Judy K. is irrelevant except for her age group. She hates anyone who hasn't been here for more then 30 years. She comes after every bright person who shows up that wants to help. She is writing for a very narrow group of people. She just stirs things up for the gray haired crowd who really don't understand what kind of community Sandwich is and clearly don't seem to care about anything but their own needs. I wonder who helped them raise their children.
I think its amusing because Judy was a Selectman (back in the "Old Days -- before those families came and ruined the Town") that managed to block any hope of commercial development in town.
Thanks to their wisdom & good planning -- any business that might have paid taxes to aid Sandwich's budget mess is now located in Mashpee, or Bourne, or Wareham. Nice job, thanks for your service!!
Hey Bobby – First, it was an OpEd piece and not a “story”. Second, what part of JK’s OPINION did you not find factual? And third, she happened to echo the silent majority’s sentiment exactly. There is a difference between self-confidence and arrogance. Arrogant leaders tend not to listen to a difference of option. Jim Collins conclusion about great leaders was that they are humble and modest. They tend not to talk about themselves, are good listeners, and are not self-serving. I doubt you would catch a great leader preaching about the ranking of the university they attended or the raised seal on a diploma during a public forum.……although it made for comical theatre.
I would like to point out that an amazing feat has been accomplished ! Somebody noted that Koenig's latest STORY "happened to echo the silent majority’s sentiment exactly".
Wow! I would love to know how this was determined. The Enterprise has yet to figure out how to deliver a newspaper without dropping it in a puddle (or maybe just mine?) yet they have a polling operation in place that can ascertain EXACTLY what the Silent Majority is thinking? Very impressive!
The poster also missed the point on the discussion re: the Superintendent's diploma. It WAS a truly pathetic exchange -- the pathetic part was that two new school members would demand a meeting with the Superintendent to inspect her diploma! (As if one of them would even have recognized a real diploma!)
You don't check credentials by asking somebody to bring them to you -- you get copies directly from the source, you also request licensing info directly from the appropriate states. (Which was done during the employment process) If they had any experience in personnel management, they would have known that.
The poster is correct that you wouldn't ordinarily see Great Leaders have to remind people of their qualifications. But, it is not an unreasonable reaction when someone's professional judgement is constantly criticized by a very inexperienced group with little (if any) formal background in educational administration or any relevant professional experience.
Have you seen Linehan, the 30-something Library aide, arguing educational practice with the Superintendent -- who was teaching before Linehan was even born? THAT is funny!
This WOULD be comical theater -- if Committee members didn't have a $30 million budget and 3600 kids counting on their "professionalism" !
Hear Hear Bob. The silent majority is clearly not silent but I agree with the defensive ann. poster of 2:57 p.m. yesterday that they have a platform. Where the leadership quesiton is concerned. Trying to do leadership in a town where, as Bob points out, experience (and I might add exceptional experience)and advanced degrees don't seem to matter is almost hopeless it seems. Look at the way the past two school Superintendants have been treated. There seems to be an anti-intellectualism bias among the "silent majority" and some local press.
Lack of policy, meaningful process, ever- changing political whimsy due to yearly changes in our important boards, challenge our success as a town at anything we do to preserve the integrity of the community. It makes sense to stick with the negatives of tearing people down. That way the status quo remains and people like JK can tell themselves they are actually doing something to solve problems. Pardon my cynicism. It is frustrating to see the negative energy constantly win out, frustrating and frightening.
DMEJ was grandstanding and at the same time trying to establish the groundwork that she is the victim of some type of conspiracy. The problem is that it played out as being petty and arrogant, as your favorite scribe has opined. Recall that DMEJ is the one that raised, out of nowhere, the diploma issue during the SC meeting.
Okay, so JL could benefit from attending a Toastmasters session or two, but you cannot question her dedication and passion. Remember, everyone knew her views before she was elected. By extension of your logic, shall we, young parents lacking advanced degrees in education administration, just blindly follow the queen or do we actually have to sing her praise as well? Why don’t we just remove the checks and balances altogether and have DMEJ and her Lesley cronies lead us to Jonestown.
