Sunday, December 1, 2013

What's on your mind?

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Phil Paleologis has been attacking teachers and our union on his show on Wbsm for over a year. I think we all need to boycott his diner. We should not support a man who is trying to harm us.

Anonymous said...

I'm all for supporting a boycott against the Shawmut diner.

Anonymous said...

Mid-week with Mayor Mitchell seems to be nothing more then a love fest between Phil and Jon.

wcw said...

^Maybe Radio Hugs Phil is trying to get a break on the back taxes he owes the city.

Anonymous said...

I think my generation is the last of the career teacher. I think there will be no more people who do this for 30 plus years because the stress and poor pay is causing young teachers to leave in droves.

Anonymous said...

It makes me sad how much education has changed. It used to be fun to teach ... now I am merely waiting to get through the next few years and, even though I will be nowhere near the age for retirement, I AM already trying to figure out my options for "life after teaching." So sad that I already feel so done with it all.

Anonymous said...

Dr. Durkin and Mayor Mitchell are destroying our school system.

Anonymous said...

More attention needs to be paid to teacher retention and the high turnover rate of teachers if we want to make serious changes in the success of our students.

Anonymous said...

Here is just a few observations on the two pieces in Fridays' paper.

1.Regarding teachers being near the state average on teacher proficiency. Noticeably absent from the piece is a comment or two from the mayor or superintendent that teachers are doing a heck of a job under difficult conditions. Way to boost morale. Oh, that's right morale is at its highest point, we don't need the kudos.

2. Mitchell Chester has it wrong. The component in schooling that has the biggest magnitude in influencing students is good solid parenting, and not teacher effectiveness. Lets all remember, the dog wags the tail, it's not the other way around.

3. In the "Our View" piece. The ST is trying to get it right, but they just can't. They are practicing cognitive dissonance; torn between what is written and what is believed. I'm still trying to understand the paragraph that states that teacher assessments do not correlate to student performance, "but that reflects as much on the overall curriculum and education policy as it does anything else." What is this, or better yet, what is being implied?

So how can there be such a disparity between evals and test scores, well don't worry it won't happen again and will be fixed in the next go around. Test scores will not be going up, although I wish they would, so lets guess what will be coming down. Yep, you got it, it's the teacher's scores. An "A" for you if you guessed right.

4. Finally, the wrap up or conclusion if you will. Grammatically and contextually its a mess, but that is not the point. The point is that the majority of teachers have always set high standards without administrative oversight. The reference that we are meeting standards "for now" implies we didn't do it in the past, and maybe won't do it in the future? Now this insight!

Anonymous said...

December 13, 2013

Clear your schedule.

Anonymous said...

I ran into a friend of mine who teaches at NBHS and after a few minutes became speechless that my beloved alma mater has morphed into some bizzare alternative of the great NBHS of the 80's & 90's that so many of us are accustomed to.

1. There used to be a time when kids who broke the rules and/or disrupted class were punished swiftly and appropriately. Now they're given a pat on the back and sent back to class completely undermining teacher authority.
2. Safety for staff and students was never a concern but now the future thugs of New Bedford get to roam the halls freely with no consequences for their violent behavior.
3. Enrollment will continue to drop as parents seek alternative options for their children. Remember, regular folks always know what's happening in the streets and neighborhoods before those sitting in their ivory towers.
4. What we have is a leadership crisis at NBHS and I'm not just referring to the headmaster. A total clean sweep of all administration at the high school must happen. Too many of them will do anything to keep that extra pay when too few will do anything and everything "for the kids" . Selfishness and the "last 3 years for my pension" promotions have to end.
5. Alumni and city residents must have preference in being employed at NBHS. If you are not physically or emotionally invested in making NBHS a "flagship school" and only collect a check to spend in suburbia then please look elsewhere for employment. This point is even more important for administration.
6. Don't be afraid to put parents in their place. Political correctness is killing this country.
Thank you for the opportunity to vent on your forum.

Anonymous said...

