Removal of Eaton Principal Steven Eskay

[Anonymous]

I'm always surprised by how nobody seems to assume that people are all just doing the best they can with what they have. Based on our experience at Eaton, I would never assume malicious intent from fellow parents, but some of you all seem out for blood and it's aimed in the wrong direction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why anyone is trying to get the parents involved. It's the teachers with the direct complaints; their letter is more powerful without diluting the issue.

[phone]

Eaton parent who has experienced none of the claims. It is a personnel issue. Parents should stay out of it. It blindsided the parents because we didn’t experience it! If that changes and his interactions with parents are at fault, then we should get involved, but not before!

I think that generally the parents' intent is to support the teachers. We want to let them know we believe them. If the teachers don't want anything from the families, they should say so. They should ask us for the kind of support they want. Families are the largest stakeholders and expecting them to sit idly by while everything is going crazy is unrealistic. Even if they just say "wait", that's fine. But a petition won't be too harmful. It's not like what the parents want will be the course of action without the people in charge thinking about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why anyone is trying to get the parents involved. It's the teachers with the direct complaints; their letter is more powerful without diluting the issue.

[phone]

Eaton parent who has experienced none of the claims. It is a personnel issue. Parents should stay out of it. It blindsided the parents because we didn’t experience it! If that changes and his interactions with parents are at fault, then we should get involved, but not before!

I think that generally the parents' intent is to support the teachers. We want to let them know we believe them. If the teachers don't want anything from the families, they should say so. They should ask us for the kind of support they want. Families are the largest stakeholders and expecting them to sit idly by while everything is going crazy is unrealistic. Even if they just say "wait", that's fine. But a petition won't be too harmful. It's not like what the parents want will be the course of action without the people in charge thinking about it.

A petition with a low response is harmful.

[Anonymous]

I support teachers and think Principal Eskay should be removed. However, parent hysteria over the weekend is the same kind of hysteria that kept DCPS schools closed during the pandemic long after schools in the rest of the country reopened. Parents need to calm down, take a deep breath, and think more logically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I support teachers and think Principal Eskay should be removed. However, parent hysteria over the weekend is the same kind of hysteria that kept DCPS schools closed during the pandemic long after schools in the rest of the country reopened. Parents need to calm down, take a deep breath, and think more logically.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why anyone is trying to get the parents involved. It's the teachers with the direct complaints; their letter is more powerful without diluting the issue.

+2

Also, the parents accusing the WTU rep of using their power to cajole teachers shows that they are unfamiliar with the WTU rep role.

That person is the exact one who should take the lead on something like this, where retaliation from leadership has to be a huge concern. I'd want my rep to take charge of the process to ensure that everything we were doing was within our contractual rights. This isn't like a old timey union boss, they have no real power whatsoever.

I’m at a different DCPS, but it is not true that the WTU rep doesn’t have power among teachers at least in our building. She decides who gets real support for IMPACT appeals, whose complaints get brought to admin as from “the teachers” rather than the specific teacher and more. I absolutely agree that the WTU rep should be involved in an issue like this. But I also agree that teachers would feel pressure to fall in line behind the WTU rep.

This. Why are so many of you people incapable of nuanced thinking? Two things can be true at the same time. It can be true both that the rep is appropriately involved and that the rep has some power to impact support (or not) for teachers so they carry a bully pulpit.

[Anonymous]

Parents are not tolerating nuanced thinking at the moment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why anyone is trying to get the parents involved. It's the teachers with the direct complaints; their letter is more powerful without diluting the issue.

+2

Also, the parents accusing the WTU rep of using their power to cajole teachers shows that they are unfamiliar with the WTU rep role.

That person is the exact one who should take the lead on something like this, where retaliation from leadership has to be a huge concern. I'd want my rep to take charge of the process to ensure that everything we were doing was within our contractual rights. This isn't like a old timey union boss, they have no real power whatsoever.

I’m at a different DCPS, but it is not true that the WTU rep doesn’t have power among teachers at least in our building. She decides who gets real support for IMPACT appeals, whose complaints get brought to admin as from “the teachers” rather than the specific teacher and more. I absolutely agree that the WTU rep should be involved in an issue like this. But I also agree that teachers would feel pressure to fall in line behind the WTU rep.

