Here We Go Again… Yesterday's newspaper editorial was crafted to intimidate our members
Change is difficult however change can only happen if the district provides the tools needed to get the job done properly. This simply is not happening. New Bedford continues to hire countless administrators while providing less and less support to their students and staff. Dr. Durkin is simply using fear to motivate our members. Her Administrative puppets are forcing teachers to work long hours without pay, attend countless meetings, hide violations,and falsify Department of Ed documents. This climate of fear is making our members sick.
New Bedford Public Schools hails as supporting its teachers, students, and community but this is just a façade. Students are NOT being given the special education services entitled to them. Teachers are being forced to use their personal money to provide their students with their basic learning needs. Still even after the generous funds from the city council many if not all of the students in the district continue to lack access to a textbook for each of their classes. Class time is filled with constant and continual assessment of students instead of quality instruction. Every minute of a teacher’s day is devoted to collecting and analyzing data. This isn't leaving any time to develop relationships with our students or plan engaging differentiated lesson.
When we talk about climate let’s remember what our students and teachers are facing. There are daily altercations at many of our schools. Teacher’s class sizes can be in excess of 30 students. This means that students are stuffed into classes like sardines. Due to the lack of funding, the district isn't providing instructional support services to some of our students. Teachers are being forced to teach music with no instruments, Physical Education without sports equipment, Art classes without art supplies and Science classes without lab equipment. How are teachers supposed to support 21st century learning when and if a computer is available it barley boots up or freezes in the middle of a web search or word document?
I know that many of the computers in the New Bedford School system are still operating windows millennium. That’s an operating system older than many of the students attending New Bedford Schools.
Dr. Durkin and the Mayor continue to ask everyone for their support and they continually speak about how this change is best for the students and school system. Clearly they are both playing lip service to the everyone. This letter is just another example of Dr. Durkin soliciting the support of anyone she can. The Standard Times, several UMASS Dartmouth faculty members, and some local faith groups are just a few of the pawns in her game.
Dr. Durkin has set the standard of success beyond everyone’s reach and is simply pulling the carpet out from under everyone. This action is followed up by the mantra if we don’t pull together the district is going to be taken over by the state. Dr. Durkin you can’t lead with FEAR.
WE NEED EVERYONE'S SUPPORT!!!
Please Attend The December 13thGeneral Meeting.
8 comments:
I learned music without instruments, science without beakers, phys Ed without fancy equipment.
Terrific post. Right on point. Money for top administrators but no money for computers and classroom materials.
Remember, some of these new positions were not appropriated in the FY14 budget.
To the person who learned music without instruments, etc.:
1) It isn't the world it was then! Welcome to the 21st century
2) There wasn't a lot of fancy equipment in the schools back then, but every student had a textbook for every class! And we took care of them....didn't write profanities all over them either.
I am not a teacher but I felt compelled to comment on the st article. What I read was a poor attempt to distract attention away from the truth. It sounded like a last ditch effort to give the appearance that teachers are unwilling to accept change. It also has undertones of threats. What it shows is fear pure and simple. Trying to grab the attention of the reader and make the teachers appear to be holding the schools hostage with unreasonable demands. The articles are always onesided which makes you wonder why they fear the public hearing the other side. Is it because the issues are real and need to be silenced? Instead of gaining support, the article actually makes foolish statements and unwarranted assumptions. It is insulting to the reader that they actually think we are that naive. It reeks of deceit and desperation. The standard times has side stepped the real issues in an attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of the public. They are failing miserably and it shows.
" If you don't stand for something, you fall for everything." Alexander Hamilton
I love how they compared the meeting to "mutiny." Give me a break!
Very aptly put...
Isn't it strange that the incident at Fairhaven High School made the front page, and the teacher assaults, sexting scandals, and numerous other events at NBHS have not even received one line of print in the sub-Standard Times?
The first post must come from a real success story--I think I know that person...they also walked to school uphill both ways.
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