I just can't believe that the leader of the group that was so awful to teachers may now be on the school board. How sad for Arlington. |
Are you a secondary teacher? Because elementary school in APS wasn't anything like this in spring of 2020. For K-2, APS prohibited any teaching whatsoever, so my child didn't see her teacher after the schools closed and didn't get any work from her. For 3-5, no new instruction was permitted, so my older child's teacher sent repetitive worksheets every day (she was great, this was not her fault) and had once weekly video check ins. I didn't and don't blame the teachers for this; these were APS decisions. But for elementary parents, we were very much on our own and we saw our kids suffer from the complete lack of instruction and limited engagement from their teachers. I'm not a member of APE or any other group. But I think it's important to remember the context to understand how disappointed and concerned parents were when APS decided in the summer of 2020 to keep schools closed. |
I imagine more teachers would leave. Why would they stay? |
Are you saying the context justified the hostility the parents in the OPEN SCHOOLS NOW group showed to teachers (and others too)? I cannot agree with that. |
Bad behavior is bad behavior all around and should not be considered acceptable. However, let's also not forget the, "Open Coffins Now" teachers that did their own protests mock coffins included! |
I honestly do not understand some of you. What happened during COVID was horrific for many parents and children. Some kids were basically abandoned by society, and the consequences for that were and remain awful. And yes, during this awful time, some people were awful as well.
As far as I can tell, Miranda Turner was not one of those people. She was part of a big group of parents, some of whom acted in terrible ways, but who, as a whole, were right to be fighting for more in-person learning time for kids. This is born out now by national and local data. I do not understand why some of you blame her for the actions of a few people. The APE FB group has over 1000 members. She was supposed to personally control all of them? And also, keep in mind, some of these families were suffering hugely from APS' decisions. I am not condoning the worst of the behavior, but it was a hard time and MANY people did and said things I hope they regret now. That also includes people who wanted schools closed, who basically said anyone who wanted schools open wanted to murder teachers. There was A LOT of rhetoric both ways, please keep in mind. Unless you have evidence Miranda Turner personally was yelling at teachers, this is a completely unfair discussion. |
Looking at the last dozen or so comments still angry at angry people in 2020, this is spot on. Most people are no longer angry and some of the loudest and most obnoxious left aps and Facebook forums and good riddance. Most parents want to move on and help kids recover because we see they are not ok. |
I don't ever remember teachers attacking parents. That is the difference. |
I didn't see her yell at teachers or make any of the worst remarks such as accusing teachers of being lazy and not doing their jobs. But she founded and led a coalition of parents that did. So either she agreed with them, she was very comfortable with their positions, or, if she was not, she didn't have the leadership skills to move her group away from it. It's totally reasonable to raise questions about having a member on the school board who was associated with such hateful actions towards teachers. |
I agree we need to move on. But I don't think the leader of the most divisive group to ever hit Arlington is the person to help us move on. |
I'm not justifying anything, either vague or specific. I'm probably a pretty average APS parent who witnessed some awful behavior from parents on both sides of the debate, and whose kids suffered as a result of absolutely terrible decision making by APS. There is a group of people who seem to want to shout down and deny other people's lived experiences and say that they know best about this candidate - don't expect that other people agree with you just because you are the loudest. I want APS to look forward and work to correct serious ongoing problems in the system, including in how teachers are treated and compensated. I'll be evaluating the candidates with my concerns in mind. |
One of the worst parts of APE back in the day was the contingent of “respectable” members who would shrug at the bad actors, and explain that APE was taking a “big tent” approach, and not all members shared the views of its loudest members. Because, you know, big tent and all. Just letting the hate machine do it’s job, giving branding / lobbying / strategy advice, but simultaneously distancing themselves from the stuff that respectable professionals wouldn’t do publicly. Maybe the ACDC is ok endorsing a school board candidate who was involved in that? She won’t get my vote, but I am curious to see how the ACDC responds. Maybe their perspective is different than mine? Maybe they just allow the caucus to elevate a candidate they find politically undesirable but who won the caucus fair and square? |
DP. If you are asking about what Dems are doing, see a proposal from Dems to direct more state money to address learning loss for reading and math. Youngkin wants vouchers for tutoring and Dems want more money for school grants for high dose, small group tutoring. |
https://www.virginiamercury.com/2023/03/09/youngkin-announces-new-slate-of-efforts-to-address-learning-loss-in-virginia/ |
This description is spot on. But what can ADCD do? They have to respect the results of the caucus right? |