We have official word that Kit McCormick has accepted a position at Garfield High School.
Congrats Garfield and Kit!
And curses upon Randy Taylor and the SVSD!
As if the education in the valley was not in enough trouble, now you have pushed away another great teacher!
It's high time for some NEW leadership at Mount Si!
Our best wishes to Kit in her new adventures. I'm sure she'll run into far more open minds at Garfield than our backwards little community here!
I hope you religous zealots are happy!
If only ignorance was painful!
26 comments:
"I hope you religous zealots are happy!"
Oh yes we are! Another prayer answered :)
So the fact that WASL scores in Language Arts (Reading and Writing) at MSHS have improved from barely 50% to well over 90% in the last 5 years means nothing? Seems that most folks think this would be the definition of education in America today, critical thinking and all that. You would prefer adhering to a particular religious dogma instead? How sad.
Our society, our school district, and our kids, are clearly worse off as a result.
All religion is belief. To think this is a prayer that has been answered is absurd. Why even bother to send your kids to school since all that will happen clearly must be ordained?
Mark Joselyn
...If only ignorance was painful!
Ignorance may not be, but your prose certainly is!
I am looking at this from the point of view of a parent of bright children - kids I want to get the best education possible.
The fact that an incredibly great teacher has found our district administration so unsupportive and unwelcoming, and the climate at MSHS such a stressful place to work is indeed a factor in where I want my kids educated. It is inconvenient to go out of district, and we love living in the Valley, but after middle school...
Kit McCormick raised the bar at MSHS. She will do so at Garfield. She is such a gifted teacher. What a loss.
It is time for new leadership at MSHS. Someone with vision and an understanding of what comprises good education.
Any prospective teacher considering employment in our district will 'google' it and find a web site that states "Education or Indoctrination in Snoqualmie Valley School District?", so why would they apply? They won't. Kit McCormick can not be replaced. Time to bale out I think and find a place that kids, intellectual discourse, and critical thinking are respected.
The failure of the administration to require diversity training for the staff and engender respect for all who walk through the doors of the high school is untenable and plants the seeds of continuing flight. Again, how sad. It is, after all, a Public School. Given the size of our district there is so much opportunity to get it right, but it is a long way down and that is where we continue to head. For all of you demand 'teaching to the curriculum', go watch 'Juno';. a movie about a young women, seeking to transcend High School, but attending class and its content is the last thing on her mind. Pray for teachers who seek to connect with students and help them address the challenges they face as they confront adulthood, not firing the ones who so help our kids.
Mark Joselyn
This is a tremendous loss for us. We will NOT be able to replace her, and yes WASL scores will go down as a result. Thanks for prolonging the enormous disservice you are doing to your children and to the children of others. Who are YOU to get in the way for reasons whose outcome was obviously so destined for conflict and no resolution. What did you want to achieve? She left us and for a much better job and we are left having to fill the void...with what. What teacher wants to come out here to teach the children of parents who will scrutinize-and from every angle-every word, wink and smile from a teacher?
We must rely on the only things we can...patience, understanding, hope, and support. Without everyone's help on this, we will further smolder.
Kids didn't do this. Teachers may have instigated it, but parents are responsible for allowing their prides and joys to be critical enough thinkers (and believers) that they can decide for themselves what is black, white, or grey.
We are losing great teachers because people have forgotten to love, and they insist on being fearful of that which they do not understand. We live a short time on this planet, so please let go of your insecurities and allow great learning to take place.
Who are YOU, to interrupt learning?
We've lost too many quality staff members in addition to Kit ....
Rod Thompson
Jeanne Dembeck
Lia Swanson
Cindy Sattler
They were the first to bail due to failed leadership from the administration.
Now more well known teachers are jumping ship. Who can blame them? Who's next? Can we afford to lose math teachers, science teachers, special education teachers, music teachers and specialized teachers?
Parents of Snoqualmie Valley - get it together. Call the district office now and tell them to give teachers a fair contract. Cut costs someplace else, but lose more teachers, you will lose more families, then you won't need those teachers or your own jobs either!
Will someone please turn off the lights when you leave?
I am not happy Kit left Mount Si as I heard she was a fabulous teacher. Although I disagree with a lot of the things she did over this past year. I cannot deny that she did a good job teaching the students.
