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Anonymous email decries conditions at MLK Middle School
A group calling themselves “Anonymous MLK Teachers” emailed the following letter to media and school officials this afternoon:
State of MLK Middle School
Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School very often accepts conduct that is unacceptable and violates acceptable codes of conduct. We the teachers of MLK can and will not tolerate the irreprehensible actions that are being committed by the administration and students. Here are a few examples of what really goes on at MLK:
Students are disruptive in their classes and administration refuses to enforce any level of discipline.
Students are allowed to come in and leave their classes at any time without teachers having any authority to do anything.
Students have made threats towards teachers and those students have been allowed to remain in the teachers classrooms.
The administration made a rule that prevents students from being removed from class, no matter how disruptive or disrespectful the students may be.
There are several classrooms that exceed the Department of Education’s guidelines for Special Education classrooms.
Students are able to walk the halls during class without any reproach.
Students are allowed to bully other students, while teachers and security have been forbidden from intervening.
One particular administrator consistently cites the failures of the school as teachers lacking behavior management.
Students can fight one another and return back to class.
Administration is not filing nor recording referrals being written by students. They are either being destroyed or sent back to the teachers. This is presumably done to reduce the number of documented disciplinary actions.
Administration has cited the fact that behavior problems have declined, this is not so, we merely have an administration that refuses to suspend and discipline children. This is why the disciplinary numbers do not represent an increase in behavioral issues.
We as teachers understand that every form of adversity cannot be avoided; however, we cannot teach in an environment where we do not feel safe, are not given our proper resources, and where teachers are constantly cited as being the reason behind so many school failures. MLK can best be referred to as a hostile environment. Students do not feel safe at our school. The environment is not conducive to learning.
Our specific demands are as follow:
We want students held accountable. Students who fight, disrupt class, and disrespect staff and students should be disciplined accordingly.
We want administration to work with teachers in resolving the schools issues, not putting the blame on the teachers.
We want to come to work in a safe environment that is conducive to learning.
— ∮∮∮ —
According to the school and system report cards on the Virginia Department of Education site, Richmond Public Schools reported 11,997 school safety violations system-wide for the 2012-2013 school year (PDF), 7,776 of which were for Disorderly or Disruptive Behavior Offenses.
MLK Middle alone was responsible for 3,082 of these school safety violations (PDF), or 25.6% of all in RPS last year. In addition, MLK was responsible for 2,539 of the Disorderly or Disruptive Behavior Offenses reports, or 32.6% of the system total.
For some further context, there were 198 total offenses at Richmond’s Albert Hill MS (93 for Disorderly or Disruptive), 113 at Chesterfield’s Robious Middle School (35 for Disorderly or Disruptive), and 443 at Henrico’s John Rolfe (144 for Disorderly or Disruptive).
Rickie Hopkins took over at MLK for Dr. Valerie Harris in a rare mid-year principal swap this past February, a situation 6th District School Board representative Shonda Harris-Muhammed described as “a sense of emergency.”
Sounds like the new environment has inspired students to higher achievements. MLK is a tax-payer reward for some of Richmond’s very finest students.
Jones Announces Emergency Schools Funding as Teachers Decry Learning Conditions
http://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/jones-announces-emergency-schools-funding-as-teachers-decry-learning-conditions/Content?oid=2072136
Is the school gun-shy when it comes to suspending students? Does the administration feel that their family unit is incapable of addressing behavioral issues so they would be better off just keeping them in school? It’s impossible for the teachers to gain any traction with these kids unless the family gets involved? It seems like a hopeless downward spiral… I really feel sorry for these teachers (and the kids)…
Something dramatic is going to have to take place in order to get this under control.
Sounds like a bad situation. Are schools everywhere getting worse? What can be done to turn this around?
FYI:
Ir`rep`re`hen´si`ble
1. Not reprehensible; blameless; innocent.
The grammar in this is atrocious. I’d be walking the halls too if I had teachers that wrote this poorly.
A lot of the charges here sound way too over the top to be believable. I’m sure there’s been some discipline issues but this email makes it sound like MLK has turned into Fight Club.
All of this “emergency ” money being thrown into the school system is not going to make a bit of difference in educating students. MLK is a perfect example of spending a ton of money and getting no results. I think the only option is going to have to be detention centers/boot camps for lost youth completely removing them from their homes in hope of rehabilitation.
Jones Announces Emergency Schools Funding as Teachers Decry Learning Conditions
http://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/jones-announces-emergency-schools-funding-as-teachers-decry-learning-conditions/Content?oid=2072136
RVA teachers on middle school: ‘It’s not safe’
http://www.nbc12.com/story/25521096/rva-teachers-on-middle-school-its-not-safe
I’m with #6. I would think at least one or two English teachers were a part of the group that drafted this letter. Where were they when it came time to edit and spell-check?
This last spring I spent a few days in different classrooms at MLK Middle School. I also spent time at other Richmond City Public Middle Schools. If you doubt the Anonymous MLK Teachers email please spend even an afternoon at MLK. If you want to be even more surprised try to teach a classroom of students. MLK is terrible day care.
I went to an inner city school in NJ like the one described here. It was dangerous not only for adult teachers but for little girls like me who could not defend themselves. I cut school constantly because I didn’t want to go there (and really, if you knew the situation, you wouldn’t have blamed me). It affected my whole education, which certainly rippled into my adult life.
Let’s not be snarky and focus on grammar here. Let’s focus on how unfair this is to the kids who deserve an education. This teacher shouldn’t have to speak anonymously but obviously does so out of fear of retribution by a misguided administration whose focus is on looking good on paper rather than doing the right thing.
Where is the principal’s rebuttal? I want to hear it.
It hasn’t always been this way, but today poverty is an near perfect predictor of classroom performance and academic success. I hate to join the crowd that would solve MLK’s problems with more money, but I really think they need some intensive intervention there to reduce the student-teacher ration down to something like 5:1 coupled with a military academy style environment.
I hate to say it, but this situation makes a great argument for bussing to dilute the poverty.
ANd for alternative schools for the troublemakers.
John M.. You taught at MLK, right? From your experience as a teacher there, does the email sound remotely accurate? I also understand if you’re chosing to withhold commentary on this matter.
However, if true, I’m glad folks are speaking out because basic fixes willnot work in this case and there’s no sense in just going through the motions…a major intervention plan needs to be put in place immediately.
@laura – none of this comes as a surprise to me
Wow…..do you think this is common knowledge in the Richmond community? If so, a business as usual approach can’t exist and throwing money at the system without a very structured plan behind it…will result in the same chaos.
The disruptive kids should be removed from this environment immediately and corraled into a military style environment. The city has buildings, they probably need a serious resource reallocation plan and an intensive environment for these kids to get them on track. They will continue to be a cancer on the learning enviroment for both the good kids and the teachers trying to make a difference.
Where is the school board’s leadership on this….Where is Bedden on this…trhis doesn’t take an act of congress to get done. Someone needs a little fire under the seat to get moving!
Poverty is stultifying but survivable. I’ve been there; and raised two high-functioning children. Taking money from one person or family, which is what taxation is – and giving it to another person or family – or school – won’t solve the problems of public schooling.
Our community leaders should be outraged and ashamed of themselves. Do we need to put police officers in every class room? Why don’t we just build an annex for the jail on the property. This is despicable. And all the school board knows how to do is pat themselves on the back and tell each other what great jobs they’re doing? You might as well replace them and their salaries with a swat team. Maybe some discipline would do everyone good.
I’m absolutely baffled that we have throngs of people in this city whining about school maintenance issues and new buildings when things are occurring as cited in the email. The only thing I can find in recent media reports is about the poor condition of the schools, the need to build more, kids from Oregon Hill marching to city hall….Have these folks completely lost their minds? If the behavioral issues are real and we have an administration that is incapable of getting this under control. we have bigger issues than buildings! If Bedden doesn’t have a vision for the district, he’s the wrong guy for this job. The job may be out of the reach of just one individual especially one with no vision and ability to mobilize others to execute!
The taxpayers of Richmond need to demand a plan and a deadline for Bedden to get this fixed. And a bunch of studies can’t be an option. Any child that is standing in the way of others being educated must be removed from the school…all schools, not just MLK immediately. When these kids are forced into a disciplinarian driven environment…things will change and they’ll change fast.
