Rigoberto Ruelas Case: Would Seeing A Mediocre Job Evaluation On A Public Website Send You Over The Edge?

• YEAH TRACY 2BAD YOU'R JUST SO HURT IT WAS'NT YOU WHO GETS ANY ATTENTION IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'R SO YELOUS OF THIS TEACHER JUST B-CUZ IT'S SO HARD 2 HIDE U'R FEELENGS U'R BLAMIN PEOPLE WHO R CARED UN LIKE YOU I BET U'RJUST A LIL PIECE OF TRASH LYIN AROUND WATIN 2 GET PICKED UP N BE RCYCLED...WELL I HOPE U TAKE DOSE WORDS BACK...CUZ IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'R A TOTAL LOOSER...SO IF YOU DON'T WANNA GET DISS KEEP YOU'R MOUTH SHUT AND STOP MESSIN WITH OTHER PEOPLE N MIND U'R OWN BUISNESS OK CUZ WEN I JUST FINISHED READIN YOU'R STORY I FELT LIKE LAFIN AT U'R FACE... BUT I DON'T MESS WITH LITTLE KIDS SO KEEP WORKIN ON U'R STORY CUZ IT'S GOT 2 MANY MISTAKES I GIVE A -0 CUZ U REALY SUCK...DAMN U GOT A HORRIBLE LIFE DON'T YOU WELL KEEP WORKIN ON YOU'R LIFE IN A GOOD WAY AND QUIT BEEN JELOUS...SO YEAH IGNORIN DAT.... .............I SEND MILLION WAZ UPS 2 MR.RUELAS.........................ALWAYS AND 4EVER...=')...

• Its funny to say what you are saying about his opitions of being able to quit or chosen to improve. As a matter of fact you didn't know him the way his students knew him. Personally i was his student and he was a great teacher, he was supportive in every way and always put his students first to give them the best education. Yes he was hurt because out of all the things they said in the newspaper but for the years he was teaching he probably did recieve complains but a teacher can do just so little for their students to learn. A teacher can never force a student to learn.

• Tracey, Even though I might be re-covering ground that others have covered, socio-economic situations and parent involvement, along with how much work a student actually puts into school are the primary supports of a good education. A good teacher cannot be evaluated based upon his/her students' test scores, because that information is already flawed, due to the outside influences students have in their lives. I'm sure the young people you interview are lacking in many basic skills. That is because the educational system in this country is now standardized-test-focused, and teachers are having to teach test-taking strategies, and teach information that will be covered on a test, and NOT teaching in ways that encourage students to become inquisitive, lifelong learners. Also, you made a point about teacher "tenure." California teachers gave up "tenure" over eleven years ago, in place of due process. It is not impossible to dismiss a teacher, but it does require a school and a district to be diligent with their paperwork and follow-up on any issues that arise with any teacher they feel needs to be no longer teaching. I'm a middle-school teacher in a lower-performing school district. My kids are great, but have to deal with social pressures (gangs, etc.), both parents working (for those that have both parents, or...even their actual parents), parents that don't speak English, and lists of other issues. I can put on the finest show for the kids on the planet, but that still won't get them to do their work, and if the students' families won't support their getting work done, what are the chances that these children will succeed? Tracey, I would invite you to observe a teacher in any lower-performing school district in the course of his/her job. Watching an educator in action in one of these environments might help you gain a view of teaching that has more depth. This teacher made a difference in many of his students' lives, devoted huge amounts of his own self to these students, and was - in a sense - eviscerated publicly. I also grieve for his family, but I mostly grieve for his students, who will be without a solid, supportive adult in a neighborhood where few young people see adults as positive. Tracey, you should be ashamed of yourself, for such an ill-informed and short-sighted dismissal of another's life.

• Tracey, You are a real fucker with no feelings.

• As a teacher for the LAUSD, who was not on the Los Angeles Times Database, I can state that I was shocked to find some of the best teachers rated poorly. This system is inaccurate and has clearly caused some great teachers to doubt themselves. The Los Angeles Times should take full responsibility for using a flawed system that would clearly drive some teachers to give up and even take their own lives. I taught students in second grade and did really well, followed them to third grade and the raw scores dropped. Later I followed the same group to fifth grade and they improved. I guess, I was a very ineffective 3rd grade teacher and effective in both second and fifth. Shame on the Los Angeles Times! Mr. Ruelas sounds like a super dedicated teacher, who just could not cope with such injustice. My sincerest sympathy to his family. I am grieving, although I have never met him!