Although I must admit that she did cause alot of stressful situations for the students of Mount si... I am disapointed the people on this website are attacking the people that are religous. That is actually quite rude and to be honest its one reason why I am not supportive of the GSA and what they do. Some of the members of the GSA are actually openminded and respect the differences between them and people of religion. Others are rude and hateful towards those who disagree with what they do. Its the same on the other end too.
I respect what McCormick stands for. If she stands for gay rights then I'm glad she does so with such a passion... however... pushing this viewpoint on other people may not have been the wisest descision.
To those of you who have complimented my teaching on this blog, thank you. To those of you who believe my leaving is the answer to a prayer...well, ok. Since I'm no longer an employee of the SVSD, I think it's not inappropriate for me to discuss my reasons for asking Mr. Hutcherson a question. I was not trying to advance a gay agenda (I'm not even sure what that is), but I was trying to let the gay (and bi, trans, and questioning) kids sitting in the audience know that there was someone in their school that wouldn't let them be publically demeaned. Yes, I know that Mr. Hutcherson didn't discuss gay rights at all - I was there! In my opinion, that didn't matter, His public persona is entirely tied up in his opposition to gay rights. Don't trust me on this - google him and see what comes up. The kids at My Si who are gay know that he is about this. They did not deserve to be forced to attend an assembly which featured a speaker who spends his political life trying to take away their rights. That's why I did it, and I would do it again and again and again if it happened again. Part of my job as a teacher is to ensure that students aren't hurt when they attend school. I would hope that any teacher would do the same for my son if a person known for publically putting down a group of which he was a member was asked to speak at his school. I have always prided myself on not pushing my political views in class - please ask any of my former students. I will continue to operate my classroom that way. I will also continue to stand up to people who seek to judge a group of people based on who they fall in love with. I have very much enjoyed working with the students and parents of Mt. Si (most of the parents)! I still live in the community and look forward to seeing many of you out and about. Thanks, MSP, for providing this forum. I hope you keep it active so that I can keep up on the doings in the district. Kit McCormick
"That's why I did it, and I would do it again and again and again if it happened again."
Which is why, as a taxpayer, I am so glad you are leaving and it gives me hope that the mess at Mount Si can be cleaned up. All I expect out of our teachers is that they are qualified in their subject area and model behavior for our students. Clearly you choose not to respect others', their decisions, and fail to use common sense judgement in how to handle it. Good riddance.
Glad to see the administration policies clean out the problematic teachers in the high school. We can attract teachers who are capable of teaching AND demonstrating good citizenship. Maybe by the time my kids are high school age Mount Si will actually be an option.
To the person who said "good riddance" to Kit you are so naive. I believe Kit taught AP English. Good AP teachers are hard to come by and since our district pays so little money I doubt we will attract good new teachers anytime soon.
Here's hoping your kids only require remedial English classes.
Imagine Hutcherson was famous for saying Mormoms or Catholics or Evangelicals should be beaten with the wet end of a ripped off arm and then decide if he would be okay to speak to children.
Imagine Hutcherson was famous for saying black people should be discriminated against.
Even if you are personally against homosexuality and do not support gay rights, you should be against a speaker who is so well known for hate speech.
You can be against gay rights and still enlightened enough to understand why Hutcherson was not an appropriate speaker.
I support all students including gay ones and want schools to be safe and welcoming for them. Even if I did not though, I would be able to understand the subtle nuances that are at issue here.
A lot of great teachers are going to leave this district because of the way Kit was treated. I think she did something wonderful but even if she did not, and her actions were wrong it was one moment in her career. She is a revered teacher. Who else has not ever made a mistake? (I still think she did not error but I am being hypothetical.)
Are you so controlling that teachers are going to have to walk around like beaten dogs afraid to make mistakes? Do we really want that kind of environment?
Aren't our children smart enough to know what their families stand for without having to have their parents control all the dialogue?
Will you follow your children to college and try to get professors fired if you do not agree with what they say?
"We can attract teachers who are capable of teaching AND demonstrating good citizenship."
Kit McCormick's actions at the MLK assembly DID demonstrate good citizenship!
As a student that attended the assembly nearby... I have to say that the interuption was completely inappropriate.
Yes... he stands firmly against Gay rights. Does that justify all of this drama?
"Yes... he stands firmly against Gay rights. Does that justify all of this drama?"
