Gardner herself, out of all the people in the h.s. that day, found the first note in a student bathroom (not a student/faculty bathroom as stated in the paper.)
The final note was found in the h.s. library the morning after a school committee meeting that took place in in the h.s. library just hours earlier, a meeting Gardner attended along with Kathleen Anderson and Sonji Johnson-Anderson and others.
Gardner is the one who noticed that one of the bald tires on her car was soft after school one day.
No other racially motivated notes have been found in the schools since Gardner quit showing up to work.
Although I believe that racism is alive and well (for lack of a better expression), not only in Amherst but in this country as a whole, I find it hard to believe that the notes were not very much a personal attack on a teacher who may have been a bit of a nightmare in the classroom, with race as a way of expressing a student's (or students')difficulties with Ms. Gardner. Is that racism or a convenient slur because a student knew it would hurt? You could easily substitute a black teacher with a Jewish teacher or Latino teacher or any other ethnicity or religion with the "appropriate" slurs and it still might not be racism. The fact that no other minority teacher has been subjected to these kinds of slurs since she left solidifies my belief that Ms. Gardner herself caused problems in her classroom. Sometimes a bad teacher is simply that - a bad teacher. And sometimes stupid, insensitive kids are simply that - stupid and insensitive.
According to her, it started with the theft of her iPhone. How is that racial? And considering how many phones are stolen in that school, she cant claim she was singled out.
This lawsuit is nothing short of blackmail. I don't want the district giving her one more penny of our tax dollars. She really needs to just go away. I work hard 9 to 5 to support myself and my family and a big chunk of that hard earned money goes toward paying taxes. I don't want any of my hard earned money ending up in this fraud's pocket. I can't believe this town was thrown into so much turmoil last year over the things that are reported to be in her complaint. Enough is enough. Go away Carolyn Gardner and harass and blackmail another town.
We are only teaching these students that if you whine enough, and to the right people and over a highly sensitive topic, you will get sympathy, money and "fame."
Where there are humans, there is racism. That is a fact and it will never change, no matter how "educated" we are. You can't regulate racism and you can't restrict it. That would be like regulating/restricting how we breathe.
It's time to realize that racism is real and it's here to stay.
Whether I agree with Ms. Gardner or not, I honor her courage for not taking the pay-off offered by Ms. Geryk because it was obviously put forth to silence Ms. Gardner and prevent Larry and the rest of us from ever knowing the truth! Many of us believe this school administration is morally corrupt and a danger to our children. It appears that the superintendent's overall strategy is to fan the flames of racial hatred so she can divide, conquer and control us, and pass around cash to her "loyal" friends. We should also applaud the other heroes of the Great Amherst School Civil Rights War of 2014 - ???. Like Ms. Gardner, Mr Akalis, his son Dylan and our own Larry Kelly, should all be honored for their courage in defense of all our, our children's and teachers' Constitutionally protected rights to be free from morally corrupt and illegal Amherst school intimidation and discrimination.
I understand why we have become a culture of settle out of court people, but I wish we where not. Since Garder has chosen to reject the initial offer that was more than she deserved, I think the administration needs to hold firm and offer her zero moving forward.
I am no fan of the current administration but from reading the story on Gazette Net I don't think the administration did anything wrong. I think they went out of their way to help this woman. The only settlement Amherst should offer her is to pay for a few years worth of psychological counseling.
I understand why we have become a culture of settle out of court people, but I wish we where not. Since Garder has chosen to reject the initial offer that was more than she deserved, I think the administration needs to hold firm and offer her zero moving forward.
I am no fan of the current administration but from reading the story on Gazette Net I don't think the administration did anything wrong. I think they went out of their way to help this woman. The only settlement Amherst should offer her is to pay for a few years worth of psychological counseling.
Whether one agrees with Ms. Gardner or not, we should honor her courage for not taking the pay-off offered by Ms. Geryk because it was obviously put forth to silence Ms. Gardner and prevent Larry and the rest of us from ever knowing the truth! Many of us believe this school administration is morally corrupt and a danger to our children and teachers. It appears that the superintendent's overall strategy is to fan the flames of racial hatred so she can divide, conquer and control us, and pass around cash to her "loyal" friends!
From the article in the paper her story makes her look paranoid. Writing "Roots" on her door. Mildly racist, yes, but threatening??? The note in the bathroom is expressing how someone deals with her class. Instead of wondering if the note writer might hurt her, she may want to ask how bad is my teaching that someone has to fantasize about her being hurt to deal with the pain of her teaching.
It all looks like someone picking at minutia for there own personal gain. One could reason that it was either orchestrated by Gardner herself or someone who just wanted to mess with her and get her to leave, as no new racial issues have happened to other teachers since she left.
This women really need to take a long hard look in the mirror.
Now you kiddies know why racism never goes away. Whenever the need comes up, the "Race Card" always comes into play. Amazing how she could get PTSD from these events. She better find a safer place to live. What an ass...
Fat chance of getting any documentation on this one Larry. If this has gone to the MCAD, they won't even finalize a decision on this for 3-4 years is my guess.
To those who think the Town will pay her or for their attorney fees; they're wrong. Well, they're wrong as long as the Town has the proper Employment Practices Insurance.
Whether one agrees with Ms. Gardner or not, we should honor her courage for not taking the pay-off offered by Ms. Geryk because it was obviously put forth to silence Ms. Gardner and prevent Larry and the rest of us from ever knowing the truth!
Silence Gardner about what? She's told us everything now and there's nothing there.
I'm sure it's frustrating that none of last year's shenanigans worked out the way you wanted them to for you and Carolyn and the others, but really, anon: silence her from telling us WHAT?
affirmative action shows its nastiness. Unqualified candidates was hired, who failed to inspire students, and grew tension in classroom.
