Skip to main content

Just Ask

In reading the Blair Ames article about this year's annual educators' survey, I came across this quote from school system spokesperson Rebecca Amani-Dove:

 

"Without full knowledge of the methodology behind the results including how it was administered, how it was communicated and which research group developed the questionnaire, it is hard to comment on it beyond saying that, ultimately, the results demonstrate everything we expect a union sponsored survey to say," she said in an email.

Wow. Just wow.

First, how many people do you think had a hand in crafting that statement? (You know what they say about the horse, the camel, and the committee.) What a mouthful!

Let's translate.

We don't like the results of this survey, so we are going to say everything we can to discredit the survey, the results, and, ultimately, the teachers' union itself.

School system management actions certainly back up this translation. How much money have they spent purchasing a program from the Gallup organization in order to put themselves in control of the "engagement" narrative? How much time has been spent trying to discredit HCEA President Paul Lemle? How many words have been written suggesting that HCEA doesn't represent "real teachers"? How much effort was invested in trying to unseat Mr. Lemle as HCEA President? (He won, receiving 83.8 per cent of the vote.)

 

The truth is that it would be incredibly easy for Central Office Management to find out any of the things mentioned in Ms. Amani-Dove's statement. All they would have to do is ask. Just ask. Believe me, if you want information from Paul Lemle, he will tell you. I mean--really--this is a man excited by his job and his mission. He will tell you. Just ask. Suggesting that the information is not available is disingenuous.

 

The Howard County Educators' Survey predates the current administration. It's not something that Paul Lemle thought up on a whim to make management look bad. It is one piece of the many things that HCEA does to keep in touch with the needs of its members. And it could be an extremely valuable tool in addressing important issues. It certainly has been in the past.

 

The narrative for improving our schools should be a shared narrative.There are numerous examples of HCEA and various parents' organizations reaching out to work collaboratively with the school system. We need to see concrete examples of the school system truly cooperating with stakeholders, rather than seeking merely to control the message.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

Separate and Unequal

  Remember “Separate but equal”? Remember how that really meant that Black schools languished in  broken-down buildings without adequate heat or toilet facilities, with cast-off, ragged learning materials, underfunded and largely ignored? The Supreme Court struck that down in 1954. The evidence was clear that separate was not equal. Plessy v Ferguson had led to - - no, endorsed - - deeply unequal schooling and opportunities. We tend to think of Brown v Board as being purely about racial integration. It was not.  It was about the logical consequences of segregation. And they were not, not, not equal. The ruling in 1954 didn’t transform public education for non-whites into a land of milk and honey by any means. But it articulated some essential truths in a way that made including everyone a legal precedent which could be relied upon and built upon. It was better than what came before it but it rested upon unsteady ground. It did not necessarily change the hearts or minds ...
1 comment
Read more