Wigderson Going Private

James Wigderson’s family faced some unacceptable behavior from staff at his kid’s school and he has chosen to send them to private school next year.

The first time a teacher’s aide told my wife flatly that her husband needed to spend more time in the classroom. My wife was stunned that someone would even say that to her when she is already volunteering at the school, otherwise she would have responded, “I don’t think you want that.”

The second time came from my son’s teacher, who for no reason and with no warning asked my wife why her husband hates education so much.

We had been wavering on whether to put our son in private school before this. After all, there is a financial cost. I actually think there’s a benefit to public schools, especially when they have a program of set standards and goals. And most of the other children in our neighborhood goes to Hadfield.

But after those two incidents by supposed professionals, there is no way we can consider sending our child back to the public schools.

I understand Wigderson’s worry.  My kids are already in private school, but my outspoken opinions about the district would make me worry about how they would be treated in the public schools. 

At the same time, it should be noted that the behavior that Wigderson’s family experienced is not the norm.  The vast majority of staff are professionals who would not behave this way.  But the problem is that it only takes a few instances of this stuff to make a family uneasy that more important things - like the kid’s grades and education - are being affected by this kind of behavior. 

The bigger problem with something like this is that the public school system offers parents virtually zero recourse.  If the parents complain to the principal, the most the principal might do is tell the teacher not to do it again.  If the parent complains to the school board, there’s very little they can do other than apologize and make empty promises that it won’t happen again.  If the behavior is repeated several times, the likelihood of getting the teacher reprimanded or even fired for being unprofessional is next to nil - especially since the teachers union will fight tooth and nail to deny someone like Wigderson a “victory.” And through it all, if a teacher or staff member is willing to engage in such behavior unprovoked, how comfortable can a parent feel that the teacher won’t retaliate against his kid - even if not consciously? 

The other thing a parent can do is request a transfer to another teacher or school, but that continues to disrupt the kid’s education.  That’s not a good solution either.  At least in a private school, the school board and administration tends to be much more responsive to parents’ concerns.  No, they aren’t perfect and bad behavior is tolerated, but if I’m paying several thousand dollars a year in tuition, the leadership is going to listen if I threaten to pull my kid out and/or talk to other parents about my concerns.  Furthermore, if action needs to be taken against a staff member, most private schools are not unionized and action can be taken swiftly.  Private schools are dependent on their customers - the parents - being happy with the product for which they are paying.  This is not a mentality that is generally present in the public school system. 

If teachers want to be treated like professionals, they need to act like professionals.  If they want to be treated like union thugs, they will be if they act like union thugs. 

Good luck to the Wigdersons.  It’s a shame that a family that genuinely cares about their kids’ education and actively participates in their school no longer feels welcome in a school district for which they already pay and feels compelled to spend even more money to send their kids to a private school.  These are the kinds of families that school districts should be listening to and heeding their concerns. 

1. Some years back I was very active on a vote “no” committee to oppose a school referendum to raise more money for a suburban Milwaukee school district.  I had a student there in middle school.  Her teachers spoke out in class about me in front of her several times and embarrassed her.  They were way out of line.  My child didn’t tell me about it at the time and it was a year or two later that she told me.  I was appalled, but it was too late to do anything.  By the way, we defeated the referendum.

   Posted by T. Bone on June 09, 2008 at 1039 hrs




2. Sounds like a good school to institute a harassment policy at.

   Posted by on June 09, 2008 at 1706 hrs




3. There is only one way to deal with the Union thugs.

   Do the same as they do.  I was at the Menomonee Falls School Board meeting that the teachers were protesting at.

   Instead of waiting in line behind a ton of people I went to the back of the room, and waited until I heard one of the teachers, either boo, or make some comment.

   I then pulled out the test scores, along with a pretty graph that showed our schools were 2nd to last, and said in a loud voice “So with these test scores you people think you deserve a raise?”.  Of course they couldn’t do anything to me in that room.  I did this probably 10 times or so, until I turned around and there were 2 Menomonee Falls Police officers standing there, speaking to some Union thug (I assumed), and the Union thug was saying, we want him arrested.  The Police officer ask for what?.  Everything I was doing was legal.  I wasn’t causing a riot, I wasn’t intimidating anyone, I was just pointing out the facts that our test scores are bad, and that he doesn’t think you deserve a raise. Then we want him to stand somewhere else, and the Police officer said sorry, you don’t own this space, and they left.

   As I was leaving one of these jerks said in a low voice, that I better watch out how my kids are treated, and I went off on them, and said in a very loud voice, “Please treat my children differently, and I will sue you, the Union and the district”.

   Both my boys are on the Honor Role..

   You have to stand up to them or they will continue to bully us into giving them everything they want.

   The Menomonee Falls School District is one of a very few that does stand up to the teachers, and the Union, and they deserve our praise.

   I will be there at the next meeting standing in back with the test scores.

   Bring it on....

   Posted by on June 09, 2008 at 1708 hrs




4. Well you can’t blame the teachers in this case for trying like mad to protect the lavish early retirement they can take while the rest of us bust our butts until their late 60’s or 70’s in order to retire.  You’d be willing to stoop to new lows to have 10-15 years of retirement before everyone else.

   Plus, given the movement towards totalitarianism on the left, that being no one can think in any other way than the way the left dictates, the only shocking thing about the story is that one of the teachers didn’t take it out on the kids.

