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Friday, March 21, 2014
Share your thoughts.
39 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Mayor Bob Unger is the person most responsible for the for the destruction of NBPS. Jon Mitchell is just following Unger's orders.
I asked this in another post. Anyone heard about the scheduling changes for the middle schools next year? I hear they are getting rid of PODS. I sure hope not. PODS, if they are given the time to meet (!!!), allow teachers in all the academic disciplines to best meet the needs of the whole child. Any news??
More English and math at the middle schools? How is that going to work? What's going to be lost? Are they trying to make kids hate school more? When are these pencil pushers going to tell the teachers whats in store? Geesh.
So, all the people at the state of the city had no job to be at? One NBPS teacher could have been given permission to attend(or use a school business day). The mayor constantly says effective teachers are essential for the economic success of this city. He is right. It is an oversight not to include at least one at this luncheon.
Sad day for NBHS with course offerings being dropped--French, Latin, Accounting, and Physic. What courses are next on the chopping block?
I thought the high school was considered a comprehensive high school preparing students for many different career choices, guess that is going to be tossed out the window. Not everyone wants to go to college and there is nothing wrong with that as people are needed in every area to make an organization successful.
durkin, in my opinion is no more than another carpet bagger opportunist who saw New Bedford as easy pray. Her manipulation of a brain dead school committee who should have been held accountable for the mess the schools are in, since they are the overseeing and controlling body, has been obvious to anyone with a sense of truth. This regime change in the school department has been no more than a coup de''tat for her and her cronies. We will learn, far too late, the damage durkin has done to our schools and how our school committee has failed us again. If you voted for these school committee members you are complicit; if you didn't vote at all, your are equally responsible for where we find ourselves now. We parents, voters, and taxpayers here in New Bedford deserve much better then those entrusted to lead and serve us have delivered
The issue here is not that they can't pass Latin, Physics or anything else. It is that unfortunately these young people have been enabled by diluted standards and still seem to think college is their ticket. Somewhere along the line they have been taught that if they don't pull the requirements and standards they will still be passed along and this is what has been happening for years. It's sad to hear from the mouths of babes, "do what you want. I'll just drop out of school!" Their idea of a job is sitting on their hut staring at a computer screen. Work ethic is gone. It's very sad.
Enough already with the "passed along" story. We hear that all the time. It's like a team slogan at NBHS. Maybe the problem is a common set of understandings? Bonner, Shea and Francis never said a word about expectations. No HS administrator since Bev ever said three words about curriculum standards. Durkin did week one.
Durkin is pushing for unrealistic career and college readiness changes for a one size fits all. She knows federal funding goes hand-in-hand with the Common Core. Her methods border brutality. What about students who require alternative tracts? They are tossed to the wayside. Her mantra is teach to middle. Struggling learners will drop out and the data will be bias.
Several years ago, I had a retired high school principal from another part of Mass. visit my class at NBHS. He told me that we were one of only four high schools in the state that still offered Latin, and he found that quite impressive. Not to mention that our Latin teacher at the time--I don't know the current one--was and is one of the most dynamic, dedicated, teachers that I've ever met! Of course, who needs to know Latin these days, other than priests and Jeopardy contestants....it's not on the MCAS, so why offer it?
Aside from the traditional math and science classes, students had options and could take language courses.
Learning languages comes easy for some and is one of the main reasons students get excited about going to school. Teachers are relaxed and easy going. Students tend to thrive in this type of learning environment.
That excitement has the potential to keep students in school throughout high school graduation. Taking those choices away can be harmful.
The principal at Roosevelt, (also chosen by Pia Durkin), is also ill-equipped to handle discipline, and during so-called Friday detentions and Saturday school with her students they are given candy and other food to bribe them to complete the work the teachers leave for them to do, and mouth off to the principal and no action is taken. Barely any work s completed, and the students are laughing how the whole thing is not taken seriously.
While a movie was shown after MCAS testing last week, the principal waltzed around the cafeteria singing songs while students misbehaved and nothing was done.
She makes excuses for students bad behavior, and falls for their alligator tears, believing every thing that they tell her to get out of trouble.
I guess working in wealthy suburban schools for years did not prepare her for the chaos and disaster in NB.
Where is the MTA/NEA in all this? OOHHH.... they wrote a letter to the DESE...ohhh real intimidating. Watch as the future of teachers unions in Massachusetts goes the way of the dinosaurs. Just like they dropped the ball on lifetime certification, No Child Left Behind, merit pay, and the new evaluation- I mean punitive system. Just saying that when this occurred in Central Falls, it made national media, the teamsters came down and blocked any and all deliveries, and forced administration back to negotiations and teachers got their jobs back.
