Now today I am driving into school and am listening to fun 107 as I always do and what do you know our fearless leader is on the radio skirting the issue of what happened on the video.
Today was a day that I am truly embarassed to say that I am a New Bedford teacher. Why? you ask. Our so called leader "claims" that she didnt know about the incident until a week later is a bunch of crap. She has so many administrators watching every move we make every day.
The teacher called the office so of course they knew about it. Durkin is just mad that it was leaked out to the media and she cant just brush this under the rug. She actually has to answer to people about what actions will be taken. But if you listened to her interview this morning, anyone with a brain will know what she was hinting at when she kept saying that the incident needs to be investigated.
She is going to find some way to blame it on the teacher. She kept referring to our "tool chest" in which we as teachers need to be trained on how to de-escalate situations. That's great but where is the training? Where is any training in this district for anything that we do?
It is a disgrace that our school committee and our mayor are turning a blind eye to this mess she is creating. The icing on the cake for me today was then getting home and reading my email from the union and their update on the task force. I read it and I wanted to throw up. Her response to some of the complaints is that it is not happening. Really? How would she know? Is she able to be in all elementary schools and secondary schools at once? There was a part about training coming our way to de-escalate situations which I thought was comical at this point.
She is an eloquent speaker and that's why people are not questioning her, but people wake the hell up!!! She is gutting the new bedford school system and has no plans to stitch it back up.
Lou if you are reading this, we need another meeting and this time we need a vote of no confidence. WE CANNOT STAND BY AND LET THIS CONTINUE. Wake up parents and be an active participant in your child's education. Do not believe Durkin's words. She is going to drive schools into the ground and blame all the teachers for what she has done.
It's funny how when schools do poorly on state tests teachers get blames but when schools do well the teachers don't get thanked. The mayor, school committee and durkin will get thanked. Our school committee is filled with worthless people and Finnerty himself should be ashamed of himself for allowing this to happen to the very system that allows him to be able to live every day!!!!!!!
28 comments:
The ST offers up more race blame as this story breaks. Yes this mild mannered teacher is white. If she de-escalated any more she would be in a coma. The student and his peers are the only people to blame here. At least 2 involved are top athletes. At least they were.
I'd like to see Durbin go undercover as a sub at New Bedford High. I'm sure the students would not recognize her so it could work. Let's see those fancy "tools" she speaks of in action.
Will everyone please stop referring to this poor example of a human being as a CHILD. He is a MAN, albeit a young man but a man by any legal definition and will be charged as such. I am a teacher in NBPS and am outraged at this act of violence that has AGAIN taken place at NBHS. I understand as educators we are compassionate people, but enough already, this person is nothing more than a THUG!
What School Committee? Have they even heard the news? Totally useless board. Even those members with their eyes open are asleep. Nobrega needs a sleep study.
They are pretending none of this is happening! That's what they do best. What a disgrace.
Jon Mitchell must be very proud of the superintendent he hired. He said she was the best in the country. So far I'm not impressed. Since she took over the school system is going into the $$$$$$.,
Another lousy hire by a lousy school committee. Thanks Dana Molher Fool for all your help getting us this gem.
I read Josh Amarals comments about this incident. His outrage seemed as phoney as Mayor Mitchell.
Michael Rock sees through Durkin's BS.
Josh seems to fit in quite well with his new friends on the committee. I thought he was going to be his own man but now I realize that he used teachers like me to get elected and now has turned his back on us. You've lost my vote. You lost my support. Josh you lost my respect. You are no different then John Mitchell.
Maybe we can get 3 kids to go on Wbsm to pretend the video was a fake and that they've never seen a fight in all their years at the school.
Lou,
It is time to take some action, before someone gets seriously injured. There are many examples of teacher abuse whether physical or psychological taking place at elementary, middle and HS almost daily. Time to strike while the iron is hot!
^ that's been done already. The woman who organized the field trip to Wbsm didn't use her own kid to do this but she found 3 gullible students to do it for her.
Mitchell needs to go.
WHERE IS JOSH NOW!,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
He doesn't need our vote now.................
