19 Responses to “Candor”

1. Linda/RetiredTeacher Says:
   September 27th, 2010 at 11:48 am

   Of course we have to identify teachers who aren’t doing well!!! Why have administrators been giving almost all teachers “effective” evaluations for so many years? Why do urban districts continue to hire teachers without experience even during this recession? These are the questions that need to be answered.

   Michelle Rhee did one good thing for education. She proved that unions do not hire, evaluate or fire teachers. Administrators do.

2. TaxPayer Says:
   September 27th, 2010 at 12:09 pm

   Yes, the DC school system is such a tribute to the union run status quo. Ms. Rhee starts cleaning the mess up and you can count on the union to run her out. Why would anyone want to change the DC school system, really something to be proud of.

3. Linda/RetiredTeacher Says:
   September 27th, 2010 at 12:31 pm

   Adrian Fenty and Michelle Rhee have been run out of town by the voters of DC. Did the unions help? Yes, and so did the teachers and their spouses, relatives, neighbors, friends and former students. It’s called democracy.

   The very worst thing anyone can do to education is to insult the people who provide it. Let’s all lobby for fully qualified, experienced teachers with proven track records of success for the District of Columbia and all low-performing schools everywhere.

4. Matthew Ladner Says:
   September 27th, 2010 at 12:43 pm

   <>

   You mean right up to the point when the unions open their bank vault to help elect a new mayor don’t you?

5. Linda/RetiredTeacher Says:
   September 27th, 2010 at 12:59 pm

   Teachers have nothing in their vault compared to Gates, Broad et al, but what they DO have are people. We all just got a good reminder of that.

6. TaxPayer Says:
   September 27th, 2010 at 1:30 pm

   I hope everyone is so open minded to democracy in the coming taxpayer revolt.

   The key to good schools is good teachers. The union is the enemy of both as demonstrated by spending valuable resources to run out Ms. Rhee. She was so unreasonable. she wanted to hold people accountable.

7. Linda/RetiredTeacher Says:
   September 27th, 2010 at 1:40 pm

   I can’t speak for others but I opposed Ms. Rhee because she insulted teachers and hired inexperienced teachers for the most challenging schools. Because she hired people from the organization she founded, I’m wondering if her actions were even legal.

   The key to good schools is definitely good teachers and we won’t get them if we bash the people that we have.

   We all want good teachers so let’s join together to insist on fair and respectful treatment of them at all times. An ineffective teacher can and should be dismissed without the accompanying public humiliation and false innuendoes.

8. TaxPayer Says:
   September 27th, 2010 at 1:52 pm

   We won’t get good teachers until we have a system that develops them, motivates them, compensates them and holds them accountable like everyone else in a profession that is respected.

   The union and voters like yourself made it clear that money and power is all you seek at the expense of our children and the taxpayer.

9. Linda/RetiredTeacher Says:
   September 27th, 2010 at 2:10 pm

   I agree. Teachers should be held accountable in the same way that other professionals are (college professors, physicians, attorneys). If that’s not possible, then they should have due process like other government workers (council members, librarians, social workers, police officers, postal workers, firefighters). Surely you don’t want less for our teachers. If so, why?

   I want the best possible teachers for all our children. I’m past “money and power.” We won’t get the best if we continue to devalue them. That’s just common sense.

10. Chris Smyr Says:
    September 27th, 2010 at 2:11 pm

    Linda:

    “I opposed Ms. Rhee because she insulted teachers and hired inexperienced teachers for the most challenging schools. ”

    How did she insult teachers? And what evidence are you citing for the 2nd claim? And if terminated teachers were truly removed from their position due to poor evaluations and abysmal student achievement in their classes, why are you expecting that the new teachers she hired would achieve *less* than failure?

    “The key to good schools is definitely good teachers and we won’t get them if we bash the people that we have.”

    Still haven’t shown evidence for this. The only talent drain you’re going to see with increased accountability measures is a “no-talent” drain. Don’t really care if that happens, to be honest.

    Also, what does “fair and respectful treatment” of teachers mean? Does it mean not firing them when they receive poor evaluations? And if that’s the case, why do you think anyone other than teachers really cares if one finds this offensive? I agree with your last sentence, but I feel that on the whole this is what has happened, no? Besides the recent value-added report in LAUSD, when have bad teachers been specifically pointed out and laughed at?

11. phillipmarlowe Says:
    September 27th, 2010 at 3:36 pm

    “I got rid of teachers who had hit children, who had had sex with children, who had missed 78 days of school,” Rhee says.

    http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/142/update-dc-report-card.html

12. phillipmarlowe Says:
    September 27th, 2010 at 3:42 pm

    Taxpayer wrote:
    “The union and voters like yourself made it clear that money and power is all you seek at the expense of our children and the taxpayer.

    Rewrite:
    The union and voters like yourself made it clear that money and power is all you seek at the expense of their children and the taxpayer.

13. TaxPayer Says:
    September 27th, 2010 at 5:42 pm

    Ms. Rhee identified about 200 teachers for removal, they”hit children, had sex with children, they missed 78 days of school”. The union fought the removal of all. Is this the “due process” you are standing behind. The teachers union has made the term due process a joke.

    The only one who devalues teachers is the union. Until they break free of the union they will never get the respect they deserve.

14. phillipmarlowe Says:
    September 27th, 2010 at 8:00 pm

    Dear Taxpayer,
    Please get your timeline right.
    Through the summer of 2009, DCPS hired 900 teachers.
    Then in Sept, a budget shortfall came to light.
    Miss Rhee decided to RIF 266 employees, which happened in OCt.
    Miss Rhee releases a letter stating that the teachers RIFed were good teachers, but hey, money’s short.
    (This would include a teacher honored by Miss Rhee in Feb for getting National Board Certification.)
    Not a word that any of these teachers had had sex with students (ie raped them), or were slackers or hitters.
    In Jan 2010, while shooting the breeze with the uncritical Jeff Chu of FastCompany, this:

    “I got rid of teachers who had hit children, who had had sex with children, who had missed 78 days of school,” Rhee says.

    So, when WTU ineffectively grieved on behalf of the 266, there weren’t these claims about horrible teachers.

    I know, it’s hard when you taste that Rhee Kool-Aid to decide whether to spit or swallow.

15. TaxPayer Says:
    September 27th, 2010 at 9:23 pm

    ” there weren’t these claims about horrible teachers” this is DCPS. You are proud of DCPS. The track record of DCPS is what all school systems should aspire too. The President states on national tv you have to be an idiot to send your kid’s to DCPS.

    Rhee tried to clean it up. The union fought and won for the status quo.

16. phillipmarlowe Says:
    September 27th, 2010 at 9:29 pm

    TaxPayer:
    ” You are proud of DCPS”

    What the hell are you talking about?
    If I don’t sing Michelle Rhee’s praises, I’m an idiot??

    I’ll quote the MC5 to you:
    Kick Out The Jams…..

17. TaxPayer Says:
    September 27th, 2010 at 9:50 pm

    Wow, MC5 Kick Out the Jams…. that says it all

18. Chris Smyr Says:
    September 28th, 2010 at 4:18 am

    Phillip:

    That is not evidence of “teachers [being] specifically pointed out and laughed at”, nor is it evidence of “insulting teachers”. Were one to go ahead and read those comments as her directly insulting the teachers that were fired, that’s *still* not an attack on teachers, but an attack on those that were let go for bad teaching. Not only that, but when else as such a terrible thing happened? Has this sentiment been commonly expressed?

19. phillipmarlowe Says:
    September 28th, 2010 at 5:26 pm

    “And, Brutus is an honest man.”

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