Three things surprised me in Mr. Wayne Scott’s letter published
May 10: first, the news that I had been licking my wounds. I had
not realized that I had received any. After inspecting myself
carefully, but in vain, for signs of damage, I re-read his letter,
pondering.
Three things surprised me in Mr. Wayne Scott’s letter published May 10: first, the news that I had been licking my wounds. I had not realized that I had received any. After inspecting myself carefully, but in vain, for signs of damage, I re-read his letter, pondering.
Eventually, light dawned. Mr. Scott evidently believes that he won our interchange about Advanced Placement and other scores. Hmmm. Curious. I had formed the opposite impression. In any case, Mr. Scott, I have not been licking any non-existent wounds. Sorry to disappoint you.
It also surprised me that he referred to bullies, people who would rather intimidate than hold a rational discussion based on logic, in the third person. Glass houses, Mr. Scott …
Finally, it surprised me to see him continue to claim to be using logic. Many of his assertions are non sequiturs, such as his twin assertions that any one who objects to a teacher being silent during class time as a form of political protest is either: A. against anti-discrimination laws, or B. prejudiced against the handicapped.
Other “arguments,” such as the letter he punctuated with “Period. End of debate,” may be synopsized as “because I said so!” Pardon me if I don’t applaud.
Lastly, Mr. Scott, no one has to take my word for it that you are rude. You stood up in front of the School Board and called the trustees, the parents, and the taxpayers before you ignorant, rude, intolerant, and prejudiced against the physically disabled.
You frequently whisper and make rude remarks and noises from the back of the board room, even when you don’t bother to speak at the podium. I am sure that Gilroy High Principal Bob Bravo and Superintendent Edwin Diaz are fully aware of your lack of manners. I only wonder whether you behave better when you are alone in a classroom with your students.
On a more pleasant subject, I have to compliment John Perales, principal of Mount Madonna Continuation High School.
It is not just that Mount Madonna was recently recognized by he state as one of the 11 best continuation schools in California. It is not even because, of those 11 schools, Mt. Madonna has the second best API scores.
It is not even because when he came to the podium at the school board meeting, he brought his staff up with him to receive the applause of the board and spectators.
No, what I noticed in John Perales’s speech was the evidence of good leadership.
Mr. Perales talked about his students, how the staff values and cares for every student. He talked about his staff, how they worked together as a team, how each one made particular contributions, how he consulted with them to improve things.
And especially he talked about evaluation. He told us how, even before the assessment team from the state had left the school grounds, the staff members were already asking each other, what can we do better next time?
I was blown away. Needs and characteristics of a group, vision, patrol method, resources of a group, consultation, evaluation: all those things we teach 14-year-olds at White Stag Leadership Development Camp. John Perales has implemented them and is running with them, and as a result, Mount Madonna is succeeding in its mission.
Congratulations, Mr. Perales. I hope you don’t have to shave your head this year.
Speaking of White Stag, there is still time to sign up. White Stag Camp, named after a Hungarian legend about following one’s vision, is open to all youth, ages 11 to 17. Camp will be held Aug. 7 through 13 this year.
The Sierras are our classroom. The campers, or candidates, as we call them, are taught leadership skills by the slightly older youth staff, and are immediately given applications: tasks to which they can apply their newly learned skills. Depending on the age and maturity of the candidates, the task might be as easy as a 20-minute game or as hard as leading 40 people on a seven-mile backpack trip.
For more information go to www.whitestagcrew122.org.
