Open Up Your School

Last week, Sevier County voters determined that the government no longer needed more money to fund schools.  Unfortunately, the vote was 50/50 with just a seventy vote margin.  The county commissioners may change it and vote to approve the hike anyway.  On one hand, voters may have been put off by the property tax increase from last year when the Director of Schools complained of a shortfall.  On the other hand, this vote could have been a representation of public disgust of the leadership of the school system.  The vote failed by 70 votes, as of the election.  How could this vote have failed?  After all, it was “for the children” and it was heavily supported by the daily newpaper.

More than anything, the Sevier County Board of Education needs to view this defeat as a testament to public faith in the school system’s leadership.  Supposing that every single employee of the schools and a few friends or family each voted for the measure then it would be safe to say that the other 4798 voters probably have no affiliation with the school system.  Even though Sevier County Board of Education is the largest employer, the general public does not wish to extend more funding to the schools.  Seeing that nearly 5000 voters, probably not affiliated with the school, choose not to extend a helping hand to the school, perhaps the Board needs to consider new leadership.    This defeat should embolden a few Board members to consider changes at the top and in the central office.

This action was defeated amidst OVERWHELMING and GLOWING SUPPORT from The Mountain Press.  Many people chimed in on the internet of The Mountain Press on the various editorial pieces and letters to the editor that were “FOR” the tax hike.  Most of those against the hike were never published.  Only a few negatives were posted on-line with even fewer negatives put into print.  Stan Voit suppressed public distaste for this tax.  The public saw through the overwhelming media support and did NOT like what it saw.  Only 1 paper in Sevier County had the boldness to print clear opposition to this tax, The Seymour Herald.    The Seymour Herald is prone to giving opposition a voice, and WOW that voice was loud!  If the opposition was that fervent at a small, regional, weekly publication, I can only imagine that Stan Voit did a LOT of suppression at his daily, all-over publication.  Hopefully, the public can see through this ruse and can support the advent of a competing daily publication.

I’ve been blasted on other websites for articles/op-ed pieces in the Seymour Herald. Truly, I am bothered by some of the problems that I see in this school system. Take for instance the fact that this year has resulted in “deadly” and felonious threats that have terrorized the children of Sevier County. READ THIS STORY. This is not the only story that has covered this and many people have voiced opinions. I find it interesting that everyone wants to blame the parents. This is the same problem with our schools. They too want to blame parents. However, one line in this story is the most telling about one of the children who was arrested, “He made the comments while attending a church gathering the night before.” This line tells me that someone was involved enough in this person’s life to take him to church. Could that have been a parent? Could it have been a confidante? Regardless, this young man was taken to a gathering of people professing to believe in God.

I believe in God. I may not be the most pious man in Sevier County. I would not even put myself in the top 75,000 (in a community of 75,001). Of the sermons that I have heard, forgiveness, love, mercy and compassion are the most discussed items in the gatherings that I have attended. I have heard so many powerful and stirring sermons that tugged my emotions every which way. Yet this young man walks away from this gathering to wish felonious harm upon other school children. Shall we, as a community, blame the pastor of this church for not rousing this young man’s emotions. Perhaps one of the deacon’s happened to preach, shall we blame the deacon for not “stirring the water” in this young man’s soul? Shall we blame the choir? Perhaps someone in the choir sang a sour note causing the young man to become detached from the “Holy Spirit.”

Of course, all of this sounds ludicrous. The school has been quick to denounce that any problems exist other than these are bad kids. Even worse, some of the lapdogs of the school system have been quick to throw red-herrings out about bad parenting. Let’s kill this argument once and for all. How poorly is a child brought up that desires to commune with GOD? How sick is a parent that wants to take a child to a church gathering? We pretend here that we are good ol’ Christian folks, while cowering in fear of Earthly things. We have such a strong attachment to our social rankings that we sometimes have troubling seeing real problems. Once we move past the idea that the parents are bad, we can analyze how problematic school life must be for a teen in Sevier County that a gathering of Christians can NOT dissuade his anger and frustration. How antagonizing must the situation have been that the love of GOD could not stir a child to calm in the duration of this CHURCH gathering? How heated is this young man’s life inside this school system that he would utter felonious threats of violence in the presence of the God-Fearing following ALTER CALL?

Say what you will! Think what you will! The problem in OUR school system is greater than a single sermon at a house of God. A parent obviously did something right by trying to involve this young man in church. That tells me that the parents are involved and trying. I have witnessed first hand that teachers are willing to intrude in family life to stop taunting that occurs off school grounds when they are not privy to any sort confrontation. I wonder, though, do some of our teachers absolutely cower in fear of confronting abusive hazing on school grounds while the children are actually in their charge? Would a teacher with a little backbone have made a profound difference in this young man’s life by telling the taunters to shut their mouth?