Must be hanging out with Larry.....................
Amaral and Finnerty can't fill the suits they wear. Sad.
This school committee is neutered. They have no say in anything. DOE is calling the shots here. If they weren't Pollack would have walked into the headmasters office like she used to and tell him what to do regarding individual discipline issues.
Wonder if Chief Provencher will deny or claim he was unaware of this latest incident!
Remember, he was unaware of the other incidences! Another person incompetent at his job.
The Elephant asks how many of you have used the terms "bad parents" or "criminally incompetent parents" or some equivalent in all of your letters to legislators and media outlets.
You have got to be kidding me! I saw the video and I heard Dr. Durkin’s remarks:
“It’s appalling that tensions became so escalated that a student would have to resort to throwing a chair.”
…a student would “HAVE” to resort to throwing a chair???!!! There is only a single instance where a student may HAVE to resort to throwing a chair, and that is the threat of immediate bodily harm to the student. There is NO other excuse for such actions in the classroom- toward the teacher, other students, or anyone else!
The only action this teacher could have taken to “de-escalate” the situation was to return the phone and practically apologize for taking it in the first place, thereby validating the notion that students are in control. If this were an isolated incident, or unusual behavior, I would expect to have seen (or heard) an atmosphere of shock from the rest of the class- not laughing, or students moving up to get a better look at the apparently amusing spectacle of a teacher being disrespected, intimidated and threatened.
What exactly was the expected outcome in significantly reducing a teacher’s ability to discipline problem students, while doing nothing to correct the problematic behavior that warranted conduct cards/suspensions in the first place?
Parents need to start getting more involved and vocal, especially those of us who are not teacher parents. I am not a teacher and it is clear to me that any parent who is also a teacher in NBPS will only have their concerns trivialized with this administration. Parents, this is our fight too.
^I agree. Every parent should be concerned. We all need a better school system where all children and teachers DO NOT have to deal with this kind of bullying. Teachers are there to teach and students are there to learn...stop this insanity and all the cover-ups from the top administrators.
Chiming in here and this teacher had a rough class when I was attending NBHS 6-7 years ago. I had her class, and she also struggled with disruptive students. Once or twice she left the class in tears. I'm surprised she still continued to teach until this year. I would never put up with that kind of bull....
This is by far, the worst administration in years! She is so full of herself and so full of lies!
This is the worst admin in the history of the NBPS.
To all of the educators at NBHS--Finally a plan that works. We should all install hidden cameras in our problem classrooms. Then when the situations arise (every day) we will already have the evidence. Plus, we can video how long it takes to have help arrive, if anyone answers the phones, etc. Then, we can send the videos to various news stations, after "of course" going through the "normal" (ineffective channels). Then kabam--like magic the students will be disciplined. We could even covertly get some of the good kids to be ready with their phones to video anything they see. Wink wink. This could finally take care of our discipline problems. This student who threw the chair on Monday was back in class on Tues. He was absent on Wed. Back in class on Thurs and Frid. Then like a miracle, the incident hits the news stations and suddenly our perp is suspended Monday through Friday the next week. Works for me. I am suddenly feeling hopeful. Maybe I could possibly survive until June until I leave this nightmare behind.
If the mayor's kids were in this class, watching what happened, could he still defend a superintendent who believes misbehavior is the teacher's fault? To paraphrase a famous political line, have you no decency, Mr. Mitchell?
Bravo to the person recommending hidden cameras in the classroom. Of course, teachers would be guilty of confidentiality exposure of minors, but WHAM! teachers would finally have "rights," which are long overdue, when this irrefutable recording of an "isolated (HA HA)incident" hit news stations!
OMG!!!! I am retired now, THANK GOD, but I fully believe that there should be cameras--not hidden--in every classroom and every hallway, and every lunchroom and every BATHroom in these lovely buildings where we try to teach students. Let me tell all of you people….. the teachers have NOTHING to hide. They are the hardest working people I know. The crap they have to deal with on a daily basis is indescribable!! I feel very badly for the very few children that have to deal with this CRAP while they are trying desperately to learn. They deserve so much better!!
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