When incidents happened, just stop showing up for work, crying racism, and sue the hell out of the town. She doesn't have to work for a while, even retire out of this.
It is time for the town to get over this racism crap. Adopt color blind policy through schools. hire the best teacher. Let all students fly as far, as fast as they can.
A little birdie told me that after multiple and expensive in-school accommodations didn't meet her desires, after she was offered other teaching positions, and before she was offered a year's pay to terminate contract negotiations and just go away since nothing would work for her, that she tried to get Geryk to give her a central office admin. position, and she was explicitly supported in making this request by Baptiste and Vernon-Jones and Shabazz, ie. they verbally pleaded the case to give Gardner a central office admin. position to Geryk on Gardner's behalf. That's why you hear the school's attorney saying she was offered "other jobs she was qualified for" rather than just "other jobs". Apparently she would have been able to deal effectively with her PTSD within a central office position.
This is crazy cause the school went out of the way to help her, by hiring her a body guard and even having a body guard she still didn't show to work a lot. No other racism has happened and how come it was only her out of all the colored teachers/staff at the high school no one else was targetted. They also hired people to sit in the halls to montiter the students. Why did she leave her last job? I hope the school doesn't cave in cause it would end up costing the tax payers a lot. Why is it that it seems she was the only one who ever seemed to find these notes? I never heard of anyone else finding any.
Hey, lady. We all want an early retirement. We also all put up with a lot of shit in our own jobs - more insulting and charged than what you were "subject" to, without the benefit of every heart-on-sleeve leftist coming out to have a vigil for our anguish. A real "warrior" would have kept fighting, not the administration for a bigger buyout, but for your principles.
Amherst School Bullshit Alert!!! Beware, a deluge of nasty, crude racist subliminal messages directed at a respected Amherst teacher are being disseminated throughout cyberspace and on the Republic of Amherst blog by zombies masquerading as school disinformation officers, or is it the other way around? Happy halloween!!!
Got news for you 412, everyone see's what's going on and no one thinks the admin is to blame. You continue to look as silly as you did last year. Everything is out in the open now and you and your crew got nothin. Nice try, it's pretty much over.
Which one of her supporters are YOU? Anderson? Sherlock? Sonji-Anderson?
Activist:"Super, one of us, a teacher in your school, is harmed and suffers." Super: "Oh, I am sorry. We have been trying our best to help her." Activist:"Not enough. She is tramatized over the process." Super:" We hire her a body guard who follow her and protect her, and hire hall monitors to make sure students dare not to create any more problems. " Activist:" Not enough. She is harmed, and she deserves a promotion!" Super:" What does she want to do?" Activist:"She suffers PTSD. She doesn't want to teacher those wicket students any more. She deserved a promotion to your central office!" Super:" But she doesn't have administrative experience, or training..." Activist:" Don't fool with us. Are you a Super material? You are just a SPED teacher. We put you into super's seat. now you forget us?" Super:"ah.." Activist:"Your central office staff are well paid, their work are opaque. A good place for a PTSD to recover." Super:" Central office is staffed with all highly qualified staffs. She is a tad short of qualifications.." Activist:" Super, you staff your crony into high paid cushy position in central office for years. We haven't said too much about it. Now you reject one of us? She may become your crony down the road, of course our support of your super seat.." Super:"But this is too obvious, since public already know her background too well. the public will find out about this. and becomes upset..." Activist:" Super, Super:" This is too much. I may lose my job."
When the teacher heard about Super's stubbornness, she just had one word: "Sue!"
I am not going to comment on the legal issues here, but I want to respond to the anonymous (of course) person who said this:
"affirmative action shows its nastiness. Unqualified candidates was hired"
That's simply untrue. Don't assume that a black teacher is hired as an act of affirmative action. And don't make a statement about someone being unqualified when you have no basis for it. Ms. Gardner presented very strong qualifications.
If you have issues about the middle school acceleration policy, then just state those issues and have a dialog about that. I would be happy to converse with you about what I consider to be the most important elements of challenge.
There is no need to attempt to tie everything else in the school system to your dissatisfaction around middle school math.
knowing what we know now which is everything it's easy to look back over last year and see that all the antics of gardner's crew was all a strategic ruse. shabazz has gotta go and vernon-jones and douangmany must be kept OUT.
where are their megaphones and civil rights songs and their teenage social justice leader now?
I find it hard to believe that any ARHS student would have any idea of the TV show "Roots" or the book. Any reason to think otherwise? Is it shown in school? It's nearly 40 years old
Gardner's MCAD complaint (link above -- thank you) is enlightening.
First, teachers with tenure -- which in K=12 you get with your third year automatically -- simply do not give it up and move to another district where they have to re-start the process.
Likewise, a district simply doesn't hire a teacher with 10 years of seniority on the pay scale, let alone one with a CAGS. It's money -- you want teachers at the bottom of the pay scale because they don't cost you as much.
Above and beyond all of that, though, I think that Ms. Gardner was cheated -- the University of Massachusetts ought to have spent less time teaching her about oppression and instead taught her how to teach Math!
She's a victim of racism all right -- the racism of the UMass School of Education and it's fascist ideology of hatred.
Social Justice my _ _ _ -- *I* actually "walked the walk" on that stuff and look at what it got me. UMass loves to preach it, but they don't believe in it -- and if they actually had, they would have helped Carolyn Gardner become so good a Math teacher that the racists & bigots would have had to behave themselves lest they not have the opportunity to be in her classroom.
There's racism here folks -- but it isn't where or what you think it is. A White Male would have been required to learn how to teach Math....