We can take much from this article. The child did not threaten his “bad” parents. The child did not threaten his “bad” pastor, his “bad” deacons, his “bad” choir or his “bad” fellows in church. This child allegedly threatened children at a high school. Can we not safely deduce that the problem might lie somewhere in OUR school system?

I understand that in writing this, I will offend many people. First, people will consider it a gross violation of a teacher’s privacy for my having written this. Second, people will jump to the conclusion that I have a brat that deserves what she gets from teachers.

I feel beyond a shadow of a doubt that my concern about the treatment of my daughter will remain off the records of these “professionals.” When these professionals go on the offensive of another child, I want other parents to know that complaints have been made to supervisory staff whether these complaints stick in the records remain to be seen.

The Setup

My daughter and another girl goes to their teacher at the end of the school day and class period and ask if they may go to the the bathroom to change for softball practice which will be held behind the school at the ball field. This teacher tells them to wait until the bus riders are called. To give perspective car riders are called out 1^st. Then after an unspecified amount of time which could range from 5 to 10 minutes later, the bus riders are called.

After the car riders thin out, the bus riders are called and my daughter and another little girl go to the girl’s bathroom to change. The stalls were full so these two waited for an empty stall. (At this point, I interrupted my daughter’s telling and asked why she could not change without a stall. I pointed out that no one in the toilet should be anatomically different. She flipped out on me, “What if boy walked in, Dad, there’s no doors!!!???” I remember being a little boy, a simple dare could have put me walking into an open bathroom.) The girls got their turn to change, rounded up their books and stuff and proceeded to go outside.

My daughter approached the two teachers on “GUARD DUTY” with a handwritten note in hand from my wife explaining that she would be staying after school to walk over to ball practice. She and the other girl were questioned.

The Beginnings Of A Problem

Ms Tallent: “Where were you?” (I asked my daughter to mimic the teacher’s tone as best as possible. I told her that was no attack or affront to her, she should just answer the question.)

My daughter: “We were changing.”

Ms Tallent: “Where were you changing?” (I’m thinking, “what a goofy follow-up question, but still not some kind of mental assault. I told my daughter that teacher’s are going to try to see that children are not up to mischief and that she needed to grow a thicker skin if that line of questioning bothered her.)

Other girl: “We were in the bathroom by the office?”

My daughter handed the teachers the note and that should have been the end of this contact but it was NOT.

The Real Problem

Ms Brasington: “YOU’RE LATE!” (STOP THE TAPE!!! I asked, “you were late to softball practice?” My daughter told me “no.” Confused by this idea of being “late” to nowhere, I listened silently.)

The girls explained that all the stalls were full.

Ms Brasington: You guys have been late all year, but softball hasn’t been going on all year! (More on this statement in a moment!)

The teachers stated that the girls needed to come out when car riders were called! (More on that in a moment!)

The girls explained that another teacher told them to wait until the bus riders were called out before they could even change.

The teachers then gave instructions to the poor, dim-witted little 7^th graders on how to get to the ball field. The girls walked away.

My daughter was smart enough to know that she was being attacked and until Ms Brasington spoke up, Ms Tallent was well within her duties to simply question. This however is called the teacher gang-up. One teacher is offended at a parent and the parent is an involved parent that is not going to take any crap, so the teacher plays nice and professional. Another teacher understanding the angst of the offended teacher, pounces on the child when an opportunity arises.

The Harassment

Let’s start with Ms Brasington’s quote, “You’re late.” A person can be late to a meeting. A person can be late to school. A person can be late to a class. A person can be late to practice. Never in my life have I heard of a person being “late” to leave a school. I would expect better use of the English language from an ENGLISH TEACHER. What happened to “teachers are there long after the 3:00 bell to help children?” What if my child was staying after school for a few minutes with a teacher asking for help? NO MATTER WHAT, A CHILD BEARING A NOTE FROM THE PARENT DESCRIBING THE CIRCUMSTANCE OF THEIR EXISTENCE ON SCHOOL PROPERTY AFTER SCHOOL HOURS SHOULD BE THE END OF THE QUESTIONING OR SMART-ALEC COMMENTARY. And that kind of note was handed over even before the extra commentary began! Can we, as a community, not go to a school after hours and walk on the track, play basketball on the outdoor courts or play on the playground? So being on school grounds after the bell rings at the END of the day is not some hideous crime worthy of an inquisition. As long as my children or any other riders that must be picked up get in the appropriate vehicle before that vehicle pulls away, they are NOT LATE!

The Lie

Ms Brasington’s 2^nd comment, “You guys have been late all year but softball hasn’t been going on all year” is a real attention-getter. If you are reading this, no doubt that you think my daughter is some slovenly, lazy, extremely slow child who is forcing teachers to stay after school for no apparent reason. You might even think my child is a problem child. This “embellishment” was meant for the sole purpose of demeaning my child and nothing more. This statement aids in painting a picture of my daughter that she is some horrible repeat offender of something or anything. HOWEVER, my daughter has been involved in athletics since the beginning of the year such as volleyball then basketball. She has stayed after school for more days than I can shake a stick at. OTHERWISE, my daughter rides THE BUS!!! So she has NEVER been “late” to leave the school. The ONLY time that my daughter has been a car rider has been for doctor or dentist appointments or a family emergency. And for that family emergency I was the front car in the line and she was one of the 1^st crowds of children out of the door.

