RECENT COMMENTS
Style profiles Pinkney-Eppes
Style Weekly’s The Insubordinate, a profile of Richmond PTA leader Tichi Pinkney-Eppes and her take on the Richmond Public School, includes as damning evidence a piece on the issues of a parent of a 9-year-old student at Chimborazo Elementary.
From the article
For the sake of her children, Tonya Hocker hopes Braxton is wrong about needing to accept high suspension rates as a part of educating Richmond. A single mother of four city students, Hocker supports her family by working at a local beauty salon. Intent on a better life for her children than what she experienced in Gilpen Court  one of the city’s most dangerous housing projects  she recently moved her family to Church Hill.
The life-altering move has proven less positive for Hocker’s 9-year-old daughter, Jazmine. At George Washington Carver Elementary School, Jazmine was an honor student with straight As and no record of disciplinary problems. Quiet to a fault, Hocker says, Jazmine’s greatest challenge in the classroom was her shyness.
“She shuts down on me when she’s nervous,” Hocker says. “She’s very shy and reserved.”
What Carver teachers helped her overcome, her new teacher at Chimborazo Elementary saw as an act of defiance, leading to her daughter’s suspension from school twice and her eventual banishment to the Richmond Alternative Program at Blackwell, a self-contained reform-type school reserved typically for kids with chronic, sometimes dangerous discipline problems.
I noticed in the article that the author did not ask for a comment from the principal of Chimbo. The story sounded one-sided and not very credible.
I believe the Hocker story and chances are, the principal cannot legally make public comments on a student.
Like the family featured in the article, our family knows what it feels like to be bullied and chased out of a Richmond Public School. At John B. Cary, our daughter became a target of the administration, an administration now under RPS investigation. Fortunately our family pulled out of the school before it became the nightmare the Hocker’s have experienced.
Our daughter left Cary with straight A’s and a spotless school record with glowing remarks from her teachers. Recently she was one of twenty accepted into a well respected, much touted private school. The private school admissions director commented to us how our daughter’s creative side had not been nurtured (in the RPS) and that she needed a safe place to be. She knew nothing of our experience at Cary and she had interviewed our daughter first. Our daughter spoke about her experiences in public schools and how issues were handled at Cary.
After leaving Cary, I decided to call families and teachers who also fled the school over the last three years. I knew there was a pattern. It turns out, that these families and teachers had suffered everything from shaming, shunning, bullying, belittling, and yellling. Many of them complained and reported on principal Brenda Phillips to RPS administrators at City Hall such as the principal’s supervisor, Superintendent Jewell-Sherman, school board members, and Human Resources.
I commend the Hocker family for their courage. I’ve been told by a few that if I speak out about the psychological abuses our family has suffered, that our child could become a target where ever she goes within the RPS system. Well, it is time for change. It is not our duty as parents, teachers, and other school employees to protect corrupt RPS leaders and policy. We must advocate for the students and teachers. I don’t care if 1000 people have had a good experience with Phillips or any other bully. If one child gets hurt, that is one too many.
Ultimately the responsibility rests with Jewell-Sherman. The “anti-bullying” policy in place for students needs to be enforced against “bully principals.”
Cheryl Burke has been bullying teachers for years, and is still doing so. She has been in the same building for many years and thinks, because she is friendly with her supervisors, that she can do what she wants to both teachers and students. She is very confrontive and intimidating, so grievances against her are few. Why bother to grieve when nothing will be done and she will retaliate.
Her behavior works against the interests of students, but that doesn’t seem to concern her. She lacks good leadership skills and is disinterested in creating a positive school environment. No one holds her accountable.
Check out what wickipedia has on school superintendents at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superintendent_%28education%29
From wickipedia:
“School superintendents do not have the same contract protection as other school employees, and do not have tenure or union protection, as is common for other school staff. Depending on local custom, a superintendent may be given a one year contract, two year contract, or three year contract. Three year contracts are the most common. Regardless of the length of their contract, however, the superintendent is evaluated annually by the school board and their employment may be terminated without proof of just cause.
Public school superintendents are held responsible for everything that happens in every school within their district, from elementary, and middle schools, through high school (K-12). He is accountable to the school board on behalf of everyone else employed by the district—“the buck stops here.â€
We need wise leadership now.
Still, I think in the interest of objectivity, the writer should have interviewed Ms. Burke. I have heard just the opposite (despite comment #3) and would like to hear to whole story before I form an opinion.
Cheryl Burke is a much more offensive principal, in my very honest and much experienced opinion, than Brenda Phillips. My son went to Cary for Kindergarten and 1st Grade, Chimborazo for 2nd and is now, very thankfully, back at Cary for 3rd. My son has had straight A’s and the typical age appropriate behavioral problems throughout his 4 years in RPS but it wasn’t until his 2nd grade year he got suspended for them, a consequence he learned real fast would get him out of a school that was unsafe and an overall hostile environment to be in.
By the end of the year he had been given OSS 8 times and had ISS 3 times even after I told the Vice Principal he was behaving that way on purpose. During the first child-study “team” meeting, I was told by Cheryl Burke that because the behaviors were happening at home, I needed to address those first before the school would worry about it. For those of you who aren’t aware, this is not how it was supposed to go but she does not listen very well to parents or kids for that matter.
The first few months back at Cary my son tried pulling the same stuff during recess and was given lunch in the principals office for 3 days as punishment. After that, no more problems were had from him.
The teachers and principals of every RPS are under a lot of stress to get their kids to pass the damned SOLs or they don’t get any money. Again, the subject of contention may very well be the SOLs and if they really provide an all inclusive learning environment. So of course they end up bullying, intimidating, etc., which is very unfortunate but they are human after all and can lose sight of the small things just like the rest of us.
Also, we need to keep in mind our kids are completely different when we’re not around and the teachers/principals/office staff at these schools are who have to deal with the fall out but cannot actively correct the situation except to put the kids in a “time out” which, for many kids, is hardly effective especially after they figure out that’s the harshest punishment they can get.
Unfortunately, behavior problems really do affect a child’s ability to learn, as well as the learning environment of the classroom, if they cannot be resolved.
Ms. Burke is my neighbor and she surely has turned that school around. However, my children do not attend Chimbarzo so I do not have personal knowledge about her professionally.
Like Erik said, if the article had at least sought comment, those of us without personal experience could form our opinion. Style seems to have a habit of printing one-sided stories of late.
Like Tiny, my children have never attended Chimborazo, so I’m unable to compare Burke to Phillips but I believe the Tonya Hocker story because it fits the pattern. I also agree with Crystal that the emphasis placed on SOL scores is damaging the school environment but that does not excuse a principal for bullying students, parents, or teachers. Bullying is abuse. My daughter was never suspended from Cary and her student record was and still is clean. We pulled out of Cary because it became painfully apparent that our child was being psychologically abused by the inept leadership of Brenda Phillips.
Let me set this story straight. We at Chimborazo are in the business of teaching and learning. The article didn’t hear our side at all, so why talk when you do not have the entire story? We at Chimborazo take pride in our jobs and we are all there for our students. I dare you to speak against our school, staff or Principal. We at Chimborazo have always been there for our students and parents, and will continue to be there for them. For those who are not in the our school, get the facts correct before you speak against us.
Sooner or later, Richmond will need to figure out how to get past the economic and racial divide that eats us alive. Black and White principals need to understand that just because a White parent (or vice-versa) wants to volunteer in their child’s school, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the parent thinks the principal or the teacher is doing anything wrong. It could just be that the parent wants to volunteer. Why is this so hard for people to understand?