The students going into the medical fields take Latin.... but the district thought it best to remove the "dynamic " latin teacher and give him revisited English and hire a newbie for Latin... they have completely crushed the Dynamic Latin Teacher, demoralized him and broken him. He is retiring because of that. It breaks my heart and that of his former students to see him sit in his room at the end of the day, alone with his thoughts with the most exhausted and distraught look on his face. He was once one of the most energized individuals, who gave up his prep to teach latin 4 for his students, and sit countless hours helping his students. Congratulations NBPS!
Pia openly admitted to trying to cover up a rape at a middle school in Attleboro, and we trust her to lead our district? Real great role model, no wonder the school committee picked her... they are good at cover ups
Shocking regarding the post about removing the dynamic Latin teacher and giving him an English revisited class. What idiot came up with that bright idea?!
At the rate Durkin, Mitchell, and School Committee are going, NBHS will become a Level 5 school by the end of next year.
Unfortunately, Latin teacher, who was wonderful as well as dynamic, was on a waiver and not certified in Latin; therefore, he was placed in an English position, where he is certified. Teachers at high school have been getting by on waivers for years. The new superintendent has reined it in.
that is the problem with this admin... they are so caught up in data and what it says on paper, they have lost the human perspective. Come and watch the interactions between some of these teachers and students. You WILL be absolutely astonished at the mutual respect and camaraderie between teacher and students. That is the real dynamic
Why isn't the union fighting this. Bombard your reps and senators who by the way are all democrats and continue to sell you down the river in favor of charter schools.
We have no true allies left in urban public schools. As we are given the least resources, reduced to a skeleton crew, and then compared to districts with few of the challenges we face, our own mayor and SC support a misguided superintendent. I feel my lifetime of work can only be understood by the other teachers in this deeply damaged district. Our city leaders are not leading, they are following a path that has been created for them by reformers that have no real concern for our public schools.
39 comments:
Mayor Bob Unger is the person most responsible for the for the destruction of NBPS. Jon Mitchell is just following Unger's orders.
I asked this in another post. Anyone heard about the scheduling changes for the middle schools next year? I hear they are getting rid of PODS. I sure hope not. PODS, if they are given the time to meet (!!!), allow teachers in all the academic disciplines to best meet the needs of the whole child. Any news??
I want to know if any NBPS teachers were invited to the State of the City Address that was held at GNBVTHS. If not, why not?
Big changes are in store at the middle schools... bigger teams of teachers and students... more time placed on ELA & Math...
Another administrator is leaving PRAB... surprised?
State of city takes place during school hours
Are any teachers involved in the discussions about schedule changes? Let me guess. No!!!
More English and math at the middle schools? How is that going to work? What's going to be lost? Are they trying to make kids hate school more? When are these pencil pushers going to tell the teachers whats in store? Geesh.
So, all the people at the state of the city had no job to be at? One NBPS teacher could have been given permission to attend(or use a school business day). The mayor constantly says effective teachers are essential for the economic success of this city. He is right. It is an oversight not to include at least one at this luncheon.
Pia means Putin In Action
She is doing to the school department the same thing he is doing in the Ukraine and Crimea.
Sad day for NBHS with course offerings being dropped--French, Latin, Accounting, and Physic. What courses are next on the chopping block?
I thought the high school was considered a comprehensive high school preparing students for many different career choices, guess that is going to be tossed out the window. Not everyone wants to go to college and there is nothing wrong with that as people are needed in every area to make an organization successful.
durkin, in my opinion is no more than another carpet bagger opportunist who saw New Bedford as easy pray. Her manipulation of a brain dead school committee who should have been held accountable for the mess the schools are in, since they are the overseeing and controlling body, has been obvious to anyone with a sense of truth. This regime change in the school department has been no more than a coup de''tat for her and her cronies. We will learn, far too late, the damage durkin has done to our schools and how our school committee has failed us again. If you voted for these school committee members you are complicit; if you didn't vote at all, your are equally responsible for where we find ourselves now. We parents, voters, and taxpayers here in New Bedford deserve much better then those entrusted to lead and serve us have delivered
The only people that think things are headed in a better direction in the NBPS are those that don't work for NBPS or attend school here.
Latin? Give me a break. We cant even get half our students through math.
The issue here is not that they can't pass Latin, Physics or anything else. It is that unfortunately these young people have been enabled by diluted standards and still seem to think college is their ticket. Somewhere along the line they have been taught that if they don't pull the requirements and standards they will still be passed along and this is what has been happening for years. It's sad to hear from the mouths of babes, "do what you want. I'll just drop out of school!" Their idea of a job is sitting on their hut staring at a computer screen. Work ethic is gone. It's very sad.
Enough already with the "passed along" story. We hear that all the time. It's like a team slogan at NBHS. Maybe the problem is a common set of understandings? Bonner, Shea and Francis never said a word about expectations. No HS administrator since Bev ever said three words about curriculum standards. Durkin did week one.
Yep, Durkin has a pen, phone and New Bedford taxpayers money!