But Dr. Ed, (according to her MCAD complaint) she got her professional status (what you call tenure) after 7 months with the ARPS system - not at the end of her third year of employment as is usually the case per union contracts. So much of this whole situation reeks!
she got her professional status (what you call tenure) after 7 months with the ARPS system - not at the end of her third year of employment
another example of how the administration went out of their way and above and beyond to support and accomodate gardner in her position, giving the teacher with 11 years experience that status removed the stress of not knowing whether or not her job performance would become an issue related to her employment status. but to her supporters this is further evidence of racism. really quite unbelievable.
"But Dr. Ed, (according to her MCAD complaint) she got her professional status (what you call tenure) after 7 months with the ARPS system - not at the end of her third year of employment as is usually the case per union contracts."
I think you are right -- she wouldn't have to be put onto unpaid leave status if she didn't have tenure -- they simply wouldn't have offered her a contract this fall.
However -- and I have to check -- I think that K-12 tenure is a matter of State Law and not the union contract. I believe it pre-dates the unions and it was established to address issues of nepotism and political hirings -- the same issue that the Civil Service System sought to address.
This is really interesting -- I've never heard of this being done before. And how do you do it mid-year when the existing probationary contract is still running?
And the other issue is that -- as a general (race-neutral) rule, you don't want a teacher with 11 years of experience coming into a department because he/she/it is going to have some long-established opinions on the way that things should be done and this will become instant conflict not only with the other teachers but the Department Chair who may not even have that much experience himself/herself/itself.
There is a lot to be said for experienced teachers going to other systems -- but it doesn't happen. It's like having men answer the rape crisis hotline -- it doesn't happen....
I gotta ask -- was was/is the union's position on all of this?
Oh, and yes, this is the sort of thing that makes you really want to support the civil rights laws. They really protect all persons, don't they?!?!?
It is clear from her statement that Ms. Gardner had a grudge against the school for educational disagreements stemming from when her son was in the school. The district then hired a disgruntled parent who now will try to make the district pay in other ways.
The problem is that this (former?) teacher's allegations of racism trivialize true instances of racism and bigotry and, therefore, epitomize a disservice to true victims.
"The problem is that this (former?) teacher's allegations of racism trivialize true instances of racism and bigotry and, therefore, epitomize a disservice to true victims."
I would go further -- people like Gardner actually create racism & bigotry. Prejudice is actually a rational way of interacting with the world -- a way to avoid being overwhelmed with data -- and not inherently bad.
For example, Judie's Restaurant -- my presumption is that the food will be delicious. I've already pre-judged the quality of the meal -- I've evaluated it with prejudice.
Take, for example, a half dozen young men (of any race) walking toward you on a dark sidewalk somewhere. They are loud & disorderly and you then hear the unmistakable sound of an empty bottle breaking on the pavement. Are you not making some quite rational judgements about men whom you have never met?
What Gardner has done is create the presumption that people who appear to resemble her actually do. Hence the next woman who speaks with an accent, who chooses to attire herself in the type of clothing that Gardner wears, whose skin is the color of Gardner (remember that race is a social construct) -- the next woman who reminds people of Gardner is going to be treated as if she IS Gardner...
This is no more irrational than presuming that a meal at Judie's will be delicious -- and this is the real cost to this foolishness.
One point further: This is why I am so adamantly opposed to the Special Olympics -- it creates the perception that everyone with a disability is reflective of the participants and nothing could be further from the truth.
The same thing is true of veterans, the vast majority of who return and readjust to civilian life.
MCAD and the courts will find this administration guilty of discriminating against teacher Gardner because of the color of her skin. While we do nothing, Supt. Geryk and her greedy school cartel cronies suck our tax-funded school coffers dry.
"MCAD and the courts will find this administration guilty of discriminating against teacher Gardner because of the color of her skin. While we do nothing, Supt. Geryk and her greedy school cartel cronies suck our tax-funded school coffers dry. "
"We as black people are never going to be successful, not because of you white people, but because of other black people. When you are black, you have to deal with so much crap in your life from other black people," Barkley said.
For some reason we are brainwashed to think, if you're not a thug or an idiot, you're not black enough. If you go to school, make good grades, speak intelligent, and don't break the law, you're not a good black person. It's a dirty, dark secret in the black community.
There are a lot of black people who are unintelligent, who don't have success. It's best to knock a successful black person down because they're intelligent, they speak well, they do well in school, and they're successful. It's just typical BS that goes on when you're black, man."
Of course none of the term "success" in his quote is a reference to Carolyn.
Once again, people come on line so they can be anonymous and mean. What's your excuse, 5:31 PM?
People including most teachers I know except you, Nina, are pissed at what she's doing and the lack of gratitude she displays for all that EVERYONE did for her last year. From students to teachers to administrators to community members and beyond, we all wasted a year trying to support her around something that was much less than most teachers deal with on a daily basis. She and her do-nothing-but-protest-everyone-else crew tried to weaken us (only to strengthen us) and they put our kids second and her and themselves first all year. Now she hires someone to out and defame a young girl who made a silly mistake, just like her inside crew member Shabazz did last year during an official and public meeting. They place their self-importance above our kids' educations.
We're mad now that she also wants a half a million dollars of OUR money on top of the year she stole, so someone insulting her unprofessional attire and appearance should be expected. That's the excuse I offer for 5:31 PM
If you feel that your sentiments are so justified, you ought to be able to attach your name, 8:35 PM. Right now, your name is 8:35 PM.
And yes, if someone comes on here to make fun of people's clothes, hair, body, etc., I will call that out as mean and unproductive. It's not what I consider adult conversation. It's certainly not what we want to model for our young people.