The girls need to come out with the car riders. This is a ridiculous comment because the girls may not even start changing UNTIL the BUS riders are called. Time-wise, or better yet scientifically, it would be impossible for 7th-grade girls, when bus riders are called, to walk to the bathroom, take off their shoes, change into athletic apparel, put their shoes back on, walk out of the bathroom, round up their homework books (since they can’t take those into the bathroom for fear of explosives), and walk out with all of the other car riders.

The Confusion

One teacher tells children to do one thing; then after children do as they are instructed, another two teachers make the children feel inferior for obeying the first teacher. This goes back to the fact that I am not bothered by teachers questioning the whereabouts of children. I am bothered by the extra and most certainly unnecessary commentary when the questions have been answered. These girls did not need to be shamed for changing their attire but that is what Ms Brasington’s goal appears to be. Now these girls have conflicting messages in their brain: “Do we obey the first teacher or do we say screw you?” “Do we bolt for the door when car riders are called and change on the field so that we don’t offend some other teacher?” “Should we hate school so bad that when the end of day comes that we should want no involvement in this and get out of there as fast as possible?”

The final insult was telling 7^th grade girls how to get to the ball field. To understand how insulting it is to tell these girls how to get to the ball field, we must understand that this school fears that 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade girls are so brilliant that they can design, manufacture, install and remotely detonate a BOMB!!! These girls cannot even take books, pencils or anything else into the bathroom. (As a side-note, I am surprised that tampon and pad dispensers haven’t been installed out in the hallways to take away any sense of privacy from these girls.) Yet standing at the back door, looking across the driveway and the playground and observing in plain view with the naked eye where the ball field is, our girls are so stupid that we need these two brilliant linguists and meta-physics scientists to detail how to get to there. Hey! My girl has walked across a Wal-Mart parking lot during Christmas rush and lived to tell about it. I think she can safely make it to a ball field on a school campus without added insight.

The Actual Beginnings Of The Problem

Why would I call this a teacher gang-up? A few weeks ago, my daughter was in the wrong place at the wrong time. (It may have been 1 time in 8 years, but wrong is still wrong.) A student reported that a teacher stated in-class that my daughter and other girls were caught doing a slutty dance, perhaps they were doing the twist God knows how satanic that dance was in Chubby Checker’s day. I blew a gasket and wanted this investigated. By merely asking for an investigation, the teacher was “offended.” I could probably understand the offense of inquiry of such a dastardly accusation if this was the schoolmarm from Snuffy Smith. However, I have had reports that this particular teacher throws the word “slut” around in class rather casually. My son had this teacher years ago and confirmed this. Other children that I know have had this teacher and have confirmed this. One 6^th grade girl was even told to her face by this teacher that she looked “a little slutty.” So hearing that this teacher used the term “slutty” and my daughter’s name in the same sentence did not appear as far-fetched as it should have. The investigation turned cold as children fearful of reprisal by teachers claimed that they weren’t sure what the teacher said. I was told that my daughter may have received a little embellishment from the other children in their reporting. It is from this offense against a teacher that other teachers having heard about it in the lounge may feel the urge to pile on and I am much more attentive today than I was a year ago.

The Mountain Press ran a story on Friday, January 11, 2008 on the front page about a teacher who is bothered about her transfer. Reading the story, I find it interesting. When I went my rounds with the central office about the incompetent teacher at Sevier County High School, I gave them all the evidence in their lap to show how incompetent and abusive the teacher actually is based on measurable standards and witnesses willing to come forward. This was not good enough, it didn’t even merit a slap on the wrist. The parent, this time, gets a sympathetic ear and a responsive board. I just wonder how this woman’s meeting with John Enloe went. After all the contract states that before the board will hear about a teacher, the parent must have mediation meetings other than the principal. While my board address focused on lack of an impartial investigation and the sham of an investigation that I received, this complainant spoke directly about a teacher. I was given run around after run around but this woman seems to have went through the system smoothly. My congratulations to her for the expediency.

Trying to determine “whose” side I am on is difficult. By looking at how the story is written out, the student claimed in class to have authorization to leave. Upon leaving, the teacher calls the office to check up on the student only to find out that the student had no authorization.

To this point, I, as an independent thinker, would consider the child a liar but I also understand that communications can and will get mixed up in offices. Pooh happens!

