cause affidavits
I wonder what the culture of defense is in that county.
I wonder what message the aides will get.
I wonder if they will get accolades for defending the disabled.
I wonder if they will be used as a example that the next time an employee sees something like this, whatever you do, you do not expose the school system.
My comments are not about teachers. My comments are about systems.
I will readily agree that this (teacher) is an isolated incident. Obviously, her patterns of behavior towards the kids were not isolated. There was enough of them that some how it overcame what ever barriers the aides had in reporting these events.
I know a lot of people don't believe parents. The principal makes a comment that she doesn't think the aides would make this up. But she likes the teacher and is surprised these events happened. Like being slammed on the head for not answering a question. It's in the reports.
It reminds be of a kid at Randall Middle school who was given 7 felony assualt charges against a school employee. Part of the reason his behavior escalated was he refused to obey an order to stand up. The fact that he had a disabilty to the extent he could not stand up without assistance of some type didn't seem to have much meaning to the authority figures. I never could understand the mindset of an adult who puts themselves in striking range of a kid who can not stand up, other than to prove the adult was the boss.
Sort of that arrogance with ignorance thing. The charges were later dropped, which probably really pissed the teacher off. Upsurped the teacher's authority over noncompliant kids. Tons of CYA paperwork were generated.
On page 16 of the attached link, it states that one parent said there were no other options for her child. I know what it is like to not be heard.
And it didn't happen in my county, so why should I even bring it up.
But I just couldn't help reading the probable cause affidavits
I wonder what the culture of defense is in that county.
I wonder what message the aides will get.
I wonder if they will get accolades for defending the disabled.
I wonder if they will be used as a example that the next time an employee sees something like this, whatever you do, you do not expose the school system.
My comments are not about teachers. My comments are about systems.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Is There Any Doubt?
What can speak more for an affirmation that the perception of the HCDS is a bully than being found in a Federal Court of law to have retaliated against a parent.
What started out as a IDEA issue, because of the actions of the District, ended up being a civil rights case under Section 504.
State of Florida
The Division of Administrative Hearings
Special Education Hearing
Recently, there was an event at a zoo where some young men taunted and harrassed a lion. Apparently they did it long enough and effective enough that the lion decided it had had enough. The lion probably gained extra motivation and strength from the physical and mental torment that it had endured. The lion jumped over the wall and caught two of his tormenters. Because of the lion's actions, he was retaliated against and was killed.
The lion should and would be alive today. Who started the actions that led to his condemnation?
Where does HCDS fit in the triangle?
What started out as a IDEA issue, because of the actions of the District, ended up being a civil rights case under Section 504.
State of Florida
The Division of Administrative Hearings
Special Education Hearing
Recently, there was an event at a zoo where some young men taunted and harrassed a lion. Apparently they did it long enough and effective enough that the lion decided it had had enough. The lion probably gained extra motivation and strength from the physical and mental torment that it had endured. The lion jumped over the wall and caught two of his tormenters. Because of the lion's actions, he was retaliated against and was killed.
The lion should and would be alive today. Who started the actions that led to his condemnation?
Where does HCDS fit in the triangle?
Thursday, February 7, 2008
It's Not What You Say, It's The Fact That You Said It
Once again, time will tell.
A decade or so ago, I was called in to the big office down town a couple of times for things I was saying and doing. I was given some sage advice: It wasn't what I was saying, it was how I was saying it. We country boys know what that means. It took me a few years to realize that sometimes it didn't matter how I said it, it was the fact that I said it.
I know the District wants to be seen as professional. Imagine if you will where the District and a parent are at odds about an issue. The issue is outside of the classroom, in fact it has to do with transportation. So the parent and the District have a meeting. I learned a long time ago a good litmus test to determine the level of problem a parent is becoming is to see how many higher level people come to a meeting, even when the parent doesn't know they are going to be there. Having a union rep there means the parent must be stepping on some toes.
Suppose the District personnel say that what they are doing, or not doing, is based on "District Policy". Suppose the parent asks to see a written copy of the policy. Suppose the District's response is they don't have to provide anything in writing to the parent.
