tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post4260259325387587047..comments2023-09-29T06:32:16.005-04:00Comments on My School Committee Blog: More politicians using social media -- including blogs, Facebook and Twitter -- to connect with constituentsCatherine A. Sandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03523667921190365891noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-76373132870048261912010-03-21T23:26:13.625-04:002010-03-21T23:26:13.625-04:00Yeah Kevin,
As long as she doesn't steal my ti...Yeah Kevin,<br />As long as she doesn't steal my title:<br />Only In Amherst.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-37168180516078950432010-03-21T22:13:57.552-04:002010-03-21T22:13:57.552-04:00My next-door neighbor is a real nice fellow, part-...My next-door neighbor is a real nice fellow, part-time minister and furniture maker. <br /><br />The other day, I asked him, "What do you think about the override?" He said, he didn't know much about it, that he usually waits until the election, looks at the sides, and decides then.<br /><br />For computer addicts, this is shocking to hear. How could anyone not be immersed in town politics?<br /><br />Truth is, most people get their news the old fashioned way, in the paper and talking to friends. Maybe the evening news.<br /><br />Even the Bulletin forum last Tuesday had just fifteen online viewers. We just assume everyone is like us, but most of the world is like Ellen Story.<br /><br />Or she has a press secretary that handles that...<br /><br />Could be.<br /><br />The only thing I can think of is Catherine is collecting material for a book. Fiction, of course. And we will all be characters in the book, the names will be changed. <br /><br />I wonder what her nom de plume will be. <br /><br />And a title? How about, <b>My Life in the Loony Bin</b><br /><br />Kevin (aka Anonymous #7)<br /><br />---kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05982253239243654748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-36480630927669559522010-03-21T21:06:48.812-04:002010-03-21T21:06:48.812-04:00Well said Anon 5:36. Teachers are thoughtful peop...Well said Anon 5:36. Teachers are thoughtful people! But when feeling continually attacked, they, as intelligent, reactionary human beings, respond. A quickly crafted letter, signed by whomever got to see it in time for publication DOES NOT MEAN those who didn't have the luxury of time to see it DO NOT support THE PRINCIPAL. What's up with Ed? Why so cynical?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-33907769652379480712010-03-21T17:36:31.912-04:002010-03-21T17:36:31.912-04:00The letter was written by a group of high school t...The letter was written by a group of high school teachers and circulated among those who were around. It didn't make it to everyone, and it was never circulated at the middle school. It was written in response to a lot of trashing of the schools, and a lot of slanderous comments about the principal on this blog and elsewhere. Ed's desperate attempt to cast the incredibly positive sentiments of 105 teachers and staff into something scandalous is laughable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-11871021284544287512010-03-21T17:16:45.592-04:002010-03-21T17:16:45.592-04:00Ed-
I have no idea what this letter is and had no...Ed-<br /><br />I have no idea what this letter is and had no idea that there was anything like this to sign. Since I teach at the Middle School (and chat with colleagues as much as anyone) you have made a major mistake in assuming that we knew of something were expected to sign and consciously did not sign it. <br /><br />No other way to put it but simply, completely untrue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-87949396090566822042010-03-21T15:32:06.942-04:002010-03-21T15:32:06.942-04:00Ed, as usual you assume alot of things are facts t...Ed, as usual you assume alot of things are facts that you know NOTHING about. Surprise, surprise.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-17920360623932831832010-03-21T15:14:01.940-04:002010-03-21T15:14:01.940-04:00Why did the high school teachers and staff write t...Why did the high school teachers and staff write this letter? I don't understand.not getting itnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-12307284985947118702010-03-21T14:53:06.094-04:002010-03-21T14:53:06.094-04:00Yeah BUT, they submitted the petition a tad LATE t...Yeah BUT, they submitted the petition a tad LATE to make the, ugh, Bricks-and-Mortar edition of the venerable Bully dated 3/19/2010, the LAST one before the 3/23 Override--which OBVIOUSLY they are trying to influence.<br /><br />Kind of highlights the MAJOR problem with our schools: NOT very nimble.