Lafayette Principal

[Anonymous]

Here is my take on all of it.

I am not an unhappy parent at all and there are a lot of things I really like about Dr. B. She has tackled a lot of really tough things -- including the renovation-- as well as getting rid of some really terrible teachers and bad policies. I like her energy and her tirelessness.

I would posit that the trouble is not any particular policy or procedure (silent lunch is a good example, lots of parents and kids like it, lots don't) but rather her lack of communication about the policies and then her defensiveness to any parental reaction. Had she come out in September and said: "we're in a new building, the cafeteria is deafening and so we're going to try out this policy and see how it goes" parents wouldn't have heard about it from their children whose descriptions of the policy were not always accurate.

I think the other thing that makes parents uneasy is that many teachers complain that they are unhappy. While there's nothing a parent can or should do to manage a teacher-principal relationship, its very upsetting to hear your child's teacher describe feeling very controlled and not trusted by their supervisor. As a parent I'm not in that relationship and only hear things second hand from my child's teacher, but I want that teacher to feel supported and happy in their job so it trickles down to my kid.

I would like to find ways to make this principal feel more confident and trusting of both the teachers and the parents-- though I dare say this year didn't get us any closer to that. I think a lot of things will improve if and when trust can be rebuilt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is my take on all of it.

I am not an unhappy parent at all and there are a lot of things I really like about Dr. B. She has tackled a lot of really tough things -- including the renovation-- as well as getting rid of some really terrible teachers and bad policies. I like her energy and her tirelessness.

I would posit that the trouble is not any particular policy or procedure (silent lunch is a good example, lots of parents and kids like it, lots don't) but rather her lack of communication about the policies and then her defensiveness to any parental reaction. Had she come out in September and said: "we're in a new building, the cafeteria is deafening and so we're going to try out this policy and see how it goes" parents wouldn't have heard about it from their children whose descriptions of the policy were not always accurate.

I think the other thing that makes parents uneasy is that many teachers complain that they are unhappy. While there's nothing a parent can or should do to manage a teacher-principal relationship, its very upsetting to hear your child's teacher describe feeling very controlled and not trusted by their supervisor. As a parent I'm not in that relationship and only hear things second hand from my child's teacher, but I want that teacher to feel supported and happy in their job so it trickles down to my kid.

I would like to find ways to make this principal feel more confident and trusting of both the teachers and the parents-- though I dare say this year didn't get us any closer to that. I think a lot of things will improve if and when trust can be rebuilt.

I think that's an excellent summary. At this point, the best way to rebuild trust would be for Dr. B to acknowledge parent feelings and make at least a small change in response. For example, she did improve (shorten) silent lunch, but because she wasn't honest about it in the first place, it's hard to talk about. If she were to say, I hear unhappiness about lunch, I understand, so I'm going to make these small changes. I think that kind of honest communication would go a long way to getting parents to give her the benefit of the doubt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is my take on all of it.

I am not an unhappy parent at all and there are a lot of things I really like about Dr. B. She has tackled a lot of really tough things -- including the renovation-- as well as getting rid of some really terrible teachers and bad policies. I like her energy and her tirelessness.

I would posit that the trouble is not any particular policy or procedure (silent lunch is a good example, lots of parents and kids like it, lots don't) but rather her lack of communication about the policies and then her defensiveness to any parental reaction. Had she come out in September and said: "we're in a new building, the cafeteria is deafening and so we're going to try out this policy and see how it goes" parents wouldn't have heard about it from their children whose descriptions of the policy were not always accurate.

I think the other thing that makes parents uneasy is that many teachers complain that they are unhappy. While there's nothing a parent can or should do to manage a teacher-principal relationship, its very upsetting to hear your child's teacher describe feeling very controlled and not trusted by their supervisor. As a parent I'm not in that relationship and only hear things second hand from my child's teacher, but I want that teacher to feel supported and happy in their job so it trickles down to my kid.

I would like to find ways to make this principal feel more confident and trusting of both the teachers and the parents-- though I dare say this year didn't get us any closer to that. I think a lot of things will improve if and when trust can be rebuilt.

I think that's an excellent summary. At this point, the best way to rebuild trust would be for Dr. B to acknowledge parent feelings and make at least a small change in response. For example, she did improve (shorten) silent lunch, but because she wasn't honest about it in the first place, it's hard to talk about. If she were to say, I hear unhappiness about lunch, I understand, so I'm going to make these small changes. I think that kind of honest communication would go a long way to getting parents to give her the benefit of the doubt.

PP here- I agree. I also think some simple proactive communication could really help as well.

[Anonymous]

She won't last much longer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She won't last much longer.

Why do you say that?

[Anonymous]

I'm heartened to read some sane responses here. And wonder what kind of teacher complains to parents about their boss? I's a unique relationship, but I sure wouldn't complain about my boss to clients or other stakeholders having anything to do with my own job - perhaps a lateral co-worker sometimes, or a friend, but otherwise it's really unprofessional. And I would think less of that teacher honestly.

