Monday, September 01, 2008

We have English teachers to make it all very clear.

Welcome!

Ms. Kay Noble
ELL (English Language Learner) Teacher
Room 58
425-431-5304
NobleK@edmonds.wednet.edu
Lynnwood High School

This webpage will give you information to help you succeed in my classes. You'll find my email address and my phone number above. Please contact me if you need help. I am available during tutorial every morning in my classroom and after school by appointment.

I've also included a link to Skyward so you can check your grades frequently. If you need your login/password, please check with your Advisory teacher or the Counseling secretary.

I want to help you succeed at Lynnwood High School!

Ms. Noble

As an ELL Teacher, the casual observer may be of the opinion that you have a highly-developed ability to articulate the meaning of statements made in English. Please help our readers understand the following statements:

1. No person shall be employed by the district who is the spouse or dependent child of any member of the Board of Directors or of the superintendent. [
Board Policy 6810]

2. We recommend that the most stringent policy be followed or policies be revised. [
State Auditor's Exit Conference with the District on April 23, 2008]

3. Please explain the difference between "
Termination of Employment" and "Leave of Absence".

Teachers that work with small children sometimes adopt the speaking patterns that best support the process of being understood. Such teachers are easy to point out at social gatherings because their rhythm of communication is terribly deliberate and the manner in which they pronounce even simple words can make others cringe.

Perhaps the same can be said of teachers that work with non-native English speakers. Such a teacher might just adopt a perspective that leaves her convinced that no one understands English quite like she does. Mildly complicated expressions like "
Conflict of Interest" may be viewed as inexplicable in this teacher's world. Even lawyers have taken a crack at explaining the concept and have failed to adequately do so.

Thank goodness we have English teachers to make it all very clear.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gary's term doesn't expire until 2011 (he was just re-elected last fall). I bet soon he will retire and then the Nickster can replace him with another bobblehead.

Anonymous said...

Its time to anwser the bell Edmonds school district. You so called leaders can't let this slip too.
If you do the attorneys will have a field day.
You just can't give it to us............. you got to make it a little harder!

ESD15.org said...

After a cursory glance through the Board Policies, there doesn't appear to be anything that prevents the actual school district employee from serving on the board.

Sure, an employee can't be "related" to a member of the school board, but it doesn't rule out employees serving on the board.

If Gary resigned from the Board and the remaining members appointed Kay, there wouldn't be a conflict of interest because she would only be serving her own interests as a board member.

ESD15.org said...

Thought for the Day:
Are we actually "related" to ourselves?

Anonymous said...

There must be a written rule somewhere that says an employee of the district can't be also on the school board. Otherwise, we teachers could be sitting on both sides of the negotiating table--what a raise we would get that year!

ESD15.org said...

In the Edmonds School District, it doesn't appear to matter what is actually written in board policies.

If anyone finds a board policy that specifically excludes staff from serving on the Board, let me know.

Anonymous said...

Nothing prevents it. I know a teacher at one of the high schools that came very close to running last time. He checked and there was nothing that prevented him from accepting the job, should he win.

Anonymous said...

Well, THAT makes alot of sense. A teacher can be on the board but the spouse of a teacher can't. The spouse could be unduly influenced by the teacher, but the teacher wouldn't be unduly influenced by the teacher? Or are those just my brains I hear rattling around in my head?

Anonymous said...

No I think the idea is that as long as voters elect a person who is also a teacher, they are getting the representation that they wanted WITH THEIR EYES WIDE OPEN. I imagine that the only thing a teacher would have to abstain a vote on would be salary issues.

What is going on currently (employee married to board member) is a violation of the district's policies, but it doesn't seem to matter to anyone. Thats sad.

Anonymous said...

There is a perceived lack of integrity at many levels of our society. Rules and regs are often created to try to deal with these lapses. One could assume that the "no spouse" policy is the result of a past situation of some sort. It might be interesting to know the provenance of this policy. What situation was it created to address? Is the current situation similar or dissimilar? Frequently there are unseen, unpredictable, unintended consequences of our actions. Perhaps this is an example.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps shutup!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your consideration and deep thought. Perhaps.

Anonymous said...

Too many "perhaps" people in this world. A few more definates would be welcome, though the definates will require much less college. What would we do without those degrees to laugh at? You "perhaps" people need to shut up. Perhaps I help in that process?