What is going on at Sidwell - LOTS AND LOTS OF TURNOVER - Upper School Head leaving

[Anonymous]

Queen Noor (Lisa Halaby) attended National Cathedral School from fourth to eighth grade. Why did she leave? Mean girls?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People change jobs. Why does this cause everyone such stress?

Name one other school with administration turnover even close to SFS. St. Alban's, NCS, Maret, GDS, Beauvoir, Potomac, Holton? None of these schools have had multiple turnover of heads of school, upper school and admissions within five year as Sidwell has had. This is NOT normal. It is an excellent school and will get through this time and continue to provide an outstanding education to the student body... but something is not right right now.

True dat for St. Albans. Mr. Chips has been headmaster there for decades and decades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"she plans to take time now to pursue new challenges and new opportunities for professional growth"

LOL

Translation: We suggested that she might want to join Tom Farquhar in pursuing a career as an organic vegetable grower.

As you attempt to perpetuate a lie. Tom Farquhar will be heading an international school in Dubai. Translation: shut up if you don' t know what you're talking about.

Evidently Tom Farquhar didn't know what he was talking about when he told staff and parents he wanted to pursue a career as an organic vegetable grower.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/sasha-malia-obama-headmaster-resigning-vegetable-grower-article-1.1399988

One thing is certain: the sex scandal referenced in the above article had NOTHING to do with his departure. Nothing at all.

Tom wasn't lying - he announced that he was leaving at the end of the school year 2015 to concentrate on his organic farming, which he and his wife do at their home/farm in Maryland. Then he got the offer from Dubai and asked to be let out of his contract a year early.

[Anonymous]

WHO CARES?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"she plans to take time now to pursue new challenges and new opportunities for professional growth"

LOL

Translation: We suggested that she might want to join Tom Farquhar in pursuing a career as an organic vegetable grower.

As you attempt to perpetuate a lie. Tom Farquhar will be heading an international school in Dubai. Translation: shut up if you don' t know what you're talking about.

Evidently Tom Farquhar didn't know what he was talking about when he told staff and parents he wanted to pursue a career as an organic vegetable grower.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/sasha-malia-obama-headmaster-resigning-vegetable-grower-article-1.1399988

One thing is certain: the sex scandal referenced in the above article had NOTHING to do with his departure. Nothing at all.

Tom wasn't lying - he announced that he was leaving at the end of the school year 2015 to concentrate on his organic farming, which he and his wife do at their home/farm in Maryland. Then he got the offer from Dubai and asked to be let out of his contract a year early.

So taking that at face value, we can draw the following conclusion: organic farming at home is preferable to being head master at Sidwell, but not preferable to being the head of some school in Dubai, UAE. Perhaps there is more academic freedom in the UAE?

[Anonymous]

And you care about this why?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"she plans to take time now to pursue new challenges and new opportunities for professional growth"

LOL

Translation: We suggested that she might want to join Tom Farquhar in pursuing a career as an organic vegetable grower.

As you attempt to perpetuate a lie. Tom Farquhar will be heading an international school in Dubai. Translation: shut up if you don' t know what you're talking about.

Evidently Tom Farquhar didn't know what he was talking about when he told staff and parents he wanted to pursue a career as an organic vegetable grower.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/sasha-malia-obama-headmaster-resigning-vegetable-grower-article-1.1399988

One thing is certain: the sex scandal referenced in the above article had NOTHING to do with his departure. Nothing at all.

Tom wasn't lying - he announced that he was leaving at the end of the school year 2015 to concentrate on his organic farming, which he and his wife do at their home/farm in Maryland. Then he got the offer from Dubai and asked to be let out of his contract a year early.

So taking that at face value, we can draw the following conclusion: organic farming at home is preferable to being head master at Sidwell, but not preferable to being the head of some school in Dubai, UAE. Perhaps there is more academic freedom in the UAE?

Why do you care? Why does anyone care? Why am I hear at this ungodly hour? Oh, yes. I'm on call.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"she plans to take time now to pursue new challenges and new opportunities for professional growth"

LOL

Translation: We suggested that she might want to join Tom Farquhar in pursuing a career as an organic vegetable grower.

