Friday, July 23, 2010

Dream Come True?

There is a big rumor running around the Central Office that Eugene White is trying to get out of his contract so he can leave IPS. Can anyone confirm this, please!

70 comments:

  1. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    I'll supply the moving boxes!

    But.....what's next? The replacement might be worse.

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  2. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    U-haul has a special, I'll send him some coupons.

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  3. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    What makes you think that the board will hire anyone better? So long as we have the same board, we will have destructive superintendents. There are a lot of people like Nate Jones who are waiting to to take White's job as soon as he leaves. The board thinks that leaders who are bullies are good leaders. So long as they believe in bullying, they will continue to hire bullies.

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  4. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    Who the hell is Nate Jones? Never heard of the man.

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  5. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    He can have my empty boxes, wrapping paper, and hand truck

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  6. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    "The board thinks that leaders who are bullies are good leaders."

    I can think of more than a few IPS administrators who are bullies and try to lead by intimidation. I think these bullies are people who are insecure in their abilities and are defensive when approached by anyone who they privately deem as being more capable.

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  7. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    http://www.doe.in.gov/milken/1996/1996-jones.html

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  8. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    Thanks to whoever supplied the above link.

    So, my question is "Nate Jones, a bully or not?"

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  9. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    What has he been doing lately?

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  10. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    If he's coming from Washington Township, the same place Dr. White came from, who's to say he's any better???

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  11. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    Why, why, why does IPS always think they have to have a Superintendent from Indy? Did it ever occur to them to cast their net beyond this immediate area?

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  12. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    Eugene probably wants to leave before the collapse due to his poor leadership and more personality

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  13. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    But not before we get one more back to school rally!

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  14. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    A nationwide search for a really qualified candidate, no way, why would be want someone who is fresh blood, and would go after some of these abusive administrators. Find someone who works with teachers, students, parents, and community members, no way.

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  15. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    Teachers at Marshall and Washington will be working under the new Title 1 Grant Recipient guidelines beginning now. Both schools are now Turn-Around Schools where 'all' teachers will be formally evaluated two times per school year and where the principals can release an ineffective teacher with a two-week notice.

    At a June 24, 2010 meeting with Turn-Around Principals Leser and Sullivan, it was announced that 3 of 4 Special Education teachers at Marshall would be released immediately.

    Here is the link for the Marshall Turn-Around Title 1 Grant:

    http://www.doe.in.gov/TitleI/pdf/GrantRecipients/John%20Marshall_SIG.pdf

    Here is the link for the Washington Turn-Around Title 1 Grant:

    http://www.doe.in.gov/TitleI/pdf/GrantRecipients/GeorgeWashington_SIG.pdf

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  16. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    Please provide our Union's email address for those teachers at Marshall and Washington. Looks like a membership might just be the best money spent.

    For the rest of us? Our turn is coming.

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  17. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    Both Turn-Around Principals have been given authority to hire their own staff without following the usual and traditional HR staffing procedures, including the hiring of displaced teachers. Leser and Sullivan are now allowed to go 'outside' the district to hire whomever they believe is best for their schools.

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  18. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    So, if those new hires prove to be ineffective, is it administration's fault? Shouldn't the principals take the hits, since they did the selections?

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  19. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    I believe the principals will take the hits ultimately because both Turn-Around Principals must undergo the same strict evaluation procedures as do the teachers in their buildings.

    Jane Ajabu has been recycled and recalled from her retirement to be on the Turn-Around Evaluation Team which means she and Dr. Johnson, among others, will be in and out of classrooms weekly making their observations about who's effective and who's not.

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  20. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    As some measure of comfort, please remember that when Johnson and Ajabu enter your classroom to rate your instructional effectiveness, that you will know they're both 'Bankruptcy Babes' who could not effectively manage their own personal finances. Hold onto that thought. Stay safe. Peace.

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  21. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    I am glad that I only have less than five years of playing games with DOE/IPS. This means that to "cover you ass" you will have to write up students, visit homes, and make a million calls to non-working numbers for students that are missing school. Why don't we expell them like the township schools, oh, after ADM. All you can do is follw the incorrect pacing guides, reteach, test, reteach, test, reteach, test, then give a ECA. When the students fail the ECA, you will have to wear a "F" on your shirt - failing teacher. The failing administrator will be given a raise and sent downtown to work.

