Good Morning,
Im…read moresure some of you have been informed that I will be visiting some classrooms in January at The Rhodes School, please do not be alarmed and please do not let Mr. Thad Gittens or his protégé Mr. William Davis fool you into believing that this is anything other than a professional visit. Mr. Gittens aim is to keep me as far away from the school by giving me just 15 minutes in 1 class to in attempt to show me the power he is able to exercise by law and keep the transparency to a minimum. I have told him that it's easier just to stay on top of his job than to hide behind policy rather than acting like he is supporting me. If the law didn't mandate certain things to be necessary or accessible to parents, The Rhodes School would not do those things either. I know all of you teachers need your jobs at TRS even if it is just for a season whether to get fully state certified, financial reasons, work experience, and/ or the like. My aim for coming is to observe more of The Rhodes School operation, specifically how my children are learning in the classroom and to make senior leadership do what they are paid to do because they have not been consistent, non-accountable to conscious parents, reactive, and utterly unprofessional unless they are on the defense. Im coming for a visit because it is my right as a parent to visit my children's classroom and on behalf of other parents that are not satisfied for reasons that are professional, legitimate, and similar to mine. There is no leadership accountability at The Rhodes School, just teacher accountability. They will hold you accountable, but they won't hold themselves accountable to inform all of you of you their policies and your responsibilities to you at The Rhodes School.
I have high hopes and high expectations for my children just like some of you do for your children so it should automatically be expected this school should provide you all you resources you need in order to teach and just because it's a predominately black school does not mean I/we deserve any less. When I eat out at a white establishment, I don't expect any less of service than I would at a black establishment. Likewise, when my children attend a black charter school, I don't expect any less their either. I should not have repeatedly ask questions like:
1. Why isn't the phone being answered
2. Why does it take more than 3 days for teachers to respond to emails? Or why are teachers responding to emails the following week about academics or curriculum?
3. What curriculum are my children working on?
4. How did they do on the CBA?
5. Why grades are not updated daily or every 2 days? Not monthly!
6. Why are my children's teachers changing again or why wasn't it notified?
7. Why am I encouraged by leadership to cc the principal when I need something from teachers?
8. Why is fine arts equipment (music) still missing if this is a fine arts school?
9. Why don't leadership's children attend The Rhodes School?
All these questions are questions that I asked just last year, some more and some less. I'm not a rebel without a cause, I am a concerned parent. If my own children didn't go here, none of you would know who I am. However, I have a vested interest in this school only because my children have to go here, for the time being. The Rhodes School leadership has been more reactive than proactive so in order to save face, they are trying to make things difficult for me to obtain information, but it wont stop me. I will keep going. Every parent has a responsibility to ensure this school is held accountable for what they are promising. I apologize in advance to the teachers for the blame you may receive, I know TRS probably didn't properly fully educate and train you. The school is running damage control because they see I'm willing to write, not because the things that I am asking for is the parents right. I want to caution you not to let them scare you or take on the unprofessional stance and attitude of the senior leadership at The Rhodes School, I'm doing my job as a parent and as a man. Most black men don't stand up for anything anyway unless it's about money or their job, nonetheless do black men know what's going on with their children educationally. In the meantime, thank you for teaching my children. I am grateful to all of you.