One more thing about Highwood.
Ms. Wen Che was the teacher who was hired without any competition. She was the only candidate considered for a job that appeared mysteriously in 2012 and was not advertised or communicated to anyone.
It turns out the website of staff for Yufeng is out of date. In fact, Ms. Che has been working for Yufeng all along. So should the Assistant Principal of Highwood, who is also the Principal of Yufeng, have been involved in the hiring process? Is this a conflict of interest? What is the penalty for conflict of interest if this is found to be true?
Ms. Che is still on staff at the school. Should she have been hired? Should she be there? Should the Assistant Principal and Principal be there?
Only an investigation by the Board about conflict of interest and the other tricks pulled at Highwood can resolve this.
Friday, 28 June 2013
Sunday, 16 June 2013
Highwood School Calgary Alberta
This blog is about Highwood School at the Calgary Board of Education. Highwood School provides Mandarin education. My sources in the Chinese community have revealed enough about Highwood to suggest an investigation is needed. However, their complaints to the Board have not been answered.
Most places have conflict of interest regulations. So does the Calgary Board of Education. But this is not enforced about Highwood. Either that, or the Board does not know what is going on.
The principal and assistant principal recently set up a homework club. They hired uncertified staff from Yufeng to supervise students after school. They charged $160 per child or $80 per child if the parents supervise. It was supposed to be individual attention, but it is not. Parents sitting in the room are generally very disappointed with the teaching of the uncertified staff left alone with their children. Probably Human Resources was not involved in the hiring. Possibly they did not have to complete a criminal records check with vulnerable sector screening. All money was paid in advance, and there are no refunds. Students and parents are not happy, but just like buying a used car, there are no refunds and there is nothing they can do. Where is all the money going, and how come school fees can't be used? Why aren't Highwood teachers doing this instead of uncertified people from Yufeng?
The assistant principal of Highwood is Shelly Li, who is also the principal of Yufeng (see the image below). This is a conflict of interest that should not be allowed. When she makes hiring decisions (or influences them) does she give preference to employees of Yufeng? Does she pressure employees of Highwood to teach (for $30 per hour) or volunteer at Yufeng for special events? Does she encourage parents at Highwood to also go to Yufeng, or Yufeng students also to go to Highwood? Or does she give a preference to whichever school pays her more money? Maybe she is discouraging some parents from going to Highwood because she wants them at Yufeng? Or the opposite.
Some of the staff at Highwood have a relationship with Yufeng. Ms. Wen Che was recently hired. Was she hired with proper procedures? Was there an interview with several candidates? Was the position advertised? Her husband, Xiaoqian Shen, is listed on the website for Yufeng http://yufeng.ca/pages/teachers_teach.php as a staff member. See the image below. Is there a connection between her husband working at Yufeng and her being hired?
Pei-Yun Toh is a member of Highwood Staff and a member of Yufeng staff. See the image below. She was recently promoted to curriculum leader at Highwood this year. Is there any connection between this promotion and her working at Yufeng?
Are teacher evaluations fair, or are they based on the work done by staff or their relatives at Yufeng? Is it possible that teacher evaluations are being done unfairly based on favoritism? You do have to wonder. Three genius-level students in Ms. Che's class have left the school this year. The parents are not happy at all with what is going on in the school. It would be a good thing to know why.
So public money from CBE is going to support Yufeng school through volunteers or payment for homework clubs or other things. Maybe someone should check on how much time and money people from Highwood are spending at Yufeng, of if any of them were asked by the Assistant Principal of Highwood to do activities at Yufeng. Is there a conflict of interest if teachers are pressured to volunteer or work at Yufeng?
Yufeng recently opened a new school close to Midnapore, another Mandarin school at CBE. Are teachers there going to be pressured to support Yufeng through volunteering or working at a fraction of a teacher's salary? Is Yufeng benefitting from the work of certified teachers compared to other Chinese schools? Should the Assistant Principal be cited for a conflict of interest?
In September 2012, there were 36 students in one kindergarten class. More than should be. In September and October, instead of setting up another class, the principal hired a different substitute teacher EVERY DAY for the extra kindergarten students. It's cheaper that way.
Recently the parent council spent thousands of dollars on a lunch where they showered the staff with gifts including gift cards up to fifty dollars. They also gave each teacher fifty dollars of school supplies. Why did they do this? Why not spend money on students? In China it's not unusual to bribe teachers for better grades or to have children sit at the front of the class. What is going on that the principal allows this expense for no good reason?
What should be done:
1. Investigate the situation at Highwood: the administrative team and their competence, conflicts of interest, employees and family member who work at both places or volunteer, pressure put on staff by the Assistant principal and Principal to help at Yufeng, complaints by parents and responses, staff evaluations (favoritism or not?). All staff should be interviewed.
