The amazing Ackerman

**Glenn Quagmire** · 06-16-2010, 08:25 AM

Ronnie Polaneczky: Michelle gets to walk, but Ackerman kneecaps principal ... & principles | Philadelphia Daily News | 06/16/2010

Amazing, late 40 times for school, late for graduation practice, teachers try to make students accountable for their actions , and this women just spits right in their faces. She is a disgrace

**Freckles** · 06-16-2010, 10:27 AM

What a joke!

**Tartan69** · 06-16-2010, 10:37 AM

I love living in Center City, but I will be damned if I will raise kids here and send them to these god-awful schools. How the hell does this Ackerman clown keep her job???

**Freckles** · 06-16-2010, 10:39 AM

Originally Posted by Tartan69

I love living in Center City, but I will be damned if I will raise kids here and send them to these god-awful schools. How the hell does this Ackerman clown keep her job???

She'll be gone soon. The average span of an urban superintendent is about 3-5 years.

**Cya** · 06-16-2010, 10:42 AM

I can't believe Ackerman did this. Well, yes I can.

This young girl is going to have a rude awakening in the real world.

Ackerman just shielded her a little longer while slapping the faces of every other student who got their asses out of bed every morning to get to school on time.

This girl just learned that if you cry and stomp your feet long enough and loud enough, you'll get what you want. At least in the Phila. School District.

Ackerman needs to go.

**Hospitalitygirl** · 06-16-2010, 11:41 AM

Polaneczky wrote a good column on this just yesterday, and how the girl had learned her lesson and was humbled and going to sit in the audience. And strive to do better at college.

Way to go Ackerman, you pathetic loser. Nice way to intervene and undo the very important life lesson here.

Will Ackerman be intervening throughout the course of this girl's life, as she goes through college and onto jobs, which she will have trouble keeping if she doesn't get her butt there on time and do what she's supposed to do?

People are stupid.

**raider.adam** · 06-16-2010, 11:52 AM

What makes this really bad that isn't mentioned is that truancy is a near epidemic in the schools here.

It's a shame that we are telling our public schools to be more and more involved in raising children, but when they do something not politically expedient, they get cut.

That is where I have a lot of sympathy for principals and teachers. A lot of looking over the shoulder takes place.

**drewrob23** · 06-16-2010, 01:34 PM

Out of all the other gripes people have had with Ackerman, this would be the least serious, imo. In a school district where too many teens don't graduate at all, to tell someone they can't walk because they were late for practice is just silly. If there were a number of students who came late and weren't allowed to walk, then I scream foul. But if there were only two, it's not that serious to me. Maybe if the class president goes to college, she'll choose later classes.

**Illiniwek** · 06-16-2010, 01:54 PM

From the article:

Given that Michelle is class president, the image would deeply impact middling achievers who'd see that even good kids sometimes mess up - and that it's possible to rise to the occasion despite your own disappointment.

(Emphasis added.)

**Bainbridgegirl** · 06-16-2010, 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by drewrob23

Out of all the other gripes people have had with Ackerman, this would be the least serious, imo. In a school district where too many teens don't graduate at all, to tell someone they can't walk because they were late for practice is just silly. If there were a number of students who came late and weren't allowed to walk, then I scream foul. But if there were only two, it's not that serious to me. Maybe if the class president goes to college, she'll choose later classes.

I'm sorry. I disagree. This kind of lack of accountability is exactly WHY the graduation rate is so low. When students are not held accountable (and adults are not held accountable) for attendance, promptness and quality of work, kids end up without the skills they need to enter the real world. In my tenure as an SDP teacher I was asked to pass kids who were absent 60 plus days of the school year. I didn't - for the record. But when you don't enforce the rules, kids push the envelope even further. This is not a good message to send and it undercuts the authority of the principal and teachers of the school.

And in this situation, the principal was right. Yes, the girl in question should have been held accountable much earlier. But, she wasn't just late to practice one time. She was late 40 times during the school year. Then, she was warned. Then, she was late again during graduation practice. There are only 180 days in the school year! The girl was late over 20% of the school year. It is really not unreasonable that she would be punished for that. I'm sure she has a bright future ahead of her but consequences are important.

**seal614** · 06-16-2010, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by drewrob23

Out of all the other gripes people have had with Ackerman, this would be the least serious, imo. In a school district where too many teens don't graduate at all, to tell someone they can't walk because they were late for practice is just silly. If there were a number of students who came late and weren't allowed to walk, then I scream foul. But if there were only two, it's not that serious to me. Maybe if the class president goes to college, she'll choose later classes.

Sorry, she didn't just come late to a "few graduation practices"... she was late to 5 out of 6 in addition to FORTY OTHER DAYS OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.

Get your lazy ****ing ass out of bed. Good luck holding down a job in the real world.