Durkin is pushing for unrealistic career and college readiness changes for a one size fits all. She knows federal funding goes hand-in-hand with the Common Core. Her methods border brutality. What about students who require alternative tracts? They are tossed to the wayside. Her mantra is teach to middle. Struggling learners will drop out and the data will be bias.
Pia is lining up her ducks in row. She will be off to new horizons with her retirement package.
We have one diehard pia fan here. ONE.
Several years ago, I had a retired high school principal from another part of Mass. visit my class at NBHS. He told me that we were one of only four high schools in the state that still offered Latin, and he found that quite impressive. Not to mention that our Latin teacher at the time--I don't know the current one--was and is one of the most dynamic, dedicated, teachers that I've ever met! Of course, who needs to know Latin these days, other than priests and Jeopardy contestants....it's not on the MCAS, so why offer it?
My prediction is that in a few years the old World Language course that will be taught at the high school will be Spanish.
Gone are the days when the high school offered Latin, French, German, Russian, and Portuguese. SAD
I believe Mr. Ouellette is retiring so that made it easy to cut Latin. Pia is no rocket scientist. She stares at data like a lover.
Wonder what that one diehard durkin fan wants? (rhetorical)
Language Immersion Connects with Students
Aside from the traditional math and science classes, students had options and could take language courses.
Learning languages comes easy for some and is one of the main reasons students get excited about going to school. Teachers are relaxed and easy going. Students tend to thrive in this type of learning environment.
That excitement has the potential to keep students in school throughout high school graduation. Taking those choices away can be harmful.
Are you for real..the only language that we all need to learn is Spanish...
Don't know to many students who go to school for languages.. But they do go for things like "The Arts",and to socialize.........
The above comment is unkind and sterotypical, but mostly based on ignorance.
How many languages does pia speak? I've only heard her translate data.
The principal at Roosevelt, (also chosen by Pia Durkin), is also ill-equipped to handle discipline, and during so-called Friday detentions and Saturday school with her students they are given candy and other food to bribe them to complete the work the teachers leave for them to do, and mouth off to the principal and no action is taken. Barely any work s completed, and the students are laughing how the whole thing is not taken seriously.
While a movie was shown after MCAS testing last week, the principal waltzed around the cafeteria singing songs while students misbehaved and nothing was done.
She makes excuses for students bad behavior, and falls for their alligator tears, believing every thing that they tell her to get out of trouble.
I guess working in wealthy suburban schools for years did not prepare her for the chaos and disaster in NB.
Where is the MTA/NEA in all this? OOHHH.... they wrote a letter to the DESE...ohhh real intimidating. Watch as the future of teachers unions in Massachusetts goes the way of the dinosaurs. Just like they dropped the ball on lifetime certification, No Child Left Behind, merit pay, and the new evaluation- I mean punitive system. Just saying that when this occurred in Central Falls, it made national media, the teamsters came down and blocked any and all deliveries, and forced administration back to negotiations and teachers got their jobs back.
The students going into the medical fields take Latin.... but the district thought it best to remove the "dynamic " latin teacher and give him revisited English and hire a newbie for Latin... they have completely crushed the Dynamic Latin Teacher, demoralized him and broken him. He is retiring because of that. It breaks my heart and that of his former students to see him sit in his room at the end of the day, alone with his thoughts with the most exhausted and distraught look on his face. He was once one of the most energized individuals, who gave up his prep to teach latin 4 for his students, and sit countless hours helping his students. Congratulations NBPS!
Pia openly admitted to trying to cover up a rape at a middle school in Attleboro, and we trust her to lead our district? Real great role model, no wonder the school committee picked her... they are good at cover ups
Shocking regarding the post about removing the dynamic Latin teacher and giving him an English revisited class. What idiot came up with that bright idea?!
At the rate Durkin, Mitchell, and School Committee are going, NBHS will become a Level 5 school by the end of next year.
Unfortunately, Latin teacher, who was wonderful as well as dynamic, was on a waiver and not certified in Latin; therefore, he was placed in an English position, where he is certified. Teachers at high school have been getting by on waivers for years. The new superintendent has reined it in.
Hello to the ONE Diehard Pia fan!
that is the problem with this admin... they are so caught up in data and what it says on paper, they have lost the human perspective. Come and watch the interactions between some of these teachers and students. You WILL be absolutely astonished at the mutual respect and camaraderie between teacher and students. That is the real dynamic
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140326/NEWS/140329890
Why isn't the union fighting this. Bombard your reps and senators who by the way are all democrats and continue to sell you down the river in favor of charter schools.
We have no true allies left in urban public schools. As we are given the least resources, reduced to a skeleton crew, and then compared to districts with few of the challenges we face, our own mayor and SC support a misguided superintendent. I feel my lifetime of work can only be understood by the other teachers in this deeply damaged district. Our city leaders are not leading, they are following a path that has been created for them by reformers that have no real concern for our public schools.
If you vote out all of beacon hill then they'll listen. Until then the reformers win.
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