When I wrote my novel No Child Left Alive, part of the reason was the concern that the lack of discipline in the schools, particularly at the high school and middle school levels, could have schools, in Joplin and across the nation headed for horrible consequences, as well as hurting the quality of the education we can provide.
In the Turner Report post from last night about the promotion of Joplin R-8 HR Director Tina Smith to the newly-created position of chief operations officer, I noted that several people had been promoted beyond their qualifications.
One of those was first-year McKinley Elementary Principal Terri Hart, whose ascension to the position was described in my post Angie Besendorfer and the Massacre at McKinley Elementary.
A reader wrote the following comment:
Here's a prime example of how promoting within helps the schools.
McKinley Elementary is a a very dangerous place this year. No one from admin. ever comes to help since they promoted one of their own to principal. Teachers are told to just reward the bad behavior and when that doesn't work, reward some more.
Students are bringing guns, threats to kill /hurt teachers and students are made on a daily basis, teachers and staff are verbally abused everyday, students are afraid to go to class and yet they still have to go, classrooms are being destroyed, students aren't learning except how to escape the room when someone wants to go on a rampage.
They tear smart-boards off the walls and hang from the projectors in the ceiling. They jump on tables, scream, cuss, and spit on teachers. And these are just a few things that are happening.
The principal is Terri Hart, who is one of Besendorfer's buddies and worked in the admin building prior to being a principal. If you were to ask her and the admin building they would tell you there is no problem at McKinley. So let's keep on promoting everyone to every position they are not qualified for in the R-8 system.
I would be interested in hearing your comments.
Let's think about this....elementary students bringing guns? Does that even sound likely? Possible, maybe, but certainly not a regular basis kind of incident.
ReplyDeleteMy son is in one of those classrooms. I hear every night what happened at school. It is all true.
ReplyDeleteI can tell you that if it did happen and was not reported that could be a very bad deal for the school. I hear on the news all the time that a student is suspended or expelled just for mentioning a gun or threats. Guess not here. I hope for everyone's sake that this is looked into.
ReplyDeleteI've heard that classroom "evacuations" are a fairly common occurrence at that particular school. Basically, if a kids gets unruly or goes bizerk, the teacher is instructed to evacuate all the other kids from the classroom while the disruptive kids goes nuts in the room. When the kid is finished they go to the principal's office & receive candy but no discipline.
ReplyDeleteVery disturbing information! I hope someone in the ad building with a true concern for kids will effect some positive change at McKinley. Thanks Randy for reporting the news. Your report is where I am finding out what is really going on in Joplin. I am so disappointed in the Joplin Globe!
ReplyDeleteLots of behavior problems in my kids' school. Just a matter of time. Security is terrible.
ReplyDelete11:41--
ReplyDeleteWatched the news much lately? Kids and guns are all over the place.
Lack of discipline in this school, or any other, does not surprise me at all. Since Huff got here the emphasis has been on the appearance of success instead of making real gains anywhere. At all levels teachers are discouraged from writing referrals which are tracked by the state. Instead they are given all kinds of clever little programs and initiatives that one fool or another has picked up at a conference and everyone at the conference pretends it was just a miracle for their school. None of it works. What works is not being told by the principal to overlook someone's behavior on the grounds that said student has anger issues. What works is consequences. Not going to jail or being fired kept me on the straight and narrow all my student life and throughout my career, like most of the people my age. Too much babying and worrying about appearances has created a mess in the schools my grandchildren must attend. It's just ridiculous, and it won't change until the board does.
Terri Hart, according to DESE, doesn't even have an administration certificate. She has only four years of classroom experience behind her. She took this job because her ego was so overinflated that she thought it was a little hurdle she had to jump on her way to becoming a superintendent. That's the problem with these inexperienced incompetents who think they're doing something because they kissed their way up--all they're doing is making one mess after another, and they're too inexperienced and conceited to recognize it.
ReplyDeleteI have to say I work in a Joplin School and this is true. Discipline is non-existent and it is very scary. Kids do bring weapons to school and it gets swept under the rug, oh, they are just being kids. Students get into fights and go back to class, punch someone in the stomach and it is recorded on a piece of paper documentation only, the student isn't even talked to. This is a scary place to work and it gets worse all the time. What I truly don't understand is how letting kids get by with all this teaches them to live in the real world. Shouldn't discipline be part of the education?