/oh wait, Philly city government probably has a position for her

**drewrob23** · 06-16-2010, 03:43 PM

Originally Posted by Bainbridgegirl

I'm sorry. I disagree. This kind of lack of accountability is exactly WHY the graduation rate is so low. When students are not held accountable (and adults are not held accountable) for attendance, promptness and quality of work, kids end up without the skills they need to enter the real world. In my tenure as an SDP teacher I was asked to pass kids who were absent 60 plus days of the school year. I didn't - for the record. But when you don't enforce the rules, kids push the envelope even further. This is not a good message to send and it undercuts the authority of the principal and teachers of the school.

And in this situation, the principal was right. Yes, the girl in question should have been held accountable much earlier. But, she wasn't just late to practice one time. She was late 40 times during the school year. Then, she was warned. Then, she was late again during graduation practice. There are only 180 days in the school year! The girl was late over 20% of the school year. It is really not unreasonable that she would be punished for that. I'm sure she has a bright future ahead of her but consequences are important.

Unless this female was late because she was getting high and having sex behind the bleachers, considering what she's accomplished while in school, I would have let her walk. I don't know her grades, but I'm guessing that besides her issues with tardiness, she was a regular student. The principal should have taken all factors into consideration before denying this person the chance to walk. Ronnie Polaneczky: Grace under pressure: A timely lesson, late in coming | Philadelphia Daily News | 06/15/2010

**Tartan69** · 06-16-2010, 04:20 PM

Originally Posted by drewrob23

Unless this female was late because she was getting high and having sex behind the bleachers, considering what she's accomplished while in school, I would have let her walk.

Sounds like the "soft bigotry of lowered expectations" to me.

**CrazyIvan** · 06-16-2010, 04:32 PM

Walking at graduation is a privilege; it's not like they were denying her the right to graduate. She still would have gotten her diploma, just not in a ceremony (one in which no one actually gets their diploma then).

I definitely think Ackerman did her, her classmates, and the teachers at Germantown High a huge disservice by letting her (and the other kid) walk.

**thetalkingmule** · 06-16-2010, 05:15 PM

This is why nothing gets done anymore. A giant public outcry that she can't walk, Ackerman lets her walk, people jump down her throat without knowing any of the details. Is this really important?

**bmp02** · 06-16-2010, 06:28 PM

Well, they had a story similar to this in another state. I saw it on either CNN or ABC news.... and the principal said no.., but eventually changed her mind.

This will indeed tarnish a good academic career for the student; apparently she's done well in school; A student; model student albeit she was late 40 times... (which is a bit excessive).

They should have disciplined her PRIOR to the graduation. And the principal sure didn't know if they did or not. Why wait 40 times to say: you won't walk. Too harsh, IMO. The school should have handled this from the beginning. But no, they just went along with the program. I wonder when she was helping about the school, faculty did they realize she had a tardiness issue?

and the principal said that when she came to grad practice, she had an "attitude." Well, I believe they knew that. The adults (faculty and her parents) were responsible for allowing this type of negative behavior to exist. if it was dealt with at the start, we would have this conversation.

40 Times? No class president, no captain of the teams, no helping teacher and faculty- nothing.

But they allowed it to happen until they felt it was time to step in.

Too little, too late.

**wislad** · 06-16-2010, 06:51 PM

I went to catholic high school where you got detention for being late. The possibility of getting detention was incentive enought to make sure I showed up on time. I guess detention is a thing of the past.

**drewrob23** · 06-17-2010, 11:12 AM

Originally Posted by wislad

I went to catholic high school where you got detention for being late. The possibility of getting detention was incentive enought to make sure I showed up on time. I guess detention is a thing of the past.

My first year at Roman, I believe that I was late almost the same amount of times as the young woman mentioned in the story. By time the next school year approach, my punishment began in the middle of August. They didn't wait until I was ready to graduate to step in and say something was wrong and that I couldn't fully participate. Speaking of detention, I was even aware that public schools could keep you after class. I've heard of in school suspension, but no type of detention.

**seal614** · 06-17-2010, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by drewrob23

My first year at Roman, I believe that I was late almost the same amount of times as the young woman mentioned in the story. By time the next school year approach, my punishment began in the middle of August. They didn't wait until I was ready to graduate to step in and say something was wrong and that I couldn't fully participate. Speaking of detention, I was even aware that public schools could keep you after class. I've heard of in school suspension, but no type of detention.

Well then it's no surprise that you're defending this entitled irresponsible idiot.

**drewrob23** · 06-17-2010, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by seal614

Well then it's no surprise that you're defending this entitled irresponsible idiot.

Do you know this young woman personally, to be able to call her an idiot? And for the record, after that incident I received perfect attendance every year after.