BTW…..my wife is a 30 something year-old library aide at one of the schools. I’ll tell her she has no business questioning my decisions regarding how I run a multi-million dollar company because she lacks experience. Just in case it doesn’t go so well, do you have a spare bedroom I can borrow?
Oh, and Bobby, maybe someone over on Depot Ave. does not like you. My version of the local rag comes in a protective blue plastic and is never in a puddle.
1) No extra bedrooms at Chez Simmons -- don't piss off your wife and expect me to bail you out.
2) My newspaper used to be in a bag too -- but the bag was never tied. Maybe they did something gross to the paper first? Actually -- my subscription ran out months ago -- somebody usually sends me a clipping with a funny note attached -- otherwise I don't bother reading it anymore.
3) No, I certainly wouldn't expect blind allegiance from anybody. SC members are obligated to gain an understanding of the issues at hand before they start deliberating them (or shooting their mouth off!). Many members (including me) would read background material and discuss with Superintendent, or other teachers/administrators to gain an understanding of a topic BEFORE meetings.
I would also make my concerns known in advance of a meeting so that they could be addressed as part of the discussion. I never saw a lot of advantage in playing "Gotcha !" on local cable.
It's unfortunate that what would be good collaboration in the private sector is "the road to Jonestown" in Sandwich!
4) To her detriment, Dr. J is obviously not a politician. She does not dance well in a minefield. Her passion is teaching kids -- especially helping those that need that extra help to get going. Like many of us, she has a low tolerance for idiots. I have no doubt that is what prompted the exchange over her diploma. She was pointing out the amount of time that is being wasted on trivial issues when we're facing a huge budgetary crisis. (Does anybody REALLY think she had a fake degree?)
5) I certainly DO question Linehan's "dedication & passion". She rarely voted in town elections, never attended Town Meeting or School Committee meetings, never wrote a letter or email, or made a phone call to a school committee member before being elected. Nobody had ever heard of her until she was endorsed by the President of the Teacher's Union. People later learned that her husband is a very vocal union leader at the high school and that she was briefly employed at the Forestdale School until she walked out and never returned.
I'm not seeing "dedication" --- I see an axe to grind.
Rumor mill says there are petitions floating around for recall Marshall & Linehan or for keeping the super? Any info on this anyone? Bob Simmons can you set up a petition on this blog? internet petition would be fabulous and easy way to get something concrete done in this town. Petition #1 to Recall Marshall & Linehan Petition #2 to retain Dr. Johnson as super Petition to stop wasting our time on the blogs and reading the CCT, Emptyprise and actually get something done for the schools before school starts!
I absolutely question JL's dedication & passion. She wasn't paying attention to town governement as Bob has pointed out until she was elected. Frankly I wonder how much she is paying attention now. I don't think she or her three fellows understand the financial crisis the town is in. It is obvious to many that she is not speaking just from her own perspective. I hope she doesn't share executive session information with her spouse. But I would say her immaturity makes you wonder. I'm sure her heart is in the right place, but are her ethics and does she have the knowledge for the job? Does she have the vision?
The Truth Maker finds some of the above commontary by the host of this blog to be right on and very truthful in regards to many of the issues before the school district. The ironic development of the recent Union led takeover is sort of icing on the cake. The lack of concerns for the citizens of Sandwich and the budgetary short falls once again show each of us,that the road to education is being primed for failure,here in Sandwich. Now I realize that some may not have the same insite, but given all of the irrational decisions of late by the present School Committee,that is the only conclusion I can come too. The union leaders will win the battle, but will they win the war? As long as we continue to allow and have a system in place that does not account for personalized goals, geared toward the education of our children we will have failed in our responsability, as examples for progress.
Spending money and efforts we do not have, to satisfy personal vendeta's,along with the lack of wisdom by the present union leadership does not bode well for the children of our generation. Where is the guidance, they need to grow and mature into repectful citizens of tomorrow, when the examples show them the wrong way to conduct themselves in the real world?
So Bobby, we may not all be correct in our thoughts, but hopefully the end results will be positive for our children, because if they are not,our society will suffer in the end.
13 comments:
Judy K. is irrelevant except for her age group. She hates anyone who hasn't been here for more then 30 years. She comes after every bright person who shows up that wants to help. She is writing for a very narrow group of people. She just stirs things up for the gray haired crowd who really don't understand what kind of community Sandwich is and clearly don't seem to care about anything but their own needs. I wonder who helped them raise their children.