This same thing holds true in business. When employees decide they’re not going to follow the rules of the employer, and the main culprits are shown the door, things change very quickly in the ranks. The problems suddenly go away…it’s amazing how that works!
Why isn’t the mmedia asking the tough questions:
1. Where is the plan to fix this?
2. When will it be implemented?
3. How will we measure success?
4. What audit measures will be implemented to ensure compliance/success?
5. What are the ramifications for failure? Who’s going to be accountable?
MLK is a real world example that the monetary priorities of the city and district are mis-aligned….It’s a $40 mil failure.
Peel back the layers people…this isn’t hard. Where is Richmond’s hard-hitting investigative journalists on this? Hellooooooooooo!
It’s only going to get worse. Schools are encouraged to keep their numbers down.
http://nypost.com/2014/01/10/the-federal-war-on-school-discipline/
I know nothing of the conditions at MLK, but I really despise comments like Ann’s “Sounds like the new environment has inspired students to higher achievements. MLK is a tax-payer reward for some of Richmond’s very finest students.”
Building a new and safer school isn’t a reward for bad behavior, it’s an attempt to create a better environment in hopes of transformation.
Whether a beautiful new school or a run-down one, there is something disturbing about placing the Middle School within spitting distance of both the Jail and Mosby Court. How are kids supposed to imagine/participate in a non-violent culture when the remnants of physical and structural violence surround them?
A new structure begins to assuage some of that training and pain, but not without support for the teachers. I don’t know if military discipline is necessarily the right tactic, how about love and counseling?
@17 Bravo Ann! I think back to my elementary and jr. high schools and distinctly remember very old buildings in tough shape…crumbling plaster, dim hallways, gyms that leaked. None of that got in the way of my education or that of my classmates. We all were accepted to very good universities and grew up to be fairly successful adults. The buildings issue in Richmond is a sham and a smokescreen for not addressing the real reasons why education doesn’t and cannot happen in some city schools.
No more money….where’s the plan?
I have never been in favor of re-building MLK – at least not on the same site. However, I think the blame falls on a mixture of the teachers, administrators, and students.
I have been working with RPS schools for my children’s entire school career and it has been as struggle. While there are some good teachers, there are lots terrible, even abusive teachers out there. RPS does not pay enough to attract and vet good talent. So, many of the teachers I’ve dealt with in the past are simply not experienced or skilled in the job.
Good teachers need to be part educator and part social worker. It’s true. I’ve dealt with too many power-obsessed teachers who bully the kids into behaving. Maybe they are overwhelmed – but it doesn’t work. In fact it makes things worse.
As the the administrators, I can only think of two principals that I considered excellent. And, hardly any principal stays at the school for any length of time. Every couple of years, its a new one and a new plan.
As far suspensions – the school my kids attended would suspend the students at a drop of the hat. Suspend kids for skipping. Suspend them because they are mad at them. There is no logic to the corrective action. There has got to be a better method to correcting this issue than to kick the kid out of school. They get so far behind that there is no way to catch up and then they drop out.
That is not to say that suspension is always wrong. If there has been physical or violent behavior, the kid needs be suspended. But not for talking back – or even yelling back. Let them go to in-school suspension, then, so they can do their work.
Of course, this means we need trained professionals who know how to deal with kids with emotional and behavior problems onsite and in in-school suspension. Which do not have. We do not pay enough to even consider it.
But the system now is set up to just throw away the most needy of kids. It is a disgrace.
Maybe John can post a link to the story, but I seem to recall that a teacher quit at MLK last year in the middle of the term over issues such as this.
@crd:
Idealism Crushed by Bureaucratic System
http://www.baconsrebellion.com/2013/12/idealism-crushed-by-the-bureaucratic-system.html
@23….What about the parents edg? The school should not have to be dealing with disciplining these kids if they were getting it at home. This has got to be seriously frustrating for any teacher or principal when they get no support from the administration OR the families. I completely understand why teachers just give up…it’s a hopeless battle.
And, the battle exists due to a failure of leadership and a failure of courage on the part of the administration to stand up to the parents (who obviously are not doing their job).