I can't imagine why you would possibly care if someone decides to wear a scarf or not. It's just a scarf.
No it's a doo-rag. A scarf is worn stylishly around a neck. A doo-rag is wrapped tightly around a head and is a style used mostly in prisons and poor black neighborhoods, and has its origin from slavery times.
Last school year, The high school students , teachers, and community come out to support Ms. Gardner and hope to put a closure to it and unite the community and move forward. Ms. Gardner' refusal to district''s work accommodation and financial settlement, both of which come out of good will, and turn around sue the district for half a million dollar damage on baseless accusation. That is a complete selfish act, a slap on face for real discrimination victims, and supportive students, faculties, and community at large. That selfish act further divide and weaken the community.
Nina Koch, do you consider yourself a friend of Ms. Gardner? What is your assessment of Ms. Gardner's lawsuits to our school district at the expense of our community at large? Do you agree the district' work accommodation and financial settlement has been out of good will, and are very generous in nature?
I had assumed the name of the HS student in the description of events by Ms. Gardner was an alias. Is this her real name? If it is her real name (not a common one) then surely Ms. Gardner has broken a law, or at the least shown extreme disregard for her profession and its commitment to protect the rights of students.
I hope the girl's family sues Carolyn Gardner for breach of confidentiality.
I'm still holding out hope that the families of the kids whose confidentiality and privacy Shabazz violated sue him and the other SC members who attended the illegal meeting where they further breached their rights, or that at least when the kids turn 18 they decide to sue themselves.
here's something amherst sc member amilcar shabazz wrote on facebook in february. i guess carolyn gardner isn't the only one who feels victimized:
"I have faced white supremacy from day one on the school committee from the words and deeds of some of my fellow school committee members. Such behavior is unacceptable to me and I have had to fight to not be dismissed, disenfranchised, and just plain, ol’ dissed. Some of my white colleagues on the town and regional school committees like to talk about modeling civil discourse but some of them have not “walked the talk” by me. I do not serve on the regional school committee to serve any of my fellow committee members or the superintendent. I am there to work collegially to figure out how to maintain and to improve the work of our schools. I refuse to spend my precious time telling someone how to treat me with the same respect they give to the white men or white women on the school committee. If they have not educated themselves enough to function in a diverse setting like our school committee, then they should resign and let others do so who can."
Gee. Maybe it should have been an unpaid administrative leave.
ReplyDeleteGardner herself, out of all the people in the h.s. that day, found the first note in a student bathroom (not a student/faculty bathroom as stated in the paper.)
ReplyDeleteThe final note was found in the h.s. library the morning after a school committee meeting that took place in in the h.s. library just hours earlier, a meeting Gardner attended along with Kathleen Anderson and Sonji Johnson-Anderson and others.
Gardner is the one who noticed that one of the bald tires on her car was soft after school one day.
No other racially motivated notes have been found in the schools since Gardner quit showing up to work.
Just a few of the facts surrounding this case.
She sued the school for racial slurs? How do we know she didn't write them on the wall herself??
ReplyDeleteNot completely sure what the lawsuit entails since I do not have the document in hand.
ReplyDeleteI called Mr. Ryan yesterday morning and left a message requesting it.
Thus far he has not returned my call.
Although I believe that racism is alive and well (for lack of a better expression), not only in Amherst but in this country as a whole, I find it hard to believe that the notes were not very much a personal attack on a teacher who may have been a bit of a nightmare in the classroom, with race as a way of expressing a student's (or students')difficulties with Ms. Gardner. Is that racism or a convenient slur because a student knew it would hurt? You could easily substitute a black teacher with a Jewish teacher or Latino teacher or any other ethnicity or religion with the "appropriate" slurs and it still might not be racism. The fact that no other minority teacher has been subjected to these kinds of slurs since she left solidifies my belief that Ms. Gardner herself caused problems in her classroom. Sometimes a bad teacher is simply that - a bad teacher. And sometimes stupid, insensitive kids are simply that - stupid and insensitive.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThe new method of gaining a paycheck for a no show non working employee.
What a can of worms this will open
According to her, it started with the theft of her iPhone. How is that racial? And considering how many phones are stolen in that school, she cant claim she was singled out.
ReplyDeleteThis lawsuit is nothing short of blackmail. I don't want the district giving her one more penny of our tax dollars. She really needs to just go away.
ReplyDeleteI work hard 9 to 5 to support myself and my family and a big chunk of that hard earned money goes toward paying taxes. I don't want any of my hard earned money ending up in this fraud's pocket.
I can't believe this town was thrown into so much turmoil last year over the things that are reported to be in her complaint. Enough is enough. Go away Carolyn Gardner and harass and blackmail another town.
So the school administration is now out of the mea culpa mode?
ReplyDeleteShe is asking for $500,000? Are you kidding me? Go get a job Carolyn.
ReplyDeleteI don't know which number is more insane: a $70,000 per year salary for a high school teacher or a settlement figure of $500,000.
ReplyDeleteJust because a couple of stupid high school kids wrote some stupid high school nonsense.
Wow.
She was offered a settlement of 70,000, which she rejected. She is suing the town for 500,000. She deserves 0.
ReplyDeleteGet over it.
ReplyDeleteWe are only teaching these students that if you whine enough, and to the right people and over a highly sensitive topic, you will get sympathy, money and "fame."
Where there are humans, there is racism. That is a fact and it will never change, no matter how "educated" we are. You can't regulate racism and you can't restrict it. That would be like regulating/restricting how we breathe.
ReplyDeleteIt's time to realize that racism is real and it's here to stay.
I just saw this on twitter. Wow we're paying a racist teacher $500,000 to keep her mouth shut?
