ZETSUBOUSHITA!!!!!! (Sorry for the rant)
Sep. 16th, 2009 09:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lthemilkeater The condition of the Seattle School System has put me in despair!!1!!!eleventybillion!!!11!
*ahem*
Forgive me for being a tad bit selfish, but I have to say that the only school I care about at the moment is TOPS K-8. TOPS stands for "The Option Program at Seward." As you can tell by the name, it is an alternative school. TOPS especially emphasizes the arts, science, and writing. Definitely writing. At TOPS, one of the core classes is art, which the middle school students have every other day. The language arts is excellent, and is the single factor that established my ability to write. Science with Mr. Bloedel (pronounced "Blay-duhl" like dreidel) goes beyond your wildest dreams. For two years, you learn so many different branches of science, even though the main focus is on chemistry. Memorable to me were the units on astronomy and physics. That's right, we learned high school level physics in eighth grade. People who have graduated come back to Mr. Bloedel telling him that the notes from his lessons helped prepare them for the high school classes in such a way that they could easily breeze right through them. (Me, I'm taking IB Biology SL and HL, so there's not much for me to go on because we only got in two weeks of that at the end. Stupid high school, not having IB Physics or IB Chemistry. Those are my loves!) The school has always been a sweet place, somewhere that I can look back at fondly. They weren't uptight at all. I mean, some people thought they were, but if you compare the treatment we got there to the regimes at other middle schools, it's quite clear that we were definitely well off. Anyways, I digress.
This last school year, the principal retired. Ms. Scott had been principal since... when I was in third grade, I think? And she was vice-principal before that. Have a happy retirement, Ms. Scott~
In her place, the school district assigned a "Ms. Lute-Ervin," former principal of Leschi Elementary. I am quite worried about this. With the start of this school year, many changes have already come. I should say now that I am still connected to TOPS because my little brother goes there. Through the parental email lines and what my brother has told me, it appears that one of the changes has been that you are no longer allowed to talk during lunch. What, is that all? you may ask. Well, consider the fact that since my very first day in first grade, the lunchroom has always been filled with the laughter of children. The administrators never had any problem with the noise level or anything. But suddenly, this "Ms. Lute-Ervin" comes in and cracks down, forcing everyone to speak no louder than a whisper. And, if you are thrice reprimanded, you get lunch detention. Now, I ask you, is this fair for children ages 5-14, or anyone, for that matter?
At the start of school, she spoke to the middle schoolers about school policies and some such matters. According to the parent who was watching, she said to them "I know you. I know what you'll do. You know what I'll do." If there is one thing I despise about people, it is making such bald generalizations about any group of people. What, she thinks that just because they're teenagers, or should I say, preteens, that they'll automatically be hardwired to be rude, horrible people? This is exactly the reason that I hate being a teenager myself; the fact that people can look at me and say "Oh, well, you're a teenager, you're going to be depressed and cut yourself and talk back to me because you don't know how to think right and don't respect your elders." Well, guess what? No people, no matter what race, gender, belief, or nationality can be cleanly described in one all-encompassing statement. She, as principal, should examine the way she is presenting herself before she tells the students to be careful of their behavior because the little ones emulate them.
Another matter of urgent concern is what apparently happened today whilst she was addressing the cafeteria. Unlike her predecessors, she decided that it was necessary to use a PA system in the lunchroom. Never, in all the nine years I was at TOPS did Ms. Scott or anyone else need a PA system to talk to students. But that is not the problem. The problem is that the speakers were located right next to the fourth graders' table. Can you imagine sitting next to something like that? You would plug your ears in an attempt to avoid aural damage, right? Well, when the fourth grades did so, Ms. Lute-Ervin decided that she needed to turn the speakers up even louder. I just don't know what else to say except that I am appalled at her behavior.
I'm sorry for this long rant, but I just can't stand the feeling that this new principal is going to rip TOPS to shreds. But if the school district is going to take a principal from a struggling school and place them as head of a school doing well in comparison, I am going to voice my dissent.