The teacher leaves her post to make certain that the student is not wandering the halls, having sex in the toilet, or who knows what. So far, I like this teacher. She cares what is going on with her students! She goes to the office and claims that she has been lied to! Up to this point, the teacher has broken no confidentiality of any student nor has the teacher misspoken. The Mountain Press writes that the student, while making arrangements (meaning that the student still didn’t have authorization after all the searching) to leave, overhears the teacher’s remarks and is offended.

The parent arrives the next day demanding an apology. She meets with the teacher and the principal. Teacher refuses to apologize. At this point, I disagree with the teacher. The teacher says that “If the complainant refuses to participate in this procedure, any and all references to the complaint shall be removed from the teacher’s file.” I see the parent as participating. Participating does not mean that the meeting has to end with everyone in agreement. In real life, some people will just not agree. Teachers cannot dictate HOW MUCH a parent participates because parents are not LITTLE CHILDREN to be dictated to. So the parent has done her part. If the parent feels wronged then the next step needs to be taken. I just wonder if the Board and central office badgered her (the parent) about following through all of the steps of the contract as they did me.

Nevertheless, this little exercise appears to be a study in double standards. I feel that if this teacher was a coach on a ball team, she would have been given a pass. After all, the teacher that called my son a loser is one of the football coaches in Sevier County and the wagons circled to completely protect him in the face of all of the evidence. My wish is to know BOTH teacher’s Grade Distributions for the last 5 years. Let us all see, as a community, which teacher has done a better job at doing their job. CLICK HERE TO SEE WHY GRADE DISTRIBUTION MATTERS! By this comparison everyone can see what kind of double standard truly exists within this community. Since Jim Wade says, “Teachers are taxpayers, too,” I hope that he helps Ms. Fisher get on the agenda because it is her Board of Education also!!!

What follows is a response to a question posted on Knoxville-News Sentinel’s School Matters Website. The question was, “Should Knox County School Board offer a starting salary of $250,000?” My response was regarding a statement made by someone who declared that the prerequisite for the position should be a Master Degree in Business or Doctorate of Education. Not all of what I posted showed up. I wanted to make the complete response available and tie it into Sevier County.

I understand this overwhelming feeling of being downhearted on voting for people. I voted for George Bush and he has let me down. I voted for state candidates and local candidates who have been absolute let downs. Nevertheless, I refuse to think that only appointed officials can be of high quality, I’m certain that the people of Pakistan would currently disagree. The Florida Supreme Court tried to usurp the authority of the Constitutionally-recognized body politic and tried to appoint an elected official. Luckily, the United States Supreme Court sided with the people and recognized the Constitutionally-designated body that certifies election results. Hence today we have an elected president who has a $400,000 a year salary with an operating budget in the trillions. Do you honestly wish that Congress would simply appoint their own President? How much money would Congress have to offer for that position?

I dread the day that all Americans would rather trade the right to vote for public officials for the sake of expediency. Why do we have this phobia about finding the “right” person for this job? It is not the Director’s of Schools (super) job to spend any money….that falls to the board. If they are too busy in their personal lives to even look for their own super then they are way too busy to be making fiscal decisions. The super is responsible for hiring and firing teachers, but the board is solely responsible for establishing the guidelines that the community demands of teachers. If the board is too lazy to create policy that establishes guidelines then you end up with a super making up his/her own policy from day to day.

Where did we go wrong in our thinking? The super used to be the “president of the local school systems.” Now the super is nothing more than an extravagantly paid teacher. What happens if 100% of the Lawnsdale and 100% of the Karns area residents want the super dismissed for incompetence? Nothing happens because other Board members may have a top heavy electorate rendering an opinion of admiration. But if Knox County had 51% of the population demanding the super’s removal at least they could get rid of him in an election! One or two school board members cannot dismiss the super; it requires not only a 2/3 vote but a board member with enough backbone to Motion/2^nd th Motion for dismissal… then you have a contract issue to deal with.

If the time is close to the next election ride out the poor leadership and vote for someone else. As a public official, the voting public can demand a recall if the next election is too far away. AND THERE IS NEVER A CONTRACT ISSUE!

Going back to this “ideal” super, if a child said that a teacher lost his/her mind in front of the class, and a super investigated it and found the statements to be true, does the fact that the super makes a $250,000 salary make his termination of the teacher…better… if the super was making less than $250,00 does that mean that the teacher did not flip out? Why do we keep saying that we “need the right man to lead us into the future?” For K-8, do we not want our children to be able to read, write and understand the English language! How much of that has actually changed in the last 40 years? High school is either job preparation or college preparation. The only change that I have seen in the core courses is a computer introduction course. EVERYTHING ELSE IN HIGH SCHOOL IS ELECTIVE!

I have even heard an argument that goes along the lines of.. “We need continuity of leadership!” Says who? If a teacher is teaching 1^st grade… a change in super should not affect what is taught inside the class… unless the teacher is doing a crappy job at teaching.