ReplyDeleteWhether I agree with Ms. Gardner or not, I honor her courage for not taking the pay-off offered by Ms. Geryk because it was obviously put forth to silence Ms. Gardner and prevent Larry and the rest of us from ever knowing the truth! Many of us believe this school administration is morally corrupt and a danger to our children. It appears that the superintendent's overall strategy is to fan the flames of racial hatred so she can divide, conquer and control us, and pass around cash to her "loyal" friends. We should also applaud the other heroes of the Great Amherst School Civil Rights War of 2014 - ???. Like Ms. Gardner, Mr Akalis, his son Dylan and our own Larry Kelly, should all be honored for their courage in defense of all our, our children's and teachers' Constitutionally protected rights to be free from morally corrupt and illegal Amherst school intimidation and discrimination.
ReplyDeleteI understand why we have become a culture of settle out of court people, but I wish we where not. Since Garder has chosen to reject the initial offer that was more than she deserved, I think the administration needs to hold firm and offer her zero moving forward.
ReplyDeleteI am no fan of the current administration but from reading the story on Gazette Net I don't think the administration did anything wrong. I think they went out of their way to help this woman. The only settlement Amherst should offer her is to pay for a few years worth of psychological counseling.
Yeah, but I don't think I'll be getting a civic award any time soon.
ReplyDeleteI understand why we have become a culture of settle out of court people, but I wish we where not. Since Garder has chosen to reject the initial offer that was more than she deserved, I think the administration needs to hold firm and offer her zero moving forward.
ReplyDeleteI am no fan of the current administration but from reading the story on Gazette Net I don't think the administration did anything wrong. I think they went out of their way to help this woman. The only settlement Amherst should offer her is to pay for a few years worth of psychological counseling.
Northampton really dodged a bullet when this woman quit and went to Amherst.
ReplyDeleteWhether one agrees with Ms. Gardner or not, we should honor her courage for not taking the pay-off offered by Ms. Geryk because it was obviously put forth to silence Ms. Gardner and prevent Larry and the rest of us from ever knowing the truth! Many of us believe this school administration is morally corrupt and a danger to our children and teachers. It appears that the superintendent's overall strategy is to fan the flames of racial hatred so she can divide, conquer and control us, and pass around cash to her "loyal" friends!
ReplyDeleteFrom the article in the paper her story makes her look paranoid. Writing "Roots" on her door. Mildly racist, yes, but threatening??? The note in the bathroom is expressing how someone deals with her class. Instead of wondering if the note writer might hurt her, she may want to ask how bad is my teaching that someone has to fantasize about her being hurt to deal with the pain of her teaching.
ReplyDeleteIt all looks like someone picking at minutia for there own personal gain. One could reason that it was either orchestrated by Gardner herself or someone who just wanted to mess with her and get her to leave, as no new racial issues have happened to other teachers since she left.
This women really need to take a long hard look in the mirror.
Now you kiddies know why racism never goes away. Whenever the need comes up, the "Race Card" always comes into play. Amazing how she could get PTSD from these events. She better find a safer place to live. What an ass...
ReplyDeleteThe result of team Maria racial preference. Explosive diarrhea on Maria geryk' face.
ReplyDeleteRoots? Are you sure it wasn't a suggestion to get the grays died?
ReplyDelete"Northampton really dodged a bullet when this woman quit and went to Amherst."
ReplyDeleteHow much did 'Hamp pay her to quit?
THAT would be a very interesting question for MCAD to inquire about...
Fat chance of getting any documentation on this one Larry. If this has gone to the MCAD, they won't even finalize a decision on this for 3-4 years is my guess.
ReplyDeleteTo those who think the Town will pay her or for their attorney fees; they're wrong. Well, they're wrong as long as the Town has the proper Employment Practices Insurance.
Whether one agrees with Ms. Gardner or not, we should honor her courage for not taking the pay-off offered by Ms. Geryk because it was obviously put forth to silence Ms. Gardner and prevent Larry and the rest of us from ever knowing the truth!
ReplyDeleteSilence Gardner about what? She's told us everything now and there's nothing there.
I'm sure it's frustrating that none of last year's shenanigans worked out the way you wanted them to for you and Carolyn and the others, but really, anon: silence her from telling us WHAT?
affirmative action shows its nastiness. Unqualified candidates was hired, who failed to inspire students, and grew tension in classroom.
ReplyDeleteWhen incidents happened, just stop showing up for work, crying racism, and sue the hell out of the town. She doesn't have to work for a while, even retire out of this.
It is time for the town to get over this racism crap. Adopt color blind policy through schools. hire the best teacher. Let all students fly as far, as fast as they can.
"...without regard to race, creed, color, or national origin."
ReplyDeletegotta wonder whether some of Ms. Gardner's "supporters (former?)" are now feeling duped after seeing some of the details of her "harassment".
ReplyDeleteA little birdie told me that after multiple and expensive in-school accommodations didn't meet her desires, after she was offered other teaching positions, and before she was offered a year's pay to terminate contract negotiations and just go away since nothing would work for her, that she tried to get Geryk to give her a central office admin. position, and she was explicitly supported in making this request by Baptiste and Vernon-Jones and Shabazz, ie. they verbally pleaded the case to give Gardner a central office admin. position to Geryk on Gardner's behalf. That's why you hear the school's attorney saying she was offered "other jobs she was qualified for" rather than just "other jobs". Apparently she would have been able to deal effectively with her PTSD within a central office position.
