Friday, March 06, 2015

A Joplin R-8 teacher speaks out: The district is a nightmare

If you didn't see it Thursday night, this comment was left in response to the post about the directive sent out by Joplin R-8 executive director of elementary education Jennifer Doshier that any elementary teacher who did not show up for work the day C. J. Huff waffled, changed his mind, and then closed school for high school and the middle schools, but left the elementary schools open would have to make up that day or lose a personal day. The writer is responding to a comment which supported Doshier's action.

Good for you. I'm happy you can take such a high road, judgmental that it is. As was said before, perhaps if this were just one of very few errors in judgment it wouldn't matter. But what it is one of hundreds of errors in judgment? How would you like to see the district in your community become a place where your colleagues and friends are fired unjustly or bullied until they give up and leave to make room for friends of people like this person? It hasn't happened once. It has happened over and over. How would you like to see all the work that went into "climbing Mt. Joplin" come undone because of the poor judgment of your administration? We were at the point of being unaccredited with Dr. Simpson came here. Within a few years we were accredited with distinction and stayed there for years. In fact, we stayed there until Dr. Huff came. We didn't just slide back down the mountain. We have tunneled under it. Every single day is an effort in frustration.

How would you like to work where the students receive no discipline so that there are no referrals to report? Where you don't have enough materials to use and no hope of getting any? Yet the pressure to attain an ever moving educational target is never ending. One new program after another. How about working where your paycheck has gone in the opposite direction and your stipends are diminishing? How would you like to have to worry every day about saying or doing something inconsequential that could actually get you fired if the wrong person takes it in the wrong way? Suspicion is everywhere. Trust is nowhere.

In this atmosphere little things count, like having to make up a day because the weather played against you, and that call made by an administrator who takes trips around the country continually, while on the district dollar, to make speeches about how heroic he was in saving us all from ourselves and that tornado. He makes up to an extra $8,000 a day that way. How nice for him. And the woman who wrote this email? Threw another administrator under the bus so she could have this job. Being good at your job is not what counts in order to become an administrator here. It's being willing to hurt others in order to promote yourself that counts.

Don't judge us. Why do we stay? Because it's our community and our children have been through enough without every teacher they have ever known getting up and leaving. We shouldn't have to. The Board should be able to look at the evidence around them and dismiss the man, and all his helpers, who made this mess. But since they can't seem to do that, we will protest in the only safe manner we can, and we will vote against them until they are all cleaned out of office. We won't stop until they are all gone. If it offends you, then stay where you are and read something else. We are fighting "for our kids."

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is heartbreaking and it confirms what I have seen in the atmosphere of the school my child attends. I just hope and pray the April election brings some hope to the teachers. We have already lost so many good teachers!

Anonymous said...

It has sure made me stop and think about our future as a school district. A mutiny is NOT in the plan and probably why we have lost so many good teachers. April cant come soon enough for me.

Anonymous said...

Jennifer Doshier is a clown, total and complete fool. She pulled the same crap at McKinley. She would show up at school with no car, her daughter would drop her off, classy. The staff one year took a collection to get her car repaired on her $85000 salary. I caught her in the office making personal copies several times a lot of the copies seemed to be her personal finances. She rents a home from a Joplin Schools employee and at one time was several months behind in her rent. She would show up late, a lot of mornings after 845, with no reason or school related activity. She would have to have other administrators come and pick her up to take her to meetings. She would have you sit in her office and talk about what a great Christian she was, while chomping down Big R's and getting it all,over her clothes. Wonder how she got permission to get that. One time she was asked if I could get a sonic drink on my lunch time and I was told NO. In fact, I'm curious how she paid THE DISTRICT BACK for the 6 weeks she was gone on school time after gastric bypass surgery? You see, she is as 2 faced as they come. She fits right in with the upper admin, she has the same, I'll do whatever I want philosophy and you can't stop me. Just like she did not plan for the 70+ kindergarten students at McKinley, or moved kids from one school to another after the school year started. She is so busy stuffing Big R's down her throat and all over her clothes she doesn't know what to do with herself. No matter what she says, she is not a nice person. Ice flows through her veins and her heart is as cold as stone. I can't wait for her to be relieved of duty. Karma's a bitch JD. Your time is coming soon.

Anonymous said...

It is so obvious that these teachers need the voice of a union to protect them.

Anonymous said...

I'm not a fan of Jennifer Doshier. As a matter of fact, I don't even know her but have much empathy for the people who have suffered because of her. I had my own tormenters while working at R-8 so I don't have any problem believing the things being said about her.

What confuses me is why everybody is so upset about having to make up time missed due to the snow day. Teachers are under contract to work a certain number of days per year and any other personnel, other than 12-month employees, have always had to make up snow days at the end of the school year. Twelve month employees have always had to use a personal day or vacation day, although I never once saw an administrator or principal do that.

That's just my two cents. If you don't like the woman that's fine but she didn't make this policy and it's not new.

Anonymous said...

The teachers have the NEA, but they appear impotent, which surprises me.

Anonymous said...

7:44
Although JD did not make this policy, she did in fact design, create and change policies as soon as she entered Huff Headquarters. This is a fact.

Anonymous said...

This gets sadder and sadder every single day. I have a job I love, (not a teacher) bosses that go out of their way to make sure we all have what we need to work and they are on our side. It really breaks my heart to talk to teachers that are so scared to have an opinion and most just count the days until either retirement or another job somewhere, anywhere, else.

Anonymous said...

Most of us teachers love our jobs. We didn't go into this because we loved school buildings. We care about kids and helping them grow up into good people. The frustration you hear and see is because the job has become nearly impossible to do as it should be. We cannot go on another year this way. We just can't. It is now up to the community to decide if this is what they want for their kids or if they want something better.

I was there! said...

I do NOT have an issue with Jennifer Doshier. She has always been kind and fair to me and supported me in my teaching career. I do wonder, what happens to the elementary teachers that DID show up and stay all day on the "Snow Day" will they somehow be compensated by getting an extra day off? They were there on what was a contract day...Only time will tell.

In this district, I have to wonder if somehow, those who did will be "SCREWED"!!!

Anonymous said...

I'm just not too sure what all you folks are whining about. Why, I think R8 is the most consistent and predictable district I've ever worked in. You can always count on two things: You are going to have nothing but one change after another, all poorly presented and implemented, and you can always count on the fact that no one in administration cares what you think or how you feel about anything. And if those two consistencies aren't enough to keep you, remember fondly the day we all drove to the high school to watch President Sharp run around in the gym in boots that cost what we average in a week, and that Big Daddy CJ had his top-paid servants and Board members hand us a cookie, weird as it was, and a water bottle. Really, what more could you folks want than that? I bet they think they summed up our votes for the Board election with that bit of goodness. Kind of like buying Manhattan from the natives. A few shiny baubles and kind words, and they're yours.

Dream big, CJ, dream big.

No teacher should cast a vote for Sharp, Good, or Campbell. Unless you like the status quo, that is.