Total Pageviews

Search This Blog

Thursday, August 13, 2020

Why is it so hard for DCPS just to do the right thing. (draft)

I tried to come up with something where I talked about the Premack principle and how if you are in a hole stop digging, but I couldn't because the bottom line is DCPS is making a conscious choice to treat it's employees poorly. Every time they are given an opportunity to do something right, they choose wrong.

First, the district has had it backward from day one. They should have put everyone in Duval homeroom, and people should have opted into danger. Those 12 percent of teachers who want to be back could have gone in. Who wants to bet things would have run a lot smoother and schools would be a lot emptier and thus safer?

We didn't, and the district told teachers to sign up for Duval Homeroom but, at the same time, announced that those teachers would still have to come in. Why? No good reason was given. Friends that is just mean and petty, but it gets even worse.

So the school board passes a work from home resolution, to get as many people out of the building as possible, and for weeks the district ignores it. Then when staff asks about it, district supervisors don't seem to know what they are talking about.

How does that happen without a wink and a nod from Greene? I am not saying she ignored the school board, wink, nod, but that seems to be what has happened.

Okay, let's get back to Duval Homeroom, people spent weeks trying to figure it out. Will you lose your position, if there aren't enough students will you get surplussed, will you have to switch schools, etc. etc. etc.

So just yesterday, the day teachers reported superintendent finally said if you are teaching Duval Homeroom in a dedicated position, you can work from home. Nice, but why did she have to wait so long after so many made their decision to apply (or not) based on having to work from the building. More than a few people have told me had they know that weekes ago when they should have they may have made a different call.

Then some people are now being assigned DHR classes even though they didn't sign up for them, and others who did are being given a B&M class or two to make them come into the building.

This is what a district staff member told me earlier.

...they pushed elem schools to try and do 1/2 BM and 1/2 FF packages for departmentalized, and that keeps a FT DHR position away form a much-needed teacher. Then makes both teachers have to be in the building every day.

So the district's plan was to get as many people in the building as possible?

From the trickle, we hear yes, they left decisions up to principals but..... you know how DCPS can be very persuasive without putting anything in writing.

Yes, the district can be very persuasive without putting anything in writing, just like they can ignore resolutions to keep people safe.

Friends, this should be simple, keep as many people safe as you can, accommodate as many people as you can too, but instead of doing the right thing, we can't seem to.

I want to remind everyone that Greene thinks going in is the right call, the pandemic, a challenge, totally destroying the learning environment, a challenge, ignoring, demoralizing, micromanaging, and risking the lives of staff, a challenge. It's all just a challenge to her. Where too the rest of us, it is so much more.

We could and should be doing so much better.

1 comment:

  1. Correct me if I'm wrong but I saw in the myriad of handbooks & ppts this week that if a student or teacher tests positive for covid then the principal contacts the district who contacts someone?? who contacts the local DOH who advises the school??? How does this inspire trust or confidence again? Trust is a 2-way street but lately everything seems to be rolling in one direction...downhill. DOH is right 😆

    ReplyDelete