Teacher Teach,
Why not give us your side of the story? If you say that people cannot judge without hearing both sides (I agree), then give us something from the school’s side of things.
I have given this issue some thought and have the following thoughts:
The idea that there is an intentional effort to oust children from RPS because they are lowering the SOL scores is RIDICULOUS. Ms. Pickney-Epp’s story really reads like a conspiracist’s plot. Children who are disrupting the class or are intimidating to the teachers do often need to be removed from the class in order to maintain suitable learning environment for the rest of the students.
A child with severe behavioral problems probably needs to be placed in a special education class where he or she will receive more appropriate attention. “Regular†teachers are not social workers or pyschologists and may not be equipped to deal with the children’s special needs.
The first thing that children should learn about school is that it is important to follow the rules. This is one of the main outcomes of pre-school. If a child cannot follow the rules and continually disrupts the class, the learning enviroment is compromised for the whole class. Ms. Pickney-Epps’ son refused to sit at his desk and intimidated the teacher. That child should sit down like everyone else. I’m not sure if refusing to sit is grounds for suspension, but if it continues on a daily basis, what should the teacher do? There aren’t “special†rules for those who don’t won’t to follow the written rules.
At the beginning of each school year, children in RPS are given a student handbook that outlines the rules of the school and the consequences for not following those rules. A good parent should review this information with the child and make sure he or she understands. This is also a good life lesson; as adults out in the “real worldâ€, there are rules or laws we must follow and consequences to face if we do not.
“Jazmine overheard her teacher discussing her weight with another teacher…” And this made a 9 year old cry and kick a wall. Well, that seems completely normal to me. A wise leader would not have suspended a child for being hurt.
Well, all we know is Hocker’s side of the story, so it’s hard to judge what the reason for Jazmine’s suspension and banishment to an alternative school for emotionally disturbed children. I really doubt that one incident led to all of that. But, since Dovi failed to report on all sides of the issue, we can’t really tell.
The combination of an inexperienced teacher and inept leadership can lead to all sorts of problems, some damaging. I’ve seen it happen.
I’ll add here that I’ve liked all the teachers I’ve dealt with over the years with the exception of the one at Cary. There are great teachers in the Richmond Public Schools deserving of great leaders. And new teachers need guidance and support.
I just watched this series on Boushall Middle School: http://www.pbs.org/merrow/tv/newshour/turnaround.html
The main problem in that school is behaviour and lack of respect for authority. And it affects every single student.
Man, I am so nervous about my child attending middle school next year. John, how does MLK differ from Boushall?
It has been a while since I’ve seen that video. I remember thinking that the kids were wild, and that the staff was kind of beat down by it all. It is hard to say how it is there now, though — that was a few years ago, and the principal has moved on to a different school.
I feel like our students are better behaved (though we *certainly* have issues with defiance and disrespect in some classes). We have more after school activities, I think — tutoring 3 days a week, mind games, sports, cheerleading — and this helps. There are dedicated teachers that put in many hours to make sure that these activities are there for the students.
The building administration has been in place for a few years and has a good idea as to what is what with regards to staff, the kids, and the neighborhood.
We have more kids from public housing than Boushall. We probably have a higher percentage of kids identified as needing Exceptional Education services as well.
RPS’s tag line should not be “From Good to Great” or “The Capital Choice In Education”….. It should be “If You Don’t Like It, Leave” or “If We Don’t Like You, We’ll Make You Want to Leave.” The precipitous drop in RPS student population is a testament to that attitude. As a former Cary parent, my experience was that Brenda Phillips and her posse undermine to destroy at will. Spend some time there and you can feel the stress of a “house divided”. Many families and teachers have left, some families so distressed they pulled their children out mid-year. RPS doesn’t seem to care and I truly can’t understand why they continue to permit such destructive leadership. Why isn’t RPS: 1) surveying parents & teachers? Even if only 10 families or teachers have been treated badly, isn’t that ten too many? 2) Building a database to study “customer satisfaction”? Test scores alone don’t measure success. 3) Utilizing statistics to study trends and usage? This data would show that Mrs. Phillips’ leadership is a cancer, making some families suffer unnecessarily, desperate to find other schools (a cure) for their children; forcing some families to leave RPS…… When will RPS bring leadership to John B. Cary that BOTH the majority out-of-zone families AND the minority neighborhood families can trust with our precious children? When will the RPS motto be “Building Great Schools Together” ?
“A child with severe behavioral problems probably needs to be placed in a special education class where he or she will receive more appropriate attention. “Regular†teachers are not social workers or psychologists and may not be equipped to deal with the children’s special needs.”
The problem with putting a kid with behavior problems in a special needs class is that it doesn’t truly address the reason for the behavioral problems not to mention most special needs classes are for those with true developmental disabilities which could only lead to more behavioral problems if the student becomes bored.
In many cases, if a child with behavioral problems is challenged more i.e. given harder work to do, etc., they won’t have time to act out in class. The reason I bring this into the discussion is because my son was one such kid. The work was so easy for him at Chimborazo he was done before anyone else in the class and would then goof off. The teachers took this as a sign of disrespect and insubordination and, instead of giving him more work like I suggested time after time, kept sending him to the VP’s office who would then suspend him.
The teacher he had at the beginning of the year said he wasn’t bored, that he just didn’t want to do the work. Would you want to waste your time on stuff you already knew so well you could complete it with your eyes closed? So he’d mope/sulk, etc., which would get him in more trouble and because the teachers would get in his face and demand he complete the work, it only escalated a very shaky situation. Also, when he’d mope/sulk, the other kids in the class would jump on this weakness and exploit the hell out of it in a matter of minutes. The mouths on some of those kids in just 2nd grade was very telling and honestly, a lot for any one teacher to contend with by themselves. When you have almost all 16 kids going crazy at one time, how is one person supposed to control that?
Yes, it is very important for kids to learn that life has rules and whether we like them or not, we have to follow them. I told this to my son so many times last year I should have set up a tape recorder and played it continuously even while he was sleeping. I firmly believe in the remainder of what you said, tiny, I really do, so please don’t think I have an issue with it all.
But like Gray said, so much can go wrong fast w/an inexperienced teacher and poor overall leadership and I think it’s a shame our kids have to pay the price.
Btw, gray, could you email me to discuss the Cary issues a little further? I would really like to know your story if you don’t mind, since my son is now on his 3rd year there and has 2 more to go (there are a few 4th and 5th grade teachers I already don’t like so I want to know what I’m getting into, : ). crystalball at gmail dot com.
I will say this has me convinced my son will be attending a private school for Jr/Sr High if I can make it work.
I guess it’s a matter of how “specialized” public education must be to cater to needs for the most students. One-on-one attention is necessary for all students, but individualized attention cannot be given to one student if it is at the expense of teaching to the rest of the students, and it may be out of the scope of a public school.
cedarstrong, thank you so much for speaking out about “Brenda Phillips and her posse.” Phillips is charismatic and can turn on you in a second. I’ve never met a person as cruel as Phillips.
Crystal, I’ll email you.
Cedarstrong’s suggestion is worth exploring.Each school needs a yearly, anonymous survey of all teachers and interested parents on how the administration in each school is doing on many fronts.
The results need to be submitted directly to the School Board, or the REA to be objectively analyzed. The results then need to be made public. At least it will put a light on problems that are currently kept ‘mum’. It’s that secrecy that allows abusive practices to continue.
