A Tech Tale of Woe and My Time to Vent

[daddyphatsax]

I am a teacher in a socio-economically deprived area. Before I got into education, I did alot of computer work, so I decided to incorporate the two. So far I have:
- salvaged about 17 Macs from an abandoned wing of our school, upgraded and generally repaired them
- cut and crimped CAT5 to network them
- bought Apple Network Administrator Toolkit, a resource for people managing Mac networks
- bought a P3 450 to use as a linux web server
- built computer tables to custom fit the Macs (took a month!!)
- wired and setup everything
- started to integrate online grading and gradebook software via Palm Zires (which I bought 4 of)

I also researched the use of intranet based resources to run my class, as I have done in the past. As I finished the final cable runs and machine setups, I was called in to meet with my principal. When I got to her office, a representative from the managment company that manages my school district was there waiting for me. He asked what I had been working on, so I told him, and he promptly told me TO SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN. Hundreds of dollars from my pocket and hundreds of hours of my time to help me improve my students' lives washed down the drain. He told me that I was working outside of the corporate system of the management company. So, even though this did not cost the management company ANY money, including no network resources (we are isolated from the school's network), I have been told that I will not be able to continue my efforts. Thankfully several people around me have recognized that what I'm doing is a good thing and have tried to help get me going again. I just wanted to vent about the unfairness of the world and the wretched evil that is the American corporation.

 

[GoingUp]

sorrry to hear it

 

[MrPickins]

Try calling the news papers, tv stations, ect.... I would be willing to bet that the corporation wouldn't like the bad publicity. I mean come on! In a time when educational funding is drying up, a teacher goes out of his way to buy all of this stuff out of his own pocket, and set all of it up for his student's benefit. What a story!
I don't see how they could take (free) computers away from students...






(Even if they are Macs )

 

[daddyphatsax]

If I talked to the press, my employment probably wouldn't last very long.

 

[CPA]

Originally posted by: daddyphatsax
I am a teacher in a socio-economically deprived area. Before I got into education, I did alot of computer work, so I decided to incorporate the two. So far I have:
- salvaged about 17 Macs from an abandoned wing of our school, upgraded and generally repaired them
- cut and crimped CAT5 to network them
- bought Apple Network Administrator Toolkit, a resource for people managing Mac networks
- bought a P3 450 to use as a linux web server
- built computer tables to custom fit the Macs (took a month!!)
- wired and setup everything
- started to integrate online grading and gradebook software via Palm Zires (which I bought 4 of)

I also researched the use of intranet based resources to run my class, as I have done in the past. As I finished the final cable runs and machine setups, I was called in to meet with my principal. When I got to her office, a representative from the managment company that manages my school district was there waiting for me. He asked what I had been working on, so I told him, and he promptly told me TO SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN. Hundreds of dollars from my pocket and hundreds of hours of my time to help me improve my students' lives washed down the drain. He told me that I was working outside of the corporate system of the management company. So, even though this did not cost the management company ANY money, including no network resources (we are isolated from the school's network), I have been told that I will not be able to continue my efforts. Thankfully several people around me have recognized that what I'm doing is a good thing and have tried to help get me going again. I just wanted to vent about the unfairness of the world and the wretched evil that is the American corporation.

I commend you for your work and dedication to the kids, but I fail to see how this is a "Corporation" issue. If you work for a public school system, you should be pissed at the government, particularly the Feds, in this mess. They control the money, and the less that schools show the have, generally the more money they get.

 

[daddyphatsax]

It's a public school that is managed by a private corporation. This corporation manages thousands of schools across the US (if anyone else comes from education, you should know who I'm talking about). It is a corporation issue because they are shutting me down because my lab does not fit within the "corporate standard." I am not asking anyone for money, I'm just asking that I be allowed to enrich my students lives in a way that I can use my talents.

Funding is not tied to "what you have" either. It is based on student population, including numbers and demographics and now with Dubya in the whitehouse, it is tied to test scores as well.

