The tweets yesterday from Dr. Blackburn had me thinking all day and night. Is the problem the teachers or the students? Is it the administrators or the board? The short answer is that the fault lies with everyone in the system past and present, and as a history teacher, you can trace this back hundreds of years to fit whatever narrative you believe in.
Would moving successful teachers from Woodrow to SOC change SOC? Would taking Townview teachers and putting them at Roosevelt make a difference? What about our private schools? Could an ESD or St. Mark's teacher create lasting change and Pinkston or Lincoln? That's a BIG maybe.
Kids are kids. Every campus has its challenges. Maybe none of your kids can read, which is a common problem at some of our lowest performing and improvement required campuses. Maybe parents are too involved and won't let their kids grow and learn on their own or are always calling and yelling at teachers to change a 95 to a 98. That happens at some of Dallas' best schools. The question is can we help our whole district be moving some of the "best" DISD teachers around.
I've visited and taught at both sides of the spectrum and I can say that many of the "best" teachers have NO IDEA what they'd be in for and they probably would be raising hell to leave within the day. For example, at Dade Middle School, many of the teachers brought in to stabilize the school left with a quickness once they realized the nightmare they walked in to. Others refused and threatened to leave the district all together when told they were being shuffled over. Some of these teachers would see being moved to an IR campus as a prison sentence. The stories are true or at least based on real events. These schools are difficult. The students are hardened. All the hugs and love and snacks you bring will reach some, but others haven't been loved in so long they don't even know how to digest it.
An IR teacher could absolutely make the transition. The other way is much more difficult. For the sake of the kids, I'm more than willing to try though. All options have to be on the table. The current way isn't doing enough good for our students
Would moving successful teachers from Woodrow to SOC change SOC? Would taking Townview teachers and putting them at Roosevelt make a difference? What about our private schools? Could an ESD or St. Mark's teacher create lasting change and Pinkston or Lincoln? That's a BIG maybe.
Kids are kids. Every campus has its challenges. Maybe none of your kids can read, which is a common problem at some of our lowest performing and improvement required campuses. Maybe parents are too involved and won't let their kids grow and learn on their own or are always calling and yelling at teachers to change a 95 to a 98. That happens at some of Dallas' best schools. The question is can we help our whole district be moving some of the "best" DISD teachers around.
I've visited and taught at both sides of the spectrum and I can say that many of the "best" teachers have NO IDEA what they'd be in for and they probably would be raising hell to leave within the day. For example, at Dade Middle School, many of the teachers brought in to stabilize the school left with a quickness once they realized the nightmare they walked in to. Others refused and threatened to leave the district all together when told they were being shuffled over. Some of these teachers would see being moved to an IR campus as a prison sentence. The stories are true or at least based on real events. These schools are difficult. The students are hardened. All the hugs and love and snacks you bring will reach some, but others haven't been loved in so long they don't even know how to digest it.
An IR teacher could absolutely make the transition. The other way is much more difficult. For the sake of the kids, I'm more than willing to try though. All options have to be on the table. The current way isn't doing enough good for our students
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