Also exit surveys from families fleeing the schools would be good and anonymous surveys from teachers. RPS employees, if they speak at all, are always off the record because of fear of retribution.
After reading the original piece in Style, I have a answer to Tichi Pinkney-Eppes’ question. “She asks why. Does sending children home improve their ability to learn?” I have an answer for her — They are sent home so the other children in the class can learn! As an educator for 34 years, I speak from experience when I say that teachers want to teach the young people under their care. However, if children are disruptive NO one learns. No one has spoken up for the children following rules and doing their work. Children that disrupt the classroom stomp on their classmates right to learn. Who wins if disruptive behavior is tolerated beacaue the student is bored or because “He was not a fighter…[just] insubordinate.â€
Definitely a quality a potential employer would value?
Tichi Pinkney-Eppes also needs to address that issue. It would be interesting to hear what her son’s classmates thought of his behavior in relation to the learning environment he helped create. To affect change teachers need to be supported. This is the type of rhetoric that causes competent teachers to leave the profession. Parents, teachers, and administrators need to work together for the common goal of educating young people. Doing otherwise is only counter productive for all concerned.
How many children does RPS need to suspend before someone starts to see a connection between the the kids tossed out and those tossed in jail?
This is a gross example of “Black on Black” crime …. Petersburg is studying the connection, why isn’t Richmond? Maybe the “educators” are afraid the world will see what they are doing to our children? I also think it is a huge LIE that so many RPS kids are SUPPOSEDLY LEARNING DISABLED!
Ada I agree that disruptive behavior in class needs to be dealt with, however, there is a normal amount of disruptive behavior that should be expected from elementary school children and they should not be criminalized for it. Children talk and figdet, want to play, day dream, and clown around. Given the right enviroment combined with creative teaching and an engaging curriculum including learning centers and hands-on projects, many disruptive behaviors will disappear. And the ones that don’t, can be addressed accordingly, however, suspending children will lead to more suspensions. Children want to be at home. We cannot expect elementary students to have the inner controls of a high schooler.
I’ve also noticed an extreme difference in the way children are treated in wealthy public and private schools compared to the children attending poorer schools. In the wealthier private schools children freely express themselves in the lunchroom and hallways and feel comfortable approaching adults and expressing their views. They have been taught to use their indoor voices. In poor public schools, they don’t want to hear a peep and students are lined up in a militant style. I’ve seen students yelled at for wanting to have some input.
If students are taught that acting like a child is a criminal offense, what will become of them when they enter middle school?
GetRealRichmond, you are right on so many points.
At John B. Cary, my daughter was treated as if something was “wrong with her” because she seemed distracted during lessons with her homeroom teacher. Never mind that my daughter’s grades were straight A’s without having to do school work and when she did, she finished assignments quickly and had to wait for the other students. This teacher had very little, if any education in educating children and never seemed to notice the boys hitting girls or doing cartwheels behind her back. And never mind that my daughter had entered this teacher’s class having already written wonderful poetry and for months had contemplated T.S. Eliot’s Wasteland and why the poet had written, “April is the cruelest month.”
I had spoken with the principal about my daughter needing to be challenged, yet nothing was done or offered. It is easier for the school to treat a creative child as a problem –creativity is too difficult to measure.
And we wonder why the U.S. can’t compete with other countries in science and math. Great discoveries and inventions require creative thinking and, believe it or not, play.
Gray, perhaps “militant” style was prevelant in the school your child attended, but the statement ” In the wealthier private schools children freely express themselves in the lunchroom and hallways and feel comfortable approaching adults and expressing their views. They have been taught to use their indoor voices. In poor public schools, they don’t want to hear a peep and students are lined up in a militant style.” is exagerrated and frankly false.
The above described boot-camp atmosphere does not exist in the RPS school my children attend at all. There plently of creative pursuits and And, we used to send our children to St. Patrick’s, where no yelling, running, or other disruptive behavior was tolerated at all.
Not that that’s bad. My children learned to respect themselves, their teachers, and other students.
If my child were suspended, I would have to have a long talk with them to make sure it NEVER happened again. If it happend again, I would feel really out of control as a parent.
And, there are great programs in RPS to challenge your child. My daughter is in SPACE, which is available for academically gifted students. You should ask your teacher if your child is eligible.
tiny,
What school(s) do your children attend?
Bellevue
Being well-behaved does not mean you are not creative. It means you learned how to act appropriately in the school environment. And, I know that good behavior comes easier when you have nuturing teachers that care. But good behavior and creativity are not mutually exclusive.
Tiny, first of all my daughter is doing well at her new school and she has a good teacher.
It seems that you take criticisms of the RPS system personally. I wouldn’t question your own personal experience in RPS. People have the right to form opinions and make statements based on their observations and experiences whether you like it or not.
I guess I am passionate about this issue, but I really do feel like your description was an exaggeration. You may form any opinion you want, but I will feel free to respond if I feel it is hyperbolic.
I’m passionate too and I would like to see some changes in the RPS system. Families and teachers are fleeing public schools for a reason.
“If my child were suspended, I would have to have a long talk with them to make sure it NEVER happened again. If it happend again, I would feel really out of control as a parent.”
If your very gifted 2nd grade child figured out real quick how to get kicked out of school so he could stay home where it’s safe and comfortable, no amount of talking will convince him otherwise (really, have you tried having a “long” talk with an 8yr old lately? They don’t have the necessary attention span and no one likes to be lectured to). Short of you going to sit with him every day in class, nothing would have any affect on his behaviors whatsoever, including taking away TV, video games, computer time and anything generally fun for the entire school year.
Now add on being a single parent to that scenario and “out of control as a parent” doesn’t even cover it.
I did everything I could think of, had my son enrolled in Dominion Day Services for 6 months AND he saw a psychologist at Children’s Hospital for the first part of the year and still nothing worked. Nothing.
So I, as a parent, felt and still feel like I did everything I could to equip my son with the necessary skills and information to make better decisions yet he purposely chose to act like a horrible kid time and time again. I wondered what was going on in his classes to make him dislike the school so much so I decided to talk to him and really listen. Thus the decision to stick it out that year and move him back to Cary was made.
I would suggest you retract the “bad parent” assumption that blindly implicates we parents aren’t trying to do our best with what we’ve got. Because when it came down to it, Chimborazo was not equipped to handle my highly gifted son and their only answer was to suspend him time and time again despite evidence of his very purposeful intentions to gain that particular outcome.
I will freely admit that 1 of those times his suspension was warranted and the 2 times he had ISS was definitely a better answer than OSS, mainly because he was still required to be in the school building, just not in his class, and, yet again, warranted.
But life doesn’t happen in a vacuum and if my son’s behaviors were worse at school than at home, that should have been a HUGE red flag doncha think? Why should I be forced to work on something when the other party feels free to pass the buck? You speak of teachers needing help and support, which I freely give and do so in many ways, but what about vice versa? Just as two parents work together, shouldn’t the parents and school adminstration do the same so that a common goal can be reached?
The environment at Chimborazo deserves to be exposed. As someone who has been an employee, there are more things going wrong at the school, than right. The teachers should not be the ones to foot the blame however, it starts with the leadership which is very poor at the school. As someone who has observed first hand, "Joan’s" comments from above about the principal bullying and disrespecting the staff and teachers is absolutely true. There are a few "true blue" staff members that will defend her, but you would find the majority would speak their minds against her if they weren’t fearful for their jobs. There is not a school wide discipline plan in place to address all of the various behavior issues. The school is not equipped to deal with all of it and the teachers are not given the support or resources to deal with it either.
anonymous, the same goes for John B. Cary. I’ve spoken to a number of teachers who fled the school because of the principal, not because of the students nor for the higher pay in the counties. Some teachers are still angry with the way they were treated by Phillips.
