Who gave the OK to put our kids in the middle of this idiocy?
The letter itself has four steps to it: 1 Write a letter of intent (I thought we already did that), 2. Complete the enclosed questions which align with the educator evaluation state standards, 3. Provide 1-2 work samples or pieces of evidence that reflect work in each standard area, and finally turning the material in the envelope in to the Headmaster's secretary all by Friday the 14th! God help us! Another binder!
100 comments:
This is an OUTRAGE! Students had no business delivering those letters. It shows the cowardice of administrators at NBHS and PRAB. WE need to turn out in force at the candlelight vigil. The New Bedford teacher revolution must continue.
Those that want to stay will be required to submit intense evidence of their commitment to do so, new hires please bring a crayon and your TFA membership card.
Could you please scan and post this letter for us to read? Thank you.
These letters could have been delivered by administrators or through interoffice mail. Students should not be involved in any of the turn around plans or the expose by channel 6 news either. I know that some of the students at NBHS are considered adults, but the negotiations and the letters of intent for teachers should be between Dr. Durkin, the mayor , the union and the school committee. It is ridiculous to what level this is being taken and how inappropriate and disrespectful this has become. I feel for my colleagues.
Unbelievable!!
All I can say is OMG. Putting students in the middle by hand delivering and having teachers sign for the letter is lacking in poor management and leadership skills by Durkin. Did the Attleboro School Committee have a student hand deliver and she sign the letter when the Attleboro School Committee did NOT renew her contract. NO
Durkin strikes again!
So sorry. For you, and for the poor students. All I can say is - the lunatics are in charge of the asylum. :(
Stay New Bedford strong. Thoughts and prayers for you all.
Check your facts...this was NOT a Durkin call!
Check out the Agenda for Monday's SC meeting on the NBPS site. Dr. Durkin wants to create more administrative positions.
Recently appointed Superintendent Dr. Pia Durkin, a proven turnaround leader, is building a team of reform-minded educational leaders.
I guess it's more of an ARMY than a TEAM
Lots of bodies downtown and skeleton crews in the classrooms. That's the Durkin road to excellence.
^I blame the mayor and SC for allowing her to spend our limited resources in the wrong places.
any school closures in the works? I've heard talk about Rodman and Kempton going.
I can't wait for her first budget to be unveiled.
Don't like this......why do we involve any students....delivery should be by administrators and through interschool mail.....
Let the "insanity" continue.....this is absolutely beyond belief. What didn't the superintendent deliver those letters herself? She was probably afraid that she would have to dodge a fight or even be assaulted as she walked down the halls of NBHS. What "brainless" idiot thought it would be a good idea to have a student deliver those letters.
So the superintendent of New Bedford decides to fire the entire staff of the high school, and promises to hire back no more than half that number...and doesn't even have the integrity to deliver the official letter herself. Instead, she forces the errand on high school students. Shameful.
If it wasn't a "Durkin call", whose was it? That makes no sense.
That is absolutely ridiculous, where the hell are the administrators? No guts or didn't they think it was important enough. I don't care if the directive came from central, I would've delivered them myself or with the Assistant Headmaster. At very least the Housemaster. My god, has every bit of professionalism and common sense been stripped from the high school's administration? How can someone put students in the chain of command? I am absolutely ashamed of that group of administrators. If I were submitting my paperwork, I would demand a time stamped receipt from the time stamp in the Headmaster's office.
If the staff was united they would ALL refuse to submit so much work by Friday. How can you be an effective teacher the week before vacation at the same time you are compiling all this data about yourself and cementing your desire to stay?
If she were a reasonable woman she would have allowed us the vacation week to get this
Letter was signed by Durkin. No one to even answer a question or give guidance as to what they even expect to be in this packet. Plus teachers were blindsided by this in the middle of teaching class and expected to sign for their packet and resume to their lesson.
I felt horrible for the two poor kids that came to my room to have me sign for the letter. The boy kept apologizing and the girl put her head down and said "they want you to sign here." If that wasn't bad enough, one of my students yelled out "that's mean, it sucks." How was I supposed to feel after that? Which of the cowardly idiots in the high school administration thought this was a good idea? How can they say "it's all about the kids" and then put them in this situation? How low are they willing to sink? It's not like doing things like this will save their jobs.
