Education Matters: CATCH UP WITH MR. G - THIS WEEK IN DCPS

Education Matters

CATCH UP WITH MR. G 

THIS WEEK IN DCPS

The District can pretend they care with a video, but their actions speak a lot louder than their words.

by Unknown / 4h

Ask, and ye shall receive. Here is a DCPS PSA for staff; please watch it and try not to cry, spit out your mile or smash your computer. Warning that will be a challenge. Once again, no mention of the pandemic; you know it's like it's not happening. That is a problem, a big problem. Can you imagine the production meeting? Hey, there is a pandemic going on; should we mention it? How about those sch

It's also the little things that make you think DCPS really doesn't care.

by Unknown / 5h

If DCPS really cared about the welfare of students and staff, they would cancel all-district testing, tell each group to do their best, get through this, and if we have things to make up post-pandemic, we will, and that staying right, should be your only priority. But they aren't. Instead, they are putting more pressure on teachers than ever before, and for kids, well, it's business as usual. So

In DCPS it is risk your life and get a gift card… maybe

62by Unknown / 16h

It’s surreal the disdain for staff and students the district has, it really is. Forcing staff to give up their planning, and to violate CDC guidelines is just the tip of the iceberg. The latest affront is the balls to the wall effort to get students in DHR to come in for district testing. Teachers at one school have told me that they have even been offered to be put into a drawing for a really sw

School Board Chair Andersen says teachers have free will when it comes to social distancing in schools.

69by Unknown / 18h

Board Chair Andersen says teachers have a choice when it comes to social distancing, not any good choices but choices. I have been writing about the things our local education leaders have said and done for over a decade. Sometimes they get mad at me and say, well, even though those are my words, it's not what I meant. I believe words have power, and Andersen’s words were when it comes to sociall

Board chair Elizabeth Andersen accuses me of spreading false narratives

by Unknown / 1d

I asked her which narratives were false? That contact tracing was terrible that teachers have been threatened to social distance or the fact that the school board got a 6200 dollar raise while many veterans are about to take a pay cut. All of those things, whether she wants to acknowledge it or not, have happened on her watch. On the Artilces About Public Facebook page, Mrs. Andersen posted about

DCPS admits they were wrong… after they got caught

42by Unknown / 2d

This year teachers have often had more to do and less time to do it. So what did many schools do? If you guessed bent over backward to find more time for teachers, you would be wrong, and instead, they required many teachers

The DCPS administration has degenerated into bullies and thugs

by Unknown / 3d

I know those are harsh words but what else should I call an administration that tells its staff to violate CDC guidelines or face consequences, and tells parents to bring their kids in for an often worthless test or risk promotion or assignment to magnets? What do I call people that seem to have no idea there is a pandemic who willingly throwing safety to the wind? I ask because those things are

Elizabeth Andersen has chugged the kool aide.

by Unknown / 3d

I had a spit out the milk type moment. While watching the school board meeting, Andersen laid praise of Superintendent Green like a hype man on speed. My question is, is Andersen willfully ignorant or complicit in the slow-moving car wreck that is Greene's leadership. What does Andersen like best, the woeful contact tracing? Cajoling teachers to ignore CDC guidelines? Intimidating parents to send

Why is it impossible for DCPS to read the room?

by Unknown / 3d

I think it is because they have their heads stuck up there, well, you know, but the thing is, District leadership seems oblivious to almost everything, and for some reason making people miserable is their default. If they could read the room, they could have avoided so much heartbreak, angst, and trauma. When DCPS proposed @#$ing veteran teachers, I get it, the state does us no favors, but I thou

New York Times Editorial Board goes after teachers

by Unknown / 4d

David Brooks editorial going after teachers, and I say teachers and not union leaders because that is a distinction without a difference, was very disappointing and more than a little reckless. Teacher Unions are made up of teachers; they represent our interests, not some secret agenda and wanting to keep teachers safe should be at the top of everyone’s agendas. Last spring when the entire nation

The heroism of saying no.

by Unknown / 4d

I recently read two articles about teachers that made me shake my head. One was about a kindergarten teacher, giving remote instruction from the chemo ward, and the second was about a principal with a second-night job at Walmart who donated those checks to struggling families. Both were presented as heroes, but the reality is they are a big part of the problem. Society has the resources to take c

Can somebody please tell Superintendent Greene there is a pandemic?

