Teachers' Strike Day 3

One thing I do like about this strike is that we can all sleep until 7:00 AM. We usually have to be up by about 6:30 to get Hummingbird on the school bus. So, we've just had breakfast, and I'll be printing out worksheets in a minute. I just did an email check before we get going. There was an "update" from Hummingbird's principal. The update was there's no news on when this will be settled. Mr. Netterstrom is a pretty high profile principal in the city because his school is a new classical school with accelerated learning, and he is taking it to the forefront of many of the changes the mayor wants. They did a longer school day last year, which was even longer than this year. He has had full choice in hiring teachers with no requirements to draw from a laid off pool. The staff at the school are fabulous, and I really think it is a great model for others to imitate. Here's a what Mr. Netterstrom thinks about principals' right to choose their own teachers without restrictions.

“It’s just like holding a coach accountable for a team’s results. They create the team. They create the culture. They create who’s the best fit,” the mayor said. Ethan Netterstrom, principal at Skinner North, couldn’t agree more. “I was very blessed to open up the school four years ago and I got to hire every single staff member who works for me. And that’s really made all the difference in our school in building a climate and a culture that’s been very positive and has had really good academic and social results,” Netterstrom said.  Read more...

 Here's to a good day of learning and hoping for a return to school!