SARA,

LET THE ELEPHANTS SPAR AND WE WILL SEE IF ANY GRASS IS LEFT ON THE BCPSS aka CITY SCHOOLS or American Federation of School Administrators AFSA PLATFORM.

"By the way report whats the latest update from Jimmy Gettings, Rodger Shaw, Irma Johnson, and BCPSS/HR director on what is happening with all the SY 2008 district displaced certified BCPSS secondary and primary principals & assistant principals from being selected for filling school needs?"

I assume the reply push back is personel employee matters are confidential?

Boy, that's a great example for the students, many of whom live in families where drugs and alcohol are abused. . now that's leadership.

I'd like to bet AAA that after TMHS closes he loses at least one highly qualified, energetic, engaging, and otherwise fantastic (and experienced) teacher to another more positive and teacher-supportive city school system.

I'd bet my year's salary on that...

Reorg Chart Confusion: For the record, Dr. Alonso declined to comment for my blog post. I got the story from Mr. Gittings; Alonso didn't deny what happened but clearly didn't expect it to be public.

Gittings is doing it for the principle? Sara, c'mon, next time have a sense of humor about these things and report that he's doing it for the principal!

Good point, Simon! Wish I'd thought of that when I was writing the entry... He is doing it for both, principal and principle.

Brandon, don't go. We need you. We really really need you. Rally your students and parents. Nobody has to take this sitting down. Organize a protest, call the TV stations and the newspapers. Invite the board members. You have a voice, Organize, fight. If nobody values the school enough to stand up for it, then it should close. I understand your anger, but we need you to stay.

Alonso says he wants community involvement. Show him some.

@AP

Even if TMHS wasn't closing, the current structure of BCPSS is to martyr teachers who don't work in schools that generate positive press. Just scanning the blog you see more teachers suffering than feeling successful. I've put in a lot of time here always under the pretense of change, and when AAA first came in I had high hopes. But I haven't been helped by this new regime, in fact I've been nothing but ignored. So AAA can bet all the bourbon he wants, I'm glad he's yucking it up in meetings with a big old grin on his face while down in the trenches the majority of his employees feel undermined and underappreciated.

I love my children, I love my coworkers, but this isn't the hill I'm going to die on.

I agree with "Reorg Chart Confusion" -- this is lovely...

Brandon quit being pragmatic and join the rest of us dewey-eyed optimists! How dare you think about leaving just when things are going to get better? Don't you want to see the end of the movie? I predict that the Spartans (Jimmy & Andres) will join hands in a stirring round of Cum-Bye-Yah as city school children frolick happily by.
(Hey... it could happen)

No seriously: Stay committed. We need you!

Brandon:

Your point about how teachers feel as some schools are targeted for closure is a powerful statement. I hope that you realize that while this feels personal, it's not about the adults, it's about the kids (play harps here). The protests about keeping Edison schools open is a prime example. What evidence is there that these schools are producing high quality results? And yet there are plenty of folk who want to keep these schools running. It's as if we all believe we don't deserve better - we don't as teachers deserve to be treated better by administration, we don't as teachers deserve to be treated better by our school community, kids don't deserve to be given better school buildings where the heat works when its cold out and AC works when its hot. That kids don't deserve better teaching and more caring environments with more to keep them connected. I believe that like so many, most folks who want to stick with a sinking ship have the battered spouse feeling - this is all I deserve. I worked in a school where the principal said that teachers couldn't be trusted with a copy machine. The clear message - you can be trusted with 100 kids but not a stapler. It doesn't have to be like that. You can be trusted not only with a copy machine and stapler, but with instructional planning and implementation, with creating culture in your classroom and school, with deciding how you want to continue to learn about excellent teaching, And you don't have to leave the city school system to get it. Neither do your students.

Brandon:
You've expressed feelings that you're frustrated and have one foot out the door. I have a few questions, though: Are you upset with something specific that Alonso has done (or not done) or are you just feeling let down by his dashing of your high hopes? What would it take to get you to stay?