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Saturday, September 21, 2013
What's on your mind?
41 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Lou St. John was on the radio this morning on WBSM. Great job, Lou.
It's so sad that only those who have negative opinions about teachers make it on the newspaper and radio. Parents of New Bedford children, if you've had a great teacher, make it known. Most of my colleagues are putting in 12+ hours a day / both at school and at home. We care deeply about our students, we are professional, we work hard every day and long into the night. We need support. And Phil Palealogos should be ashamed of himself for not supporting us.
Well said!!!! It's time we stop all this teacher bashing....it's fun for some , I know, but for those of us putting in so much effort, and time into our profession, to the point of neglecting our health, personal time and neglecting our family, it definitely feels like a punch in the stomach.
I tried to get my call in Lou. I hate that the last call was that darn woman who insulted us AGAIN. Apparently when she was in school ( I'm guessing about 50 years ago). She had over 30 kids in her class and she turned out fine - so we need to quit wining. Unbelievable.
the last caller thinks we can talk to the students the way her teachers could. Our hands(and mouths) are tied. If class size doesn't matter..... Why do private schools boast about low class size? FIGURE IT OUT!
it's so difficult without librarians in NBHS. There's 1 place for the kids to go to do work on the computers and it's just not enough. I've resolved to letting some kids use my own laptop just so they can get things done.
I strongly advise any NBPS teacher to boycott Phil's show and sponsors(who's buying armaments anyway?).....hit him in the wallet---don't eat at his diner either(doesn't he owe taxes?)
I want this to be clear...an ordinary person can become an extraordinary teacher...but it does not happen overnight. It takes many years. You can't browbeat a person into becoming an effective teacher.
Great job this morning. Bring out, once again and falling on deaf ears, one of the facts that the computers and software at NBHS are broken and outdated is important along without having librarians yet this Superintendent has found money to create and will be hiring three new administrators which the School Committee members and Mayor approved.
Guess modern technology for our students is NOT a priority.
Pollock and the rest of the school committee have all the time in the world to visit innovation schools all over the state. But not one of them went to NBHS yesterday to support us. I bet they didn't go to Parker either.
Could things get any worse in the NB Public Schools? NBHS is now a level 4 school- that news and the ramifications that go along with it are absolutely frightening. Years ago our High School won an award for Excellence in Education - how did it happen that we are now at the bottom of the heap? Let's not put all the blame on teachers - let's blame all who deserve it - the administrators, former superintendents, principals, STUDENTS and their PARENTS. Oh - and let's not forget our totally useless School Committee - just proves that they had no idea what the heck was going on in our schools. In the 33 years that I taught school I can remember only one time that I was ever visited (in my classroom while school was in session) by a school committee member. Their have "failed to do the job they were elected to do."
The fact that the NB school committee did not come by to tour their schools and speak to their teachers and students is quite revealing! Where else could their priorities actually lie if not with New Bedford's students?
30 years ago the expectations for students were less demanding and teachers could be more creative. 30 years ago kids had art music phys ed and recess. 30 years ago parents had work ethic and instilled that into their families.
Lou, I was listening, but didn't think it was too safe to call in while driving on 195 to BCC....I'm so tired of this teacher bashing by people who drive BY the high school and are so quick to judge books by what appears to be their covers!!
The last caller who mentioned the 30 plus students in her class years ago is totally clueless. Things, time, neighborhoods, and the city have changed in the last 40 years. This is not the same city it once was with quiet and clean neighborhoods, very little crime, parents who instilled values and the importance of an education. Guess that caller is living under a rock and totally oblivious to what is happening in the city.
The fact is that the city of New Bedford has a huge problem with SOME parents who DO NOT make education a priority for their children and DO NOT take an interest in their education. While many of the parents in this city are caring and dedicated, there is a large percentage of parents who DO NOT participate in the education of their children. These same parents think nothing of spending $200 on sneakers for their children every other month but will outright refuse to purchase so much as a folder for class. Why bother buying school supplies when the teachers will buy them instead?
Come to New Bedford High School during Open House. Count the number of parents that come to meet the teachers. If NBHS asked teachers to start keeping track of the amount of parents that they see at either one of the two Open House nights compared to the number of students they have, the numbers would be astounding.
