Century Village, a senior citizen development in Florida has weekly shows in their club house. The shows consist mostly of has been entertainers, entertainers that were tops in their time but their time has long past. Performers like Mickey Rooney and Sherman Hemsley should have quit when they were ahead, but they just keep on going.
I thought about those old timers at tonight's award ceremony as I watched ex-Principal Suit take the mike and go on and on as if he was still king of the hill. (In reality, he never even made it to king of the ant hill.) Everyone before and after him was short and sweet. There were lots of awards and the night was about the kids, not the presenters. He didn't seem to care that the ceremony was outdoors and needed to end before it got dark. He didn't care that the skies were ominous. He didn't care that it was getting cold.
It is time for him to move on. There is a new sheriff in town and it is time for the old one to get on his horse and ride into the sunset.
I thought about those old timers at tonight's award ceremony as I watched ex-Principal Suit take the mike and go on and on as if he was still king of the hill. (In reality, he never even made it to king of the ant hill.) Everyone before and after him was short and sweet. There were lots of awards and the night was about the kids, not the presenters. He didn't seem to care that the ceremony was outdoors and needed to end before it got dark. He didn't care that the skies were ominous. He didn't care that it was getting cold.
It is time for him to move on. There is a new sheriff in town and it is time for the old one to get on his horse and ride into the sunset.
48 comments:
FWIW, under Suit, Packemin was a top 600 school on Newsweek's top 1500 ranking of public high schools in America. Under new sheriff, it doesn't make the list at all.
Now obviously, these two things are completely unrelated, especially because Suit didn't leave Packemin until October, and Hula is obviously a great principal (at least from a complete student standpoint), besides the fact that the ratings are constructed using the number of kids taking AP tests.
You also need to take into account that maybe some of the kids were happy to hear Suit. Not everyone in the building feels the same way you do, and while your opinion is respectable, some people did have a positive relationship with him.
I can't wait for the day when Hula gives a long speech and everything is hunky-dory. From knowing him, I am sure Suit did not mean to take attention from the kids, and I'm sure that most people did not feel that he was doing so. I know that if I was still a student at Packemin, I'd definitely love to hear from Suit.
While I'm not saying he was always right with all of his administrative decisions, he did many (note that many does not require any statistical backup in the journalistic world) things right. You were at the school play and the sports challenge this year, two things that Suit decided to bring back to Packemin. Without him, it's likely that neither of these programs would exist. So sometimes, we need to take the pros with the cons. I understand that you might not have had a good relationship with Suit, but it's unfair to characterize him without considering his strong points at times.
But Suit is now Principal Emeritus, so he is entitled to certain privileges. He can continue making events that are supposed to be focused on the kids all about himself, which is,once more, what occurred at the awards ceremony.
The people I spoke to knew his performance was all about him.
His strong point included telling me to transfer because I did not share his "vision' and while I am far from the best teacher in the school, it is my AP results and my extra work with the kids that helped get that rating. Being ignored and put down by him for years because I would not kiss his rear end characterizes him completely.
No matter who you are, you can find people who like you. The fact that some of the people like him means nothing. That doesn't take away from his character flaws and the issues I have with him.
This is my blog and if you have issues with my posts about him you are free not to read.
Yes, I am free not to read, but I am equally free to read and disagree. That is the beauty of America.
And for the record, I'm not doubting your successful AP classes and work with other students--considering many of my friends had you for AP Calc (including some who have been written about on this blog). I was almost in that class due to the strong-arming of Mr. AP, but ultimately had my parents go over his head and to guidance to get my program with AP Calc (which I never consented to) changed.
I know that you're a good teacher, and I know that many people love you. Yet also take into account a former teacher in your department, (I'd make a pseudonym but can't think of a good one, so I'll trust you can figure it out) who the entire school hated and feared, yet after having him for Math B, despite struggling in the beginning, I began to respect his teaching style and learned that his toughness was in our best interests. The Regents was a complete joke after dealing with his no partial credit tests, memorizing the formulas that are given to you on the regents, daily hours of homework, and boatloads of stress. There's no doubting that past all the negative stigmas, this man was an excellent teacher. The same might be said for Suit, although not in your opinion, which I respect.
That teacher you are referring too was one of the best teachers around. He was pushed out by Suit. I know many would agree with that decidison.
