Now for the reality check, Bob. While the event was an attempt to bait Mrs. Maura, she kept her calm and did nothing wrong when handling the student. That's what you get with a committed veteran teacher. How will some recent college graduate, Teach for America teacher handle that type of incident? While the video was an attempt to get "fifteen minutes" of fame; you and the other local media outlets gave it to them as well. Now for the biggest reality check, Bob. You are the NEW BEDFORD Standard Times. It is your job to report on the local news. While it would've been nice to get a lot more traction on the turnaround plan in the Boston media, it wasn't their job. Most of their readership are concerned with matters within the greater Boston area. You are the voice of New Bedford. Unfortunately, you rarely sound like the voice of this city.
Bob, this cities failures are not some recent phenomenon. For a long time, the people of New Bedford have become more complacent when it came their schools and how their city was run. They did not question any of the decisions made by the School Committee or the past three mayors regarding education. These are their schools and still they did not attend either of Dr. Durkin's meeting on the structure of their children's high school. When the turnaround plan was decided upon, where was the outrage from the parents? New Bedford High School should be a jewel of the city's education system, not an afterthought. Parents should not feel that GNB Voc is the better school choice for their child. Parents should have been screaming for a better school for years. They should have been outraged that their child's school does not have proper 21st century technology to enhance their learning. They should have been outraged when there aren't enough textbooks to go around to every student and should have felt obligated to pay for any lost or damaged books given to their child. They should be outraged that Dr. Durkin is removing perfectly competent teachers to replace them with unproven neophytes and other district's cast-offs. Above all, Bob, the parents of New Bedford need to take a more active role in their own child's education. They need to show their child that education will only grow them as human beings and offer them far more opportunity than living a life without it. They need to work with the teachers to make their child the best that they can be.
I don't disagree with Dr. Durkin's message that we need higher standards in the school, I disagree with the methods she is employing to get the outcome.
13 comments:
Well said.
OMG, the article in the ST is outrageous. What jumped out at me is that the editor is on Durkin damage control. The students in that video were not seeking YouTube fame. They post videos like that all the time. The author's tone was angry and you could sense jealousy as he lost first bid on this journalism story. He also stated there is a war between teachers and the superintendent. His wording is harsh and unprofessional. There is no war as this is not Iraq. We are just stating the obvious because we are living through it. We know Pia is sinister. Just ask her former colleagues. If this clown Bob, cared about this city and its educators, he would be writing a different story. His coverage of the events ended in $$$ spent by ST. Let him put his $ where his mouth is. He is an unreliable source reduced to a tabloid...and stomping his feet in a tantrum-like manner.
Dr. Durkin’s message of needing higher standards sounds great, but actions speak louder than words. Is it true that courses such as Physics and Latin are being cut out of the curriculum? So basically our highest-achieving students are being punished with a watered-down curriculum? I don’t care if only 3% of the students enrolled at NBHS have the aptitude for such courses (not that I believe the percentage to be that low), we are doing our students a great disservice by turning our public education into a glorified Kaplan course for passing the MCAS.
Mr. Unger, I am a New Bedford resident, homeowner, and was educated in New Bedford. I am grateful for the opportunities that I have had as a direct result of the education I received in New Bedford, and have always defended the education in this district to my colleagues- telling them that the problem is that too many parents are not instilling in their children an appreciation for education, and certainly not a healthy work ethic, as we have seen an attitude of entitlement invade our community. For the students that were serious and took advantage of the opportunities that a New Bedford education had to offer them, they went places—even HARVARD (imagine that)—and this despite lacking/outdated resources because we had dedicated educators.
Frankly, Mr. Unger, this turnaround plan has for the first time in my life made me think about “voting with my feet”. I fear that my kids will NOT have the same opportunities that I had-- that our administrators are more interested in manipulating statistics that lend the appearance of improved achievement than in facilitating genuine improvement. Our dedicated educators are leaving in droves, or retiring early because of the disrespect and scapegoating that this district and the state is dishing out to them. I fear that my kids in elementary school may return next year to see some of our teachers bumped because of this NBHS turnaround plan, rattling our students’ sense of stability and community in their school. For some of our students, school is the only place they have a sense of stability and community.
When is the union going to fight Durkin using her own ammunition? We all know that data can be manipulated to benefit whoever is reading it. Where is the data of how many administrator were here before durkin was hired compared to how many there are now? How about the kids that do drop out, there is documentation as to why they are dropping out, why not make it public? Make public the fact that Parker school met all of their targets last year for MCAS but are still being labeled a Level 5 school? How about how Durkin included transient children in Parker's MCAS scores in order to make Parker look worse than what it is? Here is good one....how about filing grievances and Durkin being designated the level and 4 person to determine how it is fixed? That is an insult to the teachers. The union needs to start fighting data with data and make people realize what she is about....nothing. She is very good at manipulating everyone into thinking she has everything under control when she is beginning to lose control. We don't have time to let her hang herself theory because the children of New Bedford are suffereing. We need to make public everything she says and does to the union without distorting it. We need to make public data in which she chooses to bury and manipulate to benefit her. Let's stop complaining and do something about her. Lou I suggest holding a meeting to gather information and deciding on how to publish it. We should be meeting once a month as a union so the teachers are kept abreast of what is going on. We need to play her game but play it better and with more class!!!!
Guess Bob Unger and the Standard-Times will New Bedford Guide Facebook page to get some of their news stories. I don't recall reading anything in the paper lately about the car on Brigham Street sitting on milk crates. I do recall reading about the car having the tires and rims stolen in the Elm Street garage some months back.
So Bob, as you and the members of the S-T have done in the past, keep reading this blog, as you have quoted many statements from it, and continue to go the the New Bedford Guide to find news worthy stories.
Oh, you also forgot the big story about C. D.'s wife that appeared in the Fall River paper. Wasn't he a supporter of Pia and signed the full-page ad?
Yes, I teach at the high school and Physics, Latin, and French are out. The only languages offered will be Portuguese and Spanish. . . . . . . . . . .don't most of them speak that already? Remember, we have to give them something that they already know or water down the curriculum so their scores/grades go up! All it is is one big "data" game manipulated by Pia and her administrators!
Pia's spies will now be spied on. We will report anything and everything untoward and share it with the media. Game on...Teachers, document everything!
So get rid of physics so that our future engineers can't get into the best engineering schools? Again, New Bedford making decisions based on the good of the budget instead of what's good for our upper level top notch kids, who need and deserve these courses! Let's cater to those struggling students instead of our advanced population. Our priorities are really screwed up! Wake up parents!
I hope this teacher, who is a private citizen, files a defamation suit against Unger and the Standard Times... put that dying rag out of its misery
Here's an idea.... Let's gather the teachers who were not laid off according to Pia- fyi, layoffs don't actually take affect until July 1, new fiscal year, and have them start their own newspaper. They can call it the Reality Check. Finally, the school system would have someone to tell the truth about thevrwal problems with education. Not just political pandering
Can we use our cellphones like the kids do when documenting? No one is looking out for the teachers so we may as well look out for ourselves! Many teachers who have been forced to take an early retirement or being laid off in June with no job to look forward to in Sept. have lost their motivation in the classroom. The students have recognized it, and it is affecting everyone. Thanks, Pia, for extinguishing the "fire in our bellies!"
FYI, while Pia has cut French, Latin and Physics; she has also taken a bite out of the special education department, as well. Supposedly, she intends on declassifying a large percentage of the special education population and has already let go several special education teachers. So she screwing our kids on both ends of the spectrum.
You are the union.
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