It might also be helpful to count the number of students who leave school at the end of the day WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A BOOK to take home. Many students refuse to take work home which should not be a surprise since these are the same students who do not do work in class. You would think that the parents of these students would ask them where their homework is or call the school to find out. Yet these calls and inquiries are few, and many students seem to simply be attending school for breakfast, lunch, and socialization. Education is the least of their concern.
Teachers have been complaining about this problem for years. They have received very little to no support from parents. Some parents blame the teachers as if they are the ones responsible for raising their children. It is as if these parents simply have children and plop them in front of the television for four years until they are old enough to go to school and then hope that the schools will raise their children for them. Since the schools feed students who qualify for free breakfast and lunch and many teachers support their students school supplies and extracurricular related costs with their own personal money, it should come as no surprise that some parents now seem to expect this from this city's teachers.
Teachers are being made out to be lazy, uncaring, inept, part-time help who enjoy their summers off and shorter work days. The people who think this about teachers are ignorant.
The information has been out there for years. The community has been told multiple times that teachers do NOT get paid for their "summer vacation". They have been told that teachers have to earn masters degrees and professional development points through additional coursework to re-certify their teaching licenses. They know that teachers in New Bedford spend their own money to furnish their classrooms with supplies, technology, tissues, and even BOOKS.
What is happening in New Bedford is a direct result of the lack of respect for educators. No professional should have to go to work to be sworn at and bullied by students, and then reprimanded and and told that they are UNSATISFACTORY by unsupportive administrators who offer no solutions but now expect miracles like a 40% increase in test scores.
Yes, this is an urban district with urban problems, but that is not an excuse for this type of treatment of teachers. These students deserve to know better and deserve to understand that they cannot go around talking the way that they do to each other or to adults without consequences.
The weight of the world is on the New Bedford High School teachers right now as well as the other teachers in this district. They need the city's support. They do not need to be demoralized by the local newspaper, local two-bit radio hosts, or ignorant community members who offer NO support and NO solutions.
Thank you to all of the GOOD parents, GOOD administrators, and GOOD community members who continue to support teachers during this difficult time.
It should be made public that many students in New Bedford score poor on MCAS because they have large gaps in their education due to the current block schedule. Some students only have 9th grade English and 9th grade Math before they take MCAS at the end of grade 10 because of the 2-semester block schedule. These students are not scheduled to take math and/or English during semester 1. Therefore, they have only a few weeks of instruction in these subjects before taking MCAS. This has probably had an affect on test scores.
I hope Dr. Durkin is logging on and has figured out that many of her administrators are low brow and unprofessional and continue to be a large part of the problem - not part of the solution.
Like every profession I assume a small percentage of teachers are collecting a check and running out of the building as fast as possible but most work hard and care about there students. It has to be disheartening to have unruly students sent back to class with no repercussions for bad behavior. I think the lack of support from nbhs administration and PRAB has desensitized many wonderful teachers and clearly affected their ability to teach. Now why isn't Durkin singling out Mr Haskell and the wonderful IPass scheduling system that ushered total chaos on the high school to start the year. And why didn't Natalie Sherman mention this in her "scheduling" article. She knew how to make administrators look bad in her blog during the summer for questioning the input of information into IPASS. How did that work out Barry. Not a peep. From PRAB. If Durkin wants change then clean up the dead weight at PRAB that has saddled the district with ridiculous initiatives and wasted $$$ on cardboard signs that haven't achieved a thing other than to waste $$$. These will be the first people to throw Durkin under the bus when given the chance. I've saved the best for last. Marlene Pollack was such a huge part of the problem and the high school. She brought in suspended students along with parents into the headmaster's office and demanded the suspensions be overturned and sure enough they would be. Headmaster's fault. His leadership was undermined and he allowed it to happen. Going forward I hope the resources will be put in place to allow NBHS to flourish once again and give students and teachers a chance to be successful
Who are those kids on the signs.Anyway?Do they even belong to the high school? No one seems to know..are they from new bedford?that whole thing is stupid..a kids not headed anywhere if the don't have supports from middle school thru college..
Since New Bedford educators"suck", according to DESE , the mayor and the superintendent, lets have this experiment : let's take the teachers from the top schools in Massachusetts and put them in our low performing schools in New Bedford and take those teachers from the low performing schools in NB and put them in the top schools in Massachusetts and see what happens with the MCAS scores. Wander what the results would be!
