Just posted this to a thread at Pure Reform Blog about the seven year sub who was denied a job by the guy at the top -- who now is on vacation too.
Agree: Pgh citizens are quite, by and large, apathetic on many areas of our community life.
Agree: Fear is a big factor that can silence and freeze actions. Blow back is real. Stepping out of line often comes with dire consequences for you, your ideas and worst of all, others associated with you, such as your children.
Beyond fear, another factor to help explain and understand the landscape is 'division.' Divide and conquer. One family I know has three kids in high school and all are in different schools, yet all are public schools.
Pittsburgh is a city of bridges, because we need those structures. Our social landscape needs more bridges too, so that the divisions among a H-U-G-E district can be more easily navigated.
Thank goodness for the PURE REFORM blog, as it is one such bridge to help soften the large and often fractured communities of the PPS.
Meanwhile, how many high schools are in Jefferson Hills? The size of the district plays a hand in their capacity to make demands from powered positions.
And, IMHO, finally, if PPS ever got a grip on its real issues and built trust (without yanking families around so) -- the outward migration would reverse.
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Later in the thread, I posted this, just now.
Do NOT put words into my mouth and post what you might assume that I might think. Be yourself.
Crap questions such as this from an anonymous comment maker isn't welcomed: "Are you of the belief that the RISE program and now the Gates grant money is simply meant to act as a cohesive initiative to improve teaching? If so, you have read too many press releases that come from Bellefield Avenue."
FWIW, I'm am not of that belief.
Furthermore, this is crap squared:
"...While perhaps you feel that there are still myriad "ineffective" teachers in this district--a point to which I would vehemently disagree--targeting teachers as a directive is disturbing. Building bridges, you say? Perhaps you should do some research before offering public floggings of teachers."
Grow up.
Do NOT put words into my mouth. You lost all cred.
You'll not see me at a public flogging of teachers -- ever. Where is the one for childish anonymous BS makers however? That is deserved.
Build bridges isn't a question -- I said it.
Perhaps?!?!?! Yeah, right.
As to research, the reason Mr. Fondy was 'dead to me' was because his union didn't do its research. Go figure. And, it was first hand experiences at the end of his tenure, as you said, in his sell out years. So, I don't care to re-write nor re-visit the entire union history over the decades, but offer my $.03.
But here is the bottom line:
BLOOD is thicker than the cash of paycheck.
A livelihood is a big harry deal and second fiddle to a life.
Sing songs = YOUR IDEA. Not mine. Childish you are, again.
Again for the umpteenth time, I didn't advocate for a bridge from the UNION to the Superintendent. YOU DID. Not me. That isn't what I speak of.
Perhaps you got me, one who signs all he posts on the Internet, confused with the Boogie Man?
New thought: A strike is a lone trump card for those without imagination.
New thought: Teachers are NOT my "best asset", IMNSHO. Rather, my best asset is the resilience of my kids, and taken to a larger context, the resilience of all of our students.
The best treasure is within. That's the #1 asset.
Teachers are certainly an asset. But, not at the very top of my list.
I do not have an apologist stance, anonymous.
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