February 9, 2006

ValleyViewpoints

Faculty responds to article about Los Alamitos teacher

Editor,
In the past, it has always been a pleasure to read the local news in the Almaden Times, in particular, “School Scene,” which is noted for promoting positive and encouraging news about Almaden schools, teachers and students. However, it was devastating to read the article, “When a teacher gets a failing grade: Parents outraged with district’s tenure policy” in the Jan. 6 issue!

The administration and faculty at Los Alamitos were deeply disappointed and outraged at how negatively our fine school was represented! It was shocking to see a teacher be singled out in such hurtful way! Let it be said that the faculty at Los Alamitos values Maureen Hansen as a seasoned colleague and highly respected member of our teaching team!

We feel the Almaden Times was extremely irresponsible in publishing this article. Isn’t the purpose of the paper to report the news in an unbiased yet informative manner? What message does this send to new teachers just entering the profession? What right does one have to imply that a teacher “simply falls short of the standards and curriculum” that have become a Los Alamitos trademark?

Los Alamitos is a dynamic Blue Ribbon School! This Blue Ribbon status was achieved through the commitment and cooperation of all the teachers, parents, volunteers and students at Los Alamitos. Los Alamitos provides successful programs such as the Reading Lab, Cross-Age Tutoring, Art Vista, Science and music in addition to our intense and comprehensive classroom curriculum.

Los Alamitos also prides itself in teaching modeling and promoting “Lifeskills.” This highly effective program helps teach students of all ages the value of character building. Not only are they given numerous examples of what the skills look like, they acquire vocabulary such as friendship, caring, effort, perseverance, patience, initiative, problem solving, flexibility, common sense and integrity.

Isn’t our responsibility as parents and teachers to model these skills daily for our children and students? What sort of message and example has been set by the recent events and actions at our school and in the Almaden Times? Again, we are saddened by what has transpired recently. It goes against everything we are trying to teach and instill in our students.

Finally, the Los Alamitos administration and faculty would like to clear up the rumors and negative publicity that we feel have tarnished our reputation and beloved school. We truly value and appreciate the parents and students of Los Alamitos! We value the community that embraces and envelops us in their everyday lives. All we really want is to renew the positive energy that has always pulsed through Los Alamitos.

The Los Alamitos faculty

A parent’s perspective

Editor,
Your Jan. 5 article, “When a teacher gets a failing grade: Parents outraged with district’s tenure policy,” aptly described a road that neither parent nor teacher would ever wish to travel—that of an adjustment period experienced during the first few months in the school year.

While most children find it difficult to get their heads back in the game after summer vacation, the story accurately and in fairness to all parties involved described both the concerns of many parents at Los Alamitos, and the plight of a sincere and experienced teacher returning to mainstream teaching.

Since the beginning of the school year, there has been a great deal of finger pointing in every permutation and combination possible involving parents and teachers. Have we lost sight of the big picture?

Parents bring children into this world with the sole responsibility being that of providing the best life has to offer. Teachers follow their hearts with their sole responsibility being that of providing the best life has to offer. This accurately describes all who are involved at Los Alamitos. This is a community within a community in Almaden Valley who, each year, provides the best life has to offer to hundreds of children. This picture has yet to change at Los Alamitos. Perhaps it is this level of compassion toward the children of Los Alamitos that has escalated this situation to the degree it has.

Los Alamitos is a superior school within SJUSD. The teaching and administrative staff continue to be of the highest quality, parent support and involvement continues to be of high commitment, and students continue to flourish and learn. Life in and of itself provides many bumps in the road.

While this school has crossed that bumpy path in the beginning of the school year, many significant successful changes have been implemented in Mrs. Hansen’s classroom. As your writer so accurately predicted, “time has played a key role.” This did not come about easily for anyone involved. The children are learning to view fifth grade as the final steppingstone toward middle school, and, as of this writing, are taking ownership of their learning abilities.

Parents understand that they have a more significant role in their children’s education and may have to take more aggressive steps to ensure their success. Teachers may have to cross an uncomfortable path of understanding their impact on the children of a passionate group of parents balanced with their loyalty to a powerful teacher’s union and the associated rights.

SJUSD fell short in several areas. In fairness to the teacher involved, Mrs. Hansen was placed in an environment without all necessary training to bring her up to speed with many of the standard curriculum programs. She bravely stepped into a classroom environment after having been away from a mainstream classroom for years, particularly one in an open setting.

Her experience provided her with the ability to weather the storm of the first half of the year, and forge ahead. She was “the new kid on the block” and, no matter what, that always has its own set of repercussions. Therefore, she learned a difficult and painful lesson in changing her teaching style, another key observation in your article. In addition, classroom assignments were determined by a previous part-time administration, while the current new administration and teaching staff was held accountable.

District representatives were misleading in their remarks relative to suggestions of available options (i.e. transferring to other schools), students rights (albeit quantifiable rights), and district responsibilities toward “offering a class and a teacher.”

Where does this leave us? Well, it’s given a small corner of Almaden something to talk about over morning coffee. Children are caught in the crossfire during an extremely critical year as they transition to middle school. Parents have taken it upon themselves to micromanage their children’s education. A few families have left Los Alamitos entirely, all to the financial benefit of private schools. The accused teacher has endured a stressful year and has had to be on the defense. Good relationships between former teachers and parents have been marred. Longtime friendships have become divided over this issue. This all could have been avoided had SJUSD stepped up to the plate in the beginning and put a game plan in place that made sense instead of putting all involved in a reactive mode.

My hope is that all the responsible adults involved will learn to work and play well with others, as our children have been doing all along. Perhaps we all need to learn our lessons on the Los Alamitos playground and brush up on OUR lifeskills.

Name witheld upon request
Los Alamitos parent

Why haven’t banks alerted customers, media about rash of ATM identity thefts?

Editor,
I am a resident of Almaden Valley and have a serious concern that I hope you can bring to the attention of your readers.

My neighbor received a phone call from Wells Fargo Bank asking her about some unusual activity on her ATM card. After an investigation they found out that the number was being used in Spain. The card has never been out of her possession. These were not phone or Internet orders. HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN?

I went with her to the bank and one of the tellers said that she was about the 15th person he had heard of in the past two days with identity theft problems. This was the Almaden branch of Wells Fargo. The problem was solved and she got her money back right away.

While I was at the beauty salon (Hairs Inn) I was sharing this story and the stylist said that so many people have told her the same thing. I was the fifth person to tell her the same story.

Believe it or not, while I was shopping at P.W. supermarket on Via Valiente, the lady in front of me was using her ATM. card and the checker had mentioned that he had at least 35 people tell him that they had the same problem. She mentioned that the problem involved Washington Mutual and a credit union. So it is a widespread problem and not limited to one bank.

I wonder why the banks aren’t telling their customers or the media about this.

Judy Ugenti
Almaden Valley

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