   Posted by on June 09, 2008 at 1849 hrs




5. This same thing happend in the 70’s with the teacher strikes.  Anyone that criticized the teachers and their programs were shut out, their kids were ostracized and many moved out of West Allis.  I moved to Tosa, who had very good schools at that time, but the education lobby in Tosa and the establishment ruined those schools, taking them from the top three to the top 20 in 17th place.
   I sent my kids to Marquette High and Heritage, two really good schools, cause of it.
   Education has moved backward from the 50’s ,when I was in school, except for teacher’s benefits, salaries, pensions and vacations have moved forward.  Great accomplishments that have to brag about.

   Posted by on June 10, 2008 at 0828 hrs




6. Owen, do you believe that the missteps by the staff at Hadfield, as described in the post you linked to, are missteps that they should be fired for?

   Posted by Mike on June 10, 2008 at 1340 hrs




7. No.  I believe that they should have been verbally reprimanded.  If the behavior was repeated, then I think that the punishment should have been ratcheted up.  On about the 3rd or 4th offense, the teacher should be fired.

   Posted by Owen on June 10, 2008 at 1353 hrs




8. You get no complaint from me.  Carry on

   Posted by Mike on June 10, 2008 at 1623 hrs




9. OverTaxed- Your test scores threat really doesn’t do much to strike fear into an educator’s heart.  Test scores measure relatively little of any worth.  The test scores in my district are really good.  This is largely a measure of the quality of students we receive from the families. By the same token, low test scores are largely a measure of how well prepared kids come to your schools. 

   It’s not as if schools have no impact on test scores, its just that tests measure a relatively small spectrum of knowledge: Math, science, language arts, and social studies.  Schools (all schools) teach way way more than that. 

   That said, I don’t know what “union thugs” or test scores have to do with Mr. Wigderson’s situation.

   Posted by Mike on June 10, 2008 at 1710 hrs




10. Mike,

    Are you Scott’s twin?

    Posted by on June 10, 2008 at 1716 hrs




11. Mike,

    “You get no complaint from me.  Carry on

    Posted by Mike on June 10, 2008 at 1623 hrs”

    Ok, Mike now that we have your blessing.

    Do us all a favor and piss off, and tell Scott to do the same.

    Posted by on June 10, 2008 at 1717 hrs




12. All most of us care about is teaching kids to read, that is they key to everything yet they can’t do that.  They can teach kids to read in China, Banglasdesh but we can’t do it here.  That is the height of incompetence.  You can teach almost anybody to read if you start in lower grades and work with them.  It doesn’t do any good to give a sixth grader a history book if he can’t read.
    The teachers excuses are all BS.  They know how to read their contracts, benefits, pensions and vacations, teach the kids to do the same.

    Posted by on June 10, 2008 at 1825 hrs




13. All most of us care about is teaching kids to read

    I hope most of us care about a whole lot more than that.
    

    that is they key to everything

    Agreed.
    

    yet they can’t do that.  They can teach kids to read in China, Banglasdesh but we can’t do it here.

    Bullshit.
    

    That is the height of incompetence.

    Slander will get you no where.
    

    You can teach almost anybody to read if you start in lower grades and work with them.

    Agreed. Reading to your children nightly is the single most powerful gift a parent can give a child.
    

    It doesn’t do any good to give a sixth grader a history book if he can’t read.

    Agreed.
    

    The teachers excuses are all BS.  They know how to read their contracts, benefits, pensions and vacations, teach the kids to do the same.

    OK. 
    We agree more than we disagree.

    Posted by Mike on June 11, 2008 at 0804 hrs




14. Reading is everything, when you can read you discover knowledge, adventure etc.  When you can read you can understnad science, your math book. If you can’t read you are dead.  You even have to have someone show you how to operate your video game.
    Education in public schools in Wisconsin, in most places, is adequate cause we have the smartest population in the US in many parts.  A Fortune magzine article traced our area as one of the biggest sources of companies top executives, many coming out of one room school houses.  But, they all could read.
    When only 30% of tenth graders, in the inner city, can read they are doomed to poor jobs and a poor lifestyle.
    My wife ws a ateacher and everyone of our five kids could read by kindergarten.  However, the liberals destroyed the family with Great sociey Programs in the 60’s so that so many kids are being rasied without families in the inner cities so we must try to rescue those kids by having society teach them and maybe 2 generations from now the damage will be rpealed.

    Posted by on June 11, 2008 at 0927 hrs




15. Please don’t think I’m making excuses (I am a HS teacher) when I say this. What happens at home regarding reading makes all the difference in the world.  Especially in city schools with lousy attendance.  So many of these issues bleed together.  But I really meant it when I said that the single most powerful thing a person can do in raising their children is to read to them every night.

    As a high school teacher in a very high performing district, I can tell who’s been read to and who hasn’t.  I can tell who writes regularly in a journal and who doesn’t.  These native habits are extremely powerful! 

    They are also, sadly, affected by poverty.  If an otherwise capable family cannot afford the time to spend reading to their kids every night, then they are working schedules that conflict with their children’s schooling. These folks either don’t care, are ill-informed, or are in such dire financial straits that they cannot afford to be choosy about their work schedule. The effect is the same: a childhood experience that tends toward illiteracy.

    Dohnal is right, if we can get them to read, we win a lot of battles later in their lives.

    Posted by Mike on June 11, 2008 at 1648 hrs