Calculus and College
July 26th, 2007“Hey—do you know if they’re going to be offering pre-calculus this year?”
I blinked in the middle of reaching for my cup of coffee, looking at the scared eyes of a kid whose name I couldn’t immediately recall. I’d had her older sister in class my first year teaching many years ago, and I had no idea if this one would follow. It didn’t really matter—every kid at the school is one of mine—and I did know she looked very small and very scared in her Dunkin Donuts uniform, handing me a straw and a blueberry muffin on my way to the school.1
“I know they hired someone else,” I said carefully, “and I think he has experience with calculus. I don’t know if how much, or whether or not they’ll be able to offer the same courses.”
She nodded, glum and worried. “It sucks.”
Yeah it does. The math teacher we lost was new, about two years younger than I, and had been teaching calculus for a good chunk of his time in the building. Along the way he was also the class advisor for the class of 2007, and worked with the physics teacher to combine the two classes into an exercise that saw them all at Granite Gorge this past winter, sliding down the mountain while later calculating every mathematical element to their speed and trajectory. It had been a rousing success.
Even more rousing was the simple fact that there were students who wanted to take physics. They wanted to take the class because he taught a tough subject in a way that made it interesting and kids want to take it.
I’ve nothing against the new fellow—I don’t even know him. There’s a chance he’ll be even better. But right now there’s nothing but uncertainty, and a great many kids stuck at Dunkin Donuts wondering if they’re going to be able to take the classes which will allow them to move ahead in a competitive world.
Reading the email this math teacher sent in farewell is heart-rending. What it comes down to is he’s going to another high school not because he wants to leave or a lack of success, but because there’s surety and a community which is supportive of education—so supportive they spent years fighting to get a new school built and in 2005 voted for it.
It’s that guarantee of support which kills us. I’m okay with not making the same amount as another teacher in another town. I’m not okay with being a part of a school which has snowballed so far that there’s no way to recover it, and being marked as a teacher from a failing school. I am not okay with wondering if I will ever get a contract, and I am not okay with making less now than I did three years ago—before my Masters degree!
I’m not okay with a school board which is so unwilling to work with the union that it votes to give a bonus and raise to all non-union members.2 What kind of slap in the face is that? What is that trying to say? If the goal is to try and reach some kind of consensus, what message could be sent other then, “We’re spitting in your faces”?
I notice that Keene’s new contract will go up in front of the voters this August. When they didn’t get a contract approved in March, their school board and union sat down and hammered out another contract and five months later they have something which is likely to pass.
My school district didn’t even present a contract to the voters this past March. From what I hear—and I admit this is scuttlebutt—it’s because the school board wasn’t willing to sit down with the union. From what I hear, they still haven’t done so3, though I hear it’s because they’re trying to present a total package to the union instead of doing things piecemeal. Although I applaud this, I also think the right place would be at the bargaining table, working to make sure we can keep the people we hire now and the ones we’re going to lose if we don’t provide them with signs of support.
I understand the school board voted to pass the repairs needed in the auditorium to keep smoke and other dangers out—a health and safety issue and not an attempt to put “gravy” into the school (though I wonder, if we’re going to have gravy in our lives, shouldn’t it be on our brains and not in our stomachs? Or is that too ugly a metaphor?) but I understand relatively few members of the board voted for it. Most abstained.
I hear Dr. Eliot Kaplan had the courage to stand up and castigate the board for their unwillingness to vote for something which should have been an easy decision—kids, staff, and community members dying in a fire really ought to be an easy decision. On the other hand, I understand the complaint by the board members was that they resented the cost they needed to pay and the process which led to the quotes. I can understand that.
I have to wonder about this. Where did the process for selecting bids come from, and who was supposed to do it, and if this is not acceptable, then where was the breakdown? Do we initiate a process and then potentially let it fall down because we don’t like how the process went about?
I’m glad they passed it. I’m just wondering where the breakdown was that made this an issue to squabble over.
1 I’m tutoring a student, which is a great deal of fun. Just so you all know I’m not making this up.
2 This was from the July 2410 meeting, which I missed, due to committee work. I’ll post the link to the minutes as soon as they’re online, and any other details as I find them. I suppose I could also say “employees not governed by a collective bargaining agreement” instead of “non-union”, but it amounts to the same thing.
3 There have been three short negotiations this year, but nothing much has happened. It’s hardly the sort of heavy negotiating I would like to see, though the idea that the school board will present an entire package is nice—if it’s fair.