I wasn't there at the meeting today. This could all be another one of those made up dramatic, tearful stories. The fact that this same event happened to me a few times in the past does have some effect on how much credence I give to thinking it really did happen. Again.
Time will tell.
A decade or so ago, I was called in to the big office down town a couple of times for things I was saying and doing. I was given some sage advice: It wasn't what I was saying, it was how I was saying it. We country boys know what that means. It took me a few years to realize that sometimes it didn't matter how I said it, it was the fact that I said it.
I know the District wants to be seen as professional. Imagine if you will where the District and a parent are at odds about an issue. The issue is outside of the classroom, in fact it has to do with transportation. So the parent and the District have a meeting. I learned a long time ago a good litmus test to determine the level of problem a parent is becoming is to see how many higher level people come to a meeting, even when the parent doesn't know they are going to be there. Having a union rep there means the parent must be stepping on some toes.
Suppose the District personnel say that what they are doing, or not doing, is based on "District Policy". Suppose the parent asks to see a written copy of the policy. Suppose the District's response is they don't have to provide anything in writing to the parent.
I wasn't there at the meeting today. This could all be another one of those made up dramatic, tearful stories. The fact that this same event happened to me a few times in the past does have some effect on how much credence I give to thinking it really did happen. Again.
Time will tell.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Color me dumbfounded
I must confess that now I have two conundrums.
My first one had to do with the "business" of education vs the business of "education".
My second one is "education" vs "teaching".
I know there is a distinct difference between the two units of each set. I just can't figure them out.
To set out the first one:
Are only teachers responsible for running the "divisions" of education, including Administration, Business (interesting that a division has that name), Curriculum and Instruction, Facilities, Human Resources, Information and Technology and Student Services and Federal Programs?
Would those be considered the "business" of education?
Could business people run one of these divisions responsibly without being a teacher?
Is what teachers do within the classroom or any specific "arena" within a school setting be considered the business of "education"?
There would be an end result of what the teachers do, taking in to consideration all of the variables inherent within a "teaching" setting. Understandably there are many of these variables that are uncontrolled by the teacher, however in the system that we now know, would the outcomes (what the students learned) be considered what is the business of "education"?
Now to the second set.
Education: the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life
Teacher: a person who teaches or instructs, esp. as a profession; instructor.
Educator: a person or thing that educates, esp. a teacher, principal, or other person involved in planning or directing education
Does an "other person involved in planning or directing education" have to be a teacher? Or said in another way, if you are not a teacher, you cannot be involved in planning or directing education?
Can only teachers educate?
Are there teachers who do not educate?
Is this a true statement: No one who is not a teacher can educate?
Is this a true statement: Every person involved in planning or directing education is a teacher?
Since a "thing" by definition can be an educator, does that challenge the concept that only teachers can be educators?
Who, by definition, could fit the defintion of "other person"? Logically, this would mean that educators can be something other than teachers.
Who decides who these others are?
If teachers only had to teach and educators were only involved in planning or directing education and they both stayed out of each other's space, would that be the optimum educational setting?
My first one had to do with the "business" of education vs the business of "education".
My second one is "education" vs "teaching".
I know there is a distinct difference between the two units of each set. I just can't figure them out.
To set out the first one:
Are only teachers responsible for running the "divisions" of education, including Administration, Business (interesting that a division has that name), Curriculum and Instruction, Facilities, Human Resources, Information and Technology and Student Services and Federal Programs?
Would those be considered the "business" of education?
Could business people run one of these divisions responsibly without being a teacher?
Is what teachers do within the classroom or any specific "arena" within a school setting be considered the business of "education"?
There would be an end result of what the teachers do, taking in to consideration all of the variables inherent within a "teaching" setting. Understandably there are many of these variables that are uncontrolled by the teacher, however in the system that we now know, would the outcomes (what the students learned) be considered what is the business of "education"?
Now to the second set.
Education: the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life
Teacher: a person who teaches or instructs, esp. as a profession; instructor.
Educator: a person or thing that educates, esp. a teacher, principal, or other person involved in planning or directing education
Does an "other person involved in planning or directing education" have to be a teacher? Or said in another way, if you are not a teacher, you cannot be involved in planning or directing education?