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  22. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010

    Concerning this comment:

    "Both schools are now Turn-Around Schools where 'all' teachers will be formally evaluated two times per school year and where the principals can release an ineffective teacher with a two-week notice."

    Question: In general, if a teacher in Indiana is fired for unsatisfactory job performance, does he or she qualify for unemployment benefits?

    Thanks for any comments from someone who might know.

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  23. AnonymousJuly 24, 2010

    Indiana Unemployment Benefits Info:

    http://www.in.gov/dwd/2345.htm

    "Income assistance is available for workers who have lost their job through no fault of their own. You can quickly find out if you are eligible for benefits and get more information at your local WorkOne Center."

    Do not know how the "no fault of their own" clause is defined or interpreted by the State.

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  24. AnonymousJuly 24, 2010

    This is the same old same old...it's not the teachers as much as administrators allowing students not to follow the rules. Six step dicipline works if the administrator and downtown stay out of it.

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  25. AnonymousJuly 24, 2010

    LiYen Koo Johnson cannot even payher bills on time....how can she manage a school....she was deep in debt and paid $110 a month for cable,$90 a month for a cell phone even though IPS paid for one for her, $80 a month for haircuts.....and $100 a month for yard work...let her get her lazy ass in the yard and do her own work.

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  26. AnonymousJuly 24, 2010

    Steven Jamison died yesterday, for those of you who didn't know Steven he was a rising senior at BRHS, a high potential basketball player, and a kid who just when he entered high school lost several family members in a house fire. He was a wonderful kid, full of hope and potential.

    So all you ego maniac administrators who are large and In charge in your buildings and jobs, just for a moment, think about this kid, and know he is the reason teachers show up everyday, he is the real reason they keep trying in spite of your best efforts to degrade and humiliate the teaching profession. Knowing these kids, caring about them, molding them into productive, educated adults is our reason for showing up everyday. And no matter what you do you are powerless to take that away from us.

    Rest in Peace, Steven and to you family, I pray God comforts you in your time of loss.

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  27. AnonymousJuly 24, 2010

    So, you are using the tragic death of this young man to continue your bitter war of words against administrators.

    That is incredibly low.

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  28. AnonymousJuly 24, 2010

    No administrator feels the same way about this young man as the teachers who had him, the last principal who even knew a kids name at BRHS was Steve Papesh, and then the woman they brought in as a one year principal knew the kids. To the rest they are just statistics, numbers, and a some point the administrator who changed all the sped kids IEP's to keep their numbers up, then kicked them out at the semester break will have a special place somewhere. COME OUT OF YOUR OFFICE, MEET THE KIDS, go to any IPS high school and ask the kids who the principal is, and sixty to 80% won't know at most schools.

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  29. AnonymousJuly 24, 2010

    If you are going to be a teacher at George Washington or John Marshall this upcoming year, have you heard anything about these new turn around school grants from Title 1? Has your principal mentioned anything or contacted you about how things will be different?

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  30. AnonymousJuly 24, 2010

    Thanks for the information on Steven Jamison. I knew him from Shortridge and Broad Ripple. I will keep my eye on the paper for arrangements. When I was in 8th grade, we had a student die and for years it gave a sobering, haunting mood over our class. Most of us got real serious about our lives. Oh, how this family has suffered. All of you on this blog who pray, please do so for the Jamison family.

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  31. AnonymousJuly 24, 2010

    Great article on Steven, front page today's Indy Star Sports section. Kudos to IUPUI coach for thoughtfulness in providing Jaguar jersey!

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  32. AnonymousJuly 24, 2010

    Read the comments about Steven on the Star web site...and see what Eugene's war on teachers has done to the public opinion about IPS students.

    Here is a snippet
    "spjindy:
    Jamison, who recently turned 19, was a 6-6 guard who averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds as a sophomore and was attracting Division I interest from a number of schools in the summer before his junior year

    That means 19 going to 20 in Junior year. 20 going to 21 in senior year.

    However, the article on the page everybody is reading is not the same article that was on this site earlier this morning. Not even close. They updated it with A LOT more information

    Generally when you make a poorly informed or ill suited comment, it is best to simply apologize and move on."

    What the whole thing really means is the star reporter and editor don't know how to write a coherent sentence.

