Do you want to have a snow day?

Wow! How 'bout that snow folks?

I've live in Pascoland more the 163 years and I've never seen anything like this! Every morning I wake up and wonder if I've died and gone to Spokane.

Many places are use to snow. They have fancy things like shovels, and coats,  and plows.  

Let's be honest, we are not one of those places.  We have swimming pools and boats. 

We are not snow people.

We are sand people.

So when bad weather happens it kinda throws us all into a tizzy. And when bad weather keeps happening for weeks on end..... well.....

And it's in this state of panicked frenzy that we all start second guessing the decision of whether to cancel school or not. Facebook is filled with armchair quarterbacks casting doubts on just how bad the weather is, what is best for other people's children, and how much this is really costing the taxpayers.

So who decides when the weather is bad enough to cancel school?

According to the district website it's the superintendent, but there are a lot of other people helping her out with this task.  If you click here (PSD Bad Weather Policy) you can read a surprisingly well written explanation of the school cancellation procedure. I encourage you to read it if you haven't yet.

In the end, however this policy still comes down to a judgement call. A call that affects thousands and thousands of people (nearly the entire population of Pasco).  Someone has to make that call. And that someone is NOT you. So be grateful.

It's good to be concerned. It's good to have opinions. It's good to seek solutions.  In fact I regularly advocate for all of these activities.

But.....

Can we be nice? Can we be careful?   Can we relax just a little bit?

Are we wasting money when we send kids to school on a two hour delay, and only half of them show up, so we are spending 100% of a days resources on 50% of our kids? Sure.  So what?  What is the alternative? Only holding school on days we are absolutely positive that 99% of students will show up? That's not possible. Kids are unpredictable. Weather is unpredictable.  Kids AND weather combined are a whole other level of crazy.

 

I get that this is screwing up everyone's daycare.

I get that it is hard to have your munchkins cooped up at home for another day (take a moment and have pity on that poor kindergarten teacher who has indoor recess with 26 five-year-olds).

Maybe your road isn't that snowy and you're wondering why school is canceled. Trust me, there are plenty of other roads out there that are completely impassable.

Maybe the weather didn't get as bad as we expected. Be grateful the district erred on the side of caution instead of stranding kids out at bus stops for an extra thrity minutes in sub-zero winds.

Maybe your head is going to explode if we have another 2-hour delay coupled with a Wednesday early-out.  Deep breath. It's going to be okay.  

My advice? Relax. Drink some cocoa.  The teachers will do their very best to teach whoever shows up whenever school starts again.  It's going to be okay.

I want a pony, a pretty pony, with long hair that never gets tangled, and I don't want my pony to poop or smell weird or ever have flies, and I want it to be easy to ride, but super fun and fast and jump high and win races and, and, and

Sad fact of life #2155
The ideal and the real do not always exist in the same world.

In a perfect world children would always do their homework and chores without being asked.


In a perfect world cars would run on happy thoughts and gummy bears would rain down from heaven.

In a perfect world I could eat cupcakes for breakfast and still wear skinny jeans.

Sadly the world is not perfect, and we don't always get what we want simply because what we want doesn't always exist.

One such example of this type of illusive unicorn is "The Perfect Curriculum."   We all want a curriculum that is fun and easy to teach, prepares students for state assessments AND real life,  is loved by students and teachers alike, is cutting edge but still user friendly and intuitive, and is affordable enough to appeal to our tax base. That'd be ideal right?

But let's get real.

Fourteen months ago you, the parents and teachers and community members, did something amazing. You forced the hand of a reluctant school district and got them to commit to purchasing new curriculum for ALL our students in ALL subject areas. That was amazing!

You got them to do something they hadn't done in decades. Congratulations!  So everything is perfect now right?  Teachers are all happy. They got what they wanted. Everything is sunshine and roses now. Our test scores are on the rise. The teacher shortage is over. And we never have to worry about anything ever again. Right?

Right?

Not exactly.

Okay.... this may come as a shock to you... but not everyone is 100% happy. 

The curriculum we purchased isn't perfect.  
I know that may be hard for some of you to hear. But it's the truth, and I think we need to talk about it.

First of all there is no such thing as perfect curriculum.  There's that pesky reality again. 

