There seems to be a rumor floating around out there that I am in trouble.
The rumor has it that the CMSD administration has docked my pay, reprimanded, and censored me for my weblog, since the story written by Chris Seper came out in the Plain Dealer.
Well folks, I'm still here.
In fact,the exact opposite is true.
Last week, I recieved a very supportive letter from Barbara Byrd-Bennett,the Cleveland Municipal School District's CEO, encouraging me to "keep on blogging!".
Friday, after my radio interview on WMJI, John Eby, the director of Fine Arts in the district laughingly told me, "you will get fired if you ever STOP blogging."
Yesterday, the district administration gave Brian McIntyre permission to come to the school and film a segment about me and my weblog for the Ohio News Network on cable channel 70.
So now you know....but now I'm curious. Where DID that rumor come from?
About Me
- marybeth
- Since 1987, I've taught high school in the inner-city public schools of Cleveland, Ohio. The Cleveland Municipal School District is a system fraught with the challenges inherent to a large district and an impoverished city. I am publishing this journal in response to those who are quick to criticize "those lazy, greedy, teachers". I offer you a glimpse into my world. I have always been a student of behavior. As a child, I would tame wild creatures and befriend strays. When I grew up, my natural empathy helped me become adept at observing, understanding and predicting human behavior, as well as discovering and studying what inspires and motivates people. Especially fascinating, are relationships; who we choose to associate with, and why; how we interact with one another, and how we affect each others lives.
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2 comments:
I'm also anxious to hear who started the rumor. Maybe it was that person that commented back in April after your article in the PD came out that they thought you would be fired if you were black? At any rate, congratulations on your invitation to be on the Ohio News Channel. Please post it on your blog ahead of time so people know when to watch!
Shalom Mary Beth,
I was sitting in Arabica on Lee yesterday morning when a friend raised the issue with me. She wasn’t sure where she’d heard story, but thought she might have read it in Regina Brett’s column. George Nemeth happened to be online at the time and I IM’d him to ask if he heard anything. George told me no, and we both agreed that if there was any truth to the story that it was time for some blogger action. I told George I’d look into it and get back to him. I sent you the email you should have gotten yesterday and then did a little online search.
What I turned up was a one line mention in Regina Brett’s 13 April Plain Dealer column:
Few teachers will let me publish their names. After I wrote about Collinwood High School, the teacher who invited me got a written reprimand. After I wrote about vandalism at Glenville, the district demanded the names of all the tradesmen and threatened their jobs.
That got an aha! from me. My friend had seen the line and associated the only teacher/blogger name she knew, you, with the unnamed Collinwood High teacher.
About the time I found that and was writing a note to George, he IM’d me back to say he had talked to you on the phone and that you’d put the rumor to rest.
Don’t you just love the Internet?
B’shalom,
Jeff
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