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I couldn't bring myself to read about Rhee in today's Post magazine...
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Anonymous
| Yes, that must be why. And I am sure you would not be shrill or holier than thou if you had gone through a Kafka-esque experience with a crazed bureaucracy whose 'victories' undermine its own goals... Maybe you have normal, transparent HR at your place of employment? Or the patience of Job and desire to go quietly away without comment when confronted with absurdity? (I am being extremely careful to insert proper punctuation, but feel free to suggest a track changes function to the web-manager and have at my writing if that suits.) |
Anonymous
I don't think she comes across as shrill or holier-than-thou. I think she sounds like someone who knows damn well she's more than qualified and is tired of the systemic graft which devalues her credentials (which are honored in a state with a superior system) merely as a jobs concession to local dogpiles like UDC. I'd be peeved too. |
Anonymous
|
I don't think she comes across as shrill or holier-than-thou. I think she sounds like someone who knows damn well she's more than qualified and is tired of the systemic graft which devalues her credentials (which are honored in a state with a superior system) merely as a jobs concession to local dogpiles like UDC. I'd be peeved too. Approved teacher education programs for DC teachers are American University, Catholic University, Gallaudet, George Washington, Howard, Trinity and UDC. Do you consider all of these to be "dogpiles"? There is also a reciprocity agreement for teachers licensed in other states and I personally know teachers who have obtained their license through that agreement. Perhaps you should direct some of your venom at the "systematic graft" of the textbook and testing industry which is the major beneficiary of NCLB and the DC Chancellor. |
Anonymous
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To all you posters who keep putting Rhee down for sending her kids to a school with more than 7% white kids. Well,Rhee's kids go to Oyster. 70% of the school is NON WHITE. Is that good enough for you? Here is the racial breakdown:
Asian/Pacific - 3% Black - 12% Hispanic - 56% Native American - 0% White - 29% |
Anonymous
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No, sorry, reading the racial breakdown for Oyster-Adams isn't doing it for me. Sorry.
The in boundary school for the Chancellor's home is Brightwood. Brightwood is 65% Hispanic and 35% black, according to greatschools.net. Apparently 89% of the children qualify for a free or reduced price lunch at Brightwood. Sure, she is "shocked" to find out that parents aren't sending their kid to the other school... I don't speak for all white parents in the District, but I can tell you that a crackerjack teacher doesn't mean squat if your child is yelled at in the cafeteria, yelled at the hallways, yelled at recess and yelled at during "specials." School climate is what matters. The leadership of the principal and the tone they set in the building matters. And for the record, my white kids attend a school that is less than 7% white. Their pigment or lack thereof is not issue because we have a healthy and respectful school climate, great academic and music programs, and diversity is truly embraced. |
Anonymous
Rhee shares custody of her children with her ex-husband, who lives in-boundary for Oyster. |
Anonymous
Sorry, but that's not diverse either. All black kids doesn't qualify as diverse. And Rhee's exhusband lives in-bounds for Oyster. Her girls have every right to be there, where they get to learn TRUE diversity by learning another language and culture. |
Anonymous
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Why ever would you assume that the I mentioned school is 7% white and 93% AA? I simply said it was less than 7% white. And true diversity is learning another language? Gosh, who knew. I'm so thrilled you explained that one for me... |
Anonymous
Not the PP, but assumption doesn't seem completely crazy. There are a lot of schools in DC which are 99% AA. Some people enjoy being the majority in this situation and that is understandable. Other AA parents want their children to attend a school that looks more like the larger U.S. population. Both views are okay. |
Anonymous