I am very proud of to be a member of the Chimborazo family! We have done so many great things and will only continue to do so. From being recognized as one of the top schools in Virginia to providing Thanksgiving dinner to over 600 students and parents, I am amazed daily at the dedication of our principal, vice principal, teachers, staff, parents and students. As our school motto states: “I Can, I Will, I Shall Suceed”.
As a Richmond City taxpayer, I am very unhappy to hear that principle Cheryl Burke has spent my tax dollars taking “her girls” on a trip to the Bahamas.
At the same time, I know that the children of Chimborazo are neglected resources such as supplies and books because of budget shortfalls.
Surely this story will brew to the top soon enough, but you read it here at chpn.net first.
Richmond Public Schools are not perfect but they have come a long way. Instead of speaking about the problems, be a part of the solution. Criticizng administrators and teachers is not the solution. Printing one sided stories, speaking badly about principals and labeling different schools are not the answers. Principals and teachers have one of the hardest and most important jobs and that is to educate our children. So lets lift them up!
When children are hurt, we need to speak up. I cannot protect abusers. Dr. Jewell-Sherman needs to do something about these bullying principals now.
Mrs. Phillips was recognized for her efforts last night at the 5th district town hall meeting by the Mayor’s office. This is a slap in the face to all the families and teachers that felt forced to leave John B. Cary because of Mrs. Phillips’ “leadership”. I used to have the same attitude as “Hopeful” until my experience at Cary.
Why are people so afraid when people speak about the problems? How does one come up with a solution if one does not know what the problem is? Could that be what is going on with the schools, people fixing things that are not broken because they do not know the actual problem?
Question: Is this somewhat similar to what happened with some of the Catholic preists, where the kids either did not discuss what was going on, or if they did the preists were just moved elsewhere to work for the Church?
Native Church Hillian, you have asked excellent questions, made good points, and your comparison of the Catholic Church and RPS is a good one. Only unlike the Catholic Church with their priests, RPS system keeps their principals in place.
We must speak openly about the problems in the schools and not be afraid. I know in poetry and art critiques, writers and artists welcome criticisms in a way to improve their works.
It is really funny how much attention we put on “bullying” principals. Truth is, many just do not appreciate them for the work that they HAVE to do. Why not look at it this way … do your job as a teacher, do your job as a parent, and do your job as a student … let’s see if we’ll have some problems
Chimborazo has come a long way. Let’s not just talk about the test scores. But look at what Chimborazo has done for the community. We all talk about leadership. Yes, Ms. Burke may not be the ideal boss one may have, but she’s still the boss. Ms. Burke may say something a teacher may not like, but believe me, when the going gets tough, she’s got your back.
Ryan, your comment has a bullying ring to it.
I’m doing my job as a parent by advocating for the kids.
Clearly, Ryan, you have spent far too little time in RPS. School Board needs to get a clue fast — the only you prove when you seek to silence one of your colleagues is just how insecure and paranoid you and Deborah Jewell-Sherman really are. So what if someone says something critical of the system? SO WHAT?! Instead of DEFENDING, how about LISTENING? How about bring those who complain the loudest into the “tent”? How about ALLOWING everyone to work together for the same goal instead of ostracizing and maligning someone who just happens to disagree? No wonder the kids have a hard time — just look at George Braxton and Keith West. What a mess!
Clearly, Ryan, you have spent far too little time in RPS. School Board needs to get a clue fast — the only thing you prove when you seek to silence one of your colleagues is just how insecure and paranoid you and Deborah Jewell-Sherman Possee really are. So what if someone says something critical of the system? SO WHAT?! Instead of DEFENDING, how about LISTENING? How about bringing those who complain the loudest into the “tent� How about ALLOWING everyone to work together for the same goal instead of ostracizing and maligning someone who just happens to disagree? No wonder the kids have a hard time — just look at George Braxton and Keith West. What a mess!
It is imperative that RPS has enlightened,effective principals who have the leadership skills to bring out the best in ALL teachers, and students.
If a principal does not have those skills, then training is needed. Any principal who cannot CONSTRUCTIVELY give feedback to teachers and who has the audacity to regularly reprimand teachers in front of their students is a principal who needs to control herself and get some real leadership skills.
There are many wonderful teachers at Chimborazo who would transfer in a minute were it not for their commitment to working with these students, and the other wonderful teachers at Chimborazo.
The principal is the real weak link at that school. Chimborazo has improved over the years, not because of her, but despite her behavior.
Bringing this out in the open can only improve Chimborazo. The community has a right to know what is going on. They should ask why central administration cares so little about their hard working teachers that they are willing to force them to put up with this nonsense!
Brenda Phillips is also known for reprimanding teachers infront of others and worse –like yelling/belittling a teacher who is standing with her own 5 year old son, placing a teacher in a time out, backing a teacher into a corner and putting a finger in her face (Phillips is a big woman), etc.
One year, after receiving a number of complaints, Jewell-Sherman sent Phillips to Switzerland for a conference. Administration downtown must stop rewarding bad behaviors and condoning abuse of fellow RPS employees. If principals never suffer any consequences for their destructive behavior, they will become even bolder and therefore more dangerous.
Anonymous is right, it is time to bring this out in the open. Richmond will continue to lose wonderful teachers if we keep bullying principals in place. Ultimately the students will suffer if they rarely experiece being taught by a veteran teacher.
Differing views on principal performance are an acceptable outcome of such an article, but I’m surprised that no one has commented on the parent’s and Style’s choice to publish a young girl’s identity along with her health and behavioral issues, her school placement, and her photo. Who would do such a thing to a child? Reporting on one family’s experience without all the identifiers would be acceptable, but publishing this child’s private information was shameful.
I agree with Anonymous in that the teachers at Chimborazo are great and try to work with the kids. I love most of the teachers at Cary, too, and have not had the bad experiences with Mrs. Phillips the other 2 people have. Teachers can only do the best they can with what they have and working at an at-risk school with a majority of them being underprivileged, the attitudes amongst students can run high.
RPS talks a real good game about wanting “parental involvement.” Problem is they really DON’T WANT parental involvement because it means they have to change the way they do business. A principal can make or break a school. By keeping principals in place that are disrespectful to parents and community members, the RPS administration and School Board send a loud message: GO AWAY! STOP BOTHERING US!
Publishing that child’s private information was a choice the parent made and I am glad for her courage. The message she sends to her child is that she is not ashamed of her or of her struggles, nor is she ashamed to stand up and fight for her child. Would that ALL PARENTS could stand up to the secrecy and dhaming, blaming tactics that RPS employs and show their children that they are willing to fight for them — against ALL ODDS!
And, three cheers for Style for refusing to a party to the “you keep my secrets, I’ll keep your secrets” style of governance that has for far too long dominated Richmond.
No one is perfect — but we are only as sick as the secrets we keep. I hope Style keeps telling the truth over and over and over — until someone starts listening and doing something about it.
Regarding A reader’s comment: It is shameful the way the RPS system treated Tonya Hocker’s daughter.
RPS forces people to go to press. Think about the ADA compliance in the RPS –the story hits the press then, like magic, administration downtown finds a little money and starts working on ADA compliance immediately.
And regarding bully principals: like I wrote before, for three years parents and teachers spoke or wrote to various board members, superintendant, the principals’ supervisor, human resources about Phillips behavior and nothing was done. Everyone thought they had taken proper channels. Many parents simply gave up and teachers fled the school.