As for having a law degree to be a judge, I think that came about in the 1960’s and has even been contested as recently as 1999 in White House, TN. The whole point is that our MODERN world view means that we worry more about “Good Form” and keeping similarly educated individuals from mingling with the lesser educated people. Has our crime rates increased since the ’60’s? Yes, astronomically! Has our schools deteriorated since the early ’90’s? Yes, catastrophically! We have done this to ourselves by allowing the legislature to make these fine-sounding laws which limits community influences.

“Some of the worst teachers I’ve ever seen are highly certified. Look at our public schools. They’re full of certified teachers. What kind of magic is that accomplishing? But I can take you to the best teachers I’ve ever seen, and most of them are uncertified…. We don’t have evidence at all that what we do in schools of education makes much difference in teacher competence.”¹

—Dr. Donald Ericksen, UCLA

1. “The ABC’s of Reform: Give Parents a Choice,” Insight, 24 September 1990, 13.

I feel the exact same way about Director’s of Schools!

From the Sevier County Perspective:

Imagine that all of Becky Barnes’s voters demanded Dr. Jack Parton’s removal. She could raise her hand at the next board meeting and make the motion for Parton’s removal, but if no one 2nds the motion, it doesn’t even get to a vote. Ms. Barnes will have just wasted her breath and Newcenter School will still be even more on the backburner than it is now.

Then again suppose 100% of the Kodak population wants their Board Member, Stanley Moore, to push for Parton’s removal and Mr. Moore 2nds the motion since this neck of the woods has done with limited for awhile. Now the community gets to have at least a vote.

Mr. Oakley has the Gatlinburg area that just fawns and dotes over Mr Parton since Gatlinburg-Pittman High School and Pi Beta Phi are highly regarded. Pittman Center is enjoying a new school, so those voters are content. But he has a small contingent of taxpayers in the Jones Cove area that understands that their school as at the bottom of the barrel just like Wearwood or Caton’s Chapel. Since his largest voting block is the happy people of Gatlinburg, he sides with KEEPING

Mr. Mclure hears only scant complaints from his voters about discipline issues and those are redneck folks that don’t really matter anyway. He votes with KEEPING

Mr. Temple has a lot of people that are upset about busing issues, if they are not rich enough to drive their own kids to school they are not respectable enough to worry about. He votes with KEEPING

By this determination, (which by the way is theoritical… this is just an example of how the system fails the community) 2 board members vote for removal, 3 board members vote for keeping. Jack Parton stays. Out of this example, though, the percentage of voters in the community that want a new SUPER is 65%,(remember– theoretical unless people start talking), now the will of the people is hindered and the community is completely disenfranchised from a governmental institution that requires regular tax increases to maintain.

I’ve been attentive to news stories of late, particularly to stories involving any school system. There seems to be a public debate of how our school system is getting into such poor shape. I have pointed the finger at the non-responsive administrations. I have even mentioned the unions, Tennessee Education Association and its local county branches. I never would have thought to mention judges until just recently.

With the current discussion of teachers and their inappropriate conduct, we must look at two recent cases. Let’s delve into Kent Steven Armstrong, 44, a longtime teacher at Seymour Elementary. This story broke on August 1, 2007 on WBIR.com http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=47685. He was arrested in Tyson Park for indecent exposure. On October 10, 2007, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported that he pled guilty to indecent exposure. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/oct/10/seymour-elementary-teacher-pleads-guilty-indecent-/ I went to the Tennessee teacher license lookup site, http://www.k-12.state.tn.us/tcertinf/EducatorInfo.asp?tid=230884 and found that this teacher’s license has not been revoked as of October 27, 2007. By just looking at what the news reported, he pled guilty to indecent exposure but is NOT required to register as a sex offender. He resigns from his teaching position to save his tenure rights as a teacher. All charges will be dismissed after six months of no trouble.

1. He is fully licensed to teach in the state of Tennessee until 2012.

2. The school, by not firing the teacher, has paved the way for this instructor to re-enter the teaching profession not only without penalty but with full reinstatement of his state tenure rights.

3. The court, by not requiring him to register as a sex offender, has given the government’s blessing on shaking your wiener at police officers and still be allowed to teach children.

4. The court, by dismissing the charges after six months, has blinded any school districts ability to see any improprieties in this certified teacher’s public history and given this teacher the government’s blessing to be exposed to children!

When this teacher applies for a job on April 11, 2008. According to the paperwork, this will be a fine teacher worthy of praise and honor and glory. This teacher, if hired, will not be starting from scratch; this teacher will be fully tenured in any school system in Tennessee.

Then we have this story, about a Chancellor (judge) reinstating a teacher, Debra B. Ripley, who went ballistic on her class. This site, http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/oct/25/chancellor-reinstates-anderson-teacher/, points out that the judge ruled that statements from students in connection with allegations of irrational behavior shouldn’t have been admitted in the board hearing on the matter and were a violation of Ripley’s due process rights. So the government sides with the teacher’s union lawyers that children cannot speak out about their teachers when they act like nut-jobs.