I don't think she comes across as shrill or holier-than-thou. I think she sounds like someone who knows damn well she's more than qualified and is tired of the systemic graft which devalues her credentials (which are honored in a state with a superior system) merely as a jobs concession to local dogpiles like UDC. I'd be peeved too. Approved teacher education programs for DC teachers are American University, Catholic University, Gallaudet, George Washington, Howard, Trinity and UDC. Do you consider all of these to be "dogpiles"? There is also a reciprocity agreement for teachers licensed in other states and I personally know teachers who have obtained their license through that agreement. Perhaps you should direct some of your venom at the "systematic graft" of the textbook and testing industry which is the major beneficiary of NCLB and the DC Chancellor. There are weird bureaucratic roadblocks in this that I happened to run into that no-one in 'power' seems in a hurry to fix; glad you had more luck. And yes--I had degrees in teaching that were not on their 'approved list' above. My teaching degree came from a leader in the field (think a name like...oh...Berkeley/Harvard) that ran its own teacher-education program and did not have the "NCATE" seal of approval. Before you say--well that's why--my two-year MA there was paid for by the Federal Government (that's YOUR taxes) to create highly qualified teachers and is accepted in other states (hence my Virginia Teaching degree). But DC, *sniff*, won't 'read it'. So I was re-directed by DCPS/OSSE to UDC which was busy taking money from....yes...the government.... to replicate a degree I already have. Aw shucks! Have I mentioned that I also have 10+ years teaching experience, have presented at national conferences, blah blah blah? But DC is NOT interested in lowering their standards. DC also only has reciprocity with VA. (as you correctly pointed out) IF you have taught there for three years-I had not taught there for 3 years. Whoops. Do not pass go! BTW, lest you think I did not try to resolve this calmly and rationally, I did. Til' I discovered that resolving things calmly and rationally through DCPS is an oxymoron. Rhee referred me immediately to her critical response team (whose definition of critical is not calling back?) and OSSE told me to contact the...Union. To fix rules OSSE had created and Rhee implemented when she boldly fired those bad "uncertified" teachers (including me) two years ago to much Washington Post fanfare! Bold move etc. etc. My issue with Rhee is not just looking into my small rice-bowl. It is that so much of what she does seems to be motivated by how it looks 'politically', how parents (btw, ironically, I was a DCPS parent) will love that she is 'shaking things up' etc. etc.--yet so little of what she and OSSE do seems to really, logically address creating great schools for the long-term. If you are a good teacher and hanging in there, great. I want that for my hometown. I will do everything I can to support YOU; but I happen to have bumped into Rhee's/OSSE's 'big lies' (if you make it big enough, they will believe it) too many times to back her/them. Sorry. Good luck to you though. BTW I have no venom. It's bad for the health. I'm OK. My family is in a good place. The system is not fine though. And yes, testing, text books and TFA might be the modern educational equivalent of guns, germs and steel. Apologies in advance for run-ons. |
Anonymous
UM...hence more than 7% white? Nearly 30 %? And mostly affluent. Pretty high compared to the school she was 'wowing' about, no? |
Anonymous
Approved teacher education programs for DC teachers are American University, Catholic University, Gallaudet, George Washington, Howard, Trinity and UDC. Do you consider all of these to be "dogpiles"? There is also a reciprocity agreement for teachers licensed in other states and I personally know teachers who have obtained their license through that agreement. Perhaps you should direct some of your venom at the "systematic graft" of the textbook and testing industry which is the major beneficiary of NCLB and the DC Chancellor. There are weird bureaucratic roadblocks in this that I happened to run into that no-one in 'power' seems in a hurry to fix; glad you had more luck. And yes--I had degrees in teaching that were not on their 'approved list' above. My teaching degree came from a leader in the field (think a name like...oh...Berkeley/Harvard) that ran its own teacher-education program and did not have the "NCATE" seal of approval. Before you say--well that's why--my two-year MA there was paid for by the Federal Government (that's YOUR taxes) to create highly qualified teachers and is accepted in other states (hence my Virginia Teaching degree). But DC, *sniff*, won't 'read it'. So I was re-directed by DCPS/OSSE to UDC which was busy taking money from....yes...the government.... to replicate a degree I already have. Aw shucks! Have I mentioned that I also have 10+ years teaching experience, have presented at national conferences, blah blah blah? But DC is NOT interested in lowering their standards. DC also only has reciprocity with VA. (as you correctly pointed out) IF you have taught there for three years-I had not taught there for 3 years. Whoops. Do not pass go! BTW, lest you think I did not try to resolve this calmly and rationally, I did. Til' I discovered that resolving things calmly and rationally through DCPS is an oxymoron. Rhee referred me immediately to her critical response team (whose definition of critical is not calling back?) and OSSE told me to contact the...Union. To fix rules OSSE had created and Rhee implemented when she boldly fired those bad "uncertified" teachers (including me) two years ago to much Washington Post fanfare! Bold move etc. etc. My issue with Rhee is not just looking into my small rice-bowl. It is that so much of what she does seems to be motivated by how it looks 'politically', how parents (btw, ironically, I was a DCPS parent) will love that she is 'shaking things up' etc. etc.