 

[MrPickins]

Originally posted by: daddyphatsax
If I talked to the press, my employment probably wouldn't last very long.

Good point.

Still, you might bring it up at the next school board meeting. This will bring it to the attention of the public, without you "whistle blowing."

I would like to commend you on your work also. We need more dedicated teachers in this world....


Edit:

Originally posted by: daddyphatsax
It's a public school that is managed by a private corporation.

Don't the local taxpayers also have a right to know how the corporation they hired to run their district is disadvantaging (sp) their children?

 

[conjur]

Keep talking w/them. They may just be concerned with having to support a lot more workstations. Tell them you're willing to do all of the support/upkeep and see what happens. Go to the School Board, too. Don't let it wither on the vine having gone so far!

 

[daddyphatsax]

It is basically a software issue. They want to relocate the Apple server out of my control (no tech in my district knows anything about Macs), and they want me to use the outdated crap they use. The standard browser is Netscape 4.7, which, if you ever done tech support, will corrupt itself more than a Detroit politician. It is a power thing, I think, because I am providing resources to my school that are superior to the "Corporate" solution, using open source software, instead of the thousands they spend, and I think they are threatened. Thanks for all the comments.

 

[MrBond]

You could always donate the stuff to another school. I'm sure there's one that'd love to have it and wouldn't be tied to the corporation.

Is this more a city school thing? My father was a teacher at a small country school (and continues to sub-teach around the county) and he never mentioned such an entity

 

[SagaLore]

Teachers are great.
Teachers Unions suck.

Schools are great.
School administrators suck.

Curriculum is great.
School board sucks.

When we get rid of the sucky parts, everything great will be free to rome and spread it's greatness...

edit: Oh, and American Corporation is great, it's the public education beurocracy of multi-tier mangament that has no check and balance accountability for making decisions or spending tax payer dollars, that sucks.

 

[kranky]

That's really cool that you did all that. Unfortunately, when faced with a situation that's not covered in the policy manual, most bureaucrats just say "No". That's their safest course of action. Doesn't set a precedent, and it doesn't create situations where something unexpected (and bad) might happen.

I bet that since you have it all set up (how convenient that they didn't care until it was finished) they'll relent and let the school use the equipment.

 

[Renob]

Dam, that sucks bigtime.:|

 

[gopunk]

 

[daddyphatsax]

The computers, even though salvaged, still belong to the school, so I can't donate them. And, yes the management company scheme is mostly an urban thing. I think it's fueled mostly by racism, as the corporation can diminish resources in a member school containing most non-white students without much notice because the myth is that urban schools have no funding, when in fact my school receives more money than most "white" suburban schools. I know people will be upset when I say racism is involved, but it really is. You would be amazed how much people just don't give a d**n about my students:
- 99% African American
- 74% receive free lunch, meaning they are under the federal poverty level
- 86% come from single parent households
- less than 20% of which go to college

Pretty easy for most people not to care.

 

[Rufio]

sucks man...maybe u can relocate to a community center?

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: daddyphatsax
Funding is not tied to "what you have" either. It is based on student population, including numbers and demographics and now with Dubya in the whitehouse, it is tied to test scores as well.

Do you think that's a good thing or a bad thing? I don't want to assume.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: daddyphatsax
The computers, even though salvaged, still belong to the school, so I can't donate them. And, yes the management company scheme is mostly an urban thing. I think it's fueled mostly by racism, as the corporation can diminish resources in a member school containing most non-white students without much notice because the myth is that urban schools have no funding, when in fact my school receives more money than most "white" suburban schools. I know people will be upset when I say racism is involved, but it really is. You would be amazed how much people just don't give a d**n about my students:
- 99% African American
- 74% receive free lunch, meaning they are under the federal poverty level
- 86% come from single parent households
- less than 20% of which go to college

Pretty easy for most people not to care.

It's hard for other people to care when the majority of student's parent don't seem to care. 86% single parent households? Yea, I'd say the children's parents didn't proactively care enough...

