In response to the story "Del Rio School board quashes public comment, then gives Menzel the boot"
Wow, where do I begin.
It's funny, no matter how long I'm away from Del Rio, nothing ever changes. For those of you that don't know, this is Pete III, not to be confused with my father, (before you spread rumors about him prancing around online with a different Alias). And in NO way are my opinions his own, (that's what got me in trouble with him as a child growing up, as I had the tendency to speak my own mind to him on occasion).
I heard about this story the last time I visited Del Rio, and I finally got a chance to read it and all the comments about it.
I'm trying to come into this with an unbiased opinion, I really am, but yes I know it's tough considering one of the topics of discussion is that of my father's actions on the school board. There are multiple issues in this one, and it's funny how people around here take one argument, and change it to another. I highly recommend reading this book called "Crucial Confrontations", by Kerry Patterson. It will teach you how to recognize this and put an end to it. But I digress from my topic. I'll try to answer some of these individually.
Topic 1: Bill Sontag -
You are a journalist. So please try to put an unbiased spin on your stories. (Otherwise I have a position you may like at the New York Times, Sir). I am talking about your comments in YOUR story:
"Board Chairman Pete Cardenas was only too happy to accommodate Johnson’s request"
First, I wasn't there, so I don't know what expression my father had on his face. But even if it was a smile, could it not be for different reasons? I call him many times, every day to be exact, and sometimes after board meetings he is exhausted, because of how late they convene. So making things go ahead of time is probably a good thing considering the amount of agenda items for the limited amount of meeting time (I've consistently expressed this view to my father that the board needs to meet more than the alloted time they have set currently).
Plus, you act as though it was my father's intent to move the agenda item. In your story, it was stated that Mr. Menzel's attorney was where this action had begun. Had the attorney not made that request, then it would not have occurred.
Topic 2: Pete Cardenas is a puppet of Mr. Fernandez
Ladies and Gents, I will tell you this from what I know each time I visit my family and have the privelege to speak to my father. He backs down for NO one and hates people that try to leverage him. It's a quality that my father has given to me via genes, and I hate to say it's gotten me in trouble here at work a few times, because I sometimes try to bypass authority.
Listen. My father wouldn't be doing this job if he didn't truly feel that he was doing good for the students of Del Rio (pardon my engish, I AM an engineer and business person now). He truly cares about the school district, otherwise he'd use the time that he dedicates to the district, for the purpose of continuing to improve his business ventures. Sure, I don't agree with some of the things he does,(I am still looking for approval to make the band program a requirement for all students, and to allot it a higher budget than the football team. Yes I know, I dream) but I challenge all of you who disagree with some of his actions to try to look at every single decision that must be made with the district, and determine how in the world would you be able to make each of those while still making everyone on the community happy about each. Finding the answer to world peace would probably be easier to accomplish.
(this is fun!!)
Topic 3: Menzel as a teacher and individual
This I actually cannot comment on without knowing the facts, as I do not, and hence can only go by what I hear, hence it would be a biased statement. But, I will comment on the comment my father said about Mr. Menzel being a great individual. I had the privelege of living next to the man for about 2 years. Yes this is true, he was an exceptional individual. You could tell he was bright, interesting, and caring as well. As far as a teacher is concerned, I can only go by my own accounts, and that's an interesting topic. I am an engineer, and took physics in high school, and also 3 classes of it in college. This field is TOUGH. And yes I'm the first to admit, I was a slacker in high school. I got a B in physics and chemistry 2, but I didn't provide my best talent, mainly because at that age, I was worried more about who I was going to take to prom, rather than deriving the formula for the escape velocity of an object into space.
But here's my argument. It is BECAUSE a student's interest in science is usually not at the forefront, that a teacher must NOT simply dismiss a student away due to "lack of interest". I believe what makes a teacher great, is one that captures the potential of students that don't show that potential. Students like myself (yes I am being arrogant here a bit ;-), we were EASY to teach. But imagine if teachers were able to get those kids that "don't try" and make them WANT to try. Motivate them, show them what they can do, what they can accomplish, then THAT is the true potential of a teacher, and I look down upon any teacher that would dismiss any student simply for them not wanting to try.
TOPIC 4 - SFDRCISD is a horrible school district.