AKA: Zoloft

There are all different types of teachers and all different types of learners, so no curriculum is going to be an exact perfect fit for everyone. There is no silver bullet.  We are dealing with all types of monsters here, so we're going to need silver bullets, and wooden stakes, and garlic necklaces, and cups of water (ya know, for those aliens in Signs, with Mel Gibson, those were super scary). 

So let's start by accepting the fact that no one product will be loved by everyone. A teacher who has been at this game for 30+ years is going to have a lot different style than a teacher who is brand new and strait outta college.

The good news is, for those teachers who were happy making everything up all by themselves, they can still do that if they they really want to. But for those poor new teachers (of which we have hundreds) who were trying to teach without any materials and who have no teaching experience, having a curriculum to teach from is like receiving manna from heaven. So essentially we've given an amazing gift to some, without really hurting others.

Which brings us to our next epiphany. Not everyone is going to feel equally grateful for new curriculum because not everyone was equally hungry for it.  

If we had a thousand people in a room, and five hundred of them were starving (and had been starving for over twenty years), we could all agree that was a problem worth addressing. The district's solution to this problem was first to deny that anyone was starving at all. They then said EVERYONE was starving and it was too expensive to feed them all. Then they suggested we do a needs assessment to study the people for a year to find out who was and was not starving. The teachers refused to accept any of these options and said, the time for talking is over, let's just get these people fed!  So they hastily bought food for all one thousand people. 

I don't remember ordering broccoli!

 It is good food. It is nutritious food. But not everyone is going to enjoy the food the same way. Obviously the people who were starving will love finally getting to eat.  But some of the less hungry people may be saying to themselves,"I don't like this flavor. I liked my old food." 

The good news is we fed all the people!  Or in this case we acquired (or are in the process of acquiring) curriculum for all. Just because people have varying levels of enthusiasm about it doesn't mean they are unhappy with it or that it was a bad choice.  It just means they are still adjusting.

And they aren't just adjusting to new curriculum, they are adjusting to to a whole new style of teaching (AKA Common Core). We have never had common core aligned curriculum in Pasco before. That means as our kids have lined up to take the state assessments, they have never been properly prepared for them.  This new curriculum will hopefully change that. Hopefully the style of instruction and assessment will more closely mirror the assessments our students must pass in order to graduate. It's a lot less memorization of facts and a lot more critical thinking. That means more work for teachers and students alike. And like a plate of vegetables, it may not be easy to swallow, but in the long run it will be good for us.

Change is hard.  Even change we WANT to have happen is hard.  It just is. This is a year of growing pains. And next year will be too. That's not a sign that something is wrong, that's a sign a growth.  And if there is one thing we are familiar with here in Pasco, it's GROWTH!

So as you talk to your children and their teachers about how they are liking the new curriculum, remember it's not a magic pony that never poops and has tangle-free hair. It's just a set of books. 

And books aren't a lifetime commitment. This may be hard for us to understand in Pasco since we've had the same books for eternity here, but they are meant to be used and replaced. We aren't married to these books. We're just dating right now. In a couple of years if it doesn't work out, we can break up, and start dating a new curriculum. And with each new relationship we will get better at knowing ourselves and what we are looking for in a long term educational relationship.

Selecting curriculum is a skill we've never had the pleasure of practicing until now. With each new curriculum adoption, we'll get better. And our kids will be better off because of it.




P.S.If you need a quick laugh, check out one of our school board members suggesting we give all the librarians a round of applause for getting the new curriculum ready for all of our schools. The school board video is RIGHT HERE and it starts at about the 10:30 mark.  Now I'm not suggesting that librarians don't deserve a thank you. They sure do. But it's a strange sentiment from the same people who took legal action against the teachers who were fighting so hard to get that very same curriculum that we are now cheering about.

Constructive Criticism

So, you all know I’m not well known for sugar and spice. I am a self admitted “Negative Nelly” and I freely nod to that title. The reason being? You can’t fix what you won't accept is broken.

This guy only tells you good things,
but that doesn't make him your friend.