Can only teachers educate?
Are there teachers who do not educate?
Is this a true statement: No one who is not a teacher can educate?
Is this a true statement: Every person involved in planning or directing education is a teacher?
Since a "thing" by definition can be an educator, does that challenge the concept that only teachers can be educators?
Who, by definition, could fit the defintion of "other person"? Logically, this would mean that educators can be something other than teachers.
Who decides who these others are?
If teachers only had to teach and educators were only involved in planning or directing education and they both stayed out of each other's space, would that be the optimum educational setting?
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Where is Dwight When You Need Him?
"Bus stop, wet day, she's there, I say
Please share my umbrella
Bus stop, bus goes, she stays, love grows
Under my umbrella" ...........The Hollies
Dwight D. Eisenhower had a vision that comprehended the need for adequate transportation as a function for the advancement of our society. It was called the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.
This morning a life long friend of mine called me. As a native of the south east part of my county and a business owner for over 30 years, one gets to know a few people as over a half of century goes by.
This particular person knows of my trials and tribulations with the local school system that spanned over a decade. They wanted to ask me if I had any insight into an issue for them.
This particular person every morning waits at a bus stop with a large group of kids. The bus that comes to pick up the kids is a nice bus. The driver is very pleasant. The kids are eager to get on the bus. The bus is regular. It gets there everyday. It gets there about the same time everyday. Right at 8:00. Sometimes a few minutes before. Sometimes a few minutes afterward.
The place the kids get on the bus is about ten to fifteen minutes away from the school, depending on traffic. The school bell rings at 8:00. I was told that when the kids get to school, some go get their breakfast. These kids then take their breakfast to the classroom.
Conversations with the bus driver indicate that the bus driver is doing the best job they can do, yet has a sense of failure every day. Because the intent of the function is not happening, despite the rationalizations offered by all, the bus driver may not last long because most people don't like the sense of daily failure.
I am sure that it costs a lot of money to obtain the true function of public school transportation.
I assured the person that our school system was one of the best you could find across the nation. Don't worry about it because our kids are being looked after by the best that money can buy.
What would Dwight have done?
Please share my umbrella
Bus stop, bus goes, she stays, love grows
Under my umbrella" ...........The Hollies
Dwight D. Eisenhower had a vision that comprehended the need for adequate transportation as a function for the advancement of our society. It was called the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.
This morning a life long friend of mine called me. As a native of the south east part of my county and a business owner for over 30 years, one gets to know a few people as over a half of century goes by.
This particular person knows of my trials and tribulations with the local school system that spanned over a decade. They wanted to ask me if I had any insight into an issue for them.
This particular person every morning waits at a bus stop with a large group of kids. The bus that comes to pick up the kids is a nice bus. The driver is very pleasant. The kids are eager to get on the bus. The bus is regular. It gets there everyday. It gets there about the same time everyday. Right at 8:00. Sometimes a few minutes before. Sometimes a few minutes afterward.
The place the kids get on the bus is about ten to fifteen minutes away from the school, depending on traffic. The school bell rings at 8:00. I was told that when the kids get to school, some go get their breakfast. These kids then take their breakfast to the classroom.
Conversations with the bus driver indicate that the bus driver is doing the best job they can do, yet has a sense of failure every day. Because the intent of the function is not happening, despite the rationalizations offered by all, the bus driver may not last long because most people don't like the sense of daily failure.
I am sure that it costs a lot of money to obtain the true function of public school transportation.
I assured the person that our school system was one of the best you could find across the nation. Don't worry about it because our kids are being looked after by the best that money can buy.
What would Dwight have done?
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Educating or Maintaining an Existence
I have often heard that the first goal of a bureaucracy is to maintain it's existence.
Understanding our Public Education System may require a multi-disciplinary approach.
I have chosen a few concepts from this article that might be germane. Who would have ever thought Karl Marx would be discussed along with a grading curve.
"It maintains the social division in order to confirm and justify its own status as a particular and privileged body in society. As real activities take place in civil society, the bureaucracy is itself condemned to formalism since it is completely occupied with preserving the frameworks in which its activities are carried out and in legitimating them."
