For the first 6 weeks compared to the many years I have been at Arlington it's a lot better. I really enjoy going to work unlike last year. I have heard from some friends that the other schools are having {Tech and Manual}. Can anyone confirm the Tech problem last week and Manual problem?
My son attends Arlington and has been a student at Arlington since his Freshman year. He really likes the school. He enjoys his teachers, and likes the fact that the administrators will take time to talk and listen to the students.
I'm an Instructional Coach and Arlington has went from the worst performing school on scrimmages to the best in ELA and Math. Of all the schools I visit, Arlington is the most organized and the staff works together.
I was there for a workshop and I witnessed three young men, large high school type, talking to a female teacher. After the conversation she informed two of the young men to pull up their pains; they not only complied but said yes, sorry about that. I was so impress. At my school she would have gotten cursed out. The school looked good.
What about the shooting of a "baby's daddy" across the street from Arlington today? But it was out of IPS's area of concern. Then Arlington has no bells to start the next class period and teachers are told that if a student is tardy its a reflection on them (teachers). The students have no interest in their class or teaching style, so its the teachers fault, so no one is marked tardy. If their is a party, fight, or gang bangers in the hallways, its still the teachers fault. Arlington is out of control, and Dexter is doing nothing. See the games IPS is playing is worthless to helping the students learn and meet their goals.
What about the huge beat down periods 9/10 and what about the fight between counselors, where a senior counselor threw a book at another counselor? Right Arlington is perfect? Not, its a house of cards and Dexter has no idea about what to do, and has no control over the students, teachers, or staff. Dexter you are a joke, the "Wonder Boy that leaves students downtown without food or water, and of courses he has a nice lunch. Board Memebers you need to call the man out on his poor performance.
"What about the shooting of a "baby's daddy" across the street from "Arlington today? But it was out of IPS's area of concern. Then Arlington has no bells to start the next class period and teachers are told that if a student is tardy its a reflection on them (teachers). The students have no interest in their class or teaching style, so its the teachers fault, so no one is marked tardy. If their is a party, fight, or gang bangers in the hallways, its still the teachers fault. Arlington is out of control, and Dexter is doing nothing. See the games IPS is playing is worthless to helping the students learn and meet their goals."
We do not have bells in college. Will the bells help you become a better teacher? You must be one of the sad teachers I had when I was at Arlington. You may want to apply for a job in Connersville, Martinsville, or Mooresville. I'm sure you will find more people like you.
What about the huge beat down periods 9/10 and what about the fight between counselors - - - - - -
Do we work at the same school. If the man is doing a good job, give him his credit. If you can do a better job apply for the job in the next two years. I'm sure that he will be off to bigger things within the next two years. Overall, the school year is going extremely well. This time last year I thought I was in hell.
I had to laugh at the fool who feels like IPS students are mature and respect their free education at the expense of the taxpayers. Not, the students need the bells just like the townships schools, what a Dexter suck up. I am teaching in the worst school in IPS "baby doll", you would last one hour. Dexter is one big joke and the teachers need to get the word out to the "bobble-headed" Board about the fool.
Maybe you should leave IPS, or do you need the job to pay your rent? I hate so-called teachers like you. You are the reason why IPS students act like they do. You are the fool, and the school board should investigate and terminate weak teacher like you.
Are the majority of teachers in IPS white? Yes again. And how many of these white (and black teachers for that matter), actually live in the IPS boundary? And if they do, how many send their children (if they have any) to IPS schools?
See how this goes?
When you have disengaged teachers instructing children living in high poverty with very little to no parental involvement, there is a huge disconnect, a chasm that MUST be bridged.
If I am an educator with no real tangible ties to the children I teach, how can I expect to make lessons revelant to children who live in communities where homicides are prevalent? That's their world, but it is not mine.
I have chosen to live in Hamilton (submit any name here) County, yet rely on a salary that is levied to me via IPS taxpayers. Is there a disconnect here?
This is not a black-white issue. It's a class issue.
Until we (IPS teachers/administrators) stop blaming others (students and parents) and understand our OWN (failures and successes) role here, we will never see the achievememnt gap narrow between the sub-groups studied by the feds.
"Teachers should visit their students homes and spend the evening playing tonk with the kids families."
Brandon Cosby 9-06
Nice to see you still believe the same thing.
I am trying to prepare my students for life in the wider world. You are correct much of what we teach are students is not relevant to their world, however in the wider world things like being able to spell and speak standard English are important, and you are judged by your abilities in these areas.
And although I may be white and live in a neighborhood with similar middle income people (of all races) I have spent considerable time in the neighborhoods where my students live. I've sat on the sofa, in a room illuminated by a big screen tv, complete with gun shot hole, had a soda with a parent and discussed a student's educational issues, while his older brother slept on the sofa with his packets of drugs falling our of his socks. I've also visited homes that are in the same neighborhood that are cleaner and neater then my own. In both cases I have found parents who really are concerned with their children's well being and future. I honestly do not believe these parents want their children to have an education where they get a curriculum tailored to the perceived relevance of material to their current life.
Do you propose we replace Jane Eyer with Cupcake Brown? http://www.cupcakebrown.com/main.php?NAV=about&PIC=about Well I have read both and actually seen Cupcake speak about her lurid upbringing and she is certainly relevant to some of our students. However arrive at college only having read this type of material and see what happens.
But there are thousands of ways to make curriculum relevent to students that range between Cupcake Brown and Jane Eyre (I, a middle-class, college-degreed white woman, have never read either one.) Even with classics, there's a difference between "hey, you'll need this in college" which means nothing to most of my students, or connecting characters and themes with things that are relevent to their world. Besides, the standardized tests don't test content, they test comprehension. And one could certainly use Cupcake Brown (or other books that students like) to teach and practice reading comprehension.
How did you make it through high school with out reading Jane Eyre? And your contention that they don't test content but instead test comprehension isn't what I have seen. Yes that is suppose to be the purpose, however when the reading selection is John Steinbeck and the student read "The Red Pony" in sixth grade, and "Of Mice and Men" in 8th grade, the selection on the ISTEP is a snap, Here is the actual test How do you think writers go about observing the subjects they write about? In this excerpt from the book Travels with Charley: In Search of America, John Steinbeck discusses his preparations for a cross-country writing expedition. After you read the passage, you will answer some questions. Then you will write a narrative composition on a related topic.
John Steinbeck (1902–1968) wrote Travels with Charley: In Search of America toward the end of a long and celebrated career as an American novelist and short story writer.
My plan was clear, concise, and reasonable, I think. For many years I have traveled in many parts of the world. In America I live in New York, or dip into Chicago or San Francisco. But New York is no more America than Paris is France or London is England. Thus I discovered that I Once I traveled about in an old bakery wagon, double-doored rattler with a mattress on its floor. I stopped where people stopped or gathered, I listened and looked and felt, and in the process had a picture of my country the accuracy of which was impaired only by my own shortcomings. So it was that I determined to look again, to try to rediscover this monster land. Otherwise, in writing, I could not tell the small diagnostic truths which are the foundations of the larger truth. One sharp difficulty presented itself. In the intervening twenty-five years my name had become reasonably well known. And it has been my experience that when people have heard of you, favorably or not, they change; they become, through shyness or the other qualities that publicity inspires, something they are not under ordinary circumstances. This being so, my trip demanded that I leave my name and my identity at home. I had to be peripatetic1 eyes and ears, a kind of moving gelatin plate. I could not sign hotel registers, meet people I knew, interview others, or even ask searching questions. Furthermore, two or more people disturb the ecologic complex of an area. I had to go alone and I had to be selfcontained, a kind of casual turtle carrying his house on his back. With all this in mind I wrote to the head office of a great corporation which manufactures trucks. I specified my purpose and my needs. I wanted a threequarter- ton pick-up truck, capable of going anywhere under possibly rigorous conditions, and on this truck I wanted a little house built like the cabin of a small boat. A trailer is difficult to maneuver on mountain roads, is impossible and often illegal to park, and is subject to many restrictions. In due time, specifications came through, for a tough, fast, comfortable vehicle, mounting a camper top—a little house with double bed, a fourburner stove, a heater, refrigerator and lights operating on butane, a chemical toilet, closet space, storage space, windows screened against insects—exactly what I wanted. It was delivered in the summer to my little fishing place at Sag Harbor near the end of Long Island. Although I didn’t want to start before Labor Day, when the nation settles back to normal living, I did want to get used to my turtle shell, to equip it and learn it. It arrived in August, a beautiful thing, powerful and yet lithe. It was almost as easy to handle as a passenger car. By describing America as a “monster land,” the narrator is MOST LIKELY suggesting that America is frightening large powerful unusual
In the third paragraph of the passage, John Steinbeck describes how he hopes to travel through America anonymously. He explains that more than one person would “disturb the ecologic complex of an area.” Explain what this phrase means.
