The purpose of the "Giles Free Speech Zone" is to identify problems of concern to the people of Giles County, to discuss them in a gentlemanly and civil manner, while referring to the facts and giving evidence to back up whatever claims are made, making logical arguments that avoid any use of fallacy, and, hopefully, to come together in agreement, and find a positive solution to the problem at hand. Help make a difference! Email "mcpeters@usit.net" to suggest topics or make private comments.
Come see amazing feats of trickery, illusion and deception. This is not an ad for David Copperfield or some other incredible magician -- no, it's an invitation to the Giles County School Board Meetings. [click on "comments," below, to continue reading]
posted by J. Kendrick McPeters | 12:43 AM
24 Comments:
With the activities of last nights meeting the Board lead by Mrs. Norman was able to create an illusion to match any prestidigitator of our time. By presenting a budget in the morning and allowing Board Members to study it during the day then giving them a substitute only moments before the meeting began they were able to pass a whole bunch of amazing amendments with hardly a question. Misdirection is always a favorite ruse of the tricksters.
A list of new hires was presented to the Board including those in the new category at risk personnel but missing from that list was the name and any reference to Mrs. Bernetta Houston and her new title or salary. While the trick of the vanishing lady is an old one it still amazes.
Another great trick was turning a frog into a prince and it only cost a bit over $13,000. You see thats the amount of pay raise given Mrs. Sheila Mittlesteadt when they changed her title from Vocational School Secretary to Administrative Assistant.
The Board presented Dr. Collins from Nashville who serves on a number of state boards including the governors Bio-fuels advisory board. He spoke impressively about the nanotechnology program at G.C.H.S but failed to mention the nano-enrollment in the class, less than ten. He spoke of the importance of bio-diesel fuels but had no idea that bio-diesel fuels had driven milk prices to $5.00 a gallon and increased the price of all food stuffs including that for all meat animals. He did admit an awareness of sharp increases caused by the record price for corn and wheat.
There was much applause for the food service director and the central staff in getting cold water for all the students riding buses home in this intense heat. Nothing was said about Ms Ayers from the newspaper that spend several hours in the heat and sun to expose the intense heat on the buses and demand that something be done to give some relief. Action was taken only after a newspaper article was said to be forthcoming. Im sure that had nothing to do with the issue but at least Ms. Ayers could have been included in the praise.
--Allen Barrett
wab
You are the one who is so desirous of praise and attention.
Whining seems to be a favorite ruse of the powerless.
To:
Friday, November 23, 2007 5:29:00 AM
Why can't you say something they did right in the first posting, so we will know why what WAB said was wrong. We are left wondering, because all you can do is whine about wab.
To me the pot calls the kettle black.
11 23 1:03 Wonderful piece of literature!
Reminds me of coyote & roadrunner - wonder what they will dew when their runaway spending train hits the tunnel that ain't a tunnel on the side of the mountain?
Someone needs to get a tax petition on the next ballot - require a vote of the taxpayers for ANY INCREASE!!!!!!!
