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Friday, May 06, 2005

Winfield Myers highlights a story about how a Georgia physics teacher who was very popular and successful with his students was fired for the silliest of reasons. He gave a student a failing grade for falling asleep in class and not doing an assignment.
Neace, who has taught at Dacula High for 23 years, was removed from class after he refused to raise the grade he had given a football player on an overnight assignment. Neace said he cut the student's perfect grade in half because he thought the student had fallen asleep at his desk the day the assignment was made.

"What we have in this case is a case of a pampered football athlete sleeping in class and being given favored treatment on an academic grade," said Michael Kramer, another of Neace's lawyers. "What we have here is the principal essentially attempting to coerce and intimidate a teacher."

School officials said they gave Neace a chance to restore the football player's grade. When he refused, they sent him home. He has not been allowed back at school since April 14, when he was told he could resign or face being fired.

Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks recommended to the board that Neace be fired. "He cannot have a policy that supersedes board policy," Wilbanks said. "He had no right to do that."

Neace said he had a practice of reducing the grades of students who waste time or sleep in class. His course syllabus warns that wasting class time can "earn a zero for a student on assignments or labs." No administrators had previously complained about the practice, which he adopted more than a decade ago, Neace said.

He has lots of support from his students who apparently don't mind his tough policy.
Posters calling for his return decorated the high school's halls. Some students wore T-shirts protesting the principal's action and passed out fliers saying, "Forget the whales, save Doc." Students also circulated a petition asking administrators to reinstate Neace.

"It's overwhelming -- the support, the phone calls, the e-mails, the [editorials] in the paper," Neace said Thursday afternoon. "I am getting support from all over the country. I got an e-mail from a professor at Rutgers University that said he wishes more teachers would do what I was doing, because it would make his job so much easier in the classroom if kids were prepared to take responsibility for what they do."

The School Board insists that they were firing him was because he refused to change the grade and that was a violation of Board policy that grades cannot be used for disciplinary measures.

It is actually quite common for schools to have requirements that grades cannot be used as disciplinary punishments. But, class participation in activities and completion of homework is part of a grade. If the kid did not participate in what the class was doing, his grade should be lower. It is not a displinary device but an expression of how well the kid participated in the class requirements.

The other problem is that the School Board made enough of a fuss over this to get to this point. Couldn't this have been handled more diplomatically. For example, couldn't they have talked to him about clarifying his policy that he was grading down for lack of class participation and not for discipline. Why let go a veteran science teacher who has been doing a great job over such a minor matter? Why let is escalate into a firing. I hope this guy will apply to some private or charter school which will snap him up. Good physics teachers are rare and this guy will be difficult to replace. I predict that the rest of his students will suffer for what is left of the year through a bunch of unqualified subs. Is this really in the best interest of the county? This School Board sounds like a bunch of dunderheads.

One more problem which I'm sure you all realize. There are few tools that teachers have to discipline someone. I bet the school wouldn't let him give detention for sleeping. He can't use the grade. He can call the kid's parents, but if a kid is sleepy, there is not much the parents can do to get a high school age kid to change his or her behavior. I bet the principal doesn't want to be bothered by a referral for sleeping. I wake the kids up or have other kids wake him up. In my experience, teenagers are severely overtired. You can talk to them privately about getting more sleep and staying awake in your class, but if a kid is tired, he'll fall asleep. How many of us have wanted to doze off in long meetings. Well, school is sometimes like one long meeting day after day for kids. Docking his grade for an assignment seems like an appropriate measure. Don't let a good teacher go over such a stupid thing.

posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 2:45 PM 0 comments

Comments:

Winfield Myers highlights a story about how a Georgia physics teacher who was very popular and successful with his students was fired for the silliest of reasons. He gave a student a failing grade for falling asleep in class and not doing an assignment.

Neace, who has taught at Dacula High for 23 years, was removed from class after he refused to raise the grade he had given a football player on an overnight assignment. Neace said he cut the student's perfect grade in half because he thought the student had fallen asleep at his desk the day the assignment was made.

"What we have in this case is a case of a pampered football athlete sleeping in class and being given favored treatment on an academic grade," said Michael Kramer, another of Neace's lawyers. "What we have here is the principal essentially attempting to coerce and intimidate a teacher."

School officials said they gave Neace a chance to restore the football player's grade. When he refused, they sent him home. He has not been allowed back at school since April 14, when he was told he could resign or face being fired.

Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks recommended to the board that Neace be fired. "He cannot have a policy that supersedes board policy," Wilbanks said. "He had no right to do that."

Neace said he had a practice of reducing the grades of students who waste time or sleep in class. His course syllabus warns that wasting class time can "earn a zero for a student on assignments or labs." No administrators had previously complained about the practice, which he adopted more than a decade ago, Neace said.

He has lots of support from his students who apparently don't mind his tough policy.

