Monday, February 28, 2011

And Now for a Rant

Dear School Admins,

Thank you for the wonderful high school scheduling night.  I can't tell you how overjoyed I am that I took time off my job in order to come be informed about the curriculum and scheduling options for my child.  First of all, it was so helpful to receive several automated calls reminding me of the event. especially since they came at such convenient times like early morning on my day off, or during dinner on one of the few nights I don't work late and the entire family was home.  Also, thanks for noting the incorrect location of the event during the calls.  It made it so much more interesting playing hide and seek as so many of us were trying to get in locked doors.  It was even better when we found the right building and STILL the doors were locked and we had to go looking for the one door that was open.  Logically, you chose an out of he way side door obscured by hedges and a stairwell as opposed to the row of well-lit double doors which led directly to the meeting hall.

I'd also like to commend you on the slick video you put together introducing each department head and allowing them to read the list of electives offered in each department.  Since you're all concerned about budgetary constraints I understand why you opted not to print out course catalogs. I'm sure the video was a far better use of resources than making sure the school website was updated with that information and directing us there.  Oh wait, that would mean the website actually had to be functional...Oh, and the choice of background music, the theme from Forrest Gump, what a great touch!  I guess stupid is as stupid does.

It was so thoughtful of you to remove the pesky need for parents to give any kind of input as to the classes our sons and daughters take. Thanks for telling us those decisions are best left to teacher recommendations and guidance counselor discretion.  Having to communicate with my kids about their future plans and classes that might apply or what might challenge their interests is just such a burden and I'm sure I'm just not smart enough to know what might be good choices.  Also, I couldn't possibly know my child any better than a guidance counselor who couldn't pick him out of a police line-up.  As for the teacher recommendations, I've been so impressed with some of the recommendations in the past...the ones you don't want me to challenge...you know like when my honor roll son is told he shouldn't attempt advanced classes or be allowed to take a foreign language.  Yeah, I really had no idea what I was doing when I waived him into Advanced English, Advanced History, German, and two science electives...where he still makes it onto the honor roll.  Boy, am I glad I have you to keep me from making that mistake twice!

I was really excited to hear about the next phase of the massive renovation project too.  I remember what a great job you did with the new construction a few years ago.  Calypso's education was really enhanced by having three classes with no desks and a school covered in drywall dust because of the incredible planning and execution of that whole project.  I'm reassured by the vaguely hopeful comments regarding next year's stages.  I'm sure tearing down half the school in January of next year will not be in the least bit disruptive to the kids  so...

That's why it's so great that you've already announced the standardized testing dates for next year.  I'm so relieved that all the uncertainty about everything else hasn't messed up the Spring testing schedule.  Life might REALLY come to a grinding halt if anything were to disrupt weeks of filling in bubble sheets with #2 pencils.

To sum up, the welcoming effect  of the substance over style presentation detailing how I shouldn't even bother offering an opinion to my son coupled with blatant obfuscation regarding plans to ameliorate the mess and disorder caused by the next phase of the demolition construction plan was so not worth an hour and a half's worth of my pay.

Scathingly,
Lime

15 comments:

secret agent woman said...

Oh, don't EVEN get me started about how the high school here is run!

G-Man said...

Look out Trini, let me help steady your soap box.....

Hilary said...

I'd put you on the front page of the school board's newsletter.

Commander Zaius said...

...with no desks and a school covered in drywall dust...

My daughter's school was that way well into October last year along with the AC not working very well, now a few miles away near a wealthy neigborhood another new school of the exact same design was finished during the middle of August and had it air conditioning fully up and running.

Dave said...

Oh Michelle, surely you jest! No school or teachers can be that incompetent? Can they? Really? Oh dear! :-)
P.S. I enjoyed reading this - Dave

Moannie said...

I...grrrrr....can't...grrrrr speak..agrrrrr!

A microcosm of political interference-the nanny state-and petty offialdom grrraaaaaah!

www.retiredandcrazy.com said...

One word - brilliant!!!! But now I want to rant myself - don't these people live in the real world?!!

Bijoux said...

I'm with Agent. For me to even comment would require its own post. YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN YOUR FRUSTRATION!

Jazz said...

Well, if it's any consolation, it seems that schools are run in the same way in Quebec.

Suldog said...

I love it when you let loose with both barrels. Indignation in the hands of someone who knows how to write is a beautiful thing.

S said...

Oh god, dont even get me started....
our high school cut 10 days off the schedule, teachers got salaries cut for those 10 days, all because our school district is broke...

Ok our school district consists of ONE high school that has been here for 175 years or something, and they cant even manage ONE school?

All this is McMansion land, where homes cost at least a half million bucks, but closer to a million bucks....and we dont have any money, no no no we dont!

But I have to say the biggest goof was when our award winning band sent LR home with a band uniform large enough for three girls to fit into, AFTER measuring her, and told her that she was expected to look neat and tidy in this gigantic pair of pants and shirt~

What a fiasco
and try being a teacher...oh yeah, you know....
Just try standing there listening to everyone blame the teachers for how lazy thier kids are...as the kids sit their with 200 dollar phone texting and playing games instead of doing homework...

LOL Whew!

Craig said...

That penchant for telling parents to shut up and sit down and 'leave everything to us educational professionals' and it's implied corollary that 'we know your kids better than you do', just annoys the hell out of me. We don't bump into it quite as often as we once did, but it still triggers a reflex impelling my right fist into the nearest available jawbone. . .

I mean, I do know a thing or two about education my own self. . .

Craver Vii said...

I'm circulating a petition to put “intelligent human beings” on the endangered species list.

Confession: I have a huge crush on my kid's teacher. (We homeschool.)

Cricket said...

You mailed this, right? Please tell me you mailed this, if not to the school admins in question, then to your local op-ed page? Please, pretty please?

I love teachers. I loathe administrators, as do most of the teachers in my life. With all the political talk about "failing teachers," the fact that most of those go on to become, you guessed it, administrators gets lost.

My father will still get apoplectic if you remind him of the principal who changed the B a girl had earned in his AP Calculus class to an A because... well, just because. I mean, she got a bunch of other A's... obviously Dad must have screwed up. Right?

Seriously, mail this to someone.

Maude Lynn said...

This is so worth mailing to someone!