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-49847657928106668682010-03-21T14:33:42.693-04:002010-03-21T14:33:42.693-04:00For some interesting insights on the state of the ...<i>For some interesting insights on the state of the high school and the leadership there, see this week's Bulletin piece--signed by 105 teachers and staff:</i><br /><br />First, I found this painting to be VERY disturbing. http://www.arps.org/hs/Staff/ Disturbing on multiple levels, mores because it was the staff access page (and not the staff directory), hence indicating an attitude toward students...<br /><br />However, I did eventually find something I could count: http://www.arps.org/hss/Directory.jsp and I found 152 people there.<br /><br />That means that 47 teachers and staff REFUSED TO SIGN THIS LETTER! That is 31% of the total and it is damn significant!<br /><br />31% of the teachers and staff decided to openly defy their principal - putting this in terms that people can understand, this is like an 18-year-old giving a police officer the middle finger (and maybe tossing a beer bottle out the window for effect) - you know that the principal/officer is going to get you for *something*, *sometime*, eventually.<br /><br />This is stunning. It is like when the Amherst Housing Authority employees showed up at a Selectboard meeting to lobby for the zoning change, we didn't all support it (I thought it was downright stupid to eliminate two badly-needed low income apartments in this town) but we all had to go and support it anyway.<br /><br />Likewise here - and 47 people willing to openly defy Jackson is significant. Most of these letters are unanimous with EVERYONE signing them.<br /><br />Third, noticably missing was any mention of Junior High teachers/staff. Jackson runs that school too, doesn't he? They wouldn't rush to sign this? (And you don't get 105 teachers doing anything without the entire district knowing about it; teachers gossip like everyone else, they have cell phones and email just like the rest of us do...)<br /><br />Fourth, I don't care if the teachers/staff like him or not. I care if the TOWN likes him, if he is doing a good job, and what his results are.<br /><br />Fifth, this does not negate that woefully inappropriate display of insubordination (and unprofessional conduct) we saw at the last meeting. Many districts - many districts that Amherst considers peer districts - would have fired him outright.<br /><br />But the bottom line is this: 31% of his high school staff -- and apparently 100% of his middle school staff -- essentially gave him "the finger." That is very very significant folks.Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-64763743739693945152010-03-21T12:30:52.773-04:002010-03-21T12:30:52.773-04:00For some interesting insights on the state of the ...For some interesting insights on the state of the high school and the leadership there, see this week's Bulletin piece--signed by 105 teachers and staff:<br /><br />http://www.amherstbulletin.com/story/id/167761/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-23747553586784406572010-03-21T11:49:49.047-04:002010-03-21T11:49:49.047-04:00My responses:
Anonymous 7:06 - yes, it does requi...My responses:<br /><br />Anonymous 7:06 - yes, it does require A LOT of time. And I agree that the interaction is what I find useful -- it would be much easier for me to just do posts and not allow commenting (or not respond to commenting), but I've found this interaction really helps me learn about the schools and even figure out what I think. I honestly can't imagine being a member of SC without doing this blog -- the interaction helps me do this job. <br /><br />Larry - I think it is pretty clear that I'm a horrible politician. I mean, this blog has certainly led to considerable negativity. Think about the Marks Meadow issue -- I voted to close it, as did every other SC member -- it was unanimous. But because of this blog, I'm the one who took the heat for months and was villified in the Bulletin and at meetings. It would have been FAR smarter to just shut up about it and then vote yes at the end. <br /><br />Tom - thanks for the very thoughtful message of support! I very much appreciate it! <br /><br />Anonymous 10:36 - just to be clear, having this blog doesn't mean I don't have a lot of face-to-face interaction as well! I have emails every day from parents (and some staff/teachers), and pretty regular phone calls from parents (and teachers). And of course I have face-to-face interaction every time I pick my kids up at school, go to the gym, go to a bookstore, go to the dining hall at Amherst College, go to a soccer game, go to a birthday party, etc. The blog is just ONE MORE way in