I think I will write a post about the qualities I think a good principal should have. Suit was not one of them, sorry. There are things I know that even I won't write here that support my opinion.
Suit was and is a narcissistic megalomaniac, in love with his own voice. He did not listen when people spoke to him, did not respond appropriately, and interrupted classes capriciously whenever he saw fit with idiotic time-wasting brain teasers. If he walked in late, it was necessary to make an announcement, generally about nothing.
It's a miracle the school survived his so-called leadership. He regularly lied in people's faces and cared about nothing but his own well-being.
if i didn't want to give away my identity to some of the people reading this blog, i'd definitely have a positive in favor of suit after something that occurred today, but I'm sure there will be recognition of something about it after tomorrow on this blog.
This post has nothing to do with people loving me or hating me and I am sure there are plenty of people on both sides of that issue. It is a post about how he once again had to become the main focus of attention.
The sports challenge and the play have absolutely nothing to do with his theatrics at awards night.
To say that the sports challenge and play have nothing to do with the assertion of "his character flaws" is incorrect. To fairly judge a person, you have to look at both sides of the issue. They are all interrelated into the formation of the person himself.
And way to not mention that the speech was made in presentation of a scholarship that he contributed money to create. It's commonplace for these presenters to give speeches when presenting their scholarship, and as former principal, Suit had a special connection to these kids by being there their first 3 years. Once again, just another selective incorporation bias in presenting your information. I understand you don't like the man, but at least be fair.
No, I said the sports challenge and the play had nothing to do with the post.
Lots of people contributed money and kept their speeches short and sweet.
He never treated me fairly or even showed me any respect. I won't even say here the things he hs said about me publicly and some of the things he should have said and deliberately omitted. You might not like it, but I treat people the way they treat me. If you knew what I know, you might understand why I feel the way I do about him.
If you care to stop hiding behind anonymous I would be happy to let you know some of those things.
Suit's condescending pomposity and narcissism unfortunately pervaded everything at Packemin HS; this includes his abusive behaviors such as bellowing at staff in front of an auditorium full of colleagues, or barking orders like a drill sergeant to a dean down a hallway. He had an obvious mean streak and treated many he didn't consider worthy with derision and callousness.
I'm sure the money Suit donated came from his bonus--the ones he earned on the backs of the teachers at this school.
sorry, you used a real name, I had to delete. I will repost your comment with the name deleted.
sorry, must've completely not realized it
Obviously, you all feel strongly about Suit. I know just as many teachers who feel strongly the other way, in fact, I see a somewhat departmental divide about him. While the math dept generally hates him, the english dept loves him. Not sure about science, but social studies is split right down the middle.
It's impossible not to recognize the good that he did for the school. Regardless of you feel he treated certain people, the school showed results. I understand that this falls completely on the teachers. However, when looking at the school as a whole, it only became better and better. Sure the man might not have been loved, might have been mocked by students, but to go on about his brainteasers and announcements, which many students looked forward to solving, is a little trivial. It made the school seem more like a family, and for the whole 45 seconds he told a brainteaser, it caused little harm especially considering that the two announcement periods were extended.
In all my dealings with him, he seemed pro-student and not all about himself. He wanted to create a place where students could feel was more than just a school but rather a community. I feel that he was successful at doing this.
As far as hiding behind anonymous, I have nothing to hide. Yet just as you prefer to remain publicly anonymous, especially due to the people who read this blog, so do I. It would not be in my best interest to reveal my identity for certain people to see.
And one more point: I knew nothing about Suit forcing out that math teacher who i wrote about earlier. If he was pushed out, it's a shame. Although he wasn't liked by many students and even colleagues, he was one of the most effective teachers I've ever had.
(and I'm pretty sure that one of the two anonymous teachers is one whom I had as a student, which I find interesting--don't know why I felt the need to point that out but I did.)
FYI, the brain teasers took way more than 45 seconds. The music was so loud no one could here themselves think. Teachers work under very time restrictive conditions and sometimes the time between classes is the only time available to talk to students. Music often made this impossible. He also made announcements not only period 2 but periods 3, 4 or whenever the mood hit him.
As for the school improving, we got more and more overcrowded, there was no security for outside classrooms and the good security staff we had all transferred.
But sometimes the brainteasers enhanced the learning experience and made students familiar with current events that they would not always be familiar with. not saying they all were
Sure, Packemin might've gotten more and more overcrowded, but performance-wise, it became more and more widely respected.
