I have a friend who lives three (3) blocks from Von Stueben Middle School which is located on Forrest Hill Street (see map below). The only other schools around them are crime filled and failing miserably (Glen Oak School - 4 blocks away, Lincoln School - 5 blocks away), but the School District tells them they cannot attend Von Stueben they must attend Glen Oak or Lincoln.
Can somebody explain to me how it makes any sense that the boy in the photo above lives on the 1900 block of Garden Street and attends Von Steuben Middle School on Forrest Hill Street? Isn't he closer to the wonderful Trewyn, Lincoln, Calvin Collidge and/or Sterling? Von Stueben is 5.7 miles away from his home, well outside of the taxing district in which he resides. It makes me wonder if distance is taken into consideration when giving out boundary waivers.
19 comments:
Maybe he is in a bilingual classroom that is housed at Von Steuban, but not at Trewyn.
Here is the link
http://www.psd150.org/Page/300
He is bilingual - but I thought Trewyn had ESL classes. They should considering the neighborhood would certainly have bilingual students.
The Keller newsletter says applications for waivers will be available in June. The District website says that applications for waivers will be available in August.
The link above did not work. What does it link to?
I just looked uo ESL on the PSD150 site and that was a list of where the programs were locaated.
This program has not been implemented with fidelity.....not even close. The Glen Oak program was a disaster and that issaying it nicely. Not blaming ESL teacher for this but our esl students got little to nothing with regard to instruction. ESL teacher did all kinds of stuff, except teach esl students.
I notice that when we talk about programs at District 150, the word "fidelity" continues to come up. Failure to implement programs with fidelity could certainly be the basis of the dysfunction we see between teachers and administrators.
If you are given ten new things to do every day, on top of expected jobs, how much fidelity could be expected? Reality folks.
Thanks - I got it...
"For the 2011-12 school year, the following ELL services are provided:
ESL - All three High Schools, Lindbergh Middle School, Charter Oak, Kellar, Thomas Jefferson, and Hines.
Bilingual - Franklin, Glen Oak, Harrison, Irving, Northmoor, and Von Steuben Middle School."
He still appears to be closer to Glen Oak and Harrison.
The administrators get these new programs, announce to the teachers they must start using them, and then (eventually) get the books into the classroom with which the program is to be taught. The teacher takes time out of their evenings to become familiar with the program. However, remember, it must be started IMMEDIATELY so the teacher is trying to redo lesson plans and start this program she knows nothing about. Then, as she becomes slightly familiar with it, the memo comes through, "No, no, no, we have stopped doing it that way or with that book, we are using this now or doing it this way". This is NOT an exaggeration. This is a reality! How are these kids supposed to get anything out of any of these programs with there is NO training for the teachers before it is rolled out (for 6 weeks)? Believe it or not, we teacher would actually like to know a little something about what we are supposed to be teaching before actually having to do it. Now, there are also times (rarely) when you get a ridiculous amount of training on something you need no training on at all. The big roll out of the $125 binders of Thinking Maps a couple years ago was training after training on all the different graphic organizers which had been around for years. All that time spent on them two years ago and I am not sure they were even mentioned last year. Pick something, train the teachers on it, get the books and supplies into the classrooms BEFORE the students, and then STICK WITH IT!
See the logical thinking there---it's obvious I am NOT in administration, I am just a lowly teacher.
Just an FYI its spelled Von Steuben
Thanks!
"Fidelity" is an education buzz word that fringes on the assumption that a program's success is continguent upon its execution in the "purest" form. That means there is no consideration to individual teaching styles, creativity, experience, teacher/student relationships, training provided, student population, etc.
With that said, "Fidelity" can never be attained as long as teachers are human beings. Now, if we were "Robots," we could meet the "Fidelity" standards.
Boundary Waivers are not fairly granted. They are just another measure for a school to pick the best students from another school. Noone grants waivers to students who are academically or behaviorally challenged. Only when schools are forced to accept students with questionable academic and behavioral records will they comply.
False. I know that there were boundry waivers granted last year to some pretty "challenged" kids.
Seems like anybody can have a boundary waiver to glen oak. Students who have behaved badly at other d150 schools always end up there and no matter what they do, they never get suspended or expelled from glen oak. Teachers continually assaulted, both verbally and physically. There never seems to be appropriate consequences for them.
But try getting a waiver to get your child OUT of Glen Oak because your child can't learn for all the others that are loud, disruptive and just down misbehaving.
There is a chance to make Glen Oak better. I have seen great things in some of these children. I have also seen teachers crying at the end of the day screaming i dont know how much more i can take. This is my neighborhood school and i will do anything i can to make it better. Whether it be helping a kid with there homework after school or blasting John Denver out of the boom box to chase off scumbags from the playground. I adored Annette Coleman and i am still mad that she is gone. But the building still stands and so does the neighborhood. People stop complaining about it and help strength in numbers. Stop blaming the teachers. blame the parents this crap the kids do is learned from somewhere it isn't the school.
Have you seen the boundary waiver form? No wonder the program is a mess. The form is overly complex and confusing.
meanjarhead:
Very well put and I, too, believe things can improve greatly at Glen Oak (as did Mrs. Coleman). You are right. The correct people need to stand up in numbers and demand the proper consequences for the misbehavior. Parents need to be more accountable for what is happening with the behavior in the classroom and teachers need to stop being told "keep them in the classroom no matter what". The education and safety of the students who are behaving should not be compromised because of the children with checked-out parents. ALL students should feel happy, safe, and cared for at their school. Too many Glen Oak students feel sad, bullied, and beaten down.
There have been too many "lost years" at Glen Oak and it is time for 150 to step up and support the staff help them make Glen Oak a shining star in the East bluff.
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