"The bureaucrat makes the goal of the state his own private goal: "a pursuit of higher positions, the building of a career."
"Marx also shows that this materialism is accompanied by a similarly crass spiritualism: the bureaucracy wants to do all, and, in the absence of a real function, it is condemned to an unrelenting activity of selfjustification"
"This solidarity in incompetence goes quite far in tying the employee, situated on the bottom of the ladder, to the system of which he is a part. As a result, it is impossible for him to denounce this system without simultaneously denouncing the vanity of his own function, from which he derives his own material existence. Similarly, bureaucrats seek the highest positions and work itself is subordinated to the gaining or maintenance of personal status, such that the bureaucracy appears as an immense network of personal relations"
Understanding these concepts may give some understanding to why the administration did what they did with the grading curve, and why few are vocal about it.
Exam Curve Is A Formula For Student Failure
Understanding our Public Education System may require a multi-disciplinary approach.
I have chosen a few concepts from this article that might be germane. Who would have ever thought Karl Marx would be discussed along with a grading curve.
"It maintains the social division in order to confirm and justify its own status as a particular and privileged body in society. As real activities take place in civil society, the bureaucracy is itself condemned to formalism since it is completely occupied with preserving the frameworks in which its activities are carried out and in legitimating them."
"The bureaucrat makes the goal of the state his own private goal: "a pursuit of higher positions, the building of a career."
"Marx also shows that this materialism is accompanied by a similarly crass spiritualism: the bureaucracy wants to do all, and, in the absence of a real function, it is condemned to an unrelenting activity of selfjustification"
"This solidarity in incompetence goes quite far in tying the employee, situated on the bottom of the ladder, to the system of which he is a part. As a result, it is impossible for him to denounce this system without simultaneously denouncing the vanity of his own function, from which he derives his own material existence. Similarly, bureaucrats seek the highest positions and work itself is subordinated to the gaining or maintenance of personal status, such that the bureaucracy appears as an immense network of personal relations"
Understanding these concepts may give some understanding to why the administration did what they did with the grading curve, and why few are vocal about it.
Exam Curve Is A Formula For Student Failure
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Behavior Policies To Effect Behavior May Have To Focus Elsewhere
In response to a request for thoughts on developing policies, here, and here. I am becoming aware that I have a sequence of reactions. My first reaction is to not put much faith in policies. In order for an effective policy to work, the policy makers must somehow transfer the true intent and desired outcome to the policy enforcers. This is not easily done. Just try the game where people sit in a circle, then the first person reads a sentence to the person on their left, the message is repeated around the circle until it gets back to the reader. And see what you get.
As one who used to study the teaching of rats to follow a maze. played with "Skinner Boxes", worked in a psychiatric in-patient unit and participated in a nationwide AID's research on migrant workers, when it comes to behaviors, I am all up with scientific understanding of cause and effect.
In the late 70's, I also used to conduct parenting classes using the framework of Systematic Teaching for Effective Parenting (STEP). I think it may still be around.
While I respect the need for an answer to the question to develop effective behavior policies, I struggle with how to present my belief that the real answer lies in a comprehensive understanding of various social influences that may not be readily recognized.
Perhaps what I am trying to present can be illustrated by this article I found. It is a long read, but if one is truly interested in gaining a perspective of why common practice may not be working, it might be worth the time.
I chose a few comments that I would bring out in a discussion. I would also like to say to the readers to remember not to personalize the comments and reject the content. Self critique and continued analysis of one's part of the project is a must when trying to solve an issue one who is engaged with. The few teachers/administrators that read this are probably what the writer refers to below as "swimming up stream". His comments about middle school reminded me that two of my kids were temporarily placed in private schools due to the unsatisfactory circumstances in their middle school settings. And the reason they both wanted to go back to public school: socialization preferences. Two have graduated from college or it's equivalent, (Helen Keller National Center for deaf/blind for the disabled one), and one is attending.
Why Nerds Are Unpopular
"......And popularity is not something you can do in your spare time, not in the fiercely competitive environment of an American secondary school."
