Posted on by Californiacontrarian

“Counterintuitive and Nonsensical”

As all us who live in California are aware in general, that a lot of the schools in the Golden State are woeful and consequently a lot of California’s children are performing considerably behind their stated grade level. Certainly the  pandemic and the subsequent online method of “teaching,” was stressful for just about all involved … teachers, students, and parents. 

However, finally, now in the present school year, the kids are back in the classroom, and in-person learning is coming along as well as to be expected. So now almost three months into the school year what does the San Diego Unified School District (SUSD) think should be done on Friday, November 12? … Make it a mental health day!! 

Mr. Lamont Jackson, the Interim Superintendent, stated that many parents and students said that their mental health has suffered, and thus the recommendation that November 12 be an excused mental health day. Apparently Mr. Jackson does not have to be concerned with finding affordable last minute daycare for his children, but many working parents were flabbergasted at his apparent slight of hand. Does anyone besides me realize that this recommendation for a “mental health day” was a way for the teachers to get a four day weekend as Thursday, November 11 is a holiday?

Yes, apparently a lot of parents did recognize this as a diversion to the real issue. A parent of a six year old in the SUSD wrote the following to the Superintendent:

“I trust you know that a great deal of the mental stress for parents and students during the pandemic has been the lack of in person instruction.

To conclude that keeping kids out of school an additional day at this time to alleviate that stress is counterintuitive and nonsensical. If you want to assist us with our mental health, do everything that you can to maintain a  consistent in person school schedule.”

Fortunately this parent copied her letter to the local newspaper. Bingo! Then the tap dancing began! 

Mr. Jackson came back with what he possibly felt was a reasonable compromise, “After careful consideration we have decided to keep our classrooms open on Friday, November 12. All students will be welcome on that day. Any students who take the day will have their absence marked as ‘excused.’”

In other words what Mr. Jackson is saying is … “all students may come to school on Friday, 11/12 if they wish. On that day the school will provide the daycare that parents need. Do not expect much actual teaching on that day as there will likely be a shortage of teachers. I am hopeful that all of the teachers who have requested that Friday off will come back refreshed after their four day weekend.”

So the stressed teachers get what they wanted … a four day weekend.

The stressed parents get what they needed … daycare for their children.

And the stressed students … basically get screwed again!

In other parts of the stare, school administrators were much wiser. They obviously realized that with Thursday, 11/11 being a holiday, myriads of teachers would be taking Friday, 11/12 off, and thus in some places the teachers were given some cockamamie reason (report cards due and prepping for parent teacher conferences the following week) such that they did not have to be at school on 11/12. These other school districts obviously realized what was inevitably going to happen with a Thursday holiday, and they formulated their school schedule years in advance. They were cognizant of the 6Ps, whereas SUSD was clueless. 

Attention, Mr. Jackson! Learn the 6Ps -> Poor Preparation Predicts Piss Poor Performance!

11/11/21

www.californiacontrarian.com

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