Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Off the List
A quick update for those of you who remember when this used to be a blog about teaching.
For as long as I taught there, Underwood High School was listed by the school district as persistently dangerous based on the ratio of enrollment and violence reported by the administration and school police. Ms. Oldman, my former principal, used to claim that the outbreaks of fighting in our hallways and classrooms were not especially unique. Other schools had their fair share of assaults, but most chose not to report them. She may well have had a point. It always struck me as odd that a disproportionately high number of the schools on the list were from one city (ours) and that other schools from across the state--even those with similar economic or demographic trends--were somehow absent.
Regardless, all we could do was try our best to keep the peace and work with students and families to reduce violence in the schools.
I'm not sure exactly what's been happening at Underwood these past few years, but I was pleased to read in today's newspaper that it had been removed from the persistently dangerous list. Hopefully this is a sign that things are improving for the students at Underwood. As Ms. Oldman used to say: "KUDOS...Kudos, Kudos, Kudos to the staff and students of Underwood High for this achievement...and remember that you are truly, truly loved."
A quick update for those of you who remember when this used to be a blog about teaching.
For as long as I taught there, Underwood High School was listed by the school district as persistently dangerous based on the ratio of enrollment and violence reported by the administration and school police. Ms. Oldman, my former principal, used to claim that the outbreaks of fighting in our hallways and classrooms were not especially unique. Other schools had their fair share of assaults, but most chose not to report them. She may well have had a point. It always struck me as odd that a disproportionately high number of the schools on the list were from one city (ours) and that other schools from across the state--even those with similar economic or demographic trends--were somehow absent.
Regardless, all we could do was try our best to keep the peace and work with students and families to reduce violence in the schools.
I'm not sure exactly what's been happening at Underwood these past few years, but I was pleased to read in today's newspaper that it had been removed from the persistently dangerous list. Hopefully this is a sign that things are improving for the students at Underwood. As Ms. Oldman used to say: "KUDOS...Kudos, Kudos, Kudos to the staff and students of Underwood High for this achievement...and remember that you are truly, truly loved."
Comments:
Post a Comment