"But I think the main reason other kids persecute nerds is that it's part of the mechanism of popularity. Popularity is only partially about individual attractiveness. It's much more about alliances. To become more popular, you need to be constantly doing things that bring you close to other popular people, and nothing brings people closer than a common enemy
(Can we define "the enemy" as nerds, (the focus of this article), as adults (parents, teachers, etc,)?
......"I wonder if anyone in the world works harder at anything than American school kids work at popularity. Navy SEALs and neurosurgery residents seem slackers by comparison. They occasionally take vacations; some even have hobbies. An American teenager may work at being popular every waking hour, 365 days a year............
......For example, teenage kids pay a great deal of attention to clothes. They don't consciously dress to be popular. They dress to look good. But to who? To the other kids. Other kids' opinions become their definition of right, not just for clothes, but for almost everything they do, right down to the way they walk. And so every effort they make to do things "right" is also, consciously or not, an effort to be more popular.
The writer is talking about the social influence of "being popular" effecting behaviors.
".....Around the age of eleven, though, kids seem to start treating their family as a day job. They create a new world among themselves, and standing in this world is what matters, not standing in their family. Indeed, being in trouble in their family can win them points in the world they care about."
"....If it's any consolation to the nerds, it's nothing personal. The group of kids who band together to pick on you are doing the same thing, and for the same reason, as a bunch of guys who get together to go hunting. They don't actually hate you. They just need something to chase."
"......Public school teachers are in much the same position as prison wardens. Wardens' main concern is to keep the prisoners on the premises. They also need to keep them fed, and as far as possible prevent them from killing one another. Beyond that, they want to have as little to do with the prisoners as possible, so they leave them to create whatever social organization they want. From what I've read, the society that the prisoners create is warped, savage, and pervasive, and it is no fun to be at the bottom of it.
In outline, it was the same at the schools I went to. The most important thing was to stay on the premises. While there, the authorities fed you, prevented overt violence, and made some effort to teach you something. But beyond that they didn't want to have too much to do with the kids. Like prison wardens, the teachers mostly left us to ourselves. And, like prisoners, the culture we created was barbaric."
"......In my high school French class we were supposed to read Hugo's Les Miserables. I don't think any of us knew French well enough to make our way through this enormous book. Like the rest of the class, I just skimmed the Cliff's Notes. When we were given a test on the book, I noticed that the questions sounded odd. They were full of long words that our teacher wouldn't have used. Where had these questions come from? From the Cliff's Notes, it turned out. The teacher was using them too. We were all just pretending.
There are certainly great public school teachers. The energy and imagination of my fourth grade teacher, Mr. Mihalko, made that year something his students still talk about, thirty years later. But teachers like him were individuals swimming upstream. They couldn't fix the system."
"............We have a phrase to describe what happens when rankings have to be created without any meaningful criteria. We say that the situation degenerates into a popularity contest. And that's exactly what happens in most American schools. Instead of depending on some real test, one's rank depends mostly on one's ability to increase one's rank. It's like the court of Louis XIV. There is no external opponent, so the kids become one another's opponents." Could this be a commentary on in-house hiring practices?
"...........The mediocrity of American public schools has worse consequences than just making kids unhappy for six years. It breeds a rebelliousness that actively drives kids away from the things they're supposed to be learning."
"..........I'm not claiming that bad schools are the whole reason kids get into trouble with drugs. After a while, drugs have their own momentum. No doubt some of the freaks ultimately used drugs to escape from other problems-- trouble at home, for example. But, in my school at least, the reason most kids started using drugs was rebellion. Fourteen-year-olds didn't start smoking pot because they'd heard it would help them forget their problems. They started because they wanted to join a different tribe.
Misrule breeds rebellion; this is not a new idea. And yet the authorities still for the most part act as if drugs were themselves the cause of the problem"
"..........Adults, though, are busy. Showing up for school plays is one thing. Taking on the educational bureaucracy is another. Perhaps a few will have the energy to try to change things. I suspect the hardest part is realizing that you can."
".....If life seems awful to kids, it's neither because hormones are turning you all into monsters (as your parents believe), nor because life actually is awful (as you believe). It's because the adults, who no longer have any economic use for you, have abandoned you to spend years cooped up together with nothing real to do. Any society of that type is awful to live in. You don't have to look any further to explain why teenage kids are unhappy.
