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282 Comments
- clipper453, on 10/12/2007, -5/+266Here are links to the principal's website and email address if you'd like to let her know what you think...
http://www.asd5.org/asd/CentralPark2/principal.htm
http://www.asd5.org/asd/CentralPark2/staffcp.htm - webcrumb, on 10/12/2007, -6/+139What the hell? A six-day test? For a nine-year-old? Nothing like giving horrendous amounts of pressure at an early age.
And I thought the testing requirements here were harsh... I shudder to think that Blair is trying to follow the US model. - Louis11, on 10/12/2007, -8/+140One thing is for sure, she's a fat ass.
- sdrawkcaB, on 10/12/2007, -3/+99Somehow I really can't find how anyone would think that the actions taken were the right ones.
- jimi1337, on 10/12/2007, -0/+95Apparently the principal felt threatened by him. I mean, wouldn't you? That guy is enormous!
- RussellDovey, on 10/12/2007, -2/+95Damn, what a stupid way to handle a little defiance! How immature does the principal have to be to suspend a kid for not answering one question on a damn test? Just mark the score for that question zero and move on!
- Moocat, on 10/12/2007, -3/+95The first thought coming into my mind being, "His parents probably told him not to answer whatever it was or it's some religous thing". Instead, after reading the article, it seems pretty likely that it could have happened if he was embarassed enough and didn't understand the point of the question, just to express yourself. The comments by the principle in fact seem to lean even farther in the direction that the whole thing was just widely mishandled, and would have turned into nothing if the PRINCIPLE hadn't gone out of her way to screw things up by her rather rude and inappropriate comments. Hell, I doubt the kid even understood the ramifications of what she was "trying" to tell him, and more or less just got yelled at for no good reason. A 5 day suspension for not answering a test question is also not even close to the standard punishment. I'm all for whipping kids into shape, but this one didn't need it, the principle did.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+86You have to admit it sounds like he had his principal pegged right, though.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -4/+79"Tyler, who's 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall and weighs 70 pounds (32 kilograms), hasn't been the same since, his mother says."
Why do we need this information? - martalli, on 10/12/2007, -5/+64These schools have to do better each year, or they will be labeled as "failing" under the No Child Left Behind act. Say 99% of questions are answered correctly this year, and next year only 98% of questions are correct. Next year, the school would be labeled as "failing". This loony ratings approach lead to this principal's madness.
- jtjenn, on 10/12/2007, -2/+60That is wrong. He is just a kid, and if he wants to skip the stupid question, then he has the right to. That was a really dumb question for an essay too.
- martalli, on 10/12/2007, -0/+57"Our teachers and support staff use technology as a tool"
I'll bet she won't be pleased to check her email Monday morning... - frederic, on 10/12/2007, -5/+60@louis11
Check out the school's lunch menu - if she eats that herself...
http://www.asd5.org/asd/lunch/cpark.htm
Makes you wonder how the kid could even remain at 70 pounds. - theblooms, on 10/12/2007, -14/+65@superal1394
I hope you aren't taking AP English, because "alot" isn't a word. - Arkitan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+51While NCLB is really to blame here, the principal was way out of line. However when teachers and administrators are forced to teach to the test, students aren't getting anything out of their supposed education anyway. Boy oh boy our students are going to be great test takers though, they probably won't be able to think their way out of a paper bag, but they'll get straight A's.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+45MY LETTER TO PRINCIPAL MCCARTHY:
"Principal McCarthy,
I hope you know that your decision to suspend 4th grader Tyler Stoken for not answering 1 question on his SIX DAY exam is now getting the attention of about 20 million viewers per day. On top of that, your email and phone number are now available to every one of these readers. You should be ashamed of yourself. You owe this boy an apology and you owe his parents an apology. To tell a child he's ruined it for everyone is not only insensitive but downright cruel. You think this is "blatant defiance and insubordination"? You obviously wouldn't know either if they lodged themselves between your Super Nachos and Carroteenies.
I hope you get many more emails like this, Principal McCarthy. The Digg community is, if nothing else, defiant and insubordinate." - Tolzmaniac, on 10/12/2007, -2/+37That principal really acted like a witch.
She took the "pal" out of "principal". - MattL920, on 10/12/2007, -0/+33@geocar:
Um... no. One child doing poorly on the test or not answering a question will have little to no bearing on either the student or the teacher. The only way the principal can be fired is if there are enough students doing badly, for enough years in a row without improvement.
