A response from G Edwin Harmon Lexington School District One Board Member. WOW is all I have to say. Read for yourself. Let me begin by saying that I greatly appreciate the concerns that have been expressed to Board members over the last few days. I assure you that Board members take seriously the input we receive from parents, teachers and students. The frustration has been palpable, and I empathize with the families that are struggling amidst this new system. That being said, I regret that the hostility is as evident as it appears to be. It is that kind of hostility when left unchecked that results in rumors, urban legends and sometimes deliberate distortions of the truth. After hearing the comments and reading e-mails, there are certain things I feel compelled to say. Please take these comments not as representative of the Board as a whole, but as one persons observations in an effort to be fair. The comments below were for the most part shared in an e-mail with another parent. Please understand that it is not my intent to be redundant or repetitive in sharing the same comments with you. However, I feel that it is critical to attempt to assess and respond to the comments and arguments that are being made out in the community. First, the comment that there are ...no do overs in life... is simply not accurate. Interestingly enough, the person that I first heard this from is an attorney. As far as I have been able to determine, it is possible to take the LSAT multiple times and to sit for the bar up to five times in the State of South Carolina. Some of our best teachers do not pass all elements of the PRAXIS on the first try, and many bright students take the SAT and ACT multiple times. If Thomas Edison had believed that there are no do overs, then the incandescent bulb would certainly have not been his invention, since it took him more than 9,000 tries to achieve this milestone. In truth, most extra credit given in our district essentially constituted a do over, as students made up for a poor performance on a test, quiz or project by doing additional work, which may or may not relate to the specific area of demonstrated deficiency. My contention is that do overs or second chances already existed in Lexington One. I find myself hard pressed to disagree with giving students a second chance, since all students do not arrive on the same schedule at the point where learning begins. Secondly, a recurring theme at the Board meeting on Tuesday night, in e-mail communications and on Facebook pages has been that students were not motivated to do homework, since it ...doesnt count. I dare say that Olympic athletes would find this thought process interesting, since the vast majority of their efforts are expended in anticipation of and preparation for their respective events. Their practice sessions and exercise regimens dont count either, but the medals dont come if the practice and exercise dont take place. We have heard many times that ...my students will not do the homework, since it is not counted toward their grade. I find it interesting that many parents would not intervene at this point and remind their students of the importance of completing all assignments. I find it fascinating that many parents would not demand such. Thirdly, if the dialogue on web pages and at the meeting on Tuesday night were taken out of context, one could come away with the conclusion that under the previous system, no ones child ever failed, the grading system was uniform across the district, and all students were thoroughly prepared for what lay before them after high school. In reality, none of these is totally true. Students did fail under the previous system and did drop out. The grading system was in reality a series of systems which varied from teacher to teacher - not from student to student - but from teacher to teacher. Individual teacher grading systems did not guarantee that students had a chance to master material, but likely kept too much focus on a mark or score as the ultimate goal, not the mastery of content. Just as students are currently said to avoid homework, since it doesnt count, the age-old question from students under the old system was, Is this going to be on the test? In other words, if the information the teacher was presenting was not going to be on the test, then the student would ignore it even if it could lead to content mastery. Also, too many of our students lose scholarships after their first semester of college and/or find themselves in costly remedial training situations due to a failure to master content at the elementary and secondary levels. Fourthly, much has been said about letting teachers teach. I believe in our Lexington One teachers. I think we have some of the finest in this country. But, to be fair, if a teacher has a high percentage of students having to retake tests, is teaching really occurring? In reality, teaching has not occurred in the absence of learning. Finally, please be aware that some of the individuals who spoke at our Board meeting and who have posted on web pages have insinuated and some blatantly stated that Board members had ignored them. One (an attorney) even stated that she had sought meetings with Board members only to be rebuffed. I assure you that this is not true. This individual has during the last year met with the Superintendent and the Board Chair. This person contacted me by phone. When I returned her call, she stated that she had gotten her question answered and did not need to talk with me further. Now that you have had to endure my apologetic above (again, only one mans opinion, and I shared this with you from my heart in an attempt to be fair), please understand that the Board has heard clearly what has been said and what is circulating in the community. It is obvious to us that something must change regarding the process that has been by all accounts so poorly implemented. We have charged Dr. Woodward with not only assessing what is going on district-wide and why, but also have charged her with fixing it. This is truly not a correct old model versus an incorrect new model situation, however. I think the best for our students likely lies somewhere in between the two. We will find where that balance is so that students, parents, the district and the community can move forward with confidence into a brighter future. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to respond to you. I have great respect for a process that allows one-to-one communication on issues like this. Thanks also for identifying yourself in your communication. Many other contacts have been sent anonymously. Thank you for your concerns, and thanks for being a loving, caring parent. I wish you and your son the very best. If I can be of help to you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me. Take care!!
Posted on: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 01:35:09 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015