John Telford's DPS School Reform Plan

**65memories** · September-02-12, 08:46 PM

http://drjohntelford.blogspot.com/20....html?spref=fb

**Hermod** · September-03-12, 05:47 AM

"That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more.
It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing."
MacBeth

**cla1945** · September-03-12, 07:27 AM

John Telford was my English teacher in 1962 at Southeastern High School.

**DetroitTeacher** · September-03-12, 08:02 AM

I read to the Second Goal and stopped. Man, this guy is too wordy! Clear and concise is how he should have presented this. These are goals that the district already has in place [[not sure how well they are working to achieve these goals, but they are there already). What is this guy doing, reinventing the wheel?

BTW, I love the MacBeth quote, Hermod...it so fits here!

**Zacha341** · September-03-12, 08:18 AM

^^^ Good point DT. Goodness, education is one of the areas you can be verbose to some extent. For example a vitae is longer than a standard resume; information re. educational pathways and curriculum by definition are involved, but this is too wordy!

**Wesley Mouch** · September-03-12, 10:03 AM

Fortunately, there's nothing to worry about here. The plan is devoid of meaning.

I withdraw any thoughts that Roberts might be able to rid the DPS of sloganeering.

**DetroitTeacher** · September-03-12, 01:39 PM

If he's expecting parents to understand this little plan of his [[23 objectives is a bit much) then he needs to use simple words and stop all of the grandiose vocab. I got tired of reading "endeavor". He can endeavor all he wants, doesn't mean it's going to actually happen.

Originally Posted by Zacha341

^^^ Good point DT. Goodness, education is one of the areas you can be verbose to some extent. For example a vitae is longer than a standard resume; information re. educational pathways and curriculum by definition are involved, but this is too wordy!

**Hermod** · September-03-12, 04:04 PM

By using the government/educational complex "buzz phrase dictionary", Mr Telford has fired a veritable salvo of platitudes.

**Hypestyles** · September-03-12, 06:24 PM

we'll see if the school year can survive the agendas of [[ostensibly unpaid) Telford vs. the [[very much paid) Roberts.. hope the kids are kept in mind first..

**Hermod** · September-03-12, 06:47 PM

"While we have a highly diverse and largely impoverished student population, and approximately ninety percent of our student population has been low-performing, and while more and more frequently and numerously during the past thirteen years most of our schools have therefore been so designated, it needs to be noted here that many bright, often college-bound honor students have also attended those low-performing schools throughout those thirteen years."

Talk about "run-on sentences", this one requires very careful parsing.

**DetroitTeacher** · September-03-12, 07:53 PM

I gave up reading it. It just pissed me off and irritated me. I didn't even get the gist of his message because of the nightmare that is his writing.

Originally Posted by Hermod

"While we have a highly diverse and largely impoverished student population, and approximately ninety percent of our student population has been low-performing, and while more and more frequently and numerously during the past thirteen years most of our schools have therefore been so designated, it needs to be noted here that many bright, often college-bound honor students have also attended those low-performing schools throughout those thirteen years."

Talk about "run-on sentences", this one requires very careful parsing.

**firstandten** · September-03-12, 10:13 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitTeacher

I gave up reading it. It just pissed me off and irritated me. I didn't even get the gist of his message because of the nightmare that is his writing.

His writing is very difficult to read. What concerns me even more about his writing and I saw this even when he was writing columns for the Michigan Chronicle is his constant hyping of himself and his accomplishments.

If you notice in his blog everything was about him. His sentences start with I, I did this, or I did that. If he's not using I then he's using me, me, me.
Now I understand the guy has a high opinion of himself, but rarely do I see the word us or team.

If you look at his career, bounced from DPS, let go from Rochester and Madison Heights either the guy is a visionary who people don't understand, or a guy who's opinion of himself doesn't match his accomplishments.

I'll reserve judgement and see what he does with this current opportunity.

**DetroitTeacher** · September-04-12, 05:36 AM

I just want to know why DPS keeps hiring people who were fired from their former positions...seems to me like there might be something wrong with them that they couldn't hack it outside of DPS.

On a side note: My students write with more fluency than this guy!

**Hermod** · September-04-12, 07:51 AM

In the preamble, he blames everything on the state legislature. Way to go, idiot, if you expect them to bail you out.

**JBMcB** · September-04-12, 08:06 AM

First comment on his site:

TL;DR.

Hahahaa. [[Too Long; Didn't Read, for those unfamiliar with internet slang)

Sounds like he want's some major changes. While definitely needed, just trying to ram them through is going to cause some serious push-back. People in big organizations like that don't like change, and they are going to bounce him out [[again) if he starts shoving new policy into the system like a tyrant.

Also, his website does seem, erm, just a tad, too self-promoting. The banner looks like the opening credits screen to an ostensibly forthcoming television talk show.

**firstandten** · September-04-12, 08:08 AM

Originally Posted by Hermod

In the preamble, he blames everything on the state legislature. Way to go, idiot, if you expect them to bail you out.

Yes, he tries to paint a picture that DPS was doing great until the state comes in and messes everything up. He seems to forget that DPS was a mess failing its students with a culture of incompetence and corruption. So of course the proper thing to do when you have such a culture is to let the people responsible for the mess in the first place fix it.... yeah ! right !

**Wheels** · September-04-12, 09:18 AM

He is just upset because there was still money left to steal when the state took over. He feels they left money on the table!

**kenp** · September-04-12, 03:25 PM

A 74 year old, Scottish civil rights activist in Detroit, interesting.
I read every word of that memo and I feel kind of numb. Not a good read.
He really has no power and he probably will be out of a job within a year.

**Hypestyles** · September-04-12, 03:50 PM

does he have an address to write to?

**kenp** · September-05-12, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

does he have an address to write to?

drjohntelfordedd@aol.com

**Jayb** · September-09-12, 09:36 PM

Telford is a leftist gasbag. They ran this guy out of Hazel Park. The last thing Detroit needs is another left wing nutjub with a bullhorn.

**Wesley Mouch** · September-10-12, 09:27 AM

Originally Posted by firstandten

Yes, he tries to paint a picture that DPS was doing great until the state comes in and messes everything up. He seems to forget that DPS was a mess failing its students with a culture of incompetence and corruption. So of course the proper thing to do when you have such a culture is to let the people responsible for the mess in the first place fix it.... yeah ! right !

I always admired that 'the state messed it up' argument. Brilliant deflection. Proof that people will believe anything, if they think its in their personal interests.

**Honky Tonk** · September-10-12, 02:15 PM

"The banner looks like the opening credits screen to an ostensibly forthcoming television talk show."

Somewhere on E. Jefferson, I believe around St. Aubin, there is a big billboard promoting John Telford. It claims he does have a radio and local cable talk show. I personally haven't heard or seen either.

**jtf1972** · September-10-12, 05:33 PM

Originally Posted by Jayb

Telford is a leftist gasbag. They ran this guy out of Hazel Park. The last thing Detroit needs is another left wing nutjub with a bullhorn.

Political ideology should have nothing to do with it. It could also be argued that the last thing Detroit would need is a right wing ..........

I would argue that the last thing Detroit needs is someone whose biggest fan is the guy staring back at him in the mirror, that writes a piece and reads it back thinking about how wonderful a piece he has written.

I don't know Telford. It's just my impression from my limited exposure to him.