I've said some harsh things in this essay, but really the thesis is an optimistic one-- that several problems we take for granted are in fact not insoluble after all. Teenage kids are not inherently unhappy monsters. That should be encouraging news to kids and adults both." Paul Graham
As one who used to study the teaching of rats to follow a maze. played with "Skinner Boxes", worked in a psychiatric in-patient unit and participated in a nationwide AID's research on migrant workers, when it comes to behaviors, I am all up with scientific understanding of cause and effect.
In the late 70's, I also used to conduct parenting classes using the framework of Systematic Teaching for Effective Parenting (STEP). I think it may still be around.
While I respect the need for an answer to the question to develop effective behavior policies, I struggle with how to present my belief that the real answer lies in a comprehensive understanding of various social influences that may not be readily recognized.
Perhaps what I am trying to present can be illustrated by this article I found. It is a long read, but if one is truly interested in gaining a perspective of why common practice may not be working, it might be worth the time.
I chose a few comments that I would bring out in a discussion. I would also like to say to the readers to remember not to personalize the comments and reject the content. Self critique and continued analysis of one's part of the project is a must when trying to solve an issue one who is engaged with. The few teachers/administrators that read this are probably what the writer refers to below as "swimming up stream". His comments about middle school reminded me that two of my kids were temporarily placed in private schools due to the unsatisfactory circumstances in their middle school settings. And the reason they both wanted to go back to public school: socialization preferences. Two have graduated from college or it's equivalent, (Helen Keller National Center for deaf/blind for the disabled one), and one is attending.
Why Nerds Are Unpopular
"......And popularity is not something you can do in your spare time, not in the fiercely competitive environment of an American secondary school."
"But I think the main reason other kids persecute nerds is that it's part of the mechanism of popularity. Popularity is only partially about individual attractiveness. It's much more about alliances. To become more popular, you need to be constantly doing things that bring you close to other popular people, and nothing brings people closer than a common enemy
(Can we define "the enemy" as nerds, (the focus of this article), as adults (parents, teachers, etc,)?
......"I wonder if anyone in the world works harder at anything than American school kids work at popularity. Navy SEALs and neurosurgery residents seem slackers by comparison. They occasionally take vacations; some even have hobbies. An American teenager may work at being popular every waking hour, 365 days a year............
......For example, teenage kids pay a great deal of attention to clothes. They don't consciously dress to be popular. They dress to look good. But to who? To the other kids. Other kids' opinions become their definition of right, not just for clothes, but for almost everything they do, right down to the way they walk. And so every effort they make to do things "right" is also, consciously or not, an effort to be more popular.
The writer is talking about the social influence of "being popular" effecting behaviors.
".....Around the age of eleven, though, kids seem to start treating their family as a day job. They create a new world among themselves, and standing in this world is what matters, not standing in their family. Indeed, being in trouble in their family can win them points in the world they care about."
"....If it's any consolation to the nerds, it's nothing personal. The group of kids who band together to pick on you are doing the same thing, and for the same reason, as a bunch of guys who get together to go hunting. They don't actually hate you. They just need something to chase."
"......Public school teachers are in much the same position as prison wardens. Wardens' main concern is to keep the prisoners on the premises. They also need to keep them fed, and as far as possible prevent them from killing one another. Beyond that, they want to have as little to do with the prisoners as possible, so they leave them to create whatever social organization they want. From what I've read, the society that the prisoners create is warped, savage, and pervasive, and it is no fun to be at the bottom of it.
In outline, it was the same at the schools I went to. The most important thing was to stay on the premises. While there, the authorities fed you, prevented overt violence, and made some effort to teach you something. But beyond that they didn't want to have too much to do with the kids. Like prison wardens, the teachers mostly left us to ourselves. And, like prisoners, the culture we created was barbaric."
"......In my high school French class we were supposed to read Hugo's Les Miserables. I don't think any of us knew French well enough to make our way through this enormous book. Like the rest of the class, I just skimmed the Cliff's Notes. When we were given a test on the book, I noticed that the questions sounded odd. They were full of long words that our teacher wouldn't have used. Where had these questions come from? From the Cliff's Notes, it turned out. The teacher was using them too. We were all just pretending.