luvit
Mr.Barrett may do a lot of whining, but it certainly seems justified most of the time and he is willing to sign his name, which is something I don't have the guts to do. Unfortunately, unless one is working in the school system, the true picture of what is actually happening is misleading.I would love for the public to know how badly some of the teachers are being treated and what some teachers are getting away with. Mr. Barrett is right to question some of the expenditures of the GCBOE....their refusal to give their employees even a 1% raise,saying the state gave a raise like that excuses them of their responsibility. The "board" is perfectly content to let someone else take care of their obligations.I find that less than honorable, to say the least. The ridiculous platitudes they hand out don't quite ring sincere and frankly I find them insulting. They "appreciate teachers, but there is no money." If you appreciate something or someone,you find a way to pay for it. Mr. Jackson received a raise. The cold snap last spring made me appreciate my heat pump and I found a way to pay my electric bill when the time came to pay for the extra usage.The heat wave and drought we've experienced this year is expensive but all of us have found a way to pay for extra utilities, because we appreciate the comfort they provide.I doubt that any of our school board members called up PES and told them how much they appreciated them in Sept but just didn't have the money to pay the extra amt on their bill.The board and Tee have admitted to having a surplus of funds, but they certainly have no intention of rewarding their employees. (And just imagine how much surplus there really is if they admitted to almost a million) One would think that the board would be embarrassed to be the lowest paying county in our area; instead they seem to take great pride in seeing how little concessions they give their employees while creating outandish salaried positions of questionable nature (Ms. Houston for 1 example),and allowing the glaring dereliction of duties by other teachers.(the after school program director who is drawing a salary as a teacher and director after being told she could not do both jobs. The board found a way to pay for that and for the third year in a row, the students assigned to her have a parade of different substitute teachers, some certified, some not. She is exempt, apparently, from duties that other teachers are forced to do such as monthly reports, dress code compliance, web pages, etc. Mr. Jackson and Mrs. Braden allow it,so Mrs. Swinford's hands are tied and there is a room built for public school use being used solely for private reasons filled with thousands of dollars worth of equipment.(literally)Staff was told that equipment bought with grant money was for Southside's use, but room is kept locked at all times. Teacher's workroom has been moved to a back office which is less than a third the size. (Last year, teachers did have access to equipment, but no longer)
So yes, I am glad Mr. Barrett speaks out, wish I had the courage and I hope that members of the school board find a way to make it up to their employees with something more than empty words. It's not like they were asked to give something outrageous like a "cost of living" raise....or even take the lead by giving a measley 3%, instead of letting someone else step in and take up their slack, (sounds kind of like "deadbeat dad" syndrome to me...."let somebody else take care of my kids, I'll just interact with them when it's convenient.") Most parents have more pride than that, you would think a man of integrity would at least refuse a hefty pay increase fo himself if he couldn't get his workers something, anything but a "thanks, but we're not giving you a dime more, not because we can't, we've already said that there is money there, but because we don't want to." They didn't use those words, but that is exactly what they meant.
We aren't surprised at the board's vote on this and many other issues, except in one instance...Mr.Greene, we really thought that you backed the teachers. You talk a good game, but really caved when push came to shove. A special thanks to Mrs. Murrey and Mrs. Turner for having the courage to go out on a limb and saying teachers are worth it and we will find a way to prove it to them.
Sorry for the length, more later depending on response...if more info is wanted by public, I will be glad to provide it, anon...I have to work.
Personally, I think that if Mr. Barret would like to be taken seriously (as a journalist and as someone who just wants to pass on information to the masses) he should attempt to write with less bias. It's too scathing and mean -and not even in an amusing way. Let us come to our own conclusions -don't make them for us.
Mrs. Middlesteadt is a nice lady with a lot of responsibility. She does a lot. In another post there were complaints that school workers weren't getting paid enough. I'm glad at least one got a raise. Yay for her.
It's not a question of if Mrs. Middlesteadt is a nice lady, most everyone would agree she is, the problem is one of perception. Is it justified to change a person’s title and have them continue with the same responsibilities and get a $20,000.00 dollar raise while telling others you can't give them a one percent increase? Administrators are making much dinero while the bus mechanic, the cafeteria worker, custodian, maintenance, secretaries, etc are struggling. When the teachers carry the greater responsibility should they not be paid more, I suppose they should change their title from teacher to “Purveyor of educational material and indoctrination terminologies for the advanced assimilation of receptors into the societal evolution”. That should be worthy of a raise! Allen Barrett
I didn't say that Mrs. Middlesteadt's nice personality was what should gotten her the raise. If that was true some of the best teachers would never see a pay increase. I just feel as though they can't give everyone as much money as they deserve RIGHT NOW, you know? So they give it to someone who perhaps hasn't seen an increase in awhile or was underpaid before. When was she last given a raise? How much did she make before? Did her duties really not increase or was it just not specified at the meeting?
