We allow ourselves to be fooled.  We fall into the traps of talking about ageism and racism instead of talking about what should be discussed – was this RIF, for any reason, necessary?  When the numbers are put out there more questions are raised than answered.  When Michelle Rhee answers questions, or, I should say, when she deflects questions or when anyone from her office pretends to answer questions, the only thing that seems to happen is an obvious deflating of the morale of teachers and more questions being raised. Good teachers, intelligent people, have some serious concerns and the benevolent dictator-like answers we are being given are not comforting in the least. No longer is it bearable to hear the words “you have to trust us” and “we are doing what we think best” and “if you knew what we knew than…”

Tell us what you know. Be transparent and trust us to decide what we think is right.  Ah, but then that would put some of these flimsy ideas in some very harsh light.  The only thing transparent about Michelle Rhee’s administration of our school system is in the quality of her ideas – truly, here we have the emporer standing naked.  We are given borrowed, half-worked-out ideas that have had mediocre results in other parts of the country; we are given an evaluation system that is, admittedly by the administration, vague and incomplete; we are told that we need to be treated like children because we do not know what is best for our schools.

The Post’s argument is that our system is so abysmal in performance that anything the Chancellor does is worthy of not only consideration but implementation.  They have yet to really examine any of the claims made about the effectiveness of these borrowed ideas or their effect on the workforce.  The Post should be apprised that the morale of teachers in the better schools in DC is as low as it gets.  John Kelly, in a recent comment on his online blog, dismissed what one teacher said by questioning whether it could possibly be Michelle Rhee defeating the morale of teachers instead of the fact that kids can’t read?  This is what the Post writers do – sit in their chairs and dismiss information coming to them from the working troops instead of going out and finding out if this is how all teachers feel.  Teacher morale is terribly low in every school in DC – not just the schools where there are “bad” teachers (God how I hate hearing that word – use effective or ineffective; this “bad” and “good” commentary is infantile and part of the problem). Is this what is wanted?  Do we throw out the good with the bad?  “The baby with the bath water” that is what I am hearing coming from the mouths of teachers and parents in these schools.

As for those of you who still believe what the Post printed in today’s editorial: Brother what’s it take to make you wise?  Do you really believe that we were ever going to see that money?  Look at that proposal again, please. Look at the fact that it takes four years to get to the highest earning potential on that chart. The private foundation funding for the bonus system is slated for four years after which the schools have to make up for that money by enrollment and managing the budget. The principals have the sole right to fire. What do you think they are going to go for:  high-paid veterans or lower priced, newer teachers. Sometimes the choice will not be theirs. This is already playing out in New York City, our very own test model for what Rhee and Fenty want to do here. Wake up.

I don’t advocate for senorioty simply on the basis of longevity.  A good school has a core of good, veteran teachers who are able to provide newer teachers with the culture and philosophy of that school.  They provide the continuity that gives consistency to the quality of education in the community.  I am very aware that in many DC schools that is lacking. But then the communities that many of those schools are in are lacking in many other things as well.  But that does not mean that destroying morale system-wide, in big, sweeping gestures, is an answer to those problems.  A good manager comes into a workplace and can discern pretty quickly what works and what doesn’t. That manager then shores up what is working and finds ways to fix what is not and to get rid of what can’t be fixed.  That is not what is happening here.  Wake up.

The other thing that parents in the NW keep hearing is about autonomy.  Once schools demonstrate an ability to score high on AYPs they will be given autonomy to work without downtown looking over their shoulder.  One parent said to me that when they questioned Rhee about autonomy for their school they were given the excuse that things weren’t there yet for autonomy to be put in place.  Give them autonomy lord, but not yet.  Promises, promises.

In a speech at Cornell university this week.  No mention was made of the budget cuts, none made about the layoffs.  But this was said:

“According to Rhee, he [Fenty] also refused to cut the budget of DCPS, asking that other departments shoulder more of the burden so that children did not have to pay for the mistakes of the adults.”

No matter what context you put that quote in, the fact that she made it without following up with what is happening now in our system speaks volumes to how Ms. Rhee manages.

Brothers and sisters, what’s it take to make you wise?