Gotta have cute kids
About 60 people young and old braved the frigid weather to huddle in front of Amherst Regional High School holding candles, many of them wearing duct tape over their mouths to symbolize a supposed gag order from school officials concerning the hot potato case of former teacher Carolyn Gardner.
Organizer Vira Douangmany lights a candle
Two white vans from Hampshire College brought a bevy of students
Such a large turnout in the freezing cold gives an indication of what the rescheduled Regional School Committee (from tonight) will be dealing with Thursday night, which promises to be a lot hotter than this evening's event.
Group moves from parking lot to front entry of ARHS
37 comments:
How do they not understand that since her lawyers refused the districts job offers and financial severance offers and filed a complaint with MCAD that no one can "Meet With Carolyn"? It's all in her Carolyn's lawyers' hands now.
Why won't Carolyn respond to her fellow math teachers communications, to find out if she plans to return to her old job for the second trimester, that is waiting for her while she is on medical leave?
Carolyn and her lawyers have several options available to them, the district has none left for her.
Of course the Hamptards were there!
There is no gag order.
Give it a rest already, Anon 6:53 is exactly right. Some people think they are so righteous
Asking why Carolyn won't return to the job as a math teacher that is waiting for her, is like asking a soldier with PTSD why he won't go back out onto the battlefield.
Ok, that comment by 7:27 must be a joke. Comparing the job of soldier to a teacher? Really? The classroom is no battlefield. To suggest so is to discredit our armed forces serving overseas.
Carolyn is probably home looking at catalogs to see what she will buy once she gets her payout for being black in a white world. As for Hampshire college, it's the place people who can't figure out what to do in life so makes sense they'd blindly attend. Hamptards!
Hahahaha hahahahahaha haahahhha...
Sorry, that's all I have to say.
When you say you're not returning to work because you have PTSD, do you have to produce documentation of the diagnosis? Does anyone know if Ms. Gardner has ever produced documentation of thqt claim?
PTSD??? I don't think she served any torus of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. What a joke!
To Disperse smelly Hippies upload Slayer CD. Hippies hate death metal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n7eEs_oakw
PTSD can be caused by workplace mobbing--look it up! There is a workplace bullying institute established in California. What happened to Carolyn is real--a doctor so diagnosed her to have this awful condition--wouldn't wish it on anybody! Racism is real--people are ignorant and fearful of that which is different--and dealing with people of color does not come easy to some people--It is a symptom of a sick society. I hope Carolyn finds peace in her struggle and is justly compensated for her sufferings. No body on this blog can talk unless it's happened to you. Peace out people--take a chill pill or something and open your eyes.
Is it possible that the vigils triggered the PTSD?
Justice for Carolyn=$500,000?????
Sounds like a good excuse to get a Med Card!
There is no way she got PTSD from the events she related in her MCAD complaint. High School teachers around the country experience those things and more each and every day and don't get PTSD. If she can't handle kids writing graffiti about her she does not belong teaching in a high school. I have absolutely no sympathy for her. I do sympathize with the students and staff of the high school for having to endure yet another year of turmoil at their school and in their town. Enough already!
In a world in which there are victims at every turn, there comes a new saga of bravery and freedom...where empty gestures like taping your mouth shut is the greatest idea we've ever heard... where we feel the country owes us something ant the other way around...comes a stunning new motion picture...(insert own title here.)
I'm vigiled out. Mind if I just send a huge check? Now That would be a meanigful gesture.
I'm sure there are support groups for PTSD at the VA Medical Center that would be helpful to Carolyn.
Imagine yourself being a teacher, a single parent of a handicapped child. You have been set up, race-baited, to take the fall for a bunch of greedy, selfish, uncaring school officials. Then, you look in the mirror... the anger you feel towards Carolyn is really the anger you feel towards yourself. Remember, the love you take is equal to the love you make... God bless you Carolyn, thank you for giving us hope!
I am curious about paid medical leave in the school district. Is that available? If so, is it appropriate here?
School officials are greedy and uncaring? Really? What a perversion of what is actually happening here. People need to read the time line that was posted under a previous blog entry and then decide for yourselves who is the greedy and uncaring party.
Anyone who knows Mark Jackson knows that he did not forbid the staff from speaking, or threaten them in any way. He's not that guy.
http://p3cdn2static.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_926913/File/ParentGuardian/GazetteResponseNovember19.pdf
We know how to question authority in Amherst and the Justice for Carolyn folks know that.
We don't know how to support authority in Amherst when it has acted reasonably.
The Town is a petri dish for people who delight in being in a demonstration, holding candles, and waving signs, not so good for respecting the people we elected, and the people we appointed to work in government. Become a public servant for us, and be prepared to forfeit part of your humanity.
Beatle fan.
These people are once again turning our kids school year into a circus, let's get back to a focus on the children.
Here's the agenda for Thursday's meeting.
http://www.arps.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_926729/File/RegionalSCAgenda/November%2020,%202014%20REGIONAL%20Agenda.pdf
So interesting that even with the new chair, the public comment section only allows 15 minutes.
Will he be thrown under the bus now, as well, and called a racist? Is that even possible?
Grab the popcorn.
I think what's a little different in how Mr. Baptiste treats public comments is he will allow them at other times during the meeting if it pertains to something the Committee is currently talking about.
After everyone on the RSC has had their say of course.
So we'll get to listen to the Justice for Carolyn folks through the whole meeting instead of just at the beginning! I predict the SC won't get part public comment tomorrow night.
Well it sort of has to do with whatever the current agenda item is that they are discussion.
But I suppose if you're pretty good at spin you can make a case for your argument on almost anything.
Teachers do take a lot of shit from not too many kids. But the ones who survive develop thicker skin. CG brought this circus on. It could have stopped the minute she stood her ground. She taught far less than 1 year at arhs. It takes 3 years to qualify for professional teacher status. Until then you are evaluated annually and do not have much ground to stand on. One kid does this and CG crumples? It takes more backbone than that to teach high school.
Hear! Hear!
It's very easy for those who are not black and who have not been harassed to say "just get a thicker skin." Caroline Gardner did not ask for this harassment and it is not an acceptable norm in any school.
" It takes 3 years to qualify for professional teacher status."
Well apparently Amherst gifted her with this honor in the middle of her first year here (according to her MCAD complaint
And what about the people of color, black and all others, who have been harassed and didn't soon end up suing the district that gave her a job? Who picked themselves up and said, not in my classroom!? This person had a uniformed bodyguard with her at all times. How many other people in any job have you ever heard about having a bodyguard? This is a very tame, high achieving western Massachusetts suburban high school. Bodyguards???
Anon 645,
Carolyn Gardner is not the only teacher who has had graffiti and notes written about them. She is the only one, however, who thinks because of her universal high school teacher experience she deserves a payment from the school district in the amount of $500,000.
My mother, (a teacher) had notes written to her expressing how the writer, (a student) wanted to kill her by crushing her skull with a brick. This was not an isolated incident. The school never offered her a better job, a pay package, or body guard. She just learned to watch her back.
I think it is time Ms. Gardner put things in perspective. The administration has bent over backwards for her in every way. I say this and I don't like or trust the administration one bit. But from her complaint it is clear the administration took the very high road with her. Gardner should grow up, get a job, and move on.
This is not the norm in this school, nor was it the norm in any of her classes.
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