As for Giles County's teachers it's my understanding that you didn't attend Giles County schools, did you? I mean no offense, but you if you weren't taught my them how would you know that they're teaching us all to be "another brick in the wall"? I attended Giles County schools my entire life. I have some complaints (mostly in the math department), but I can honestly say that in no way was I or anyone I've talked to encouraged to "follow the party line" and be like everyone else. Sure, we had to tuck our shirts in and were obviously encouraged not to fight or do drugs or shoot anyone, but I still have fond memories of debates and discussions in certain classes and all of the differing opinions that were brought forth. My educational experience could be different than someone else's -I just graduated a few years ago- but if you're going to be concerned about Giles County's school children, be concerned because of the teachers who don't teach -not the ones who are supposedly filling young minds with horrible ideas and encouraging them all to think alike. Because that's just not what they're doing.
To Anonymous of the 4:48 PM post
I fear you may have misunderstood my 9:09 post. My statement about the position of Mrs. Middlesteadt was not about the right or wrong of the matter but as I stated the negative perception created by the huge increase. As for her previous pay increases she has received the same as her contemporaries.
No, I did not attend Giles County Schools but I have two children that graduated from Richland and a granddaughter who will graduate from GCHS this year. I have substituted in several of the county schools including the Alternative School. I did attend twelve years of school in Murfreesboro, colleges in Texas, Georgia and Maryland all before you were probably born, according to your statement of having graduated just a few years ago. I have lived in a number of different states and foreign countries and been involved in several different types of school systems and I agree with you that in many ways Giles County is far ahead unfortunately, as with any institution there are good and bad individuals. My belief is that the current situation with the school board and the school system is in many ways misdirected. One of the prime problems is instead of addressing the problems and correcting them the greater effort is to cover them up and keep them from the public. Here is an example a teacher identified as a “good” teacher is allowed to continuing teaching even after the principal School Director and School Board Members have been made very aware of her sexual relationship with one of her students.
You state that I should be concerned with, “teachers who don’t teach”; well that is what my primary focus has been on. I know there are many excellent, highly dedicated teachers and I have publicly commended them as classroom heroes. I have spoken before the School Board and County Commissioners in favor of higher pay including a ten percent pay increase for classroom teachers this very year. Part of my problem is that money keeps being hidden in the school budgets and the vast majority of money for pay increases keeps going to administrators who for the most part have very little direct contact with the children, while classroom teachers, maintenance, cafeteria, custodians, mechanics, bus drivers etc are always the last ones invited to the trough. Allen Barrett
What teacher are you referring to? I know of one at Elkton who is currently involved with someone who used to be a student. I also know of a GCHS teacher who has married several prior students, but both of these are "old news".
You said your main concern is that some teachers don't teach, but in a previous post you stated in jest that teachers should change their job titles to “Purveyor of educational material and indoctrination terminologies for the advanced assimilation of receptors into the societal evolution”. To me (perhaps mistakenly) that indicates some sort of bias not against the teachers, but of the content they supposedly spew. These teachers who are apparently indoctrinating schoolchildren with liberal/conservative/whatever ideals (though I don't know who that would be) are not who I am referring to when I say teachers who don't teach. Because I would have rather had a teacher who wanted me to vote a certain way over one that I had who gave her class a quiz with questions about her life so that they could receive homework passes and not have to learn their subject.
wab ( aka champion of truth, justice, and the American Way)..
Oh, the problem of perception, as you call it. Just be specific with regard to the public's "perception" of Mrs. Mittlesteadt's promotion? Are you suggesting something sinister? Be specific. She is a very nice Christian lady and it is totally over the top to "suggest" ANYTHING!
To Anonymous of 7:55 post. You are correct on the information you state as being old news. The teacher I spoke of was recently divorced after spending time with the student in Florida. This matter may very well come up at the next regular school board meeting unless I decide to speak with the reporter from Columbia.
The reason I suggested teachers’ change their title was, as you stated in jest, based on the fact that several other people in the school system and city government have simply changed titles, kept the same responsibilities and received huge pay increases. By using more complex terminology to describe themselves I thought perhaps it would be easier for teachers to receive more just pay increases. It’s like the difference between being a secretary vs an office administrator or being a city recorder vs being a city manager which implies the greater responsibility or commands the greater respect? It’s the same with cafeteria worker vs food service administrator or janitor vs curator of abandoned treasures.
