This September shot of Central was at hand tonight to illustrate the story below.
Students in the Albany schools will get an extra day off at the end of their Christmas vacation. The board of Greater Albany Public Schools decided this during its 26-minute special meeting on Thursday night.
Cruising around YouTube late on Thursday, I happened to notice the school district’s video recording of the meeting earlier in the evening. Curiosity prompted me to open the video, and after a few tries this actually worked. (The first few times, the link on the GAPS video mysteriously opened up an episode of Tucker Carlson on Fox News instead.)
I don’t normally report on school board meetings. But with child care being a problem for some families when the public schools take an unscheduled holiday, it would not hurt to alert you to this one in plenty of time.
Superintendent Rob Saxton recommended, and the board unanimously approved, a change on the school calendar so as to cancel classes on Monday, Jan. 3.
This will be counted as a teacher work day but without students. Schools that day are expected to schedule staff meetings no longer than one hour in length, Saxton said.
The district’s winter break is from Dec. 20 to 31. The board’s brief discussion suggested that the additional day without students is intended to recognize the hard work in difficult circumstances that teachers and other school staff have been doing during the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the GAPS calendar, there are three more weekdays in January when students are not in class: Jan. 17, 28 and 31. (hh)
The school board and Superintended Saxton, right, as they looked on the GAPS YouTube video.
You have to love the author of this screed. In a tactic not dissimilar to the antics of misdirection used regularly on NewsMax, OAN and FAUX News, the writer alludes to what could be a conspiracy, the nature of which – like most conspiracies – is never made clear, nor precise….more a suggestion designed to create doubt and mistrust.
He pens: “(The first few times, the link on the GAPS video mysteriously opened up an episode of Tucker Carlson on Fox News instead.)”. What this likely shows is that the author was busily lapping-up Tucker Carlson gibberish, clicking the “Back” button on his computer rather that the actual GAPS link.
With the Gates of Misdirection now swung wide open, the author proceeds to conflate Tucker Carlson-gate with actions taken by the Albany School Board. The author intimates – teachers already have enough days off at Christmas Break. In the author’s estimation, purposefully not stated with any real clarity, the school board is being overly generous.
Then, the denouement: without saying so explicitly, the author indirectly vilifies the school board, teachers and others connected to the education of Albany youth when he alludes to the rest of the January school calendar which, if you read between the writer’s lines, is, in his opinion, a languid schedule certain to lead to educational demise and the general dumbing-down of Albany’s future.
There was a time when accusers made hard, defined accusations and stood by them. Now, with articles such as this one, we see the shallow triumph of oblique attack. When the facts evade you, simply deflect, deride and dumb-down. A pathetic tactic, but one all too common these days.
You obviously have no idea who the author is of this “screed.” Hasso Hering was a newspaper editor for over 45 years and is about the furthest thing you’ll find from a conspiracy theorist. I do like how you deride him as such and being “typical” of the ilk when you yourself fall back on the typical left response with terms like “Faux News” and always assigning anything other than left leaning talking heads as illegitimate. Your talking points argument is neither new or pithy.
Pithiness is next to godliness. If you think that because someone was “an editor for 45 years” is insurance against conspiracist thinking/writing, then you never heard of William Randolph Hearst.
And we do know FAUX News is just that … now that we’ve seen the duplicitous hypocrisy of the FAUX News leading lights…Ingraham, Kilmeade and the lot. Never mind Donny Trump Junior. Your favorite conservative, Liz Cheney quoted their words aloud. I don’t know about you, but if I were an exalted, legendary editor of 45 years, I would be embarrassed to be put in the same league with the FAUX hypocrits.
Probably based upon HH’s previous browsing history. So yes I would say typical.
And gross. And Faux. And…..
Baseless speculation.
RE
Or,
JH is chumming to see who reacts and how. After looking thru the posts by his several aliases, he seems to be a prankster who shields his core beliefs.
Rock on JH
Interesting conclusion about core beliefs. Maybe his disdain for bicyclists was invented just for Hasso’s benefit. My guess on the alias count is around ten, over a long period of time. I do find it a bit annoying that he comes across as being on my side of the aisle.
Not a fan, evidently.
I think letting the teachers have another holiday is great. They must be hand in hand with the longshoreman’s union when it comes to paid holidays. Oh, excuse me. They have to show up for an hour.
Try teaching a bunch of masked middle schoolers for a week, or even a day, while wearing a mask yourself.
You mean like most everyone else has to wear a mask to do their jobs because of our wonderful governor? A better idea would be to realize that Covid variants aren’t going away and we just need to get on with our lives without masks regardless of vaccination/booster status.
“This will be counted as a teacher work day but without students. Schools that day are expected to schedule staff meetings no longer than one hour in length, Saxton said.
The district’s winter break is from Dec. 20 to 31. The board’s brief discussion suggested that the additional day without students is intended to recognize the hard work in difficult circumstances that teachers and other school staff have been doing during the coronavirus pandemic.”
Seriously? How generous (sarcasm). How ’bout you just give them a paid day off, or better yet…reimburse them for the cost of school supply. Or how about a nice cash bonus.
I have been a retired elementary teacher for 20+ years. I worked in a school district in
Idaho which had tremendous growth which taxes to pay teachers could not keep up.
Due to that salaries were low compared to most school districts. What I did have is
support by district administrators and parents. The students came from most homes where they were cared for and encouraged to do well. Yes, the pay was low, but I was fortunate to have a husband who had a well paying job. My classroom was a second home, and my students were mine. By the end of the school year I was exhausted, but my heart was full. The children gave me much more than I gave them.
I cannot begin to imagine how difficult it is for teachers at this time. Parents not being
allowed to help in the classroom and having to have conferences over the computer. To me teaching is about being together in person. Interaction is much more successful when you can see another’s face. Children are sad and afraid. Parents are afraid, angry,
and sad. Teachers are doing what they can which must seem an uphill battle. They are exhausted and possibly discouraged. What they do not need is a community that tells them a few extra days for planning is wrong. If you have not walked in their shoes, maybe you don’t know enough to criticize.
Merry Christmas Hasso. Your blog is a pleasure to read.