How about this.....let's have all the know-it-alls from PRAB,including the mayor,and the school committee, come into the classes and show everyone how it's done!! I don't mean for one class period I'm talking about an extended period of time!!! Let's see them raise the scores by 40%!! Remember....no suspensions when a student tells you to f-off, continually disrupts the learning process, or tells you to suck a portion of their anatomy!!!! Are you listening Marlene??
Hey! Don't you understand? That's how they talk! You need to be more compassionate and learn about their reality. (Hopefully everyone will see the sarcasm coming from my fingers). Should one of my students tell me to F off I must 1) try to diffuse the situation. 2) keep the child priority should it happen again. 3) if it happens again call home - do the numbers work? 4) if it happens again tell the housemaster about all the times I 've tried to change the behavior 5). Write a conduct card. Let the administrator handle it. Are we talking about a verbal assault here?
Now....if YOU were to swear at the student he or she could write you up and there would be immediate consequences. Funny isn't it? Don't get me wrong I AM NOT advocating for staff swearing but I know of staff who have slipped up and been immediately reprimanded for a mistake not a conscious "f*** you" Students need to learn that there are rules and consequences for breaking those rules....just like in the real world....speeding, running red lights, drunk driving, etc...
As a parent I think it is terrible that a student would swear at a teacher,total lack of parenting skills.....at the high school could you please tell you superintendent and the headmaster to please have those students pick up their pants and stop showing their underwear.
As a teacher, I've seen more than just underwear. . . .butt cracks and anatomy in the front. When I've told students to pick up their pants, sometimes they'll tell me "not to look." I tell them it is my job "to look" and maintain order in my classroom or hallways. Students think all the rights that are going their way now will continue in the real world. The last laugh will come when they get a real douse of reality when they try to get a job! GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!!!
41 comments:
Lou St. John was on the radio this morning on WBSM. Great job, Lou.
It's so sad that only those who have negative opinions about teachers make it on the newspaper and radio. Parents of New Bedford children, if you've had a great teacher, make it known. Most of my colleagues are putting in 12+ hours a day / both at school and at home. We care deeply about our students, we are professional, we work hard every day and long into the night. We need support. And Phil Palealogos should be ashamed of himself for not supporting us.
Well said!!!! It's time we stop all this teacher bashing....it's fun for some , I know, but for those of us putting in so much effort, and time into our profession, to the point of neglecting our health, personal time and neglecting our family, it definitely feels like a punch in the stomach.
Hey Lou and the teachers of NB....
I Think I Love You
The NBEA Badass Teachers are up!
Two great hours of radio!
Great job Lou. Too bad you couldn't respond to that last remark.
The last caller didn't have a clue.
I tried to get my call in Lou. I hate that the last call was that darn woman who insulted us AGAIN. Apparently when she was in school ( I'm guessing about 50 years ago). She had over 30 kids in her class and she turned out fine - so we need to quit wining. Unbelievable.
I did Lou and it felt good!!! tired of all the bs!!
the last caller thinks we can talk to the students the way her teachers could. Our hands(and mouths) are tied. If class size doesn't matter..... Why do private schools boast about low class size? FIGURE IT OUT!
Great job Lou!! Also, kudos to the young teacher from NBHS for his courage to speak up!!!
Been listening, great job!
Listening... Thanks for all you do Lou...
it's so difficult without librarians in NBHS. There's 1 place for the kids to go to do work on the computers and it's just not enough. I've resolved to letting some kids use my own laptop just so they can get things done.
I strongly advise any NBPS teacher to boycott Phil's show and sponsors(who's buying armaments anyway?).....hit him in the wallet---don't eat at his diner either(doesn't he owe taxes?)
I hope teachers will defriend Phil "I never prepare for my show with facts" Paleologos.
I want this to be clear...an ordinary person can become an extraordinary teacher...but it does not happen overnight. It takes many years. You can't browbeat a person into becoming an effective teacher.
Great job this morning. Bring out, once again and falling on deaf ears, one of the facts that the computers and software at NBHS are broken and outdated is important along without having librarians yet this Superintendent has found money to create and will be hiring three new administrators which the School Committee members and Mayor approved.
Guess modern technology for our students is NOT a priority.
Pollock and the rest of the school committee have all the time in the world to visit innovation schools all over the state. But not one of them went to NBHS yesterday to support us.
I bet they didn't go to Parker either.