The two unfortunate who delivered to me were students I had last year. They were heartbroken at being given this task. I hugged them both and told them not to feel guilty, it wasn't their fault. I also encouraged them to advocate for their school, because they felt this was such an injustice.
Why didn't old pia deliver the notices herself? Doesn't want to really see the reality that she has spawned. She is a coward just like her boy Mitchell. I can't capitalize their names because I have no respect for either person.
Oh, then announced over intercom at the end of the day, that any teacher who didn't receive their reapplication packet could go sign for it in their respective house office. ... just in case any person in the building didn't know what was happening. Rub salt in the wound
More administration and less teachers, why are we actually paying that $$$$$ a huge salary? They could hire at least 3-4 teachers with what the administration makes individually ! What a waste of money!
EVERY person that works for the New Bedford School system SHOULD attend the vigil on Monday.NO EXCUSES!!!
Sounds like Pia's way of punishing the teachers at NBHS for exposing the violence they endure everyday. This woman is devious and will stop at nothing to get her way.
It's disgraceful... Just so wrong!
How shameful, misguided, and demented is this???!!!
I listened to her interview on fun107 and that was one angry woman. The interview was not going her way and her true colors were showing. For someone who demands so much from the high school teachers, it was rather ironic she couldn't answer very basic questions openly and honestly. Her tone was extremely condescending. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!
We're gonna need bigger candles. Maybe then the SC can see the light?
It is imperative that we model our solidarity and professionalism to the superintendent, SC, and mayor at Monday night's vigil. I hope the media , like the teachers, are there en masse. We have not yet begun to fight....
If Pia Durkin was half the Professional she claimed to be, she would have delivered each letter herself. She owes the Teachers at least that....Having students do it? Mayor Mitchell what is going on at City Hall?
In reference to the above post: SC isn't "too bright" (pun intended). They need all the help they can get.
To the comment "check your facts, it wasn't a Durkin directive" ...There SHOULD HAVE been a Durkin or a Directive that the letters be delivered by top administration, She falls short again! She sent explicit instructions on how to "address the envelop" for our letter of intent (to keep apply for our OWN jobs) but no instruction with something as serious as the distribution of these packets! The letters SHOULD NEVER have been delivered during class time...Time on learning was interrupted, after we were previously instructed to "limit discussion with the students" on this subject.....FAIL! It is a set up!
So to summarize, Durkin chose the turnaround model...set the requirements for reapplying, created the packets, and finally allowed underperforming teenagers to deliver them to their ineffective teachers.
All of these letters should have been sent out via the USPS Certified with Return Receipt Requested. Anyone in the business world knows that but apparently Durkin is unaware or doesn't care. I believe it is the latter.
Handing out these packets during the school day and during classroom instruction truly indicates a total lack of leadership. The buck stops on Durkin's desk. As far as tightening up on the disciplinary action throughout the district, she is failing at that also.
Thank you Mayor Mitchell and School Committee for giving us SUCH A GREAT LEADER--another failure on your part! Now we know another reason why we have a failing school system--look from the TOP downward, Durkin, Mayor, and School Committee.
Pia Durkin is a cold, ruthless person! She does not belong here and we must do everything we can to move her out of New Bedford. School employees must stick together and support each other to get rid of this evil woman. She can take Mitchell with her. He is totally useless as mayor of our city!!
How sad and unprofessional. Of course teachers would be emotional after receiving this letter. They should have been granted the dignity of not appearing before their students and the students should have been spared this also. Obviously none of the administrators have a heart or given this any thought. Or maybe this was payback!!! Pia was embarrassed by the Channel 6 expose so....
Probably the superintendents idea. I've heard many times she's a pretty cold person.
Bring on the next teachers to be assaulted , threatened and bullied by out Of line students. This should cure the problem........not
My heart goes out to the teachers that do not deserve this pathetic so called solution to years of administration not doing their jobs.
superintendent is only worried about her six figure salary and huge pension.....bottom line
get rid of her and hire someone else
terrible
This city is run by a bunch people with no common sense.
Based on what I've heard and from her call to Fun107 she sounds dreadful.
disgusting....
I am so against this. Maybe government officials should take a pay cut.
