So the HM picked Dr. Morgan as their Person of the Year. Do you think this was a good choice?

They probably based it on the US NEWS & WORLD REPORT article.

JOKE

I was waiting so long to see if any forum members posted this. It merited discussion or fun, not sure how to feel. How does Patton feel? Just asking as he posed the question? Jury is still out w/ me.

I know I would never be up to teaching or administering a large school program in this day and age. SO, I can not throw too many stones. I am in the schools regularly. The classrooms around the country are not what they were ten years ago. My beef or critique would be w/ some of the line Staff & Principles. Also, I am appalled by the # of parents who r disengaged w/ their kids. Thankfully most r involved but the disengaged ruin the classroom for the rest.

Love most administrators and line staff, appreciate the good ones. The others, oh well that is another topic.

I have found some serious dead weight or burned out professionals in our schools. Sadly, this small group affects the overall day. But I guess that is true all over, that is life. It is a changing time. At least I feel good knowing I try to be in there seeing it up close, helping, and asking questions, & not accepting apathy. Like I said, jury still out on the HM's choice, I am going to look up who they have chosen before to get some context. I have mixed experienced w/ some of the editors at HM, good and not so impressive. Who knows who HM picked the last five years? I have a list I plan to check for curiosity sake.

My husband did state he will will feel like dancing in the street once our last teen graduates from public school this year. But I try to keep a positive front so maybe this HM choice has merit, I am not sure. Guess if I had been overjoyed immediately that would speak volumes. Maybe that says it best.

To be perfectly honest, I could care less who the HM thinks is the person of the year.

For as long as possible, I WILL NOT be sending my daughter to the Public Schools in Washington County.

I would not have voted for her. She gets paid very well, with lots of perks, for doing a JOB. I don't think she is the best ever at her job. I think the award should go to someone who does more than perform their job for excellent pay and benefits.

Didn't she stand by the decision to suspend a 5-year old boy for sexual harassment?

VERY well put Snoopy. And Patton is right on about the USNWR ranking. If the HM had taken the least bit of time to go over the criteria for these rankings, they would have seen that the methodology used for these selections was more flawed than the one used to label Hancock a dropout factory. However the HM does not desire to find out anything negative about the school system. Their reporting and editorials are so biased that the school system should be able to eliminate their whole public relations department because the HM is already acting in that capacity.

The USNWR selection was supposed to identify the schools that best prepared their students for college. For the timeframe of the study, they did not take into account that the SAT scores for Washington County were BELOW both the state and national averages. They also ignored the information produced by the Maryland Department of Higher Eduction that showed Washington County students needed more remedial coursework in college than the average for Maryland. So how can it be that a school system that is BELOW the STATE average in terms of college prep and performance can be named among the best in the country?

She also probably got the POY award for all of the money she is going to waste on the School for the Arts.

I think that is why I was nonplussed, as I considered the source of the award. HM as my decider is not how I roll. The old adage, "Consider the source", overshadows any award. Agree, that is what I was getting at, the metodology is amusing. So it cancels out any excitement one way or the other. Also, State reports cancel out some of HM's impressions. Guess I just do not care about surveys or awards developed solely by the herald_mail. Leaves me neutral.

****Wish it had been simple. If I could of afforded 3 private tuitions I would of done it. But I also had to consider how our family's religious and frame of reference would fit into some of the more affordable schools. The biggest hurtle/barrier or # 1 concern was quality. If 1 of us was going to loose time w/ the kids due to an extra job to pay the tuition, then the private school needed to far exceed our basic standards. Along w/ meeting our kids' individual learning needs/preferences. Some of the private schools up here did not have broad enough programs. Glad it works for some, good to hear. I am happy when kids & families find the right formula for success. But this is a different thread/ a different day.