Take Back Perry Schools
Introduction
We are a group of concerned parents, educators, teachers, students and taxpayers that are committed to taking back control of the Metropolitan School District of Perry Township from a divided school board. This division started from the actions of four individual board members with personal agendas and whose actions have put our schools in a downward spiral. Their ongoing disregard for board by-laws and state laws, as well as the flippant waste of taxpayer's dollars must be opposed in an effort to Take Back Perry Schools.CNN Coverage of Heermann "Freedom Writers Diary"
Just got back from camping for the weekend and had a number of comments on the blog related to the post I’d written awhile back regarding MSDPT Perry Meridian High School English Teacher, Connie Heermann, being suspended for her use of the “The Freedom Writers Diary” and disregard for the school board’s request for her to request her students to return the books to her.
It turns out Connie’s experience and challenges regarding this matter got picked up by CNN coverage which includes video interview on the front page of the CNN website.
I don’t know Connie and haven’t read the book or seen the movie based on the author of the book, Erin Gruwell. I applaud Connie’s efforts to engage her students and reach and teach them in new ways. I’d probably back her 100% on her decision if it were my own kids in her classroom. The challenge I have in this situation is her disregard for policy and procedures and not working within the confines of the system she’s agreed to work in and support. It’s a tough situation for sure. Hopefully a productive solution can be worked out for everyone involved.
June 30th, 2008 at 1:02 am
Anyone who is familiar with the backwards concept of “banning” or repressive & ignorant communities afraid of books knows there will not be a productive situation for everyone involved, particularly students.
The reps from your school board look like extras in an Ed Wood or John Waters movie.
Good Luck…
June 30th, 2008 at 9:30 am
“The challenge I have in this situation is her disregard for policy and procedures and not working within the confines of the system she’s agreed to work in and support.”
If the system is morally and ethically wrong, (and in this situation is most certainly IS) do you just go along, or do you, in the spirit of our founding fathers, do the right thing? Connie Heerman chose to rise up and do the right thing — I heartily applaud her.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:07 am
As a former member of the Andover, MA School Committee, I watched the CNN video interview with some interest. In the long run no good can come out of this kind of confrontation. Students lose when adults dictate without discussion. Teachers lose when they are restricted from teaching. School Committees lose when they make arbitrary decisions.
If Perry Township has a recall process, they should see if a recall of the School Committee supports its actions. Otherwise the effectiveness of the school system will be hampered for sometime.
Connie Heermann should seek a teaching position with a more open minded school district where her teaching skills are appreciated and her opinions are open for discussions that lead to a more tolerant solution.
Never forget that good teachers are very hard to find. Local politicians are amateurs at best. Compromise is not typically in their lexicon.
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:58 am
This sort of case is the very reason I’ll send my kids to a private progressive school. Literature should cover topics from the comfortable to the downright upsetting. That is and EDUCATION. I get soooooo very angry when I hear about this type of ignorance especially when from the looks of one person was able to have so much influence. I believe in the democracy but I certainly do not believe in ignorance. I applaud Steph Moneart’s comment about going along with a system because it’s there. If it isn’t working fix it! Our children deserve more.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Schools should not be in the business of withholding ideas from their students — they should be challenging those students to better themselves, to investigate and evaluate opinions and lives which are different from their own.
The question isn’t why Heermann disobeyed a direct order, but why that order was given in the first place.
Inevitably, it is the Township’s reputation and the education of its students which will suffer the most.
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:45 pm
I read a story on the suspended teacher and a few things popped into my mind immediately.
1. This case is a poster child for continuing the tenure system, pure and simple.
2. This is also a case of the board micromanaging the classroom, which can lead to the loss of accreditation (as in a system near where I live).
Accreditation is required to receive things like federal funds and for the diplomas to be recognized by other institutions, i.e. such as colleges. This type of unethical behavior by the board can have long term negative and costly ramifications for the school system.
Based on this latest story and the number of related stories I have read concerning board meddling I would be surprised if the system didn’t lose accreditation.
For the system near me that has had the same problems, the accreditation agency is requiring the removal of the entire school board before accreditation will be restored.
July 10th, 2008 at 9:33 am
I have a couple of questions regarding the incident…Did the school approve her participation in the summer training? If so, then shouldn’t they expect her to implement what she learned? It is my understanding that a teacher has to be recommended by principals and other teachers to participate in the Freedom Writer’s Institute.
From what I read, it also seemed that she waited for approval. However, central office was dragging their feet it seems in an attempt to set her up.
July 11th, 2008 at 12:38 am
I have heard that the sub that was brought in was allowed to use the book in the same class…
Can anyone confirm that?
