Monday, February 23, 2009

Commentary on David Grider

Jefferson County Republican Party Secretary and JCPS teacher David Grider's current situation at Wilt Elementary has taken up much room in my thoughts of late. After reading all the available information and speaking with concerned parties, I offer you my opinion on the matter:

Grider is a gifted educator that has the respect of all his students, both past and present, that I have spoken with. He, like you and I, also suffers from a fatal flaw: He can't keep his mouth shut when he gets pissed off, and his outrageous comments routinely make a situation spiral out of control. But so what? We all have our quirks. Who among us has handled every situation perfectly with top-notch diplomacy? Not me, sure as hell. But at the end of the day, Mr. Grider is there to teach your kids, and if they are happy, you should be too.

Teaching is a noble profession, one of which most of us are spectacularly unqualified. But there are still some similarities in work life. I think we can all relate to the "office politics" that can make one's work life miserable. This is where Grider under-performs. But parents and the media need to get off this teachers back, because he is obviously fulfilling his commitment to his students, and that really is "Job 1".

This situation, like all the others of late, has been handled terribly by JCPS Superintendent Dr. Sheldon Berman, and speaks more to Berman's inability to handle crisis (real or not) than it does David Grider's inability to shut his mouth. Get rid of that ridiculous security guard, and get Grider a class in tact.

Case closed.
Class dismissed.

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