• Tracey, So, when do I get my "bloated pension?" I'm sorry, but as the daughter of a 30-year plus teacher, who is certainly NOT receiving a "bloated pension," but one which allows her to live barely a "middle-class" life, I can attest to the fact that this "bloated pension" idea is a complete myth. And, I am still being paid 30-40% less per year but spending AS MUCH TIME in Post-Bachelor's schooling as lawyers and doctors. Pay me a competitive salary- meaning something that compares to other professionals who have similar years in school mandated for their careers- and we can talk about holding teachers accountable for test scores. All this LA Times report is doing is scaring away MORE talented, thoughtful members of society from becoming teachers. And, I am still having a chuckle over the idea of enjoying my "bloated pension." Oh yeah, that's after 30-plus years of teaching your kids AND saving part of my own salary in separate plans to compensate for the shortfall in the CA state system's retirement funds that will probably happen by the time I retire anyway. Do you know ANYTHING that is factual about teachers' salaries? Of course not, you probably read the LA Times.

• The LA Times did not publish anything about the effectiveness of their teaching that the teachers did not already know. They knew the scores of their students and how they compare year to year. What LA times did was to make it public.

• I totally agree with anonymous. Teachers work very hard and where are the parents. Teachers put so much extra time and dedication.

• It takes more than a teacher to educate a child!! Teachers are not miracle workers. Where are the parents? The first five years of a child's life are the most important- so what are they doing? A parent is a child's first teacher. Wow! The parents are teaching them!!! They are teaching them that they are not as important are their appointments, fashion, the salon, their current relationship, and many other important things that parents have to do. Oh, and what about their favorite babysitter- the tv? Do you have any idea how many students walk through the door without even knowing their name? What have the parents been doing? Most of them can't wait for their child to start school, because now they have a free babysitting service for 6 hours a day. Tell me why parents don't know their child is failing before a report card or notice is issued? Tell me why they don't know what their child needs help with? Tell me why the students who are failing have parents are not involved in their education or have not been to the school to meet with the teacher? Let me tell you why- because they have no idea. They don't know because they have no idea what their child is doing in school or what they are learning about. They don't even do homework with them. If my child couldn't do his homework correctly, I would immediately become concerned and talk to the teacher about helping him succeed. So where are the parents? They are not at the doors of the classrooms!! They only come around when the child is failing because they are ready to blame someone. They need to look in the mirror. When a child is put last in the home, one should not wonder why they are not doing well in school. Not to mention that those students who are achieving on grade level are above, have parents who are involved. You see those parents on a daily basis. Sit on a school campus one day and see how many parents visit the classroom. Chances are that if you asked the teacher- the teacher would tell you that the child was doing well and that isn't the parent they need to see. How sad that our society feels that parents no longer need to parent their children-that all the parenting can be left up to the schools. Too bad lattes are more important than a new book. Too bad a movie takes the place of a trip to the museum. What happened to our values? Parents have a responsibility to their children and if they don't want the job, they shouldn't have kids. It is not all fun and games- it takes sacrifice and hard work. You can't just parent when you want to, it's a full-time job. The only one to blame if my child fails is myself, because I didn't invest in him, check his homework, ensure that I was there to help him. You need to read the research articles and statistics about parents who are involved in their child�s education compared to those who are not. I think you may be enlightened.