The Oak Ridger web-site gave a little better detail than the radio or the Knoxville News Sentinel, http://www.oakridger.com/stories/102407/new_211418554.shtml. This cites what actually happened in the class. She allegedly threw a book bag out the door, tore up school projects, and threw files. This goes back to some arguments about teacher’s word against student’s word. These children stated to principal, administrators or whoever that this action occurred. Because they are children, (Eighth Grade, I might add) their word is garbage; it is only an allegation. I refuse to think that children cannot distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behavior. The chancellor states this was a violation of due process! How much due process does a school system need to get a nut-job away from children? We are not talking about the arrest or incarceration of this woman, we are talking about termination for inappropriate conduct. She still has a college education. She just needs to find something else to do with her life that would NOT be abusive to children!

So now the cat is out of the bag, the whole world knows that this woman is a chronic depressive. Do we as a society say, “Have nice life. We wish you the best but we don’t think that you need to be teaching children.” No we allow our government to say, “She MUST teach your children, she has TENURE! And you stupid parents cannot do a thing about it!” The ramifications of these governmental proceedings are far reaching. It shows that the government is more concerned with the status quo than with the welfare of the children. It is past time to start contacting state legislators and letting them know that it is time to change our current tenure laws. The parents and the school systems need this change in order to remove teachers whose conduct is most inappropriate. Moreover, parents need to call Anderson County School systems and let them know that they are supported in their decision to get rid of teachers who blow up on their students. After all, who is responsible for the children’s safety in the event that she goes off the deep-end again? Who is responsible for the children’s safety if she becomes violent when NOT taking the proper medication? Also we need to call the Tennessee Education Association and tell them we appreciate their efforts to keep these fine teachers in schools. And to think this union wants self-governance over teachers. How embarrassing, TEA and these judges should be ashamed! If this type of behavior by teachers is so brazenly protected by the government, how long before teachers feel so empowered that they can molest children? Oh wait! We’re too late!

I’ve been updating the site and trying to focus on what to do after the board meeting. The clear message from the Sevier County Board of Education is don’t bother us. We don’t want to talk to parents publicly. What is interesting is that 2 seats are up for re-election within a few months:

Elections: February 5, 2008

School Board – 2nd Educational District
School Board – 4th Educational District

The filing deadline is DECEMBER 13, 12:00. As of now, only 2 people are running for these positions. Mr. McClure of the Boyds Ck area and Mr. Temple of the Seymour area. These are incumbents that currently sit on the Board!

I certainly hope that other people in the community consider the possibility that they would like to run. To be on the school board, you have to live in the representative district and have a high school diploma. The school board is a prestigious position. As a member, you vote on HOW MONEY IS SPENT FOR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. You help determine board policy which shapes the running of the school. And for 15 to 30 minute meeting, you get around $400.

Now, I want to discourage EVERYONE from running who doesn’t want to give up one Monday evening for the community members. The current board members are so extremely busy in their personal lives that they struggle to make time for the board meetings and when gavel strikes they bolt for the doors.

• My hope is to find people who are willing to listen to parents and any other taxpayer in the community for more than 5 minutes if necessary.
• My hope is to find people who are willing to look at policies that are vague and improve them for the sake of education.
• My hope is to find people who are motivated enough to want to change failed policies altogether.
• My hope is to find people who want to make education work for more than just the union’s benefit.
• My hope is to find people who yearn for community involvement and PROVE IT!!!
• My hope is to find people who want to establish standards of quality that are measurable and worthy of being upheld as a part of board policy.
  

Folks, I know that you are out there! You may even think that you cannot beat the entrenched system. I will support anyone willing to make changes in the status quo. The first step is going to the Sevier County Election commission and signing up. I think plenty of people in this county would like to see some change. You will NOT be alone!

On October 8, 2007, I was given the opportunity to address the Sevier County Board of Education. I felt honored for the opportunity to exercise my First Amendment Rights of the freedom of speech and freedom of petition for governmental redress. I spoke about the investigation procedure involving my complaints about inappropriate conduct.

I asked for 20 minutes. I was told that I could ONLY have 5 minutes. On more than one occasion, I was told that no presentation could be longer than 5 minutes. This is not entirely true. Mr. Summit of Sevier County Bank was allowed to speak for over 15 minutes in a presentation at the August meeting about a proposed benefit for teachers. Ms. Cline spoke for much longer than 15 minutes at the October 8^th meeting regarding the roll-out of the new Sevier County School System website. (Kudos, it looks good, but I’ll bet they won’t link to my site; but I digress.) I guess that as long as your comments are pro-school and full of praise and worship, your presentation is unimpeded but anything critical is allowed only 5 minutes.