Thank you Style Weekly and keep up the great work.
I think people go to the press because they are too much of a coward to go to the principal and work things out. It is easier to go to the press to complain about a school that is enforcing their rules, like “don’t kick a teacher”, than to come to terms with the fact that maybe their son or daughter isn’t perfect and gets in trouble on occasion. It is easy for a newspaper like Style write an article about the weaknesses of schools. What isn’t so easy is coming up with a good solution. And it is easy for people to get caught up in the drama of the school system rather than get involved with the school itself. Rather than spend the time and energy that it takes to think up a great response on this forum, why not spend that time and energy actually in the school volunteering with a kid or a class. You will not see change in the school system by simply complaining about the leaders. The leaders are doing the best they can with what they have. It takes the community surrounding the school to help make change in the lives of the kids.
The group I spoke about have worked in the classrooms, on the PTA, and have spoken with the principal before going to RPS administration downtown. Press is usually the last resort.
And Eric, explain to me how do you go about dealing with a bullying principal? A principal that has verbally abused you or shunned you? or A principal that targets your child because you happened to have shared your thoughts or grievances with her about how the school is operating? Chances are Tonya Hocker worked with the school before going to press. Most parents and teachers I know try to work on things “in house” before going downtown or to the press.
Sorry about the verb conjugation above –too ticked to conjugate. Eric, have you spent any time in the classroom? I have.
Congratulations Gray!
Eric, what do you mean when you say: “Congratulations Gray!” ?
Chris Dovi received a first-place award for his education reporting and feature writing in a statewide competition.
http://styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=16547
Touche’ Gray!
Congratulations, Chris Dovi!
And, Eric, if it is true as you write that “The leaders are doing the best they can with what they have,” then their “best” needs to get BETTER fast because the children and taxpayers in this city are paying premium prices for leadership that condones inferior work from the administrators who, for the most part, whine and blame the children and their families for expecting better.
And let’s not forget the excellent work that has been done at some schools. There are good schools in RPS and maybe we could learn from them. Honestly, not all of the schools suffer from the problems Gray and Crystal mention. That’s all I’ve been trying to say.
And, the point that Tichi Pinkney-Eppes and others were trying to make in Chris Dovi’s Style Weekly article was that we have simply gone from a “de jure” to a “de facto” system of segregated schools in the City of Richmond. Until the City’s leadership realizes that their policies perpetuate a system that keeps bully principals in place and discourages families from asking and demanding more of the system, the families that can flee will flee and we will continue to have a subpar school system.
Deborah Jewell-Sherman and the majority of “her” School Board really don’t want change. If they did, their actions would reflect that. Instead, they allow principals to run roughshod over teachers and families to the point that anyone who can find a way out of the system does so. It is really not the kids in the system that are the problem — it is the so-called adults who really don’t want to have a bunch of assertive middle-class to affluent families saying that they will not tolerate being treated the way the “educators” have treated Richmond’s poor families for far too long.
When so-called “excellent” work happens, the educators are quick to claim the glory and the credit, but when problems arise these same “educators” quickly blame the at-risk children and their families.
Talk about the “soft bigotry” of diminished expectations …. Richmond is a perfect example.
Most of us commenters have children in the system. What is your personal experience with RPS, GetReal?
I’m fairly new to Chimborazo Elementary; but in the little time that I’ve been there, I can honestly say that the faculty and staff work extremely hard to ensure that both the academic and emotional needs of our children are met. We have excellent in-school counselors, after-school programs, etc. At Chimborazo, our motto is: “I CAN (meaning that I have the ability), I WILL (meaning I choose to at least make an attempt), I SHALL (there’s no doubt about it) SUCCEED!” If a child refuses to adhere to the way the school is morally structured, then the principal or vice-principal must do what is necessary according to the guidelines so that other children can learn with fewer distractions and that particular student can get the help that he/she needs to be sucessful.
Although some of you may think that Mrs. Burke sees herself as infallible and can treat people however she pleases, I disagree. She just seeks perfection to the best of her ability. She makes sure that we (the teachers) dot our I’s and cross our T’s so that others will perceive us as the professionals we are. It’s all about moving from GOOD to GREAT!
I think that this issue got blown way out of proportion. God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth so that we could be “swift to hear and slow to speak.” Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion, but listen to BOTH sides of a story before commenting on or publishing the issue. Be blessed!
Over a span of 27 years, I have had three children, two nephews and helped not only them but their friends, classmates and families try to make sense out of the City’s public school system. In short, I know what I am talking about …..Thank you for asking.
You are welcome. I also know what I am talking about.
I’m sure that Ms. Burke is ‘trying her best’ to keep teachers moving ‘from good to great’, but when RPS administrative procedures direct administrators to ‘treat all RPS employees with respect’, and she is regularly disrespecting teachers in front of their students, then there is no ‘both sides of the story’. That behavior is unacceptable and it is not what good administrators do to redirect professionals whom they are charged with motivating and supporting. It is what people who cannot control their tempers and who lack effective leadership skills do. It seems to me, that after 12 years as a principal, she has had ample time to educate herself to do a better job.
Face it: Sometimes ‘trying her best’ simply isn’t good enough.
When will this School Board wake up and realize that the citizens of Richmond want School Superintendent Sherman held accountable just as we want Mayor Wilder held accountable.
Sherman and her administration are every bit as entrenched and manipulating as Wilder and his staff.
FYI: I did contact Chris Dovi and asked why the school officials weren’t interviewed and reply he was denied access to them.
Anyone know anything about charter schools? I just found out that there’s a group trying to create a Patrick Henry Charter school near Forest Hill Park. Does anyone know of any operating charter schools in Richmond? Are city and school representatives open or opposed to the idea of charter schools?
I personally think that charter schools are a great idea. In Richmond, it appears difficult to affect change in a particular school without fighting the whole system. A charter system could change that.
We need school choice in Richmond. I would also like to see open enrollment city wide and a return to magnet schools. The current mega-zone lines segregate the economic classes.
http://foresthillcharter.org/
Also, in and out of zone bussing.
One commenter asked why when that is not done in Henrico or Chesterfield. This is why: many, many, more of our residents have no transportation. Or conflicting work schedules. Sometimes in order to send your child to a good school, you have to send them on city bus. This is dangerous and leads to high absentee rates.
I don’t want to choose between going to work and getting my child to school in another zone. This is one of the non-instructional budget items that is vital to many RPS families.
For the amount of money that taxpayers spend in the City of Richmond and HIGH per pupil expenditures, one might think the the School Board and the administration could bring EVERY school up the the levels of excellence that exist in the “better” neighborhoods.
Why aren’t people demanding that their neighborhood schools have all the amenities and top-tier teachers and top-notch principals that the so-called better schools have?
It would really help the “poorer” schools if the parents and teachers in the “better” schools joined in a demanded that all schools be made equal!
I believe that RPS principals do not earn as much as principals in the county schools, so that would make it harder to recruit principals who are excellent. Needless to say, there are more headaches associated with running an inner city school, so the pay needs to be hiked if we are to attract the best. I think the extra money would be well worth it.
Agreed. And, thanks to Carol Wolf (my school board member), I hear that principal pay is increased in this budget. Problem is that both the good and the bad principals are receiving the same (2 percent on top of a 4 percent across the board raise). I wish there were a way to institute merit pay for principals. That would separate the good from the bad in a hot minute. There also needs to be a way for parents and teachers to weigh in and assess a principal’s performance. That would help even the playing field so that the “Friends of Deborah Jewell Sherman and Central Administration” stop receiving preferential treatment even when parents and teachers leave schools because they cannot stand to be abused by bully principals.