My understanding is that the 'silent lunch' is 7 silent minutes at the beginning of each lunch period - not the entire period. My kid has never complained and somehow still doesn't always manage to finish lunch, so I'm grateful for it. Whomever is writing 'she'll be gone soon' sounds creepy and I hope that family opts for a private school. in MoCo and PG (and our own DC Charters) there have been incidents made public about molesters in classrooms. There are bigger problems than what's going on at Lafayette. We should appreciate how great we have it, even if it's not perfect, and put our energy to better use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm heartened to read some sane responses here. And wonder what kind of teacher complains to parents about their boss? I's a unique relationship, but I sure wouldn't complain about my boss to clients or other stakeholders having anything to do with my own job - perhaps a lateral co-worker sometimes, or a friend, but otherwise it's really unprofessional. And I would think less of that teacher honestly.

My understanding is that the 'silent lunch' is 7 silent minutes at the beginning of each lunch period - not the entire period. My kid has never complained and somehow still doesn't always manage to finish lunch, so I'm grateful for it. Whomever is writing 'she'll be gone soon' sounds creepy and I hope that family opts for a private school. in MoCo and PG (and our own DC Charters) there have been incidents made public about molesters in classrooms. There are bigger problems than what's going on at Lafayette. We should appreciate how great we have it, even if it's not perfect, and put our energy to better use.

+1. Not a Lafayette parent, but I'd wonder about a teacher's professionalism and ethics if s/he were openly complaining to parents about the principal. How do these parents think that's okay? This would strike me as crossing a line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm heartened to read some sane responses here. And wonder what kind of teacher complains to parents about their boss? I's a unique relationship, but I sure wouldn't complain about my boss to clients or other stakeholders having anything to do with my own job - perhaps a lateral co-worker sometimes, or a friend, but otherwise it's really unprofessional. And I would think less of that teacher honestly.

My understanding is that the 'silent lunch' is 7 silent minutes at the beginning of each lunch period - not the entire period. My kid has never complained and somehow still doesn't always manage to finish lunch, so I'm grateful for it. Whomever is writing 'she'll be gone soon' sounds creepy and I hope that family opts for a private school. in MoCo and PG (and our own DC Charters) there have been incidents made public about molesters in classrooms. There are bigger problems than what's going on at Lafayette. We should appreciate how great we have it, even if it's not perfect, and put our energy to better use.

Re: teacher complaints-- I agree somewhat. But many teachers have known these parents and families for years and have a relationship that goes beyond client-service provider, plus they are the people the parents interact with the most. Also, school structures are weird because a getting into administration is not necessarily the career path for all. So you have teachers with decades of experience being supervised by someone who has much less--it's very weird. They also see the parents as partners, I think, in terms of school life. Parents (particularly at high SES schools like this one) are highly vested in the things that happen in their kids classroom, and in their kids' teachers happiness. They are looking for all kinds of feedback-- and ask for it and get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm heartened to read some sane responses here. And wonder what kind of teacher complains to parents about their boss? I's a unique relationship, but I sure wouldn't complain about my boss to clients or other stakeholders having anything to do with my own job - perhaps a lateral co-worker sometimes, or a friend, but otherwise it's really unprofessional. And I would think less of that teacher honestly.

My understanding is that the 'silent lunch' is 7 silent minutes at the beginning of each lunch period - not the entire period. My kid has never complained and somehow still doesn't always manage to finish lunch, so I'm grateful for it. Whomever is writing 'she'll be gone soon' sounds creepy and I hope that family opts for a private school. in MoCo and PG (and our own DC Charters) there have been incidents made public about molesters in classrooms. There are bigger problems than what's going on at Lafayette. We should appreciate how great we have it, even if it's not perfect, and put our energy to better use.

Re: teacher complaints-- I agree somewhat. But many teachers have known these parents and families for years and have a relationship that goes beyond client-service provider, plus they are the people the parents interact with the most. Also, school structures are weird because a getting into administration is not necessarily the career path for all. So you have teachers with decades of experience being supervised by someone who has much less--it's very weird. They also see the parents as partners, I think, in terms of school life. Parents (particularly at high SES schools like this one) are highly vested in the things that happen in their kids classroom, and in their kids' teachers happiness. They are looking for all kinds of feedback-- and ask for it and get it.

And some could know how to plant seeds of doubt or discontent and get parents to do their dirty work for them. It's unprofessional. Talk to me about my child. Don't complain about the principal unless she is physically or emotionally abusing kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm heartened to read some sane responses here. And wonder what kind of teacher complains to parents about their boss? I's a unique relationship, but I sure wouldn't complain about my boss to clients or other stakeholders having anything to do with my own job - perhaps a lateral co-worker sometimes, or a friend, but otherwise it's really unprofessional. And I would think less of that teacher honestly.