ReplyDeleteI can only hope that other parents would Stan up and go to the school and speak to the principal or better yet sit in the classroom to see what happens. This behavior is totally uncalled for and needs to be disciplined.
ReplyDeleteTerri Hart's husband played football with CJ Huff. They are all friends. That's how you get to be a principal in Joplin without even having a certificate or experience. Cronyism is still against the law, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteTerri Hart wants to work at the college level supervising student teachers. That is why she wanted to be a principal. This school wasn't the one that they had planned for her to take. Seems that was too obvious so this was their cover. Still obvious, but they don't seem to think we can see what they're doing. She is, one of the current principals and assistant principals who have been put into those positions by pushing out good principals. Just like R8 has gotten rid of teachers, they've gotten rid of principals and replaced them with their inept kiss-ups.
ReplyDelete3:06--it doesn't matter what the parents or teachers say or do. It's all about whatever bizarre plan Huff and his cohorts have in mind.
ReplyDeleteGuns in school and it being swept under the rug? Come on. That is just ridiculous. I buy the lack of discipline as I have heard it multiple times, but guns in the school and no consequences? No way that is happening.
ReplyDelete4:24--
ReplyDeleteJust because you haven't seen something doesn't mean it isn't so. Nothing about this district would surprise me. That's why teachers are leaving and why parents are moving their kids out.
Guns in school come from lack of fear and no discipline. No one said it happened daily, but you can bet it has happened.
Some of this has to do with Nila Vance & her bizarre discipline plan...."they are poor...we have to reward them when they are good, overlook their bad behavior ,they don't know any better....
ReplyDeleteAs far as a parent being able to make much of a difference, that might be true. But a hundred parents or more would make a tremendous difference. Where are you at the Board meetings? Why are you not making demands for improvement. There is strength in numbers. If you don't have that kind of courage, vote in a new non-Huff school board. It is a secret ballot, you know.
ReplyDeleteNila Vance is just repeating the district mantra. It is the same everywhere. Do not write them up and drive up the referral rate for everyone to see. That's the rule the administrators get, and then they let the river flow right over the teachers. That's why the teachers leave. They're tired of that brown stinky river rolling over them.
ReplyDeleteWho didn't see this situation coming with that twit Hart running the show with a whole building full of new teachers? Do you all understand now why everybody is leaving? Who wants to stay where there is no respect for staff and where the pay is so low compared to every district around. The staff should never have to contend with this sort of thing. It's shameful.
ReplyDeleteThis just can't go on. Abuse of the classified staff by Mike Johnson and his cohorts, aided by Tina Smith, of course. Abuse of certified staff by JSAB administrators, aided by Tina Smith, of course. Abuse of patron trust through misappropriation of funds and excessive, wasteful spending, lack of academic achievement, and a student body that is not prepared to work or be responsible citizens. I do not understand why Joplin's parents, patrons, and staff have not united into one large protesting group. Divided you fall. Or fail. I'd think Joplin would want more for its children than that. Make your voices heard. And make your votes count. Make a change for your children and the future of your community.
ReplyDeleteTell me why you parents and teachers are not up in arms over what is going on at Mc Kinley. Parents want to blame teachers not their kids and teachers want to blame parents but offer no recourse. You elect school board members and you can " unelected" them as well. It is time to step up to the plate and create some action to stop the blame and educate our children. This is coming from a retired educator.
ReplyDeleteIf you are an R8 teacher, you don't count as a parent. If you are an R8 teacher, your kids will receive the retribution for your actions. If you are an R8 teacher, you are nothing to admin. I'll be glad when I can get my kids out of R8.
ReplyDeleteNothing happens in a vacuum. Look on the bright side. These kids are learning what they need to survive on the mean streets of Joplin. Hey, the schools are simply a reflection of what is happening in the greater community at large, and Joplin just ain't a paragon of virtue right now.
