tagged w/ Teacher
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Anthony Westbury: What's really going on in that classroom?
PORT ST. LUCIE — There are so many questions I want to ask about exactly what happened in Wendy Portillo's kindergarten class between her and Alex Barton, 5.
I'm not getting many answers.
Portillo herself isn't talking. That'd be contrary to St. Lucie School District policy and, I guess, might be reason in itself for her termination.
The school district isn't saying much either, because it can't.
Barbara Slaga, assistant superintendent for exceptional student education & student services cites confidentiality concerns that prevent her from discussing any specifics in this case.
Pity, because it's the specifics we all want to hear.
What Slaga could tell me was rather generic. The process of evaluating a student with behavioral issues is long and complicated. Assessment experts from the district office tend to get called in by teachers or principals who notice unusual behaviors in class. What stage of the assessment process was Alex Barton at? Slaga couldn't tell me, but professional advisors would determine whether a child should be kept in a regular class or assigned to special education classes.
Should he have been in Wendy Portillo's class at all? We simply don't know.
Of the hundreds of online comments, both on our tcpalm.com Web site and others (including one at the Chicago Tribune), many people are demanding Portillo's head. They want her fired — or worse. Many think she should never stand in front of a class of students again.
They might be right, but I'm not willing to bury the lady until I've heard the other side.
I did take a look at Portillo's personnel file. It revealed absolutely nothing out of order.
On the contrary, many of her annual evaluations refer to "an awesome teacher," "exemplary" and other superlatives.
It was more than a decade ago (1996), but I was struck by her "superior" scores (the highest possible) in "effectively manages student conduct," and "demonstrates appropriate student-teacher interaction."
Has Portillo turned into a monster since 1996? I doubt it.
Along with the online comments about Portillo's future, I've received a few from teachers (or their spouses). Perhaps not surprisingly, these were a lot more sympathetic to Portillo than the rest.
Judith Fleming, a former high school teacher with 30 years (23 of them in St. Lucie County) under her belt, said, "I can't tell you how many classes were ruined by the actions of one or two students. Everyone keeps writing about that child, who according to articles spent many hours in the principal's office for inappropriate behavior, but no one is writing about how the learning of other students was affected by this child."
She suggests Alex should be assigned to a special class "with others like him until he can learn to function in a mainstream class. All too often the interests of 'special education' students outweigh those of every other student."
Many online readers, on the other hand, are appalled at the very thought of putting kids like Alex in special classes. It's the teacher who's at fault here, they say.
I don't know the answers to any of these questions, and (I suspect) nor do you. Perhaps we should put this witch hunt on hold until we do.
Anthony Westbury: What's really going on in that classroom?
PORT ST. LUCIE... more
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I'd been out of town for a few days over the holiday weekend, so I was catching up on the sun-bleached newspapers that had been littering my front yard.
A name suddenly caught my eye: Wendy Portillo of Morningside Elementary School in Port St. Lucie.
The name — and the reason for the story that mentioned her — made me catch my breath.
Portillo is accused of allowing her kindergarten class at Morningside to "vote out" a 5-year-old fellow student who apparently has a history of behavior problems in the classroom. The student, David Barton, is undergoing diagnosis for possible autism, which makes what happened in Portillo' s classroom even more difficult to understand.
The original story attracted more than 300 comments online. Many expressed outrage, some were downright unpleasant. There were calls for her firing, even for the child's parents to sue her individually.
The reason my heart skipped a beat was that I know Wendy Portillo and I simply cannot connect the lady I met with the person I read about in the paper.
I've spoken to Portillo several times on the phone and met her in person about three weeks ago. I was put in touch with her by a fellow teacher at Morningside.
After winning the state championships against schools from as far afield as Key West, Portillo and her team of third- through fifth-grade students have been invited to the world championships of Odyssey of the Mind at the end of this week at the University of Maryland.
Odyssey of the Mind is an almost 30-year-old organization that sets up academic problem-solving competitions for students from kindergarten through college level all over America and in 28 or so other countries around the world. The Morningside kids and their coach Portillo deserved some press coverage, the teacher told me.
The Morningside students had to create a humorous stage performance that explains the evolutionary demise of the dinosaurs in a grand total of eight minutes or less. The kids have to write the script, build the props and create the costumes. They've been working on "DinoStories" since last October, meeting several times a week. As Portillo told me, "there's a lot of sacrifice involved" and team members have to be extremely dedicated.
I meet a lot of people in my job and like to think I'm a fairly good judge of character. I like to think I can smell a rat a mile away.
Wendy Portillo gave not a whiff of anything amiss.
On the contrary, she seems a loving, caring person who genuinely wants only the best for her students. She certainly gave me the impression she's the sort of kindergarten teacher you'd remember with affection later in life.
And yet, here she finds herself in crisis, removed from her classroom. Reportedly, she admitted to holding the classroom vote, but now school board protocol prevents her from airing her side of the story. The Port St. Lucie Police Department and State Attorney's Office have both declined to press charges of child abuse.
There's obviously another side to this story and maybe one day we'll hear it. In the meantime, I'm suspending judgment. I think after teaching our kids for 12 years in St. Lucie County — nine of them at Morningside to some pretty lofty levels — we owe her that.