ReplyDeleteThis is crazy cause the school went out of the way to help her, by hiring her a body guard and even having a body guard she still didn't show to work a lot. No other racism has happened and how come it was only her out of all the colored teachers/staff at the high school no one else was targetted. They also hired people to sit in the halls to montiter the students. Why did she leave her last job? I hope the school doesn't cave in cause it would end up costing the tax payers a lot. Why is it that it seems she was the only one who ever seemed to find these notes? I never heard of anyone else finding any.
ReplyDeleteHey, lady. We all want an early retirement. We also all put up with a lot of shit in our own jobs - more insulting and charged than what you were "subject" to, without the benefit of every heart-on-sleeve leftist coming out to have a vigil for our anguish. A real "warrior" would have kept fighting, not the administration for a bigger buyout, but for your principles.
ReplyDeleteWhat planet do you live on Anon 152? Boy do you ever have it wrong.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to The End of Empathy here in Amherst, even from the so-called "heart-on-sleeve leftists".
ReplyDeleteThe curtain is closing on her days as a sympathetic figure.
Sorry, but it's hard to find fault with Ms. Geryk and Mr. Jackson here.
At some point, your students come first.
ReplyDeleteAmherst School Bullshit Alert!!! Beware, a deluge of nasty, crude racist subliminal messages directed at a respected Amherst teacher are being disseminated throughout cyberspace and on the Republic of Amherst blog by zombies masquerading as school disinformation officers, or is it the other way around? Happy halloween!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.coming-together.org/
ReplyDeleteMore and more I'm finding that those who cry racist the loudest reveal less about their target then they do about themselves.
DeleteGot news for you 412, everyone see's what's going on and no one thinks the admin is to blame. You continue to look as silly as you did last year. Everything is out in the open now and you and your crew got nothin. Nice try, it's pretty much over.
ReplyDeleteWhich one of her supporters are YOU? Anderson? Sherlock? Sonji-Anderson?
You live in a warped and paranoid little world, anon 4:12 PM.
ReplyDeleteSatire.
ReplyDeleteActivist:"Super, one of us, a teacher in your school, is harmed and suffers."
Super: "Oh, I am sorry. We have been trying our best to help her."
Activist:"Not enough. She is tramatized over the process."
Super:" We hire her a body guard who follow her and protect her, and hire hall monitors to make sure students dare not to create any more problems. "
Activist:" Not enough. She is harmed, and she deserves a promotion!"
Super:" What does she want to do?"
Activist:"She suffers PTSD. She doesn't want to teacher those wicket students any more. She deserved a promotion to your central office!"
Super:" But she doesn't have administrative experience, or training..."
Activist:" Don't fool with us. Are you a Super material? You are just a SPED teacher. We put you into super's seat. now you forget us?"
Super:"ah.."
Activist:"Your central office staff are well paid, their work are opaque. A good place for a PTSD to recover."
Super:" Central office is staffed with all highly qualified staffs. She is a tad short of qualifications.."
Activist:" Super, you staff your crony into high paid cushy position in central office for years. We haven't said too much about it. Now you reject one of us? She may become your crony down the road, of course our support of your super seat.."
Super:"But this is too obvious, since public already know her background too well. the public will find out about this. and becomes upset..."
Activist:" Super,
Super:" This is too much. I may lose my job."
When the teacher heard about Super's stubbornness, she just had one word: "Sue!"
I am not going to comment on the legal issues here, but I want to respond to the anonymous (of course) person who said this:
ReplyDelete"affirmative action shows its nastiness. Unqualified candidates was hired"
That's simply untrue. Don't assume that a black teacher is hired as an act of affirmative action. And don't make a statement about someone being unqualified when you have no basis for it. Ms. Gardner presented very strong qualifications.
If you have issues about the middle school acceleration policy, then just state those issues and have a dialog about that. I would be happy to converse with you about what I consider to be the most important elements of challenge.
There is no need to attempt to tie everything else in the school system to your dissatisfaction around middle school math.
My kids friends that had her as a teacher said she was pretty weak.
ReplyDeleteHolding pedagogical beliefs that some people disagree with is not the same as weakness.
ReplyDeleteDifferent people have different expectations about what should happen in a math classroom.
Where is the warrior prince when we need him. Please come back and heal our wounds. And we'll take the check when you get a chance.
ReplyDeleteknowing what we know now which is everything it's easy to look back over last year and see that all the antics of gardner's crew was all a strategic ruse. shabazz has gotta go and vernon-jones and douangmany must be kept OUT.
ReplyDeletewhere are their megaphones and civil rights songs and their teenage social justice leader now?
The first thing I expect to happen in a math classroom is that the teacher shows up and teaches math.
ReplyDeleteAnd is that what Miss, (Mrs.?) Gardner did? Jesus, that would've been a great thing if so.
DeleteMy son had her and thought she was a great teacher. His class liked her a lot.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.scribd.com/doc/245114318/Discrimination-Complaint-Carolyn-Gardner-v-Town-of-Amherst-Mass-Amherst-Pelham-Regional-School-District
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be funny if it turned out that everyone liked her? Possible, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to believe that any ARHS student would have any idea of the TV show "Roots" or the book. Any reason to think otherwise? Is it shown in school? It's nearly 40 years old
ReplyDeleteIf she's such a good teacher, you'd think that Hamp would want her back and she could have taken the year's pay from Amherst and taught in Hamp.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe she isn't quite so good...
Maybe Hamp was just happy to get rid of her. They sure lucked out.
DeleteNina Koch said...
ReplyDelete"Holding pedagogical beliefs that some people disagree with is not the same as weakness."
Oh, really?!?!?
You seem not to have trouble with that in attacking my pedagogical beliefs....
Gardner's MCAD complaint (link above -- thank you) is enlightening.