Yes, I'm the first to admit, our school district is not a stellar example of excellence. But you know what? I can't say that it is all bad, because I came out of that school district, along with many of my friends who are excelling in all that they do. Those kids leaving to comstock? I got news for you. In the real world, you can't just run away when you don't like something. There can be 2 reasons parents send their kids to comstock:
One, it's for better teachers. Fine. If that's the case, great, but I highly doubt that
teachers there have a better competency than those in Del Rio (yes I know, I don't live there, I could be wrong about this, and if so, please, share your thoughts with me). Now if it were a boarding school, or a private religious-based school, the of course by all means, do it.
Two, parents want your kids to get away from the distractions of Del Rio high school. Whats funny is that in real life one has to deal with plenty of distractions. I chose to go to a public institution (Hook em Horns) over an Ivy league when I made my decision on which higher learning institute to attend. I didn't know this at the time, but now I can say, UT prepared me better because it is a replica of the real world with all kinds of people, experiences, opportunities, etc. Ivy Leagues I believe are more sheltered and centered into one way of thinking and contain assimilated populations. If one cannot succeed at Del Rio high school because of distractions, then they have another thing coming to them later on down the road, because the distractions at DRHS are nothing compared to those you will face in the future. Sure, I saw those distractions. The fights, the inappropriate behavior, illegal substances sometimes, etc. But you know what? It forced me to make choices, and I am better at making choices now because of it, and because my parents didn't try to shepter me and send me to a different school.
I think my email reply has far exceeded what I anticipated when I started, (plus my lunch period has run out). So I must return to designing advanced fighter jet aircraft for the United States government, despite going to a horrible school district, with a horrible "puppet board" and a horrible parent that only does things because other people force their was on him. (note sarcasm).
Please feel free to email me your thoughts. (Pete.cardenas@tcu.edu).
Sincerely,
Pete Cardenas III
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You know, I was very
You know, I was very disappointed at the dismissal of Mr. Menzel. Not just becasue he was a good teacher, but because he was the one who refused to conform and just pass everyone. So many teachers these days just "curve" your grade so you can pass and get the heck out of there class or becasue they have a certain percentage they have to meet. He didn't! He was actually fair and that's why a lot of students and parents didn't like him. They were used to being handed everything on a silver platter and it just doesn't work that way in the real world. I am a 2006 graduate of Del Rio High School, and I'm almost ashamed to say that. I learned more important, meaningful, and helpful things at home than I did at that school. I honestly owe my education, and grammar skills, to myself and my parents. I took three years of Spanish in that school and didn't learn a damn thing. Not that I didn't try. And I admit, I wasn't particularly fond of the language but I tried at least. I won't name any names, but my first Spanish class was a joke! All we did was fill out worksheets and he practically gave us the answers. We didn't even use our books for crying out loud. It was ridiculous. I once had an English teacher who didn't know that the word "imp" was actually a word. I taught my English teacher a word! How pathetic is that? She told me I was making up words and I needed to prove it to her, so I did. That was in sixth grade! This is bad and its getting worse every year. It has to stop. I've had substitutes that know more about what their doing than the teacher does.
I spoke with Mr. Menzel
I spoke with Mr. Menzel today and I thought that those that are concerned about him would like to know that he got a good teaching job in Austin. In fact he seemed quite ecstatic that he would be teaching a couple of classes of German language in addition to other things. And for those believe as I do, that he got a raw deal, he informed me that he will not be going "gently into that good night" so to speak. He didn't go too deeply into it, but basically even though he lost his job and is leaving our community he still feels strongly that he needs to right certain wrongs.
That is so true DR
That is so true DR firefighter13 check out who is on the appraisal district board, Mr. Cardeans (builds houses, Ms. Trevino (sells houses), Mr. Rodriguez (friend of Mr. Bobby Fernandez)should I go on. Also if you check into the web site for the appraisal district you'll find how the appraisal for the board members and the surrounding houses do not match. I think I am going to dig a little deeper and see what I can find out. I think your conspiracy theory might be true.
What's that, Petey? What
What's that, Petey? What about the appraisal district and their conspiracy involving taxes?
"we run into burning buildings when everyone runs out"
Interesting poinst
Interesting poinst Whirlwind, and i agree with them significantly.
This post brings about a lot of other issues. At what point should the teacher's motivation stop, and the student's motivation start. That is debatable depending on who you ask. Then there is the question of too much motivation, but too late in the game (grade school). There was a good segment last night on the news about Colin Powell talking about the dropout rates in our schools. Sometimes we try to begin too late in life to motivate students. We need to concentrate our efforts in the earlier stages in life. Can a kindergardener count to 20, recite his ABC's, destinguish color, and has he or she been read to in his or her life?