July 12th, 2008 at 7:35 am
Ms. Heerman received a grant on her own to attend the workshop. The township did not send her. Upon her return at the end of July, she went over the heads of her building administrators, to the central office, and attempted to get the book reviewed and accepted for use in her classroom. School started 2 weeks after her return from the workshop. The so called dragging of the feet was because there are protocols that were ignored and there was not enough time to get all the required appovals. As unfortunate as it was, one can not expect a big machine readying for the opening of a new school year to stop and make such quick changes. The news tends to only report the sensational stuff and in this case, they did a poor job of researching this story from the beginning. Ms. Heermans enthusiasm is celebrated but her timing was poor. She should take some responibilty for her actions.
July 13th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Dear confused from Post #8:
The replacement for Ms. Heermann did not use the same book. The Great Gatsby and A Raisin in the Sun were used instead. My son was one of Ms. Heermann’s students.
July 13th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
I shall pose the same question as I did in another section: would there be this huge discussion of protocol if she had decided to teach a less controversial book?
The school board and those supportive of their ruling need to wake up to the fact that this whole mess is only because of the unconformable language of the book and not because of the process of how she went about getting it approved.
I doubt anyone would care if she taught See Spot Run without getting permission.
Also, a few more questions:
Does anyone remember a little book called The Adventures of Tom Sawyer? I do recall that there is some uncomfortable language in that book as well but is explain to students that it is just how people talked back then.
Maybe, if we all spent a little more time with our children and actually talk with them and not AT them we can teach them.
Isn’t foul language something parents discuss with their children at a young age?
What does it say about the parents if they believe their high school child, who should have a certain level of maturity, can’t handle harsh language?
And I will remind you that all except one of the parents gave permission for their child to read the book, these parents obviously trust and know their children far more than the Big Brother school board.
July 14th, 2008 at 12:17 am
As a parent I’m not sure I would have allowed my son or daughter to participate in reading this book in class. It’s not a question about discussing foul language with my kids at a young age, I’ve already had the discussion with my 8yr old, which in my opinion is a sad state of affairs. For me, the difference is whether or not I want a teacher using this book or other similar books in a specific teaching situation. There’s a HUGE difference between the language shared in a book like Tom Sawyer written by a literary legend and the language used by high schools students in their own personal diary. Here’s my last question along those lines. If I had chosen to keep my kids from participating in this class, would my own opinions have been accepted as openly as you want everyone else to openly accept the book and language presented in it?
July 14th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Point #1 - We have had a dysfunctional school board for the past 2 years. They seem to be good at creating a circus atmosphere by not handling things appropriately.
Point #2 - The book in question, “The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them,” does not fit within the curriculum in which Ms. Heermann tried to use it.
Point #3 - We are already teaching our children the concepts brought forth in the book - e.g. tolerance for others is important, education is a good thing, you can be successful regardless of your situation.
July 15th, 2008 at 1:33 am
The fact that the vote from the board was not a divided vote tells me that this was not about a book.
July 15th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
It wasn’t about the book, it was about the fact that she passed it out before she had permission. Unfortunately, the punishment did not fit the crime, in my opinion.
July 15th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
to #15
Yes, the punishment was excessive.
July 16th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
In response to thinkaboutit #9:
Mr. Potter wrote a beautiful recommendation for Mrs. Heermann to help get her accepted to the Freedom Writers Institute. His letter sited her leadership role at PMHS as chairman of the school improvement reading committee. She was asked to serve as chairman of this committee in 2004 by Chris Robinson, then chairman of the entire school improvement project. Chris, by the way, chose to leave Perry Meridian after years of presenting terrific proposals (applauded by real teachers in the classroom)to improve student learning which were repeatedly thrown out by administrators. Chris finally accepted the fact that they (administration in PT) were NEVER going to get it.
Ms. Heermann went to central office first because 1. an employee there suggested she do so because “everyone there could use some good news to kick off the school year” after the past year they had been through and 2. Newly appointed principal Ellis was racing against the clock trying to hire staff needed with only a week before school started. Connie presented her plans to administrators at the earliest appointment they could make for her: August 9 and over three months later, on November 15, she was asked to “hold off on the book until further discussion could take place.” In between August 9 and November 15 she repeatedly invited all her superiors to visit her classroom and witness the engaging atmosphere. Only Nancy Meyer-Brown and Dennis Nichols visited once. Nancy was so impressed, she offered to purchase for all her students their own MEAD journals to write in. Mr. Nichols then returned a copy of TFD she had loaned him along with a personal note stating how much he enjoyed reading the students’ entries.
Finally,I don’t believe highly respected and credible journalists like Gary Tuchman, Suzanne Goldenburg, and Anna Quindlen are known for sensationalizing and NOT researching their stories. If so, why did Mr. Potter xerox for his entire English department Anna Quindlen’s Newsweek editorial January, 2007 which applauded the work of Erin Gruwell, endorsed the movie and validated the power of the book, Freedom Writers Diary??