I think its amusing because Judy was a Selectman (back in the "Old Days -- before those families came and ruined the Town") that managed to block any hope of commercial development in town.
Thanks to their wisdom & good planning -- any business that might have paid taxes to aid Sandwich's budget mess is now located in Mashpee, or Bourne, or Wareham. Nice job, thanks for your service!!
Hey Bobby –
First, it was an OpEd piece and not a “story”. Second, what part of JK’s OPINION did you not find factual? And third, she happened to echo the silent majority’s sentiment exactly. There is a difference between self-confidence and arrogance. Arrogant leaders tend not to listen to a difference of option. Jim Collins conclusion about great leaders was that they are humble and modest. They tend not to talk about themselves, are good listeners, and are not self-serving. I doubt you would catch a great leader preaching about the ranking of the university they attended or the raised seal on a diploma during a public forum.……although it made for comical theatre.
The plan back then was to put adds in the Boston papers and advertise Sandwich as a great place to move to. I wonder if that was her idea.
I would like to point out that an amazing feat has been accomplished ! Somebody noted that Koenig's latest STORY "happened to echo the silent majority’s sentiment exactly".
Wow! I would love to know how this was determined. The Enterprise has yet to figure out how to deliver a newspaper without dropping it in a puddle (or maybe just mine?) yet they have a polling operation in place that can ascertain EXACTLY what the Silent Majority is thinking? Very impressive!
The poster also missed the point on the discussion re: the Superintendent's diploma. It WAS a truly pathetic exchange -- the pathetic part was that two new school members would demand a meeting with the Superintendent to inspect her diploma! (As if one of them would even have recognized a real diploma!)
You don't check credentials by asking somebody to bring them to you -- you get copies directly from the source, you also request licensing info directly from the appropriate states. (Which was done during the employment process) If they had any experience in personnel management, they would have known that.
The poster is correct that you wouldn't ordinarily see Great Leaders have to remind people of their qualifications. But, it is not an unreasonable reaction when someone's professional judgement is constantly criticized by a very inexperienced group with little (if any) formal background in educational administration or any relevant professional experience.
Have you seen Linehan, the 30-something Library aide, arguing educational practice with the Superintendent -- who was teaching before Linehan was even born? THAT is funny!
This WOULD be comical theater -- if Committee members didn't have a $30 million budget and 3600 kids counting on their "professionalism" !
Hear Hear Bob. The silent majority is clearly not silent but I agree with the defensive ann. poster of 2:57 p.m. yesterday that they have a platform. Where the leadership quesiton is concerned. Trying to do leadership in a town where, as Bob points out, experience (and I might add exceptional experience)and advanced degrees don't seem to matter is almost hopeless it seems. Look at the way the past two school Superintendants have been treated. There seems to be an anti-intellectualism bias among the "silent majority" and some local press.
Lack of policy, meaningful process, ever- changing political whimsy due to yearly changes in our important boards, challenge our success as a town at anything we do to preserve the integrity of the community. It makes sense to stick with the negatives of tearing people down. That way the status quo remains and people like JK can tell themselves they are actually doing something to solve problems. Pardon my cynicism. It is frustrating to see the negative energy constantly win out, frustrating and frightening.
Oh Bobby –
DMEJ was grandstanding and at the same time trying to establish the groundwork that she is the victim of some type of conspiracy. The problem is that it played out as being petty and arrogant, as your favorite scribe has opined. Recall that DMEJ is the one that raised, out of nowhere, the diploma issue during the SC meeting.
Okay, so JL could benefit from attending a Toastmasters session or two, but you cannot question her dedication and passion. Remember, everyone knew her views before she was elected.
By extension of your logic, shall we, young parents lacking advanced degrees in education administration, just blindly follow the queen or do we actually have to sing her praise as well? Why don’t we just remove the checks and balances altogether and have DMEJ and her Lesley cronies lead us to Jonestown.
BTW…..my wife is a 30 something year-old library aide at one of the schools. I’ll tell her she has no business questioning my decisions regarding how I run a multi-million dollar company because she lacks experience. Just in case it doesn’t go so well, do you have a spare bedroom I can borrow?