@21 Amy…kids are not going to school to be loved and counseled. They have a job to do and it’s to get an education. When they stand in the way of education, they’re fired. It’s that easy. In this world there are those who get shit done and then there are those who just talk about it and complain about they way things are getting done. Amy, in all respect, I consider a statement such as yours, to be a large part of the problem in Richmond. Those who are always trying to re-invent the wheel or institute analysis paralysis, second guessing everything. In the end, NOTHING gets done because folks get mired in details and minutia (building repairs and new buildings).
Our society understands how to maintain compliance and get results through discipline. It happens daily in the military with great results. It also happens in successful and team-engaged businesses. What both have in common is swift and severe consequences to those who do not comply. A little fear in the belly is always a good thing. Work environments that understand that poor behavior and failure to comply with rules and regulations WILL have immediate consequences. I call it culling the herd….those who remain employed respect it and understand what is being done is for the good of the whole…They also understand that if that get an urge to undercut the boss, they can start counting their remaing hours. If you care to follow the rules, you’ll get to keep your job, earn a better income, get promoted, etc. etc. There are many benefits to following the rules. Rules are written in a democratic fashion however, they’re enforced by the power of one.
It seems like the kids at MLK are running the place and they know it. Furthermore, there are no consequences for bad behavior. They may welcome a susupension. So, if they’re forced into another environment that gets progressively more difficult (a military-like setting), they’ll quickly understand that following the rules may not be such a bad thing.
I’ve been the owner of a successful business that employs 40 people for nearly 30 years now. I’ve had to do a mass culling of the herd 3 times in that time. I have folks who are with me today and have been with me from day 1. The folks who remain appreciate it and all of them have stated that they respect the intolerence for bad behavior and it has shaped our culture whereby it almost polices itself.
Discipline in and of itself does not foster a negative culture. I would argue that it strengthens teams and an organization. Kids. and everybody, need rules, boundaries, and consequences. It’s called being accountable.
@edg:
As an educator, I certainly agree that good teachers need to be part teacher, part social worker. To me, my students’ “whole person” comes first, and the content I teach comes second. However, this does not mean that teachers or students should be regularly subjected to unsafe environments, verbal abuse from administration and students, and forced to break federal mandates.
I agree that Richmond doesn’t pay enough to attract teachers (see my story below), but I could also say that Richmond doesn’t seem to be too interested in *keeping* teachers. They are simply interested in putting warm bodies in rooms from year to year (this is not to say that the teachers who are there are not good teachers – SO many are – some of the best mentors I’ve had through my career are RPS teachers).
MLK is not the only school that has been pleading for better leadership and change for everyone. A little less than a year ago, parents, students and teachers at Lucille Brown Middle School similarly pleaded for help.
http://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/class-action/Content?oid=1927071
I’ve hard that LMB was ClubMed compared to MLK, and unfortunately, I believe it. I admire these teachers for standing up for their rights as employees, and fully believe that they want change not just for themselves, but for the good of the students they teach and those who will come in following years. These educators need to be supported – City Hall needs to loosen the grip on their own salaries and wake up to the mess in their schools to make some changes.
Here’s a first-hand account of this mess:
Three years ago, I was hired to teach one class at Lucille Brown Middle School off of Jahnke Road as a foreign language teacher. When I arrived at the school, I asked the principal if she would show me the curriculum. She responded, “do you speak [language]? Can you read it a little? That’s all I care about!” Thus began my year long tenure at that school.
Two months into the year, the school finally noticed that 40 students in every one of my colleague’s classes was unacceptable, so they opened up a position for a second full time world language teacher and put me in as a “long term sub”. For the remainder of the year, I was expected to assume all teacher’s duties, but was paid at a teenage girl’s babysitting rate without benefits or sick leave. (This is illegal; in Virginia, a long term substitute cannot stay in a classroom more than 90 days). After some begging, I was given a desktop computer to push around on a cart into various vacant classrooms across the school.
Throughout my year at LMB, I witnessed the exact same environment that is described of MLK. As post 10 stated, if you don’t believe it, go see for yourself.
Like MLK, students wandered in and out of classrooms (disturbing them more often than not) and ran the hallways without any consequence.
Like MLK, this school was frighteningly out of compliance with federal Exceptional Education laws: confidential special education documents were delivered to my room in April by *students*, out of envelopes. I was required to sign that I had received these documents in September.