*ahem*
Forgive me for being a tad bit selfish, but I have to say that the only school I care about at the moment is TOPS K-8. TOPS stands for "The Option Program at Seward." As you can tell by the name, it is an alternative school. TOPS especially emphasizes the arts, science, and writing. Definitely writing. At TOPS, one of the core classes is art, which the middle school students have every other day. The language arts is excellent, and is the single factor that established my ability to write. Science with Mr. Bloedel (pronounced "Blay-duhl" like dreidel) goes beyond your wildest dreams. For two years, you learn so many different branches of science, even though the main focus is on chemistry. Memorable to me were the units on astronomy and physics. That's right, we learned high school level physics in eighth grade. People who have graduated come back to Mr. Bloedel telling him that the notes from his lessons helped prepare them for the high school classes in such a way that they could easily breeze right through them. (Me, I'm taking IB Biology SL and HL, so there's not much for me to go on because we only got in two weeks of that at the end. Stupid high school, not having IB Physics or IB Chemistry. Those are my loves!) The school has always been a sweet place, somewhere that I can look back at fondly. They weren't uptight at all. I mean, some people thought they were, but if you compare the treatment we got there to the regimes at other middle schools, it's quite clear that we were definitely well off. Anyways, I digress.
This last school year, the principal retired. Ms. Scott had been principal since... when I was in third grade, I think? And she was vice-principal before that. Have a happy retirement, Ms. Scott~
In her place, the school district assigned a "Ms. Lute-Ervin," former principal of Leschi Elementary. I am quite worried about this. With the start of this school year, many changes have already come. I should say now that I am still connected to TOPS because my little brother goes there. Through the parental email lines and what my brother has told me, it appears that one of the changes has been that you are no longer allowed to talk during lunch. What, is that all? you may ask. Well, consider the fact that since my very first day in first grade, the lunchroom has always been filled with the laughter of children. The administrators never had any problem with the noise level or anything. But suddenly, this "Ms. Lute-Ervin" comes in and cracks down, forcing everyone to speak no louder than a whisper. And, if you are thrice reprimanded, you get lunch detention. Now, I ask you, is this fair for children ages 5-14, or anyone, for that matter?
At the start of school, she spoke to the middle schoolers about school policies and some such matters. According to the parent who was watching, she said to them "I know you. I know what you'll do. You know what I'll do." If there is one thing I despise about people, it is making such bald generalizations about any group of people. What, she thinks that just because they're teenagers, or should I say, preteens, that they'll automatically be hardwired to be rude, horrible people? This is exactly the reason that I hate being a teenager myself; the fact that people can look at me and say "Oh, well, you're a teenager, you're going to be depressed and cut yourself and talk back to me because you don't know how to think right and don't respect your elders." Well, guess what? No people, no matter what race, gender, belief, or nationality can be cleanly described in one all-encompassing statement. She, as principal, should examine the way she is presenting herself before she tells the students to be careful of their behavior because the little ones emulate them.
Another matter of urgent concern is what apparently happened today whilst she was addressing the cafeteria. Unlike her predecessors, she decided that it was necessary to use a PA system in the lunchroom. Never, in all the nine years I was at TOPS did Ms. Scott or anyone else need a PA system to talk to students. But that is not the problem. The problem is that the speakers were located right next to the fourth graders' table. Can you imagine sitting next to something like that? You would plug your ears in an attempt to avoid aural damage, right? Well, when the fourth grades did so, Ms. Lute-Ervin decided that she needed to turn the speakers up even louder. I just don't know what else to say except that I am appalled at her behavior.
I'm sorry for this long rant, but I just can't stand the feeling that this new principal is going to rip TOPS to shreds. But if the school district is going to take a principal from a struggling school and place them as head of a school doing well in comparison, I am going to voice my dissent.
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no subject
Date: 2009-09-17 08:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-18 01:37 am (UTC)I need to make a sad iconno subject
Date: 2009-09-18 06:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 04:17 am (UTC)Have you heard about how their going to make school assignment by neighborhood now? That'll make the neighbors around TOPS really happy, seeing as how they've been trying to get TOPS to be a neighborhood school for a long time. Consolation for me is the fact that their kids won't be getting into the TOPS of old they thought they were going to get into, since this new woman is totally going to run the school's quality into the ground. I'm so cruel. D: