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Does it matter if the teacher is new or veteran? Is one more justified in behaving in a way that would cause EMS and school police to respond. The concern here should be for students and the individual teachers health and well being
I feel for the teacher that has to go to work under that conditional situation this morning. Sometimes we need to take a sick day, but go to work because we have to-there is no other way to pay the bills, etc.
I do not want to know the teacher’s name. Nevertheless, I would like to know what compelled this teacher to go to work today. My concern why this was covered as a news item. The Board uses school police in a very demeaning manner or is this the procedural manner to handle a Board of Ed employee. EMS should have been the first responders-which eludes that the Colfax staff were not that familiar with the teacher to understand the person. Or is this way the PPS treats their employees under many circumstances or situations.
As a parent, I went to the Board several years ago in August just before school year started and went through the entrance door to be shocked to see PPS Police literally escorting the HR Director out of the building just taking his suit coat. Eventually, I was able to find out the detailed information though contacting my Board member.
It was very disgraceful and demeaning to that PPS employee. I had feelings of how sad to treat a fellow employee. Now, in 2012 we have a school police chief silenced for his behavior-that had to see hundreds of cases like this be done by his staff.
As a parent, I wonder is the protocol that the PPS ADM uses to handle fellow employees under many situations.
Anonymous May 9, 2012 3:49 PM stated about the HR Director incident. Why would the board member tell you about that?? Do you have a in with what goes on??
I think the reason that PPS School Police was called was due to the fact that they had to protect the staff and STUDENTS. If that teacher was acting some way that made them do what they did. I would have to back up the PPS ADM on this one.
Just say they just called the EMS and/or first responders. While they were waiting for them the teacher went really off the wall and started to hurt the students. Everyone would be yelling why didn't you call the PPS Police.
Your posturing led me to immediately respond to you on your two points.
It is not a what if case? It is a what happened case!
I will be most clarified with my post
I believe with the school incident -the adults would have isolated the teacher until approximate assistance arrives at the school. They are trained adults that deal with confrontations as situations. I believe they did that.
Why the news media called because the call to EMS puts a ringer into the procedural situation. They did not call the Pittsburgh Police. It was not that dangerous for the welfare of others-but for the welfare of the teacher.
This just makes me concerned-if the staff knows the teacher why did they not get the teacher medical help. EMS responds quickly.
Makes me feel for that teacher as a parent. If you work, would you want a fellow colleague having a Kodak moment having the news media hit with a story. The teacher did not have a weapon-But the teacher should have used some clues=it was not a day to be at work and used a sick day.
IT is very clear that no students were involved and the Colfax administration handled it. As for calling a Board member-I was shocked with children in tow- to watch a Watergate type of Escort out of a taxpayer funded building. It looked like this person committed a crime. Yes, called a Board membe. You can call your Board member anytime-it is if they will respond to your concern.
Yes, the building was on lockdown. Adam (the principal) was at a meeting in greenway when it happened, so he was in communication with the school via cell phone as he returned. The vice-principal and one of the senior teachers (ITL?) handled it on the local end while he was returning to school.
At the meeting last night Adam said that he believes that no students were involved/exposed. It sounds liked it was mostly handled by the book.
The thing now is that the district HR rules won't let anyone who knows to give any details about what happened, so the kids are just making stuff up to explain it. The rumor mill... and the rumors are all conflicting. The one thing that matches is who the teacher was (not a sub, not someone who teaches a core subject, i don't know how many years he has been in the district, been at colfax for maybe 3 yrs?).
The schhol's page on the district website does not list a VP, but the pages are not up-to-date more often than not. The population is 720 for the K-8 building. What is significant about this? Isn't it true that a bulding must have 500 students next year to qualify for a VP? No matter what the size any building with students beyond grade 6 should have a VP or all directors should serve in a building anytime a principal is out.
If you read my blog statement, it was clearly dignified with PPS Police being there. I doubt that this would have turned into a bad situation as if this should have been headline news. The last poster deemed more astute and understanding of the situation-it is by the book. A very good explanation.
It is obvious the Principal was not there and he done a great job.
Again, I just have a sincere concern for fellow employees that work together as a team, a community of workers.
The decision-maker that made the common sense assertion to bring EMS in- is imperative demonstration of realization and conclusive understanding. Again, it was not Pittsburgh Police brought to the seen.
As stated, an employee should know when to take a sick day. An employee could have an epileptic incidence or a panic attack, etc. Maybe did not take meds. Sometimes people like a head Administer is privy to their staff because they truly deal with them one on one.
Again, we are being empathetic to the teacher because it was a very good idea to have EMS there-I work in the airline industry and we drug test immediately if the employee is erratic or acting unable to control their being. It is a law-but we do work together and try very hard to work teaming and tell employees take a day off of work or go to EAP if you need. It is comradeship.
HR should be silent it is against the law to give out personal information of this nature.
As for the students, they all doublespeak no matter what teacher they have or like or dislike. Yes, they carry tells that can hurt a teacher’s career. I was a student in a classroom of fellow students that watched as a very young child, kids cruelty.
I believe that the Colfax staff has comradeship as well as the community as illustrated by the last poster discussing the meeting.
As a parent reading through all Purereform blog subjects and entries, in conjunction with the PPS web site documents for only the public, PPS needs to update.
Under PELA topics Colfax and other schools last year, had PELAS serving as Vice Principals used as assistants in running buildings. This year the two that were there –as stated are Principals-one at Colfax.
The one poster stated a Vice Principal was there with this incident the other poster believes they are going to cut such a huge school that needs more than one administrator next year in charge. The PELAS run the building as administrators with Principals. This school which has a high enrollment and successful must have more than just a Principal next year. It is unfair for all. CRIS might assist like the PELAS as part of school ADM processes from all aspect of ADM decisions.
Burnt out teachers is not good for the district.To many of them .I believe in if you put the time in you keep your job but times have changed and so did students and the older teachers can't handle the pressure from the pps admin and the students.We all need our jobs but just don't just show up the first day of school and take sick leave for several months ,it's not fair to the students and staff who stick it out trough the good and the bad.
"We all need our jobs but just don't just show up the first day of school and take sick leave for several months ,it's not fair to the students and staff who stick it out through the good and the bad."
Anon please explain your last sentence for me-or can another blogger explain it. I am looking at objectively as referring to the teacher in this incident. Maybe I am a naive parent.
Somebody wanted to post about an incident involving an adminstrator. Since it happened out of school, and charges have been dismissed, we will pass on that one.
Anon 8:14 .I was referring to teachers who come to work on the first day of school and some how they take a sick leave for months and the students are stuck with a sub for most of the year.You never see the regular staff at any school for an entire school year.the teacher in the incident was burnt out and should have left months ago.
Wow. The teacher was bunt out and should have left months ago. What a naive and arrogant thing to say. Most teachers who are older than 30 have married, had kids, take care of parents, have mortgages, have life obligations. Does this poster understand what this means to have this level of responsibility? The vast majority of PPS teachers came into this profession and this district because they have a passion for teaching and for teaching urban kids. This requires special skill. Many of these teachers are third generation teachers, as we're their parents and grandparents before them, and many, many of them are teaching in the system their parents taught in and that they went to school in too. There is something to be said for this kind of commitment to an institution. Does the poster understand what it does to committed teachers to have people with very little knowledge, expertise, or experience supervise the in such militaristic and coercive ways? Really, painting older teachers as burn outs is uncalled for. The younger staff don't seem to be able to handle anything much better, resorting to name calling and relying on the police to control their students and staff. Wow. It sounds like some military take over in another country. If you need this much force and name calling to put education reform into place, then it sounds like you really don't have a good handle on how to do that. Oh, that's right, you are only going to put effective teachers into place, sieg heil. That is your only, and very cloudy, solution to the complex problems of public ed in an urban city. Never mind the fact that 6 years into the reform you can't even define what makes a teacher effective. No, but you can rate out those you think aren't effective. This is ageism, and someone should really call the ACLU about this. What a fascist state PPS is becoming.
You've got that right! Older teachers are often disgusted, based on all that they've seen. And being disgusted is sometimes mistaken for being burnt out.
And older teachers are wary. They've heard all the false promises before, false promises from the union and false promises from the administration.
Anon8:17 you must be one of the burnt out teachers ,it's burnt out not bunt out your spell check must be off.I agree with anon 2:57,iam a retired teacher and yes I was burnt out and scared of loosing my job, that's what anon 2:57 most likely referring to.So I agree if you cant do the job let the younger teachers do it ,they are close to high schoolers ages and understand them more then say some one who are in there 50s or 60s with 30 years in .In the next 5 years it's gone to happen anyway so that's why I got out now before they furloughed or fired me.
24 comments:
The teacher could have been a substitute teacher in for a daily teacher absence.
Enclosed is another more detailed article.
Illustrates conflictual information on the incident.
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/education/teacher-escorted-from-colfax-elementary-635065/
I don't know anything more than what the WPXI link said, and I hope everything turns out all right. But here's the sad thing.
Ten years ago, my first thought would have been "I wonder who the teacher was."
Now with all the focusing, etc. going on, my first thought actually was "it could be anyone."
Does it matter if the teacher is new or veteran? Is one more justified in behaving in a way that would cause EMS and school police to respond. The concern here should be for students and the individual teachers health and well being
Yes of course, first do what is necessary to ensure the well being of the students and the teacher. Then ask some questions.
I feel for the teacher that has to go to work under that conditional situation this morning. Sometimes we need to take a sick day, but go to work because we have to-there is no other way to pay the bills, etc.
I do not want to know the teacher’s name. Nevertheless, I would like to know what compelled this teacher to go to work today.
My concern why this was covered as a news item. The Board uses school police in a very demeaning manner or is this the procedural manner to handle a Board of Ed employee. EMS should have been the first responders-which eludes that the Colfax staff were not that familiar with the teacher to understand the person. Or is this way the PPS treats their employees under many circumstances or situations.
As a parent, I went to the Board several years ago in August just before school year started and went through the entrance door to be shocked to see PPS Police literally escorting the HR Director out of the building just taking his suit coat. Eventually, I was able to find out the detailed information though contacting my Board member.
It was very disgraceful and demeaning to that PPS employee. I had feelings of how sad to treat a fellow employee. Now, in 2012 we have a school police chief silenced for his behavior-that had to see hundreds of cases like this be done by his staff.
As a parent, I wonder is the protocol that the PPS ADM uses to handle fellow employees under many situations.
Anonymous May 9, 2012 3:49 PM
stated about the HR Director incident. Why would the board member tell you about that?? Do you have a in with what goes on??
I think the reason that PPS School Police was called was due to the fact that they had to protect the staff and STUDENTS. If that teacher was acting some way that made them do what they did. I would have to back up the PPS ADM on this one.
Just say they just called the EMS and/or first responders. While they were waiting for them the teacher went really off the wall and started to hurt the students. Everyone would be yelling why didn't you call the PPS Police.
Anonymous May 9, 2012 5:17 PM
Your posturing led me to immediately respond to you on your two points.
It is not a what if case? It is a what happened case!
I will be most clarified with my post
I believe with the school incident -the adults would have isolated the teacher until approximate assistance arrives at the school. They are trained adults that deal with confrontations as situations. I believe they did that.
Why the news media called because the call to EMS puts a ringer into the procedural situation. They did not call the Pittsburgh Police. It was not that dangerous for the welfare of others-but for the welfare of the teacher.
This just makes me concerned-if the staff knows the teacher why did they not get the teacher medical help. EMS responds quickly.
Makes me feel for that teacher as a parent. If you work, would you want a fellow colleague having a Kodak moment having the news media hit with a story. The teacher did not have a weapon-But the teacher should have used some clues=it was not a day to be at work and used a sick day.
IT is very clear that no students were involved and the Colfax administration handled it.
As for calling a Board member-I was shocked with children in tow- to watch a Watergate type of Escort out of a taxpayer funded building. It looked like this person committed a crime. Yes, called a Board membe. You can call your Board member anytime-it is if they will respond to your concern.
I am just happy that the school was not put on "lockdown"--hate that term--and that the SWAT team and bomb squad weren't called in.
The building was in lockdown from what I heard.
Colfax administration did what they were trained to do. PPS POLICE is part of the plan to keep the school safe.
Your statement of It is not a what if case? It is a what happened case!
If the PPS Police was not called it would have been a what if case!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, the building was on lockdown. Adam (the principal) was at a meeting in greenway when it happened, so he was in communication with the school via cell phone as he returned. The vice-principal and one of the senior teachers (ITL?) handled it on the local end while he was returning to school.
At the meeting last night Adam said that he believes that no students were involved/exposed. It sounds liked it was mostly handled by the book.
The thing now is that the district HR rules won't let anyone who knows to give any details about what happened, so the kids are just making stuff up to explain it. The rumor mill... and the rumors are all conflicting. The one thing that matches is who the teacher was (not a sub, not someone who teaches a core subject, i don't know how many years he has been in the district, been at colfax for maybe 3 yrs?).
The schhol's page on the district website does not list a VP, but the pages are not up-to-date more often than not. The population is 720 for the K-8 building. What is significant about this? Isn't it true that a bulding must have 500 students next year to qualify for a VP? No matter what the size any building with students beyond grade 6 should have a VP or all directors should serve in a building anytime a principal is out.
If you read my blog statement, it was clearly dignified with PPS Police being there. I doubt that this would have turned into a bad situation as if this should have been headline news.
The last poster deemed more astute and understanding of the situation-it is by the book. A very good explanation.
It is obvious the Principal was not there and he done a great job.
Again,
I just have a sincere concern for fellow employees that work together as a team, a community of workers.
The decision-maker that made the common sense assertion to bring EMS in- is imperative demonstration of realization and conclusive understanding. Again, it was not Pittsburgh Police brought to the seen.
As stated, an employee should know when to take a sick day. An employee could have an epileptic incidence or a panic attack, etc. Maybe did not take meds. Sometimes people like a head Administer is privy to their staff because they truly deal with them one on one.
Again, we are being empathetic to the teacher because it was a very good idea to have EMS there-I work in the airline industry and we drug test immediately if the employee is erratic or acting unable to control their being. It is a law-but we do work together and try very hard to work teaming and tell employees take a day off of work or go to EAP if you need. It is comradeship.
HR should be silent it is against the law to give out personal information of this nature.
As for the students, they all doublespeak no matter what teacher they have or like or dislike. Yes, they carry tells that can hurt a teacher’s career. I was a student in a classroom of fellow students that watched as a very young child, kids cruelty.
I believe that the Colfax staff has comradeship as well as the community as illustrated by the last poster discussing the meeting.
As a parent reading through all Purereform blog subjects and entries, in conjunction with the PPS web site documents for only the public, PPS needs to update.
Under PELA topics Colfax and other schools last year, had PELAS serving as Vice Principals used as assistants in running buildings. This year the two that were there –as stated are Principals-one at Colfax.
The one poster stated a Vice Principal was there with this incident the other poster believes they are going to cut such a huge school that needs more than one administrator next year in charge. The PELAS run the building as administrators with Principals. This school which has a high enrollment and successful must have more than just a Principal next year. It is unfair for all. CRIS might assist like the PELAS as part of school ADM processes from all aspect of ADM decisions.
Burnt out teachers is not good for the district.To many of them .I believe in if you put the time in you keep your job but times have changed and so did students and the older teachers can't handle the pressure from the pps admin and the students.We all need our jobs but just don't just show up the first day of school and take sick leave for several months ,it's not fair to the students and staff who stick it out trough the good and the bad.
Anonymous said... May 10, 2012 4:19 PM
"We all need our jobs but just don't just show up the first day of school and take sick leave for several months ,it's not fair to the students and staff who stick it out through the good and the bad."
Anon please explain your last sentence for me-or can another blogger explain it. I am looking at objectively as referring to the teacher in this incident. Maybe I am a naive parent.
Somebody wanted to post about an incident involving an adminstrator. Since it happened out of school, and charges have been dismissed, we will pass on that one.
Anon 8:14 .I was referring to teachers who come to work on the first day of school and some how they take a sick leave for months and the students are stuck with a sub for most of the year.You never see the regular staff at any school for an entire school year.the teacher in the incident was burnt out and should have left months ago.
Wow. The teacher was bunt out and should have left months ago. What a naive and arrogant thing to say. Most teachers who are older than 30 have married, had kids, take care of parents, have mortgages, have life obligations. Does this poster understand what this means to have this level of responsibility? The vast majority of PPS teachers came into this profession and this district because they have a passion for teaching and for teaching urban kids. This requires special skill. Many of these teachers are third generation teachers, as we're their parents and grandparents before them, and many, many of them are teaching in the system their parents taught in and that they went to school in too. There is something to be said for this kind of commitment to an institution. Does the poster understand what it does to committed teachers to have people with very little knowledge, expertise, or experience supervise the in such militaristic and coercive ways? Really, painting older teachers as burn outs is uncalled for. The younger staff don't seem to be able to handle anything much better, resorting to name calling and relying on the police to control their students and staff. Wow. It sounds like some military take over in another country. If you need this much force and name calling to put education reform into place, then it sounds like you really don't have a good handle on how to do that. Oh, that's right, you are only going to put effective teachers into place, sieg heil. That is your only, and very cloudy, solution to the complex problems of public ed in an urban city. Never mind the fact that 6 years into the reform you can't even define what makes a teacher effective. No, but you can rate out those you think aren't effective. This is ageism, and someone should really call the ACLU about this. What a fascist state PPS is becoming.
I agree with anon5:28 the older teachers are scared and burnt out.Tme to change the system and let the younger teachers take over.
I doubt the older teachers are scared. That's actually funny that you said that.
Anon 5:48
You said "I doubt the older teachers are scared."
You've got that right! Older teachers are often disgusted, based on all that they've seen. And being disgusted is sometimes mistaken for being burnt out.
And older teachers are wary. They've heard all the false promises before, false promises from the union and false promises from the administration.
But are older teachers scared? Nope.
Anon8:17 you must be one of the burnt out teachers ,it's burnt out not bunt out your spell check must be off.I agree with anon 2:57,iam a retired teacher and yes I was burnt out and scared of loosing my job, that's what anon 2:57 most likely referring to.So I agree if you cant do the job let the younger teachers do it ,they are close to high schoolers ages and understand them more then say some one who are in there 50s or 60s with 30 years in .In the next 5 years it's gone to happen anyway so that's why I got out now before they furloughed or fired me.
Or these teachers could be bullied by their principal. I haven't had a "good" fair principal in about 9 years!
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