As for the security staff getting transferred, no argument there. I can think of two in particular who were fabulous, but as far as I know (which is actually quite a bit about this particular situation), it really wasn't Suit's choice. The excessive fighting that year caused the equivalent of the riot SSA's to come to Packemin for a few months and after they left it, new ones were sent in. No real Suit interference.
Performance increased because the state lowered the standards and the teachers are good! We also have good students.
How about the deterioration of the trailers? There was no loud speaker or phone in my trailer for years. There was no running water in the bathroom until I threatened to call the board of health. fact My door did not even close for months. (It was freezing inside.) I notified Suit about the probem and he did nothing. How about the guy that was able to walk in off the street to use the bathroom and I was told there was no money for security outside? And to stop my fight for security, I was removed from the trailer, a much easier fix than to actually provide security.
Oh yeah, he was great for the school. He got lucky that no major incidents occurred under his watch.
I have no defense for him for the trailers. While I note his positives, I will also acknowledge that this was a severe negative. As far as security, he eventually got around to it installing the hut out there to watch the trailers.
And enough incidents did occur under his watch, especially one around last Christmas (I know you know what I'm talking about, but saying it would give away the school Packemin is). He handled that one as close to perfect as he could.
While I do not know who this Anon is, I will bet the coffee shop that he/she was someone who was granted "favors". Just because a school is on a "list" doesn't make it great. My school is on lists to and gets A's, but it is becoming so mediocre under my admin who just pushes test prep.
If I recall, Suit used the press to say that overcrowding was not such a bad thing. And any speaker to takes more than a few minutes at the mike proves his ego is bigger than his heart.
The fact that Suit was totally disrespectful to teachers, and if you are a teacher, you would not be defending such a person.
With all due respect, you also never even knew Suit, so just basing your opinion on what you read on this blog is not fully informed. I could easily start a whole blog praising Suit.
I never received any favors from Suit. I was simply a student who was lucky enough to get to know Suit in a way that many students never did and to work with him on various special projects throughout my time at Packemin. In fact, Suit changed my high school experience and helped confirm my desire to become a teacher. For this reason, I find myself here defending him. While I am practically addicted to reading this blog and check it constantly, at times I feel that my role model is being unfairly portrayed.
I love how simply having a different opinion than PO'ed makes me tainted by corruption. Things like this make me reconsider my decision to become a teacher and mold our youth.
I could easily make another comment about "favors," but I'm not in the mood to start slandering people.
You have now way of knowing who knows Suit and who doesn't. For all anyone knows, you might even be Suit.
Why don't you start your own blog praising him? I bet it will be vey popular.
Well, I was right about you having some sort of "relationship" with Suit that is clouding your reality of his tenure. This is a principal who for many years would not let the parents honor this blogger. And when they did, he made no mention of that honor or publicly recognized it as he did for former recipients. That to me is a principal who places his ego first and would rather disrespect the parents than honor a deserving teacher.
Did he provide safety for the trailers? Did he make sure they had heat and a/c and running water?
Why not? Isn't that part of his job description? Any principal who plays games like this because a teacher dares to voice opinions deserves no respect.
When my principal changed the format of the Reading Response Journals to formulated questions, that went against the whole idea of the Reading Workshop model. When I asked her to read the wonderful responses my students were writing, she wasn't interested. It was her way or the highway to ensure better test prep results. Literature be damned. So yes I relate to many of the things this blog posts.
Thanks Schoolgal, I really needed your comments.
You're welcome :)
Schoolgal
"Well, I was right about you having some sort of "relationship" with Suit that is clouding your reality of his tenure."
This logic is completely flawed. My "relationship," as you call it, clouded my reality of his tenure just as PO's "relationship" (or lack thereof) clouded HER view of the reality of his tenure. Neither of us are able to look at the true reality of his time at Packemin, because we both had relationships with Suit that influenced our views of him. Basing a reality of Suit off of his relationships with one person/a few people (and not all teachers, because I know plenty of teachers who loved him) is not a reality at all, so to even think that PO'ed equally biased view is the real reality is completely wrong.
What I'd really like to know is how a post on his award ceremony speech turned into a discussion of his merits. One thing has nothing to do with the other.
Anonymous, I seem to recognize your writing style. I believe you've posted here before using different personas. You know me but it is a shame you won't disclose yourself privately.