Still, I am more than happy to admit that I don’t have all the answers. Seriously. I DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING. And that's okay. I can admit it. I will gleefully shout it from the rooftops and beg your input on just about any subject. The reason being is that, as a human being, it's fairly normal not have all the answers. Not only do I not have all the answers, but I will never get them if I only listen to my own ideas.

This handsome guy may be dishing out bad news like crazy,
 but at least you can trust him.

When I think about my relationship with PSD, some might call it critical. I expect a lot from PSD. I admit it. In my defense, I have pretty good and numerous reasons why I expect a lot from my local school district. Around seventeen thousand reasons to be exact. 

Whatever my reasons, however, there are always going to be those who disagree with my methods, ideologies and purpose. Which is FINE! No, seriously! That is totally okay! We can agree to disagree sometimes. I will gladly accept criticism from you because I believe critical is by no means the opposite of constructive. In fact, I'm pretty sure the phrase Constructive Criticism is a rather well known term in the continental lexicon.

I don't like the way you breathe

I understand that some people have a difficult time accepting constructive criticism, and that’s also okay. I wouldn't expect the average person to walk around, listening to a litany of all the little things they’ve ever done wrong, delivered from the mouth of a sort of blue angry gnome creature that lives on their shoulder. That’s rude. And might be Scottish.

I DO, however, expect our elected officials and those running our public school to be able to handle a little bit of critical feedback. They do represent the public after all. So shouldn't they be interested in what the public has to say? Shouldn't they want to get their information from a broad cross section of their constituents? Even if that means having to listen to those that might have only critical things say, at least initially? "Constructive" is not the antonym of "critical." And it should never be a synonym for "complacent".  English teachers, show me some love, will ya?

We got yo' back girl! Constructive =/= complacent!

After the mess of the summer where an incredibly small minority of people sided with our district insisting everything was fine (six parents and five board members to be exact), but the overwhelming majority of teachers, parents and community members (thousands and thousands of parents and teachers and community members) disagreed, I expected our board and administration to stop and do a little rethinking. Wasn't that a major wake up call to them? Wouldn't you expect them to really be listening now? To consider voices other than the good ol’ boys, the faces of those consistently invited to participate and contribute. Because, you know, there was a strike. So things can’t be all roses and cheesecake, right?

I am absolutely drooling right now!

If your entire community put their lives on hold to band to together and tell you that they didn't like how you were doing your job, don't you think you'd listen? Even if it sounded like criticism, don't you think that would be something worth hearing?

Sadly, I’ve got a few reasons, lately, to think that this might not be the case. It seems like the majority of the board is still having a hard time accepting some things still need to change. And a number of our top level administrators are still having a hard time complying with the contract the community and teachers worked so hard to get. And a small number of community members still get unobstructed access to certain leaders, while the rest of us have to wait in line and cross our fingers hoping to be heard and that what we say will sink in.

On Wednesdays, we decide the educational fate of
seventeen thousand students.

What do you call it when a small, elite group of individuals gets to have all the clout and make all the important decisions for everyone else? Well, around Pasco, it looks like we call them The Constructive Parents of Pasco.

Many of you are members of Parents for Partnership with Pasco Schools. I am too. I love the community there. I love the work they do. It inspired me to... well... to become me! It has been an amazing place for parents and teachers to connect and talk about issues important to families in Pasco. Not all the issues are pretty, but they are conversations worth having.

This winter, after the strike settled and the new contract kicked into place, a few other community members got together and made their own Facebook page. They called themselves the Constructive Parents of Pasco. When I heard about them, I asked to join because, hey! I feel like a constructive person! I want what’s best for Pasco! I want us to improve, fix what’s broken and move onward and upward! I want to be part of the solution! The only way to move forward with better understanding and healing is to share ideas and experiences by communicating. So I asked to join.

I haven’t been admitted yet. Neither have any of my friends. Weird right? So who has been admitted to the group? As of the posting of this blog (and I have screenshots, to make sure I'm getting it right) ....

•  five of the six individuals who signed the injunction against our teachers last summer,  

• our Board President and his wife and the Vice President, 

• three former school board members,

• a building principal,

• the director of human resources for PSD ,

• the executive director of teaching and learning for PSD,

• the manager of assessment operations for PSD,

• a site coordinator for the ESD 123,

• Saundra Hill's husband,

• a former Pasco City council member

• and a smattering of other individuals who, by and large, have found themselves in positions of trust, power and influence over the years in Pasco, including close friends of the above.

