Infamous Tiverton Letter

I am re-posting this as today the "Newport Daily News" did an article on the two teachers involved who just rec'd 3 official suspension days (no pay). They have been on-leave since ?Nov. The article doesn't mention that the hearing was held during the day rather than in the evening when more could have attended. It also seems that not all members were present. The hearing was open to the public at the two teachers' requests. However, public comments were not allowed. One parent who tried was ejected. Other teachers are now "being watched." Oooh, scary. No intimidation here.

I am publishing the" infamous" Tiverton letter- often referred to but never published, which has gotten two teachers suspended (and spanked, I assume). It comes from a newsletter published for & by teachers which seems pretty inocuous to me, as does the letter. Gee, some people don't like other people. And they don't like politicians, mind you. What a shocker. Boo-hoo. Since the letter says to spread it around, here goes. No use asking me, I do not know who wrote it and could not care less.

I think it is about time that we do something about the behavior our school committee officers. Most of all it is our Chairwoman, Mrs. Patricia DeMedeiros, that angers us. Our sons and daughters all asked three teachers around the first of the month of October for recommendations. All teachers said YES and provided them to guidance withing a week. Contrary to her statement, it is obvious they did not write them during the summer! The things she is saying are lies. We really do not want to give our names as our children are in many classes with her two daughters.
Also, a lot of parents like us, are upset about the homework policy. Kids that try hard but struggle could always get some credit for being dedicated to their homework. According to many of the kids at THS, she changed the policy that homework counts for 20% to 10% because of her daughter. The child is frequently late to school and is absent, and therefore never did her homework assignments. Maybe this is false, but it seems quite strange this important policy was changed without any input from parents or teachers. We should at least have an answer why it was changed!
Also please consider the following: Mrs. Black has done little to resolve this issue after acting like the great savior. It's about time she is asked why, especially after all we did to get her elected.
Mr. Burk is an embarrassment. The "Easter Bunny incident" embarrassed the whole town. We were on national television and not for good reason.
Please forward this letter to everyone on your email list who have children attending Tiverton schools. As parents WE HAVE TO BE AT THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETINGS to let both sides know we need this mess settled.
THS Parent

The letter brings up some points that I've heard not only in Tiverton but here in Middletown as well. Nothing new here. Contract disputes bring about this kind of dialog & it's not pleasant. Even when contracts are settled, it may take years (if ever) for rifts to heal. Strikes and labor disputes are not good things for either side. The Lege could write legislation to avoid this, but year-after-year they choose not to. School committees are not blameless either. What did they expect? Why don't I hear more on the Lege's responsibility here?

We must be the only industrialized country who goes through this agony. I'm so tired of School Committees who brag each year that the're going to stand up to the NEA. The largest Union in the U.S. - are you kidding me? The same old rhetoric is always applied to the leadership dubbed, "Union Bosses." Those who believes that ANYONE can order teachers (the bossiest people in the world) about is a mindless idiot themselves. Teachers make their living giving orders & they're darn good at it-my husband & kids will vouch for that. One might try actually speaking with them instead of at them But no, it's always got to be the old paradigm of labor versus management. Never- we're all in this together & want the same ends, how can we make this happen? Let's work together.

Does it always have to be all or nothing, our way or the highway, because we say so? How much more head-banging does it take before another way is finally demanded? Everyone loses here one way or another whether they realize it or not. Hello, let's reframe the discussion. The Easter bunny has the right idea - a little chocolate, a little sugar, makes everyone smile. And yeah, attending those School Ccommittee meetings once in awhile ain't a bad idea. We the people need to keep ourselves informed.