Tisha’s Comments To The BOE on BTC

Several parents attended the 11/17/2022 BOE Meeting to express their concerns about the impact the District’s new model is having on their children’s learning experience. Tisha Mannino has shared her comments with BHCW for publication.

At the end of Tisha’s article is a survey BHCW is offering Berkeley Heights parents as a means of informing the District on parental opinions concerning BTC as Dr. Varley refused to survey parents on this issue.

Hello.  My name is Tisha Mannino and I have a daughter at GL and a son at Columbia.  I’d like to implore the district to reconsider the use of BTC at the high school level for several reasons.

1. High school grades matter and suddenly pulling the rug out from under students who have learned how to learn under the traditional method at a time when their grades are paramount if they are college bound is cruel
   
2. Implementation has been all over the place.  Some teachers allow for grade improvement, most do not.  Some teachers provide notes in google classroom, many do not or it is very sporadic.  Asking kids to skip lunch or their study hall to see the teacher is too much.  Math is not their only subject and the human mind actually does need time to relax and reflect.
   
3. We already had a learning gap due to COVID and now we are increasing that gap due to the spotty implementation of this method.  Not all teachers are great at thin slicing the material to help those kids that are struggling.  And this is not a dig at the teachers.  Just as some kids learn differently, some teachers have different teaching styles.  Forcing one method on them is ridiculous and insulting.  They are the professionals in their field. 
   
4. As was clear from the video shown at the BTC parent night, the classrooms are loud and chaotic.  This was even pointed out by that award winning teacher.  First, that school is a specialized school that you have to test into.  I do not think those kids represent most.  In addition, that kind of noise and chaos is a horrible environment for any kid with processing issues, sensory issues, ADD, ADHD or even for shy individuals.  And there is no room in this model for modifications.  Just in case you didn’t think it through, placing a child in the hallway at the window is not a modification or accommodation;  A) you are singling out a kid with a learning disability and putting a spotlight on that disability and b) I highly doubt that hallways are quieter and less distracting.  I am horrified that anyone could even make this suggestion out loud. 
   

Dr. Varley, I am begging you to pull back on this implementation at the high school level for real, not with lip service of a hybrid model that adds a couple of minutes to note taking and consolidation.   These kids need to be taught the fundamentals in the higher level maths like algebra, calculus and trigonometry, rather than wasting time floundering about, trying to teach themselves.  Thank you for your time. 

Survey for Berkeley Heights Parents on BTC

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