Sherman apologist, and school board chairperson, Yvonne Folkerts, offered a tortured and inarticulate explanation for tabling the initiative.
Said Folkerts, "We’ve gotten lots and lots of e-mails from people who are very much in favor of adding time to the day as well as weeks to the calendar, and then last night [at the community forum] there were people who are opposed to it, and those are mixed and need more information. Last night was mostly people who are opposed to it. … There are a lot of concerns from parents of students, particularly of older students, that they’re already taxed with homework and stress levels, and parents felt we would be asking too much if we asked for more time. Parents of younger students too, particularly kindergarteners – their parents were worried that their elementary kids would come home exhausted."
Oh, Yvonne...when will you realize that your intellectual laziness and your chummy relationship with the superintendent have yielded a school system that rewards outside consultants,throws half-baked, unproven programs and initiatives at teachers, all at the expense of our children? And Yvonne, did anyone ever speak of adding weeks to the school year?
It is a hopeful sign, parents questioning authority and holding to account those who govern...but maybe, just maybe this is the beginning of the formation of resistance to the scheming of Mort Sherman and his crew.
In the halls of ACPS central office, employees are fond of quoting Mort as saying, "Bad press is better than no press. I'll start worrying when they stop writing about what I'm doing." I wonder if you still feel that way, Mort, after being awarded the Dim Bulb Award by the Washington Examiner (see below):
Dim Bulb: Mort Sherman
PRINTWho: Mort Sherman, superintendent of Alexandria Public Schools
What: Hired Alan Hilburg, the ad guru behind Wendy's "Where's the beef" campaign, to improve the school system's reputation.
Why it's dim: Paying $48,000 to improve the schools' brand won't fix the failing grade it got from education officials for not meeting federal benchmark standards.
Cure: Cancel the contract and tackle real reform.
History is just the portrayal of crimes and misfortunes.
- Voltaire
Read more at the Washington Examiner:http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/dc/2010/12/dim-bulb-mort-sherman#comments-header-anchor#ixzz1BzsMnamx
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/capital-land/2011/01/longer-school-days-not-tap-alexandria#ixzz1BzZWVm9d
Well hear this! Dr. Morton is now punishing the teachers by adding the 30 minutes to just the teachers. So the principals can provide 30 minutes of professional development each day? Who knows? As usual there is NO plan.
ReplyDeleteEveryone needs to be aware of this
ReplyDelete>From TC PTSA (PTA).
From:
Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 13:47:07 -0500
To:
Subject: THIS Thursday?
SCHOOL SCHEDULING CHANGES UPDATE
PTSA heard from School Board members that they will request extending the school year by 2 days Thursday. The proposal would increase student days to 185 next year. If approved by the state, school would start on Aug. 29, 2011 and end on June 15, 2012. Each year a new waiver must be approved.
As a separate vote, proposal to increase the school day by 30 minutes for teachers only which will have planning as a focus, with the goal of figuring out how to use additional student time in future years.
This was in the TC Williams PTSA newsletter. Are they talking about tomorrow when they say Thursday? I thought we had another month. We did not get to this subject at all at lunch….kinda nice actually.
They simply cannot do the early start THIS August! Arrrrghhhh!
30 min extra for teachers certainly makes sense though in many ways….will it serve to eliminate all those subs?
As always, the Sherman way - implement first, plan second (if ever). Why do something well when you can do it fast?
ReplyDeleteoh, and when do professionals work for free?
ReplyDeleteIf we were actually given independent planning time to collaborate and develop integrated lessons, that would be ideal. Experience tells me, however, that every second of every additional minute will be taken up by BS paperwork and unnecessary expectations.
ReplyDeleteJust let us teach!! Believe it or not, some of us are pretty darn good at it.