Thank you for not removing the reviews written by former teachers/administrators on American International School/Dhaka. Both Mr. Popinchalk and Julia Alden are not suitable administrators. Mr. Popinchalk hired his daugters god-mother Julia Alden to be the elementary principal. Julia is despised by many and talked about in a negative manner often. She is not respected. She is tolerated.
I'm certain Mr. Popinchalk only wrote the letter because he is worried about his reputation following him to Egypt. It is true, Mr. Popinchalk has no administrative credential. He demonstrates his ineptitude every day.
If you are considering working in Dhaka, keep in mind the school atmosphere is very stressful and teachers stay at the school because the package is good. You should give careful thought to coming to AIS/D. I find that most teachers are unhappy and completely burned out. If you are an effective administrator, you manage your environment so this does not happen. Mr. Popinchalk and Julia Alden are not capable of doing this.
Mr. Popinchalks letter
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Responder
I am concerned that the ISR staff says they "cannot" remove any posting from the school reviews.
Does this mean that any review or comment - no matter what its content - can be posted and remain permanently? If that is the case, then I think it ultimately compromises the quality of the reviews posted. I'm fairly astounded that it is simply not possible to remove any content, which ultimately means that nothing can be screened. Truly abusive and harmful postings can remain indefinitely. I think this is a pity, and contributes to my decision not to renew my membership once it expires.
As it stands, I feel there are a lot of postings made in anger here, and while there are some thoughtful reviews, there are also those that seem to be written in moments of pique. I'm not sure that such reviews truly reflect what happens at the school(s) being reviewed.
Does this mean that any review or comment - no matter what its content - can be posted and remain permanently? If that is the case, then I think it ultimately compromises the quality of the reviews posted. I'm fairly astounded that it is simply not possible to remove any content, which ultimately means that nothing can be screened. Truly abusive and harmful postings can remain indefinitely. I think this is a pity, and contributes to my decision not to renew my membership once it expires.
As it stands, I feel there are a lot of postings made in anger here, and while there are some thoughtful reviews, there are also those that seem to be written in moments of pique. I'm not sure that such reviews truly reflect what happens at the school(s) being reviewed.
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New Member
Contact ISR!
When you say you read posts that sound like they are from angry teachers --- have you stopped to think why they may be angry. Could it be from being treated fairly. I doubt it! I think you should double check your reasoning here. Also, ISR never said they could not remove things. They said they can not remove the history of the school. Do you think that when a director moves on his or her history should be erased. Your's sure isn't. And, before you go around putting words in the mouth or ISR why don't you contact them. Or have you?
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I'm not angry
Newbie
I have yet to find anything offensive or abusive on the ISR site. I see no instances of character attack, foul language or the like. I think you are over the edge when you say ISR will just let anything on the site. I agree with the previous poster. Why should a director's reviews be removed when they move on. Afterall it is the director that sets the tone of the school and we have a right to know what that tone has been in the past because chances are it will be the same at the next location.
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tone
Tone of the school
Yes, you are right to say that a director sets the tone of the school and that it remains long after the director is gone. The tone will change for the better at AIS/D because Michael is leaving and Walter Plotkin is coming in. However Julia Alden sets a tone that is negative beyond comprehension in the elementary school. Therefore at the elementary level (which is considered the worst section of the school), the tone will not change, unfortunately.
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Guest
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leonagreenlaw
Poppinchalk, etc.
I iimagine that ISR could remove whatever it wishes, but chose not to--for very good reasons, as stated above. Mr. Poppinchalk doesn't want his negative history following him around, but couched that in language that suggested that his concern was, instead, the future of the school--which anyone reading the reviews might well doubt. The kind of faculty members a school wants are those who will make sense out of the fact that a school will be different when the offending administrators have left, though it will, of course, take some time to recover. All of that is important information for a teacher considering a post at that school--and that is the reason for this site! For those who think it isn't fair, I'll tell you what's not fair: getting branded as an undesirable faculty member because you spoke up against inept leadership. Administrators get on the phone when they are considering hiring someone, and they know exactly who to go to to find out about a teacher. If the administrator they call has felt under attack--or even merely questioned--about his practices, is he going to give a rave review of that faculty member? Of course not! What ISR has given us all is a place to go to check out a school--a sort of credit rating association for schools and their administrators. If it is possible for every bill you didn't pay to follow you around for life--no matter whether the goods you received were as specified--so should the bad treatment you gave your faculties! We all are willing to forgive the occasional indisrection in thinking--the bad decisions made here and there. What ISR gives us is the chance to find out if there were a LOT of bad decisions going on somewhere--in which case we can choose not to go there--just as a mortgage company can choose not to give a mortgage to someone who has a record of financial irresponsibility. Credit associations keep a lot of people honest--because they know it will be important in the future. Hopefully, ISR will do the same for the oveseas school environments and the administrators they employ.
