FOX VIEWERS MOST MISIMFORMED
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The
Problem(s) |
Click
here to read Kyle Olson's comments:
Indoctrination Outrage: California Teacher Uses
Media Matters Anti-Fox News Article In World History
Class |
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Although
I am using my grandson's "education" as an example, there
are many other students and parents that are fed up with Barstow
Unified School District. This page is meant to give you ideas
along with resources to help you help your children, explain
what you can expect from the school district (and California)
in the future, and soon you will be able to publish your ideas
and / or problems that you have with the school district.
Maybe someday, with all of us working together, we can help
create a school district that produces top of the line workers
and thinkers as opposed to lifelong fast food workers that
cannot make change.
I tried
to get involved with my grandchildren's school work several
months ago after I retired. One of my grandchildren came to
my home and saw my wife and me watching FOX news. He informed
us that his World History teacher (Jim Duarte) told him that
people that watch FOX are stupid. I asked him why if that
was the case, FOX news is now watched by five times as many
people as the other four major news networks combined. He
had no answer so I asked him if that meant that most people
are stupid and that only his World History teacher is not
stupid? I then let it drop for awhile.
Then
I was told by my grandson a couple of weeks later that Duarte
requires sheet protectors to be used on all work and single
sided only because "it is too hard for Mr. Duarte to have
to read the papers without sheet protectors and too much trouble
for Mr. Duarte to turn the page" and the parents must
supply the sheet protectors or the student will get a failing
grade. I and my son (the child's father) sent a note to Duarte
asking for an explanation; he never returned our requests
for a call or note. I contacted the principal's office (Mr.
Scott Godfrey) and left a message for a call. That call never
came. I left a second message quite a bit more sternly and
a couple of days later I got a call from Mr. Godfrey. He told
me that he knew which teacher it was and he would put an end
to it. The sheet protectors continue to be mandatory to this
day. Nothing changed.
A couple
of weeks later my grandson informed me that Mr. Duarte is
giving classes about how he is underpaid and that if only
the rich would pay him more he could do his job better. I
sent a note to Duarte and left a message for Godfrey demanding
an explanation into what this has to do with World History.
I got no answer from either. My grandson told me that all
of his classes now were about how badly the teachers are paid
and that the Wisconsin teachers are being treated unfairly
by the evil Republicans. Again I demanded answers and got
none.
As my
grandson started having problems in Math class and as I am
retired now I thought I would tutor him. My son (who works
full time) and I wrote several notes to my grandson's Math
teacher Mr. Johnson. Of course there was no response. Finally
I contacted the superintendent of the school Susan Levine.
She seems quite concerned about the lessons and the lack of
correspondence we are getting concerning my grandson. After
she got involved, Mr. Godfrey had the two teachers call me.
Mr. Duarte
denied any left wing lessons were being taught and that he
in no way was teaching his students about taxing the rich
more. He actually laughed at the idea that my grandson would
even say such a thing. Even though I was looking at the lessons
at the time of the phone call he continued to deny his involvement!
I then questioned him about "signing off" on my grandson when
my grandson was supposed to be studying in after school classes.
We had caught my grandson in a very compromising position
with his girlfriend just short of full sex at the school when
he was supposed to be in Duarte's class. Duarte informed me
that 1) my grandson only needed to be in class for a couple
of minutes after school and that is why he is cut loose early
- everyday, 2) he (Duarte) had other things to do, and 3)
it was not possible for him to stop all the sex that goes
on at Barstow High School!
Moving
on to my grandson's Math class with Mr. Johnson. Because I
have not used some of this math since I left high school 40
years ago I wrote a note to Johnson asking for an answer sheet
to the math homework so that I could tutor my grandson. I
got no response. I wrote two or three more notes requesting
the answer sheets and finally called Mr. Godfrey again. No
responses. I again contacted superintendent Susan Levine who
once again had to intervene to get anything done. Mr. Johnson
called me and let me know that he knew exactly what I wanted
and he would see to it that in the future he would provide
the necessary answer sheets so that I could tutor my grandson
at home and get his grades up to where they need to be. Mr.
Johnson also informed me that in the future, I should only
text him because he doesn't check his phone messages, he only
likes to text. I guess this makes him feel like a teenager
again as that is easier than being an adult.