ReplyDeleteFirst, teachers with tenure -- which in K=12 you get with your third year automatically -- simply do not give it up and move to another district where they have to re-start the process.
Likewise, a district simply doesn't hire a teacher with 10 years of seniority on the pay scale, let alone one with a CAGS. It's money -- you want teachers at the bottom of the pay scale because they don't cost you as much.
Above and beyond all of that, though, I think that Ms. Gardner was cheated -- the University of Massachusetts ought to have spent less time teaching her about oppression and instead taught her how to teach Math!
She's a victim of racism all right -- the racism of the UMass School of Education and it's fascist ideology of hatred.
Social Justice my _ _ _ -- *I* actually "walked the walk" on that stuff and look at what it got me. UMass loves to preach it, but they don't believe in it -- and if they actually had, they would have helped Carolyn Gardner become so good a Math teacher that the racists & bigots would have had to behave themselves lest they not have the opportunity to be in her classroom.
There's racism here folks -- but it isn't where or what you think it is. A White Male would have been required to learn how to teach Math....
But Dr. Ed, (according to her MCAD complaint) she got her professional status (what you call tenure) after 7 months with the ARPS system - not at the end of her third year of employment as is usually the case per union contracts. So much of this whole situation reeks!
ReplyDeleteshe got her professional status (what you call tenure) after 7 months with the ARPS system - not at the end of her third year of employment
ReplyDeleteanother example of how the administration went out of their way and above and beyond to support and accomodate gardner in her position, giving the teacher with 11 years experience that status removed the stress of not knowing whether or not her job performance would become an issue related to her employment status. but to her supporters this is further evidence of racism. really quite unbelievable.
Stand Against Imaginary Racism!
ReplyDeleteStand Against Anti-White Racism!
We shall overcome. Some day.
ReplyDelete"But Dr. Ed, (according to her MCAD complaint) she got her professional status (what you call tenure) after 7 months with the ARPS system - not at the end of her third year of employment as is usually the case per union contracts."
ReplyDeleteI think you are right -- she wouldn't have to be put onto unpaid leave status if she didn't have tenure -- they simply wouldn't have offered her a contract this fall.
However -- and I have to check -- I think that K-12 tenure is a matter of State Law and not the union contract. I believe it pre-dates the unions and it was established to address issues of nepotism and political hirings -- the same issue that the Civil Service System sought to address.
This is really interesting -- I've never heard of this being done before. And how do you do it mid-year when the existing probationary contract is still running?
And the other issue is that -- as a general (race-neutral) rule, you don't want a teacher with 11 years of experience coming into a department because he/she/it is going to have some long-established opinions on the way that things should be done and this will become instant conflict not only with the other teachers but the Department Chair who may not even have that much experience himself/herself/itself.
There is a lot to be said for experienced teachers going to other systems -- but it doesn't happen. It's like having men answer the rape crisis hotline -- it doesn't happen....
I gotta ask -- was was/is the union's position on all of this?
Oh, and yes, this is the sort of thing that makes you really want to support the civil rights laws. They really protect all persons, don't they?!?!?
Every time this blog becomes unbearable I imagine terrible things happening to Adam Sweet and it makes me feel better.
ReplyDeleteLol
DeleteIt is clear from her statement that Ms. Gardner had a grudge against the school for educational disagreements stemming from when her son was in the school. The district then hired a disgruntled parent who now will try to make the district pay in other ways.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that this (former?) teacher's allegations of racism trivialize true instances of racism and bigotry and, therefore, epitomize a disservice to true victims.
ReplyDelete"The problem is that this (former?) teacher's allegations of racism trivialize true instances of racism and bigotry and, therefore, epitomize a disservice to true victims."
ReplyDeleteI would go further -- people like Gardner actually create racism & bigotry. Prejudice is actually a rational way of interacting with the world -- a way to avoid being overwhelmed with data -- and not inherently bad.
For example, Judie's Restaurant -- my presumption is that the food will be delicious. I've already pre-judged the quality of the meal -- I've evaluated it with prejudice.
Take, for example, a half dozen young men (of any race) walking toward you on a dark sidewalk somewhere. They are loud & disorderly and you then hear the unmistakable sound of an empty bottle breaking on the pavement. Are you not making some quite rational judgements about men whom you have never met?
What Gardner has done is create the presumption that people who appear to resemble her actually do. Hence the next woman who speaks with an accent, who chooses to attire herself in the type of clothing that Gardner wears, whose skin is the color of Gardner (remember that race is a social construct) -- the next woman who reminds people of Gardner is going to be treated as if she IS Gardner...
This is no more irrational than presuming that a meal at Judie's will be delicious -- and this is the real cost to this foolishness.
One point further: This is why I am so adamantly opposed to the Special Olympics -- it creates the perception that everyone with a disability is reflective of the participants and nothing could be further from the truth.
ReplyDeleteThe same thing is true of veterans, the vast majority of who return and readjust to civilian life.
Looks like MassLive has picked up the story:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/11/amherst_school_officials_anger.html#comments
MCAD and the courts will find this administration guilty of discriminating against teacher Gardner because of the color of her skin. While we do nothing, Supt. Geryk and her greedy school cartel cronies suck our tax-funded school coffers dry.
ReplyDelete...the vast majority of who return and readjust to civilian life.
ReplyDelete...the vast majority of whom return and readjust to civilian life.
That photo of her looks like it was taken from the Peoples Court. Nice rag Carol.
ReplyDelete"MCAD and the courts will find this administration guilty of discriminating against teacher Gardner because of the color of her skin. While we do nothing, Supt. Geryk and her greedy school cartel cronies suck our tax-funded school coffers dry. "
ReplyDeleteAmazing thing is
80% of the chimps in this dump
~still~ don't know
WTF is happening!