As you attempt to perpetuate a lie. Tom Farquhar will be heading an international school in Dubai. Translation: shut up if you don' t know what you're talking about.

Evidently Tom Farquhar didn't know what he was talking about when he told staff and parents he wanted to pursue a career as an organic vegetable grower.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/sasha-malia-obama-headmaster-resigning-vegetable-grower-article-1.1399988

One thing is certain: the sex scandal referenced in the above article had NOTHING to do with his departure. Nothing at all.

Tom wasn't lying - he announced that he was leaving at the end of the school year 2015 to concentrate on his organic farming, which he and his wife do at their home/farm in Maryland. Then he got the offer from Dubai and asked to be let out of his contract a year early.

So taking that at face value, we can draw the following conclusion: organic farming at home is preferable to being head master at Sidwell, but not preferable to being the head of some school in Dubai, UAE. Perhaps there is more academic freedom in the UAE?

Why do you care? Why does anyone care? Why am I hear at this ungodly hour? Oh, yes. I'm on call.

*here*. I need caffeine.

[Anonymous]

I posted on this site twice yesterday and both were removed by today, which is strange.

[ This message has been edited by the Site Administrator ]

Edit by Admin: What is strange is your not getting the clue. Personnel matters are private and you either do not have access to specific information or, if you do, should not be at liberty to discuss it. Either way, the matter should not be discussed here.

[Anonymous]

Given all the inappropriate posts, I wonder how bad something has to be to get admin's attention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"she plans to take time now to pursue new challenges and new opportunities for professional growth"

LOL

Translation: We suggested that she might want to join Tom Farquhar in pursuing a career as an organic vegetable grower.

As you attempt to perpetuate a lie. Tom Farquhar will be heading an international school in Dubai. Translation: shut up if you don' t know what you're talking about.

Evidently Tom Farquhar didn't know what he was talking about when he told staff and parents he wanted to pursue a career as an organic vegetable grower.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/sasha-malia-obama-headmaster-resigning-vegetable-grower-article-1.1399988

One thing is certain: the sex scandal referenced in the above article had NOTHING to do with his departure. Nothing at all.

Tom wasn't lying - he announced that he was leaving at the end of the school year 2015 to concentrate on his organic farming, which he and his wife do at their home/farm in Maryland. Then he got the offer from Dubai and asked to be let out of his contract a year early.

So taking that at face value, we can draw the following conclusion: organic farming at home is preferable to being head master at Sidwell, but not preferable to being the head of some school in Dubai, UAE. Perhaps there is more academic freedom in the UAE?

The BIG question is WHAT is going to happen to Mr. Farquhar's garden (which he values more than Sidwell Friends School) when he moves to Dubai?

[Anonymous]

There's a danger for heads of schools leaving after only being at a school for a few years--at Sidwell, it's obviously becoming a stepping stone job for someone who wants to go elsewhere and make a lot more money. No loyalty, and it hurts the school community.

[Anonymous]

And now the lax coach is leaving! OMG.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's a danger for heads of schools leaving after only being at a school for a few years--at Sidwell, it's obviously becoming a stepping stone job for someone who wants to go elsewhere and make a lot more money. No loyalty, and it hurts the school community.

I think your hypothesis might not square with the facts.

As I understand it from the posts here and from a little reading online, the departing HOS at Sidwell announced one year ago that he'd be retiring (truly retiring), and that he'd stay on at Sidwell for two years (until after the 2014-15 school year) to allow the school to search for a replacement. Then, some months later, he got offered the opportunity to start up a new school in Dubai (and probably a ton of cash), so he convinced Sidwell to let him leave at the end of the 2013-14 school year instead. My point is that (from looking at the public facts) he wasn't using the school as a "stepping stone" to anywhere, but rather was enticed out of his plans to retire.

And along those same lines, a little quick Googling suggests that the prior full-time HOS was there 1998-2009, at which point he too retired, so that sure doesn't seem like any "stepping stone" to me.

Maybe your stepping stone theory makes sense in some other context, but it does not seem applicable here.

[Anonymous]

And the prior head of school was there from 1978 to 1997.