Unreal. Most likely the students who were made to do with this are students who are great students. .. Way to go School Dept. Break the kids that are doing good. What a joke.
Wow send the students to do the superintendent's dirty work, (Based on what I heard on fun107 she sounds so cocky and full of herself.) it's something a coward would do.
If Dr D truly believes that this turnaround model is in the best interest of the students of New Bedford, she should have hand delivered all these packets herself and NOT allowed any student involvement. Furthermore,
she continues to higher top salary administrators to her agenda, without thinking of the needs of these students. She's a woman WITHOUT a heart on a mission to destroy public school education in New Bedford. God Bless us all!
The whole situation is sad. My daughter just graduated from there in June and received an excellent education. She's now in college on a full scholarship. I can't say in her four years there she had one bad teacher. I will say it until I'm blue in the face the reason the school is where it's at is because of kids who don't care and lack of parental guidance. Teachers in high school are not there to discipline your child. Parents need to step up to the plate and do YOUR job! I give credit to each teacher who has to deal with nonsense like that each and everyday.
So wrong to disrespect the teachers by having kids give them notices
The students are the only ones to suffer by doing this and switching teachers mid way through...this superintendent needs to be replaced!!! Clearly
Fire the Superintendent immediately !!!!
The students who delivered my notice are hard working wonderful kids. Since I had no idea what they were delivering I cheerfully greeted them, in front of my entire class and asked them what they had for me. To see them become so uncomfortable and fumble over their words was heartbreaking. I reassured them that everything was fine but inwardly I was furious at these great kids had to be put in this position.
That's a shame in the middle of the school year. The students will lose morale teachers are to blame for everything the superintendent should be FIRED She's the worse I've ever seen!!!
Dr. Durkin doesn't have a heart.
This is a disgrace,plain and simple.
To all those administrators kissing up to her,she's on to your game also,she knows what you say about her behind her back,your next.
I believe that each teacher would be better served if they just applied to any other school district within their travelling radius. Why would they want to leave themselves open to this sort of thing possibly happening again. OH! That's right they'll do it because they care more about serving the students than they care about serving themselves.
Pia, if she stays here for her three year contract, will be entitled to a hefty pension if she retires after NB approximately $140+ K.
Our Mayor and School Committee have FAILED to provide the district with the right leadership.
We have to stick TOGETHER and SUPPORT each other NOW because Pia and the gutless mayor will move on to attack others who are employed by the school department. It's just a matter of time !! They have an agenda and they need to be STOPPED NOW!!! There is STRENGTH IN UNITY. There are MORE of us than them.Let's show them what we're truly made of and TURN THEM AROUND!
HOW SAD MR. MAYOR!You should be ashamed just as much as everybody who lives in this city is. Anyone with any knowledge knows, IF THE LEAVES ON THE TREE ARE SICK, CHECK THE ROOTS! DON'T CUT OFF THE BRANCH!I think it's time to clean house from the top down. You will find the problem is not with the teachers but with the so called leader of this city and his appointments. Lets get order back to this city.
Evil Pia, the no backbone mayor and the gutless school committee should be ashamed of themselves for allowing the students of NBHS do their dirty work. I feel so badly for those educators and for the poor students who are so affected by all this chaos created by these elected FOOLS! Is this how you show that you really care for our children in New Bedford? It is time that Pia, the mayor and the school committee SMARTEN UP! Would you want this to be happening to your children and grandchildren? I doubt it.
I left the profession. I had enough. You folks need to band together and get this maniac FIRED. Trust me, if you picket, if you get the news involved, if you keep turning up the heat, someone with common sense will start the process to send the good Dr packing. Other school systems are not like this. They are run by professionals. I think Dr. Durkin should have to compile a binder to submit to the NBEA to justify why she should keep HER job! Best wishes to you all.
Please contact Channel 6, Channel 10, Channel 12...all of them. This superintendent should be fired immediately for such an unprofessional act. Turn up the heat folks!!!
This Superintendent is a joke. She is criminal. Don't let her off the hook. I no longer teach, but I am pulling for each and every one of you. Check into a possible lawsuit. Could probably get Scott Lang to represent you all!!! This horrendous behavior and mistreatment of teachers has to end. Until you all WALK OUT and leave them hanging, nothing will change. Band together and make a stand!!!
