Comments by ideucate
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Posted on March 29 at 12:29 p.m.
I agree with Iconclast and Swapmeet that everyone deserves due process. Due process is the principle that helped the previous mentioned former principal of RLMS clear himself of any wrong doing when Supt.Morris mysteriously tried to suspend him for telling students to do their best on a writing test last year. How can a person help students on a writing test anyway. . However, this principal DID NOT GET DUE PROCESS when Morris asked for his job without any form of documentation against him ???????? and the school board supported him as well ??????Morris said that he could let him go without due process because it was his first year working in NASD. As a parent I have also asked Dr.Barnett about drug testing employees, especially Principals and bus drivers many of which are known by the community to be on drugs. For some reason, he is very much against testing them but its ok to randomly test students. Double standards are in place against the children and employees that are from Natchez. Students should be questioned to find out if Green was maybe distributing drugs to them because the school restrooms at RLMS reek of marijuna throughout the school day with three principals,three or four security guards,etc.Hope he learns from this big mistake and matures as a man. I assume that since this is Green's first year that he too should not have due process and should be dismissed asap.
Posted on March 4 at 7:47 p.m.
Seriously, how many people in Natchez even know at least TWO of the school board members and who has access to any of them ? Most know Edney because he has been on it for so/too long and he is very, very close buddies with Morris. Most citizens of Vidalia at least know who most of the board members are . I salute the Committe for their perserverence and not giving up its fight to improve public education in Natchez.
Posted on March 2 at 10 a.m.
As a former student of North Natchez, I am extremely appalled at a comment posted stating that we had lower standards/expectations and did not have to do our work. This is miles away from the truth. We had teachers that DEMANDED nothing short of excellence everyday from every student. We had numerous National Merit Semifinalists every year, students that scored above 30 on the ACT, went to NASA ( John Foster ), law schools, medical schools, etc. Our instruction was definitely not dumbed down and unlike now WE TOOK PRIDE IN OUR NORTH NATCHEZ HIGH SCHOOL BECAUSE IT WAS OUR FAMILY !!!! We were also taught to be polite, respectful, mannerable, God-fearing, and mannerable. We did not havemany fights as well because we had more respect for the school than to do that. Kids would settle their differences in their neighborhoods before school. You also hated to miss a day from school as well because it was truly the place to be. For clarity, Kareem West was a junior at North Natchez High so it is untrue that he was the only black in a white class. Hid dad wanted him to have white classmates which he did have for ONE year at NHS. This was the worse thing that ever happened to the black community in Natchez because we lost our sense of FAMILY and we do not have the IT TAKES A VILLAGE MENTALITY anymore.
Posted on March 2 at 12:42 a.m.
For a point of clarity I did state in all caps that SOME african american teachers....... not ALL african american teachers would give more of an effort if they had more white students in their classes. In reference to Mr. Little I agree that he has earned the right to retire ( which he had already done once before Morris begged him to come out of when he was appointed 4 or 5 years ago). This is evidence that Morris himself KNEW that he was not competent to run the schools.It is not fair to district to retire before the school year is complete not unless one has justifiable health/personal reasons. It was also not wise for Morris to allow emphasis/focus that should have been directed towards state tests to rather go towards SACS which has no connection to federal govt. or No Child Left Behind. I know for a fact that many teachers were pulled from classes frequently to work on SACS paperwork while students were babysat with no teaching going on. Just plain DUMB decisions from our ??Leader?? Speaking of NHS, how can a school go from having between 350 -400 plus graduates a year to going to about 170 a year ? Other school districts in Mississippi have made their graduation rates public. Mr. Cooper can you help the public find out what is NHS graduation rate for last year. Thanks in advance.
Posted on March 1 at 7:12 p.m.
I don't feel that Krogers was making a racist comment when he stated that White Flight is a problem in Natchez. He is stating that some of the better students who could ultimately help pull up the test scores in the public schools have opted to attend private/parochial schools. Furthermore, as sad as it made sound, SOME of the African American teachers who give maybe a 30 - 50 percent effort on a daily basis, would double their output if they had more white students, especially some from affluent families in their classrooms. Its sad that some blacks are conditioned to want more for students who are white than they want for their own children. ( slave mentality ) They also know that the white parents are more likely to make complaints against them than black parents and their complaints will not be put in file 13 to collect dust as well. I sympathize with whites who have to pay large amounts of money to send their children to private schools just to be safe and away from some negative influences that public schools present. This is not fair when they pay taxes that go towards public schools as well. For the record, Nsd does have an alternative school but its basically the cool place to be for middle and high school students ( laid back with easy lesson and students do as they please when they decide to come to school ). These students also are tested despite the fact that many miss 30-100 days out of school and their low scores hurt scores at the middle and high schools. This is not fair to the teachers or principals of these schools and most of them don't even know these students because they have never been to their schools. I would love for the Democrat to investigate this school and THEIR students test scores and the effect that this has on the middle and high school being level 2 schools. Mr. Cooper are you out there ?