--yet so little of what she and OSSE do seems to really, logically address creating great schools for the long-term. If you are a good teacher and hanging in there, great. I want that for my hometown. I will do everything I can to support YOU; but I happen to have bumped into Rhee's/OSSE's 'big lies' (if you make it big enough, they will believe it) too many times to back her/them. Sorry. Good luck to you though. BTW I have no venom. It's bad for the health. I'm OK. My family is in a good place. The system is not fine though. And yes, testing, text books and TFA might be the modern educational equivalent of guns, germs and steel. Apologies in advance for run-ons. you're not the "dogpiles" person. |
Anonymous
I think you are painting a simplistic picture of those of us who believe that the unions need to give a little here. And I also think you're playing a little bit of dirty pool when you use your knowledge of who posts what to back up your perspective in a debate. That said, I'm a new poster to this thread. As the child of a public school teacher--a teacher who was often a thorn in the side of principals and thus was excessed more than once--I am deeply thankful for the extremely difficult work teachers do and hate knee-jerk demonization of teachers and their unions. But I also see both sides of tenure--while it certainly helps ensure that some amazing teachers (like my father) retain their positions even when targeted by bureaucrats, it protects just as many lazy, underperforming teachers. We do expect a lot from our teachers, but the current system doesn't always force teachers to live up to those expectations. Tenure certainly is an inducement for some people to commit to teaching for the long term; for others, the opportunity to earn a six-figure salary for doing something they love is an equally strong inducement. This is why Rhee's double-track proposal made sense to me. To assume that tenure is the only way to get teachers to commit to the profession for the long-term is a pretty narrow way of looking at things, I think, and doesn't account for the fact that times--job markets, employer expectations, educational expectations--change. Teaching is in many ways unique as a profession, but it still has to evolve and adapt. |
jsteele
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I said that there were "a couple" of broken records. My characterization didn't go beyond those posters, who -- in any case -- appear to demand much more than that the unions "give a little". Also, that identification was not based on special knowledge, but from having seen Al Shanker quoted over and over again as if he is the single representation in existence of teachers unions.
It is equally narrow to reduce my position to a straw man argument that is not representative of anything that I've written. What I've said is that DC teachers face great challenges. Adding job insecurity into the mix will not encourage the recruitment and retention of those with a long term commitment to the system. If some of the hurdles to being a successful teacher were removed, maybe job security would be less of an issue. But, in the current climate, the deck is really stacked against the average teacher and leaving them at the mercy of a single individual does not seem remotely fair. It's sort of like tying someone's legs together and putting them in a relay race. Then, complaining that they were slow and should be fired. And before someone starts screaming "what about the children", the children don't benefit from a system that cannot retain successful teachers. As for those teachers who simply are not up to the job and will never be up to the job, I favor working with the union rather than against it to weed them out. Rhee came into this job with an anti-union bias. You can see that clearly in speeches she gave prior to becoming chancellor. It would be one thing if she arrived here, evaluated the system, and decided that unionization was a problem. However, she came here already believing that the union was her enemy. As a result, the union's defensive posture is understandable. The union itself could stand for some reform, but Rhee's hostility is not really encouraging such changes. As for Rhee's specific proposal, the funding for those six figure salaries was to come from private sources. What will happen when those sources dry up? Or worse, what if those sources decide that he who pays the piper calls the tune? We already lack an authoritative school board. Just how much of our voice in the school system are you willing to sacrifice? |
Anonymous
| Yes. |