Dear Editor,
The Gilroy Dispatch has again bounced a reality check with the
teachers of the Gilroy Unified School District. A recent
editorial
”
jeered
”
teachers for not using Edline.
Dear Editor,
The Gilroy Dispatch has again bounced a reality check with the teachers of the Gilroy Unified School District. A recent editorial “jeered” teachers for not using Edline.
As a member of the School Site Council who was part of the unanimous vote for the purchase of Edline, I can emphatically state the program was never the intended to make additional work for teachers. The way Edline was described at the time of purchase by Principal Bob Bravo was that the program would allow parents access to student attendance records, grade reports and other information from the GHS database via the Internet. The ability for teachers to volunteer to set up a Web site was portrayed as a bonus capability of Edline.
As a teacher who voluntarily posts homework assignments and class notes without Edline, I viewed the purchase of Edline as giving less technically capable teachers similar abilities if they chose to exploit the program features. Had I known at the time of purchase that Edline would morph into an unrealistic expectation by school administrators and some members of the public for teachers to make and maintain a Web site, I would have fought against the purchase.
The Dispatch implication that teachers should use Edline since they have an easy job because they work “36.8 five-day weeks” makes me wonder if the Dispatch staff is still within the gravitational influence of Earth. Gilroy has a very hard time getting and retaining teachers. GUSD recently lost a teacher in large part because of the 12- to 14-hour days that the teacher was working. Requiring teachers to use Edline without taking something off of the plate will only aggravate an already unacceptable situation. Suggesting that teachers have an easy job is counter to teacher hiring and retention reality faced by GUSD.
Calling contractual requirements a “silly rule” demonstrates a disconnect. The Dispatch appears to be advocating a position where it is acceptable for the GUSD to cheat teachers out of time and/or money while at the same time saying it is not acceptable for students to cheat in school. Cheating and the breaking of rules should be called exactly that. Hinting at the advocacy for the breaking of rules and contracts because one does not like a “silly rule” contributes to the student acceptance of cheating.
Attacking teachers under the guise of “focusing on student achievement'” is disheartening. For the Gilroy Dispatch to “jeer” teachers who fail to volunteer to do work that for some would mean several additional hours of time a week is ignorant. The editors failed to research the history and issues in its Edline position. Disparaging remarks about contractual requirements are irresponsible. The Dispatch has broken a public trust and bounced a reality check due to lack of knowledge and a lack of accountability.
Wayne Scott, GHS mathematics teacher