Stands firmly against gay rights? That's an interesting way of characterizing a man, who is involved with a known anti-gay hate group - which advocates violence against gays, who himself frequently engages in violent anti-gay rhetoric and who has lead two campaigns to try and make it legal to deny someone employment or housing becuase they are gay. Seems to me a more accurate term is anti-gay bigot.
As for "all this drama", the only thing that any gay rights supporters did was boo the bigot and ask him a question AFTER his speech(not interrupting him). Seems to me that the vast majority of "all this drama" has been instigated by Hutcherson and his useful idiots at CoDE. They were the one's running before every TV camera and media outlet they could find decrying the horror of Hutcherson being called out on his bigotry. They were the one's sending out open letters attacking LGBT students over the day of silence and laying the blame of any anti-gay discrimination at MSHS at the feel of said LGBT students.
Seems to me that "all this drama" is amlost entirely the result of Huchterson's endless attenion whoring, and no it isn't justified.
Lovely to see a student act out the concern I have as a parent of children at the high school. The normative verbal violence against the civil rights of the students who are the tiniest bit different is worse than it was 30 years ago in my high school.
I have watched my children come home disturbed by the way kids of other races, religions, sexual orientation or even political ideology are treated by their peers. And it is appalling. My kids are finding their own way to negotiate an uncomfortable life of watching discrimination and bullying. They experience their own distress at being unable to stop harassment without bringing retribution down on their own heads and yet clearly separate themselves from the violence being dished out around them. These are lessons I didn't wish for my kids, but important life lessons none the less.
When I first moved to this district I thought that it was a small minority that imposed a religious right code of intolerance on our school. I now see that that is a standard that the community at large is accepting. A reality I am having a hard time accepting but a sad sad thing.
...small minority that imposed a religious right code of intolerance on our school. I now see that that is a standard that the community at large is accepting.
Has it ever occurred to any of you that the larger body of citizens in this community just want their children to get an education? And not have any teacher teach any opinion or agenda. School is for learning facts. When all this crap is put aside then lets watch the WASL scores go up. As for harassment, it needs to stop. If the schools had a no tolerance policy with swift and severe consequences then we could get back to the business of ABC...
It's funny when something doesn't go your way you automatically use insults and call anyone who cares about their kids education a 'religous zealot'. I think it's time you come up with something new to call us, that one is getting old.
I would rather not have a teacher, teaching my kids, that feels her political and sexual views need to be forced on our kids. So if someone were to 'google' Mt Si HS and find that is not acceptable, that is a good thing, not a bad thing!
I believe the increase in the WASL scores has to do with the JR. high our kids are coming from vs. the high school. Our kids, both took WASL in ninth grade and passed both reading and writing at almost perfect scores, it had nothing to do with the teacher who chose to leave the district.
Who put the nickel in the haters?
I must say though, that their complete disappearance from the scene post DOS, proves that CoDE was in reality nothing more than another anti-gay hate group.
JC, that is funny! This blog post DOS and the exit of McCormick apparently also has nothing to say outside of the narrow discussion topics of homosexual issues. I guess it is also guilty of the same issue you assign to CoDE.
Mount Si Parents, prove yourself to be more than a one trick pony. Why not talk about the review of the school newspaper by Principal Taylor or other issues. Could it be that you only are pushing a one issue agenda?!?!
So sorry my cowardly, anonymous CoDE friend, but this website has posted on FAR more topics then CoDE has campaigned on. Furthermore this site has sought to ensure EVERYONE enjoys equal rights, whereas CoDE sought to deny rights to a specific sub-set of students, who don't follow their narrow religious views.
JC,
Sorry but the proof is in the pudding. It is 2/23/2009. Last blog post was 8/18/2008. That is over 6 months, no post.
THAT is the definition of a dead blog. MtSiParents is dead! Long live MtSiParents!
Good riddance!
And when was the last we heard from the bigot brigade at the Coaltion to defend education? Seems that org is dead dead dead as well. I guess they really were just attacking gay students to assuage Hutcherson's massive ego.
So we are yet again coming up on the annual Day of Silence and nary a peep out of the bigot brigade over at the seemingly defunct Coalition to "Defend" Education. Looks like the whole hullabaloo over the DoS last year, if not the ENTIRE reason for the formation of CodE was retribution for Huchterson being called out on his anti-gay bigotry. Quelle Surprise!
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