In the third paragraph of the passage, John Steinbeck describes how he hopes to travel through America anonymously. He explains that more than one person would “disturb the ecologic complex of an area.” Explain what this phrase means.
Explain what this phrase implies about the impact of his presence in an area.
Read this quotation by author Thomas Wolfe. “Perhaps this is our strange and haunting paradox here in America—that we are fixed and certain only when we are in movement.” Which of these themes is reflected by BOTH this quotation and the passage? fate and free will searching for the truth identity of the individual growing up and growing old
All from the Fall 2007 ISTEP, certainly much easier to understand if you have read Steinbeck twice before you take this test.
Cupcake tells an exciting pageturning read but she never uses vocabulary like paradoxical.
I am glad to see Dexter hiding in his office, where its safe and he looks like he is doing something if a Board Member pops in to look the school over. Then its wobble-bobble, everything is ok, right Dr. White as they kiss his bright red Prada shoes.
Tech is out of control this year. worst in years. fights, gangs, kids in hallways during periods. where are the 6 figured income folks in terms of doing their jobs??
The administration is hiding in their safe offices and are demanding that the teachers take control of the problem, teach, and mentor every student. Dexter was a huge mistake for Dr. White. Has any of the "bobble-heads" checked out the problem, nope they will listen to Dr. White lies at the meetings.
You must be one of the many Dr. Suggs has informed that your days at Arlington are numbered. Our current administration has helped transform a chaotic school into a school that students and staff can be proud of. If we can get rid of 25% of our negtive staff, yes I said it and I am a proud teacher (professional educator), Arlington will be a great school. I’m LOL regarding Dr. Suggs spending time in his office. The man has moved his office to the third floor in order to be closer to the kids. I often hear kids say that they can not cut class because the principals are everywhere.
Dr. Suggs, I think I speak for the majority of your staff when I say thank you for turning Arlington into a school conducive to learning. I’m sure you are well aware of the staff members who are there to pay their rent/mortgage/car note, and could care less about the students.
Keep up the good work and as you say often stay focus.
I have heard that he has informed a lot of staff that they are on their way out. Every other week I have seen a new face arrive and an old face depart. I guess the man really means what he says. As far as hiding from the action, I don't think you actually work at Arlington; this administrative staff that we have this year is very active throughout the school, if this was last year I would agree with you.
To answer the question posted "Arlington chaos, true or false?" It's very false.
Is the rumor true that Dr. Suggs will only be at Arlington for two years? Dr. White, we are doing good things at Arlington, but if you continue to change principals we will never be able to sustain a positive culture. Dr. Suggs has done some very impressive things in a seven week span I'm sure if he remains at Arlington the school will become great, or is this a Dr. Suggs decision to move on.
Arlington may not be in chaos but Tech is. So Tech has become the old Arlington. Dr. White please send us help at Tech. The students are running the school.
I worked at Arlington several years ago, under the former administrative buffoon who ran it, and would love to retun to work for Dexter. Hopefully he'll be able to get rid of the negative baggage, (teachers), and someone like me can return. When I was there, it was obvious that the staff had teachers who didn't give a rat's ass about the kids, and the principal was too stupid to notice or care. She ran that school into the ground, and it might take Dexter a year or so to dig it out, but it will be worth it.
I am a student at IU and last week I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Suggs speak in front of over 300 students in the Student Center. You could hear a pin drop in the audience, it was excellent. My classmates and I are still talking about his message of self-determination, willingness to take educated risk, and his tell it like it is approach. One of my classmates in the audience asked the following question “ With all of the National attention you are receiving and have received why do you stay in IPS”. His response was so inspiring and moving that we all have decided to apply to do our student teaching at Arlington or within IPS; however, after reading the comments on this blog site and past blogs I question if I want to be around negative teachers or have them serve as my mentoring teacher. I’m not an IPS graduate, (Carmel 06), but I do have friends who attend ISU from IPS. Therefore, I am well aware that there are some very good things going on in IPS.
I will share this blog site with my classmates on Monday, so that they have the opportunity to make their own decision. Regardless, Dr. Suggs thank you for making a difference in my life and all that you spoke to last week. Sir, I leave you with the words of encouragement that you provide to the audience. “Every beginning is a consequence. Every beginning ends something. For many are called but only a few are chosen.” Good luck Sir with your new beginning at Arlington. Thank you again.
It will take some time to undo what Greenwood did to Arlington. She destroyed that school, and what they went through last year did not help the situation.
I am hearing good things about the school this year. I think Suggs will be able to change the school, but it will take time.
I had to laugh when I read about Dexter speaking at IU, then I saw a shallow man beating his chest instead of working at Arlington,seems like he is working the crowds at IU. Well Dexter it didn't work for Jeff White, you have to do the job. Look at his work experience, no time was spent in the classroom changing lives, its all public relations.
If you're an IPS secondary teacher, you're familiar with Scrimmages in both math and English classes. Just for the record, the highest high school math scrimmage # 1 scores (9/09) were earned by Marshall -- that's district wide. Marshall scored higher than the Broad Ripple Magnet. Wonders never cease, do they?
Let's compare data when we speak about schools, OK?
Ms. or Mr. I had to Laugh, Did I mention it was on a Sunday. Question: Why are there so many haters in IPS. Are you jealous? Are you a teacher? Are you an administrator? You are without a doubt a HATER. Sad little person! My name is David Casper. Visit my Facebook page. My classmates and I would love to come see you in action. Lets set up a date.
On 9/23/09, IPS secondary students took their Math Scrimmage # 2.
On that date, Arlington had 197 Algebra I students take the scrimmage. There were 12 separate class sections of Algebra I that were tested at Arlington. The overall Algebra I score for Arlington students was a 59%.
The smallest Algebra I class (Allen) at Arlington had 9 students who tested. The largest Algebra I class (Harper) at Arlington had 22 students who tested.
On that same date, Marshall had 175 Algebra I students take the same scrimmage. There were 9 separate class sections of Algebra I at Marshall who tested. The overall Algebra I score for Marshall students was 76%.
The smallest Algebra I class (Taylor) at Marshall had 11 students. The largest Algebra I class (Kelly) had 38 students.
From reviewing the data, it shows that both Arlington and Marshall have students. Moreover, the data indicates that Marshall Algebra I students are performing better than Arlington Algebra I students.
Apparently you know little about the IPS secondary math curriculum. Students who do not pass Algebra I during the first semester of a school year are enrolled in Diagnostic Algebra. Scores for Diagnostic Algebra classes were not included for either Arlington or Marshall. Both schools have two class sections of Diagnostic Algebra. Anymore comments or questions?
I have been teaching at Tech for many years....I have never seen Tech as out of control as it is this year....isn't it time for a leadership change at Tech.....that woman has no clue and doesn't care.
I worked with Suggs at 72 and he did a great job as principal. It was the first time I felt like a principal supported the staff and I was teaching in a "normal" school. It saddens me when we tear each other down. I have spent six years in IPS so far and I want to leave. My reasons are not because of my classroom conditions or students, but because of all the negativity, hostility, back stabbing, and immorality among the adults. Some of you are attacking and tearing down a man that is beneficial to IPS. He is not Dr. White's puppet and I would not defend him if I didnt know first hand that he is good at being an admistrator. No one is perfect, so why tear him down? We could, and do have, a lot worse in IPS.
Suggs can be a pain, his personal life isn't the best, and he still has a lot to learn, but give the guy a break. At least he is trying to make some positive changes. We need more principals to stand up and make the needed changes. Give me Suggs any day over most of the other administrators.
Of all the secondary principals in IPS, if I had to go to battle Suggs is the person I would want leading the charge. I have personally witnessed this young man stand up for staff and provide for his students unlike any educator. I don't think that he really cares if you like him or not, and people may speak negatively about him on a blog (they want do in his face) he is very good at bringing about positive change and improving classroom instruction. I have enjoyed working for him and with him this school year. Keep up good fight. We got your back.
