Local Teacher Speaks Up

Kelly Hadfield, a 2nd grade teacher at the Van
Holten Primary school in Bridgewater reads from
a prepared text at the April 10th, 2012 meeting
of the BR-BOE meeting. 

As promised in my blog post of May 1st, I am presenting the full text of comments made by Kelly Hadfield, a second grade teacher at the Van Holten Primary School in Bridgewater. 

She conveyed her thoughts to the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional Board of Education during one of the public comment periods afforded by the agenda that evening.  Also, as promised, they are being shown without commentary on my part. 

Ms. Hadfield began as follows:

“I’m going to start off by saying I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was 7 years old.  I have not and will never regret my decision and choice to become a New Jersey public school teacher.
 
However, never once did I think a teacher would have to put up with so much insensitivity and disrespect from people who claim to have the children’s needs first.

I am going to give you a quick peek inside Van Holten School (however I’m sure what goes on at our school would be the same for any BR school).  You could drive up to the school parking lot at 7 am and there will be teachers there working on the upcoming day’s activities, inputting data, grading assessments, and creating differentiated activities for their students. 
 

Board members Daniel Petrozelli, Jeffrey
Brookner, Lynne Hurley and Assistant
Superintendent Cheryl Dyer listen to Kelly
Hadfield's comments to the school board.

You could drive up at 6 pm and there would still be teachers there working on the following days activities, photocopying homework, tests, quizzes, inputting even more data, grading even more assessments and thinking up creative fun ways to get their students involved in the learning. 
 
Preps are being used to the fullest and lunches are now being turned into work lunches.  We collaborate on our own time; we bring stacks of papers home.  We type out lesson plans; we document and reflect on happenings during the day. 
 
We work hard every day to help our students become successful.  To make our students feel good about themselves and what they have accomplished.  To make them feel special and loved.
 
This year I have, and every other 2^nd grade teacher, have 24 second graders crammed into a room which can not comfortably fit them.  My students can no longer sit on the carpet together during morning meetings, a time where they get to work on team building and classroom respect.  We just can’t fit. 
 
With the growing number of students in our classrooms, the number of students with needs also increase.  Individualized or small group instruction is essential in order to help students grasp the material being taught and to help them become more independent learners. 
 
It now has become a juggling act, which has caused stress which can not be beneficial to a classroom environment.
 

Evan Lerner and Patrick Breslin, President and
Vice-President, respectively, listen intently to
Kelly Hadfield's comments concerning her job
as a teacher.

However certain individuals or groups are making my teaching and the teaching of my fellow educators less and less effective.  You have spread us thin.  You are pulling us in so many different directions our heads are spinning.  You want us to do more, but don’t provide us with thorough training.  We are on our own.  We don’t get a thank you. 
 
In the 6 years in this district I don’t believe I have seen one of you wandering our hallways during the school day.  Not one of you popping into our classrooms, asking us questions and being interested in all the great things that are going on in our schools.  In YOUR schools.  Not asking us how you can help.
 
The board needs to realize how extremely lucky you are to have schools filled with such intelligent, creative, dedicated and loving educators. 
 
You need to start treating us with the respect we deserve.  You need to start becoming a part of the education process instead of making decisions and judgments from the sidelines. 
 
I welcome you to take an hour and visit our schools, talk to the parents, talk to the teachers.  Open your mind up to the fact that we both want the same thing.  We want a district filled with independent, confident and most importantly happy students.
 
Thank you.”
 
Thanks for reading, and have a good weekend. A reminder: This is the weekend of the VNA Rummage Sale in Far Hills.

(Click on any image for an enhanced view.)