Of course
I did not get any such answer sheets and after texting Johnson
several times I once again was forced to contact Susan Levine
who had Mr. Godfrey set up a meeting with me, my son, Mr.
Godfrey, and Mr. Johnson. This type of meeting is what we
had been asking for for several months. Now with only three
weeks of school left the meeting will take place. Obviously
there is not enough time left in the year to change anything
but we went to the meeting anyway. Mr. Godfrey welcomed us
and seemed genuinely concerned about all of the above issues.
Mr. Johnson was a no-call-no-show for the meeting. Seems he
really is not interested in meeting with or corresponding
with parents, or the well being of his students. Mr. Godfrey
did put into effect a program that will probably help my grandson
next year. This is a good start but my questions are:
- Why
did we have to fight the school so hard to get help with
these problems?
- What
about all the other students that are NOT getting an education?
- What
is going to stop Duarte, Johnson, and other poor excuses
for teachers from continuing to NOT teach students?
In the interim
I contacted all five members of the School Board. Not one of
them cares about our children enough to respond to me. I question
why they have their names listed on the BUSD web site along
with their emails when they will not return messages. It is
my personal belief that all five of these individuals prefer
to stroll around Barstow as though they are some type of elite
group, but in reality they are nothing but blowhards that want
some sort of imagined prestige. We need to vote them out. Barstow
Unified School District needs major changes!
What
You Can Do
Although
it is probably too late to salvage my grandson's tenth grade
year of high school it is not too late for you to help your
children. Here is a list of things you can do:
- Look
at your child's homework. Make sure that he / she is being
taught the type of things that you know to be true and helpful
to his / her well being.
- If
you find something troubling about what your child is being
taught, do not sit quietly and put up with it and hope for
the best, contact the school immediately and demand a meeting.
- If
you do not get immediate results, file a formal complaint
against the teacher and do not let the administrators bully
you into thinking that you have to just accept bad teaching.
Get a formal complaint form and make sure you turn it in
and follow up on it. You can get a formal complaint form
here.
- If
you still don't get the results you are looking for, you
can contact the state Superintendent of California Schools
Tom Torlakson, but don't look for too much help from him;
his website clearly states that his main goal is to get
more money from you for the teachers. But you can call his
office and / or fax his office just to register a complaint
about the school district. A lot of times Torlakson's office
staff will refer you back to your local county government.
They will tell you to contact your county supervisor Brad
Mitzelfelt. The problem there is that Brad Mitzelfelt was
chief of staff to our former supervisor disgraced Bill Postmus
whom taught Mitzelfelt well when it comes to NOT returning
calls. Mitzelfelt is concerned only about Wrightwood (where
he lives) and "down the hill" cities. Barstow is not one
of his concerns. But contact his office anyway and demand
an investigation. Let him know that he can be replaced at
the next election.
- Contact
our current school board. Let them know what you find objectionable
and when they do not (and they won't) return your requests
for help, let them know that you are going to vote them
out. Email them at:
- Contact
alternative schools such as Excelsior Charter school and
others to see if they fit the need for your children. You
are NOT stuck with BUSD. Look into home schooling to see
if that is an option for you.
- This
one is most important: do not tolerate anything except the
utmost respect from the school district employees. Remember
that they work for you. Also remember that it is YOU, not
them that knows what is best for your children. Do not let
the school district turn your child into a fast food worker
for life - demand a quality education from them so that
your child has a chance in the future to do something with
his life. They care about a paycheck, you care about your
child. Stand up for your child and demand that the school
district puts your child before a paycheck. Your child is
in the school's care for 25% of his / her minor years -
would you trust your child's life to just anybody? If there
were an emergency, disaster, shooting, or anything else,
do you want a teacher or school board that will not return
calls? Of course not. Demand the best. If we all work together
and demand the best, we can rid BUSD of the bad teachers
and the unconcerned now on the school board!
Our current
school board is endorsing Governor Brown's tax extension instead
of a quality education extension. California teachers are
already the highest paid teachers in the nation and California
students are next to last in academics. The answer is not
more money, the answer is more dedication from the school
district and the teachers.
Do
you care about your children?
Show it, don't talk about it.
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