NO CONFIDENCE, IN JON MITCHELL, PIA DURKIN, AND THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
Could things get any worse in the NB Public Schools? NBHS is now a level 4 school- that news and the ramifications that go along with it are absolutely frightening. Years ago our High School won an award for Excellence in Education - how did it happen that we are now at the bottom of the heap? Let's not put all the blame on teachers - let's blame all who deserve it - the administrators, former superintendents, principals, STUDENTS and their PARENTS. Oh - and let's not forget our totally useless School Committee - just proves that they had no idea what the heck was going on in our schools. In the 33 years that I taught school I can remember only one time that I was ever visited (in my classroom while school was in session) by a school committee member. Their have "failed to do the job they were elected to do."
The fact that the NB school committee did not come by to tour their schools and speak to their teachers and students is quite revealing! Where else could their priorities actually lie if not with New Bedford's students?
30 years ago the expectations for students were less demanding and teachers could be more creative. 30 years ago kids had art music phys ed and recess. 30 years ago parents had work ethic and instilled that into their families.
Lou, I was listening, but didn't think it was too safe to call in while driving on 195 to BCC....I'm so tired of this teacher bashing by people who drive BY the high school and are so quick to judge books by what appears to be their covers!!
Great job this morning!
The last caller who mentioned the 30 plus students in her class years ago is totally clueless. Things, time, neighborhoods, and the city have changed in the last 40 years. This is not the same city it once was with quiet and clean neighborhoods, very little crime, parents who instilled values and the importance of an education. Guess that caller is living under a rock and totally oblivious to what is happening in the city.
Amazing!!
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/09/20/is-this-america-parent-manhandled-arrested-while-speaking-out-against-common-core-at-public-forum/
The fact is that the city of New Bedford has a huge problem with SOME parents who DO NOT make education a priority for their children and DO NOT take an interest in their education. While many of the parents in this city are caring and dedicated, there is a large percentage of parents who DO NOT participate in the education of their children. These same parents think nothing of spending $200 on sneakers for their children every other month but will outright refuse to purchase so much as a folder for class. Why bother buying school supplies when the teachers will buy them instead?
Come to New Bedford High School during Open House. Count the number of parents that come to meet the teachers. If NBHS asked teachers to start keeping track of the amount of parents that they see at either one of the two Open House nights compared to the number of students they have, the numbers would be astounding.
It might also be helpful to count the number of students who leave school at the end of the day WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A BOOK to take home. Many students refuse to take work home which should not be a surprise since these are the same students who do not do work in class. You would think that the parents of these students would ask them where their homework is or call the school to find out. Yet these calls and inquiries are few, and many students seem to simply be attending school for breakfast, lunch, and socialization. Education is the least of their concern.
Teachers have been complaining about this problem for years. They have received very little to no support from parents. Some parents blame the teachers as if they are the ones responsible for raising their children. It is as if these parents simply have children and plop them in front of the television for four years until they are old enough to go to school and then hope that the schools will raise their children for them. Since the schools feed students who qualify for free breakfast and lunch and many teachers support their students school supplies and extracurricular related costs with their own personal money, it should come as no surprise that some parents now seem to expect this from this city's teachers.
Teachers are being made out to be lazy, uncaring, inept, part-time help who enjoy their summers off and shorter work days. The people who think this about teachers are ignorant.
The information has been out there for years. The community has been told multiple times that teachers do NOT get paid for their "summer vacation". They have been told that teachers have to earn masters degrees and professional development points through additional coursework to re-certify their teaching licenses. They know that teachers in New Bedford spend their own money to furnish their classrooms with supplies, technology, tissues, and even BOOKS.
What is happening in New Bedford is a direct result of the lack of respect for educators. No professional should have to go to work to be sworn at and bullied by students, and then reprimanded and and told that they are UNSATISFACTORY by unsupportive administrators who offer no solutions but now expect miracles like a 40% increase in test scores.
Yes, this is an urban district with urban problems, but that is not an excuse for this type of treatment of teachers. These students deserve to know better and deserve to understand that they cannot go around talking the way that they do to each other or to adults without consequences.
The weight of the world is on the New Bedford High School teachers right now as well as the other teachers in this district. They need the city's support. They do not need to be demoralized by the local newspaper, local two-bit radio hosts, or ignorant community members who offer NO support and NO solutions.
Thank you to all of the GOOD parents, GOOD administrators, and GOOD community members who continue to support teachers during this difficult time.
