FHS teacher Daniel Bradford accuses Pleasanton PTA Council President of teacher bashing Schools & Kids, posted by PTA member, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Feb 9, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Here's what Daniel Bradford wrote:
I've had a belly full of the teacher-bashing that goes on in the Pleasanton Weekly. No, it's not "outside agitators" who are doing the bashing and scapegoating, it's people in our own community, including the head of the Pleasanton PTA among others.
To read his entire posting, please go to the thread entitled "PUSD Board's Moment of Truth."
I hope every PTA member in this community emails Mr. Bradford (dbradford@pleasanton.k12.ca.12) to tell him he didn't bother to check his facts before taking Joan Laursens' comments out of context, and that he owes her a public apology. Also, please email Trevor Knaggs, APT President, and voice a complaint about Bradford's behavior to him too (tknaggs@pleasanton.k12.ca.us).
Posted by whattheheck, a resident of the Downtown neighborhood, on Feb 9, 2010 at 9:09 pm
I am a PTA member and I am ashamed of you bashing this gentleman for posting with his real name. I reread the post 3 times and found that what he said is not that bad. It's his opinion. He is in the thick of things. As a PTA member for many years, like Ms. Lausen, I too did many hours of work VOLUNTEERING and I found on numerous occasions that teachers could be ungrateful and petty. But in my mind despite differences in how things were done at the school sites the purpose of PTA was to work for the goal of our children's success. This woman is a person who cares deeply for the children of this community, like most of us as I'm sure is Mr. Bradford.
Posted by letsgo, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Feb 9, 2010 at 9:29 pm
PTA member - a librarian at a school is a teacher. Maybe if you had paid attention to your school librarian, you would have been able to do the proper research.
Posted by 2togo, a resident of another community, on Feb 9, 2010 at 9:35 pm
I agree totally with letsgo. I am also a PTA member, and think this thread is totally inappropriate. And no I would never use my real name in these threads for this exact reason. Grow up.. PTA member. If you have a personal problem with FHS teacher, take it off line and call him tomorrow at school.
Posted by PTA member, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Feb 9, 2010 at 10:07 pm
lets go
I am aware that a librarian must have a teaching credential. Another poster said Mr. Bradford was not a teacher at FHS. I corrected my post to accurately reflect the title he is known by and holds - librarian.
please! - Unlike Mr. Bradford, I do not complain about people posting anonymously on these blogs. I am in favor of PW offering anonymity so people like you and me can post comments without fear that any who disagree with us will come pounding on our front doors, but will limit their disagreement to this forum. Nor do I take the comments of what is likely a small segment of the community and use those comments to lash out at the entire community.
whattheheck - I am not bashing Daniel Bradford for using his real name, but made the observation that he might now understand why people chose to post anonymously. As others who have provided their names have discovered, there are consequences to doing this.
My complaint with Daniel Bradford is that without checking the facts, he used this forum to accuse the PTA Council President (he didn't name her, but no one had any trouble determining he was referring to Joan) of teacher bashing which is something Joan simply would not do. This is a woman who publicly pleaded for the community to support PUSD teachers and save all their jobs.
My other comment is that Mr. Bradford is behaving no differently than the very posters he has tagged as teacher bashers. He doesn't admit to bashing Joan. I don't deny I am bashing him for his behavior.
Others may read his comments and think his comments represent the attitude of all PUSD teachers just as Mr. Bradford has taken comments made by a few posters and attributed them to the entire community.
Posted by Susan, a member of the Fairlands Elementary School community, on Feb 9, 2010 at 10:36 pm
I am a PTA member and am embarrassed by your comments and approach. You chose to use your membership title as your "name", are you trying to represent all of us?
"I am a PTA member, Mr. Bradford is not" 100% of the teachers at my children's school are PTA members, we are partners in the education of our children. Your choice to publically ostracize a faculty member for expressing his opinion does nothing to understand the message he was expressing. Maybe it was a misinterpretaion of what was printed in the newspaper, words taken out of context, yet you went ahead and started a thread asking the community to email the union about Mr. Bradford? You posted his email?
As a fellow PTA member, you do not represent my point of view at all. This is not a consequence of posting your real name on this site as you pointed out, this was uncalled for.
Posted by FHParent, a resident of the Foothill Knolls neighborhood, on Feb 10, 2010 at 7:51 am
Man.. you all shuold be ashamed of yourself.. and you think you all are in it for the kids.. this is petty and embarrassing. Wake up people everyone has an opinion...you all should get together and just slug it out instead of posting your opinions online...
For all those who say they are PTA members step up and speak up but dont hide behind a ficticious name.. how is that going to help
Posted by Common sense, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Feb 10, 2010 at 8:14 am
This thread is not appropriate. I do not agree with what Daniel said, not in the current thread when he talked about the PTA president, and not in other threads from back in the fall 2009. But he, like you and me, has the right to post his opinions.
He should not be criticized for his opinions and views. Please stop the thread.
Now you see why most of us choose to post anonymously. With kids still in the PUSD schools until this June, I would never give my name because not only would I be criticized, my kids might suffer when their teachers find out something I said and disagree with it.
Just a last comment: I do not know Joan Laursen, but I have heard about her and have watched her speak at board meetings. She is a person who works very hard for the school, the kids, the teachers. She was very involved in measure G (in support of). So here it is from someone who does not know Joan L. personally: for those who criticize her, your criticism is not fair. You might have misunderstood a comment and it is not fair to criticize a community member who is so obviously involved with the schools and cares deeply about the kids, teachers, schools, school district in general.
Posted by MainStreetDiva, a member of the Vintage Hills Elementary School community, on Feb 10, 2010 at 6:47 pm MainStreetDiva is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
Cholo:
Down! Down, boy. Sit. Stay.....
Especially since you've stated on other blogs that you live in Livermore.
Posted by Karen, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Feb 10, 2010 at 7:57 pm
Teachers (including Mr. Bradford), know one another as peers, co-workers and friends - they do not necessarily have insight into what parents see as their children come home from school. These are two different perspectives of the same people. With all due respect to Mr. Bradford, I have 4 kids - all students/graduates of very selective colleges, and I can name teachers (of course I wouldn't) who were absolutely wonderful but also, teachers who were wacky and awful...those are the ones who need to go. I'm sure their fellow teachers did not know everything I knew....I think what we are experiencing here on these boards is not teacher bashing (for there are many terrific teachers in this district) but what is coming out is parents' frustration at having to spend an entire year with a teacher that soooooo many of us want to avoid at all costs. Why can't we recognize this and do something about it??????
As for anonymous posting...I can't imagine feeling free to express myself publicly without being branded with a scarlet letter, if it were not for these boards. Let us hope something fruitful comes out of the free expression we all have here.
Posted by resident, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Feb 11, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Personally I am giving Daniel Bradford and the other teachers posting here a hall pass for some lapses in decorum. While I VEHEMENTLY disagree with the “you rich Pleasanton homeowners should give us more money … What’s it to you” attitude that seems too often come out in the teacher rants, I also recognize that they are on the front lines of a needed, but painful reform process. And many will lose jobs because their union membership will sacrifice them to preserve the seniority protection system and pay status. And it hurts to lose a job, as many of us know.
View in an RSS Reader
E-mail this topic.
Print this topic.