I hope someone tells Dr. Suggs to visit and read this blog. If he does, I really feel sorry for the backlash that Arlington may get. Do remember that you are dealing with a person who has nothing to loose. How many of us can turn down Asst. Superintendent jobs or any job that would give us a promotion. The wrong person may have been awaken. A man who has nothing to fear is a very dangerous person. I would love to be at Arlington to witness this.
“Dr.” Suggs is in today’s Indianapolis Star promoting his doctorate degree from Indiana Wesleyan University. IWU is the biggest diploma mill in the state. This guy is a fake. Look at his test scores at Emma Donnan. That’s why Gene White loves him. He loves fake folks who support him. FYI, Dr. White’s son attended IWU. Academic Rigor is the norm!!!
I see you bitch type mother fucker enjoy sucking Suggs dick. IPS has the biggest collection of dick sucking bitches and ass licking hoes. I don't know Suggs, but get off his nuts you hoe hoe ass pussy licking bitches.
This is a good example of the attitude and behavior that IPS teachers have to tolerate on a daily basis and an administration in most buildings that is afraid to do anything about it.
The above posts are a perfect example of why the public perception of IPS teachers is so low. What awful language on a so-called "educator" blog-site. Blogmaster, you should be ashamed.
I hope that smart individuals reading this blog know and understand that these ridiculous posts are not from IPS teachers. We try our hardest, and rarely get positive feedback. We are counselors, parents, nurses, and teachers. Most of us are doing the best we can.
The teachers at IPS are constntly getting a bad reputation. Many of these are wonderful educators who enstill a desire to learn among their students. Does IPS have problems? Yes, but do not put down all teachers. As for the Star article about no one who encouraged Arlington Students (until Dr. Suggs)to attend college, perhaps more research should have been done. Last year alone Arlington had a Wells scholar, students attend IU Groups, Wabash, IU, Purdue, University of Central Florida, Butler, Kentucky State and the list goes on. That statement was a slap to all those educators who worked and continue to encourage, support and motivate Arlington students to attend secondary education. Many of those students are still in contact with those who helped to encourage them. So sorry, Dr. Suggs is not the first, nor will he be the last.
There is a person who left Arlington and went to Broad Ripple who has dedicated her career to getting kids into college. She works tirelessly on this mission. It was Arlington's loss and Broad Ripples gain that she moved. And the kids knew what she did for them and she is missed.
She did more then offer a reward, she did the work in the trenches to get kids going, making sure they took the SATS, and ACTS, and filled out FASFA's and 21st century forms in a timely fashion. She lead the students along the path they needed to follow.
Dr. Suggs had a huge hall sweep this week as the the halls ways at Arlington were packed with groups of thirty to forty students who acted like a pack of thugs each and every day. These students were rounded up and sent home, how many weeks has Dr. Suggs allowed this problem to happen daily? Way too many for a "CEO" from a dipolma mill. Who was on their way to visit Dr. Suggs? Maybe a "bobble-headed board member"?
Arlington must have the weakest teachers in the state of Indiana if they can not keep students in the classroom. The only reason hall sweeps are conduct hall sweep is because teachers can not manage their students. Arlington needs to get rid of all of its terrible teachers and start over; it's working for us at Marshall.
I heard from some of the cadre teachers who came to our building this week that so far, Arlington is the worse school they have been at. On the flip side, I had one of the coaches say it is the most improved school in IPS. She said last year she was afraid for her personal safety, not so this year!
Does someone have a problem with white females? Maybe IPS should "grandfather" out the WF's. Don't hire any more, replace the ones who quit or retire with minorities. It seems that a high percentage of minority students don't have any respect for white females, so get rid of them!! oh, wait...THEN who would get the blame for all of the problems in IPS?
To the genius above who above who said that..."Arlington must have the weakest teachers in the state if they cannot keep the students in the classroom..." how would YOU keep them there???? If the administrators aren't smart enough to conduct hall sweeps, it shows the students that they don't give a shit whether they go to class or not.
Who lied and said Marshall is doing any better!!You can change administration and teachers, but it will not change the behavior of the kids at Marshall. Marshall teachers and administration have no control of their students.
In 2007-2008 Marshall was under control. Even Dr. White enjoyed the success of Marshall. Prudence became the Director and the school went downhill. She made it known that too many kids were being suspended. She was crazy to the point of wanting her son to have an office at Marshall. This was a Big mistake of Gene White and now the school is a zoo. Why did he demote Bridgwaters?????
Here is a link to an article on white women education black children.
I will pause here for a unicorn break. White women are no more responsible for the demise of black male test scores and graduation rates than I and my brothers who were drafted into the military were responsible for the Vietnam War. The long-dead General Motors finally went belly-up this year and though its union workers fed ravenously off the corpse for years, it was management that killed the beast, not Willie the Welder. The over-arching problem in public school education is that there is no bloody management. Education departments in our unicorn universities staffed with ex-hippies and domestic terrorists don’t teach leadership skills; they teach guilt, diversity, and sensitivity.
It is an interesting editorial, but the conclusion of the article is that white women are not teaching black males as well as black women taught them before desegregation. So while it's not exactly our "fault" it still a real problem that is never going to be solved while we volley the blame-ball back and forth from teachers to parents.
Well that's certainly a topic for discussion! :) I don't think this blog is really the kind of place for a serious discussion on this, but there are a variety of theories on this. One thing I find fascinating is that increasingly, I'm reading more and more prominent black male leaders pushing for traditionally right-wing solutions to education (vouchers, charter schools, standards-based, etc.) This is completely opposite of what I always thought was best for education, especially education for minorities. But as Edward Hayes mentions in article linked above, "It ain't working." So I find I'm becoming more open-minded to some of the changes I fought very hard against even 5 years ago.
At one time it seems that black people who had struggled to gain the right to education saw an education as the way for their children to get ahead. They were concerned that their children learn to live as a part of mainstream society which meant that they would learn "standard English" and the type of conformity that is necessary to be employed. I believe that we need to teach children to value their culture but we have almost made our students today more resistant toward the values necessary to succeed. Respect toward authority, appropriate dress, language, respect for women...so much has been denigrated by the role models our students have, e.g. rap stars. This is also true among white kids but the fact that there are fewer black males standing "in the gap" and taking responsibility as fathers cannot be denied. The whole "my baby's daddy" culture and lack of a sense of the importance of men as present and active in their children's lives worries me. I wonder if we have made black boys feel like the only way they can gain respect is by being great at sports, as rappers or as "thugs" - somehow, we must honor all work and rebuild a sense of value in black men as leaders, starting with their families. (yes, I know, we can blame it on slavery when men were taken away from their families and women had to step in - we can't change that now - but we have to find a way to rebuild our black boys sense of their worth in productive ways) It makes me sad to think of how people struggled to gain rights only to see how little those rights are valued. On the day after President Obama was elected, a group of kids ran down the halls shouting, "we have a black president...not he is going to get even with you white folks" (or something similar to that) I am a white woman teacher...I told my students that we could learn from each other's culture...and we traded "instruction"...I learned "street" language and they asked to learn to speak "proper-like" (their term - not mine). I also tried to teach them at we all speak differently in different situations. As a white woman teacher, I certainly didn't understand everything about what they faced; but if they grew up and knew that a white woman valued them, perhaps they would be more able to value others (or at least not to distrust and hate those who were different from them - and that goes two ways)
Well, "so do the white females need to go?" there's your answer. Obviously, the white woman above me will not be able to reach most of today's black students. It doesn't take a degree to figure that one out. But many white females do reach black students every day. And NONE of them sound like the condescending, racist garbage masked as "value" in the post above.
To "At one time" Would you trust and respect someone who thought of you as less than him/her. As less than other generations. As flawed and corrupt and lacking values? Who honestly believed that he/she was morally and intellectually your superior and by rejecting him/her, you were rejecting education? Because I wouldn't give you 5 minutes of my time and I wasn't even who you were insulting.
At one time, an interesting turn of a phrase, but also an interesting observation. I recently watched a program written and narrated by Bernard McFarland, (Extreme Home Makeover) about the history of education for blacks in the city of Indianapolis, and there was a strong emphasis on education.
We also have to put this in a historic context, what happened in the late 60's and early 70's? Desegregation was not only something that happened in the schools, it happened in society. To quote a tv theme song Well we're Movin' on Up! Movin' on Up! To the east side! Movin' on Up! To a dee-luxe apartment in the sky, We're movin' on up! Movin' on Up! To the east side! Movin' on Up! We've finally got a piece of the pie!