70by Unknown / 4d

I mean, really, she is acting like there isn’t one. Having kids come back to the school for district testing. This is just another example of the district not being able to read the room. The federal government will give a waiver for high stakes testing this year sooner or later. Now it is true Florida may pass on it, but who cares? We all know Florida is terrible, and nobody should take any resu

DCPS must just sit around and think of ways to %$@# with people part 2

41by Unknown / 6d

A couple weeks back, I wrote about how certificated staff without classroom responsibilities, interventionists, lead teachers, etc., were being required to cover classes because of a lack of subs and not being compensated for it. The original post is below. I wrote Greene and the school board about this too, and Greene got back to me. Mr. Guerrieri, Thank you for contacting the Board concerning p

JAN 29

Education Matters

TENNESSEE EDUCATION REPORT + THIS WEEK'S WILDNESS Dad Gone Wild Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it.

 TENNESSEE EDUCATION REPORT

TENNESSEE EDUCATION REPORT

EDUCATION POLITICS AND POLICY IN THE VOLUNTEER STATE

TENNESSEE EDUCATION REPORT

Do We Really Have to Do This?

200+by Andy Spears / 1d

I mean, really? The Tennessee House Republican Caucus sent out a tweet today bragging about the amount of money the state has invested in teacher pay over the past decade. Here it is: Republicans have passed $616.5 million in teacher pay increases since 2011 with more on the way! We support and appreciate our teachers as foundation builders for our state! — TN House Republicans (@tnhousegop) Febr

Money Storm

57by Andy Spears / 2d

It’s raining money in Tennessee as recently-released projections suggest state policymakers could have as much as $3.1 billion EXTRA to allocate when they return for the regular legislative session next week. This is, of course, a very good position. However, it’s not at all clear the state will allocate those resources into meaningful investments that improve the quality of life in Tennessee. Ta

ASD Light

29by Andy Spears / 7d

State Senator Ferrell Haile of Sumner County has filed SB 122 , a bill creating a “School Turnaround Pilot Program.” Maybe Haile has never heard of the Achievement School District? It’s difficult to understand why someone who

TENNESSEE EDUCATION REPORT

Dad Gone Wild – Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it.

THIS WEEK'S WILDNESS 

Dad Gone Wild 

Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it.

A BUCKET OF NUGGETS

by TC Weber / 18h

“Politics will eventually be replaced by imagery. The politician will be only too happy to abdicate in favor of his image, because the image will be much more powerful than he could ever be.” ― Marshall McLuhan Sometimes these posts fly from my fingers like bolts of lightning, but the majority of the time the process is closer to extracting a splinter – lots of poking, prodding, and scraping befo

WHAT’S THE PROBABILITY?

by TC Weber / 2d

“Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.” ― Louis D. Brandeis, Other People’s Money And How the Bankers Use It I grew up a military brat and therefore spent my formative years on or nearby military bases. My father proudly served for 24 years in the Air Force. In th

TOO MANY THREADS

by TC Weber / 4d

“What we learn from history is that no one learns from history” ― Otto von Bismarck Keeping up with everything that is going on in the education world is getting a little difficult. As the moves keep escalating and demands grow exponentially. In regard to MNPS, the COVID-19 tracker has remained under 7 all weekend and currently sits at 6.9. Today at 3:30 Dr. Battle will hold a press conference to

ALL THE WORLDS A STAGE, AND WE BUT MERELY PERFORMERS

by TC Weber / 7d

“All politics is marketing. And in marketing, there are but two variables: product and salesmanship.” ― Tim Dorsey, Pineapple Grenade I’ve been deeply involved in the world of public education for nearly a decade now, yet I am still consistently amazed at just how weird it all gets. You would think t

Dad Gone Wild – Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it.