Posters calling for his return decorated the high school's halls. Some students wore T-shirts protesting the principal's action and passed out fliers saying, "Forget the whales, save Doc." Students also circulated a petition asking administrators to reinstate Neace.

"It's overwhelming -- the support, the phone calls, the e-mails, the [editorials] in the paper," Neace said Thursday afternoon. "I am getting support from all over the country. I got an e-mail from a professor at Rutgers University that said he wishes more teachers would do what I was doing, because it would make his job so much easier in the classroom if kids were prepared to take responsibility for what they do."

The School Board insists that they were firing him was because he refused to change the grade and that was a violation of Board policy that grades cannot be used for disciplinary measures.

It is actually quite common for schools to have requirements that grades cannot be used as disciplinary punishments. But, class participation in activities and completion of homework is part of a grade. If the kid did not participate in what the class was doing, his grade should be lower. It is not a displinary device but an expression of how well the kid participated in the class requirements.

The other problem is that the School Board made enough of a fuss over this to get to this point. Couldn't this have been handled more diplomatically. For example, couldn't they have talked to him about clarifying his policy that he was grading down for lack of class participation and not for discipline. Why let go a veteran science teacher who has been doing a great job over such a minor matter? Why let is escalate into a firing. I hope this guy will apply to some private or charter school which will snap him up. Good physics teachers are rare and this guy will be difficult to replace. I predict that the rest of his students will suffer for what is left of the year through a bunch of unqualified subs. Is this really in the best interest of the county? This School Board sounds like a bunch of dunderheads.

One more problem which I'm sure you all realize. There are few tools that teachers have to discipline someone. I bet the school wouldn't let him give detention for sleeping. He can't use the grade. He can call the kid's parents, but if a kid is sleepy, there is not much the parents can do to get a high school age kid to change his or her behavior. I bet the principal doesn't want to be bothered by a referral for sleeping. I wake the kids up or have other kids wake him up. In my experience, teenagers are severely overtired. You can talk to them privately about getting more sleep and staying awake in your class, but if a kid is tired, he'll fall asleep. How many of us have wanted to doze off in long meetings. Well, school is sometimes like one long meeting day after day for kids. Docking his grade for an assignment seems like an appropriate measure. Don't let a good teacher go over such a stupid thing.

posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 2:45 PM 0 comments

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Friday, May 06, 2005

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HOME Betsy neither necessarily uses, nor endorses, the products advertised on this site. The truth about Avesil Cheap Hosting Atlanta Bankruptcy Attorney Dallas Bankruptcy Attorney Wikio Get exclusive travel deals and book discount cheap flights Online Bachelors Degree Comments from an AP history and government teacher in Raleigh, NC. e-mail betsynewmark AT gmail.com Commissions earned from selling items through Amazon will go towards buying materials for my classes. Thank you. Site Feed		Friday, May 06, 2005 Winfield Myers highlights a story about how a Georgia physics teacher who was very popular and successful with his students was fired for the silliest of reasons. He gave a student a failing grade for falling asleep in class and not doing an assignment. Neace, who has taught at Dacula High for 23 years, was removed from class after he refused to raise the grade he had given a football player on an overnight assignment. Neace said he cut the student's perfect grade in half because he thought the student had fallen asleep at his desk the day the assignment was made. "What we have in this case is a case of a pampered football athlete sleeping in class and being given favored treatment on an academic grade," said Michael Kramer, another of Neace's lawyers. "What we have here is the principal essentially attempting to coerce and intimidate a teacher." School officials said they gave Neace a chance to restore the football player's grade. When he refused, they sent him home. He has not been allowed back at school since April 14, when he was told he could resign or face being fired. Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks recommended to the board that Neace be fired. "He cannot have a policy that supersedes board policy," Wilbanks said. "He had no right to do that." Neace said he had a practice of reducing the grades of students who waste time or sleep in class. His course syllabus warns that wasting class time can "earn a zero for a student on assignments or labs." No administrators had previously complained about the practice, which he adopted more than a decade ago, Neace said. He has lots of support from his students who apparently don't mind his tough policy. Posters calling for his return decorated the high school's halls. Some students wore T-shirts protesting the principal's action and passed out fliers saying, "Forget the whales, save Doc." Students also circulated a petition asking administrators to reinstate Neace. "It's overwhelming -- the support, the phone calls, the e-mails, the [editorials] in the paper," Neace said Thursday afternoon. "I am getting support from all over the country. I got an e-mail from a professor at Rutgers University that said he wishes more teachers would do what I was doing, because it would make his job so much easier in the classroom if kids were prepared to take responsibility for what they do." The School Board insists that they were firing him was because he refused to change the grade and that was a violation of Board policy that grades cannot be used for disciplinary measures. It is actually quite common for schools to have requirements that grades cannot be used as disciplinary punishments. But, class participation in activities and completion of homework is part of a grade. If the kid did not participate in what the class was doing, his grade should be lower. It is not a displinary device but an expression of how well the kid participated in the class requirements. The other problem is that the School Board made enough of a fuss over this to get to this point. Couldn't this have been handled more diplomatically. For example, couldn't they have talked to him about clarifying his policy that he was grading down for lack of class participation and not for discipline. Why let go a veteran science teacher who has been doing a great job over such a minor matter? Why let is escalate into a firing. I hope this guy will apply to some private or charter school which will snap him up. Good physics teachers are rare and this guy will be difficult to replace. I predict that the rest of his students will suffer for what is left of the year through a bunch of unqualified subs. Is this really in the best interest of the county? This School Board sounds like a bunch of dunderheads. One more problem which I'm sure you all realize. There are few tools that teachers have to discipline someone. I bet the school wouldn't let him give detention for sleeping. He can't use the grade. He can call the kid's parents, but if a kid is sleepy, there is not much the parents can do to get a high school age kid to change his or her behavior. I bet the principal doesn't want to be bothered by a referral for sleeping. I wake the kids up or have other kids wake him up. In my experience, teenagers are severely overtired. You can talk to them privately about getting more sleep and staying awake in your class, but if a kid is tired, he'll fall asleep. How many of us have wanted to doze off in long meetings. Well, school is sometimes like one long meeting day after day for kids. Docking his grade for an assignment seems like an appropriate measure. Don't let a good teacher go over such a stupid thing. posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 2:45 PM 0 comments Comments: Winfield Myers highlights a story about how a Georgia physics teacher who was very popular and successful with his students was fired for the silliest of reasons. He gave a student a failing grade for falling asleep in class and not doing an assignment. Neace, who has taught at Dacula High for 23 years, was removed from class after he refused to raise the grade he had given a football player on an overnight assignment. Neace said he cut the student's perfect grade in half because he thought the student had fallen asleep at his desk the day the assignment was made. "What we have in this case is a case of a pampered football athlete sleeping in class and being given favored treatment on an academic grade," said Michael Kramer, another of Neace's lawyers. "What we have here is the principal essentially attempting to coerce and intimidate a teacher." School officials said they gave Neace a chance to restore the football player's grade. When he refused, they sent him home. He has not been allowed back at school since April 14, when he was told he could resign or face being fired. Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks recommended to the board that Neace be fired. "He cannot have a policy that supersedes board policy," Wilbanks said. "He had no right to do that." Neace said he had a practice of reducing the grades of students who waste time or sleep in class. His course syllabus warns that wasting class time can "earn a zero for a student on assignments or labs." No administrators had previously complained about the practice, which he adopted more than a decade ago, Neace said. He has lots of support from his students who apparently don't mind his tough policy. Posters calling for his return decorated the high school's halls. Some students wore T-shirts protesting the principal's action and passed out fliers saying, "Forget the whales, save Doc." Students also circulated a petition asking administrators to reinstate Neace. "It's overwhelming -- the support, the phone calls, the e-mails, the [editorials] in the paper," Neace said Thursday afternoon. "I am getting support from all over the country. I got an e-mail from a professor at Rutgers University that said he wishes more teachers would do what I was doing, because it would make his job so much easier in the classroom if kids were prepared to take responsibility for what they do." The School Board insists that they were firing him was because he refused to change the grade and that was a violation of Board policy that grades cannot be used for disciplinary measures. It is actually quite common for schools to have requirements that grades cannot be used as disciplinary punishments. But, class participation in activities and completion of homework is part of a grade. If the kid did not participate in what the class was doing, his grade should be lower. It is not a displinary device but an expression of how well the kid participated in the class requirements. The other problem is that the School Board made enough of a fuss over this to get to this point. Couldn't this have been handled more diplomatically. For example, couldn't they have talked to him about clarifying his policy that he was grading down for lack of class participation and not for discipline. Why let go a veteran science teacher who has been doing a great job over such a minor matter? Why let is escalate into a firing. I hope this guy will apply to some private or charter school which will snap him up. Good physics teachers are rare and this guy will be difficult to replace. I predict that the rest of his students will suffer for what is left of the year through a bunch of unqualified subs. Is this really in the best interest of the county? This School Board sounds like a bunch of dunderheads. One more problem which I'm sure you all realize. There are few tools that teachers have to discipline someone. I bet the school wouldn't let him give detention for sleeping. He can't use the grade. He can call the kid's parents, but if a kid is sleepy, there is not much the parents can do to get a high school age kid to change his or her behavior. I bet the principal doesn't want to be bothered by a referral for sleeping. I wake the kids up or have other kids wake him up. In my experience, teenagers are severely overtired. You can talk to them privately about getting more sleep and staying awake in your class, but if a kid is tired, he'll fall asleep. How many of us have wanted to doze off in long meetings. Well, school is sometimes like one long meeting day after day for kids. Docking his grade for an assignment seems like an appropriate measure. Don't let a good teacher go over such a stupid thing. posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 2:45 PM 0 comments Comments: Post a Comment