July 17th, 2008 at 7:23 am
Thank you, post #17! I would rather know about the facts than read about individual’s feelings, opinions, & speculations. Your post was factual, with names and dates, and it is greatly appreciated. I’d love to read more posts like yours!
July 21st, 2008 at 9:50 pm
I have taught Special Ed and troubled kids in high school and middle school. I am very familiar with the struggle to engage apathetic young readers. Our bureaucratic school system is harming the effort, not helping.
The school board has said this was about failure to follow procedures, to get approval. Hogwash! Nonsense! A school board that DOES NOT RESPOND to a legitimate request to approve curriculum material has no right - none- to claim the teacher poorly adhered to protocol.
My experience with school boards is that they are largely peopled with well meaning, but unaware parents who have never spent a day in a classroom. It should be mandatory, so they do not behave as foolishly, as stupidly, as this one did. SHAME! Now some of the students have stopped going to class and the board STILL blames Connie Heermann. I’d say it is unbelievable, but I do believe it.
And they wonder why our kids hate school.
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Our kids hate school (not all of them) because we won’t teach them what they want to know.
A teachers job is to make the subject they teach interesting. More passion. Work harder. Less “giving up hope”
July 22nd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
I think I know what you’re saying but I’d question the comment about teaching kids what they “want” to know. Education needs to be about focusing on teaching kids what they “need” to know instead. If they get the “need” to know items and excel, then they can invest the time in learning ways to be taught the things they want to know.
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Dear Mr. Admin,
It is QUITE obvious you have NO experience with what is becoming the growing population of students in Perry Township schools:
1. kids who do not come from literate homes where reading OR EDUCATION is valued
2. kids who have been in 10+ school districts by 9th grade.
3. 17 & 18 year olds who emancipate themselves from their parents b/c they simply want to survive.
4.children who if I ever were imprisoned with at a concentration camp, I know could help ME survive.
Just what do you think they “need to learn” from public education?
What YOU, a fortunate American raised in a loving home by your biological parents who loved you & read to you instead of beating you, passing out in front of you, or prostituting you for drug money, learned when you attended your all-white suburban school district??
Please respond.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:29 pm
You’re right. I don’t have any “experience”, as it would refer to hands-on activity with these students. That however doesn’t exclude me from being aware of the situation that presents itself in our schools today. So I will respond with these thoughts:
1.) For those illiterate kids, I reinforce my opinion that we should teach them what they “need” to know, which would be how to read and motivate themselves to do what it takes to rise above their current situation and not be held back by those around them.
2.) One of the largest problems I see in education in our society is that we can’t really agree as a nation what it means to be educated. If we could do that, maybe moving from school to school wouldn’t be quite the issue it is since all schools would be on similar if not the same page for standards and expectations.
3.) For 17 and 18 year olds that are now free of their parents, I would think being educated on what they “need” to know to survive as self-supporting, responsible citizens would be considered a high-priority for education.
4.) If the purpose of education is to teach kids “common sense” and “street sense”, we should graduate them in the 5th grade and push them out on the street. I don’t think you really think that’s the purpose of the school system do you?
What I think students “need to learn” from public education is what we’ve been trying to teach for the past hundreds of years. Reading, comprehension, math, history (so we don’t have to repeat it), science (so we understand the world around us), etc. I also believe there is a huge gap in what could be taught in our schools as it would relate to social and basic life skills as well. Sadly these items are no longer taught in homes by parents and handed down.
I’m curious as to how you think we can improve or fix the situation of poverty, unloving homes, divorce, violence, drug abuse, infidelity and racism in our society? Do you think we should try and fix it? Or, just continue to adjust and lower expectations to accommodate anyone who we deem “at risk”?
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Dear Post #22:
What about the converse? What should my son being raised by both biological parents in a loving home have to learn while attending PMHS? Do I not have a say in what goes on in his school? Should my voice be silenced simply because I am a caring involved parent? Does this somehow invalidate my opinion?
Is “The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them,” such an amazing book that it is the ONLY book that can be used to teach, “1. kids who do not come from literate homes where reading OR EDUCATION is valued 2. Kids who have been in 10+ school districts by 9th grade. 3. 17 & 18 year olds who emancipate themselves from their parents b/c they simply want to survive. 4. Children who if I ever were imprisoned with at a concentration camp, I know could help ME survive.” at Perry Meridian High School? Are there really NO other alternatives that can facilitate the teaching-learning process in this regard?
If we are going to add to the American Literature curriculum at our high school, why are we only focusing on one teacher? If this is such a vital thing to teach, why not ensure that it is adopted district wide? Maybe at least school wide?