I don't mean to imply that everyone in the group falls under one of these umbrellas, but the group by and large comprise a different make-up than Parents for Partnership. A large amount of admins, current and former school board members, and parents who believe (and signed a notarized document) that teachers irreparably harmed their children.

People LIKE the chance to voice there concerns
and give their opinions. ...get it? LIKE? 

But hey, you know what? That’s FINE! Not everyone likes Parents for Partnership with Pasco School’s style of allowing everyone to view their page and the discussion there, to be able to like and comment, contribute new ideas and expand our understanding of the community needs. Why not have another group to show a whole other perspective and a whole different kind of discussion to everyone? If the Old School thinkers want a page to share their ideas, they should go for it, right? In fact, I applaud them! There can never be too much dialogue! I can honestly say I respect them for wanting to highlight and have conversations about the positives in our schools. What an awesome idea!

But.... This group? 

I'd like to share this poem I wrote about midichlorians.
With my closed Facebook group.
So no one will ever mock it again. 

At first I couldn't find it by searching for it on Facebook. Now, if you happen to find them or get the link, like I did, you can request to join… but you’ll never know if they’re considering your application because it’s a closed group. Meaning only members can see any of the discussion and posts. Which is also fine. Hey, you can enjoy your closed Neil Diamond Fan Club page and I’ll enjoy my closed Star Wars Poetry Group. Right? I mean who cares if a bunch of admins and board members are talking privately to a very select few parents.

Neil thinks the best way to improve community
confidence is with sweet tunes, not closed
Facebook groups.

But..... when you have five individuals whose choices last summer make them polarizing and divisive in the community in a closed group with the School Board President, Vice President and top ranking district administrators… Well, let's just say if you're trying to inspire confidence in the community at large, joining a closed Facebook group started and administrated by the people who signed the injunction - you know, the injunction accusing teachers of irreparably harming children because the teachers were on strike for CURRICULUM AND PENCILS  -  might not be the best way to go about that.

Does that sound like the kind of group our school board president's wife should be an administrator of? Does that sound like the kind of closed group that PSD's HR director should be adding select parents to? I'm sorry to say it, but this secret group reeks of shadiness and underhandedness. Even if nothing untoward is going on, the appearance dreadful. So it appears like the power to control Pasco Schools is resting with a few, hand picked private citizens. I kinda hate to be that Negative Nelly all over again, but I was under the impression Public schools should be under public control.

Parents for Partnership	Constructive Parents
Membership granted to everyone with a vested interest who agrees to abide by the page’s guidelines Transparent public group: everyone can see the discussion Members are primarily teachers and parents Discussions exhibiting different points of view	Only open to select people Only accepted members can see discussion School board members and district admin are members Who knows?

I made a little chart to illustrate the differences between these two groups. Because charts are awesome.

It seems like the some of our Board and top administrators, and yes, even a small number of community members, want to continue surrounding themselves with yes-men. They don't want the truth. They want comforting lies. So they have created their own isolated little secret club where they can sit around and tell themselves everything is okay and things are all rainbows and gumdrops in Pascoland. Only what they want to hear.

Please do not bother the Steve. He is sensitive.

Sherry is trying to take a nap. SHHH.

Robin, is that you?

I get a very strong suspicion that this group seems to regard any and all questions or criticism of Pasco School District as destructive, so all those terrible, critical things MUST NOT BE HEARD BY THE TENDER EARS OF OUR OFFICIALS. The things they seem to overwhelmingly object to, that they find “Not Constructive” are honest and open questions and problems parents, teachers and students have had. Contrary opinions. Different perspectives. Basically, they are telling us all that if we don’t agree with everything said and done in PSD, we are not constructive. However, this is just my speculation. Since it's a closed group I don't know for sure. I only have the name of the group and the fact that it is closed to everyone but an elite few to make my assumptions. This leads me to believe that I am not, in their opinion "Constructive" simply because I have offered criticism. At all. In any way, shape or form.

That's really not a good precedent.

for having an opinion that PSD's popular crowd
doesn't already have!