The way she acted was unconscionable, and it's even more ironic because the poor kid liked his principal and didn't want to offend her with his answer. - DonSlice, on 10/12/2007, -0/+31Probably not the best (most professional) letter to have written... I'm sure someone can come up with a better thing for the rest of us to send?
"O. McCarthy,
I just want to let you know that your treatment of Tyler Stoken was repulsive. How can a professional such as yourself sleep at night knowing that you’ve scarred a child for life? If you’ve been teaching since 1977, I think you should know how to treat a child and how not to treat a child.
Or maybe, 29 years is a bit too many? Perhaps it’s time to take a break from teaching?" - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+31Wow, that principal is a total bitch.
- scootinger, on 10/12/2007, -0/+30I don't see why they would pull ***** like this on ANYONE, especially an elementary school student (and one who had a misconception/reason for his lack of answer)? They should have understood the kid's explanation and MAYBE clarified what he should do in the future. Simply unbelievable what she did.
Does what they did even comply with the testing rules? I have no idea about what exactly the rules are on this test, but on almost all standardized tests I know of teachers/administrators/etc are strictly forbidden from giving any sort of direct assistance on the test.
I personally think that the principal should be punished for this (if not fired) and be banned from working directly with students in elementary schools ever again (at least in that school district.) - thefirstenemy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+29I go to a high school in WA, and we also take the WASL. The rules for high school might be slightly different.
But teachers aren't allowed to give any help on the test, or look at what the student had written at all. - WaterDragon, on 10/12/2007, -1/+28Did anyone else find it hysterically funny that his e-mail name is mkay?
"Superintendent
Martin W. Kay
mkay@asd5.org"
Suspending Tyler was baaaad, mkay? - ICSU, on 10/12/2007, -0/+26Yeah, if she was flying, she would negate the laws of physics.
The lunch menu made me sick. - CoolSilver, on 10/12/2007, -5/+31Mmmmm
HOT HAM & CHEESE
on a bun
carrots w/dip
choice of fruit
oreo crisp
I can see this being served. I bet it fits within the schools dietary requirements too.
FAIL - merreborn, on 10/12/2007, -6/+32The main function of public school is to teach you to comply, not to educate you. The child failed to comply. He was disciplined. You can bet your ass he'll think twice before daring to have another original thought in the future.
Just another brick in the wall, and all that. - superal1394, on 10/12/2007, -8/+32This is why I hate (as my english teacher in 8th grade called them) f****ing assesments (called frequent assements by the school). they make us take these tests even if you are in AP level courses, which I am now. My teacher was SO angry she had to administer a 3 day test to us. In an AP course, 3 days is ALOT of time.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+27The photograph of the principal tells us all we need to know - she is an obese slack-jawed moron, and I pity the children she's trying to "teach".
This IS one occasion when you CAN "judge a book by its' cover"! - NikhilPK, on 10/12/2007, -1/+24I can see why his initial thoughts were that the principial was a witch. I'm pretty sure I can see a wart on her nose in that picture.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+23"He didn't want them to know what he was thinking, that she was a witch on a broomstick"
They don't make a broomstick that'll hold her fat ass. - titlesaysitall, on 10/12/2007, -1/+23How'd you make that inverted b?
- Derrekito, on 10/12/2007, -0/+21Here is a letter I wrote to the principal.
After reading an article from Bloomberg.com, I have been alerted to your inability to act as a principal. Assuming the article is accurate, it is outrageous for a reasonable adult to suggest to a CHILD that "... you've ruined it for everyone in the school, the teachers and the school.'' To "never question your actions" seems to depict your personality under a negative light. The sensitivity of the age group of children you deal with needs to be taken into account when you perform your duties as principal. A person with your job description needs to try to be understanding with the students and you need to be capable of stepping back from a situation and ask yourself WHY a student may be behaving in a certain way. Given the context of the question the student was asked to write about, it is easy to understand why the student was hesitating to complete his assignment, with respect to the way you handled the situation. In all actuality if I would have been in the students' place I would have been terrified of the chance that my principal "witch" would have read my assignment. If anything, you should be commending the child for following a common school teaching, "If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all." I for one, never fully learned that value, and strongly believe that a bitch like you has no place in the school system, much less near children.
GOOD DAY,
Derrek Landauer
Let me know what you think :). - BlogCruiser, on 10/12/2007, -0/+21I guess the boys intial thoughts were on the money of someone being a witch.