Fish don't fry in the kitchen, Beans don't burn on the grill. Took a whole lotta tryin' Just to get up that hill. Now we're up in the big leagues, Gettin' our turn at bat! As long as we live, It's you and me, baby! There ain't nothin' wrong with that!
Black flight happened the same way as white flight, but the basis was not race but class. I was speaking to my own neighbor (I live in a mixed race neighborhood) who happens to be black, about taking his daughters to day camp at the Y on Fort Harrison, and he told me there was no way he'd take his girls there because it was too ghetto. This was certainly not a statement about race but about class.
The well educated of both races, who value education and expect the best for their children have left the inner-city schools, and if they stay in the area, usually in gentrified pockets their kids attend magnet programs, charter schools, or private or religious schools.
The students we get often get such mixed messages from school, a lovely girl who does really well in my class told the class her grandmother had given her instruction on how to win in a physical fight. I knew a woman who had never graduated from high school and who had three children she was very proud of because they all excelled in school, none however graduated, and there was always a subtle message in the house, the spoken message was "stay in school" the less noticeable message was "I didn't graduate and look how well we are doing" She happened to be white, so it is not necessarily a white or black thing.
I have been reflecting on the comments I made as the blogger "at one time". I don't think I made myself very clear and I really hope I haven't communicated to my students that I thought less of them and I believe from the years of working with the students that they felt valued and accepted. My concern was for what the culture was telling them regarding what it meant to be successful (via the music videos, etc.) I did not seek to communicate that their culture, dialect, etc. was inferior but that we all (myself included) needed to be able to adapt to expectations of employers, society, etc. Who would disagree that many of the "heros" of these boys are less than models...why would Dr. White want to enforce a dress code that rejected "sagging"...why do we hope that our girls will not be pregnant and have to raise children alone...is it not because we believe that some commonly held standards will benefit our kids who want to be successful adults. How is that being condescending? I have always tried to understand the struggles that my students face and to learn from them without having a "missionary attitude". There are many examples of black men who are making and those who have made great contributions to our world...I only want them to know that these men are not the ones promoting what many (not all) rappers are telling are kids. I will,however, take seriously what you have said and search my own attitudes and actions because the last thing I want to do is reflect rejection. Right now, are there enough black men and women teachers to take over all the teaching positions? By the way, I have seen black teachers treat students wrongly, also, so perhaps it is an attitude not a skin color. I only hope I can be truly open to understanding and communicating to these kids the value of their potential.
"It is an interesting editorial, but the conclusion of the article is that white women are not teaching black males as well as black women taught them before desegregation."
You read this article with different eyes then I did, here is the concluding statement "White teachers have failed to teach black males as well as black teachers did before school desegregation." Basically no one is educating black males well.
Racism is so sublte, it isn't only what other people believe about you, it is what you believe about you. I was on the tube in London and watched three young black men (the age of the high school students I teach) get on the train, in the US, two things would have happened, they would have "postured" or established their presence, and the rest of the riders would have "tensed up" a little. There without the race issue they didn't even "merit" a squirm. They were so happy chatting about what was going on, and their plans for the day. It broke my heart to see what no racism looked like, why can't it be that way here.
I was standing in line at a fast food place and was inadertently staring at some black kids, (trying to figure out if they were former students) and they spoke up and said "you should pay for our food" just as quick I said "I teach in IPS you guys should be buying my lunch" they laughed and so did I.
My response to "at one time" was probably unfair and unwarranted, but I agree with the above poster that the subtle racism is so real and so powerful. And people tend to twist reality to "prove" their racism. One of the most powerful examples of this I ever saw was that 20/20 about Jane Eliott's blue eye/brown eye experiment. And three things struck me to my very core. One, how easily the teacher found examples that "proved" her stereotype. Brown eyed people are aggressive -- Everytime a brown eyed person gets frustrated or angry, which obviously happened more because they were being treated unfairly, this "proves" this theory. Two, how easily the blue-eyed group of kids accepted the division and justified their unfair treatment of the other kids with whom they had been close friends the day before. Three, watching the brown-eyed kids do significantly worse on flash cards than they had done just 24 hours earlier because now they felt inferior. Now imagine a kid coming from generation after generation of being "brown-eyed" in a world of "blue-eyed" people who see themselves as superior. It's mind-blowing.
I'm taking an on line course on reading, and I'm seeing things I've never seen. I'm not a reading teacher, and I graduated 35 years ago, so diebles are new to me. As I watch the videos that accompany the course I see lots of cultural bias in the examples, first there is still the ever present "hoe", sorry people but even the majority of farm kids don't know or see hoes any more. Then the kids are asked to identify the intial sounds of items that they might or might not be familiar with, for instance "lamb". This may be the first time the child has ever heard the word lamb, much less seen a lamb, and less then 30 seconds later they are asked to repeat or identify the inital sound. Another example is hat, which was identified as "cap", both of these examples seem to be culturally biased in favor of more middle class students (of both races) whose parents enrolled them in little league, took them to story time at the libray, or read them nursery rhymes. It is a shame that the test writers tests aren't offered in more then one cultural version.
This is "at one time" again. I know that I have certainly learned a lot about subtle racism and feel like I fight it everyday. I used to think that I had been a "victim" (coming from a poor neigborhood and an ethnic group that was made fun of) but I realized how different it was for me because it wasn't revealed by my skin color and I could walk away by moving to a new location. I also know how hard it was for me to learn that the grammar I grew up learning made me stand out (negatively) when I was in college and realized that the way we spoke at home wasn't going to "work" in the new location. I guess what worries me the most is the way some of my students reacted to films about slavery...they seemed to engender such hatred and it was understandable...I felt like the younger kids just weren't ready to understand...but then is anyone ever old enough to understand such a thing.
I don't think an instructional coach would have identified themself as such even if they were the poster. I rather think that someone within AHS posted that comment. I have, however, heard some glaring grammar errors from people at all levels of responsibility - and often find myself making mistakes. I think the sad part is that we are so hesitant to point out these errors so that people can be helped. We are all learners and should never get to the place where we feel we are above instruction or constructive criticism.
This should be interesting.
ReplyDeleteDon't know for sure, but a former student was told by someone in the know that nothing had really changed at the school.
ReplyDeleteFor the first 6 weeks compared to the many years I have been at Arlington it's a lot better. I really enjoy going to work unlike last year. I have heard from some friends that the other schools are having {Tech and Manual}. Can anyone confirm the Tech problem last week and Manual problem?
ReplyDeleteI agree things are going well at Arlington. We are moving in the right direction, but it will not happen overnight.
ReplyDeleteMy son attends Arlington and has been a student at Arlington since his Freshman year. He really likes the school. He enjoys his teachers, and likes the fact that the administrators will take time to talk and listen to the students.
ReplyDeleteI'm an Instructional Coach and Arlington has went from the worst performing school on scrimmages to the best in ELA and Math. Of all the schools I visit, Arlington is the most organized and the staff works together.
ReplyDeleteNothing like getting your smug little bait shoved up your butt, hey, blogmaster?
ReplyDeleteI was there for a workshop and I witnessed three young men, large high school type, talking to a female teacher. After the conversation she informed two of the young men to pull up their pains; they not only complied but said yes, sorry about that. I was so impress. At my school she would have gotten cursed out. The school looked good.
ReplyDelete"I'm an Instructional Coach and Arlington has went..."
ReplyDelete"...pull up their pains..."
"I was so impress."
Such poor writing conventions as above would never come from the pen of an Instructional Coach.
Was it Dr. White writing to make Dexter look good?
ReplyDeleteNo, I believe it was Cassie writing to make Dexter look good. In his defense, Dr. White would have written much better.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the shooting of a "baby's daddy" across the street from Arlington today? But it was out of IPS's area of concern. Then Arlington has no bells to start the next class period and teachers are told that if a student is tardy its a reflection on them (teachers). The students have no interest in their class or teaching style, so its the teachers fault, so no one is marked tardy. If their is a party, fight, or gang bangers in the hallways, its still the teachers fault. Arlington is out of control, and Dexter is doing nothing. See the games IPS is playing is worthless to helping the students learn and meet their goals.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the huge beat down periods 9/10 and what about the fight between counselors, where a senior counselor threw a book at another counselor? Right Arlington is perfect? Not, its a house of cards and Dexter has no idea about what to do, and has no control over the students, teachers, or staff. Dexter you are a joke, the "Wonder Boy that leaves students downtown without food or water, and of courses he has a nice lunch. Board Memebers you need to call the man out on his poor performance.