Like MLK, we were prohibited from removing students from our classroom- not that there was any place to which one could remove them. Nobody ever picked up when you called the front office for help – when a fight broke out in your room, the only way to get help was to yell. After one fight between two girls in my classroom, neither girl received disciplinary action and both were back in my classroom within an hour.
Like MLK, the environment was highly unsafe for students and teachers. Students called me names in the hallways and threw things at me without consequence. The real kicker was when a gun was found on a student and the school lied to teachers, parents and the media about its origins and condition. ( http://www.nbc12.com/story/16943897/handsun-found-at-lucille-brown-middle-school )
I couldn’t handle the abuse and lack of accountability. In June, when HR called me to talk to me about the next school year, I told her that I had been hired elsewhere, and without further comment, she hung up, off to find her next warm body. I so miss my Richmond city kids – I wish I could have stuck it out, and I admire the teachers who do. Here’s to you, RPS teachers – we’re behind you, for the kids of Richmond city.
My child went to Lucille Brown during the years that the incident with the parents happened. I strongly disagree with most of the complaints that the parents alledged. Lucille Brown was not a dangerous place at all. I had no problem with the Principal,either, although I do realize that her interaction with the teachers may be different than with the parents.
Of her IB teachers, a couple were excellent, a few were good, and a couple were AWFUL.
We need to take an honest look at the teachers and stop defending the ones that are not up to the job. I am sorry that this pulls down the teachers that do care and are skilled.
As far as the safety issues go, there should be no tolerance for violent and threatening behavior. Violent students need to be removed. On the other hand, threatening and aggressive teachers (there are quite a few) should not be tolerated, either.
Most of the problems I had were outside of the IB programme. I had left before the letter was written and only taught one class within IB, so I am somewhat disconnected from that aspect. I wish the parents had addressed more than just the IB programme in that letter!
I agree that threatening and aggressive teachers have no place in our schools! Thank you for your response and your open-mindedness about your experiences versus experiences of others, and especially, for your support for the teachers whose utmost care is the students. We need more parents like you!!
I work at MLK and have worked at RPS schools for many years. Bad behavior at MLK is the norm. Too many students have no respect for adults or for authority. Too few students appreciate the value of a good education.
Complaints have been made here about teachers, administrators and other RPS personnel and contractors. WAKE UP PEOPLE. Why are you refusing to acknowledge the role that parents should be playing in the lives of their children? Parents should civilize their children, then educators can teach them. I liken it to teaching tricks to a dog that has never been housebroken.
No, I am not calling the children animals, but I hold parents and other family responsible for guiding and disciplining children so they will become socially acceptable members of our community. If a child is allowed to curse at and disrespect adults in the home, why would their behavior change when they come to school?
MLK is a brand new building with new furniture and new textbooks. Students have written on desks with pencils, pens and markers. They throw/drop calculators with no regard for the delicate electronics. The opening clasps on many of the new laptops are already broken/missing. Too many have no regard for school property.
We can blame the students, but the real problem lies with how they have been raised. Parental neglect is real and manifests in many ways. Why does a family buy smartphones for middle school students but not see the value of having a computer with internet access in the home?
Until the conversation about MLK students includes the parents/guardians/family, it is unlikely we will see significant improvement
And the staff at MLK too often has no respect for the students or the parents. They get back exactly what they have sown. I’ve been there, and have been in the trenches of RPS for over 10 years. Most parents do care – it is a gross assumption to think they don’t, and quite offensive.
Of course, some parents don’t care, and some kids are in crisis. Too many excuses.
I was the teacher who had quit after my time at MLK. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there are some teachers that need to see the door, but many teachers in that building and others in RPS are outstanding! Some have been at it for years and others are fresh and excited, but all have had to endure deplorable teaching conditions. It is defeating. Kudos to them all for sticking it out…
Parents should take a more active role in the lives of their children in and out of school, but like someone stated, some parents don’t know how. They’ve gone through this same system and this same damaging cycle.
So what needs to be done?
We need passionate and dedicated leaders who want the best for our city and its citizens on the school board. (I have great confidence in the new board and superintendent).