which I interact, and it allows me to interact with people I might not run into in my daily life, and those who might not feel comfortable identifying themselves to me. And if you think SC members should devote themselves to doing business only during open meetings, you should contact all the other SC members -- because NONE of us are able to do that! I'm just the only one (as of now) with a blog. <br /><br />Ed/Anonymous 11:11 - I have a very simple goal: I want the Amherst schools to be excellent for all kids. And I am serving on SC for that reason, and that reason alone, and I am going to give that goal my all for the next (final) year of my term, as I have for the last two. For me, having a blog helps me accomplish communication and transparency, and that's why I do it. But I think having this blog is really a double-edged sword -- because it also significantly raises the heat I take for all district issues (even when my votes are shared by many other SC members). Nonetheless, for me, the good outweighs the bad, and I'm going to continue doing the blog.Catherine A. Sandersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03523667921190365891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-10912863414538247182010-03-21T11:02:29.254-04:002010-03-21T11:02:29.254-04:00Yeah, I actually don't think of Catherine as a...<i>Yeah, I actually don't think of Catherine as a "politician."</i><br /><br />Actually, I do - in the positive tradition. In the same sense that I try to impart on the young people heading down to DC and not all of them get destroyed by that city.<br /><br />Like Washington and John Adams and others, she is the reluctant politician dragged into the fray on the basis of principle and because of concern about the underlying issues.<br /><br />And such a person is a true threat to corrupt established interests because she isn't seeking power. She HAS power because she isn't seeking it...Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-63688638532884990932010-03-21T10:36:24.503-04:002010-03-21T10:36:24.503-04:00Interesting...Ellen Story has it right...when you ...Interesting...Ellen Story has it right...when you by pass real (face to face) interaction for the safety and anonymity of ranting on blogs... well, we've lost a little bit more of the moral fiber and character that evokes great leadership. Obama won the election reinventing social media and bypassing press for instant communication technology offers... why not. CS might be right, if her SC colleagues think it gives her too much access to the public, they can do it themselves (and risk the obvious negative consequences her husband noted) it takes up WAY TOO MUCH TIME!! I think I might rather be represented by SC members that limit their business to open meetings and spend more quality "downtime" with family. CS must love it, that's why she's driven to do it. I get it. I blog too. CS doesn't seem to be self-promoting politician, name-caller. She's certainly caught our attention. And I'm sure that's just the way she likes it!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-22064794697002483472010-03-20T21:09:59.297-04:002010-03-20T21:09:59.297-04:00Indeed it is clearly a labor of love, Catherine, a...Indeed it is clearly a labor of love, Catherine, and we who care about the schools and who depend on understanding the dialog - all sides - are indebted to you. Keep up the fantastic work. The school committee is making progress, in part because your blog compels it to.<br /><br />We thank you!Tom Porternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-45112310942962154792010-03-20T20:47:10.114-04:002010-03-20T20:47:10.114-04:00Yeah, I actually don't think of Catherine as a...Yeah, I actually don't think of Catherine as a "politician." <br /><br />Exactly why she scares the Hell out of paid politicians and bureaucratic beancounters who make W-A-Y too comfortable a living sucking at the public trough.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-71713651407416637972010-03-20T19:06:06.187-04:002010-03-20T19:06:06.187-04:00What an interesting column. Although I haven't...What an interesting column. Although I haven't accessed other politicians through social networking sites - I would guess that many choose this media to promote themselves rather than actually interact with the public. Social networking solely for the sake of self-promotion IS a waste of time. However, since Catherine actually responds, this blog is mostly focused on true interaction with constituents. I appreciate that Catherine makes herself accessible through this media. It really has made SC more accessible. Although, I can imagine it requires a LOT of time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com