Another point of interest is that my elected school board member told me that no one keeps a stopwatch, just keep it reasonable. At the meeting, I found that Mr. Oakley, the chairman of the board and member from the Gatlinburg area, keeps the time against parents (not bankers)! Something that bothered me is that my own elected official did not speak up on my behalf and ask the board for a two-minute extension nor did that person make a motion to put my time to a vote in the meeting. Quite frankly, I would have accepted questions just as Mr. Summit and Ms. Cline. Yet the stone-silent mood of the board members was “sit down and shut up!” The mere fact that NO board member spoke up at all shows that the current members may be uninterested in problems in the school system. I do not fault the others outright because I do not vote in their respective districts.

The news is not bad though. The Mountain Press’s Title on page A6 of the October 9^th Edition is “Parent says allegations against teacher, school not taken seriously.” The article excels at exposing how seriously board members take this. In other words, no one wants to hear you. I will always remember how I was censored to keep the embarrassment level to a minimum. I will do my part to keep governmental apathy as a forefront issue. The way to fix problems in this school system is either to energize the incumbent members and let them know that you support them on hearing from parents and fixing problems through effective policy or to elect new people to the school board who are not so busy in their personal lives that they refuse parents sufficient time at board meetings. Elections will be held in a year.

My presentation in it’s entirety can be viewed HERE!

Folks, I have stayed away from commenting on the idea of school and religion! I know that whatever my opinions are about GOD are not going to be changed by YOU, easily! Vice versa, I will not easily change your mind. But the argument found on the School Matters Website http://schoolmatters.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=879777%3ATopic%3A5213&page=1 is about a member of the Knox School Board recommending support for a prayer and motivational event. The argument has forked into separation of church and state and school nutrition.

First, I want to get this into the forefront. SCHOOLS SHOULD TEACH RELIGION! Schools should teach Christianity as much as it teaches Greek Mythology. Do I equate Christianity with mythology? NO! However, many children can identify the PANTHEON of Greek/Roman Gods and Heroes by the sixth grade; while few high school graduates can intelligently identify the people of the Christian faith and their impact within the religion. Just when I think you cannot get any angrier, I’m going to throw this out: SCHOOLS SHOULD TEACH EVERY MAJOR RELIGION! I think that children should be taught major differences and similarities in the precepts of different faiths and the people who impacted those faiths. We teach this material in college! Why not teach it in lower schools? Can your child tell you what Sharia Law is? Do you, as a parent, understand the impact of the arguments for creating separate zones in America that allow Sharia Law to supersede American Law? Can your little girl explain why 9 (nine) – year –old girls in Iran are executed for adultery under Sharia Law when 9-year-old girls (4^th grade) in America can barely comprehend adultery? Such small details as the leader of a faith marrying a 6 year-old girl and consummating that marriage when she turns 9 years-old would be valuable in allowing an educated electorate to choose whether to allow a specific religion to dominate any American community. If you ask your son if he wants to live like Buddha and he says, “YEAH! SURE!” You might smile thinking great, my son is going to be a peace-loving, compassionate fellow, but before he became the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, indulged in every earthly pleasure as arranged for him by his father, the KING. He even walked away from his family in pursuit of his own spiritual happiness!

I think teaching Christianity is not a bad thing. Too many illiterate pastors try to spread religious inaccuracies concerning the one faith that commands repentance but demands MERCY. I actually heard a preacher state that Gospel and Country Music were the only acceptable forms of music of which to listen. I have yet to find that one in the BIBLE. I feel like too many people cannot read the word of their own faith without going, HUH! Reading the Religious Scriptures of one’s own faith is important to not only our own spiritual well-being but also our freedom. Any people can be deceived by shysters when that group of people cannot unlock the written word with their mind. Just look at the Middle East. If you don’t agree with the local religious leader, you can get shot. If Religious Studies can be offered at the collegiate level in publicly funded universities, why can’t local schools offer those courses?

Second, schools should be able to point to a definitive source when teaching right from wrong. The Bible has stood for generations as a source for defining right from wrong. It contains musings just like the other religion’s writings but the only things that I hear people decrying is the fact that the Bible states that homosexuality is an abomination and that people need to devote their lives to one God! As a Christian, I agree with my faith. It is not my place to go changing the Scriptures because it does not fit the modern mindset. The Holy Bible, as it is currently translated, has existed since 1611 (King James Version); so if anything, we, as an English speaking nation, have lost our ability to read and understand the religion that many of us profess.

On the other hand, as an American, it is not my place to go into another American’s home or bedroom and dictate what that person does. I have enough on my plate dealing with my own sins to worry about how to control other people’s lives. Rather, it is my individual responsibility to set an example which can be seen through my actions. I understand much of the frustration with Christianity. It is embarrassing when school children or their parents see potentates of, or actually teachers from, the largest churches in the community being abusive and/or discriminatory in their actions towards some children. The behavior reeks of hypocrisy and falseness. Yet some of the most abusive teachers attend those large churches for the political insulation offered from gathering with the rich and powerful. Put bluntly, those children on the receiving end of the abusive, discriminatory behavior, or just plain snobbishness are turned off from Christianity, figuring if that was the best the faith had to offer, they would just look elsewhere for inner peace. Perhaps this is the real reason Christianity is not taught in public schools, it would be embarrassing for a child to call an adult on inappropriate behavior in accordance with the guidelines of the faith.