    First they say he was a rising Senior, and 19 years of age, very common based on the IPS policy of 12 years ago when the kindergarten wouldn't admit you if you weren't five by the beginning of the summer, so lots of kids sat out and started kindergarten when they were six. Steven was part of this "group". There should have been a period in this sentence somewhere. The sentence should have read "Steven was a 19 year old rising senior. He was heavily recruited from his sophomore year, after he averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds that year."

    I wonder what fine school the star reporter attended? Do you think it was an IPS school?
    The public needs to stop dogging our kids.

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  33. AnonymousJuly 24, 2010

    The article about Steven Jamison was wonderful. I wish I had met him.

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  34. AnonymousJuly 25, 2010

    I didn't win the Hoosier Lottery or Power Ball today, so on the 9th of August I will be listening to the fat man sing his last song, with blue slippers and his tight suit. Come on guy, you get $5,000 per year for clothes, you should have some "fat clothes", and Dr. Johnson, with look great in her green jade outfit, with matching creditors following her.

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  35. AnonymousJuly 25, 2010

    Eugene White did have an excellent editorial in today's Indy Star. It's the first time I've ever heard him call out the parents for not teaching their children values. Read it.

    http://www.indystar.com/article/20100725/OPINION03/7250338/Many-parents-fail-to-teach-values

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  36. AnonymousJuly 25, 2010

    Oh yeah, here is a quote from that editorial
    " harassment, bullying, intimidation and threats are all common among adults and children" and since that is standard operating procedures from the puzzle palace why is he suddenly divesting himself of those techniques.

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  37. AnonymousJuly 25, 2010

    He has so many people around him doing his job, it's hard to believe he actually wrote that article himself. nah, no way.

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  38. AnonymousJuly 25, 2010

    I too thought his editorial was excellent. I don't always agree with him or his policies but this time he was right on the mark. Oh and one more thing about parenting: some of the posters here apparently didn't learn from their parents that it is possible to disagree with someone without resorting to bullying tactics such as making remarks about weight, clothing choices, personal finances etc. Not only are comments like that inappropriate and unprofessional, they smack of a 'Jr Highish' mentality. For Gods sakes people - grow up!

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  39. AnonymousJuly 25, 2010

    I think the man is a blow hard who has a limited grasp ob reality, think about his editorial last year regarding students cursing out each other and teachers. If you allow this to go on you are not a part of the "new IPS", I stapled it to referrals I wrote and have at least six dozen unanswered referrals, and just so you know I called a parent or six on each one, but the lack of administrative support left me swingin in the breeze.

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  40. AnonymousJuly 25, 2010

    Everyone will be waiting to see what Li Yen Johnson will be wearing and wondering where she purchaed it that she will not pay for.

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  41. AnonymousJuly 25, 2010

    I agree with the post (2 up) regarding the lack of professionalism in discussing issues. Drop the clothes discussions, bankruptcy, etc. - you will win more arguments when you stick to the relevant facts. (Also, since I know very few IPS employees who look like they could win fashion awards, it is a little hypocritical -- and mostly very unimportant to the real issues)

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  42. AnonymousJuly 25, 2010

    Thank you for mentioning "professional" fashion. I, for one, don't wish to pay a bundle for clothing that may encounter glue, blood, mustard, barbecue sauce, vomit, milk, mucus, overhead markers, sneezed-upon hands, etc., nor can I afford dry cleaning services that accompany dressy apparel. Until our elementary is retrofitted with air conditioning, I'll be in my polyester-cotton blends, thank you.

    I somewhat envy the kids and their dress code. I'm SO ready!

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  43. AnonymousJuly 25, 2010

    Where is the union in all this? Do these "turn around" grants supersede out contract. The union sucks, but it is better then nothing.

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  44. AnonymousJuly 26, 2010

    To the post 3 up ....what good is it to look trendy and expensive when you dont pay your bills and file bankruptcy..this leaves the stores and businesses with a loss ....I suggest you get a look at Li Yen Johnson´s bankruptcy papers which are being widely circulated.....it is outrageous the life style and spending ignorance that she displayed.....she does not deserve to be making the kind of money she is....instead of bankruptcy, she could have been like hundreds of teachers and gotten a second job....many of those teachers make one half of what she does and they live within their budgets....she is a disgrace.