I'd been out of town for a few days over the holiday weekend, so I was catching... more
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"The results of the first national survey of teachers about evolution in their classrooms are in. Darwin would quiver in his boots to learn that in this day and age, one in eight American biology teachers teach creationism and intelligent design as a sound alternative to his theory. In fact, 13 percent of the country’s teachers think they can run an excellent biology class without even mentioning Darwin or evolution. "
Oh god. "The results of the first national survey of teachers about evolution in their... more
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Nancy Heisey prepares to board Harrisonburg Transit bus #5 at the stop next to EMU's Hartzler LibraryNancy Heisey prepares to board Harrisonburg Transit bus #5 at the stop next to... more
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anuj
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4 years ago
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WATCH: 'The Last Lecture': Part 1
Professor Randy Pausch on what led to the creation of his inspiring talk. WATCH: 'The Last Lecture': Part 1
Professor Randy Pausch on what led to the... more
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Roads in Saudi Arabia are among the world's most dangerous but one type of victim stands out: female teachers who are dying at alarming rates because of long commutes through the desert to reach remote schools.
The Saudi government appoints teachers to work in villages where local staff cannot fill all vacancies. But unlike their male counterparts, female teachers in this conservative Muslim country have difficulty living alone in the villages, forcing them to commute each day.
Nof al-Oneizi was so worried she would die that she wrote to education officials urging them to find her a school nearer to her home in the northern town of Jouf, rather than the one she was assigned to 108 miles away — a three-hour drive because of the bad roads. Since women are forbidden to drive, she carpooled in a van with a driver along with several other female teachers.Roads in Saudi Arabia are among the world's most dangerous but one type of victim... more
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ALBANY - The city and state teacher unions spent a whopping $3 million to influence lawmakers last year, as overall lobbying in New York hit a record, a report released yesterday shows.
The spending to influence lawmakers was revealed the day after the teachers unions successfully stymied a measure, backed by Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, that would have allowed student-performance data to be used in determining teacher tenure.
New York State United Teachers spent $2.1 million on lobbying, the third highest total last year, according to the Commission on Public Integrity report.
The city United Federation of Teachers, headed by Randi Weingarten, pumped in an additional $877,000, ranking it the 10th biggest client.
The combined $3 million in lobbying expenses last year was up 17 percent from the $2.6 million the two unions spent in 2006. ALBANY - The city and state teacher unions spent a whopping $3 million to influence... more
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It's the type of news you don't expect to hear coming out of an elementary school. Nine students are suspended at Center Elementary in Waycross, Georgia for an alleged plot to attack their teacher.
Although only in third grade, the students brought dangerous items - including a broken steak knife - to the school to carry out their plan.It's the type of news you don't expect to hear coming out of an elementary... more
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lib
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British teacher Gillian Gibbons' lawyer has announced she's been jailed for naming a teddy bear Mohammed. She was found guilty in court of insulting religion and inciting hatred, and sentenced to fifteen days in jail and deportation.
The Foreign Office said it was extremely disappointed by the verdict. Her lawyer says she will now appeal.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband had met the Sudanese ambassador to discuss the case, stressing it was an "innocent misunderstanding" and the prime minister, Sudanese embassy officials in London and UK Muslim organisations had all expressed the hope that Mrs Gibbons would be released.
With what seems like breath-taking audacity, the school's director Robert Boulos told the AP news agency: "It's a very fair verdict, she could have had six months and lashes and a fine, and she only got 15 days and deportation."
Since when did jailing a woman for an innocent mistake become fair? And since when did letting some school children name a teddy bear constitute inciting hatred?
Leave a comment below and let us know what you think about this.British teacher Gillian Gibbons' lawyer has announced she's been jailed for... more
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richjm
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4 years ago
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This is outrageous. The British teacher who allowed a teddy bear to be named Mohamed was charged with insulting Islam and inciting hatred, sparking outrage and a potentially explosive diplomatic row with Sudan. She is due to appear in an Islamic court today. The alleged crime is punishable by 40 lashes, a six-month jail sentence and a fine. The foreign secretary will tell the Sudanese ambassadors that corporal punishment is totally unacceptable. "Britain is reviewing its options for retaliatory measures against Khartoum should Ms Gibbons be hurt. These could include the expulsion of Sudanese diplomats, tightening travel restrictions on the regimes leading figures and cutting aid." Islamic militants in Sudan are calling for mass demonstrations in Sudan... the situation could get out of control
This story has exploded into a diplomatic battle. What do you think about this? This is outrageous. The British teacher who allowed a teddy bear to be named Mohamed... more
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Peaches used to be a teacher. Can you imagine having art class with her? Here she tells us what that might have been like. Visit PeachesRocks.comPeaches used to be a teacher. Can you imagine having art class with her? Here she... more
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No wonder Miss South Carolina says "like everywhere such as" and "the Iraq". Our schools can't find teachers!No wonder Miss South Carolina says "like everywhere such as" and "the... more
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Tori
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4 years ago
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Thomas G. Waites, Broadway veteran of the stage famous for his role in the cult classic, "The Warriors," imparts his wisdom on the young and restless of today's Hollywood.Thomas G. Waites, Broadway veteran of the stage famous for his role in the cult... more
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Space shuttle Endeavour roared into orbit Wednesday carrying teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan, who was finally fulfilling the dream of Christa McAuliffe and the rest of the fallen Challenger crew.Space shuttle Endeavour roared into orbit Wednesday carrying teacher-astronaut Barbara... more
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Nasa is planning on launching Endeavor this Wednesday with former teacher Barbara Morgan on board. It's been 21 years since Christa McAuliffe flew with the Challenger crew in January 1986 when it exploded a little over a minute after lift-off.Nasa is planning on launching Endeavor this Wednesday with former teacher Barbara... more
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cwhite
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