Roy Exum: Harvard Not Good Enough

  • Monday, February 23, 2015
  • Roy Exum
Roy Exum
Roy Exum

Two years ago Ashley Croft, who teaches school at Isaac Litton Middle in Nashville, was named as the Distinguished Educator of the Year by the Tennessee Education Association. It’s no wonder. She was graduated at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College and then obtained a Master's in educational leadership from Harvard, considered as one of the premier educational institutions in the world.

Now Ashley is ready to become a principal, using her leadership skills to the highest degree, but she can’t do that because Harvard isn’t on Tennessee’s “approved list” for would-be principals to be taught their skills.

"I certainly understand why the policy exists, so someone isn't coming from an out-of-state diploma mill," Ms. Croft told the Nashville Tennessean. "But that's sorta throwing out the baby with the bathwater."

She and her sister Marissa have created a webpage on the site “Change.org” to urge the state to update its antiquated and obviously ridiculous standards and, as of yesterday, there are almost 1,900 signatures. All it asks is for Tennessee to reduce barriers to principal licensure for out-of-state candidates.

Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) has since introduced a bill in the state legislature that would do away with the requirement all principals be educated within the state of Tennessee, which is hardly considered as a bastion of higher education, much less education alone. By enabling out-of-state applicants to apply for principal jobs, Clemmons’ bill makes great sense because better qualified candidates would have a chance.

Tennessee’s Deptartment of Education says it is “reviewing” the process, which under current rules would require Ms. Croft to go back to an in-state college and obtain her Master’s degree for the second time – an expensive and time-consuming process. “I love teaching in Metro, and, if I am going to leave, it’s not for a teaching position,” she said.

Her current principal, Tracy Bruno, said she has already asked Ashley to fill in for her when she must be gone during school hours. Ms. Bruno is rightfully indignant about the state’s current requirement. “She went to one of the most highly-regarded universities in the United States, if not the world, and the state is telling her she can't be a principal here," she told reporters. "If we lose her, it's a blow to the system. And it's a blow to the state."

As news of her plight becomes better known, it would appear that she could get a principal’s position in any state that touches Tennessee. “She’s definitely ready,” said the school’s assistant principal, Chara Rand. “She just needs the opportunity.”

* * *

Muriel Bailey, a reporter for Huntsville’s WAFF-48 News, had great intentions last week in a live report about the South’s frigid temperatures but along the way things didn’t turn out as well as she had hoped. Instead she sent a Tweet that read, “So we put 2 cups of water outside this morning and checked them after an hour and a half. It’s so cold you can freeze water outside.”

Really? The idiotic Tweet soared through every social media, particularly when funsters learned the wind chill was -5 when Muriel – who is not blonde – tried her experiment and made her dazzling discovery. Later she tried to explain she was trying to determine if water freezes first in a plastic cup or a foam cup but by then “the horse left the barn long ago.”

To her credit, her report included the fact water for animals left outside should be checked regularly so that the pets can stay hydrated in freezing weather because … you know, water really can turn into ice if it is below 32 degrees. The moral of the story: Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, things don’t work out. You must keep trying. And Muriel is a good reporter.

* * *

I don’t know why I think this story about a lawyer’s cunning back-firing on him is so funny:

A London lawyer runs a stop sign in Dublin, and gets pulled over by an Irish cop. He thinks that he is smarter than the cop because he is a lawyer from London and is certain that he has a better education then any Irish cop. He decides to prove this to himself and have some fun at the Irish cop's expense.

Irish cop says, "License and registration, please."

London Lawyer says, "What for?"

Irish cop says, "Ye didnae come to a complete stop at the stop sign."

London Lawyer says, "I slowed down, and no one was coming."

Irish cop says, "Ye still didnae come to a complete stop. License and registration, please"

London Lawyer says, "What's the difference?" and the Irish cop replies, “The difference is, ye huvte come to complete stop, that's the law. License and registration, please!"

London Lawyer says, "If you can show me the legal difference between slow down and stop, I'll give you my license and registration and you give me the ticket. If not, you let me go and don't give me the ticket."

Irish cop says, "Sounds fair. Exit your vehicle sir,” and the London lawyer does as he is told.

At that, the Irish cop takes out his baton and starts beating the lawyer as fast as he can before he suddenly yells, “Daeye want me to stop, or just slow down?"

royexum@aol.com

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