The Shawmut Diner is a grease pit. I got food poisoning after I ate at his dump. Disgusting.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately it isn't just the highschool where we need a change in administration! There needs to be clear rules and expectations for students across the district. Administrators need to support teachers in this effort and stand up to parents who are not doing their part. No more excuses! Every child deserves an education BUT they do not deserve to negatively impact the education of others. The reality is we probably have about 15% of the population that should be put in an alternative setting...then the rest would see that there were actually repercussions and education would take place. Stop blaming teachers! Put rules, expectations, and consequences in place and follow through. Hire reliable, responsible, administrators that actually care and get Pia to realize that a 40% increase in unrealistic just as students running the schools is unsafe! I live in NB and teach here...for now :(

Anonymous said...

ALERT! ALERT! The bath water has been thrown out and we can't find the baby. Again, this is an ALERT! The bath water has been thrown out and we can't find the baby.

Anonymous said...

Please add to the post about the observations that the school committee did a great job of acknowledging teacher proficiency in our difficult environment. Is there any coffee left? Who ate the last donut?

Anonymous said...

My HS conduct card was sent back to me in an envelope and left in my mailbox with a message that it could not be accepted without homeroom number. Message received loud and clear.

Anonymous said...


Teachers, please reach out to the City Councilors. They are our friends and want to hear our stories. Much of what happens in this district is hidden from them, and Lou can't do this by himself. It is up to us to accurately inform the City Councilors. Our calls are welcome and encouraged. We are securing a network of support.

Anonymous said...

Why aren't assaults being put into IPASS?

Anonymous said...

Phil Paleologis is a bully hiding behind the façade of a radio announcer. How many people even listen to WBSM?

An NBHS teacher said...

Dear Santa:

What I want for Christmas is a safe workplace for my fellow teachers and all of our students. A place where education and not poloitical correctness is the priority. A place where EVERYONE supports the efforts of students and teachers to make education happen; students, administration, parents, teachers, support staff, and the community! Is that too much to ask?

Anonymous said...

Can't wait for December 13's meeting.

Anonymous said...

We really need to buck up for this meeting and make sure our fellow workers will be in attendance. Too many people have said to me that they do not plan to attend the meeting. They are afraid that Durkin will have photographs taken as we arrive. My thought, I must smile pretty! They are intimidated but they really need to realize that their act of coward behavior will set us back. If we do not attend in very large numbers, then the problems will only multiply. You NEED and OWE it to your coworkers to attend this meeting. Others have mentioned that they do not have child care. Bring your kids! My kids will all need to be there. Oh and then I have heard the excuse that it won't do any good by attending the meeting. Yes, thank you for contributing to our current situation. The last excuse I have heard was that they do not want to attend a b$tch session. This is not one of those sessions. We need to stand together. THAT IS WHAT A UNION IS! LOU IS NOT THE UNION. When you say that you pay your union dues and that the UNION does not do enough, get real! You are the union. Lou can not do this alone. Lou has been the best rep. that I have ever had at NBPS. Show up and be heard on December 13th!!

Anonymous said...

I agree with the post above. We need to one and ALL attend the meeting on the 13th of December. The Superintendent, Mayor, and School Committee can't fire or reprimand anyone for attending a meeting! Just think about it, who would want to come and teach in a system where teachers get fired for going to a meeting? Our district is already getting a bad reputation.

Attend, voice your concerns, stand STRONG, and FIGHT for what is right!

Our country fought for FREEDOM, don't let our leaders take that RIGHT away from US.

THANK YOU LOU FOR ALL YOU DO. STAND STRONG TEACHERS.

Anonymous said...

Is Dr. Durkin paying attention to the "data"under the NBPS Employment Opportunities (and I use the term loosely). Two positions available at the end of September. In October, "the opportunities"increased by two more. From November 1st through November 27th, there was a whopping twenty positions available. That's a 90% increase of people quitting, retiring early or just not running to apply for a job in NBPS since our new leader (and I use that term loosely) came on board.

Anonymous said...

How many of the new "leadership" team are coming in from Attleboro?