Posted by The Washington Teacher, featuring Candi Peterson- blogger in residence, Celeste Jones, graphic artist. Original picture courtesy of Time.
Nov 1, 2009
Rhee On Time 2009 Anniversary Edition : How To Ruin America's Schools
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20 comments:
I love the pic ! This is how Rhee will end up .... going down in flames. LOL.
As I continue to follow Rhee and her ineptness, I logged in to this blog and behold, my sentiments exactly. What an appropriate title!!! I don't know how many of you who read this blog have children. Think about how your thinking would probably be different. Think about the young adults who go to college and can not read. But one also has to think about the students who during their high school years, have never read "The Grapes of Wrath" or "Beoulf". A public education these days in the District of Columbia is about how people can be fired; how to skirt the law;...etc. Chidren are not geting the education that they deserve here. Yes!!!!! there are teachers who don't do their jobs. I know quite a few. However, there has ALWAYS een a process by which to rid them of their duties. How would you feel if it were your child who was caught up in this mess? I'm quite sure that you would be livid and ready to get your child out of this school system, which is in fact why DCPS' enrollment is down. Stop taking things so personally and LOOK AT THE FACTS as they relate to Ms. Rhee. A REAL REFORMER would not be inadvertently asking teachers to cheat (teaching the test). YES!!! it is cheating.
From your Lips to God's ear Kelly.. I am just not sure it seems like just like the snake that she is she slithers out of everything... time will tell.
The more I experience and learn from studying DCPS and from teaching here, the more I'm convinced that RUINING DC Public Schools, once and for all, is actually Rhee's plan. That is the only logical explanation for what she is doing. Corporate take-over is the ultimate plan, and Rhee is merely paving the way.
It is, therefore, up to teachers and the community to fight back with our knowledge, our stories, our passion, and our solidarity. We cannot let this false dichotomy of "adults vs. children" persist, because we know it is not true. We cannot let numerical data trump what we know in our hearts. We cannot let IMPACT dictate to us how we teach and get in the way of the crucial relationships we must form with our students and with each other.
We must resist and teach our students to resist. This is why we teach.
Zein commented on facebook the following
"You would appreciate this Candi: the winner for the Lamont Street Halloween Block party last night was a woman dressed as a witch handing out pink slips to adults and kids alike, signed Michelle Rhee! The crowd loved it."
While I laughed for a moment at a Rhee look alike with pink slips winning the block party- reality hits as our colleagues will be terminated effective Monday. Bummer. :--(
I am sure whomever dressed up like Michelle Rhee was far prettier than she is. I don't mean to be rude but that is one ugly woman. It doesn't help that her attitude is so very atrocious.
On a serious note, although I fervently believe what I wrote above, each teacher needs to get their stories out there. I suggest e-mailing Council Chair Gray and Councilmembers Alexander, Barry, both Browns, Graham and Mendelson. Also, since Mary Cheh seems to be coming around and is a competent attorney, it would be a good idea to include her. I say this because everyone needs to stay on message. That is the only way she will stop her lying and ridiculous character assassination of everyone in DC.
Watch the Arkansas speech because it will blow your minds. Write the same councilmembers above. Keep this message in front of everyone and don't let it die. Send information to the Senate Subcommittee, to the House Subcommittee on Education. Go to the Inspector General and to be sure he's honest, copy Attorney General Eric Holder.
Rhee won't stop so why should we? We need to stay on message, put her on front street and ultimately give HER a pink slip. She needs to GO!
Anon, can you post a link to the Arkansas speech? Or a transcript?
thanks!
Here is the link Anonymous requested:
http://www.clintonschoolspeakers.com/
lecture/view/public-school-reform/
Yes, a forensic auditor is needed. Regardless they need to know what to look for. I believe lots of examples have been provided in blogs posted over past week should give them hints to where to start.
Keep the information and/or suggestions flowing in!
Who cares what Rhee looks like for God's sake?
I don't blame teachers for student and parent failures but lets not pretend Rhee messed up DCPS. She didn't. It was already messed up. I'm not sure if anyone can fix it.
Maybe tearing it all down is the only answer. Its too bad so many hard working teachers have to suffer but such is life.
This I am sure of. Whoever replaces Rhee will be just as ineffective as she is. The system won't be fixed until someone with the power and the will puts the responsibility for learning where it belongs. On the kids.
You know, for all of the dastardly things Rhee and Fenty have done, they've fired other people for far less. Amazing ...
After watching the hearing and witnessing Catania giving Rhee excuses to use and after hearing Tommy Wells delusional ranting about how Rhee has made things better in his ward, they are not going to help anyone get rid of Rhee. We know Muriel "the puppet" Bowser is a lost cause and needs to be voted out!! It seems like Councilwoman Cheh and Councilman Graham might come around with more evidence.
Here are the councilmembers addresses who will listen to people objectively right now:
vgray@dccouncil.us
yalexander@dccouncil.us
mbarry@dccouncil.us
kbrown@dccouncil.us
mbrown@dccouncil.us
mcheh@dccouncil.us
pmendelson@dccouncil.us
jgraham@dccouncil.us
We only need nine vetos to override Fenty's say. Remember, everyone: stay on message. Incompetent employees should not have jobs but the process must be followed. Rhee must follow the law. She lied, disobeyed the council and did what she wanted to do.