- robosocks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+21I joined digg just to comment on this article, from a current student's perspective.
I am a senior in a public high school in Virginia, am enrolled in regular, AP, and a community college Dual Enrollment program, and feel as though I have wasted the past four years of my life, academically. My teachers in all the classes that are required for graduation have one goal in mind; they want their students to pass whatever test is administered at the end of the year. In Dual Enrollment English 111 and 113 (a 6 credit-hour college class taught in high school) there was no final, thus absolutely no reason for the teacher to grade any assignments or bother with teaching at all. In my AP classes, I sit and copy notes as quickly as possible, never even having the chance to ask the instructor "Why?", should a concept be unclear. So focused are they on getting their students to pass the examinations that they miss out on any real form of learning. Having taken AP Calculus AB, AP Chemistry, AP European History and AP United States History, AND PASSED ALL THE ASSOCIATED AP TESTS WITH A 3 OR BETTER, I can sit here now and tell you I can't differentiate or integrate, I can't balance an equation (I can barely tell you what a "net ionic equation" is), I can't tell you the difference between the dark ages and the renaissance, and I can't tell you who the second president (or most any of the following, in order) was.
But damn if I can't write an essay and ***** me some multiple choice questions.
On the flip side of the coin, I am taking a Physics of Technology class (second year), in which a complete retard can pass (tests are given with the needed equations written under the problems and textbook usage is allowed), yet the focus is on learning about things. Hovercrafts, bottle and solid fuel rockets, BEAM robots - I understand the equations I'm learning in AP Physics this year mainly because I can imagine an example that we have done in my PT class.
I am applying to be on the Student Advisory Committee to the Virginia Board of Education so that ***** like this student and his test-mad teachers won't be allowed in the future. - kerryhall, on 10/12/2007, -0/+20Poor kid!!
- wordsofwisedumb, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21168.99.151.69
It is the IP for the school district which hosts the school's website. Bringing this down would not do personal damage to the principal or school, it would only make a headache for the district tech administrators. - defubar, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19Oh and here is the Superintendent of the school districts information:
Superintendent
Martin W. Kay
mkay@asd5.org
(360) 538-2002
found here: http://www.asd5.org/asd/supt.htm - deweyhewson, on 10/12/2007, -1/+18Just sent this:
"It is completely out of character for me to write a letter to someone based on their actions, but yours in particular caught my eye for their shamelessness and for being downright mean. The effect that you have had on a student who was, by all accounts, an excellent student is disgraceful both for you and for the position you hold. The fact that you are more concerned with the outcome of the test than about the individual taking the test reflects on how little you deserve to hold the position that you do.
This is a child! Someone who is attempting to do their best in a system that you run. You should be there to encourage and assist in any way possible, not to condemn them for thinking for themselves and for having the courage to stand up to a self-important overseer like yourself.
You are an example of why this nation's public school systems are a complete joke." - DonSlice, on 10/12/2007, -0/+16How can you say that? He's a friggin fourth grader! He felt embarrassed and ashamed at his answer and didn't want to make fun of the principal. Is that so wrong?
- MackPrime, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15" Principal's Message
Welcome to Central Park Elementary. You'll recognize a terrific school the moment you walk through our doors. We pride ourselves on our strong sense of community and our dedication to providing an optimal learning environment for our children. Each student has the opportunity to reach his or her full potential through application of a multitude of "best practice" instructional strategies and programs.
Our staff is experienced and well-trained in current methodologies which target attainment of state goals. Our teachers and support staff use technology as a tool to enhance student learning and provide extended experiences.
All of this is accomplished in an atmosphere of caring--where humor, creativity, and individuality are valued and celebrated. Come visit us! We welcome you to this great place called Central Park School!
Olivia McCarthy ""
Right on, McCarthy. - pathy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16So... a little off topic here but... Am I the only one who never really saw suspension as much of a punishment?
I mean, really... Hey, you didn't answer that exam question, take the week off!
I loved it in my high school where they'd suspend people for skipping classes or entire days of school, ahh, joy.