 

[daddyphatsax]

Quote

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by: daddyphatsax
Funding is not tied to "what you have" either. It is based on student population, including numbers and demographics and now with Dubya in the whitehouse, it is tied to test scores as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Do you think that's a good thing or a bad thing? I don't want to assume.

It is horrible to tie funding to standardized test scored, which most researchers agree are racially skewed (look at some test reult data on it). Students in more affluent areas would get more funding with high test scores, but may not have to deal with 14-year-old girls who have to take care of three small children while their mother works two jobs, which would put anyone at an educational, and testing, disadvantage.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: daddyphatsax
Quote

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by: daddyphatsax
Funding is not tied to "what you have" either. It is based on student population, including numbers and demographics and now with Dubya in the whitehouse, it is tied to test scores as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Do you think that's a good thing or a bad thing? I don't want to assume.

It is horrible to tie funding to standardized test scored, which most researchers agree are racially skewed (look at some test reult data on it). Students in more affluent areas would get more funding with high test scores, but may not have to deal with 14-year-old girls who have to take care of three small children while their mother works two jobs, which would put anyone at an educational, and testing, disadvantage.

Give me one example how the test could be racially skewed. And what does funding have to do with a 14 year old being forced to babysit her siblings? If it's that bad for such a high percentage of the students, why not just get rid of homework? Personally I'd think homework is possibly more racially (or just socioeconomically) skewed than tests.

 

[HappyPuppy]

No good turn will go unpunished. You just learned a valuable lesson.

 

[daddyphatsax]

As far as standardized tests being skewed, just look at the numbers. On the SAT in 1992, the scores for verbal and math sections were as follows, with average white score vs. average African American score
Verbal: 444 vs. 353
Math: 494 vs. 388

One of two conclusions can be drawn
1. Standardized testing is racially skewed.
2. White people are 20% smarter on average than African Americans.

The point that I'm trying to make is do the tests measure intelligence, and if so, why is there this gap?

 

[narzy]

ok, so tell us where you live, we'll rally the press and you'll be an innocent bystander

plus if you get fired over this, the press would have an even larger field day, teacher does good, gets fired...aint the best headline your school district is looking for.

 

[daddyphatsax]

Thanks for the offer, but I've got some in-house people who are working on the problem. I have some faith in them, but against the "corporate standard," who knows?

Here's link for the SAT info, I hate when people post unconfirmed stats-
http://schatz.sju.edu/psychtest/race.html

 

[Hooligan]

Originally posted by: daddyphatsax
I am a teacher in a socio-economically deprived area. Before I got into education, I did alot of computer work, so I decided to incorporate the two. So far I have:
- salvaged about 17 Macs from an abandoned wing of our school, upgraded and generally repaired them
- cut and crimped CAT5 to network them
- bought Apple Network Administrator Toolkit, a resource for people managing Mac networks
- bought a P3 450 to use as a linux web server
- built computer tables to custom fit the Macs (took a month!!)
- wired and setup everything
- started to integrate online grading and gradebook software via Palm Zires (which I bought 4 of)

I also researched the use of intranet based resources to run my class, as I have done in the past. As I finished the final cable runs and machine setups, I was called in to meet with my principal. When I got to her office, a representative from the managment company that manages my school district was there waiting for me. He asked what I had been working on, so I told him, and he promptly told me TO SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN. Hundreds of dollars from my pocket and hundreds of hours of my time to help me improve my students' lives washed down the drain. He told me that I was working outside of the corporate system of the management company. So, even though this did not cost the management company ANY money, including no network resources (we are isolated from the school's network), I have been told that I will not be able to continue my efforts. Thankfully several people around me have recognized that what I'm doing is a good thing and have tried to help get me going again. I just wanted to vent about the unfairness of the world and the wretched evil that is the American corporation.

i've been wanting to teach because it's something i really like to do, stuff like this makes me not want to teach.