I read this blog constantly (it's actually my most visited site). I've only posted here twice before, on
-January 17, 2009 6:32 PM It Feels So Good Now That The Boil on Your Butt Is Gone
-December 3, 2008 9:44 PM Reaching out from the grave to suck you in (with a followup comment at the same time the next day)
That said, there's a good chance that you would recognize my writing style for other reasons.
Do I know you? No. I know of you, as an alumni of Packemin, I've seen you around, I've heard stories from kids who had you, etc. As far as I can remember, I have never spoken a word to you face-to-face. That said, you've probably heard of me too.
Oh, I believe you completely. Why I would even believe you if you tried to sellme the Brooklyn Bridge.
go ahead and don't believe me, that post was the full truth. there's obviously nothing I can do short of revealing myself that would make you, and even then you wouldn't
I was correct about the relationship part. I wouldn't be surprised if you owe your job to Suit.
Principals have favorites. That's just a fact of life. But, when said principal does not follow up on safety and bad working conditions, and you put blinders on because you are not the one dealing with it, or when you did, it got resolved because of favoritism, then I have a problem with your "reality".
Solidarity should mean we stand behind all teachers when they bring up issues like that. If you stood silent, then why should I have any respect for what you say now.
Yes this blogger has a big mouth and I wouldn't be surprised if she had a reputation as a trouble maker. But when her complaints are about bad working conditions, and placing students in the wrong classes, I can't help but respect her. But if you have facts to prove she is a bad teacher, and lets face it, I am sure not all your students love you either, then that would be a different matter.
If you have been reading this blog, you know I have had my disagreements with this blogger too. However, on matters describing the conditions of her classroom with pics for proof, she has every right to put down such a principal. So I ask you, would a good principal subject any teacher to that???
Schoolgal
Pertaining to your first three paragraphs:
As I pointed out, I don't work at Packemin, I'm just an alumni, therefore making most of those points irrelevant.
But if you have facts to prove she is a bad teacher,
Pertaining to this one, I wrote earlier: "And for the record, I'm not doubting your successful AP classes and work with other students" and "I know that you're a good teacher, and I know that many people love you."
If I ever implied that PO'ed was a bad teacher, it was certainly not intentional. She has a reputation of being one of the better teachers at Packemin
And just for backup of the reputation, I know most teachers don't put any weight on ratemyteachers.com (especially because of voluntary response bias, etc.), but PO'ed has an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5 and has met the threshold for being a cool teacher.
Gee, this has turned into a debate about my merits as a teacher.
I'm okay, not great and not awful either.
Message to Suit Lover:
But, while we are talking about ratings on ratemyteacher.com, Suit's rating is 2.5 out of 5 and he's not cool.
Anonymous, since you claim not to be a teacher at Packemin, my guess is that you are either Suit's wife, parent, child or grandchild. Even the worst tyrants around have people that love them.
Schoolgal, this person is not worth debating with. I believe I know who the Suit Lover is, but I will keep that to myself.
I notice my last comment about perspectives from a student's point of view did not make it here.
But as I stated in that lost comment, principals act one way towards students and parents, yet show total disrespect for staff.
A great principal works collaboratively with staff and has respect for differing viewpoints. If this person is in fact a teacher, she should be able to understand this distinction.
Schoolgal
I am not a teacher, nor am I related to Suit. Is it so far fetched to believe that a Packemin alumni actually had a good relationship with Suit?
Fine, be you can be any one you believe you are.
Suit Lover: Suit put me down for years and he didn't do it on an anonymous blog, he did it in front of people that knew me. He did it in front of parents, teachers, students and even at the school leadership meetings.
I'm sorry if you have a problem with my attitude towards him, but it is what it is. I treat the way I've been treated.
At least I am not putting him down in front of his colleagues or people who are supposed to respect him.
I have no problem with your attitude toward him. While I disagree with it, it is quite entertaining to read on this blog.
And while I cannot apologize for him, I am sorry that you were treated so poorly.
I'm glad my poor treatment entertained you. Do you also enjoy torturing small animals?
I won't let you twist my words in another argument. Shame on YOU!
*into
Gotcha! I've been entertained by your comments too! I wanted to see how long it took to get under your skin.
I figured you should amuse me as much as I seem to be amusing you. Sorry for any pain I caused but you are too good a target to paas up on abusing.
well played
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