LOL!!!
Watch the birdie
I mean site meter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xsXml73NuY
-Squeaky Squeaks
p.s. Heard any good jokes lately?
Once again, people come on line so they can be anonymous and mean. What's your excuse, 5:31 PM?
ReplyDeleteOr as former NBA player Charles Barkley said:
ReplyDelete"We as black people are never going to be successful, not because of you white people, but because of other black people. When you are black, you have to deal with so much crap in your life from other black people," Barkley said.
For some reason we are brainwashed to think, if you're not a thug or an idiot, you're not black enough. If you go to school, make good grades, speak intelligent, and don't break the law, you're not a good black person. It's a dirty, dark secret in the black community.
There are a lot of black people who are unintelligent, who don't have success. It's best to knock a successful black person down because they're intelligent, they speak well, they do well in school, and they're successful. It's just typical BS that goes on when you're black, man."
Of course none of the term "success" in his quote is a reference to Carolyn.
Once again, people come on line so they can be anonymous and mean. What's your excuse, 5:31 PM?
ReplyDeletePeople including most teachers I know except you, Nina, are pissed at what she's doing and the lack of gratitude she displays for all that EVERYONE did for her last year. From students to teachers to administrators to community members and beyond, we all wasted a year trying to support her around something that was much less than most teachers deal with on a daily basis. She and her do-nothing-but-protest-everyone-else crew tried to weaken us (only to strengthen us) and they put our kids second and her and themselves first all year. Now she hires someone to out and defame a young girl who made a silly mistake, just like her inside crew member Shabazz did last year during an official and public meeting. They place their self-importance above our kids' educations.
We're mad now that she also wants a half a million dollars of OUR money on top of the year she stole, so someone insulting her unprofessional attire and appearance should be expected. That's the excuse I offer for 5:31 PM
If you feel that your sentiments are so justified, you ought to be able to attach your name, 8:35 PM. Right now, your name is 8:35 PM.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, if someone comes on here to make fun of people's clothes, hair, body, etc., I will call that out as mean and unproductive. It's not what I consider adult conversation. It's certainly not what we want to model for our young people.
I can't imagine why you would possibly care if someone decides to wear a scarf or not. It's just a scarf.
No it's a doo-rag. A scarf is worn stylishly around a neck. A doo-rag is wrapped tightly around a head and is a style used mostly in prisons and poor black neighborhoods, and has its origin from slavery times.
ReplyDeleteNina Koch:
ReplyDeleteLast school year, The high school students , teachers, and community come out to support Ms. Gardner and hope to put a closure to it and unite the community and move forward. Ms. Gardner' refusal to district''s work accommodation and financial settlement, both of which come out of good will, and turn around sue the district for half a million dollar damage on baseless accusation. That is a complete selfish act, a slap on face for real discrimination victims, and supportive students, faculties, and community at large. That selfish act further divide and weaken the community.
Nina Koch, do you consider yourself a friend of Ms. Gardner? What is your assessment of Ms. Gardner's lawsuits to our school district at the expense of our community at large? Do you agree the district' work accommodation and financial settlement has been out of good will, and are very generous in nature?
I had assumed the name of the HS student in the description of events by Ms. Gardner was an alias. Is this her real name? If it is her real name (not a common one) then surely Ms. Gardner has broken a law, or at the least shown extreme disregard for her profession and its commitment to protect the rights of students.
ReplyDeleteI hope the girl's family sues Carolyn Gardner for breach of confidentiality.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeletesc member amilcar shabazz commenting on a gazette article on the gardner incident on may 19th 2014:
"Cabral said 'tell no lies.' It looks like revolution is the only solution."
tell no lies indeed.
some revolution amilcar.
https://www.facebook.com/ElectShabazz
Oooh, ooh! My feelings are hurt by white students pissing on my lawn. Where's my $500,000????
ReplyDeleteI hope the girl's family sues Carolyn Gardner for breach of confidentiality.
ReplyDeleteI'm still holding out hope that the families of the kids whose confidentiality and privacy Shabazz violated sue him and the other SC members who attended the illegal meeting where they further breached their rights, or that at least when the kids turn 18 they decide to sue themselves.
Carolyn Gardner's attorneys, who released details of the MCAD complaint to the media which readily identified minor students:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.strhlaw.com/attorneys/cynthia-turnbull/
http://www.strhlaw.com/attorneys/luke-ryan/
http://www.strhlaw.com/
here's something amherst sc member amilcar shabazz wrote on facebook in february. i guess carolyn gardner isn't the only one who feels victimized:
ReplyDelete"I have faced white supremacy from day one on the school committee from the words and deeds of some of my fellow school committee members. Such behavior is unacceptable to me and I have had to fight to not be dismissed, disenfranchised, and just plain, ol’ dissed. Some of my white colleagues on the town and regional school committees like to talk about modeling civil discourse but some of them have not “walked the talk” by me. I do not serve on the regional school committee to serve any of my fellow committee members or the superintendent. I am there to work collegially to figure out how to maintain and to improve the work of our schools. I refuse to spend my precious time telling someone how to treat me with the same respect they give to the white men or white women on the school committee. If they have not educated themselves enough to function in a diverse setting like our school committee, then they should resign and let others do so who can."
https://www.facebook.com/notes/arps-sc-member-amilcar-shabazz/letter-asking-amherst-voters-to-elect-vira-douangmany-to-our-school-committee/627024994034905
Oh boy....if you haven't already seen it Larry:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/11/new_website_launched_to_suppor.html#incart_river
Yeah, I'm never gonna run out of material.
ReplyDelete