When parents and teachers complained to Hamilton Avenue School Principal Damaris Rau that water was leaking in the modular classrooms she refused to go to a Board Of Education meeting and demand safe and sanitary conditions for the school children and her staff members.
In fact, Ms. Rau, who was the Chief Executive Of Hamilton Avenue School, turned a blind eye to the leaky modular school building costing Greenwich taxpayers millions of dollars.
If Ms. Rau had listened to the Hamilton Avenue School parents and took action Hamilton Avenue School could have avoided many problems.
But Ms. Rau has not learned from her expensive mistakes that has hurt the small children she is entrusted to look out for.
Now Hamilton Avenue School budgetary decisions are being made by Damaris Rau, with no input from the general parent population, but lots of input from the cowed PTA Leadership.
First, Rau is doing away with Spanish for the Kindergarten through Second Grades.
Do you think being bilingual and learning learning a language that uses Latin verbs and nouns might be helpful when these students take the fourth grade CMT tests?
Obviously Hamilton Avenue School Educrat Rau doesn't, she is making Suzuki violin mandatory for all students, K-3.
In a time of limited school funds she wants to take the focus off reading, writing and asthmatic and flush precious tax dollars down the toilet with Suzuki method (スズキ・メソード)
Which is also called Talent Education, mother-tongue method, or Suzuki movement) is an educational philosophy which strives to create "high ability" and "beautiful character" in its students through a nurturing environment. Its primary vehicle for achieving this is music education on a specific instrument (often a violin)
The 'nurture' involved in the movement is modeled on a concept of early childhood education that focuses on factors which violinist Shinichi Suzuki has observed.
Let me tell you about the Suzuki program. This program is not only expensive, but very time consuming for Hamilton Avenue School parents, most of whom work two jobs.
There will be before school parent/child lessons and homework.
This New Age Suzuki Crap was shoved down Hamilton Avenue School parent's throats as a "magnet draw" and no one listened to those that were already there who didn't want it.
Hamilton Avenue School children don't need fancy new age fiddle classes. They need tutoring and remedial help in educational basics so that they can be on par with other children in Greenwich and the rest of the state and nation.
If Principal Rau wants to better integrate Hamilton Avenue School with a so-called "Magnet Draw" then she should set up programs that give struggling students extra help with reading, writing and arithmetic.
The only true magnet draw is higher test scores and smaller classes.
The reality of Suzuki is that maybe one, if any, of our students will go anywhere with it far into their future.
However, Spanish is a life skill these kids need if they wish to be able to succeed in their futures.
If you tell a future employer you are bilingual and you have probably increased your chances of being employed.
Tell a future employer that you have a "beautiful and nurturing character", because you can play twinkle twinkle little star and you will be shown the door.
Damaris Rau has also stopped fighting to cut out real big Magnet Draws "Hamilton Avenue Schools Skating and Swimming programs, which we were promised would remain as a magnet program when the children returned to their finished school (whenever that may be).
Hamilton Avenue parents pretty much all agree and understand that some sacrifices need to be made for the budget and all must make some.
However, Hamilton Avenue School parents believe that Suzuki should go, but want to keep the Spanish skating and swimming programs.
If a choice must be made between skating and swimming, then most Hamilton Avenue School parents think that the swimming program that they currently have is important, because we live in a town that is virtually surrounded by water and dotted with lakes and ponds throughout.
Many of Hamilton Avenue School kids don't have the financial access for private swim lessons, so getting them through our magnet program has been a safety blessing.
If swimming is cut and a Hamilton Avenue School child drowns at Byram beach it will be because Damaris Rau wanted them to learn "Tone has a living soul" by playing twinkle little star, instead of how to swim.
Isn't it bad enough that Damaris Rau has taken the joy out of teaching for Hamilton Avenue School teachers and the joy out of learning for Hamilton Avenue School students?!
The taxpayers of Greenwich in general and the parents Of Hamilton Avenue School in particular should email, call and write to the members of the Greenwich Board Of Education and the Superintendent Betty Sternberg to keep the important programs and do away with a program that will not bring immediate results to Hamilton Avenue School test scores.
Next year Damaris Rau could treat the town's taxpayers to a hundred Hamilton Avenue School children playing twinkle twinkle little star in mass. Or she could proudly announce to the taxpayers that their money was well spent, because her bilingual 4th graders students excelled the CMT tests.
Greenwich Taxpayers Want These Failed School Administrators To Stp Fooling Around And Get Back To Basics. It Is Time To Stop Wasting Money On Rau's "One Fiddle Per Child Program" And Get Test Scores Back Up To Where They Belong.
Instead of taking an expensive fiddle home, wouldn't be better if the Hamilton Avenue School kids took an inexpensive open source laptop home that was loaded with educational software?
Please send your comments to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com
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