Posted on March 1 at 11:44 a.m.
This action is long overdue. We also need to either have an elected school board or ask for some of the members to resign as well. Norris Edney, Kenny Taylor and Mrs. Steckler do not have a vested interest in the schools. Edney is the only parent who had children in the schools and this has been over twenty years ago. They don't visit schools themselves and they are more interested in being buddies with the superintendent. They need to step aside asap because they failed us and the community by continuing to support and camoflauge Morris' weaknesses and deficiencies as the leader of our schools. Don't be fooled by the SACS report. Its not like these people just showed up out of the blue to evaluate the schools and Mr. Little had teachers and principals preparing for the company for close to two years. This was more important than the state tests and now the selfish Little has gotten his glory and rode off into the sunset after the SACS report was complete. Very self serving and not genuinely concerned about schools. This is Morris first superintendent job and hopefully his last. He is a pompous who is extremely arrogant and unable to communicate or for the most part be around members of the community because he knows that he cannot continue to fool all of the people all of the time , no matter how hard his buddies at the ND try to help him. He places emphasis on hiring people like him who are not born, raised or respected in Ntz. He has no plan to improve the schools and hopefully he will be able to network his way back closer to his hometown soon but they know about him already and his pride probably won't let him go home to a lower position. He school be no more than an Asst. Principal in the future. Has anyone seen Dr. Montrell Green, Dr. Henry Murphy, Mr. Larry Hooper, Mr. William "Buddy" Givens, Dr. Ira Scott, soon to be doctor Angela Brooks, Rev. Joe Pickett, Coach Mo Lyles, etc. these are just a few of the respected Natchezians that should come back to their communities after Morris is gone.
Posted on August 13 at 11:59 a.m.
Unfortunately jabese5 you will not get what you wish for in the public school district. Maybe you should check the private schools in Natchez or public schools in the surrounding areas like wherever Lewis Middle's last year principal went to.
Posted on August 13 at 9:51 a.m.
If you think that its hot on the school buses you should visit the campus of Lewis Middle School in the morning. The 800 students are forced to sit in a crowded gymnasium that has NO air conditioning. I could have sworn that it was 2007 not 1967. This is a terrible way for students to BEGIN their school day and it carry overs into the classroom. i am afraid that a child or teacher will pass out soon. The students are held in the gym like slaves on a slave ship. They have been allowed to sit outside in the past before school started and their were few discipline problems that occured during this time period. I guess this is another brilliant idea from our great superintendent.
Posted on August 10 at 4:05 p.m.
In response to teacherteacher. It seems to me that you are an employee of RLMS. As a retired educator and parent as well, I would appreciate you spending your time on the job teaching our students rather than taking jabs at a young leader who basically just wanted the best for his students. As an employee of RLMS, did you chose to allow your children to attend this school. You are one of those who is good enough to teach our students but we are not good enough to teach yours. I have talked to many teachers at RLMS and your comments do not reflect what the majority have expressed to me. I challenge any one principal to operate any school, especially an overcrowded middle school in School improvement, and turn it around in one year without the necessary support. It is made even more difficult when you have teachers such as "teacherteacher" who are so quick to want to throw the students, many of whom are raising themselves, out on the street or in the penal system. This problem is bigger than RLMS and unfortunately I feel that Natchez and the its supposed to be leaders are not committed to solving it. We would rather villify one who chose to come back to attempt to make a difference in a mission impossible environment. How many of us would have done the same. Stop throwing stones and scapegoating martyrs and teach these students. Teaching is a calling not just a source of revenue. How can you tell us how to run a district when you are on the internet while you are on the clock. What are your students doing... worksheets/busy work I bet. Is this your definition of No Child Left Behind ? Please Prioritize your time, comments and responsibilities.
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Posted on March 30 at 5:02 p.m.
Point blank...NASD employees especially teachers and principals should accept the responsibility of being professional role models for their students/our children. I guarantee you that the behavior at some of these schools would not be as bad if this was the case. The kids at NHS would not act the way they do if they had people worthy of respect running the school. The security guard is childish and lazy and his eyes are always blood shot red. Some of the principals' eyes are too and they always have loud cologne mixed with cigarettes/cigars' scent. If they had people who were role models like Coach Reed as principals I guarantee you that Discipline problems would decrease and academic successes would increase. Just a thought. I would like someone to get a straight answer from someone in central office as to why they are against testing employees, at least the ones that we speculate ( KNOW !!!) are on drugs. Their answer should be interesting. Maybe they can get a lady who always has dark sunglasses on inside of the building and a cup of coffee to give us an answer.Don't the students deserve this. I don't want my children around anyone who uses drugs or alcoholics that come to work with hangovers and moody especially those that are supposed to teach them. I bet GNC will be getting more business real soon . lol
On RLMS teacher arrested