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  45. AnonymousJuly 26, 2010

    Regarding the turn-around schools...go to the IDOE website and read about the grant. A little blurb about it is located on the home page. It states that the union has to be in agreement before a school can receive the grant.

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  46. AnonymousJuly 26, 2010

    Someone, not me, needs to get on the governance committee, and remove from the hands of a single person the authority to sign those MOU's. If Ann is giving away the farm it is our fault for not taking these proceedings as more serious business, she is not the only union president who has seemed to be in bed with administrators.

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  47. AnonymousJuly 26, 2010

    Look, you're the only one who cares about her BK. Nobody else cares. You keep inserting it into all these threads. Nobody cares. And even if someone else out there does care, they obviously don't want to discuss it here because you're the only one who posts about it.

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  48. AnonymousJuly 26, 2010

    Wouldn't it be fun if teachers chanted Bankrupcy, bankrupcy when she teetered out on stage. It is nice to know that it is suck a common event downtown that you have that cute little nick name "BK".

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  49. AnonymousJuly 26, 2010

    Wouldn't it be fun if your students chanted "you s*ck, you s*ck" when you walked into your room? You must be one unhappy person to get so much pleasure out of being nasty. What does her bankruptcy have to do with the problems of IPS?

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  50. AnonymousJuly 26, 2010

    We'll just chant here: "Who cares? Who cares?"

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  51. AnonymousJuly 26, 2010

    Exactly! It is like we tell the students, "Stay on topic!"

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  52. AnonymousJuly 26, 2010

    Speaking of the topic: Why would Dr. White be "trying to get out of his contract"? It is a sweet deal.

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  53. AnonymousJuly 26, 2010

    Wouldn't it be fun if your students chanted "you s*ck, you s*ck" when you walked into your room? You must be one unhappy person to get so much pleasure out of being nasty. What does her bankruptcy have to do with the problems of IPS?

    Well first off they wouldn't since I provide a learning experience everyday, and they know I care about them.

    Secondly Lawrence township uses the motto "Character Counts", in IPS it would have to be "Being a Character Counts" and this rot at the top is 60% of the problem in IPS. Everyone down there is married to everyone else in some way or another, and none of them really know or care about the students and parents of IPS. They aren't the one's scooping kids up off the playground, assuring them things will be ok, and sending them back to play. They aren't the one's still counseling students two years after they should have graduated to get back and finish their high school program. No instead they spend all their time trying to find a source of blame, witness Dr. Whites latest editorial, blame the parents.

    When an assignment bombs in my room, the first thing I do is look at what I did. It is called self reflection, and not a bad idea here.

    I once taught at a school where Dr. Johnson was principal, and I ran across a paper that was circulated by the staff (that lived with in their means) about her evaluation techniques, it went Dior, DKNY- Excellent; Ralph Lauren -Good, Liz Clairborne- acceptable, JC Penneys- poor.

    Values and character do count. And I love IPS, the teachers, parents, staff and most of all the students, so I really hate what has happened in the last five years.

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  54. AnonymousJuly 26, 2010

    IPS has experienced the lowest community support, student voice, and teacher support under the regime of Eugene White. Am editorial in the paper won't replace the severe errors he has made. I work Northwest and we are down to less than 700 students. You can't blame Tony Bennett for this mess.

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  55. AnonymousJuly 26, 2010

    It should be an instead of am. I'm typing on blackberry.

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  56. AnonymousJuly 26, 2010

    This is a change of subject here, but I am wondering what people think about what I read this week has happened in Washington, D.C.

    The school district there is firing something like 240 teachers and 700 are on a list to possibly be fired next year.

    Now is the time to start supporting the union. It may be flawed in many ways, but there is a war on teachers across the country and the unions must survive or else teachers face dire consequences.

    I am not as worried about Dr. White as I am worried about attention-seeking politicians across the country who want to crucify teachers.

    Just my two cents' worth. Maybe not worth that much.

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  57. AnonymousJuly 26, 2010

    I agree with the post above, you can be targeted by an administrator and be placed on a PIP, while displaying excellent teaching skills. Bennett will try to place all of the blame on teachers, that means a very flaws grading system.

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  58. AnonymousJuly 26, 2010

    @Washington, DC school district is firing something like 240 teachers and 700 are on a list to possibly be fired next year.

    I read the same news article.