Here are the people on her management team you need to complain about:
Lisa Ruda, Chief of Staff. She came from Ohio. She is an employment attorney previously and I can't understand why a lawyer would tell Rhee to do illegal things.
Noah Wepman, CFO. Even though it looked like somebody punked him, he's scared to stand up to Rhee.
Abigail Smith. She used to work Victor "Plagiarize" Reinoso. That's reason enough for her to leave.
Peggy O'Brien. Family Engagement.
Kaya Henderson, the Deputy Chancellor who has no graduate degree, unlike most employees.
Erin McGoldrick, the Data person who has helped skew the test scores. She and Rhee still serve on Rhee's boyfriend's Board of Directors.
Let's bring them down since they they think DC is so ignorant.
I am convinced after watching the Clinton School video that rhee chose the wrong profession. Being such a prolific prevaricator would have served her well as a politician. I was on a slow simmer as she heaped unwarranted praise on her corrupt, lawless, "rules don't apply to me," non-transparent, unaccountable boss (the bald-headed tyrant) in an obvious effort to drum up outside support for his re-election campaign and, by extension, more job security for herself.
I hope those outside of the District are very wary of the half-truths and out-and-out lies she's so adroit at spinning. For example, she spoke as if our students showed no academic progress until she arrived; however, we know on the NAEP (which she highlighted several times) there has been steady progress since 2000. She also mentioned how skin color and income levels should not influence a child's education, but those are the very two factors that obviously have influenced her decision to close schools. Her recipe appears to be: start with a few stats, sprinkle in a few lies, mix in some charming, self-deprecating anecdotes, and voilà!, national support for her self-promoting, careerist agenda.
She defined, when asked, a good principal as one who is "a good manager of adults" and has effective leadership skills. By her own definition, she should be in the process of packing her bags to leave this city. We should be so fortunate.
With the RIF hearing coming up this week, we must remain steadfast in our efforts to apply pressure to our elected officials. This will be a watershed moment for educational reform in the District and possibly that of the nation to follow.
Yes, because dramatically improved test scores each year she has been in charge are ruining public schools.
And before you cite cheating - I think there was cheating before Rhee and there will be cheating after Rhee, until tests are administered by impartial third parties or done on computer.
When Rhee mouths the line she's "doing what's best for the kids, she is simply parroting a new slogan created in ultra-conservative think tanks. She's not alone. Joel Klein is doing it in New York City, Paul Vallas is doing it in New Orleans, in fact, every graduate of the Broad Center for Superintendents is singing the same tune. There isn't an ounce of sincerity in one of them, especially Rhee! They are all ideologues and functionaries who do as Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, Jeb Bush and other super-rich men instruct them.
These think tanks are places like the Hoover Institute where neoliberals crawl around considering how unions, public schools and Social Security can be destroyed and the US can be transformed into a vast slave labor camp.
Since the DCPS is overwhelmingly populated with African-American children and other children of color, Ms. Rhee comment implies that until she came along, no one cared for these children. No one cared, not their parents, not their teachers, not the men and women who represent their parents in political office, no one BR (before Rhee).
Seems like a fair question next time you see her, Chairman Gray. Ask Ms. Rhee if she really believes that she cares about Black children more than you do. Ask her to go back in her life and cite concrete and demonstrable acts that prove her anti-racist credentials and superior wisdom on these matters.
DCPS's CFO should be fired along with the inexperienced management team. On the DCPS website KHenderson bio is posted and it states her graduate degree from georgetown. There should be an audit of credentials, salaries and work experience from central office.
Wepman, attended the hearings unprepared, and inexperienced. How is he CFO? Let me guess TFA colleague.
DST1913, thanks for the update on Henderson's degree. Here are more questions for us to ask in order to stay on message:
1. What did she major in?
2. What time did she attend classes?
3. Did DC government funds pay for her degree?
4. Does FINALLY getting a graduate degree finally make her highly qualified?
5. How many people are on her staff?
6. What is their connection to Teach For America?
7. What is their connection to New Leaders for New Schools?
8. What is their connection to The New Teacher Project?
9. How much are they being paid?
10. What are their qualifications?
11. What is the average age in real math of her staffers?
12. How many came from New York City Schools?
13. How many came from Baltimore City Public Schools?
14. How many are white?
15. How many are Korean or some other Asian group?
16. How many are Hispanic?
17. How many are Black?
5. Were there
Andrew, please tell us more about this Broad Group! What exactly is that?
After searching the archives of Washington City Paper I ran across this interesting reference>
WPO article for May 20, 2009
"Public School AD (Athletic Director) Troy Mathieu Resigns" article by Alan Godenbach.
Mr. Mathiew had not been in the position for 10 months before he resigned. He stated that he had too many bosses which was preventing him from getting anything accomplished. Also, he stated that people were afraid of loosing their jobs,
Read the article. Another way MR is ruining our school system!
When you cite something you've dound online (e.g. resume info, a news article) please provide the link. It's easy to do and makes it possible for readers to quickly check it out themselves
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