I think principal David Hudson over at Holton deserves merit pay. He has really turned that school around. Principals Hudson and Muzik at Munford are great examples of wise leadership at the elementary school level.
Does anyone know the story of how the parents and teachers got rid of the previous inept principal at Holton?
I completely agree with higher teacher pay. For something that is deemed so important in our society, teachers do not get paid adequately for their services. And if we want more qualified teachers in the inner city schools, there needs to be something that entices them to come. As it stands right now, there is nothing encouraging teachers to come to the inner city.
As far as merit pay goes, I agree with that as well. That is why this election is so important. Pay attention to the candidates who are proposing merit pay and reform of No Child Left Behind.
I know RPS students. Do you? I ask this question because you need to go to Chimborazo to see what Mrs. Burke battles with everyday. Some of this kids lack home training. They don’t fear or respect anyone. Then, when the mother shows up in school all she do is defend her child. It is good that she defends her child, but is she doing the right thing, or is she setting her child up for a doomed future? I want everyone to think deeply about this question. What type of future do I want for my kid? Do I want a good one or bad one? I also want everyone to know that it takes a village to raise a good child, so why don’t we all do our job and raise good kids. Remember the children are our future.
I say throw the No Child Left Behind act out. It ensures failure of poor urban schools and lowers educational standards.
I need to read a little more on merit pay. With the over emphasis we have on SOL test scores, teachers with higher scoring students would be the ones receiving the higher pay and that might push schools and teachers even more to teaching to the test. First there should be more to education than just assessments and SOLS.
Regarding SOLS: We should compare state tests across the nation. The standards from state to state are different. Also the assessment tests given in RPS are different from the counties. My daughter’s friend in Henrico had to write answers and fill in blanks on her science assessment test where as the one in RPS was multiple choice.
Do any of the schools in Richmond have the accelerated reading program like Henrico? It encourages students to read literature and they love it.
Yes, RPS has the SPACE program, and the Mind Games program to name a couple.
Personally, I like the SOLS. It gives me a way to measure schools against one another, which was not available when were going to a private school.
The accelerated reading program is open to all students unlike the Space program and Mind Games in RPS. I like the Space program, however, it does not meet the needs for children who score high in one area and average in another. Also students in Space only meet once a week for an hour or two.
In Henrico county needs are met. If a child is gifted in language arts and not math, she is given advanced reading and hands-on projects. And in Chesterfield, if a child is tested advanced across the board, she is placed in an advanced/gifted class so everyday and hour the child’s needs are met. Why can’t we have this in Richmond at the elementary level?
I believe all students could benefit from the SPACE hands-on projects, especially at a young age. Think of the montessori and emilio reggio approaches to learning. Their programs place emphasis on hands-on projects and are open to all students regardless of their strengths and weaknesses.
I help my daughter with her SPACE homework, and man, some of it is HARD. Unlike the counties, RPS offers accelerated learning programs as young as second grade; the counties begin these programs in fourth.
My daughter is in the accelerated reading GROUP in her class. There are two other students. There are several reading groups with each student placed in the appropriate group for their level. Lower level readers can advance to higher level groups as their skills improve; I know, because my son was one of these.
I am not knocking the Montessori method, but that method does not appeal to all parents. I know that some children really respond to that method, but for us, RPS is working.
How much would $13,000-plus buy you in tuition at the private and parochial schools?
Tiny actually you’re wrong. My friend’s kid and my niece have been in accelerated programs since first grade in the counties. Space begins in second grade and meets how often? And in a couple RPS schools they have started a launch program (space for preschool and up)which is great. And again what about the children who score exceedlingly high in one area and not another?
I’m glad RPS is working for you but shouldn’t it work for all? You’re not the only one paying for public education. And Tiny if RPS is so good how come people aren’t using their districts school? I’m one of the few paying high realestate tax and using my districts poor school and my children are not receiving the education they deserve. Are you using your districts school? I know you were concerned about busing.
GetRealRichmond: $13,000-plus can buy you in to Stony Point (Reggio Emilia) at $9,000, Seven Hills and Orchard House at the same price as RPS, Central Montessori at $7,000 and many others. The first four I mentioned are some of the best and my personal favorites. Please folk go in and see what we deserve.
Here I’ll mention magnet schools. With magnet schools we can have a school like the current ones for Tiny and schools with programs like I mentioned above and more. There are cities that do it.
GetReal- depends on the school. You can find some for as little as $3-8K/year, but those tend to be narrowly focused on religion and largely unaccredited. The more established tend to go for $12K/year and up, with “the biggies” (St. Cat’s, St. Chris, Collegiate, Steward, Trinity, etc) anywhere from $14-17K/year.
I assume you mean AR (accelerated reader)? Yes many schools do have the AR program in Richmond. This is open to all students, it is not “grouped” or “higher level”. If the school does not have it, I know many teachers offer “incentives” to reading. Kudos to Chimborazo for doing thirty mintues of STRAW everyday. The whole school will “Sit Tight Read and Write”.
My children would like to read, write, and draw (and act) for more than thirty minutes in a school day. Think about how long it takes the average person to right a meaningful paragraph and the amount of time it takes for some before they even pick up the pen. I know it takes about two notebooks to arrive at four to five finished poems. Sometimes process is ignored in systems –kids like adults have different processes.
I’m not fond of the phrase “Sit
Tight Read and Write.” Reading and writing is far freer than that. I’m thinking of William Blake’s, “Thou Shalt Not.” Take out tight and kids relax.
target 1, which schools have the AR?
Of course there is more than thirty minutes of reading, writing and drawing in a school day. Those skills flow through the whole curriculum all day long. I know my son’s teacher intergrates drawing into social studies by using interactive notebooks. He also has journals for all subjects and reads every night. The thirty minutes of STRAW goes far beyond just “reading” and “writing”. It allows students, teachers, and staff to collect their thoughts at the end of the day by sitting and allowing for quiet reflection or to escape in a good book.
So at Chimborazo they intergrate drawing into social studies? I like that. I’ll look into the STRAW thing too. Which schools in Richmond have the Accelerated Reading Program?
My children, fortunately, have good teachers and they allow for drawing, reading, and writing after completing assignments and they intergrate some of them throughout the day. I just wish it wasn’t geared towards the SOLS and the benchmark tests. It is extremely repetitive and mind bending.
I also would love for my children to be challenged in certain or all subjects. I like the way math is taught at our school but I wish the children explored real literature as a class or atleast in small groups.
It is worthwhile for parents, educators, and administrators downtown to take a look at montessori and reggio emilio type programs and consider some of these methods at the elementary level. For one, they don’t use desks and the class size is smaller. The children spend their day creating, moving, thinking, and discovering. Confining young children to desks, worksheets, silent lunches, and a short recess is not healthy for the minds, bodies, or souls of our city kids.
I think these programs and other type magnet schools like one for performing arts or science would be more cost effective than the individualized education plan for every child downtown is considering in the New Direction. I also don’t see the IEP for every child really happening. I know folk who have a hard enough time obtaining one for a child with special needs. And IEPs requires parents input. I’ve heard teachers complain of parents not showing up for parent teacher conferences.
Let me clarify: I am not against progress. I, of course, want excellent eduational opportunities available for our children. I just feel like many of RPS’s successes have been overlooked.