• This means that, if you ever had a problem with a Pasco School District policy, according to the popular kids of Pasco, you are not being constructive.

• If you ever complained to a teacher or administrator about things affecting your child, you are not being constructive.

• If you ever wondered out loud why we didn’t have comprehensive and current curriculum, you are not being constructive.

• If you ever felt left out or out of place in any PTO, ATP or club meeting, you are not being constructive.

• If you ever brought up something that could be improved in Pasco, you are not being constructive.

• If you were ever bothered by the direction you saw a teacher, administrator or organization going in Pasco, and didn’t keep it to yourself, you are not being constructive.

• If you ever complained about the handling of a bullying situation, professional or otherwise, directed at you or your child, you are not being constructive.

• If you ever had to go to great lengths to make sure an IEP or 504 were correctly observed, you are not being constructive.

• If you ever complained about the lack of academically rigorous course offerings at any school, you are not being constructive.

• If you ever suggested there might be discipline problems at any of our schools, you are not being constructive.

• If you think it might be a conflict of interests for only a select group of pre-approved people have constant access to the Board President and Vice President, you are not being constructive.

• If you supported the teachers holding out for curriculum and school supplies during the strike, you are not being constructive.

• And, Weird Al forbid, if you ever brought in outside help to deal with any of the above situations, YOU ARE NOT BEING CONSTRUCTIVE.

I FORBID you from trying to get your concerns addressed!
I'm weird like that.

I personally don’t buy it. I don’t think it’s true. I think we can only improve if we accept that we’re not perfect and aspire to something better. If you cannot accept that fact you have a problem and there is very little chance you will be able to fix it. Similarly, if you surround yourself with Yes Men to insure you always feel warm and fuzzy about everything happening in your town, there’s very little chance you’re going to head off disastrous choices that damage our kids and their futures.

So which does our school district need right now? Yes men? Or those willing to give Constructive Criticism?

The strike should have been a wake up call. Instead it has scared them back into their little rabbit hole to hide. Fortunately rabbit holes are my specialty.

Well, Helloooooooo there PSD! I'll be right down to offer some Constructive Criticism.

My Child Works at the PSD Sweat Shop

Remember the good old days of child labor? Those were fun times. No pesky laws to keep kids from pulling their own weight. Even the tiniest tot could head on over to the factory and earn his penny a day wage. Good times. Good times. Sadly the days of children working away in factories is behind us here in America.

The good ol' days, back before them fancy schmancy internuts
and them fancy schmancy intelligent walkie phones.

If you're lucky you can travel to a third world country and catch a glimpse of one of these child-centric economies still at work. Most of us, however, will never get to experience this kind of "opportunity."

Bob learns a life skill instead of a word problem

Steve here is banking trade skills. What did your littl'un bank at school today?

Luckily we have an educational system that believes we can still find a way for these little moochers to pull their own weight. We don't let kids into the factory anymore, that would be too dangerous. Instead we've found some great "white color" jobs for them to do.

Roy Junior had a hard time with the commodities market, so he's trying a little standardized testing.

The testing industry is booming right now and they've got plenty of positions open in research and development. You don't even need to apply. In fact, it's likely your child has already been hired! Every day our kids are sitting behind desks typing away for hours at a time testing out the legitimacy of dozens of methods, models, and modes of education...

A little faster there, Franny. We only get the bonus bucks if you finish in 4 hours or less. 

Strangely, though, it turns out not every parent and teacher is thrilled with the idea that students are spending so much of their learning time taking tests. Apparently this white collar work isn't as harmless as it looks. Those who know children best are seeing all kinds of harmful side effects. Kids are becoming agitated and ill. More fighting and more vomiting (the two most oft cited reasons for joining the teaching profession I'm sure) are occurring. Kids aren't happy and they aren't healthy. Recently in Pasco (and nationally) there has been some push back against excessive testing. In fact, reduced testing is one of the stipulations teachers held out for before agreeing to this year's contract. Teachers demanded that the district cut back on the number of standardized tests given to students each year.

And it worked! Right? Didn't it?

Not exactly. It turns out there are a lot of reasons people like kids to take tests. The number one reason cited in Pasco for all the excess standardized testing..... MONEY.