August 4th, 2007 at 7:47 pm
I have really enjoyed reading your various posts and some of the great ideas out there. I really was torn whether to response to this posting or to let it go without a response. Obviously, you can see that I decided to respond. I was one of the School Board members that abstained on the vote for the fan. I knew coming into the meeting I was probably going to abstain. I even asked questions during the comment time. I voted for the other repairs. On the fan issue there were a few no’s, a few abstain’s and a few yes’s. I also have to say I did not appreciate what the teacher did afterwards. I have a daughter in that school. I would no more want anyone to get hurt or die in that school whether it is a teacher, support staff, or student. It doesn’t matter who it is. I have heard the stories of kids having pieces of the ceiling falling on them in the gym. That is more scary to me right now. But back to the point. There was only 1 quote for that repair or replacement. There should have been 3 quotes to compare prices. If you were spending over $50,000 on repairs or remodeling on our home would you just take the price of one bidder. I would hope that you would have the common sense to get more than 1 bid. So 2 of the bidders did not submit a bid - get 2 more bidders. If you have to go out of town - get two more bids. If no one wanted to do the job - get statements from the bidders that they don’t do those types of jobs. I take my committment very seriously as a school board member. I try to understand where the teachers, students, administration and the community is coming from. It really bothered me about what the teacher said. Maybe someone would like to sit on the other side of the table to really understand what it is about. Sometimes it isn’t black and white.
August 4th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Hi Sue,
Thanks for your thoughts and response—it was very composed and obviously something you took time with. As I tried to make clear in the original post, I clearly see the Board’s unhappiness with the process. You added more detail, and I’m grateful.
There’s no doubt something went wrong somewhere. The practice of selecting bids is a valuable one, and if there’s no selection, then the buyers are the ones who are harmed. It is the job of school board members to choose the best, and I don’t think this is easy.
At the same time—and this is where I think Dr. Eliot was coming from—at the end of the day we’re talking about people’s lives. I remember the flak the current administration received when it was revealed how limited the body armor was for the troops. The argument was simple—when it comes to saving lives, money shouldn’t be an object.
It always is, though. There’s a line which must be drawn, and it’s not easy to do so. I think Dr. Eliot was taking the position we would want a teacher to take—the moral one which puts children first.1 I also think there’s a need for responsibility, and that is equally important. There can’t be teaching and students at all if the district can’t support itself.
I guess I’ll just reiterate what I said the first time—why weren’t there more bids? If there weren’t responses, why? This is a ton of money, and I would think businesses would be eager to do this kind of work. Where were they, and how can we make sure there are bids in the future? At a certain point, a decision always needs to be made, (as it was) and the needs of the people on the ground become overriding…but why were the hands of the Board tied so they needed to make a decision they felt so poorly about?
Once again, thanks for taking the time to response and add new information. I’m grateful you did—welcome to the conversation!
Best,
RJH
1It’s sad that this position is so often viewed as self advancement. I had a close acquaintance doubt some of what I was saying about conditions in the building, and later confess, “Of course he’ll say that…he’s a teacher.” Ultimately, I think most are trying to do the best they can and do what they feel is really right, but we’re all hampered by the role we find ourselves in. As insulting as it was (as a mother with a child in the school) to face the suggestion of not caring, it’s often just as tough to be accused of only caring (i.e., wanting money for the school) for our own self-advancement. Neither position is true.
August 8th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
RJH,
It’s a shame that anyone would think giving someone a raise is a slap in the face to another. I wonder if that group felt the same about the unionized groups when contracts have passed.
My mother always told me we should be happy for the good fortunes of others… in that our good wishes/thoughts might return to us one day.
(I would have expected a high road from you my friend)
On the point of Negotiations… walk a mile in my shoes before you judge me lazy or unwilling to work toward success. Don’t assume anything - and you know why.
And on that same note… you shouldn’t always listen to rumor. Occasionally it’s wrong.
You asked…
“why weren’t there more bids? If there weren’t responses, why?”
Perhaps the contractors didn’t want to do the work. Perhaps they had full summer schedules. (a school district is limited to when work can be done)I suppose we won’t ever really know unless we ask those contractors directly… but does it really matter why they didn’t bid?
They’re freaking smoke vents!!! They should be functional. Dr Kaplan’s made very good points. I should not have let him make them to the board members directly (my bad. I will do better next time) but I agree with everything he said. (I think you can guess that I voted to repair the vents)
I think if you read the policy… you’ll see it was followed. No ball dropped… just some members didn’t like the policy.
I don’t like the color orange… doesn’t mean it goes away.
I guess the reality is the bidding process is not a simple one and it certainly isn’t cut and dry, just like teaching children isn’t always simple or cut and dry.* We do the best we can with what we know… when we know better… we do better.
(* neither is negotiations - but that’s another point for another time… and you’re going to need something stronger than coffee - espresso perhaps.)
Thanks for your thoughts.