We need to be sure that the most talented and proven leaders are heading our schools. Many RPS principals have been shuffled around for years with no sound evidence of school improvement. Check their track records. Testing and disciplinary issues at Thompson Middle School are worse now than they have ever been. And what does RPS do? Move the principal from Thompson to MLK – the lowest performing school in our state! While the current principal, Mr. Hopkins, is an outstanding gentleman and leader, is HE who we needed to take the helm at MLK? Were the appropriate comparisons made before this change had taken place?
What is the board and the office of human resources looking for in new hires? Where are they recruiting? There is talent in the area, but there is a larger pool of proven candidates out there. To what extremes are we taking to be sure that our schools are being run by the very best? (Those who are addressing the SERIOUS disciplinary issues, truancy issues, morale issues, and performance deficiencies).
With the proper leaders in place who are focused on creating a learning environment that works for our students, we can then focus on hiring and retaining the best teachers. Recognize, celebrate, and expect dynamic teaching! What is RPS doing to encourage innovation and competition in and out of the classrooms? How are we effectively and efficiently using technology to guide teaching? How are we frontrunners?
Appreciate and encourage responsible, positive behavior in students.
Tax dollars are being dumped into positive behavior support programs that are not being used effectively. People on the outside are being paid and not being held accountable for the implementation of these programs (Positive Behavior Support and Oweus come to mind). Students could truly benefit from these successful programs. Studies show that 80-90% of a school’s population will generally comply with the school rules. Celebrate them.
The structure of the public school doesn’t work for all students. The image of a child forcing a wooden triangle into the cutout of a square pops into my head… For some offenses, students need to be removed. What we offer does not work. What will be the alternative? I like the idea of the military-style learning environment.
And we NEED the community to continue to ask questions. We NEED the community to visit schools and demand answers and solutions to the problems that are occuring. We NEED the teachers and parents and the community to be transparent, vocal, and demanding.
Please don’t let these conversations die down.
-Mr. Neal
Damage Control:
http://m.nbc12.com/#!/newsDetail/25531886?orgId=128
Has anyone seen any coverage of this by the RTD?
Has there been any response to the letter by the administration?
I have a friend who teaches at MLK and the situation described in the letter conforms to what she’s described.
@33…Agreed. I think it was an attempt but, I think Mr. Hopkins’ response is a failed attempt to address a very serious, crisis level situation in his school. His response was so poor that I don’t believe he’s capable of leading this school. The situation cannot and will not change with his demonstrated lack of leadership and he must be immediately removed.
His response made was the equivalent of using a garden hose to fight a five alarm fire… “I would definitely assist them in finding a school they feel safer or more comfortable to teach in.” Are you kidding me???
This incompetent is admitting that these issues exist in the building but he’s going to have a meeting? WTF is wrong with this situation!!!! Get the problem out of the school. Where is Dr. Bedden’s leadership in all of this? Wow….we have a serious, serious problem on our hands and an incompetent leadership team incapable of handling this!
@34… RTD has not done anything on this as far as I know…I think, the way that place has been stripped down, it’s nothing more than a useless rag.
I appreciate NBC 12 for getting this out there but they don’t seem to be asking the very tough questions and holding the leadership accountable.
@34 Clay Street, click the link in @33 provided by Mr. Neal. It’s a story from Channel 12 about their interview with the principal at MLK.
Mr. Neal, thank you very much for posting, as a former teacher there I think your opinions are valuable. And I’m curious, what is Positive Behavior Support and what is Oweus?
Cool, that hadn’t been posted before I wrote earlier this morning (our comments go into a queue before they’re approved by John).
But damn, that link is crazy. WTF. How in the world are they thinking that is a suitable response???
http://www.nbc12.com/story/25531886/mlk-principal
This guy is a complete joke and needs to be removed immediately.
Here are some quotes from the article:
“The administration made a rule that prevents students from being removed from class,” said teachers in the note.
“And I can understand why a teacher would feel like that,” said Principal Hopkins as he walked us through the school. “But the classrooms all have glass at the front door, and most of the time security is walking from one end of the hall to the other.”
“But we need to make sure everyone feels safe in the building,” said Hopkins. “We are going to have some more training with our teachers on how to work with students that are difficult.”
OH SO THE Problem is the teachers, they do not know how to handle these students??
MOST OF THE TIME? And glass makes you safe?
“Part of that is true,” replied Hopkins. “Because teachers do not have the right to tell students to get out.”
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? do not have the right???
