Corruption

by Bonachichi

My oldest daughter loved public school. She made friends easily and was an avid learner. That changed in the 4th grade, under the tutelage of a Ms. Jamie Brown. Jamie Brown was verbally abusive. Not just to my daughter, but to any child who dared to be noticed by her when she was in one of her moods. I saw it myself. My dad saw it. I believe what my daughter told me about Ms. Brown's behavior when parents weren't in the classroom. If there was a child who wasn't reduced to tears in that class, I'm unaware of it.

In March of that school year, I requested a meeting with the principal to discuss this. It just seemed so wrong! The principal, Mr. Ackerman, informed me that I was the problem. Nobody else had complained and Ms. Brown was in fact, a highly respected teacher throughout the school district. Oak Park Unified. I've no problem naming names.

A couple weeks later, I was talking with a few of the parents. I learned that of the 4 of us, 3 had complained about this very same teacher, and we had all been told we were the only ones with complaints. Describing me as "livid" is like describing a hurricane as "a few rain sprinkles". After some thought, I went back to Mr. Ackerman and called him out. I didn't want a big to-do, I just wanted my daughter out of that class. He refused my request. He refused my request to move her to a different school within the district. So I filed a complaint with the District Office and pulled her out of public school altogether.

As of a couple years ago, Jamie Brown was still teaching, still abusing students. What a shame. Teaching is such a noble profession, yet I've nothing but vile disrespect for it. Not because there aren't good teachers, but because I've seen a corrupt system that directly impacts our children. People like our beloved Jennifer are being thrown in the same heap of trash that the school administrators are diligently building. This helps nobody except those who have no business being around children in the first place.

There is talk about establishing an evaluation system for teachers in California. I don't know the deatila, other than some group doesn't want it. Of course they don't. How will they keep their dirty little secrets? California is one of the lowest ranking states for education. No wonder. The teachers are running amok, the administrators are busy ignoring problems and villifying parents.

These days, we are seeing corruption and back-room deals everywhere. From Rod Blagojevich to the city of Bell. Even our schools. Is there hope for the future?  Is your locale free from scandal?