tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post4546594617685442188..comments2023-09-29T06:32:16.005-04:00Comments on My School Committee Blog: Smooth shifting: Plans falling into place for Mark's Meadow transitionCatherine A. Sandersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03523667921190365891noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-79516813898365418522010-06-06T13:30:24.290-04:002010-06-06T13:30:24.290-04:00Anon, June 6 11:40 a.m.
No, I am neither joking n...Anon, June 6 11:40 a.m.<br /><br />No, I am neither joking nor exaggerating about FR. I saw wet boxes from floor seepage, mice and signs of mice (note the plural), the daylight through the cinderblocks, and experienced the lack of temperature and humidity controls characteristic of the building. My allergies and sinus health improved considerably when I was no longer at FR.<br /><br />The "chaos" thing -- what room did you work in? Maybe you were one of the lucky ones not working in the quad classrooms. Some people do have rooms with walls and doors, and wouldn't realize how noisy the shared spaces are. And noise doesn't bother everyone the same way.<br /><br />I did like working at FR a lot anyway -- but the physical plant is definitely not great.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-51969304425072814412010-06-06T11:40:20.178-04:002010-06-06T11:40:20.178-04:00The description of FR by Anon 6/5 4:50 seems quite...The description of FR by Anon 6/5 4:50 seems quite over dramatized. I was inside that school every day for 7 years and I never observed any of the chaos, filth, or vermin that s/he reported. Was that a joke?!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-11601286066213446492010-06-06T08:23:07.713-04:002010-06-06T08:23:07.713-04:00What a joke!What a joke!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-58159737778503398602010-06-05T16:50:48.993-04:002010-06-05T16:50:48.993-04:00Perhaps all the energy devoted to the negativity c...Perhaps all the energy devoted to the negativity could be redirected toward beginning the process of rebuilding FR. <br />It is indeed a stressful and difficult physical environment in which to learn and to teach. The noise level is crazy esp if your room is adjacent to a classroom with either older or younger kids. The staggered lunch periods means there's always one group having indoor lunch or recess while the adjacent class is having a quiet lesson. It just doesn't work.<br /><br />Plus the air quality, the rodents, the dampness all contribute to a very unpleasant physical environment. In some classrooms you can actually see daylight through the cinderblock if you know where to look. Boxes left on the floor get soggy if there's heavy rain because the water seeps up through the floor! For real!<br /><br />Yikes. Unfortunately 70s buildings are far less solid than the older pre-war school buildings. I've worked in all kinds and prefer the much older ones. They aren't all damp and leaky, and at least radiators work even if they are noisy and hot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-35259986336101719782010-06-05T12:27:39.525-04:002010-06-05T12:27:39.525-04:00Neither love nor good luck nor good will between p...Neither love nor good luck nor good will between people will keep Amherst residents from their appointed negativity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-68651556854196807442010-06-05T12:17:18.087-04:002010-06-05T12:17:18.087-04:00Remarkable how smoothly this is going thanks to Ni...Remarkable how smoothly this is going thanks to Nick Yaffee staying with this group of students whose school was closed, and to the decision to keep the MM kids together.<br /><br />Celebrate that Amherst. Try not to beat yourself or anyone else up over this good news. We tend to be very good at saying "yea, that's great, but . . ."Paddy O'Daynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-39592010378085465172010-06-05T11:12:24.320-04:002010-06-05T11:12:24.320-04:00Actually Wildwood is the better of the two. The pa...Actually Wildwood is the better of the two. The partitions are built to the ceiling like regular walls. Partition walls are lighter than real walls and there are no doors on the inner classrooms. FR still has a lot of open top partitions. <br />The open classroom was a dumb idea but hey it was the 70s. There is really nothing that can be done short of gutting the building and redesigning and rebuilding it.Dr Benwaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-7036277287975547742010-06-05T06:37:52.128-04:002010-06-05T06:37:52.128-04:00But there are still no full walls in Wildwood, or ...But there are still no full walls in Wildwood, or very few. Just like in Fort River. Classrooms are arranged in "quads" with essentially bookcases and/or partitions separating them. It is amazingly and distractingly loud in those classrooms. I was actually hoping we would be redistricted to Crocker Farm this year just so my kids could have full walls for classrooms!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-87274872136692006572010-06-04T21:31:41.395-04:002010-06-04T21:31:41.395-04:00I'm puzzled by the comment:
Pavlova is also c...I'm puzzled by the comment:<br /><br />Pavlova is also concerned that Wildwood was built for the open-classroom model, and plans to advocate for changing the way the space is used, she said.<br /><br />Since WW hasn't been used in open plan form for years...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-65494889237941468562010-06-04T20:50:04.990-04:002010-06-04T20:50:04.990-04:00Redistricting and the end of "open-enrollment...Redistricting and the end of "open-enrollment"<br />is still forcing a lot of other kids to move from their<br />"home" schools - how are they faring (or will exceptions be granted)?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-18984075506518822632010-06-04T13:19:34.592-04:002010-06-04T13:19:34.592-04:00Ouch. It's nice to hear that the transition i...Ouch. It's nice to hear that the transition is going well for many.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270815429299703055.post-60783889993759248962010-06-04T09:19:10.027-04:002010-06-04T09:19:10.027-04:00Which stage of Kubler-Ross's "death and d...Which stage of Kubler-Ross's "death and dying process" are we on now with Mark's Meadow?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com