I think perhaps your objection was triggered by the word “indoctrination” which has come to mean to some a form of “brain washing”; I used it merely to reflect the idea of teaching or training. Sorry for any confusion I may have caused.
To anonymous of the 12:01 post. The only suggestions of anything sinister involving Mrs. Middlesteadt was in your mind and post not mine. I never suggested anything about Mrs. Middlesteadt, my post concerned her pay increase only. I doubt that she was even involved in that decision other than simply being the recipient. You merely have to ask some of the teachers if their “perception” of the pay increase was positive or negative. It didn’t surprise me that you tried to turn my post into some personal negative comment that’s what you usually do. What would surprise me is if you were to examine my statements and respond based on the accuracy or inaccuracy of the statement instead of attacking the personality without any validating support. Allen Barrett
N23 - 5:17
good message - teachers need to be heard, not muzzled. When someone messes with your pay, the first instinct is to feel overworked. Truth is the issue!
got to realize that bureaucrats feed off power and mindless control. ask for help & they'll hire half a dozen more bureaucrats to watch what you're doing, more forms to fill out, and a whole herd of others dedicated to getting in the way. By the time they get done paying them, there won't be enough left to pay you. By the time they build a fancy new facility to house the bureaucrats, nothing is left to patch the school roof. It's the clueless telling you what to do. By the time you get done filling out forms, telling the helpers what to do, and learning the new rules, it's quitting time, time to turn off the computer games, & time for you to go home hoplessly frustrated. Any of it ring a bell?
I truly feel for you. We need you, not bureaucrats & fluff! Teaching is what it's all about - time to make the parasites unnncommmfortabbblle!
wab..
Oh, but you did "suggest" the potential wrong perception created by a pay raise for her. What did you mean then?
To anonymous of the 4:45 post. I would not want to inconvenience you by asking that you please go back and re-read what I said so I lifted the quote and am placing it here for your convenience, “I fear you may have misunderstood my 9:09 post. My statement about the position of Mrs. Middlesteadt was not about the right or wrong of the matter but as I stated the negative perception created by the huge increase”. I’m sorry but I did not take the time to explain each word for you. As most people can clearly see the focus of my statement was not about the person involved but the situation that was created by a third party. If you would simply learn the meaning of words perhaps the sentences would not be so difficult. Allen Barrett
WAB,
It is posts such as you last one that convinces everyone that you are egotistical and obnoxious. A simple clarification without the smart a__ stuff would have sufficed.
anonymous..
He typically resorts to condescension and obnoxious behavior when someone calls him to task. And he can't see it! Remarkable.
Why did I get smart with the anonymous poster who continually criticizes me but can't give a legitimate reason or engage in a meaningful dialogue to support such criticism. I simply have no patience dealing with one who chooses to act as that poster does. I have no problem with being criticized but do expect an explanation to support such criticism. The anonymous poster continually tries to misrepresent me as "egotistical and obnoxious" yet offers nothing in support. Simply because I have chosen to identify myself and take responsibility for what I write does not mean I have to let some coward hiding behind the anonymous label berate me at every opportunity without responding. Allen Barrett
WAB
You should contact the Columbia reporter and let that reporter investigate the situation of the teacher/pupil relationship. Its your duty if you know of something that is a crime. Thank you
wab...
News flash...you ARE egotistical and obnoxious! And I am neither of the two who criticized you. They don't need anything other than your own words to prove the point.
As for the teacher who may or may not be seeing a former student, why is that any of your business or mine? Try to remember that there are former students of the school in question who are fifty and older.
hey dumbo the problem wasn't about a teacher seeing a "former" student it was about one practically living with a "current" student who sat in her classroom last year. There were times last year they left school together and were even seen parked in the parking lot kissing. I graduated so I don't know about this year but last year it was one of the worse kept secrets next to Hastings skirt chasing teachers and students.
1129717 Imagine a 50 year dropout - 30 year old teacher - 13 year old student wanting to learn
What teacher was this?
Past time to turn the heat up on the the school monkey business. The 12-10-7 entry in the first blog fits the remedy for these clowns!
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