This. Why are so many of you people incapable of nuanced thinking? Two things can be true at the same time. It can be true both that the rep is appropriately involved and that the rep has some power to impact support (or not) for teachers so they carry a bully pulpit.

It's not a matter of nuanced thinking. The WTU rep position is an unpaid role that provides no additional power. They get the benefit of often being the most disliked staff member in the eyes of admin, and that's about it.

[Anonymous]

Incoming Eaton parent here, how worried should I be with this news?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why anyone is trying to get the parents involved. It's the teachers with the direct complaints; their letter is more powerful without diluting the issue.

+2

Also, the parents accusing the WTU rep of using their power to cajole teachers shows that they are unfamiliar with the WTU rep role.

That person is the exact one who should take the lead on something like this, where retaliation from leadership has to be a huge concern. I'd want my rep to take charge of the process to ensure that everything we were doing was within our contractual rights. This isn't like a old timey union boss, they have no real power whatsoever.

I’m at a different DCPS, but it is not true that the WTU rep doesn’t have power among teachers at least in our building. She decides who gets real support for IMPACT appeals, whose complaints get brought to admin as from “the teachers” rather than the specific teacher and more. I absolutely agree that the WTU rep should be involved in an issue like this. But I also agree that teachers would feel pressure to fall in line behind the WTU rep.

This. Why are so many of you people incapable of nuanced thinking? Two things can be true at the same time. It can be true both that the rep is appropriately involved and that the rep has some power to impact support (or not) for teachers so they carry a bully pulpit.

It's not a matter of nuanced thinking. The WTU rep position is an unpaid role that provides no additional power. They get the benefit of often being the most disliked staff member in the eyes of admin, and that's about it.

+1

We basically beg someone to be the union rep at our school. It’s not nuanced, they hold no power whatsoever. And sometimes they are on the chopping block when excessing comes up because they are always pushing back on the administration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Incoming Eaton parent here, how worried should I be with this news?

Current Eaton parent. Don't be worried. It's a great community with great teachers. This will get figured out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why anyone is trying to get the parents involved. It's the teachers with the direct complaints; their letter is more powerful without diluting the issue.

+2

Also, the parents accusing the WTU rep of using their power to cajole teachers shows that they are unfamiliar with the WTU rep role.

That person is the exact one who should take the lead on something like this, where retaliation from leadership has to be a huge concern. I'd want my rep to take charge of the process to ensure that everything we were doing was within our contractual rights. This isn't like a old timey union boss, they have no real power whatsoever.

I’m at a different DCPS, but it is not true that the WTU rep doesn’t have power among teachers at least in our building. She decides who gets real support for IMPACT appeals, whose complaints get brought to admin as from “the teachers” rather than the specific teacher and more. I absolutely agree that the WTU rep should be involved in an issue like this. But I also agree that teachers would feel pressure to fall in line behind the WTU rep.

This. Why are so many of you people incapable of nuanced thinking? Two things can be true at the same time. It can be true both that the rep is appropriately involved and that the rep has some power to impact support (or not) for teachers so they carry a bully pulpit.

It's not a matter of nuanced thinking. The WTU rep position is an unpaid role that provides no additional power. They get the benefit of often being the most disliked staff member in the eyes of admin, and that's about it.

+1

We basically beg someone to be the union rep at our school. It’s not nuanced, they hold no power whatsoever. And sometimes they are on the chopping block when excessing comes up because they are always pushing back on the administration.

It's obvious this position is very different at different schools because the idea that our WTU rep -- who has been at the school 20 years -- has no additional power and could be excessed(!) is completely laughable.

[Anonymous]

Eaton parent here. You "I never saw him abusing anyone ... I never had a bad experience with him, so I'm not signing" parents are part of the reason abusers keep getting away with this. If a group of women tell you their boss is abusive, believe them. What happened to Believe Women?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Incoming Eaton parent here, how worried should I be with this news?

Current Eaton parent. Don't be worried. It's a great community with great teachers. This will get figured out.

Agreed. The fact that the teachers are choosing to fight for the school rather than just resign and go elsewhere, says a lot. It'll be rough for a little bit, but it's a really great place and we'll get through it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Incoming Eaton parent here, how worried should I be with this news?

Current Eaton parent. You should be worried. That'll be 4 principals in 5 years.