Dodd students in DC
Here is an article (Luther Turmelle, NH Register) on what happened to some of our Dodd students yesterday during the annual DC trip. Seems as though everyone is fine, which is good news.
Tim White
Town Council, 4th District
TimWhite98@yahoo.com
12 comments:
Dodd sent us parents an email at 12:15 pm reminding us to pick our kids up on time, nearly two hours after the event. Might have been nice if they included in the email that everyone was safe and sound.
You would be surprised at the things that happen that you DON'T hear about.
anon. 12:22 - Nothing would surprise me and I agree that there's a lot that happens that most people don't hear about. The adm. goes to a lot of trouble to make sure things are "hush hush", I am sure. God forbid that squeeky clean imagine of the schools gets tarnished. If they worked as hard at actually taking prompt action when things go wrong rather than just sweeping it under the rug, everyone would be a lot better off...especially the kids. It is, or is supposed to be, all about the kids, right?
That's what they tell you, but it seems to be about the school's reputation. God Forbid they actually try to fix a problem, instead of shoving it under the rug. I know parents that had children pushed through grades (when it would have been to their beneift to be held back a year) because "We're a Blue Ribbon School, you know" (This was not Dodd, but a Cheshire Public School just the same). Imagine coming right out and saying that to a parent! Well, at least they are honest :)
Watch the news.It was a false alarm. What is wrong with Dodd? I guess its easy to sling mud anonymously.
breach 8:56...guess you don't have any kids at Dodd. I agree, false alarm or not, a line or two in an email reassuring parents that all is OK would have been nice. And I wouldn't call it "slinging mud" as anon. 10:20 is obviously speaking from experience. Although when they say "at least they're honest" I can't agree totally on that one - and I'm speaking from experience when I say that...although somehow I don't think you're interested in the details of the long sorted story. Enjoy the illusion...hopefully you'll never experience the negative side.
(10:20) - it's not the fact that it was a false alarm and everyone was okay... The point is, even if it turned out to be a false alarm, there had to be some ramifications on the kids that were there. No one is thinking abut how to then deal with the kids that may have been frightened and affected by the incident.
Some parents may have wanted to be made aware of the incidents, how it was handled, how they felt while it was going on, etc... so they can then talk to their child about it later.
This school year, Dodd mysteriously lost power, and some kids came home and told their parents that they heard teachers saying that they had to "evacuate" the pupils right away. Whether this was a figure of speech or a real problem, we don't know.
Busses were called early...
Needless to say this frightened some of the students and even if these events were only rumors, the school should have notified parents about the power outage and the reasons for it.
Let's talk about the Dodd School bus accident last school year. Yes, no one was hurt, but some students may have been frightened.
It would have been helpful to some parents to have heard this from the school instead of other parents driving by and seeing the bus on the side of the road.
There is nothing "wrong" with Dodd School,it is a good school but I do believe some of these issues can be addressed differently.
I may be "anonymous" here, but I have been pretty vocal about some of these issues in the past.
The only ramifications to this "event" is this is a non-event and just another day in the life. Get over it. Where did this demand for continued protection, instant gratification and lets give the kids everything come from. The best thing that could have happened is an episode like this, now the kids have a little better idea of what the world is really like outside the Chesire Womb. If people want to criticize, fine, but understand the communication process in place before rendering judgement. The trip had rules of communication, established before they left. All of tha parents were made aware of these rules. If the rules were followed, then no harm done. If they were not followed as explained to parents, that is a different story and teachers, parents on the trip who were responsible for the communications in case of an event should be held liable for lack of responsibility.
Not trying to start an argument. I do have a kid at Dodd. I saw the news report on DC and went on with the rest of my day. Maybe we should be talking about getting the kids ready for real life outside Cheshire. Notifying parents when the lights go out? When I need a question answered from Dodd....a quick email or call seems to do the trick.
The "all-clear" was not given until 5 hours into the event. Real or not, 1-2 sentences of reassurance added onto the email reminding us not to be late picking our kids up would have been the professional thing to do. And FYI, parents are not allowed to chaperone and not all middle schoolers have cell phones. I went about my day because all of it was out of my control anyway but if the school had at least said, "All the children are safe and accounted for and on their buses heading home." it would have been reassuring.
breachway...I agree, no need for any arguments - the nice thing about this blog is that people can express their opinions and discuss issues that concern them. I agree also that it is a good idea to get kids ready for the real world. My kids, who both went through the CPS system for 12 years, recently returned from Iraq. While we were all enjoying our "peaceful" lives, they were literally fighting insurgents and they're lucky to be alive to tell the ugly stories associated with war and terrorism. I'm sure the parents will get more of an explanation as to what happened while their kids were in DC, but I still say with the way the world is today, a simple statement in an email would have been nice. Perhaps any parent who is concerned could bring their questions to an administrator or board member.
Speaking of things occuring at Dodd, how many of you Dodd parents got that email earlier this year warning you not to open a previously sent email from the school because it contained an inappropriate attachment and possible virus? What was the explanation given for that one? And did you believe it? There's more to that story than most of you realize. Another "bump" in that rug, I'm afraid.
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