I cannot believe teachers have accepted the 6/7 plan.
You will find the petition here.
To: SCHOOL BOARD OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY
WE THE UNDERSIGNED hereby petition the above board members to abolish the current 6 out of 7 instructional schedule and restore the customary and longstanding 5 out of 7 instructional schedule at the secondary level of Hillsborough County Public Schools in Florida.
All teachers under the current 6 out 7 instructional schedule are stretched to the breaking point and instructional effectiveness has suffered under the strain. Lesson planning has been negatively affected as has the opportunity to communicate with parents. If that were not enough, teachers must suffer the indignity of not having time to use the restroom between classes.
Exceptional Student Education teachers are particularly burdened with the added duties of writing and servicing students’ Individual Educational Plans (IEP). Often, ESE teachers must use their lesson planning periods to host an IEP annual review meeting. Many times, ESE teachers must use their lesson planning periods to gather data and write IEPs. Additionally, all teachers, in general, and ESE teachers, in particular, work at home more than twenty additional (unpaid) hours per week. Still, they are unable to keep up with the frenetic pace that the 6 out of 7 instructional schedule demands.
Most school districts across the nation continue to follow the well established schedule of 5 out of 7 instructional periods per school day. The teachers of Hillsborough County Public Schools ask the School Board of Hillsborough County to repeal the current 6 out of 7 instructional schedule and return to instructing 5 out of 7 periods in secondary schools.
Sphere: Related Content
Who got up this petition? I hope it was teachers. I hope they circulate it to all the schools for sign-ups.
This petition is the kind of thing that rebukes the hostile environment in which teachers work. There are three candidates opposing incumbents on the Supervisor of Elections page. Get their addresses from Supervisor of Elections (Dr. Graft Supporter Lennard. Write and ask the opposing candidates as well as the incumbents what their stand will be on this issue scheduling issue and any other you are interested in. It will educate them to teachers’ views. Tell them about the Professional Standards Abu Ghraib and how the board is indifferent to its being used to hold over teachers’ heads as a threat of cooked-up charges to threaten their jobs. Simply spill the beans coming and going. These candidates know nothing.
I wrote to both Sink and the AG, running for governor. I asked them both what they would do about the corruption in the HC schools and sent them examples. I sent one %500. Now’s the time to make a contribution if you want to get their attention. lee
School Board Member, Dist. 4 Stacy R. White Filed
School Board Member, Dist. 4 Curt Miller Filed
School Board Member, Dist. 6 Scott David Barrish Filed
Jennifer MOtel 8 Falliera has two challengers. April Rollover Griffin has one. lee
lee drury de cesare
10 Oct 09 at 10:22 pm
Lee–
I wrote the petition and posted on my blog. I have sent it to two petition hosting Web sites in hopes one will host it for me. When that happens I will publish the Web address (URL) so people can begin signing it.
Goader
11 Oct 09 at 2:41 pm
I think the petition is a great idea. I don’t know if it will do anything, but doing something is better than nothing. I am an English teacher, and I can’t believe that the school board & Elia don’t recognize students’ writing skills are going down hill quickly. Teaching 6 classes is ridiculously exhausting with little or no time to do all the good things that teachers could do. I’m saddened by the state of our district’s education, and even more saddened that our superintendent and school board do not recognize our condition.
Pamela Widlak
14 Oct 09 at 7:06 pm
Last night on the national news the poor test scores were discussed. Thet bemoaned the poor state of the nation’s schools.
It is clear that teachers will be blamed. Teachers are a convenient whipping boy. Teachers know that the problem rests with unmotivated kids, incompetant administrators, complacent parents and politically correct school boards.
Teachers will be fired, transferred and the slide will continue.
We will soon become a 2nd rate country.
No one cares.