All I am saying is that we need to take a balanced look at the state of our schools. We must both acknowledge needed improvements along with the things that ARE working to be able to craft a solution for the current state of RPS. And, in the final analysis, we need to balance the needs of the majority with any special needs. For example, I support the funding of needed non-instructional items that are critical to the majority of our students.
You’re wrong, Tiny. WRONG.WRONG.WRONG.
We need to balance the needs of ALL our children with those of the ego-driven RPS administration and School Board. The struggle cannot be about taking from the special needs children (again) and giving to the majority.
The grown-ups and so-called “leaders” in this city need to get their priorities straight and place the needs of the children before the needs of Deborah-Jewell Sherman’s administration. The School Board needs to grown a backbone instead of rubber-stamping anything DJS wants. She wants to hire three additional people for administration downtown while cutting school counselors, custodians, bus drivers. They all talk a good game, but that is all it is. Neither she, nor the School Board, appear to be looking out for ALL children.
Tiny, since when does studying real literature or hands-on projects fall under special needs? These are needs for the majority.
And one very important group that often falls between the cracks in public schools are the divergent thinkers –the inventors, artists, and entrepreneurs of tommorrow.
What do you mean when you say: “For example, I support the funding of needed non-instructional items that are critical to the majority of our students.”???
Don’t you think that it is about time for RPS itself to stop making excuses and blaming the children, who through no fault of their own, have been born into poverty? When the teachers and kids do well on tests, the central administration grabs all the so-called glory. But, when things don’t go well, central administration hauls out every excuse under the sun about…..”these children,” “the conditions these kids live in,” “the parents, that’s the problem.”
All of this is evidence of that soft bigotry of diminished expectations for African-American children. I have yet to hear Deborah Jewell-Sherman or any of her administraors accept any responsibility for anything! They all but rend their garments claiming the want what they want for the sake of the children and then they cut counselors, custodians, bus drivers and teachers in order to pad their budget and hire THREE NEW administrators. Can’t you see there is something wrong with this kind of thinking on their part?
Tiny, I would appreciate it if you would answer my question. How can you tolerate the elimination of school counselors in ordder for Deborah Jewell Sherman to be able to hire THREE NEW ADMINISTRATORS?
typoe: in order
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerated_Reader
“Samuels and Wu have completed a number of studies on Accelerated Reader with positive results.[11] In 2003,[12] they found that, after six months, third- and fifth-grade students that used Accelerated Reader demonstrated twice the gain in reading comprehension as those that did not use Accelerated Reader.”
So far I’ve found that the elementary RPS that have Accelerated Reading are Mary Munford, Broad Rock, and Greene.
I also read that most schools across the nation have the program. For $13,000 per pupil you would think all RPS would have Accelerated Reading. Henrico spends $8,000 per pupil and has it.
I hate it when y’all comment after work on Friday because I can’t respond until Monday! Anyhow:
All I said is that we must look at the whole picture. There are things that work well. And the school system should serve the needs of the children in its district. I fail to comprehend why that statement is so controversial.
I never said “real literature or hands-on projects” fall under special needs! For heaven’s sake! Of course, such things are part of a good education. I am sorry that your school does not provide them; the ones I am familiar with do.
My only point is now, and has been, to offer my opinion whenever I felt the discussion was becoming too one-sided. I am not defending the administration and I not saying that things should not change.
But I am speaking out on behalf of what I do know from my personal experience. That is: this school system has had successes that should be recognized and that needs of the student population that actually attend RPS schools must be taken into account in any plan to “fix” the schools.
I don’t know about this soft bigotry, but I try everyday in my daily routine to make sure my children do not grow up with hard bigotry. As part of this, I feel it is important for them to attend the schools in their neighborhood and to make friends with the neighborhood kids. I hope my efforts, in my small way, teach my children to be compassionate and fair-minded. And, with that attitude, my hope is that eventually the rifts that separate our community might start to heal.
You still didn’t answer my question about why we should tolerate the elimination of school counselors so Deborah Jewell-Sherman can hire THREE NEW ADMINISTRATORS for RPS. And, as far as “healing the rifts that separate our community,” I think that is a FALSE ISSUE. This discussion is about what it will take for this community to demand –as a CIVIL RIGHT — a quality education for all of our children, black, white and all colors in between. Until the COMMUNITY demands that ALL OUR CHILDREN be treated with respect and high expectations, we are doing our children a disservice.
GetReal,
I do not want any school conselors to be eliminated. I do not want Wilder to cut the school budget at all. But really, there are no many other issues that impact community that should make you as mad as this one. Calm down.
I do not understand why my comments make you so mad. I will continue to eliminate racism in my own small way by trying to be an example of tolerance for my children and my community.
edg:
You have not made me mad at all. In fact, it pleases and comforts me to know there are people in our community who care enough about our schools and our children to STAND UP and SPEAK OUT. Pls. see article posted below ….
Attached Message
From: PND News Alerts
To: GetRealRichmond@@aol.com
Subject: Community Organizing Boosts Student Achievement, Study Finds
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 02:40:18 -0400 (EDT)
March 31, 2008
The following article has been posted to Philanthropy News Digest:
Community Organizing Boosts Student Achievement, Study Finds
The preliminary results from the six-year, $4.8 million Mott Foundation-funded Community Involvement Program confirm the role that education-related organizing plays in improving learning outcomes for students in low-performing schools…. More»
I like our school’s counselor, however, there are some inept ones in the system that should be eliminated then replaced (more on this later).
It seems the money is there –$13,000 per pupil in Richmond, more than the counties spend.
From chapter 2 of “Building a 21st Century U.S. Education System,” I like the five core beliefs listed: 1)Children come first. 2)Parents are our partners. 3)Victory is in the classroom. 4)Leadership and accountability are the keys to our success. 5)It takes the entire community to ensure the success of the public schools.
http://nctaf.org/resources/research_and_reports/nctaf_…
When our leaders break promises, claim not to know what is going on, and blame others, we know that our schools are being set up for failure. Change in RPS needs to start down at City Hall.
Everyone makes their points in this discussion — I haven’t read the article but from what I gather — there is a lot of blame to go around. But who are the individuals affected most by the lack of resources, consistent parental involvement, and some questionable leadership. If we want our children and schools to succeed we just need to be more involved. I work in the schools have been for at least ten years and the climate has changed from a learning environment to continual discipline from disrespect, continuing disruptive behaviors, and not getting the support from across the board. Not once in this discussion has anyone mentioned parents also accepting responsibility and blame for the behaviors. I have seen parents send children to school without taking their prescribed medications, send them dirty,and send them so they could get out of their hair for 6 hours. “It takes a village, and as a village we are failing.” The issue is working together being involved and not accepting anything else.
In order for somethings to get accomplished you need that stern leader that tolerate little and expect the most — so look inside first, visit these schools throughout the day and see the challenges these direct school administrators, teachers, support staff have to deal with and form an opinion from there — hell an hour can basically give you an idea of the difficulties in a 6 hour school day. Don’t let discipline start at school — follow through in the home and see how it works.