ReplyDelete"What about the shooting of a "baby's daddy" across the street from "Arlington today? But it was out of IPS's area of concern. Then Arlington has no bells to start the next class period and teachers are told that if a student is tardy its a reflection on them (teachers). The students have no interest in their class or teaching style, so its the teachers fault, so no one is marked tardy. If their is a party, fight, or gang bangers in the hallways, its still the teachers fault. Arlington is out of control, and Dexter is doing nothing. See the games IPS is playing is worthless to helping the students learn and meet their goals."
ReplyDeleteWe do not have bells in college. Will the bells help you become a better teacher? You must be one of the sad teachers I had when I was at Arlington. You may want to apply for a job in Connersville, Martinsville, or Mooresville. I'm sure you will find more people like you.
What about the huge beat down periods 9/10 and what about the fight between counselors - - - - - -
ReplyDeleteDo we work at the same school. If the man is doing a good job, give him his credit. If you can do a better job apply for the job in the next two years. I'm sure that he will be off to bigger things within the next two years. Overall, the school year is going extremely well. This time last year I thought I was in hell.
I had to laugh at the fool who feels like IPS students are mature and respect their free education at the expense of the taxpayers. Not, the students need the bells just like the townships schools, what a Dexter suck up. I am teaching in the worst school in IPS "baby doll", you would last one hour. Dexter is one big joke and the teachers need to get the word out to the "bobble-headed" Board about the fool.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should leave IPS, or do you need the job to pay your rent? I hate so-called teachers like you. You are the reason why IPS students act like they do. You are the fool, and the school board should investigate and terminate weak teacher like you.
ReplyDeleteAre most of the teachers at Arlington white?
ReplyDeleteand this is an important question, why?
ReplyDeleteLike this blog is important. It's a joke just like you.
ReplyDelete"Are most of the teachers at Arlington white?"
ReplyDeleteThe answer is "Yes."
Are the majority of teachers in IPS white? Yes again. And how many of these white (and black teachers for that matter), actually live in the IPS boundary? And if they do, how many send their children (if they have any) to IPS schools?
See how this goes?
When you have disengaged teachers instructing children living in high poverty with very little to no parental involvement, there is a huge disconnect, a chasm that MUST be bridged.
If I am an educator with no real tangible ties to the children I teach, how can I expect to make lessons revelant to children who live in communities where homicides are prevalent? That's their world, but it is not mine.
I have chosen to live in Hamilton (submit any name here) County, yet rely on a salary that is levied to me via IPS taxpayers. Is there a disconnect here?
This is not a black-white issue. It's a class issue.
Until we (IPS teachers/administrators) stop blaming others (students and parents) and understand our OWN (failures and successes) role here, we will never see the achievememnt gap narrow between the sub-groups studied by the feds.
"Teachers should visit their students homes and spend the evening playing tonk with the kids families."
ReplyDeleteBrandon Cosby 9-06
Nice to see you still believe the same thing.
I am trying to prepare my students for life in the wider world. You are correct much of what we teach are students is not relevant to their world, however in the wider world things like being able to spell and speak standard English are important, and you are judged by your abilities in these areas.
And although I may be white and live in a neighborhood with similar middle income people (of all races) I have spent considerable time in the neighborhoods where my students live. I've sat on the sofa, in a room illuminated by a big screen tv, complete with gun shot hole, had a soda with a parent and discussed a student's educational issues, while his older brother slept on the sofa with his packets of drugs falling our of his socks. I've also visited homes that are in the same neighborhood that are cleaner and neater then my own. In both cases I have found parents who really are concerned with their children's well being and future. I honestly do not believe these parents want their children to have an education where they get a curriculum tailored to the perceived relevance of material to their current life.
Do you propose we replace Jane Eyer with Cupcake Brown?
http://www.cupcakebrown.com/main.php?NAV=about&PIC=about
Well I have read both and actually seen Cupcake speak about her lurid upbringing and she is certainly relevant to some of our students. However arrive at college only having read this type of material and see what happens.
But there are thousands of ways to make curriculum relevent to students that range between Cupcake Brown and Jane Eyre (I, a middle-class, college-degreed white woman, have never read either one.) Even with classics, there's a difference between "hey, you'll need this in college" which means nothing to most of my students, or connecting characters and themes with things that are relevent to their world. Besides, the standardized tests don't test content, they test comprehension. And one could certainly use Cupcake Brown (or other books that students like) to teach and practice reading comprehension.
ReplyDeleteHow did you make it through high school with out reading Jane Eyre? And your contention that they don't test content but instead test comprehension isn't what I have seen. Yes that is suppose to be the purpose, however when the reading selection is John Steinbeck and the student read "The Red Pony" in sixth grade, and "Of Mice and Men" in 8th grade, the
ReplyDeleteselection on the ISTEP is a snap,
Here is the actual test
How do you think writers go about observing the subjects they write about? In
this excerpt from the book Travels with Charley: In Search of America, John
Steinbeck discusses his preparations for a cross-country writing expedition.
After you read the passage, you will answer some questions. Then you will
write a narrative composition on a related topic.
John Steinbeck (1902–1968) wrote Travels with Charley: In Search of America
toward the end of a long and celebrated career as an American novelist and short story writer.
My plan was clear, concise, and
ReplyDeletereasonable, I think. For many years
I have traveled in many parts of the
world. In America I live in New York,
or dip into Chicago or San Francisco.
But New York is no more America
than Paris is France or London is
England. Thus I discovered that I
Once I traveled about in an
old bakery wagon, double-doored
rattler with a mattress on its floor.
I stopped where people stopped
or gathered, I listened and looked
and felt, and in the process had a
picture of my country the accuracy of
which was impaired only by my own
shortcomings.
So it was that I determined to
look again, to try to rediscover this
monster land. Otherwise, in writing,
I could not tell the small diagnostic
truths which are the foundations of
the larger truth. One sharp difficulty
presented itself. In the intervening
twenty-five years my name had
become reasonably well known. And
it has been my experience that when
people have heard of you, favorably
or not, they change; they become,
through shyness or the other qualities
that publicity inspires, something
they are not under ordinary
circumstances. This being so, my trip demanded that I leave my name
and my identity at home. I had to
be peripatetic1 eyes and ears, a kind
of moving gelatin plate. I could not
sign hotel registers, meet people I
knew, interview others, or even ask
searching questions. Furthermore,
two or more people disturb the
ecologic complex of an area. I had
to go alone and I had to be selfcontained,
a kind of casual turtle
carrying his house on his back.
With all this in mind I wrote
to the head office of a great
corporation which manufactures
trucks. I specified my purpose
and my needs. I wanted a threequarter-
ton pick-up truck, capable
of going anywhere under possibly
rigorous conditions, and on this
truck I wanted a little house built
like the cabin of a small boat. A
trailer is difficult to maneuver on mountain roads, is impossible and
often illegal to park, and is subject
to many restrictions. In due time,
specifications came through, for a
tough, fast, comfortable vehicle,
mounting a camper top—a little
house with double bed, a fourburner
stove, a heater, refrigerator
and lights operating on butane, a
chemical toilet, closet space, storage
space, windows screened against
insects—exactly what I wanted.
It was delivered in the summer
to my little fishing place at Sag
Harbor near the end of Long Island.
Although I didn’t want to start before
Labor Day, when the nation settles
back to normal living, I did want to
get used to my turtle shell, to equip
it and learn it. It arrived in August,
a beautiful thing, powerful and yet
lithe. It was almost as easy to
handle as a passenger car.
By describing America as a “monster land,” the narrator is MOST
LIKELY suggesting that America is
frightening
large
powerful
unusual
In the third paragraph of the passage, John Steinbeck describes how he
hopes to travel through America anonymously. He explains that more
than one person would “disturb the ecologic complex of an area.”
Explain what this phrase means.
In the third paragraph of the passage, John Steinbeck describes how he
ReplyDeletehopes to travel through America anonymously. He explains that more
than one person would “disturb the ecologic complex of an area.”
Explain what this phrase means.
Explain what this phrase implies about the impact of his presence in
an area.
Read this quotation by author Thomas Wolfe.