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Reply to greenlaw
I have to take exception to your point that a negative review should be able to follow a person around indefinitely. I'm not sure that anyone's best interests are served by that.
As an educator, one of my core beliefs is in peoples' ability to change - students, colleagues, parents and, yes, administrators. If I didn't believe that profound, lasting change was fundamental to human nature, I don't think I'd be able to stay in this profession.
As a long-time international educator and administrator, one of the things that has always pleasantly surprised me is the positive effect that a few years can have on colleagues in the field. It's not universal, but it's frequently true. I make it a point - and I know many recruiters who feel the same - to discount a negative comment about an applicant if there is recent, positive feedback about the person. Perhaps the person was in the wrong school a few years ago. Perhaps some additional growth and relfective time has effected positive change on this person. Most of the time, it's true. In fact, I've found people who have been through both positive and negative experiences are often among the best people to hire.
If I had a negative experience with someone a few years back and someone asks be about an applicant, my usual action is to say nothing. That person is probably quite different now, and deserves fresh consideration and recent feedback.
It's also pretty easy to figure out those recruiters who immaturely enjoy the feeling that they have the power to determine teachers' careers, and to filter out their excessively negative comments.
So I believe in change. I believe in the positive effect of water under the bridge. I don't believe that people should be endlessly punished for mistakes made in the past. Neither, incidentally, do credit reporting agencies. Negative items fall off after a few years.
Therefore, I believe that the mistakes someone makes at one point in their career should not necessarily follow them around. If they continue to make mistakes in a new position, that will become readily apparent. The question is not "Where have you been?" but rather "Where are you now?"
Education is essentially about growth and finding voice. I'd much rather celebrate someone finding their authentic voice than linger on the mistakes they made along the way. We owe this to everyone with whom we partner in the educational process.
As an educator, one of my core beliefs is in peoples' ability to change - students, colleagues, parents and, yes, administrators. If I didn't believe that profound, lasting change was fundamental to human nature, I don't think I'd be able to stay in this profession.
As a long-time international educator and administrator, one of the things that has always pleasantly surprised me is the positive effect that a few years can have on colleagues in the field. It's not universal, but it's frequently true. I make it a point - and I know many recruiters who feel the same - to discount a negative comment about an applicant if there is recent, positive feedback about the person. Perhaps the person was in the wrong school a few years ago. Perhaps some additional growth and relfective time has effected positive change on this person. Most of the time, it's true. In fact, I've found people who have been through both positive and negative experiences are often among the best people to hire.
If I had a negative experience with someone a few years back and someone asks be about an applicant, my usual action is to say nothing. That person is probably quite different now, and deserves fresh consideration and recent feedback.
It's also pretty easy to figure out those recruiters who immaturely enjoy the feeling that they have the power to determine teachers' careers, and to filter out their excessively negative comments.
So I believe in change. I believe in the positive effect of water under the bridge. I don't believe that people should be endlessly punished for mistakes made in the past. Neither, incidentally, do credit reporting agencies. Negative items fall off after a few years.
Therefore, I believe that the mistakes someone makes at one point in their career should not necessarily follow them around. If they continue to make mistakes in a new position, that will become readily apparent. The question is not "Where have you been?" but rather "Where are you now?"
Education is essentially about growth and finding voice. I'd much rather celebrate someone finding their authentic voice than linger on the mistakes they made along the way. We owe this to everyone with whom we partner in the educational process.
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last post is inspiring