Never happened to me though, most likely because I was only in for 30% of the time. Cough. - mediaphile, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15@geocar:
did you even read the article? or, more to the point, did you comprehend anything that was said therein? the kid's score for that question wouldn't have affected the school's average. there is no averaging; the writing portion is pass or fail for each individual student. also, they only remove the administration after many successive years of failure. you have to be doing a terrible job of being principal for a long time before they replace the whole faculty. even had this kid's score affected the average of that one class, it wouldn't have been his fault that someone got fired. - siszam, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15You would tell your child to do something they felt was wrong? Nice parenting there. How can you teach a child to obey authority without question and teach them not to fall prey to pedophiles and such? You can't have it both ways.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15@ckr4282
Clearly you don't read bash.org... - Insert31990, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14I shot the principal an e-mail of my thoughts;
"Schooling, especially for the psychiatric portion of child development, is not a competition.
I'm ashamed in your choice to ruin a child's own schooling for the selfish need to improve the overall look of your school, and it saddens me of the direction America is taking in this "competitive schooling" method, and you now are taking the lead in that portion of schooling.
Children attend schools to learn, and an answer on a test should very well be able to be left alone, if it is in the desires of the child. On any major test this is acceptable and goes without punishment.
The decision you've made was not only immature for a leader, but out of your greed you have ruined the future of an innocent child, and I am ashamed in your capabilities as a leader for children.
I hope in the future this never will happen again,
- Matthew
Oh, and you've been Dugg:
http://www.digg.com/world_news/Fourth_Grader_Suspended_After_Refusing_to_Answer_Exam_Question" - eatbeefjerky, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13Dear Mrs. McCarthy,
I am simply shocked after reading an article on Bloomberg.com concerning the suspension of one Tyler Stoken after refusing to answer an essay question on a standardized test. How dare you.
Your job is essentially to ensure that every student at your school receives a quality education. Your job is NOT to place your own interests above those of the students in your care, and in this case that is exactly, EXACTLY what you did. Here you have a rare student, a student who ENJOYS school, who gets good grades, and is likely to be a very successful individual, and you, yes YOU dash his hopes and dreams with one completely unnecessary action. You could easily have just ignored the fact that he refused to answer the question or suggested that he use an imaginary principal instead, but rather than use a RATIONAL course of action, you suspend him for attempting to be conscientious of another person's feelings! You are the reason I will do everything in my power to not send my children to public schools. You, and others like you, are the reason I, a straight A senior, one who has taken 5 semesters of online AP classes, one who taught herself enough about design software to land a first job as a graphic design intern, and one who received a 29 on the ACT without studying, am absolutely disgusted with the state of the US's public schools.
The so-called method of teaching that you and so many other teaching staff members use is the reason that so few students are successful in the real world. You can teach kids to answer test questions until the cows come home, and maybe those students become EXCELLENT test takers. This makes no difference, because in the workforce, your tests are practical ones, not multiple choice, or true/false, or even matching for that matter. These "excellent test takers" are now rendered practically useless in the real world, because you didn't bother to truly educate them. "Education" has become a bland, stale thing that is no longer regarded as a privilege, but as a chore... because of teachers like you.
I hope you take my email, and the countless other emails I know you have received, to heart, because I can guarantee that if you don't, you're going to have a lot more unsatisfied parents and a very low student count, especially after Tyler's mother is finished with you.
Angrily,
A. Katch
This is the email I sent her just now. Enjoy. - mediaphile, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13Principal McCarthy: "I never, for a second, questioned my actions.''
Really? You didn't? Maybe, uh, you know, you should've. Given them some thought, I mean. Should've thought. It seems to work for a lot of other people. Give it a try sometime, Olivia. - ISurfTooMuch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13I doubt the suspension was the only cause. Apparently, the principal told him that he was letting the entire school down. Not only is that utter ***** (and I have no doubt the principal knows it), but it's a huge burden to place on a kid. How would you like it if someone you looked up to did that to you? It's just plain cruel, and, IMHO, it indicates this woman is unfit to serve in her capacity as principal.
- computerdude33, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13"We've elevated test scores to be the most important part of school. The principal and teachers are so pressured by the test that they've lost good sense in dealing with children."
Word. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12I think we can all agree that the responsibility for situations such as these can be held by both the teachers/principals, and the NCLB Program. The principal was wrong to treat the child that way, because he's only in 4th grade and he is not obligated to answer the question by any laws (as far as I know.) Also, the Program seems to put too much pressure on the teachers and principals. The teacher only suspended the student because she feared that if he didn't answer the question, she would be fired. The entire muddle has ruined the child's learning experience. The principal is the one who should be punished.
-
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