@Mr. Neal, thank you for everything that you have shared. You’ve suggested that we not let this conversation die but the truth is that this story is about to become yesterday’s news unless some kind of petition or other visible effort springs forth. I believe that many in this neighborhood want to both demand more for our school children and want to support the teachers and staff. How do you suggest we move forward?
I like the inschool suspension program he has in place. The out of school suspensions were being terribly abused. Their goal is to teach the kids.
Some teachers really did just order students out of the classroom, without consulting the principal or even telling the parents. Then they wonder why the kids are roaming the halls.
We had a teacher who was locking my child out of class every day because he was late. 1 minute late or 10 minutes – it didn’t matter. She never advised anyone of this. I found out when I check his grades and he had made straight zeros for two weeks.
Then, I set up a meeting with all the teachers and principal to discuss plan. This teacher arrived late, was incredibly negative, then tossed some papers at me and walked out. Right in front of the principal.
No one wins in that situation. I am so glad I found another school for my child where he could be respected. He is doing so much better now.
The comments made by Mr. Hopkins in this interview are very disturbing. He has basically laid the blame for the student’s behavioral issues at the feet of the teachers.
I’m relatively certain that he has lost the respect of every teacher and staff member in that building. Without respect, he won’t be able to lead…he must be removed from this school.
Instead of just admitting that the disciplinary policies in place at the school have failed or not led to the results they hoped for, he ignores the concern of the teachers. I wish he would have addressed a plan that would deal, head-on, with the behavioral issues and what he’s doing to enhance the learning environment at MLK…
He’s not a leader…the first thing that should happen is…replace him.
Don’t make a snap decision until you have been there. I respect the comments from the posters who have worked at MLK. Are there any other parents out there with any insight? I don’t think you can appreciate the situation based solely on the and interview. I am sorry, while there are good teachers, there are really bad ones, too, and they have helped to create a hostile environment for the kids and everyone else.
@39 Church Hillian, this is just a suggestion, but what about forwarding a link to this thread to the School Board and Dr. Bedden? I don’t have email addresses but I’m sure at least the Board member’s addresses are readily available. It might be interesting to have some feedback from them.
Again, just a suggestion, but I tend to agree with your comment that it will be old news shortly. We seem to be able to keep a thread going here, but that doesn’t mean anything will change for the good, and this sounds like a situation for action of some type (other than saying there is glass in the door, which IMHO does nothing constructive).
This piece was on NPR’s All Things Considered yesterday afternoon, I listened to it in the car on the way home from work and couldn’t stop thinking about how relevant it is to this discussion but how at the same how it hasn’t come up yet. Elephant in the room.
http://www.npr.org/2014/05/16/313154920/segregation-six-decades-dead-in-court-but-still-alive-in-many-schools
Keep this thread alive.
Cards on the table here, both of my children attend private schoool. I realize that the system will not get better without involved parents, but I can’t afford to take a chance on my children’s education.
When I called MLK to inquire about applications to Maggie Walker, the woman who answered the phone said “What dat?”
Despite the fact that I am consistently late on every bill, have driven the same POS car for 11 years, and we eat a heck of a lot of ramen noodles in order for my children to attend Catholic School, the above thread lets me know that I have made the right decision for my children.
Guilty Mom, do not feel guilty. You are doing what you believe is best for your children. I am not a parent but I have to say if I was, I would have a difficult time putting my children in RPS. The elementary schools seem to do well and have an active and caring staff – after that, it seems to be a crap-shoot.
It appears to be this Principle cares less about his people and the children than the Butler played by Samuel L. Jackson in “Django Unchained “……
Sad, Sad, Sad.
It is people like him who truly neglect and give the short stick to these the children.
Allowing this non-authoritative mentality for these children as they progress into adulthood comes to what end result? How could you expect much more than jail or much worst 6 feet under?
Guilty Mom
DO NOT FEEL GUILTY!
When I was caring for my neice, I sent her to St. Gertrud and beleive me I know you made the best decision for your children! I would have never been able to cope without the intense involvement of the teachers and administration. What’s more, and most importantly, my neice would have suffered.