It should be made public that many students in New Bedford score poor on MCAS because they have large gaps in their education due to the current block schedule. Some students only have 9th grade English and 9th grade Math before they take MCAS at the end of grade 10 because of the 2-semester block schedule. These students are not scheduled to take math and/or English during semester 1. Therefore, they have only a few weeks of instruction in these subjects before taking MCAS. This has probably had an affect on test scores.
Is NB VOC-TECH still allowed to dump off their low-performing behavior-problem students?
NBHS often gets students that are "kicked out" of Voc for these reasons (though Voc keeps the funding for these students).
I hope Dr. Durkin is logging on and has figured out that many of her administrators are low brow and unprofessional and continue to be a large part of the problem - not part of the solution.
Like every profession I assume a small percentage of teachers are collecting a check and running out of the building as fast as possible but most work hard and care about there students. It has to be disheartening to have unruly students sent back to class with no repercussions for bad behavior. I think the lack of support from nbhs administration and PRAB has desensitized many wonderful teachers and clearly affected their ability to teach.
Now why isn't Durkin singling out Mr Haskell and the wonderful IPass scheduling system that ushered total chaos on the high school to start the year. And why didn't Natalie Sherman mention this in her "scheduling" article. She knew how to make administrators look bad in her blog during the summer for questioning the input of information into IPASS. How did that work out Barry. Not a peep. From PRAB.
If Durkin wants change then clean up the dead weight at PRAB that has saddled the district with ridiculous initiatives and wasted $$$ on cardboard signs that haven't achieved a thing other than to waste $$$. These will be the first people to throw Durkin under the bus when given the chance.
I've saved the best for last. Marlene Pollack was such a huge part of the problem and the high school. She brought in suspended students along with parents into the headmaster's office and demanded the suspensions be overturned and sure enough they would be. Headmaster's fault. His leadership was undermined and he allowed it to happen.
Going forward I hope the resources will be put in place to allow NBHS to flourish once again and give students and teachers a chance to be successful
Who are those kids on the signs.Anyway?Do they even belong to the high school? No one seems to know..are they from new bedford?that whole thing is stupid..a kids not headed anywhere if the don't have supports from middle school thru college..
Since New Bedford educators"suck", according to DESE , the mayor and the superintendent, lets have this experiment : let's take the teachers from the top schools in Massachusetts and put them in our low performing schools in New Bedford and take those teachers from the low performing schools in NB and put them in the top schools in Massachusetts and see what happens with the MCAS scores. Wander what the results would be!
How about this.....let's have all the know-it-alls from PRAB,including the mayor,and the school committee, come into the classes and show everyone how it's done!! I don't mean for one class period I'm talking about an extended period of time!!! Let's see them raise the scores by 40%!! Remember....no suspensions when a student tells you to f-off, continually disrupts the learning process, or tells you to suck a portion of their anatomy!!!! Are you listening Marlene??
Hey! Don't you understand? That's how they talk! You need to be more compassionate and learn about their reality. (Hopefully everyone will see the sarcasm coming from my fingers). Should one of my students tell me to F off I must 1) try to diffuse the situation. 2) keep the child priority should it happen again. 3) if it happens again call home - do the numbers work? 4) if it happens again tell the housemaster about all the times I 've tried to change the behavior 5). Write a conduct card. Let the administrator handle it. Are we talking about a verbal assault here?
Now....if YOU were to swear at the student he or she could write you up and there would be immediate consequences. Funny isn't it? Don't get me wrong I AM NOT advocating for staff swearing but I know of staff who have slipped up and been immediately reprimanded for a mistake not a conscious "f*** you"
Students need to learn that there are rules and consequences for breaking those rules....just like in the real world....speeding, running red lights, drunk driving, etc...
As a parent I think it is terrible that a student would swear at a teacher,total lack of parenting skills.....at the high school could you please tell you superintendent and the headmaster to please have those students pick up their pants and stop showing their underwear.
As a teacher, I've seen more than just underwear. . . .butt cracks and anatomy in the front. When I've told students to pick up their pants, sometimes they'll tell me "not to look." I tell them it is my job "to look" and maintain order in my classroom or hallways. Students think all the rights that are going their way now will continue in the real world. The last laugh will come when they get a real douse of reality when they try to get a job! GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!!!
They don't need a job they will just go on welfare or get some girl pregnant and sit on her couch as she hands over her welfare check an EBT card.
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