Rants and Raves

Negotiations And Shadows

What we love and loathe about living in East Greenwich this week.

RANT: My life is all about negotiation right now. I live with a teen and a pre-teen. ‘Nuff said. So I get that the teachers' union and School Committee are about to enter so tough discussions. One suggestion though – we try and do the  Oprah and Dr Phil talk: “I feel that when teacher appointments are based on seniority and not performance that you are limiting principals’ and administrators’ control over who gets placed in their schools and that makes me feel powerless.” “When seniority is not considered as a criteria for teacher appointment, you don’t appreciate my expertise and experience and that makes me feel bad and scared.” I am not sure if it helps us solve anything more quickly, but it does make us feel like Charlie Sheen might …

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School Dept. Decries Union’s Refusal To Negotiate

The teachers union cites failure of the schools to notify about negotiating a new contract, paving the way for a one-year contract extension.

Before contract negotiations have even begun on a new teachers contract — the existing one expires July 30 — the two sides are at loggerheads over the breach of a clause in the contract that the union says extends their contract one year. According to Supt. Victor Mercurio, union officials told him earlier this month that since they were not notified in writing about the school department’s desire to negotiate a new contract, the existing contract would be renewed for an additional year. Although that language does exist in the contract between the teachers and the school department, that is not how school officials see it. “We were surprised and disappointed,” said School Committee Chair Deidre Gifford. “There’s no reason why they can’t …

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Bob Houghtaling

Brainyball: How A 4th Grade Teacher Was Way Ahead Of Her Time

Bob Houghtaling remembers Janet E. MacLaughlan.

Less than an hour before my wedding I received a call from an old friend who broke the news that Janet E. MacLaughlan had passed away. Miss MacLaughlan was my fourth grade teacher and had a significant influence on the attitudes I’d develop towards school as well as myself.   The world was a different place back in 1963 and 1964. Politics, war, innovation, social norms, medical advances, religion, philosophy, etc., all merged to create a zeitgeist for the period. So it was then. So it is now. Back then the United States and Russia were involved in a "Cold War," the Beatles had just hit the scene and astronauts were the equivalent of the most popular sports stars. A clash of cultures was emerging. Ten-year-old kids, like myself, were trying…

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