Ten things that irk me about
public education. No particular order.
1. Obfuscating school and district leaders
Yesterday I had
a brow furrowing, head shaking, jaw dropping "here we go
again" direct parental experience of perky and pleasant... administrative obfuscation (or was it outright lying to widen
her eyes and nod her smiling head as she listened to my concerns without telling me that two of my child's teachers would
not be there when school started, even though I directly asked about those classes?!). "Now you know that this is a TENTATIVE
schedule, correct?" she said. "Your children may see changes...." Oh yeah! Like NOT EVEN HAVING
THOSE CLASSES?!)
I truly was perplexed at her pushing "Dance"....
Why not
just look at an involved (and supremely respectful) parent--me--and say something like this: "Ms. Werner, we know how
important these (certification earning! Governor Scott supported! College and CAREER ready, Missy!) electives
are to you and your children. We, too, regret losing two wonderful teachers. We will do everything
we can to find new teachers to lead those programs. Please be patient with us."?
Even this would at least have
been honest: "Start lookin' elsewhere, sweetheart. Ain't happenin' here."
Instead I was
led to believe that everything was "hunky" AND "dory"!
____________________________________________________
More stuff that irks me (obfuscation,
I think it's obvious now to you AND to "surprised-I-got-so-heated" me, is more than irksome to me. It just
makes me mad):
2.Defensiveness.
3. Obfuscating again...Oh, yeah and lying too.
4. Status quo
5.
Politicians in general
6. Erik Fresen in particular
7. Jeb Bush too
8.
Common Core/"Florida State Standards";...written with a whiny sneer. If I were speaking, my face would be contorted,
my voice would be annoyingly sing-song, and my neck would be twisting my head from side to side like a 2015 mean girl. "Hey
don't do that, woman! Sneers on YOU are unbecoming! You are NOT Donald Trump! You can't even do sarcasm
like Jeb Bush and he looks like a practiced, scripted "sarcastic" stiff! Give it up and give it up NOW!"
9.
Charter schools
10. School choice--choices my community's families wouldn't make if our community's
schools were excellent, as we deserve. Wouldn't choose to eat up hours each morning and afternoon driving to and from
these choices we've made. Ha! There's you your family time! In a car! Not around a dinner table!
Oh yeah, she's preachin' now!
If I had a pulpit and if I had
me some "Amens!" I'd be spillin' the beans on all this public school "reform" nonsense. Why
don't ya'll come on down from up on high Tallahassee? Why don't ya'll come on over here to my house? I'll fill your
ear. Oh I got me some stories to tell! I got me a pile of lying principals stories! The latest just another!
Why I sat right there with her and spoke directly about my children's classes! Their teachers...
Ah, but she's just a squirt of the whipped cream! Not even close to that maraschino, cancer
causing, unnatural thing called a cherry on top. She's just another squirt. Another squirt... She's just another conspiring,
conniving, cover-upping squirt of public schools' "whipped cream. It looks good. 'specially with that neon cherry
on top. It sure looks good.
But, boy, it'll kill ya.
