"In war, truth is the first casualty."

"In war, truth is the first casualty."

-Aeschylus

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a letter in response to my classmates’ petition regarding Mr Simpson’s continuation as our 11SCALC teacher. I strongly object to this petition and believe that many of the points they make are mere rebuttals for arguments supporting Mr Simpson or simply down to their own perception of various events. I do not think that this petition has been executed in the manner in which it should have been done and they have failed to take into account the impact a change of teacher could have on our learning.

My first issue with this petition is the manner in which it is executed. Although the founding group first consulted Mr Farthing about the planning of such a document, they did not handle the actual signing of it as professionally as they should have. Even though the document was handed around at an appropriate time, and prepared legitimately beforehand, I feel that they should have asked more people for opinions rather than springing it onto us, mostly unannounced during our Physics lesson in Period 3 on the 13th of May. In presenting it in this manner, they did not give people the proper time to form opinions on the issue. Another thing I object to is the peer pressure involved in signing it. Despite the document being handed innocently around the class at first, they persistently took it around to people who had not signed, and the overall atmosphere of the thing made it feel as if signing was not optional. I am fairly sure that many people signed just because they felt pressured to by the rest of the class. I am not overly certain as to whether or not Celine and I will become outcasts from the group after taking an opposite side on the argument.

However, the main problem I have with this is the points that they have prepared against Mr Simpson, which are (basically) as follows:
· They are accustomed to getting Merit or Excellence and are now getting lower marks.
· There is little structure to the lessons and reasons behind their learning.
· Limited notes.
· They feel as if anything they passed was using last year’s knowledge.
· “Personal comments belittle [them]”.
· The test results and mistakes are not “walked through” afterward.
· Need to be taught the basics.
· Spend weeks covering material they already know.
· He does not consult them on their progress.

Firstly, these points are contradictory. They claim that he spends weeks on things they already know, but does not teach them the basics.
Secondly, these “personal comments” are not things to be taken seriously. Mr Simpson does not seem to be the malicious kind of person who would deliberately make “belittling” comments. This point is more to do with these people’s perception of the events. For example; he once said, “You cannot say in your evaluation that it did not work ‘because Piers is a dick’.” However, it was obvious that he did not mean this as a personal insult to Piers or anyone else, and he followed up with the statement “Not Piers, of course, but someone once wrote something along those lines and failed.”

But their main point of argument seems to be that the lessons do not have as much structure as they would like. Apparently, we are not told what we are going to learn each lesson; but we had a yearly plan given to us at the start of Term One and the main points for each lesson are usually written up on the whiteboard for us to see and take down. The point about our lessons having little structure is true: Mr Simpson is so passionate about his subject that he sometimes goes off on a tangent and starts talking about some other area of Physics. However, when it comes to really important or basic things, he will tell us to copy it down – He will write the basic formulas up on the board, and he will tell us enough for us to create our own set of notes. He gives us enough worksheets and activities for us to become certain on how things work, and the fact that he is “unapproachable” is merely down to people’s perception, help is there if the task is not understood. If the unit requires a specific set of notes, they will be provided, and any other notes we need, we could easily make ourselves from our worksheets or his lecture.

I feel that the problem my classmates have with Mr Simpson is that he does not teach in the way that they are accustomed to; instead he teaches in a way that requires intelligence and initiative, almost in the style of a university lecturer. One of the main reasons that we have made it into the Otumoetai College Advanced Learners Program is because we are supposedly independent and adaptive learners; a point which has become clear over the past three years. If these people are unable to adapt now when they still have the structure and support of high school around them, how will they possibly adapt to the university environment when they are on their own, and quite possibly from home? In Mr Simpson’s classes, you are required to pay attention and to work: If you are too distracted by your friends to be learning to the best of your ability, you will receive several warnings and then be moved away from the distraction. The founders of the petition mostly seem to be from the group of friends that is often warned about not paying attention in class.

Lastly, the main problem I have is not even with some of the points on the petition being contradictive or invalid; it is about the change we, as a class will go through. After this petition, things will never be the same again. It is quite possible that objectors to the petition will be outcast, which is a risk I am willing to take for standing up for what I believe is right. If we change teachers now, at this late point in the year, right before our first set of practice assessments, our learning will be greatly impacted. Another thing: Replacing Mr Simpson is a huge gamble. Mr Simpson has obviously been selected for this job for a reason, and what is to say that any other teacher available to replace him is capable of doing a better job? If this petition goes through, all that may happen is a very spoilt, self-righteous class who still isn’t learning! Mrs Lee teaches us Biology and Chemistry in much the same manner, and although we may have to take less initiative in class, her treatment of us is much the same. If we are replacing Mr Simpson because he is not perfect, why don’t we replace every other teacher we dislike as well? We should be grateful to have the opportunities offered by the AL program and not always be looking for more. There is also Mr Simpson himself to think about. A change like this could have a huge negative impact on his career.

In summary, I disagree with this petition because I feel the arguments being made against Mr Simpson are unjustified and the petition was not executed in the professional manner in which it should have been done. I feel that this difference in the style in which we are being taught will do us good in the long run and it is up to the individual to overcome any difficulties they may be having. We cannot always have perfect teachers, and it is almost selfish to replace a teacher, especially because of the negative impact it could have on their career. Mr Simpson is a good man with a passion for Physics and its teachings. Let us allow it to remain that way.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Hurford.



It's war... *sigh* ._.