• It takes more than a teacher to educate a child!! Teachers are not miracle workers. Where are the parents? The first five years of a child's life are the most important- so what are they doing? A parent is a child's first teacher. Wow! The parents are teaching them!!! They are teaching them that they are not as important are their appointments, fashion, the salon, their current relationship, and many other important things that parents have to do. Oh, and what about their favorite babysitter- the tv? Do you have any idea how many students walk through the door without even knowing their name? What have the parents been doing? Most of them can't wait for their child to start school, because now they have a free babysitting service for 6 hours a day. Tell me why parents don't know their child is failing before a report card or notice is issued? Tell me why they don't know what their child needs help with? Tell me why the students who are failing have parents are not involved in their education or have not been to the school to meet with the teacher? Let me tell you why- because they have no idea. They don't know because they have no idea what their child is doing in school or what they are learning about. They don't even do homework with them. If my child couldn't do his homework correctly, I would immediately become concerned and talk to the teacher about helping him succeed. So where are the parents? They are not at the doors of the classrooms!! They only come around when the child is failing because they are ready to blame someone. They need to look in the mirror. When a child is put last in the home, one should not wonder why they are not doing well in school. Not to mention that those students who are achieving on grade level are above, have parents who are involved. You see those parents on a daily basis. Sit on a school campus one day and see how many parents visit the classroom. Chances are that if you asked the teacher- the teacher would tell you that the child was doing well and that isn't the parent they need to see. How sad that our society feels that parents no longer need to parent their children-that all the parenting can be left up to the schools. Too bad lattes are more important than a new book. Too bad a movie takes the place of a trip to the museum. What happened to our values? Parents have a responsibility to their children and if they don't want the job, they shouldn't have kids. It is not all fun and games- it takes sacrifice and hard work. You can't just parent when you want to, it's a full-time job. The only one to blame if my child fails is myself, because I didn't invest in him, check his homework, ensure that I was there to help him. You need to read the research articles and statistics about parents who are involved in their child�s education compared to those who are not. I think you may be enlightened.

• So let me make sure I understand. - It's ok for someone to become a teacher, be paid by the citizens of the state, never have their performance judged, get "tenure" (something originally meant for publishing academics, not for teachers in lower grades, 99% of whom have barely published a letter in a local paper), and receive a bloated pension. - It's OK for a teacher to be a poor performer, turn out students who are barely able to read, write, think critically (I know, I interview them regularly). That kind of performance won't affect a teacher's "mood" because no one, except his or her students and the parents, know about it. - Dare to publish a critique of a teacher's performance and the tiny fraction of teachers whose mental state is so unstable that rather than think "How can I become a top-notch, excellent educator, actually earning my salary and pension?" does something that MAY be linked to the publication of the info, and count on being hounded by the teachers' union. OK ... I think I get it. Frankly, if Rigoberto's personal situation was so fragile that getting criticism for poor performance - and apparently no one ever told him before that he was a poor performer, so shame on the teachers' union and school district - pushed him over the edge, he probably shouldn't have been around children. He should have been in a treatment program somewhere. Amazing that there aren't more suicides then among politicians - guess their egos can handle the daily criticism. And sports figures. And at tens of thousands of private businesses where employees' performance (and employment) are tied to their real measurable performance. If he really DID kill himself over the fact that he was a poor teacher, it says a lot more about his problems than about the LA Times expose of his performance. And guess what? He could have a) Quit or b) chosen to improve. I hope every paper in the country publishes similar info. So teachers' feelings are hurt - too bad. Is that worse than a nation of kids with lousy educational experiences?

• The LA Times publishing of teachers' ratings, which <i>they</i> had made into a formula, didnt do what it attempted to do, as in rate efffectively... although obviously it shamed a good many teachers, angering many, also, including those who fared well by their warped formula... and the LA Times seemed to enjoy that shaming... it oozed out in their coverage, not only of that, but their related pieces which went heavy on promoting the Obama/Duncan education craze (crazy, really a disaster) that is beseiging the nation, especially its teachers and those who care about real education and our public schools. It's a business model and it stinks. I read the evaluation article and the other articles and was aghast... I also read responses from some of the poor 6000 victims/teachers, who could only submit a response as defense, which many folks would never read. Who would go thru those voluminous pages to consider each and every one of them? I was heartsick as I read up to about page 27, about 6 to a page... and had to stop. And that was a mere fraction of all who had been hit by that hit piece. I wonder if Rigoberto's response was in there. I will have to check. This poor soul who took his own life, I blame Obama, Duncan and the mindless army of media enablers, the cheerleading GOP and Dem enablers of this horrendous, rightwing, "fix" for education that is Obama's policy. One of the LAT's articles crowed how Duncan approved of the publishing of teacher ratings, like these. Has anyone seen Duncan's soul? It appears to be lost... Rigoberto, I am so sorry. Teachers, feel this. Care. Fight back!

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