Schoolkids at play, yet again
Maybe it’s a hangover from the 1960s, or maybe it’s the intrinsic rebel in me, or maybe I get a perverse pleasure in seeing people disturbing the mire, but I like to see a good donnybrook between the ‘little’ people (who do the work and pay the taxes) and ‘the man.’ The aforementioned ‘man’ being an individual or body who, by dint of their position, feel they not only have ‘all’ the answers, but also feel no obligation to abandon a course that those who pay the bills see as not only madness, but also disquieting and probably costly – to them, not to the man.
At the moment we have a right old pissing-match happening in our local school district. In this case the school board (never a body to be noted for any semblance of humility) and superintendent (I won’t even begin to describe my sentiments about assorted superintendents that have come and gone in our local district, but suffice it for me to suggest that professional talent and smarts are not essential ingredients for being raised to that ‘exalted’ and highly-highly paid position) have chosen a course of action that involves reconfiguration of the district schools. Ostensibly this is to save money.
What they, and especially the super (who has a ‘Doctor’ in front of his name, which doesn’t mean he can write you a prescription, nor would you want him to. Someday I’ll write a derogatory screed about those who are not medical practitioners who use choose to use this honorific, AKA the hubris title) want to do is gut the current formula and to rid the district of middle schools. Middle schools being those institutions we used to call junior highs. What they want to do is have the elementary schools run from kindergarten to the 8th grade, and then the secondary schools run from 9 to 12. How this is going to save money has never been, in my perception, adequately explained. How valid this is as educational theory isn’t apparent, but maybe it’s good. I dunno. But, it seems to me if there is an educational downside, which most teachers in the district seem to feel is the case, then maybe quality education should trump expenditure. Just sayin’.
Anyway, Dr. Super seems to have co-opted all the trustees bar two over to his way of thinking. Good thing those are elected positions, I might add. How does the public feel about this? Not good, according to the media and people I’ve spoken to. They, teachers and parents alike, seem to be outraged and truly are of a mind that education will suffer. They do have a point in that not one school district in the province follows the formula advocated by Dr. Super. But, it seems, according to his utterances, he knows, as does the board chair (what she knows about education is possibly open to question since she is a lay person), what is best for the kids and, by default, the parents, and utterly by default, since their views don’t matter a fig, the teachers.
Now, it has been a long time since I taught school and had direct dealings with Supers (Drs or otherwise) so I am not really in any position to take a stand. But, the fight stirs up my juices regardless. I feel an impulse to shout: “Au barricades! Hell no, we won’t go! We shall overcome! Hey-hey LBJ, how many kids did you kill today? Different issue in the latter case, I know, but I was on a roll. Maybe some strains of La Marseillaise in the background, just like the scene in Rick’s in Casablanca. That is always a stirring scene for the beleaguered.
Anyway, whatever is going to happen will happen, and the ‘man’ will prevail -- for a time. He always does. And, Dr. Super won’t fall on his sword, but you can bet your boots that his highers up have a nice position for him to segue into immediately after the next school board election in which his loyal trustees will be ignominiously returned to their civilian lives. Silly pawns.
Meanwhile, continue to fight the good fight, folks. I’m right behind you. In theory, anyway.
At the moment we have a right old pissing-match happening in our local school district. In this case the school board (never a body to be noted for any semblance of humility) and superintendent (I won’t even begin to describe my sentiments about assorted superintendents that have come and gone in our local district, but suffice it for me to suggest that professional talent and smarts are not essential ingredients for being raised to that ‘exalted’ and highly-highly paid position) have chosen a course of action that involves reconfiguration of the district schools. Ostensibly this is to save money.
What they, and especially the super (who has a ‘Doctor’ in front of his name, which doesn’t mean he can write you a prescription, nor would you want him to. Someday I’ll write a derogatory screed about those who are not medical practitioners who use choose to use this honorific, AKA the hubris title) want to do is gut the current formula and to rid the district of middle schools. Middle schools being those institutions we used to call junior highs. What they want to do is have the elementary schools run from kindergarten to the 8th grade, and then the secondary schools run from 9 to 12. How this is going to save money has never been, in my perception, adequately explained. How valid this is as educational theory isn’t apparent, but maybe it’s good. I dunno. But, it seems to me if there is an educational downside, which most teachers in the district seem to feel is the case, then maybe quality education should trump expenditure. Just sayin’.
Anyway, Dr. Super seems to have co-opted all the trustees bar two over to his way of thinking. Good thing those are elected positions, I might add. How does the public feel about this? Not good, according to the media and people I’ve spoken to. They, teachers and parents alike, seem to be outraged and truly are of a mind that education will suffer. They do have a point in that not one school district in the province follows the formula advocated by Dr. Super. But, it seems, according to his utterances, he knows, as does the board chair (what she knows about education is possibly open to question since she is a lay person), what is best for the kids and, by default, the parents, and utterly by default, since their views don’t matter a fig, the teachers.
Now, it has been a long time since I taught school and had direct dealings with Supers (Drs or otherwise) so I am not really in any position to take a stand. But, the fight stirs up my juices regardless. I feel an impulse to shout: “Au barricades! Hell no, we won’t go! We shall overcome! Hey-hey LBJ, how many kids did you kill today? Different issue in the latter case, I know, but I was on a roll. Maybe some strains of La Marseillaise in the background, just like the scene in Rick’s in Casablanca. That is always a stirring scene for the beleaguered.
Anyway, whatever is going to happen will happen, and the ‘man’ will prevail -- for a time. He always does. And, Dr. Super won’t fall on his sword, but you can bet your boots that his highers up have a nice position for him to segue into immediately after the next school board election in which his loyal trustees will be ignominiously returned to their civilian lives. Silly pawns.
Meanwhile, continue to fight the good fight, folks. I’m right behind you. In theory, anyway.
Labels: fighting city hall et al
posted by Ian Lidster at
6:27 AM
16 Comments