Man Dr. Durkin certainly displays RIGOR in ruining people's lives! A very heartless woman, but then again most of us knew that before she got here. Leave it to New Bedford to hire someone that had been canned twice! Go figure.
You're a mean one Dr. Durkin (sung to How the Grinch ruined NB public schools)....
Wonder if Phil P. will be upset with the way the superintendent handed out the letters to the faculty at the high school or will he be elated! After all, she is the best superintendent, according to the Education Mayor, in the country and a proven leader. The only things she has proven are increasing her administrative team, her pension, and bullying teachers and staff.
Mitchell kept saying all last year that the interim supt. was leading us in the right direction--REALLY Jon! You have NO IDEA if PIA is a proven leader and won't find out until much later in the year. You shouldn't says things that you CAN NOT predict or haven't come to fruition!
To the above post who said her daughter got an excellent education at NBPS and is now on a scholarship: teachers have been saying for years that we need an alternative setting (like Brockton has) to place the disruptive students in order for us to do our jobs effectively. We are not in a classroom to babysit, but at some meetings I've sat in, the kid is in control of the parents so this young person has not been given any boundaries or limits. By the time he/she gets to the high school, they need boot camp to straighten them out. Administration tells us if we had more "engaging" and "rigorous" lessons ALL kids would get to class on time, settle down, and focus. Not happening! It has become the butt of jokes, and we wonder who came up with this nonsense! Someone is making big $$$ designing unnecessarily long lesson plans that the teachers must adhere to in which in no way is improving student learning. It simply is more time consuming work for the teachers. Education began it's downward spiral when politicians got involved in the early 90s with the "No Child Left Behind" initiative, which means "failure is not an option." Guidance counselors next began to ask the teachers "what can we do to get Johnny to pass?" Johnny takes a six week summer school course, which doesn't cover a heck of a lot in that short time span. He's pushed along. . . . .now it's the teacher's fault he's still failing! At this point the teacher has to give differentiated instruction (code word which usually means dummy down), hold his hand, and move it in order to get anything down on the paper! I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture! Until parents and students begin to value education and take SOME RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT, nothing will change. Education begins at home.
This woman is a piece of work. The real problem is she had the DESE via Chester Mitchell in her back pocket giving her complete control over this city. Add in an incompetent mayor and bobblehead SC and we've got DISASTER written all over it. The taxpayers in this city better wake up because we are in for a complete state takeover. Then writing is on the wall. Then when Pia has accomplished this she'll ride off into the sunset with her 80% pension of $180,000.
PIA DURKIN SHOULD BE TERMINATED NOW!! SHE IS NOT GOOD FOR NEW BEDFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND ITS CHILDREN.SHE DOES NOT CARE ABOUT OUR STUDENTS . SHE JUST WANTS TO LOOK GOOD FOR EVERYONE HIGHER UP JUST LIKE THE PRINCIPALS WHO SUCK UP AND WANT TO LOOK GOOD FOR HER. THESE PRINCIPALS ARE MAKING IT TERRIBLE FOR TEACHERS ESPECIALLY THOSE AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL. THE PRESSURE ON THEM IS SO INTENSE! EVERY TIME THEY TURN AROUND THERE IS THE PRINCIPAL SITTING DOWN EVALUATING!!! WHAT A SHAME! LET TEACHERS TEACH! THE HIGHER UPS NEED TO GO BACK INTO THE CLASSROOM AND GET A TASTE OF REALITY! YOU HAVE BEEN OUT OF TOUCH FOR TOO LONG!!!
A fish rots from the head. The odor emanates from the PRAB.
Perhaps the Education Mayor should put Pia as the Chief of Police to reduce the crime in the city, after all she is a proven leader!
Her first order of business will be to make every police officer reapply for their job and she will take back 71 percent of them. Oh, she'll have the criminals hand deliver them their notices as these criminal have plenty of time on their hands; then the officers will have to submit their paperwork and plans for reducing the crime rate in the city, and will have to turn in all their paperwork within one week which will have to be delivered personally to her office. She'll make her decision within a four month period of time. I am sure our Mr. Tough on Crime Mayor will fully approve of this plan as Pia is a "PROVEN LEADER" that is in the eyes of King Jon.
LET'S REDUCE CRIME BY 50 PERCENT.