There are certainly great public school teachers. The energy and imagination of my fourth grade teacher, Mr. Mihalko, made that year something his students still talk about, thirty years later. But teachers like him were individuals swimming upstream. They couldn't fix the system."
"............We have a phrase to describe what happens when rankings have to be created without any meaningful criteria. We say that the situation degenerates into a popularity contest. And that's exactly what happens in most American schools. Instead of depending on some real test, one's rank depends mostly on one's ability to increase one's rank. It's like the court of Louis XIV. There is no external opponent, so the kids become one another's opponents." Could this be a commentary on in-house hiring practices?
"...........The mediocrity of American public schools has worse consequences than just making kids unhappy for six years. It breeds a rebelliousness that actively drives kids away from the things they're supposed to be learning."
"..........I'm not claiming that bad schools are the whole reason kids get into trouble with drugs. After a while, drugs have their own momentum. No doubt some of the freaks ultimately used drugs to escape from other problems-- trouble at home, for example. But, in my school at least, the reason most kids started using drugs was rebellion. Fourteen-year-olds didn't start smoking pot because they'd heard it would help them forget their problems. They started because they wanted to join a different tribe.
Misrule breeds rebellion; this is not a new idea. And yet the authorities still for the most part act as if drugs were themselves the cause of the problem"
"..........Adults, though, are busy. Showing up for school plays is one thing. Taking on the educational bureaucracy is another. Perhaps a few will have the energy to try to change things. I suspect the hardest part is realizing that you can."
".....If life seems awful to kids, it's neither because hormones are turning you all into monsters (as your parents believe), nor because life actually is awful (as you believe). It's because the adults, who no longer have any economic use for you, have abandoned you to spend years cooped up together with nothing real to do. Any society of that type is awful to live in. You don't have to look any further to explain why teenage kids are unhappy.
I've said some harsh things in this essay, but really the thesis is an optimistic one-- that several problems we take for granted are in fact not insoluble after all. Teenage kids are not inherently unhappy monsters. That should be encouraging news to kids and adults both." Paul Graham
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Image More Important Than Substance?
This article may hold information that is common to our public school education systems. For those who believe that the main goal of the system is to maintain an image of competence at the cost of achieving competence, this article fits the template.
Two teachers with apparent laudable backgrounds appear to be trying to improve their system. It appears they have the necessary experience to comprehend what changes were needed that would be beneficial.
For their efforts, they are banned.
"Traube said the district isn’t interested in public constructive criticism.
“I think its obvious what they want is a very cooperative relationship between anyone representing teachers,” he said. “They don’t want anyone to be adversarial in this district”.
"Chester, who is retired from a career in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has taught for seven years. Last year, children at one of the schools she was banned from nominated her for teacher of the year, she said. She also volunteered to start a penmanship club at one of the schools."
"Teaching is what she loves, Chester said. But, she said, “I would like the cloud of fear that people who work for this district are under to go away.”"
This is not the first time I have heard of a "cloud of fear" within a public school system.
Banned substitutes still speaking out against school district : Lee County : Naples Daily News
Two teachers with apparent laudable backgrounds appear to be trying to improve their system. It appears they have the necessary experience to comprehend what changes were needed that would be beneficial.
For their efforts, they are banned.
"Traube said the district isn’t interested in public constructive criticism.
“I think its obvious what they want is a very cooperative relationship between anyone representing teachers,” he said. “They don’t want anyone to be adversarial in this district”.
"Chester, who is retired from a career in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has taught for seven years. Last year, children at one of the schools she was banned from nominated her for teacher of the year, she said. She also volunteered to start a penmanship club at one of the schools."
"Teaching is what she loves, Chester said. But, she said, “I would like the cloud of fear that people who work for this district are under to go away.”"
This is not the first time I have heard of a "cloud of fear" within a public school system.
Banned substitutes still speaking out against school district : Lee County : Naples Daily News
Thursday, November 22, 2007
This Dot may be Huge if it is truly connected
While reading a story that appeared to be about the misstep of a Band Director, Texting Puts Teacher In Bind , I also read the comments.
