New Wilson Principal and the Beacon paper

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I attended the meeting with Wilson principal - she was very impressive and warm, and smart, I can see why she was selected hands down. That said, having been around the DCPS block for a decade+, it is very clear that Kaya & Co. are making the rules. This is not a woman who doesn't know her own mind, nor is she one who does not understand Leadership 101. Add up the strange silence after the WaPo Beacon etc.., scheduling mishaps, new assignments for Wilson counselors and general mistrust by many based on the murky exit of Cahall points not to Martin but to downtown. Nothing else makes sense. She can't piss off her bosses, nor can she really express herself without their consent, further I think it was Kaya & Co. who sent her after the Beacon. I hope Martin continues the open communication with parents, and begins to see this tightrope she is on is not because of any 2nd tier management or wild eyed parents, but because of the inept people at the top. She needs all of our support so we may all make Wilson continue to work for our kids (and let's not forget, she has a 10th grader who is new to DC -- that's a leap of faith).

I hope you're right about Principal Martin's potential prowess. And I think you're probably right that she's following DCPS central's lead and is unlikely to rock the boat so early in her tenure--she knows that making Kaya Henderson happy is far more important to her future than making the Wilson community happy.

But she has a history of picking fights with student publications, so it's hard for me to buy the idea that she's not fully culpable for the prior review debacle.

[Anonymous]

I think the Beacon was something she perhaps -naively- said to central that this would not be an issue for her if it were a a condition of a job agreement...then she was knee deep in it. You never heard DCPS defend her--their most notable and watched appointment in a while, did you? Feels calculated.

[Anonymous]

It seems like she didn't do her homework - at least as far as the Beacon and weekly communication. As for the schedule and staffing issues, Martin points to DCPS. Did any schools have similar problems with teachers dropping out in late August? I'm glad some posters were impressed by her at the meeting though it's hard to say it's comforting to think Martins being told what to do by DCPS or alternatively, is making her own blunders or a combination (most likely) of both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
She did explain that there was no adult review at all and she believes that an adult needs to read the material before it gets posted.

not so...wasn't there a poster upthread complaining that the Beacon faculty advisor was thrown out of DCS etc? There IS a faculty reviewer...

[Anonymous]

Also, smart people can be control freaks, or vindictive. Smart=/=nice

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems like she didn't do her homework - at least as far as the Beacon and weekly communication. As for the schedule and staffing issues, Martin points to DCPS. Did any schools have similar problems with teachers dropping out in late August? I'm glad some posters were impressed by her at the meeting though it's hard to say it's comforting to think Martins being told what to do by DCPS or alternatively, is making her own blunders or a combination (most likely) of both.

Schedule was absolutely a broader problem than Wilson. DCPS implemented a new scheduling software system that all the high schools are using. Same problems at Ellington and McKinley as Wilson, but I guess those parents don't come on DCUM to complain as much.

FWIW I met a long-time Wilson teacher over the weekend. The new principal came up in conversation - she said she's found Martin so far to be thoughtful, open and a good listener. So perhaps parents can give her a little more time before coming to an opinion.

[Anonymous]

I was also at the meeting yesterday. I liked her approach. She seemed very open to suggestions, and honest about things she still needs to learn about Wilson. I also give her a pass on the perceived lack of communication. She's only been in DC for about six weeks. Perhaps an email to introduce herself was in order, but I'm over it. As for the schedules mess, it sounds like a mistake by the central admin. That said, Martin must now turn to implementing some positive improvements and avoiding mistakes like the newspaper fiasco, and she deserves some time before her performance can really be reviewed.