OMG
15 Oct 09 at 5:44 pm
Pamela–
I am an English teacher, also. Didn’t you guys get the word on WRITING?!?!?! Scores fell–therefore– we are to WRITE, WRITE, WRITE at every opportunity! Why, you should have assigned(and graded)numerous essays, quickwrites, reflections, RAFTs and other things by now!!!! You should have absolutely stuffed full portfolios for each and every one of your 170+ students!!! You should have taught many, many strategies to analyze and criticize the WRITING of others so students can synthesize on their own come FCAT,ACT and Final Exams–in January. Haven’t been visited by Springboard police to check portfolios? Haven’t had to report the FCAT/SAT rubrics #s yet? You should have written on your IPDP your very own WRITING goal!!!Oh–haven’t gotten there, yet? Too busy planning for three new Springboard preps and whatever electives you teach? Duty? A personal life? Too bad nobody listened to teachers when we said there weren’t enough writing and grammar activities in Springboard. Now, of course, teachers have to take up the slack and jusmp into the breach–sorry, couldn’t resist–to make up for lack of expertise and caring at ROSSAC. Hang in there–have a good year. Next year, they’ll check scores, again, and we’ll teach…
Pamela, too
pamela
19 Oct 09 at 7:05 pm
“I cannot believe teachers have accepted the 6/7 plan.”
Surely this is an exaggeration, Goader. You are sitting on a petition that no one signed, yet you can’t believe that the same people who didn’t sign it would accept the plan that they didn’t rail against?
Don’t confuse this post with an opinion for or against the plan. If you can’t believe the result considering the evidence you had, I am genuinely surprised. I find the result quite believable and even supported by the response to the petition.
John D
24 Oct 09 at 6:32 pm
John_D–
Right you are.
I cannot argue with reality.
Goader
27 Oct 09 at 6:23 pm
The district doesn’t care what teachers think.
That is the reality.
The petition is meaningless. Teachers are generally weak, submissive and easily pushed around.
Teachers are scared.
The district knows they have teachers by the balls.
It is going to get worse. What alternative do teachers have?
Teachers are screwed.
Shut up and do what you are told.
OMG
29 Oct 09 at 6:15 pm
OMG–
Sad but true!
Goader
1 Nov 09 at 11:03 am
Goader, have I missed something? Lee de Cesare seems to think that you have banned me from this blog. This is news to me.
John D
3 Nov 09 at 8:50 am
John_D–
I have not banned you from this blog.
Goader
4 Nov 09 at 12:20 pm
Whats the matter John_D. Not getting enough attention? What a dumb ass question. If you were banned, how do you think you got your last post on this site?
Ok everybody….pay attention to John_D (umbass)
OMG
5 Nov 09 at 9:54 pm
Goader, I was happy with your simple response that answered a simple question. I reserve the free speech right to answer OMG, please.
OMG, if it didn’t appear, I would know I was banned. And when I wrote the question, I couldn’t see the future and know that it would appear on the site. Durr.
Did you bother to tell Lee de Cesare that it was a dumb ass statement on her part? What level of dumbassness was Goader’s answer if the question was so dumbass? Who is the dumber ass; me for writing the question, or Goader for answering it? Why didn’t you say anything to him? You’re very inconsistent.
You know, I am starting to realise that it is the OMGs and the Vox Populis of the world that are the real trolls. They spend most of their internet time calling people names; do they really expect no reaction? I pity their students if these name-callers really are teachers.
John_D
6 Nov 09 at 3:36 am
Does anyone give a rat’s ass about the eight-hundred pound gorilla in the room or am I just banging my head against the fucking wall?!
Goader
6 Nov 09 at 6:08 pm
Goader
You are banging your head against the wall.
The weak kneed teachers of this county will get what they deserve. We both know that the level of frustration is very high but the district knows that teachers will roll over and cower in fear.
Teachers are scared for their jobs and will dance like puppets, pretend and nothing will change.
John_D is a paid employee of the district.
OMG
7 Nov 09 at 11:35 pm
>John_D is a paid employee of the district.<
No, he isn't. But the teachers about whom you write are paid employees of the district. Ironic, isn't it?
John D
8 Nov 09 at 1:54 am