ReplyDeleteLet's think about this. Why would a teacher who's job is to educate children and keep them safe at the same time not disclose or not report a dangerous situation ro yje proper person or office? I guess they are so scared of ruining this "IMAGINARY" perfect cloud of the R8 . Must be a real treat treat to come to.work and be afraid if I were going to be kicked, spit on or cursed at. Why are there not people beating down the doors to work there? Because the people whom are in charge of these children are tyrants and bullies. They see only one thing at the end of each day and it is dollar signs and not the smile of a child who learned something new and is proud to tell their parents. Wake up.Joplin and remove those bullies at Administration.
ReplyDeleteQuestion, as a mother of a McKinley student, if teachers won't talk...kiss don't know..and no one was notified, how do we know about this "gun" and "behaviors"?
ReplyDeleteThere are so many bad things going on in this school district. I recently had a heated discussion with a high school principle only to result in nothing getting done and my child being harrassed by said Principle. Even though other teachers knew what he was doing was wrong, none of them were willing to stand up for my child for fear of retribution. This is common practice in Joplin schools. The young teachers are leaving as soon as they figure out how screwed up it is and the teachers that are close to retirement are sitting back doing nothing until they can retire. This school board and administration needs to be completely erraticated. Get rid of every last one of them! There is nobody within this city that is willing to take them on due to fear. Whether it be a business owner, parent or citizen, there will be retribution if you get in their way. Wish there was a way to go over their heads and do something at the State level. For those of you that think that you can just go to a Principle or any teacher to get something done, your wasting your time. The end result will be the harrassment of your child.
ReplyDelete12:26-
ReplyDeleteCome to the school anytime and see what's going on. Call the school or the admin building on 32nd street and ask about the gun. They all know about it. They don't talk about the behaviors because in the R8 there are no bad behaviors just flashy buildings.
I wish some of these commenters telling tales of guns in a Joplin elementary school and classroom evacuations had commented actually using their identity to do so.
ReplyDeleteI follow all of these stories about our district and am of course very concerned. .BUT in this thread it is so hard for me to tell if any of this could be true. I feel like I absolutely must know if guns are being carried into Mckinnley and parents and the public are not being made aware. There must be a way for us to learn the truth and not possibly be part of passing around misinformation. Are you all telling me honestly that we are just waiting for a school shooting or some other horrific act of violence to occur at this little school and that there is a conscious effort on the part of administrators to hide imminent danger?? I'm not being sarcastic or clueless. ..I really think we all need to know. If this is true this is very big.
6:18, Yes it's true and yes it is BIG. The only problem is if you work for the district and care to keep working anywhere you are afraid to speak up. If you speak up you are hounded until you quit or get fired and then blackballed by the admin from working anywhere else. Just ask Randy, he speaks the truth. The only hope we have is the parents but it looks like the kids can also suffer the consequences if the parents complain. From what I understand the school district can be audited by the state but only if parents request it. That may be the only way to get anything done in this district. I can't do it so please get some parents together and see if this is true.
ReplyDelete6:18 I have no issue telling who I am. My name is Chelle. My son goes to Mckinley and I live in a very close proximity to the school itself. Rest assured that on Monday morning I will know if these stories are true one way or the other. If they are true I will be happy to update and rest assured everyone in Missouri will know about it when I'm done.
ReplyDeleteGood luck Chelle. If it's a disciplinary action, they'll tell you that they can't discuss those matters with you. Hart is part of the 32nd street admin. She is going to hold the party line. McKinley has always been a rough school but it's been handled much better in the past than right now. Admin wants nice reports with nice numbers. They don't want things like guns, threats and such being known. Believe it when people tell you they will destroy your life if you cross them. This is such an unbelievable mess. Almost everything good has been undone by this bunch. It will be a long time, if ever, before it's back to being even half way decent.
ReplyDeleteI'm not as pessimistic as 8:48. I think with strong leadership and common sense that Joplin could right itself in a few years in all ways but money. That will take a long time to fix.
ReplyDeleteI'd be willing to bet these behaviors would not be happening at Soaring Heights or Irving. It wouldn't look good for the cameras and the German furniture might be damaged. The district cannot say that it holds the same standards for all students or that it provides for all students equally. The district as it stands is one big ugly joke. We need a new board and a new superintendent with a strong enough backbone to clear out the rats and get priorities straight. It'll be up to parents to demand that change.
I do not care how the school does it but they Must create a safe environment for all students and staff. Whatever steps that need to be taken. Take them!!!
ReplyDelete