Yes, we are working on a post addressing Monday's disgraceful board meeting. Real life -- or should we say, life outside of the D181 board meetings/classrooms -- intervened this week and we haven't had a chance to finish it. But fear not, a post is underway and should be up by Saturday. In the meantime, we have a couple of shorter posts we will be running today and tomorrow. The first is our "Comment of the Day" submitted by one of our readers. It speaks for itself, and all we want to say is BRAVO and we couldn't agree more. (For those of you who want to read the comment the reader is responding to, we have copied it immediately after the "Comment of the Day.") We have already published responsive comments to 11:03 earlier this week (
Click to open "Measles and Weasels" post.), including one that suggested that 11:03 is actually "satirical" and a slam against the administration. We had hoped so as well, until we listened to Monday's board meeting and heard Board Member Nelson's "public comment" that sounded eerily similar to 11:03's comment. If Mr. Nelson believes (or perhaps is) 11:03, we are all in trouble. Perhaps he should move to the USSR?
As always, SOUND OFF!
COMMENT OF THE DAY:
Anonymous said...
I just read the post from 11:03, which perhaps is one of the board members. A couple of points. First of all, the primary motivation behind the learning for all is "social justice" which is not expertise but political. The whole idea that we can abandon our educational philosophy to the "experts" is crazy. To address the examples of the poster, doctors may tell us what surgery to have, but we are certainly allowed to consider what surgery is appropriate and how to weigh the risks. Second, and pardon the bluntness, are you really comparing the lightweight Ph.D's held by the d 181 posse to doctors, and lawyers, and ceo's. Do you really believe that the graduate work done by these folks constitutes original ground breaking research. Also, do you really believe that the constant fad research and flip flopping and internal disagreement in the educational community means that peer reviewed and universally agree standards exist, similarly to standards for laproscopic surgery. would "doctors" ever show up at a medical conference after three years of surgery and say "we have no data" sorry. would they refuse to explain themselves and constantly change their theories. Even more bluntly, as a general matter, the accomplished community members are so much smarter than these administrators. Do you really think that the local residents, type A high achievers, lack the intellectual gifts to understand and analyze the pablum that comes out of schneider and company. Please. And, finally, you sound like you just were teleported from the old Soviet Union. Trust your leader. Don't question your leader. Be quiet. Shut up. follow the pack. Sorry pal, this is America, we have a role in government and are allowed to question our leaders. Go back to the USSR.They should not need to explain every last detail to a bunch of parents who really know nothing about education. That would be a waste of time. They are experienced professionals. They know how to do what is best, and are working to give your kids the best education they can! Give them a break. They don't come to your office and try to tell you how to do your job. These men are doctors, for goodness sake, and they know what they are doing. If they spend all of their time explaining things to parents, then that is time that they are not spending on helping children.
Parents keep asking for data, data, data, but it just isn't that simple. Data does not tell the whole story. It is dumb to think that you can just reduce people to numbers. Data does not identify the important qualitative benefits. Those benefits that can only be identified and clearly understood by experts with lots of education and experience.
We need to give these knowledgeable experts time and space to work their magic. They went to college to learn how to do these things and most of us did not. I am confident that you will see results you never dreamed of in your kids. These professionals are working hard to improve the district, but they can not do it overnight. Trust them. This is not some evil plot against the children of d181. That is just ridiculous.
The d181 Board is comprised of caring individuals who would never do anything to hurt the kids. They are good, honest people who live in our community. If they were not completely sure that these men they hired were not helping the district, they would not be approving these programs.
Have faith in people. I don't understand the changes they are making, but I have faith in these men. They are good people and I am confident that they are doing the right thing.
Additionally, I was not good at math in school and have never really understood it very well. Maybe these changes they are making are perfect to help students who are like me. Plus a lot of you parents need to get over yourselves and stop thinking all of your kids are little math geniuses. Everyone is not a math kid. Lot of us do very well without math at all. It really is not that important, and it is not worth attacking these nice people over. Everything happens for a reason, and this is all going to be fine. Start trying to help the administration instead of just being negative and complaining all the time. That would be more helpful.
This comment is on point. This district has turned into the laboratory for administrators pursuing their own social justice agendas/experiments on our kids. Enough already. Time to send them packing.
ReplyDeleteA British tar is a soaring soul,
ReplyDeleteAs free as a mountain bird,
His energetic fist should be ready to resist
A dictatorial word.
His nose should pant
and his lip should curl,
His cheeks should flame
and his brow should furl,
His bosom should heave
and his heart should glow,
And his fist be ever ready
for a knock-down blow.
Chorus.
His nose should pant
and his lip should curl,
His cheeks should flame
and his brow should furl,
His bosom should heave
and his heart should glow,
And his fist be ever ready
for a knock-down blow.
Ralph, Boatswain & Carpenter.
His eyes should flash with an inborn fire,
His brow with scorn be wrung;
He never should bow down
to a domineering frown,
Or the tang of a tyrant tongue.
His foot should stamp, and his throat should growl,
His hair should twirl, and his face should scowl;
His eyes should flash, and his breast protrude,
And this should be his customary attitude.
Chorus.
His foot should stamp, and his throat should growl,
His hair should twirl, and his face should scowl;
His eyes should flash, and his breast protrude,
And this should be his customary attitude,
His attitude
His attitude
His attitude.
(From HMS Pinafore)
[Enjolras:]
ReplyDeleteDo you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!
[Combeferre:]
Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?
[Courfeyrac:]
Then join in the fight
That will give you the right to be free!
[All:]
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!
[Feuilly:]
Will you give all you can give
So that our banner may advance
Some will fall and some will live
Will you stand up and take your chance?
The blood of the martyrs
Will water the meadows of France!
[All:]
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes
(From Les Miserables)
11:41 really??? Please stick to the issues. There are so many of them we can ill afford distractions.
ReplyDelete