Another thing you have to realize this is now a “work for pay” career — the SOL’s have mandated that you as a teacher have to get through a particular objective by a set time or else. So everyone in this discussion knows that when it comes to a person’s livelihood and securing what they need for their families and themselves it is not a choice — am I going to deal with this child that continually disrupts the class and not allow me to teach what has to be completed by this date or will I have this child removed from my classroom to secure my livelihood and help those who want to learn? That is a question that most on this discussion haven’t probably asked themselves — there is no time for creativity in teaching and definitely no time for disobedience and disruption so — think about it before you blame the Administrator and look at the system. If a school fails to meet the majority of objectives then it is deemed non-accreditted and receives very little funding — not because of the Principal though but because the teachers are not able to complete assigned objectives to keep them on the job and to keep the school system receiving money due to continuing disruptive behaviors and lack of respect for authority — and across the board putting blame on everybody else except for the community as a whole — teachers, administrators, parents, and the children themselves– just think about it?
I agree with you Graduate (see post #12, 28, 31) and was really taken aback that so many people disagreed with me.
I talked with my dad about this issue this weekend (he is a high teacher in another in another district) and he says the biggest challenge he faces at this school is disruptive, disrespectful students that compromise the learning environment for everyone.
Tiny, do you think the students at Bellevue are disruptive?
From post #4
“Public school superintendents are held responsible for everything that happens in every school within their district, from elementary, and middle schools, through high school (K-12). He is accountable to the school board on behalf of everyone else employed by the district—“the buck stops here.â€
When principals attack…just kidding…
Superintendent Jewell-Sherman is accountable for keeping bullying and/or inept principals in place.
Graduate of RPS, yes the students can be and are disruptive and need to be dealt with, and they need guidance, however, we should not criminalize children for normal childhood behaviors like talking in the cafeteria. I’ve seen it happen. Now it is criminal for a principal to bully students, parents, and teachers. I won’t blame a whole community for keeping bullying inept principals in place.
I just came about this site while searching the internet. I am so GLAD that I did. It might be an old issue to some of you but, it is one my daughter and I live everyday. I am shocked at alot of the comments from some of you.
You try and explain to a the 10 year old girl who I never said was perfect WHY her teacher and another staff member was discussing her weight aloud. It would be difficult for me to tolerate and I’m 35 so how do you think a 10 year old would handle that!? She had begun to build a bond with this teacher and trust her and all of that was snatched away from her all at that point.
JazMine has a hard time letting people into her circle, when she loves you she loves you but, its not easy for her to open up. Yes she had a problems with changing schools and neighborhoods and she DID NOT want to go to Chimborazo, she wanted to be back at Carver where she had been since Pre-K. It was a huge adjustment for her and myself. Change is very hard and when she was almost to the point of acceptance that incedent changed EVERYTHING!
NO JazMine did Not walk up and kick her teacher, she was in the corner kicking the wall because of the horrible remarks that she heard, and the teacher walked up in front of her and caught the kick. Of course the incident wasn’t wrote up that way. The way it was worded was if JazMine walked up and halled off and kicked her and thats how it stayed on paper. The teacher even said to ME that JazMine didnt do it on purpose and she told that to the Assistant Principal. Nothing was changed to reflect what really happened. So that’s when she was put in the alternative school at Blackwell after a hearing downtown.
There is alot that JazMine has to work on and overcome. She is making STRIDES to be the best she can be!! Her grades are great she won 2nd place in the spelling bee which was a big step for her because she had to participate in front of the entire school!! Which this is something she wouldn’t have done a year ago.
We made the best out of the alternative program. She had 2 wonderful teachers whom I spoke with on a weekly basis. She left that program with SCHOLAR ROLL. As a parent of 4 with my oldest 2 at T.J. and my son at Albert Hill, one on Honor Roll and the other in the Accelerated Program on Scholar Roll (I must be doing something right) If I dont fight for what I beleive is right and stand up for my children ,WHO WILL!! Walk a mile in my shoes and tell me would you have let that happen? Or would you have been a silent bystander and further help diminish your childs spirit?! Anytime I feel that my children are being mistreated I will be there to do what I am suppose to as a parent. They deserve the BEST EDUCATION possible no matter where we came from!!
I’m with you Tonya Hocker -keep fighting.
The entire RPS system is guilty as long as they keep cruel abusive principals in place. Moving students or employees to different schools doesn’t solve the problem, help the abused to heal, or keep students safe. I’m still meeting families and employees who are being chased from my childrens’ previous school; I’m still hearing stories of the principal bullying and humiliating students and staff.
Tonya Hocker, I know from the people I’ve interviewed and from our own experience, it’s hard to shake off the hurt and to have downtown further praise and protect such abusive principals only deepens the wound.
Everyone should be aware that if your child is hurt in RPS that the system will protect it’s own and will go to great lengths to do so. RPS should be atleast truthful for once and place a sign on it’s doors, Enter at Your Own Risk.
I solicit your opinion and any suggestions you may have. Please be honest. Trust me I can take it. My son was suspended for 5 days on the last Friday before the Christmas break for fighting. He is new to Armstrong HS; and he makes very good grades. He knows very few other students at this school. The fight started because he was hit in the back of the head by someone he does not even know. He turned around, hit the person back and the fight ensured. Other students jumped into the fight and he had to cover himself to keep from being seriously injured. I was called at work to pick him up within 15 minutes or else he would be hauled to the Juvinile where he would have to stay until after the weekend if I was not able to get to the school within 15 minutes. I could not get there within 15 minutes, so my daughter went instead; where she found him handcuffed, awaiting transport. I spoke to the police and officials who told me that the young man who hit my son in the back of the head admitted that he in fact did punch my son in the back of the head; although he does not know him. He will not say why. So, the school and police has listed my son as being a victim of this violence. He will still have to be suspended the 5 days because he did not immediately report the incident to a school official. He immediately reacted by punching the person back. He will have to go to court some time soon to testify in the case of assault and battery. There were 5 other fights; most more serious, on this particular day. I understand the 5 day suspension; there is no getting around this rule. But do we really expect our children to turn the cheek and be exposed to even more bantering and ridicule from bullying students. Also, is it the norm for school fights to result in handcuffs and sending students to jail? Has it become that bad and dangerous. Also, many of these fights are spilling into the neighborhoods. Many of these young kids have guns. It’s just too much. It’s very, very scary.
Cordie, First of all, I would find him another school. Apply to Open High, Community, one of the Governors’ schools, or to Thomas Jefferson. Applications for the open enrollment lottery will be due very soon. Also consider one of the really good private schools -the more expensive ones give out better scholarships. You never know when space will be available, so keep applying and calling and tell your son to continue making good grades and stay away from trouble makers at all costs in the meantime.
I understand the school’s policy and how everyone in a fight gets punished, however, I believe a person has the right to defend himself. Your son should not have been handcuffed and you shouldn’t have been threatened and treated like a dog. It is not criminal to defend yourself nor to be more than a 15 minute drive from school. You two were treated guilty until proven innocent.
Did you read this thread – Too much violence at Armstrong? Do what you can to get your child out of there. Don’t wait for the system to change because it won’t.
I recommend speaking with Torey Edmonds or Art Burton. They have walked into schools by the parents’ and students’ side and helped them through meetings, advocated for their rights, you name it. From what I’ve heard, Torey Edmonds has recently spent some considerable time at Armstrong. And as you can see, Burton sounded the alarm at Armstrong.
Also contact our district School Board member, Don Coleman, and tell him of all the violence your family has witnessed at Armstrong.
I feel horrible for the good students at Armstrong. They don’t deserve this.
Cordie, e-mail me at edmondstj@yahoo.com
Cordie,
After you e-mail Torey, please e-mail me as well. Wolfies@aol.com
I have emailed both Torey and Carol and appreciate them both reaching out.
If anyone would like to further discuss this issue or has any positive ideas – I’m open for dialog…my email address is cordiebw@gmail.com.
Thanks, C.