“Perhaps this is our strange and haunting paradox here in
America—that we are fixed and certain only when we are
in movement.”
Which of these themes is reflected by BOTH this quotation and the
passage?
fate and free will
searching for the truth
identity of the individual
growing up and growing old
All from the Fall 2007 ISTEP, certainly much easier to understand if you have read Steinbeck twice before you take this test.
Cupcake tells an exciting pageturning read but she never uses vocabulary like paradoxical.
I am glad to see Dexter hiding in his office, where its safe and he looks like he is doing something if a Board Member pops in to look the school over. Then its wobble-bobble, everything is ok, right Dr. White as they kiss his bright red Prada shoes.
ReplyDeleteDo Bamas wear Prada?
ReplyDeleteThe Devil wears Prada.
ReplyDeleteTech is out of control this year. worst in years. fights, gangs, kids in hallways during periods. where are the 6 figured income folks in terms of doing their jobs??
ReplyDeleteThe administration is hiding in their safe offices and are demanding that the teachers take control of the problem, teach, and mentor every student. Dexter was a huge mistake for Dr. White. Has any of the "bobble-heads" checked out the problem, nope they will listen to Dr. White lies at the meetings.
ReplyDeleteYou must be one of the many Dr. Suggs has informed that your days at Arlington are numbered. Our current administration has helped transform a chaotic school into a school that students and staff can be proud of. If we can get rid of 25% of our negtive staff, yes I said it and I am a proud teacher (professional educator), Arlington will be a great school. I’m LOL regarding Dr. Suggs spending time in his office. The man has moved his office to the third floor in order to be closer to the kids. I often hear kids say that they can not cut class because the principals are everywhere.
ReplyDeleteDr. Suggs, I think I speak for the majority of your staff when I say thank you for turning Arlington into a school conducive to learning. I’m sure you are well aware of the staff members who are there to pay their rent/mortgage/car note, and could care less about the students.
Keep up the good work and as you say often stay focus.
I have heard that he has informed a lot of staff that they are on their way out. Every other week I have seen a new face arrive and an old face depart. I guess the man really means what he says. As far as hiding from the action, I don't think you actually work at Arlington; this administrative staff that we have this year is very active throughout the school, if this was last year I would agree with you.
ReplyDeleteTo answer the question posted "Arlington chaos, true or false?" It's very false.
Is the rumor true that Dr. Suggs will only be at Arlington for two years?
Dr. White, we are doing good things at Arlington, but if you continue to change principals we will never be able to sustain a positive culture. Dr. Suggs has done some very impressive things in a seven week span
I'm sure if he remains at Arlington the school will become great, or is this a Dr. Suggs decision to move on.
Arlington may not be in chaos but Tech is. So Tech has become the old Arlington. Dr. White please send us help at Tech. The students are running the school.
ReplyDeleteI worked at Arlington several years ago, under the former administrative buffoon who ran it, and would love to retun to work for Dexter. Hopefully he'll be able to get rid of the negative baggage, (teachers), and someone like me can return. When I was there, it was obvious that the staff had teachers who didn't give a rat's ass about the kids, and the principal was too stupid to notice or care. She ran that school into the ground, and it might take Dexter a year or so to dig it out, but it will be worth it.
ReplyDeleteJohn Marshall is now a good place to be! It's not the same school as last year.
ReplyDeleteI am a student at IU and last week I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Suggs speak in front of over 300 students in the Student Center. You could hear a pin drop in the audience, it was excellent. My classmates and I are still talking about his message of self-determination, willingness to take educated risk, and his tell it like it is approach. One of my classmates in the audience asked the following question “ With all of the National attention you are receiving and have received why do you stay in IPS”. His response was so inspiring and moving that we all have decided to apply to do our student teaching at Arlington or within IPS; however, after reading the comments on this blog site and past blogs I question if I want to be around negative teachers or have them serve as my mentoring teacher. I’m not an IPS graduate, (Carmel 06), but I do have friends who attend ISU from IPS. Therefore, I am well aware that there are some very good things going on in IPS.
ReplyDeleteI will share this blog site with my classmates on Monday, so that they have the opportunity to make their own decision. Regardless, Dr. Suggs thank you for making a difference in my life and all that you spoke to last week. Sir, I leave you with the words of encouragement that you provide to the audience. “Every beginning is a consequence. Every beginning ends something. For many are called but only a few are chosen.” Good luck Sir with your new beginning at Arlington. Thank you again.
lol - Hell, John Marshall does not have any students. There are only 10 - 14 students per class, and John Marshall has the staff of a high school.
ReplyDeleteJohn Marshall (Ha, Ha, Ha)
It will take some time to undo what Greenwood did to Arlington. She destroyed that school, and what they went through last year did not help the situation.
ReplyDeleteI am hearing good things about the school this year. I think Suggs will be able to change the school, but it will take time.
I had to laugh when I read about Dexter speaking at IU, then I saw a shallow man beating his chest instead of working at Arlington,seems like he is working the crowds at IU. Well Dexter it didn't work for Jeff White, you have to do the job. Look at his work experience, no time was spent in the classroom changing lives, its all public relations.
ReplyDeleteIf you're an IPS secondary teacher, you're familiar with Scrimmages in both math and English classes. Just for the record, the highest high school math scrimmage # 1 scores (9/09) were earned by Marshall -- that's district wide. Marshall scored higher than the Broad Ripple Magnet. Wonders never cease, do they?
ReplyDeleteLet's compare data when we speak about schools, OK?
Ms. or Mr. I had to Laugh,
ReplyDeleteDid I mention it was on a Sunday. Question: Why are there so many haters in IPS. Are you jealous? Are you a teacher? Are you an administrator? You are without a doubt a HATER. Sad little person! My name is David Casper. Visit my Facebook page. My classmates and I would love to come see you in action. Lets set up a date.
John Marshall has no students.
ReplyDeleteKendrick or Bridgwaters is that you hating? Is that your fat ass hating.
ReplyDeleteOn 9/23/09, IPS secondary students took their Math Scrimmage # 2.
ReplyDeleteOn that date, Arlington had 197 Algebra I students take the scrimmage. There were 12 separate class sections of Algebra I that were tested at Arlington. The overall Algebra I score for Arlington students was a 59%.
The smallest Algebra I class (Allen) at Arlington had 9 students who tested. The largest Algebra I class (Harper) at Arlington had 22 students who tested.
On that same date, Marshall had 175 Algebra I students take the same scrimmage. There were 9 separate class sections of Algebra I at Marshall who tested. The overall Algebra I score for Marshall students was 76%.
The smallest Algebra I class (Taylor) at Marshall had 11 students. The largest Algebra I class (Kelly) had 38 students.
From reviewing the data, it shows that both Arlington and Marshall have students. Moreover, the data indicates that Marshall Algebra I students are performing better than Arlington Algebra I students.
How many times have those Marshall students taken Algebra I? They ought to get it at some point.
ReplyDeleteApparently you know little about the IPS secondary math curriculum. Students who do not pass Algebra I during the first semester of a school year are enrolled in Diagnostic Algebra. Scores for Diagnostic Algebra classes were not included for either Arlington or Marshall. Both schools have two class sections of Diagnostic Algebra. Anymore comments or questions?
ReplyDeleteOK thanks, I get it. If you can't get it the first time we water it down. Eventually they have to pass the end of course, right?
ReplyDeleteWell put
ReplyDeleteI have been teaching at Tech for many years....I have never seen Tech as out of control as it is this year....isn't it time for a leadership change at Tech.....that woman has no clue and doesn't care.
ReplyDeleteI worked with Suggs at 72 and he did a great job as principal. It was the first time I felt like a principal supported the staff and I was teaching in a "normal" school. It saddens me when we tear each other down. I have spent six years in IPS so far and I want to leave. My reasons are not because of my classroom conditions or students, but because of all the negativity, hostility, back stabbing, and immorality among the adults. Some of you are attacking and tearing down a man that is beneficial to IPS. He is not Dr. White's puppet and I would not defend him if I didnt know first hand that he is good at being an admistrator. No one is perfect, so why tear him down? We could, and do have, a lot worse in IPS.
ReplyDeleteSuggs can be a pain, his personal life isn't the best, and he still has a lot to learn, but give the guy a break. At least he is trying to make some positive changes. We need more principals to stand up and make the needed changes. Give me Suggs any day over most of the other administrators.