The comment about placing the wrong kids in the wrong classes is COMPLETELY true. I've argued time and time again that this is because the councelors have way too much of a workload in order to put these kids in the right classes. I honestly don't know the answer to that. Maybe we need a separate department that only looks at that, while counselors can concentrate on exactly WHAT they are intended to do when compared to other schools across the state.
The final one, I still debate in my head about the realistic expectations of our school district. I always describe our school as an inner-city district..that's NOT in the city. But, if that's true, then we actually CAN hold our standards on the higher side, because there are a significant amount of inner-city schools that excel! They come out on news specials all the time, but usually because they are showcasing some "out-of-the-box" teaching plan that has actually worked in that school district.
Anyone's thoughts?
Thanks for your input. I
Thanks for your input. I certainly agree that SFDRCISD is similar to an inner-city district. When I worked toward a masters degree, I elected NOT to obtain counseling certification at the same time. Counselors in our school district are merely paper-pushers. Most have little or no time to get to know or really counsel students. Your suggestion about having a scheduling/paper-pushing department is right on target. Counselors should be freed up to do what they have been trained to do--and they are NOT trained to be schedulers or data-input operators or clerical staff. Technology and clerical workers should be able to handle the paperwork.
State laws about retaining students when they fail to achieve expectations hamper teachers. Summer school is an added expense for the district, as teachers who are hired must be paid an additional stipend. Nevertheless, that program could be enhanced to ensure reteaching success. Teaching too much too fast never works. Like it or not, rote learning in some areas is critical. Once basics are LEARNED, they are not forgotten.
Each teacher has a unique teaching style. The teacher should be encouraged to develop that style to the max. No teaching style will be "right" for every child. The ability to adapt, however, is a life skill that students should learn. Our society and our educational systems have allowed far too many second chances. Folks seem to want to hold teachers accountable. Fine. But when did we stop holding students accountable? Teachers should not be held to the fail or succeed ultimatum. Teacher evaluations are a case in point. One observer, in the course of about 50 minutes, is supposed to observe and comment on some 59 areas in several domains. Most of these criteria are arguably subjective by nature. That means the observer has to be a super-human to do a fair job. These evaluations are really pretty meaningless.
Frankly, I think the feds should stay out of education. There is too much subjectivity in the field. Some state regs probably should be implemented, but more control needs to be given to the local districts. Mandatory testing and mandatory benchmark testing only put money into the hands of out-of-state entrepreneurs. Teach the curriculum, teach it hard, and re-teach it. Learning is NOT always fun, nor should it be. It takes effort, concentration, and self-discipline. A teacher provides opportunities and information, but it is the student who decides whether to take it, or reject it. No drilled hole-in-the-head can funnel all that into a brain. Learning cannot be forced; it requires a willing and hungry recipient.
Petey, I won't comment on
Petey, I won't comment on your father's actions, intentions, or motivations.
However, I beg to differ with you about a teacher's needing to motivate students. That, of course, is what we are required to do. One teacher alone, however, with some 150+ students, cannot motivate a rock. When a teacher has been "set up" with a class of students who are NOT there to learn (and believe me, this occurred in this case), an impossible situation exists. The teacher must motivate the rocks, yet provide challenge and opportunity to all. My friend, that task often asks more than is humanly possible. When students without the required knowledge are placed in classes, what do you expect of the teacher? How does the teacher decide to apply his time most effectively--reaching one student, or successfully educating many others? Look at the reality of our school system's expectations of teachers--No Child Left Behind has NOT been successful, no matter what pundits claim. I can personally assure Mr. Menzel is an excellent, albeit quite demanding, teacher. Students, although required by law to attend school, always make the choice to learn, or not to learn. That CHOICE not to learn carries with it the consequence of failure. It is way past time for high school students to gut it up and assume responsibility for their choices. It is NOT someone else's fault that he failed to make the grade. Self-discipline, responsibility for one's own actions or inactions--these things need to be returned to our system of education. Nowhere does our Constitution or any Amendment GUARANTEE anyone an education.
Nevertheless, congratulations for a fine defense of your dad. You've made him proud and yourself honorable.
I can read that you have a
I can read that you have a great love for your father. I think that I too would defend my fathers actions be it right or wrong.