To The Editor:
This letter is addressed Dear Dana MacDonald,
I want to thank you for the exceptional work you have done as a teacher at the Harwood Community Learning Center (aka HCLC). As the parent of a student there, I know that you excel at connecting with those strange creatures called teenagers; you have made an important difference in their lives. I know I speak for all the HCLC students and their parents when I say that we will all miss you greatly.
When I first heard back in April about Harwood administration's plan to replace you, I couldn't believe it. I quickly realized the reason was one that scared me: “efficiency." As you were certified in history and Jim (Ferland) was already dual certified in English and history, they thought it made sense to replace you with a teacher dual certified in science and math. No big deal!
Well, I am here to say it was a really big deal. The job of running HCLC does have something to do with academics, but it is so much more than that. The HCLC teacher's first job is to connect with the students, to establish and sustain trust and mutual respect with kids who maybe aren't traditional people or learners. Those are life-changing skills that don’t show up on the teaching license! And not all educators possess them. Dana, you did that so well!
I took part in a hiring committee to replace you and tried to imagine some of those candidates filling your shoes. Could a small financial savings for Washington West Supervisory Union (WWSU) really justify taking you away from what you do best, from those great kids who need you? And it made me worry for the efficiencies to come: Will HCLC survive this superintendent's endless snipping and cutting?
We will miss you dearly. I think the seventh-graders will love learning history from you. Thanks for all of you have done and best of luck in the future.
Ashley Woods
Warren