There are many successful strategies for teaching minority and disadvantaged youth. MSDPT has a history of employing superior teachers that utilize these strategies with a fair amount of success. Your support of Ms. Heermann and her ideas does not require you to slam the other dedicated teachers at Perry Meridian High School that sincerely care about all of their students regardless of their social standing or family background. These teachers are committed to educating the students you describe above. They work with their department heads, building administration and the community to accomplish this without much fanfare.
If not for a dysfunctional school board lead by Thompson, Walsh, Adams and Alexander, this mess could have been avoided. Thank goodness for elections.
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:52 pm
It was an old Calvin and Hobbs cartoon Admn….him standing in the rain with his rain gear on and his mom pushing him on the bus :). Cry out “why wont they teach me what I want to know” I thought it was cute.
How do kids know what they want to know?
This is so open of an area that it would be exciting to be a teacher in these times.. How do you get the kids to learn what they “need” to know in a way that they really enjoy it. How fast do they learn computer games? Or operate a cell phone? All the stats of their favorite ball player? Every word of every song of their favorite singing artist? They seem to learn that a whole lot faster than Math English Science History………what a challenge…. just think if……………
July 28th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
This is not about the book. This is about a dysfunctional school board and censorship. The school board clearly showed it did not have the students’ best interests in mind when it took months to approve a text for reading. The school board then took punitive action because they felt that their authority was threatened. They reacted like a bunch of ten-year-olds. The school board also demonstrated that they do not have the interests of the students in mind when they ban a book that has been highly praised and awarded. The school board should admit they have made a mistake, reinstate Ms. Heerman and agree to refrain from future censorship. If unwilling to do that, they should collectively resign.
July 28th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
I think it should be clarified that the board didn’t “ban” the book. The book is still available in the school library for anyone who wants to read it. They just did not approve the book for use in the classroom as a focused text. Which would add it to the list of thousands of other books that haven’t been approved for use in the classroom and are still available in the library.
July 28th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
This was not about the book. It was the process of adding (a) (any) book to the curriculum and if that process was followed.
As much as people would like to liken the situation in PT with inner city schools filled with kids with little parental guidance and whose families consist of gang members along with schools staffed with educators that don’t care about students and only processes and things - that’s really not the case.
Erin Gruwell gave her kids a composition book to write down their thoughts. She had them read “The Diary of a Young Girl” and took them to a Holocaust museum. She also took them out to dinner at a nice restaurant, had them meet people with stories to tell, and generally treated the students like people. She also helped her students understand that they had more in common than differences.
What she did not do was have her students read “Freedom Writers”.
July 29th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
First, in response to M. Taylor’s posts: The sub who replaced Mrs. Heermann did not require the students to read TFWD; they had to do a book report by end of semester and some chose to report on that book & were allowed to do so which confused many b/c their real teacher was dismissed for asking them to read it. So, 2nd semester, the same sub had these students read Fitzgerald’s G.G., that has a lexile index of 1253(ie: reading grade level of graduate school+)The play, Raisen in the Sun is part of the 9th grade curriculum. Mr. Schock, the substitute, has no license to teach English. Indiana law requires that any substitute teacher, hired to replace a certified teacher for more than 8 weeks, have a license to teach that subject. Your son, Mr. T. will succeed and get a good education in any school b/c his parents value education & are involved with what goes on his classrooms.
Finally, yes, there are many excellent teachers in Perry Township. The reason several schools in the district are NOT making AYP & could lose their accreditation is because administrators are not allowing teachers to do what they know works. This district has lost several “teachers of the year” who chose employment elsewhere where they CAN make a difference.
To admin: I just don’t think you will ever “get it”. But if you want to try, read TFWD and learn how the teachers trained at the FW Institute who are allowed to use the book are having tremendous success getting their at- risk kids to graduate, win scholarships and go on to college. The data is there. By the way, guess no one in the district has been able to supply you with the protocol/procedure teachers must use to get permission for a book not in the curriculum. Yet Mrs. Heermann was dismissed for not following these procedures WHICH DO NOT EXIST!!!
July 29th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
ILOVEKIDS, would that make me an “at risk admin”? What exactly will I not ever get?
July 31st, 2008 at 9:31 am
To ILOVEKIDS:
There is no specific written chain-of-command regarding adding of materials to a course, but there are specific guidelines in curriculum development. The by-laws and procedural policies have been available online for about a year. They are here:
http://www.neola.com/msdperrytwp-in/
My understanding that this book would have been a significant change to the existing curriculum, and based upon what I’ve read, those kinds of changes involves more than simply getting permission.
You might read
2210 Curriculum Development
2220 Adoption of Course Offerings
2221 Mandatory Curriculum
2240 Controversial Issues
July 31st, 2008 at 12:41 pm
An “at risk Admn”? Laughing here.Just another rung on the ladder Admn.
Perry Township is not San Francisco.