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LenMullen · Joined: 04 Nov 2008 Posts: 321 Location: Danville, NH

The kids were pulled out of classes again yesterday. This time, the thing more important than teaching was a charity softball game. All classes were shortened, all kids were cheated.
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"I've been teaching here for 20 years so please don't assume that kids can add, subtract, multiply and divide integers without problems. Especially subtraction, as I found that many have trouble with." TRMS Math Teacher

LenMullen · Joined: 04 Nov 2008 Posts: 321 Location: Danville, NH

I got a nasty note regarding this post via the contact tab on DanvilleDelivery.com. It challenged my altruism. It came from the TRSD, so I'm not surprised the writer missed or ignored the point.

The point was that it is a bad thing to teach fewer days. I'm not disappointed that the school held a fund raiser -- just that they shut down classes to do it.

My question to the pious one is why not hold the fund raiser at night or on the weekend? Really, how altruistic is it for me to hold a can in front of Walmart if I'm getting paid while I do it?

Timberlane has a budget of $60,000,000. Dividing that by *cough* 180 days, you get a cost of $333,333 per day to run the school system. Assuming 1/3 of the cost is for the HS (1/3 of the kids go there), the cost of education is $111,111 per day.

I don't know what the school was raising funds for, or how much money was raised, but the taxpayers contributed $111,111 without their consent.

If there was no need to teach yesterday, the school should have been shut down, the teachers furloughed, and the money refunded to the taxpayers. I don't think this was the case.

How about we educate the kids so they can get good jobs and contribute a portion of their earnings to the charity of their choice?

FWIW, I don't think a student or TRSD employee should be reading these forums or my web site on our dime. It's disappointing to see people choose to surf the internet instead of learning or teaching.
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"I've been teaching here for 20 years so please don't assume that kids can add, subtract, multiply and divide integers without problems. Especially subtraction, as I found that many have trouble with." TRMS Math Teacher

PBealo · Site Admin Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 307

According to my 1st harmonic (eldest child), the event lasted 1 period. so cash "wasted' = $111K/8 or about $14K.

But the money is NOT the point. TIME is the point. Remember: we spent twice that having the old Phys Ed head work on our still-dismal strategic plan.

The point is: Time lost can never be regained. Time is everything. Every heartbeat you lose is lost forever.

I too see nothing wrong with fundraising; just do it after school. Or send a threatening letter to parents: "Pay up or we'll waste more of your children's time". I'll bet a lot would rather pay the extortion then waste the time.

Peter Bealo

Lfrancoeur · Joined: 29 May 2009 Posts: 36

Was this run like the Basketball game where students had to pay a few dollars to watch the game or pay nothing and hang out?

Perhaps they would make more money if students had to pay not to attend the event?

LenMullen · Joined: 04 Nov 2008 Posts: 321 Location: Danville, NH

LenMullen · Joined: 04 Nov 2008 Posts: 321 Location: Danville, NH

Le Canard · Joined: 16 Jun 2008 Posts: 106 Location: Danville

Len, you keep forgetting, it is about making people feel good, not education. Softball and fundraising made the teachers feel good. I pity my senior when he has to actual study next year when he gets to college.
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Le Canard

LenMullen · Joined: 04 Nov 2008 Posts: 321 Location: Danville, NH

I think that every time I pass someone with a can in front of Wal-mart. Two people sit at a table all day hoping people will drop a buck in their can. What if they worked all day and donated the money?

There is a lot of fund raising at the school. Personally, I don't like it. First, it generally takes the form of panhandling -- the begger asking for a contribution but offering nothing in return. Dance-athons, can events, and softball games fall into this category. Why can't the kids offer something of value in return for donations like a clean car, a mowed lawn, or a shoveled driveway?

Second, they raise money to benefit themselves and this is wrong. In February, the music students went to Florida. They defrayed costs through fund raising. What kind of message are we sending to the kids? If you want something you can't afford, ask someone else to help? Even if it is a new toy or vacation?
_________________
"I've been teaching here for 20 years so please don't assume that kids can add, subtract, multiply and divide integers without problems. Especially subtraction, as I found that many have trouble with." TRMS Math Teacher

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