And just in case you didn't catch Fox 29 News last night, they filed this report on our contract situation . . .
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Neshaminy in the News
Today's Courier Times carries an article about Dr. Muenker's letter to the teachers encouraging them to decorate their classrooms and to write letters of recommendation. The story doesn't contain any new information, but I'm sure the comments in the blog underneath the article will be interesting.
And just in case you didn't catch Fox 29 News last night, they filed this report on our contract situation . . .
And just in case you didn't catch Fox 29 News last night, they filed this report on our contract situation . . .
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7 comments:
I wanted to thank you for posting the news stories...
Thank you too...
I have a question Home Access Center? I understand that it was enabled (at a pretty decent expense to the district) to facilitate information sharing in and outside of the school district. Parents have access granted by the district and we(parents) have direct accessibility to attendance, schedules, classwork and grades of our students. WHY ARE THE TEACHERS NOT REQUIRED TO USE IT?
I was told by a guidance councilor "it's part of the fluff we do" "extra not required"... my plan is confirm this with the principle at our school.
Come on now... techer websites are extra not required, but the district's open access center? Who is holding these teachers accountable while this working strike continues??????
Oh yes! By all means, thanks for not only posting, but for creating the news.
News in and of itself is just news.
Sure..there can be a slant to it, but we aren't stupid pawns like we were in the past. The NFT relied on secrecy and just spreading *their* news.
The outrage is the reaction to the news.
All the news (and lack of news..where are these--OH SO WONDERFUL HEALTH PLAN CONCESSIONS) the NFT has made (through fliers and speaking at board meetings) has furthered the outrage.
Izzy said:
"Come on now... techer websites are extra not required, but the district's open access center? Who is holding these teachers accountable while this working strike continues??????"
For what it's worth, this didn't even exist when the last contract (which is now in its third year of extension) was signed. What ever did parents do before the schools went online???? Somehow they got by and education took place.
I am not a teacher, but I am a parent. I agree that the contract issue needs to be settled, but I do NOT believe that a decorated bulletin board (which was probably funded by the teacher, anyway) is going to influence my child's academic performance. I also know that my children don't believe a decorated bulletin board is going to make or break their year. In fact, the U.S. Office of Educational Research and Improvement has reported that what students account as the most important factors to influence school achievement is their own belief in their ability and effort.
I also believe that it is what WE, as parents, do outside of the school day, not the teachers, that has the greater impact on academic achievement and overall development. Harvard's Family Research Project (http://www.hfrp.org) conducted a meta-analyses which supports the notion that PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT (specifically, the type that required a large amount of time, such as reading, communicating with one's child, parental style, and setting clear expectations) was most influential on academic outcomes. What was less influential, was the type of parental involvement that included the "demonstrative" aspects, such as parental attendance and participation at school functions. (Dare I say that I think we have all witnessed a few parents and/or community members at school functions who may be using the contract issues as a "demonstrative" means to push their own personal and political agendas.)
As parents in the Neshaminy School District, we find ourselves in a unique situation. We can take the current situation and use it to teach our children how to become responsible, active learners, or we can choose to parent with a vicitm mentality, and lay blame and point fingers. Rather than logging "face time" on the radio/TV/newspaper, or subjecting our young children to discussions that are intended for mature ears only, perhaps we should set aside some precious time to read with our children or check to see that they have completed their homework assignments. The dinner table is also a great venue to engage in a family dialogue about current events that are happening in our country and around the world.
KClarinet.... Teachers and parents are supposed to work together as a team to ensure the best possible outcome for our students. Does it really matter if a program existed when the last contract was signed. Doesn't having access to the information offered by open access ultimately make a teachers job easier? Is it not an efficent way to communicate with many at once
Your mentality .... We got by before ... That's at the root of our problems. Technology is here, we should use it to our advantage .... Free health care benefits that's over and done with .... Get with it
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