Well, we SHOULD be limiting testing for the sake of the childrens' psychological and intellectual health
but there's this big old bucket of cash we want...

Every time a test has been brought to the chopping block, a district admin has been there to say we need this test for the simple reason that it's tied to funding.

Yup. Pasco School District gets paid money for the tests your child is taking.

Of course it's not all that black and white. There are a lot of complicated ways the district can make money off of testing. And most of them aren't even that nefarious. The government likes schools to prove they are doing a good job before they just hand over our tax dollars. This means that in order for a school to get the money from the government that we've already paid in taxes, our kids have to first take a test to prove they are actually getting an education.

Also some grants are based on proving that we are serving a particular demographic. In order to prove that, we need a test. Frequently, it's done in the name of accountability. We have to give kids a test to "prove" our kids are learning and then some cooperation or government entity will cut us a big fat check. It's the way the system works. So naturally, we should all be okay with this. Never-mind that the money tied to these tests isn't necessarily getting funneled back into learning. We must get our hands on all the dollars! ...mustn't we?

I don't know about you, but I'm not super thrilled with my children being turned into cash calves so that PSD can hire another assistant superintendent to oversee another experimental program.

Tests are never this tasty.

I mean, if we are going to make money off our kids, there are easier ways to do it. Let's just send them out to the fields to pick apples. They'd make a ton more money, learn a useful skill, and get plenty of exercise. It's a win-win-win!

Right?

The Cotton or Calculus school of education

This boy makes far more money picking carrots AND he doesn't have to break for P.E.

Um.... no.

No. No. No. NO!

Just as we wouldn't stand for the notion of hundreds of little children being marched out to the fields every day, we also shouldn't stand for those same children spending hours at a time hunched over computer screens, working as educational guinea pigs.

Last year the teachers and community in Pasco stood up for students. Twice! During the walk-out and the strike teachers said among other things, "We will not allow our kids to be over-tested. Our children will not take any more standardized tests than is absolutely mandated by law!"  It's in the teacher contract. It is legally binding.

I'm sorry. What is a computer? I don't know the answer to that question.

Now the task at hand is to find out which tests are required by law, and which are not. Unfortunately PSD doesn't seem to know which is which. During recent bargaining (yes, bargaining goes on year round) PAE asked PSD to provide a list of legally mandated tests, and PSD hasn't been able to do it. Why? Your guess is as good as mine.  Do these professional education managers not know which tests are mandated by the state and federal governments?  If that sounds like gross incompetence, it's because it kinda would be. It'd be akin to Mark Zuckerberg not knowing the difference between a hard drive and a USB port. It's not really his whole job description but it's an essential component of it.  

Hands off my tests! This is my
retirement you're talking about here!

I assume, therefore, that our administration at the Booth does, in fact, know which of the tests we're slogging through are mandated. Yet they seem reluctant to share that information with the rest of us. Do they not want to admit what tests aren't required? Why not? Why can't they even give a simple answer to the board at board meetings? That sounds like very shady behavior. At the very least it sounds like behavior that does not have the best interests of the kids at heart.

So what can we do? Two things.

Step 1: We can put our money where our mouth is. 

If we don't want our kids paying their own way through elementary school, then we need to make sure the funding is there for them. This includes the passing of school levies and bonds. If we expect the district to let go of funding tied to testing, we have to show them we are willing to make up the difference. And so far we have!!! Hooray for those who voted and helped to get the levy passed last month. Now lets keep our eye on next years bond.

Step 1: Complete!

Step 2: We can demand better.

Just complaining gets us no where. We need constructive action. We can call, write, or visit the school board and district administrators and let them know we aren't okay with all these tests. If you're a parent who signed a waver to opt your child out of testing last year, take an extra minute to write the school board and let them know you care about all of Pasco's kids. Encourage them to "opt-out" all of Pasco's students. Not every child is lucky enough to have parents who can advocate for them. While your child may have you in their corner, there are 30 other students in their class who are still sitting at a computer screen taking a painful test that has no influence on their actual learning. Not only is this unfair, but it is incredibly prejudicial. High poverty students, special education students, and non-native English students will spend the most time testing of any group of children. Does that seem right? Are you okay with that?

The school board meets every second and fourth Tuesday of the month. See you there.