    This will continue to occur throughout the US. This is part of President Obama's education overhaul. His Sec. of Education, Arne Duncan, who Obama brought with him from Chicago wants merit pay for teachers and teacher employment to be based largely on student performance and a strict new system of formal evaluations for all teachers, much like the Title 1 grant turn around schools (Washington and Marshall) here in IPS.

    Those people condemning 'liberals' for being easy on education and wanting to 'rehire' these teachers are not knowledgeable about the current administration's education policy (see above paragraph). Please recall that DOE Secretary Duncan applauded the firing of teachers in one Rhode Island district a few months ago.

    The current attack on US public school teachers is bi-partisan, without a doubt. Both Democrats and Republicans are calling for more accountability whether we like it or not.

    Tony Bennett (Rep) AND Arne Duncan (Dem) are working from the same page concerning accountability.

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  59. AnonymousJuly 27, 2010

    Don't teachers want better teachers too. Yes of course we do, try teaching the next grade after a class has been taught by a poor teacher. When the first grade teacher "doesn't" everything just gets worse in second grade.

    Don't expect miracles, but don't except excuses (like bad parenting) either. Good teachers are powerful teachers, and IPS teachers have had their power stripped from them.

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  60. AnonymousJuly 27, 2010

    You can tell the character of a person by several things...one is how they meet their personal responsibllities....others like how they jump in and out of bed with coworkers.....can you imagine the CEO of a major corporation showing up in a pimp suit with ruby red slippers......the character of the Ed Center is badly in need of reform.

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  61. AnonymousJuly 27, 2010

    Get over the clothing choices of Dr. White and Dr. Johnson. Their clothes are the LEAST of our worries.
    If we want people to read this Blog for the right reasons, we need to let the petty, snide remarks go.

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  62. AnonymousJuly 27, 2010

    The right reasons? It's called "IPS B.S.". What are the right reasons? This blog is meant to be a place for people to vent and voice their own opinions. What may be important to you, might not be to another.

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  63. AnonymousJuly 27, 2010

    This blog has worked. Thanks to whoever created the venue to express our concerns.

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  64. AnonymousJuly 27, 2010

    We don't need 100% participation to change the tone of this blog. There is only one or two posters who think vent means make personal insults and spread rumors. Most of us are professionals.

    I agree that accountability and reform are coming regardless of whether we like it or not. The one thing I think is cool is the more option schools are created (either magnet or charter), the more I think teachers will find their niche as well as students. For me personally, I would work with a million badly dressed or promiscuous administrators if I didn't have to work with teachers who hate their jobs, this district, the inner city, and racial minorities. The ugly teachers impact my morale and limit the success of my students way, way more than anything that comes out of central office.

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  65. AnonymousJuly 27, 2010

    Watch out! The blogmaster is going to call you a stepford teacher now! LOL

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  66. AnonymousJuly 27, 2010

    you have to admit that there has been a serious lack of accountability when it comes to moving teachers who are not doing their job OUT of their positions. Everyone of you can name a teacher who has done and is doing a poor job and they just keep getting moved from school to school....for one - an older gentleman teaching Title One math at Tech who outwardly admits he hates it there (and everywhere else), who bullies students and who doesn't even teach..merely hands out work (which he doesn't bother to grade) and has resisted all attempts at improving his instruction. How does that happen???? Perhaps we need mandatory retirement in cases like this...the union should not dare to defend him if that were to happen or their credibility would be entirely gone.

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  67. AnonymousJuly 27, 2010

    @ the "right reasons"...
    I am sure that there is enough "BS" in IPS that we don't even need to discuss clothing options.
    I had assumed that the "BS" that needs to be posted here should deal with issues that have a direct impact on our students.

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  68. In D.C. Rhee, the superintendent, puts her money literally where her mouth is. Teachers are making 6 figures, if they don't produce desired results they are out. I don't know if it is a good long term model, but it is changing the way teachers do there jobs, which isn't all bad. Sometimes a shake up gets folks to work harder, sometimes.

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  69. should say 'their' not there.

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  70. Oh, but don't you understand? Giving good teachers better pay will hurt the teamwork we all have now? What? Your teachers don't sit in warm, fuzzy circles and figure out how to improve education as a team? Oh. Mine either. But the union says treating teachers like professionals is bad, so it must be bad.

    ReplyDelete

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