ReplyDeleteOf all the secondary principals in IPS, if I had to go to battle Suggs is the person I would want leading the charge. I have personally witnessed this young man stand up for staff and provide for his students unlike any educator. I don't think that he really cares if you like him or not, and people may speak negatively about him on a blog (they want do in his face) he is very good at bringing about positive change and improving classroom instruction. I have enjoyed working for him and with him this school year. Keep up good fight. We got your back.
ReplyDeleteI hope someone tells Dr. Suggs to visit and read this blog. If he does, I really feel sorry for the backlash that Arlington may get. Do remember that you are dealing with a person who has nothing to loose. How many of us can turn down Asst. Superintendent jobs or any job that would give us a promotion. The wrong person may have been awaken. A man who has nothing to fear is a very dangerous person. I would love to be at Arlington to witness this.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think he is, God? That womanizing egomaniac only has wrath over those who cower to him. Gimme' a break!!!!
ReplyDelete“Dr.” Suggs is in today’s Indianapolis Star promoting his doctorate degree from Indiana Wesleyan University. IWU is the biggest diploma mill in the state. This guy is a fake. Look at his test scores at Emma Donnan. That’s why Gene White loves him. He loves fake folks who support him. FYI, Dr. White’s son attended IWU. Academic Rigor is the norm!!!
ReplyDeleteIWU is an embarrassment to the real educational institutions in Indiana. Suggs is an example of products.
ReplyDeleteIndiana Wesleyan, Martin University, and Oakland City University are not as rigorous as most high schools.
ReplyDeleteI see you bitch type mother fucker enjoy sucking Suggs dick. IPS has the biggest collection of dick sucking bitches and ass licking hoes. I don't know Suggs, but get off his nuts you hoe hoe ass pussy licking bitches.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good example of the attitude and behavior that IPS teachers have to tolerate on a daily basis and an administration in most buildings that is afraid to do anything about it.
ReplyDeleteIs "slup" an onomatopoeia?
ReplyDeleteDexter, Miranda misses you.
ReplyDeleteThe above posts are a perfect example of why the public perception of IPS teachers is so low. What awful language on a so-called "educator" blog-site. Blogmaster, you should be ashamed.
ReplyDeletePrudence, you know those comments are not from teachers....they obviously are from students...or non students........
ReplyDeleteI hope that smart individuals reading this blog know and understand that these ridiculous posts are not from IPS teachers.
ReplyDeleteWe try our hardest, and rarely get positive feedback. We are counselors, parents, nurses, and teachers. Most of us are doing the best we can.
The teachers at IPS are constntly getting a bad reputation. Many of these are wonderful educators who enstill a desire to learn among their students. Does IPS have problems? Yes, but do not put down all teachers.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Star article about no one who encouraged Arlington Students (until Dr. Suggs)to attend college, perhaps more research should have been done. Last year alone Arlington had a Wells scholar, students attend IU Groups, Wabash, IU, Purdue, University of Central Florida, Butler, Kentucky State and the list goes on. That statement was a slap to all those educators who worked and continue to encourage, support and motivate Arlington students to attend secondary education.
Many of those students are still in contact with those who helped to encourage them.
So sorry, Dr. Suggs is not the first, nor will he be the last.
There is a person who left Arlington and went to Broad Ripple who has dedicated her career to getting kids into college. She works tirelessly on this mission. It was Arlington's loss and Broad Ripples gain that she moved. And the kids knew what she did for them and she is missed.
ReplyDeleteShe did more then offer a reward, she did the work in the trenches to get kids going, making sure they took the SATS, and ACTS, and filled out FASFA's and 21st century forms in a timely fashion. She lead the students along the path they needed to follow.
Dr. Suggs had a huge hall sweep this week as the the halls ways at Arlington were packed with groups of thirty to forty students who acted like a pack of thugs each and every day. These students were rounded up and sent home, how many weeks has Dr. Suggs allowed this problem to happen daily? Way too many for a "CEO" from a dipolma mill. Who was on their way to visit Dr. Suggs? Maybe a "bobble-headed board member"?
ReplyDeleteArlington must have the weakest teachers in the state of Indiana if they can not keep students in the classroom. The only reason hall sweeps are conduct hall sweep is because teachers can not manage their students. Arlington needs to get rid of all of its terrible teachers and start over; it's working for us at Marshall.
ReplyDeleteAre most of the teachers at Arlington white females? If so, that may explain a lot.
ReplyDeleteWhat would it explain, praytell?
ReplyDeleteI heard from some of the cadre teachers who came to our building this week that so far, Arlington is the worse school they have been at. On the flip side, I had one of the coaches say it is the most improved school in IPS. She said last year she was afraid for her personal safety, not so this year!
ReplyDeleteDoes someone have a problem with white females? Maybe IPS should "grandfather" out the WF's. Don't hire any more, replace the ones who quit or retire with minorities. It seems that a high percentage of minority students don't have any respect for white females, so get rid of them!! oh, wait...THEN who would get the blame for all of the problems in IPS?
ReplyDeleteTo the genius above who above who said that..."Arlington must have the weakest teachers in the state if they cannot keep the students in the classroom..." how would YOU keep them there???? If the administrators aren't smart enough to conduct hall sweeps, it shows the students that they don't give a shit whether they go to class or not.
ReplyDeleteWho lied and said Marshall is doing any better!!You can change administration and teachers, but it will not change the behavior of the kids at Marshall. Marshall teachers and administration have no control of their students.
ReplyDeleteIt would explain that the person who made the comment is racist, and sexist.
ReplyDeleteWTF ???
ReplyDeleteIn 2007-2008 Marshall was under control. Even Dr. White enjoyed the success of Marshall. Prudence became the Director and the school went downhill. She made it known that too many kids were being suspended. She was crazy to the point of wanting her son to have an office at Marshall. This was a Big mistake of Gene White and now the school is a zoo. Why did he demote Bridgwaters?????
ReplyDeleteHere is a link to an article on white women education black children.
ReplyDeleteI will pause here for a unicorn break. White women are no more responsible for the demise of black male test scores and graduation rates than I and my brothers who were drafted into the military were responsible for the Vietnam War. The long-dead General Motors finally went belly-up this year and though its union workers fed ravenously off the corpse for years, it was management that killed the beast, not Willie the Welder. The over-arching problem in public school education is that there is no bloody management. Education departments in our unicorn universities staffed with ex-hippies and domestic terrorists don’t teach leadership skills; they teach guilt, diversity, and sensitivity.
http://www.examiner.com/x-3865-Chicago-Public-Education-Examiner~y2009m8d7-Can-white-women-teach-black-male-students-in-Chicago?cid=exrss-Chicago-Public-Education-Examiner
It is an interesting editorial, but the conclusion of the article is that white women are not teaching black males as well as black women taught them before desegregation. So while it's not exactly our "fault" it still a real problem that is never going to be solved while we volley the blame-ball back and forth from teachers to parents.
ReplyDeleteSo what can we do?
ReplyDeleteWell that's certainly a topic for discussion! :) I don't think this blog is really the kind of place for a serious discussion on this, but there are a variety of theories on this. One thing I find fascinating is that increasingly, I'm reading more and more prominent black male leaders pushing for traditionally right-wing solutions to education (vouchers, charter schools, standards-based, etc.) This is completely opposite of what I always thought was best for education, especially education for minorities. But as Edward Hayes mentions in article linked above, "It ain't working." So I find I'm becoming more open-minded to some of the changes I fought very hard against even 5 years ago.
ReplyDeleteSo do the white females need to go? Or can they get the respect they need to reach the students and help them succeed?