2. Cancel the homework club and refund all money.
3. Remove the adminsitrative team from Highwood and place them in another school until things are investigated.
4. If there is really abuse by the principal or assistant principal of Highwood, fire them.
5. If there is conflict of interest and favoritism and abuse of the evaluation process, re-evaluate all Highwood teachers through an independent process. If people were hired without proper procedures, have them reapply or consider termination if necessary.
Why am I posting this? I have nothing to gain. But I don't like our public schools being abused in this way.
Most places have conflict of interest regulations. So does the Calgary Board of Education. But this is not enforced about Highwood. Either that, or the Board does not know what is going on.
The principal and assistant principal recently set up a homework club. They hired uncertified staff from Yufeng to supervise students after school. They charged $160 per child or $80 per child if the parents supervise. It was supposed to be individual attention, but it is not. Parents sitting in the room are generally very disappointed with the teaching of the uncertified staff left alone with their children. Probably Human Resources was not involved in the hiring. Possibly they did not have to complete a criminal records check with vulnerable sector screening. All money was paid in advance, and there are no refunds. Students and parents are not happy, but just like buying a used car, there are no refunds and there is nothing they can do. Where is all the money going, and how come school fees can't be used? Why aren't Highwood teachers doing this instead of uncertified people from Yufeng?
The assistant principal of Highwood is Shelly Li, who is also the principal of Yufeng (see the image below). This is a conflict of interest that should not be allowed. When she makes hiring decisions (or influences them) does she give preference to employees of Yufeng? Does she pressure employees of Highwood to teach (for $30 per hour) or volunteer at Yufeng for special events? Does she encourage parents at Highwood to also go to Yufeng, or Yufeng students also to go to Highwood? Or does she give a preference to whichever school pays her more money? Maybe she is discouraging some parents from going to Highwood because she wants them at Yufeng? Or the opposite.
Some of the staff at Highwood have a relationship with Yufeng. Ms. Wen Che was recently hired. Was she hired with proper procedures? Was there an interview with several candidates? Was the position advertised? Her husband, Xiaoqian Shen, is listed on the website for Yufeng http://yufeng.ca/pages/teachers_teach.php as a staff member. See the image below. Is there a connection between her husband working at Yufeng and her being hired?
Pei-Yun Toh is a member of Highwood Staff and a member of Yufeng staff. See the image below. She was recently promoted to curriculum leader at Highwood this year. Is there any connection between this promotion and her working at Yufeng?
Are teacher evaluations fair, or are they based on the work done by staff or their relatives at Yufeng? Is it possible that teacher evaluations are being done unfairly based on favoritism? You do have to wonder. Three genius-level students in Ms. Che's class have left the school this year. The parents are not happy at all with what is going on in the school. It would be a good thing to know why.
So public money from CBE is going to support Yufeng school through volunteers or payment for homework clubs or other things. Maybe someone should check on how much time and money people from Highwood are spending at Yufeng, of if any of them were asked by the Assistant Principal of Highwood to do activities at Yufeng. Is there a conflict of interest if teachers are pressured to volunteer or work at Yufeng?
Yufeng recently opened a new school close to Midnapore, another Mandarin school at CBE. Are teachers there going to be pressured to support Yufeng through volunteering or working at a fraction of a teacher's salary? Is Yufeng benefitting from the work of certified teachers compared to other Chinese schools? Should the Assistant Principal be cited for a conflict of interest?
In September 2012, there were 36 students in one kindergarten class. More than should be. In September and October, instead of setting up another class, the principal hired a different substitute teacher EVERY DAY for the extra kindergarten students. It's cheaper that way.
Recently the parent council spent thousands of dollars on a lunch where they showered the staff with gifts including gift cards up to fifty dollars. They also gave each teacher fifty dollars of school supplies. Why did they do this? Why not spend money on students? In China it's not unusual to bribe teachers for better grades or to have children sit at the front of the class. What is going on that the principal allows this expense for no good reason?
What should be done:
1. Investigate the situation at Highwood: the administrative team and their competence, conflicts of interest, employees and family member who work at both places or volunteer, pressure put on staff by the Assistant principal and Principal to help at Yufeng, complaints by parents and responses, staff evaluations (favoritism or not?). All staff should be interviewed.
2. Cancel the homework club and refund all money.
3. Remove the adminsitrative team from Highwood and place them in another school until things are investigated.
4. If there is really abuse by the principal or assistant principal of Highwood, fire them.
5. If there is conflict of interest and favoritism and abuse of the evaluation process, re-evaluate all Highwood teachers through an independent process. If people were hired without proper procedures, have them reapply or consider termination if necessary.
Why am I posting this? I have nothing to gain. But I don't like our public schools being abused in this way.
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