A Student's Perspective of Howell Public Schools
March 2, 2009
Howell Public Schools is the largest district in Livingston County, both in size and number of students. Why then is Howell Public Schools falling apart from the inside out? Howell Public Schools over the past few years has been rocked with scandal, and opening a brand new, state of the art high school only to be closed one year after opening.
Coming into the 2008-2009 school year I was very excited, a new principal and a new superintendent that wanted to work for the students and tax payers. We were going to make Howell Public Schools a "Destination District", everyone was going to work together to make HPS the best district it can be, yet half way through the year we see teachers feeling even more nervous around administrators and students afraid to say anything that may offend an administrator. We have disbanded the curriculum committees made up of teachers, we have made it so administrators are told to not interact with the teachers and staff, we have a student council slowly being shut out from a voice of the students to a branch of the administration's weapons to control the student body, to make them pass the tests and graduate.
These are severe problems in this district. When we have administrators not interacting with staff and students, and telling the teachers the best way to teach we will soon have a collapse in TRUE education. If people who have NEVER been in a class room are telling teachers what and how to teach then we will have an education system that is only concerned with passing the students and not giving them an education not in academic sense but in how to be a good citizen, how to live your life, and how to make decisions.
These same administrators who claim to want to make HPS a "destination district" are the same people who tell those that disagree with there policies that they are wrong, not giving a reason, simply stating that they are wrong. What does that teach our students? It teaches students that if they get to a place of power they can simply throw off discussion and claim they are right because they said so.
We need new leadership and a new attitude in HPS, we need to make sure teachers teach education, and not teach the test. HPS has great potential, a new state of the art high school, great students and staff, and a great community, but administrators going on a power trip WILL NOT help this district.
3 comments:
"We were going to make Howell Public Schools a "Destination District", everyone was going to work together to make HPS the best district it can be, yet half way through the year we see teachers feeling even more nervous around administrators and students afraid to say anything that may offend an administrator."
Well said. If teachers and students alike are having difficulty communicating with administrators and are feeling skittish around them, there is definitely something wrong with the administration. Teacher-student-administrator relations and things in general at HHS would go much smoother if the administration would loosen up and give these two groups a voice and seriously listen to them. The administration is acting as if it is terrified of relinquishing its power. It needs to see that it will never be successful in its aims if there's constant tension between these three groups. Howell could accomplish incredible things if everyone just worked together...
I have a question - was this letter sent (emailed) to the board or read at a board meeting at all?
sorry for the major delay. i've been away for a long while.
I believe it was at least sent to the board but i am unsure if it was read at a meeting
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