ReplyDeleteAt one time it seems that black people who had struggled to gain the right to education saw an education as the way for their children to get ahead. They were concerned that their children learn to live as a part of mainstream society which meant that they would learn "standard English" and the type of conformity that is necessary to be employed. I believe that we need to teach children to value their culture but we have almost made our students today more resistant toward the values necessary to succeed. Respect toward authority, appropriate dress, language, respect for women...so much has been denigrated by the role models our students have, e.g. rap stars. This is also true among white kids but the fact that there are fewer black males standing "in the gap" and taking responsibility as fathers cannot be denied. The whole "my baby's daddy" culture and lack of a sense of the importance of men as present and active in their children's lives worries me. I wonder if we have made black boys feel like the only way they can gain respect is by being great at sports, as rappers or as "thugs" - somehow, we must honor all work and rebuild a sense of value in black men as leaders, starting with their families. (yes, I know, we can blame it on slavery when men were taken away from their families and women had to step in - we can't change that now - but we have to find a way to rebuild our black boys sense of their worth in productive ways) It makes me sad to think of how people struggled to gain rights only to see how little those rights are valued. On the day after President Obama was elected, a group of kids ran down the halls shouting, "we have a black president...not he is going to get even with you white folks" (or something similar to that) I am a white woman teacher...I told my students that we could learn from each other's culture...and we traded "instruction"...I learned "street" language and they asked to learn to speak "proper-like" (their term - not mine). I also tried to teach them at we all speak differently in different situations. As a white woman teacher, I certainly didn't understand everything about what they faced; but if they grew up and knew that a white woman valued them, perhaps they would be more able to value others (or at least not to distrust and hate those who were different from them - and that goes two ways)
ReplyDeleteWell, "so do the white females need to go?" there's your answer. Obviously, the white woman above me will not be able to reach most of today's black students. It doesn't take a degree to figure that one out. But many white females do reach black students every day. And NONE of them sound like the condescending, racist garbage masked as "value" in the post above.
ReplyDeleteTo "At one time" Would you trust and respect someone who thought of you as less than him/her. As less than other generations. As flawed and corrupt and lacking values? Who honestly believed that he/she was morally and intellectually your superior and by rejecting him/her, you were rejecting education? Because I wouldn't give you 5 minutes of my time and I wasn't even who you were insulting.
At one time, an interesting turn of a phrase, but also an interesting observation. I recently watched a program written and narrated by Bernard McFarland, (Extreme Home Makeover) about the history of education for blacks in the city of Indianapolis, and there was a strong emphasis on education.
ReplyDeleteWe also have to put this in a historic context, what happened in the late 60's and early 70's? Desegregation was not only something that happened in the schools, it happened in society. To quote a tv theme song Well we're Movin' on Up!
Movin' on Up!
To the east side!
Movin' on Up!
To a dee-luxe apartment in the sky, We're movin' on up!
Movin' on Up!
To the east side!
Movin' on Up!
We've finally got a piece of the pie!
Fish don't fry in the kitchen,
Beans don't burn on the grill.
Took a whole lotta tryin'
Just to get up that hill.
Now we're up in the big leagues,
Gettin' our turn at bat!
As long as we live,
It's you and me, baby!
There ain't nothin' wrong with that!
Black flight happened the same way as white flight, but the basis was not race but class. I was speaking to my own neighbor (I live in a mixed race neighborhood) who happens to be black, about taking his daughters to day camp at the Y on Fort Harrison, and he told me there was no way he'd take his girls there because it was too ghetto. This was certainly not a statement about race but about class.
The well educated of both races, who value education and expect the best for their children have left the inner-city schools, and if they stay in the area, usually in gentrified pockets their kids attend magnet programs, charter schools, or private or religious schools.
The students we get often get such mixed messages from school, a lovely girl who does really well in my class told the class her grandmother had given her instruction on how to win in a physical fight. I knew a woman who had never graduated from high school and who had three children she was very proud of because they all excelled in school, none however graduated, and there was always a subtle message in the house, the spoken message was "stay in school" the less noticeable message was "I didn't graduate and look how well we are doing"
She happened to be white, so it is not necessarily a white or black thing.
I have been reflecting on the comments I made as the blogger "at one time". I don't think I made myself very clear and I really hope I haven't communicated to my students that I thought less of them and I believe from the years of working with the students that they felt valued and accepted. My concern was for what the culture was telling them regarding what it meant to be successful (via the music videos, etc.) I did not seek to communicate that their culture, dialect, etc. was inferior but that we all (myself included) needed to be able to adapt to expectations of employers, society, etc. Who would disagree that many of the "heros" of these boys are less than models...why would Dr. White want to enforce a dress code that rejected "sagging"...why do we hope that our girls will not be pregnant and have to raise children alone...is it not because we believe that some commonly held standards will benefit our kids who want to be successful adults. How is that being condescending? I have always tried to understand the struggles that my students face and to learn from them without having a "missionary attitude". There are many examples of black men who are making and those who have made great contributions to our world...I only want them to know that these men are not the ones promoting what many (not all) rappers are telling are kids. I will,however, take seriously what you have said and search my own attitudes and actions because the last thing I want to do is reflect rejection. Right now, are there enough black men and women teachers to take over all the teaching positions? By the way, I have seen black teachers treat students wrongly, also, so perhaps it is an attitude not a skin color. I only hope I can be truly open to understanding and communicating to these kids the value of their potential.
ReplyDelete"It is an interesting editorial, but the conclusion of the article is that white women are not teaching black males as well as black women taught them before desegregation."
ReplyDeleteYou read this article with different eyes then I did, here is the concluding statement "White teachers have failed to teach black males as well as black teachers did before school desegregation." Basically no one is educating black males well.
Racism is so sublte, it isn't only what other people believe about you, it is what you believe about you. I was on the tube in London and watched three young black men (the age of the high school students I teach) get on the train, in the US, two things would have happened, they would have "postured" or established their presence, and the rest of the riders would have "tensed up" a little. There without the race issue they didn't even "merit" a squirm. They were so happy chatting about what was going on, and their plans for the day. It broke my heart to see what no racism looked like, why can't it be that way here.
I was standing in line at a fast food place and was inadertently staring at some black kids, (trying to figure out if they were former students) and they spoke up and said "you should pay for our food" just as quick I said "I teach in IPS you guys should be buying my lunch" they laughed and so did I.
My response to "at one time" was probably unfair and unwarranted, but I agree with the above poster that the subtle racism is so real and so powerful. And people tend to twist reality to "prove" their racism. One of the most powerful examples of this I ever saw was that 20/20 about Jane Eliott's blue eye/brown eye experiment. And three things struck me to my very core. One, how easily the teacher found examples that "proved" her stereotype. Brown eyed people are aggressive -- Everytime a brown eyed person gets frustrated or angry, which obviously happened more because they were being treated unfairly, this "proves" this theory. Two, how easily the blue-eyed group of kids accepted the division and justified their unfair treatment of the other kids with whom they had been close friends the day before. Three, watching the brown-eyed kids do significantly worse on flash cards than they had done just 24 hours earlier because now they felt inferior. Now imagine a kid coming from generation after generation of being "brown-eyed" in a world of "blue-eyed" people who see themselves as superior. It's mind-blowing.
ReplyDeleteI'm taking an on line course on reading, and I'm seeing things I've never seen. I'm not a reading teacher, and I graduated 35 years ago, so diebles are new to me. As I watch the videos that accompany the course I see lots of cultural bias in the examples, first there is still the ever present "hoe", sorry people but even the majority of farm kids don't know or see hoes any more. Then the kids are asked to identify the intial sounds of items that they might or might not be familiar with, for instance "lamb". This may be the first time the child has ever heard the word lamb, much less seen a lamb, and less then 30 seconds later they are asked to repeat or identify the inital sound. Another example is hat, which was identified as "cap", both of these examples seem to be culturally biased in favor of more middle class students (of both races) whose parents enrolled them in little league, took them to story time at the libray, or read them nursery rhymes. It is a shame that the test writers tests aren't offered in more then one cultural version.
ReplyDeleteThis is "at one time" again. I know that I have certainly learned a lot about subtle racism and feel like I fight it everyday. I used to think that I had been a "victim" (coming from a poor neigborhood and an ethnic group that was made fun of) but I realized how different it was for me because it wasn't revealed by my skin color and I could walk away by moving to a new location. I also know how hard it was for me to learn that the grammar I grew up learning made me stand out (negatively) when I was in college and realized that the way we spoke at home wasn't going to "work" in the new location. I guess what worries me the most is the way some of my students reacted to films about slavery...they seemed to engender such hatred and it was understandable...I felt like the younger kids just weren't ready to understand...but then is anyone ever old enough to understand such a thing.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone but me thinks it's sad that an Instructional Coach can't handle subject-verb agreement? Arlington. . .has WENT? OMG!
ReplyDeleteI don't think an instructional coach would have identified themself as such even if they were the poster. I rather think that someone within AHS posted that comment. I have, however, heard some glaring grammar errors from people at all levels of responsibility - and often find myself making mistakes. I think the sad part is that we are so hesitant to point out these errors so that people can be helped. We are all learners and should never get to the place where we feel we are above instruction or constructive criticism.
ReplyDelete