The financial sacrifice is bad enough, ( uniforms, books, transportation, tuition ) but when some know it all tries to make you second guess your decision or make you feel in any way guilty, it really burns. I have a close friend who is a teacher, has taught in RPS and now teaches elsewhere. She is what all teachers should aspire to be, however she refused to be abused by the RPS. So we lost an outstanding, caring, dedicated teacher.
We need more parents like you that refuses to turn their children over to “what’s dat”!
Could I transfer and work at Richmond Public Schools and try to make a difference? Yes. Do I want to? No, not even if they offered me $10,000 more. Who wants to battle the administration, kids, parents and poor working conditions?
Teachers Blast Unruly Students at New School
http://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/teachers-blast-unruly-students-at-new-school/Content?oid=2075998
@edg
Thanks guys. EDG, Oweus is a bully prevention program. VCU is paid to do this program and follow up meetings. I’ve seen the students drop stuff off and keep it moving. I had voiced my concern about the lack of regard to the program and the student said “Yeah, I know.” There is no accountability there.
PBIS is another program – Positive Behavior Instruction and Support. We had a staff meeting before the school year began. I had been trained in PBIS at my previous schools in NC. The training here was as lackluster as it gets. When the speaker returned later in the year, I raised my hand to say “Do you realize that we do none of this at this school?” She walked over to me and whispered, “Yeah, I know. A lot of schools aren’t doing it.” She sounded defeated. I understand the defeat, but where is the accountability? If it hasn’t been working, what was she to do to follow-up with us to make sure that we are implementing the program? Why isn’t a part of the school climate? We, the tax payers, have already paid for the program and her wages.
Why, Why, WHY?
-Mr. Neal
There are so many factors that affect children’s behavior. School culture is only one small part. Teacher’s engaging lessons is another small part. Peer pressure, socialization, home life….all these rhings factor in. I do not believe the children need to be removed from school. We need to change how we manage them while they are there.
school suspension is one way but it needs to be more than a holding pen. Use it to teach character education, role play bullying prevention scenarios, have violence prevention and other community entities come in and work with the children.
I meant in school suspension
teach em 2 – what great ideas! Are you involved with the school system in any capacity where you can share these?
@teach em 2
Your quote:
“I do not believe the children need to be removed from school. We need to change how we manage them while they are there.”
This is like saying people do not deserve to go to jail, or we should not send people to jail. There are certain circumstances where kids needs to be either expelled or suspended. I got suspended once when I was in middle school. I never got suspended again.
Kids who are violent, disruptive, lack authority need to placed out of the common classroom. Typically, first this is in school suspension, but second and depending on the offense out of school suspension. Lastly if need be, some kids should get expelled. There should be NO tolerance for kids who continually fight and are distruptive in the common classrooms. Being placed out of these classrooms in imperative to get them on the right path.
RPS has had problems for decades, I hope that the new superintendent will be able to lead, clean house, and implement effective disciplinary programs for unruly students. To all of you commenting about education, please check your spelling before posting!
As has been noted, this will become just another tempest in a teapot unless someone steps up to be a champion. Will the school board member step up can make a stand on this issue? I doubt it. It’s always easier to complain about a lack of funding then it is to tackle a difficult issue. A change in policy would do more for students than millions for new schools. Pester your school board member till one of them wakes up and starts to speak out. So far I have heard very little.
@57 – if we’re going to nitpick about spelling, I assume grammar is also fair play? Shouldn’t that be a period, or at least a semi-colon, after “decades?”
I concur Alex, this is a informal forum, and a lot of people post using their phones. Get over it “Suewho”.
Who rally cares as long as you get ya point acros.
I am really appalled at many of the posters desire to just throw the problem children away. Have you ever been to the “alternative” school? Pretty awful, many of the kids there are just out of juvie. No joke – many for violent crimes.
Kids who have a behavior problem should NOT be sent there unless there is violence or agressive behavior. Just talking back should not be a reason.
In school suspension is a good alternative for non-violent but non-compliant kids.
The school would not seem like the wild west if more of the staff and teachers were competent and skilled in dealing with children with emotional and behavioral problems. But we will never get staff with these qualifications if we keep paying the so little money. We are, unfortunately, getting our money’s worth here.
I would hope the teachers who are good and dedicated would stop defending the awful ones. The problem will not be fixed until we are honest about the skills and capabilities of the folks we hire for RPS.