English Writing "Huh?"-ism #007

Online English class is now in session.

So let's take a moment to examine this paragraph that just appeared in a Baltimore Business Journal article:

"Hogan's order goes into effect at 8 p.m. on Monday and requires that Marylanders only leave their homes for an essential job or reason. Those who violate the order could face up to a year in prison, $5,000 in fines or both."

OK, English fans, what's incorrect in there?

Yep, the "only" is misplaced. It should be placed in between "for" and "an" within the first sentence.

Where it currently is located within the sentence, the "only" could be interpreted to mean "only Marylanders" need to follow the new edict, which I guess on one level is true since this was proclaimed by the MD governor . . . but that misses the true intent, no?

OR

it could be interpreted that the "only" is meant to modify "leave," which means that perhaps "showing" a home to a prospective buyer or sales agent is ok. Something tells me the governor would not approve of that.

Picky? Maybe. Did I get the message regardless? Yes, eventually, but why does the reader need to slow down and think through what was really meant? It's the writer's responsibility -- and especially the responsibility of a professional communicator -- to make his/her writing efficiently clear.

And there are indeed times when this can REALLY matter. Take medical procedures. What if the instructions on a package read:

"Only insert the tube into the throat of the patient after the passageway is clear."

The EMT might take a critical extra few seconds to sort out in their head whether the "only" applies to "insert," or "the tube," or "the throat," or "after the passageway is clear."

How one writes is just as important as what one writes.

David Ryan is the owner/producer of Pro Video Promos

English Writing "Huh?"-ism #006

Whew. Took me reading this paragraph four times before understanding the meaning. 

Should You Care about Sub Teacher Pay in Howard County?

Howard County Public School System Superintendent Dr. Michael Martirano recently stated to the Howard County Council during a working session, that of the thirteen years a typical student spends within our public school system, about one year of that time, cumulatively speaking, will be in classrooms led by substitute teachers.

Today, we have a substitute teacher shortage here in Howard County.

HCPSS Superintendent, Dr. Michael Martirano,
at May 15, 2019 County Council work session on HCPSS FY 2020 budget.
Sitting next to him is Board of Education Chair, Mavis Ellis.

However, the Board of Education/HCPSS staff withdrew an initially-proposed $6/day raise for subs (whose bottom pay level is currently $80/day) within the HCPSS FY 2020 budget submitted to the County Council -- while keeping in substantial pay raises for both collective bargaining and other non-collective bargaining units.

While many subs view their work as a way to "give back," that is not drawing enough qualified substitutes to fill both long-term and daily vacancies. The situation is indeed approaching a crisis situation. Subs and on-the-ground school staff know that to be true, and various statistics support that as well.

For example:

• HCPSS used to, up until recently, be able to fill approximately 95% of daily teacher vacancies. Today, that figure is more like 85%.
  
• And on Mondays and Fridays, the number of vacancies is often 600+, with only approximately  70 - 75% of those likely to be filled.
  
• The number of days subs are being asked to cover all six periods in high schools has increased dramatically. (Salaried high school teachers carry a four or five-period load.)
  
• And while long-term sub positions used to almost always require certification, that prerequisite, in reality, has pretty much "gone out the window." Just ask the administration personnel at any HCPSS school.

Substitute teachers do much more than act as sitters. Even the minimum requirements call for more than that. Most subs try to add some value to the instruction. In fact, some teachers rely on daily subs to actually teach content. For example, while I am not a former teacher, I do have a masters degree, and I happen to know Spanish. So I often conduct skills review and introduce new concepts. My current day rate is $90/day. (Remember, subs do not receive any benefits.) Yeah, do the math.

There are, of course, other reasons for the severe shortage of substitute teachers. For example, aspiring teachers feel less inclined to view subbing as an entry path. And the current overall high employment rate in our economy is another factor. While, as previously stated above, many subs see subbing as a way to “give back,” there are indeed many others who must rely on subbing to be one of their significant income streams. Those folks are rapidly being lured away by higher-paying opportunities in today’s economy.

Raising the daily rate by $6 might not fully solve the brewing sub shortage crisis, but to not do that will most certainly serve to only make it worse.

You might well ask, what exactly defines “worse”? Already administrators and teachers are scrambling on a daily basis throughout the school system to cover classes, taking them away from their primary duties of providing the quality education we expect here in Howard County. Without a pay raise for subs, that daily scramble will only intensify.