Wow what a shame! that's all I can say!
This is one painful place to work!The post with (like Brockton has) had some point in it that I would like to use for the "family engagement" part of the reapplication form. What joke!
I received a letter as well , not delivered by a student.... Remember the messages left on this blog are not a full representation of the full staff but by a few .
I for one can't wait to see all this come to an end so the focus can be on teaching and learning rather than union jobs .
Does time on learning mean students delivering lay off notices to teachers?
The troll that claims to be ready for a "focus on teaching and learning rather than union jobs"...the students need to see what the working world looks like when a union has been weakened by folks like you.
I can't believe you are a teacher at NBHS. It can't be possible.
You very well may have had yours delivered by a student if someone hadn't called the union, I believe.
I wonder how many police officers Mitchell will send for our Candlelight Vigil. At the rally, there were 13 police officers there.
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL...
Please take note of what is taking place in our NBPS. This situation is tragically escalating out of control. We implore you to get involved and show us the leadership that you have been so entrusted with before this powder keg explodes. The members of the school committee clearly have shown no moral or ethical fortitude. They have been silent while "ROME BEGINS TO BURN". Please someone do something!
When receiving my letter, my hands began to shake and many of my students asked if I was okay. The two students apologized who delivered the letters and I stated that I was expecting this and that it will be okay and not to worry. I expressed my feelings and fears honestly with my students and they recognized the emotions that relate to what the teachers are experiencing. Human emotion will continue to play a big part of the changes within the school. The emotional bond for many of the teachers and students has been greatly changed in ways that not everyone can fully recognize. It will take a lot of time and effort on both sides to repair these relationships as too much fear and distrust has been added to the mix to ever make breaching the gap of understanding between student and teacher an easy feat. Many of these students have depended on their teachers as their safety net, support, and the possibility of success for their futures
Parents, students, and other supporters, join us at Keith for the candlelight vigil!
ABC 6 should do a follow up! This is compleatly unacceptable and unprofessional! Just when we thought things couldn't get any worse…students are delivering staff lay-off notices?!? In addition to our local news stations, our government officials and state representatives should be alerted on this matter. When will the madness end?!
Letters being delivered by students? Just another example of the New Bedford School Systems "SWEAT SHOP MENTALITY" !P.S. and teachers have to be highly qualified to maintain their jobs. What a joke this administration is.
Ellen Shaw (retired teacher)
Pia reminds me of Gollum from the Hobbit trilogy. Her "precious" is her HUGE , UNDESERVED salary!
So, another Pia hire bites the dust! Anne Bradshaw is packing it in and moving on after less than a year here in the Whaling City working under the good Dr.
this process is intentionally a pain in the neck with little time to get it done on purpose. the more people who just leave the less they have to fire.
I've seen some of her people bad mouth her and laugh at her rigor stuff then act so nice when she comes to the school
Pia makes Cruella deVil look like Mother Theresa!
Dr. Durkin, when you first came to this district you gave a motivational speech designed to empower and unite teachers with a goal to improve education. You spoke of "hope and aspiration". Working as a team you preached of the great things that could be accomplished. Teachers thought you were the change this city needed. They believed working together under your leadership children in our district would get the support, and much needed materials that they had requested but been denied.
Much has changed since that day. Your leadership skills leave much to be desired. You have abused your authoritative position with little to no respect for those you once referred to as "part of the team".
Your new goal seems to be focused on your ability to break the spirit of your team. Your latest demand handed down to the staff at the high school appears as another stab at lessening your responsibility....hoping they will just give up. This makes the reapplication process much easier for you. If more teachers resign out of frustration your numbers game becomes more palatable.
In your speech you stressed the importance of a positive attitude. Negativity is unacceptable and brings everyone within reach down. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for teachers to remain positive under your direction. Somewhere along the way you disregarded the human factor. Data is more important than real people! Data will save our schools!
What happened to "hope and aspiration"? What happened to what is best for the children? How can everyone come together as a team when you have dismantled and divided the team? Is it even possible to remain positive as you suggest? It is time for you to practice what you preach!
There could have been no other motive in all of this other than to upset staff and students. I am interested to know if any students refused the task, or if they were told they had no choice.
You're a mean one, Dr. Durkin!
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