My understanding is that the 'silent lunch' is 7 silent minutes at the beginning of each lunch period - not the entire period. My kid has never complained and somehow still doesn't always manage to finish lunch, so I'm grateful for it. Whomever is writing 'she'll be gone soon' sounds creepy and I hope that family opts for a private school. in MoCo and PG (and our own DC Charters) there have been incidents made public about molesters in classrooms. There are bigger problems than what's going on at Lafayette. We should appreciate how great we have it, even if it's not perfect, and put our energy to better use.

Re: teacher complaints-- I agree somewhat. But many teachers have known these parents and families for years and have a relationship that goes beyond client-service provider, plus they are the people the parents interact with the most. Also, school structures are weird because a getting into administration is not necessarily the career path for all. So you have teachers with decades of experience being supervised by someone who has much less--it's very weird. They also see the parents as partners, I think, in terms of school life. Parents (particularly at high SES schools like this one) are highly vested in the things that happen in their kids classroom, and in their kids' teachers happiness. They are looking for all kinds of feedback-- and ask for it and get it.

And some could know how to plant seeds of doubt or discontent and get parents to do their dirty work for them. It's unprofessional. Talk to me about my child. Don't complain about the principal unless she is physically or emotionally abusing kids.

That may be true as well.

Still, as a parent I don't want my kids' teacher to be unhappy, unprofessional or not.

[Anonymous]

Is the only problem with her silent lunch? Seriously?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm heartened to read some sane responses here. And wonder what kind of teacher complains to parents about their boss? I's a unique relationship, but I sure wouldn't complain about my boss to clients or other stakeholders having anything to do with my own job - perhaps a lateral co-worker sometimes, or a friend, but otherwise it's really unprofessional. And I would think less of that teacher honestly.

My understanding is that the 'silent lunch' is 7 silent minutes at the beginning of each lunch period - not the entire period. My kid has never complained and somehow still doesn't always manage to finish lunch, so I'm grateful for it. Whomever is writing 'she'll be gone soon' sounds creepy and I hope that family opts for a private school. in MoCo and PG (and our own DC Charters) there have been incidents made public about molesters in classrooms. There are bigger problems than what's going on at Lafayette. We should appreciate how great we have it, even if it's not perfect, and put our energy to better use.

Re: teacher complaints-- I agree somewhat. But many teachers have known these parents and families for years and have a relationship that goes beyond client-service provider, plus they are the people the parents interact with the most. Also, school structures are weird because a getting into administration is not necessarily the career path for all. So you have teachers with decades of experience being supervised by someone who has much less--it's very weird. They also see the parents as partners, I think, in terms of school life. Parents (particularly at high SES schools like this one) are highly vested in the things that happen in their kids classroom, and in their kids' teachers happiness. They are looking for all kinds of feedback-- and ask for it and get it.

And some could know how to plant seeds of doubt or discontent and get parents to do their dirty work for them. It's unprofessional. Talk to me about my child. Don't complain about the principal unless she is physically or emotionally abusing kids.

+1000. I'm a former teacher and I've had challenging principals and I would never dream of complaining to parents. Unprofessional and manipulative.

[Anonymous]

Extremely unprofessional.

[Anonymous]

I hope these teachers leave. What in the world is wrong with teachers there?

[Anonymous]

I do not get the communication thing AT ALL. Dr. B is 100x more wiling to listen to parents than Ms. M ever was, yet no one was gunning to the Post about Ms. M. She would literally put up a hand or walk away. Talk about defensive! She didn't have coffee talks or open hours, both of which Dr. does. Ms. Main did write more flowery posts in the newsletter, which must have endeared some of the haters.

It is wrong for teachers to say stuff to children and their parents. One of the loudest ones is exactly the kind of teacher who needed a fire under her butt. The teachers could do no wrong under Ms. M, and many of who could have been great were dialing it in. I also find it ironic that so many of these "beloved" teachers, including ones who left, had parents complaining about them. There was a long thread of discontent on DCUM a few years ago about two of the loudest.
I do like all of these teachers, but I'm disappointed in them for airing their dirty laundry.

So, let's not forget how many parents complained for years about these teachers to no avail. Hello, 5th grade! Heard it was terrible from the time we started pre-k, then Dr. B turned it around in her first year. I seriously have to scratch my head that so many 5th grade parents are loudly unhappy. Really? It is light years better under Dr. B's watch.

While I think silent lunch should be relaxed for the upper grades, I'm excessively grateful to Dr. B for listening to the parents who rallied, for at least 10 years, to improve 5th grade. For some reason, she rubs people the wrong way and they cannot give her any credit. Shame on the "concerned parents" for being so righteous to take it to the Post. I hope with some reflection they can find it in themselves to offer her an apology for the way they handled this.