If one reads this and follows the connections, it says a lot. First there is an allegation about a band director's ex-wife had an affair with the husband of a school board member who was having an affair with an administrator.
A more direct comment about the story is that apparently the "complaining parent" against the Band Director is also a "teacher". And the teacher/parent wants something.
This is just too much if it is true. Education just has to take a back seat to this story. And to think that decisions are made in the best interest of our children and our teachers.
This one stands out like a Dot of a solar ray:
Posted by ( cshultz110 ) on November 22, 2007 at 1:06 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
luvpercussion
You are completely correct! God forbid the truth come out. It is all politics, just ask Jenifer Felairo and Mark Hart (Opps, I forgot that affair was covered up . . . I am sooo sorry!) he, he Amazing how he just "left".
Folks, I have been in this district for 11 years and know for a fact that it IS a good ole' boys system. Lots of corruption and politics. To give you an idea (and yes, this is first hand knowledge), I was a band director and took a leave of absence last year after my now ex-wife had an affair with a promonent school board members now ex-husband. (Yes, they were both cheating on each other. See previously mentioned) After getting my act back together and returning from my leave, I was shocked to find that no principal would hire me. Not because of my performance, but because nobody wanted to touch the situation since it delt directly with a school board member and the politics it would involve. That is our school board folks!!! I can't wait for Mr. S to be obsolved of this accusations. Shame on the parent who is a teacher trying to play the system to get what they want. That should be the real headline: "How a teacher uses politics to ruin anothers career and how the school board helps them to do it."
If one reads this and follows the connections, it says a lot. First there is an allegation about a band director's ex-wife had an affair with the husband of a school board member who was having an affair with an administrator.
A more direct comment about the story is that apparently the "complaining parent" against the Band Director is also a "teacher". And the teacher/parent wants something.
This is just too much if it is true. Education just has to take a back seat to this story. And to think that decisions are made in the best interest of our children and our teachers.
This one stands out like a Dot of a solar ray:
Posted by ( cshultz110 ) on November 22, 2007 at 1:06 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
luvpercussion
You are completely correct! God forbid the truth come out. It is all politics, just ask Jenifer Felairo and Mark Hart (Opps, I forgot that affair was covered up . . . I am sooo sorry!) he, he Amazing how he just "left".
Folks, I have been in this district for 11 years and know for a fact that it IS a good ole' boys system. Lots of corruption and politics. To give you an idea (and yes, this is first hand knowledge), I was a band director and took a leave of absence last year after my now ex-wife had an affair with a promonent school board members now ex-husband. (Yes, they were both cheating on each other. See previously mentioned) After getting my act back together and returning from my leave, I was shocked to find that no principal would hire me. Not because of my performance, but because nobody wanted to touch the situation since it delt directly with a school board member and the politics it would involve. That is our school board folks!!! I can't wait for Mr. S to be obsolved of this accusations. Shame on the parent who is a teacher trying to play the system to get what they want. That should be the real headline: "How a teacher uses politics to ruin anothers career and how the school board helps them to do it."
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Some Business Components of Education
Interesting commentary.
Especially when he poses the thought that business decision makers of the education system should speak the truth.
Dade County teachers used to hold their IEP meetings in groups in the cafeteria. Imagine the monkey wrench thrown into that process when a knowledgeable parent comes along that the I in IEP stands for "individualized".
It appears that when these crossfires of time issues occur, it is the student that suffers. Being responsible and stressed does not make for a positive education environment, parent, teacher or student.
Florida School Boss: School Bosses in Planning Time Crossfire
Especially when he poses the thought that business decision makers of the education system should speak the truth.
Dade County teachers used to hold their IEP meetings in groups in the cafeteria. Imagine the monkey wrench thrown into that process when a knowledgeable parent comes along that the I in IEP stands for "individualized".
It appears that when these crossfires of time issues occur, it is the student that suffers. Being responsible and stressed does not make for a positive education environment, parent, teacher or student.
Florida School Boss: School Bosses in Planning Time Crossfire
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