Letter
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![Page 1: Letter](https://reader038.fdocuments.net/reader038/viewer/2022100517/5572144d497959fc0b94392a/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
4474 Summit Ridge Dr Upper Arlington, Ohio 43220 March 27th, 2013 Robert M. Arkin, Ph.D. President, Upper Arlington City School Board 1950 N. Mallway Dr. Upper Arlington, OH 43221 Dear Dr. Arkin and Other Esteemed Board Members, My name is Evan Lewis, and I am a junior at UAHS. Recently, a matter has come to my attention that I could not, in good conscience, fail to voice my feeling about. As I will be in New York, on the Choir East Coast Tour under the direction of Mr. Kauffman during the next School Board meeting, I hope this letter will suffice, and the Board will still take my opinion into consideration. I believe Mr. Kauffman, my wonderful choir director, is a good place to start. A teacher is defined in the Merriam-‐Webster Dictionary as one that teaches; especially one whose occupation is to instruct. However, as we all know, a good teacher does much more than simply instruct. There is a colossal difference between simply being a teacher, and being a true teacher. I bring up Mr. Kauffman because he the perfect example of a true teacher. When I sit in class, I can tell his whole heart and soul is poured into his job. I can tell that he sits at home and thinks of his class, as well as about the best way to prepare us for our performances. He puts so much stress on himself, and his colleague Mrs. Leacock, to organize an East Coast Tour every two years because he wants to provide us with experiences that we will never forget. Like many people can attest, including my 26-‐year-‐old sister, I will soon lose much of the knowledge I gained in high school, whether it be reading music, or reading complex equations. However, I will remember my trip to New York for the rest of my life, and I will remember teachers who made a difference in my high school career. It is for this reason I must bring up the case of my math teacher, Andrew Tweddle. I learned this week that Mr. Tweddle’s contract will not be renewed for next year. This is a grave mistake, one I believe the school district will surely regret. Mr. Tweddle is, without a doubt in my mind, the best math teacher I have ever had. I am not writing this letter to trash other teachers, but Mr. Tweddle is the one of the first math teachers I have had that didn’t simply go through the notes for the day, then sit back for the second half of the period doing work while the class worked on other problems. Mr. Tweddle stays engaged, walks up and down the aisles, and makes sure that every member of the class understands the topic. He goes out of his way to meet kids before school, and on top of that, he has great teaching ability. He knows how to put things into a fashion the kids will understand. He is funny and charismatic, and I have never gone a day without smiling during his class. From my experience in the High School’s math department, this is rare occurrence. Finally, he understands what it is like to be a High School student, having recently been one himself.
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He knows how important grades can be, and because of that, he doesn’t make us do some of the petty assignments that other teachers do. He knows what is like to have multiple tests a day, and stressed beyond belief. Simply put, he gets it. If this unfortunate event had happened to most of the teachers I have had, I would feel bad, but I would not go to these lengths I am going to for Mr. Tweddle. I feel a responsibility to inform you of the mass feeling of hurt that all of his former and current students felt when this terrible news broke. Students published tweets such as “#SaveMrTweddle” and “Finding out that one of your favorite teachers is getting laid off <<<< #LongLiveTweddle.” Most students I have talked to agree he is one of the best teachers in the math department, as well as a teacher who they feel comfortable discussing anything with because of his caring personality. I have not talked to one student who believes that the non-‐renewal was just. I am extremely disappointed with my School Boards decision, and I will not settle for this event to go down without protest. How the renewal of contracts can be based solely on tenure, and not on student performance reviews, is beyond me. When discussing this issue with my father, he brought up a conversation that transpired last year during a parent breakfast with former Principal Kip Greenhill. My father has the same feeling I do, and while discussing this topic at the aforementioned breakfast, he asked why, with the ease of technological aided surveys (e.g. email, etc.), teachers are not given parent/student reviews at the end of each year. Another parent, who was a teacher at a different district replied that such would be a bad idea because if a student were to be a “problem child” he or she would probably give a terrible review of the teacher who may in fact be a great teacher. I agree that some student bias would factor into the reviews, however, in a class of 20, it would be pretty easy to pick out the malcontents. If one student gave a bad review, his or her review could be discounted. However, if there were a majority of bad reviews, the same would indicate a problem with the teacher. Had the High School implemented such a system before this year, a great teacher like Mr. Tweddle would have been saved contrary to some teachers, who in my opinion are clearly worse teachers, albeit with longer tenure. Like I mentioned before, there are not many teachers for whom I would write a letter such as this. However, when I see the injustice and unfairness in the cards Mr. Tweddle has been dealt, I had to speak out. I strongly encourage you, no I beg you to reconsider your decision on this matter. If reconsideration is not an option however, I plead you to implement a system of deliberation that factors in student reviews. I refuse to let Mr. Tweddle’s non-‐renewal be in vain. Thank you so much for your time, and again, I apologize I am not able to present this letter in person. I remain, Yours truly, Evan Lewis Junior, Upper Arlington High School
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P.S. I was not solicited, nor did I seek permission from, any teacher, including Mr. Tweddle, to write this letter. cc: This Week Upper Arlington Columbus Dispatch Ms. Greenwald