Third, elected officials are human beings with opinions. They can say what they want and show support for who they wish. Quite frankly, I like it when they do that, it gives me a chance to know where they stand. In the same breath, I have the right to vote. If I disagree with an elected official or who they support, I can vote for someone else at the next election. That is what is so neat about a representative government; I don’t have to shoot anyone to cause a change in government. I can change that government at the next election! If I don’t like the outcome of that election, I can move to another community or I can work more diligently to convince people to adopt my opinion. Moreover, by a single person merely stating support for a faith-based event does not establish Federal Support for a religion. If there is some fear that Federal support for a religion is being established through the fact that schools receive Federal dollars, then cut off the FEDERAL funding. If we pay for our schools within our own communities, we won’t have to bow to the dictates of the FEDERAL government.

Finally, I liked the school food that I had growing up. It was beneficial for preparing me for married life. After all, not everyone was going to cook like Mom or the women at the local churches. (I know that if I single out any church in any community, I will start another heated debate; so I will just say I NEVER WALKED AWAY FROM ANY CHURCH HOMECOMING—HUNGRY!) I, however, think it is asinine to tell parents and teachers to provide “nutritious” treats ONLY. The whole purpose of a treat is the fact that it is out of the ordinary. If you have 30 children in a class and each parent brings cupcakes (even though we know that only a few parent do this in any given school year) in for the child’s birthday that is 30 days out of 180 that the children will get sweets. If you have candy for Halloween, Christmas, and Valentines Day celebrations, that is 3 more days. Are our children really getting fat from this? I guess if we all want our children to grow up to be like the healthy-looking Disney children (Christina Aguillera, Britney Spears, Vanessa Hudgens, N’sync, Backstreet Boys, et al) we need to develop a nutrition police. Everyone would be happier if they all looked like movie stars. What happened to simply being comfortable in your own skin? By the way, nutritional fads and information changes every so many years. Does anyone remember when COFFEE caused heart disease? Years of research later and that theory is blown all to pieces.

My daughter came in last night and said, “Ms. XXX would not acknowledge me when I raised my hand. I held it up for 30 minutes. I went to the principal about it. I want transferred out of that class. She said she would see.”

I had a big problem with all of this.

1. She had her hand up for 30 minutes. Is the 30 minutes an accurate gauge of the time or an exaggeration? So my daughter had her hand up for an extended period of time. Now what? I asked if the teacher was lecturing, sitting or going through a questions and answer session? She told me it was a questions and answer session. I am bothered to know that during a q and a session that my daughter was snubbed, but as I explained to my daughter sometimes teachers let other children have their questions answered in order to keep it from looking like one child is being petted. Still the teacher could have said, “I’ll finish questions in a moment” or “Try working on this for a few minutes.” Any number of phrases would let the children know that she knows they have a question but that they may need to try a little first to see if everything falls into place.

2. She went to the principal. That is fine and dandy, on the one hand, to be confident and comfortable enough to approach the principal. On the other hand, for the feeling that she was snubbed, unless this was a recurring problem, all children cannot be made happy all the time.

3. She asked for a transfer out of the class for fear of dropping grades. Why would my daughter feel like a teacher could so easily effect grades without recompense? My daughter has seen it happen to my son. It is this fear of having a teacher that bases grades on whether the child is liked or not that cripples learning. Where would my daughter get this idea? It comes from having witnessed her brother’s and other people’s treatment at the high school level.   I, however, feel that she may be overreacting a little over one (hopefully isolated) incident.

I let her know that I wanted to know if this kind of treatment ever happened from this teacher or any other teacher ever again; but I was not going to tolerate her being transferred out of the class based on her desire alone!

I think the idea that has gotten out is that I do not or this website does not stand for discipline or that children should dictate the course of the school. My daughter may have misunderstood that just because I am becoming more involved in the process and that I am more sensitive to the fact that teachers treat children poorly sometimes that she will be swapped around easily. She got a rude awakening. My belief and my goal is that teachers should treat all of the children equitably but equitable treatment does NOT obligate the teacher to be a doormat for children. Only if the teacher was being regularly abusive would I seek a transferral. As I told my daughter, “Toughen up. Life is not always going to be fair! And you will have teachers who don’t fawn and dote over you.”

Make no mistake, I will watch as the situation and the school year unfolds. If this situation happens again, I will replace the X’s with the teacher’s name and I will start asking if other parents are having the same problem with the same teacher!