Oh, and Bobby, maybe someone over on Depot Ave. does not like you. My version of the local rag comes in a protective blue plastic and is never in a puddle.
Mikael,
You raise some interesting points:
1) No extra bedrooms at Chez Simmons -- don't piss off your wife and expect me to bail you out.
2) My newspaper used to be in a bag too -- but the bag was never tied. Maybe they did something gross to the paper first? Actually -- my subscription ran out months ago -- somebody usually sends me a clipping with a funny note attached -- otherwise I don't bother reading it anymore.
3) No, I certainly wouldn't expect blind allegiance from anybody. SC members are obligated to gain an understanding of the issues at hand before they start deliberating them (or shooting their mouth off!). Many members (including me) would read background material and discuss with Superintendent, or other teachers/administrators to gain an understanding of a topic BEFORE meetings.
I would also make my concerns known in advance of a meeting so that they could be addressed as part of the discussion. I never saw a lot of advantage in playing "Gotcha !" on local cable.
It's unfortunate that what would be good collaboration in the private sector is "the road to Jonestown" in Sandwich!
4) To her detriment, Dr. J is obviously not a politician. She does not dance well in a minefield. Her passion is teaching kids -- especially helping those that need that extra help to get going. Like many of us, she has a low tolerance for idiots. I have no doubt that is what prompted the exchange over her diploma. She was pointing out the amount of time that is being wasted on trivial issues when we're facing a huge budgetary crisis. (Does anybody REALLY think she had a fake degree?)
5) I certainly DO question Linehan's "dedication & passion". She rarely voted in town elections, never attended Town Meeting or School Committee meetings, never wrote a letter or email, or made a phone call to a school committee member before being elected. Nobody had ever heard of her until she was endorsed by the President of the Teacher's Union. People later learned that her husband is a very vocal union leader at the high school and that she was briefly employed at the Forestdale School until she walked out and never returned.
I'm not seeing "dedication" --- I see an axe to grind.
Rumor mill says there are petitions floating around for recall Marshall & Linehan or for keeping the super? Any info on this anyone? Bob Simmons can you set up a petition on this blog? internet petition would be fabulous and easy way to get something concrete done in this town.
Petition #1 to Recall Marshall & Linehan
Petition #2 to retain Dr. Johnson as super
Petition to stop wasting our time on the blogs and reading the CCT, Emptyprise and actually get something done for the schools before school starts!
I absolutely question JL's dedication & passion. She wasn't paying attention to town governement as Bob has pointed out until she was elected. Frankly I wonder how much she is paying attention now. I don't think she or her three fellows understand the financial crisis the town is in. It is obvious to many that she is not speaking just from her own perspective. I hope she doesn't share executive session information with her spouse. But I would say her immaturity makes you wonder. I'm sure her heart is in the right place, but are her ethics and does she have the knowledge for the job? Does she have the vision?
I have seen an online petition at: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/sandwichschools/
It's certainly not binding for recall purposes -- but it may give an impression of the public opinion.
The Truth Maker finds some of the above commontary by the host of this blog to be right on and very truthful in regards to many of the issues before the school district. The ironic development of the recent Union led takeover is sort of icing on the cake. The lack of concerns for the citizens of Sandwich and the budgetary short falls once again show each of us,that the road to education is being primed for failure,here in Sandwich. Now I realize that some may not have the same insite, but given all of the irrational decisions of late by the present School Committee,that is the only conclusion I can come too.
The union leaders will win the battle, but will they win the war?
As long as we continue to allow and have a system in place that does not account for personalized goals, geared toward the education of our children we will have failed in our responsability, as examples for progress.
Spending money and efforts we do not have, to satisfy personal vendeta's,along with the lack of wisdom by the present union leadership does not bode well for the children of our generation.
Where is the guidance, they need to grow and mature into repectful citizens of tomorrow, when the examples show them the wrong way to conduct themselves in the real world?
So Bobby, we may not all be correct in our thoughts, but hopefully the end results will be positive for our children, because if they are not,our society will suffer in the end.
Kalle Blomkvist,
Do you really think JL is 'dedicated & passionate" ?
She's certainly no Erika Berger.
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