Indeed, there are hard choices to be made within the HCPSS FY 2020 budget. But this matter of raising substitute teacher pay should be viewed as a separate issue from balancing the budget. It is an issue of fairness. And in truth, given the way figures of millions of dollars have been thrown around in various work sessions, providing the subs a $6/day raise would turn out to be pretty much a "rounding number."

Substitute teachers deserve a raise now given the pay raises that are being allocated throughout the rest of system.

Howard County Council Memeber, Liz Walsh,
at May 15, 2019 County Council work session
on HCPSS FY 2020 budget.

As Council Member Liz Walsh said in the same May 15 work session with the Board of Education and HCPSS leadership, 

“I do worry that we are leaning on our substitute teachers to fill needs that are in some of the most difficult positions, and that the demands on them are not reasonable when compared to what we are asking our salaried teachers to do, and so to then not include them in pay increases that are otherwise being extended to our other educators, simply because they do not have a negotiated agreement, doesn't seem equitable."

Dr. Martirano is to be commended for stating that a community-wide review of the whole substitute teacher paradigm needs to be undertaken. And he says plans for that are underway. In the meantime, the Board of Education needs to do the right thing now by providing substitute teachers with the overdue raise of $6/day, regardless of what total funding amount is finally allocated for the HCPSS FY 2020 budget from the county government.

Comments to the HCPSS Board of Education can be written via this email: boe@hcpss.org

David is a retired video producer who currently runs an online marketing video business. While having never been a certified teacher, he nonetheless very much enjoys “giving back” working also as sub, primarily within high school Spanish and Social Studies classes throughout our great county. He can be reached at dcryan7@gmail.com

English Writing "Huh?"-ism #005

To my mind, proper crisis management requires a proper respectful amount of time of just saying, "Mea Culpa" and then being quiet. Trying to dismiss the current situation spin it too fast can be counter-productive, I believe.

Case in point. Amidst the growing scandal of University of Maryland Medical System board members -- (article starts at bottom of linked page) -- including the current mayor of Baltimore, receiving lucrative, questionable contract awards, the following statement was given to the Baltimore Sun by UMMS senior vice president, Mary Lanham.

"There is no question trust is the most important equity element of any organization, particularly those in health care. While there have been concerns surrounding board relationships, they are being addressed swiftly through decisive board action. While uncomfortable now, this adversity is an opportunity for UMMS to focus on even more transparency while building sound, longer-term reputational equity."

Uhhh, maybe one root of the problem is seeing trust as "equity?"

BTW, gotta love the invented, convoluted phrase, "longer-term reputational equity." I am sure they pondered for hours to craft that.

Stand up . . . with yard sign?

It’s Labor Day. Start of the big push for Nov elections. I’m joining others putting yard signs up for Courtney Watson https://www.facebook.com/CourtneyWatsonHoCo/ Many folks are showing their support for CW with a yard sign. Some folks though are reticent, even though they strongly support CW. They say they want to be polite and not rile their neighbors. I get it and respect that. Been there myself. I am just asking those who feel that way to think about it some more. At certain junctures in our nation’s history, it’s been necessary for folks to stand up and boldly say, “This is where I stand.” In the 1800 election, it was over the Alien Sedition Acts. In 1860, it was about the spread of slavery into new territories. In 1864, it was about giving a mandate to Abe Lincoln to finish the dreadful Civil War without caving in to the many cries to negotiate with the Confederates. In 1968, it was about Civil Rights and the Vietnam War. In 2008, it was about grassroots “hope” and further breaking racial barriers. I know, this is not a presidential year. But you listen to the news these days . . . Hmmm, I submit it’s time to stand up. Does a sign really matter? Well, I grew up in a New England-ish fundamentalist household. My Dad had a plaque near the hallway door that quoted Old Testament scripture: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” I personally have philosophically moved away from that emphatic approach to religion, but I learned to respect my Dad’s willingness to stand up for what he thought, in his own quiet way (and at times not so quiet - but that’s another story😉) Yep. I personally believe we are at one of those times when if you feel strongly about what’s going on in our country, it’s time to say out loud where you stand. If you live in Maryland District 9B and support Courtney Watson, and haven’t taken a yard sign, please consider it further. Please feel free to contact me directly here via dcryan7@gmail.com or at 301-717-3747 if you start feeling inclined to make a pubic statement about where you stand. And if you live elsewhere, select a like-minded candidate . . . and please, stand up. This time, there is just too much at stake.