AEW Blog
AEW Statement on School District of Waukesha Teacher Resignations
The School District of Waukesha is again experiencing a significant departure of high-quality educators. When high quality, experienced teachers leave the district, it is student learning that suffers most.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SCHOOL DISTRICT OF WAUKESHA RECOMMENDS TERMINATION FOR TEACHER WHO SPOKE OUT ABOUT RAINBOWLAND
The Alliance is disappointed to learn that on May 15, 2023, after being on administrative leave for more than a month, Heyer Elementary School First Grade Teacher Melissa Tempel was notified that the Superintendent of the School District of Waukesha was recommending her termination.
Maestra Melissa’s Students Deserve Their Teacher Back
This Teacher Appreciation Week, there is one partner missing from our first-grade classroom at Heyer: Maestra Melissa. Her class has been without her, or any permanent teacher, for 25 school days and counting.
Teacher Appreciation Week 2023
Thank you to all of the teachers out there making a difference in kids’ lives, past, present, and future! Thank you to the teachers who taught us when we were kids!Thank you to the teachers who are teaching our children now!Thank you to the teachers of the future who will teach the coming generations! We invite everyone to give a shoutout to an influential teacher in their lives in the replies!#TeacherAppreciationWeek2023
Alliance for Education in Waukesha Responds to Letters from Dr. Underly, Legislative Leaders
The Alliance for Education in Waukesha (AEW) would like to commend Dr. Underly for her letter and her involvement. At the same time, AEW would like to respond to comments made by Dr. Sebert and local legislative leaders in their answers to Dr. Underly’s letter.
An Exchange Between a Parent and a Board Member
Dear Superintendent Sebert and School Board members, The international hubbub arising from the bottom end of Larchmont Avenue–my spouse’s elementary alma mater–brings to mind the fable of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Made famous by Disney’s Fantasia, Goethe’s poem has plenty of interpretive layers that extend well beyond this controversy, but the image is provocative–for me at least: You created a monster with this “controversial signage” policy–and doubled down with an unnecessary (and unnecessarily cruel) “parental rights” resolution. And now, every time you try to cut the rainbow, you just end up with two rainbows. Then four. Then eight. And the next thing you know, […]
Alliance Statement in Support of Melissa Tempel
It is time for Ms. Tempel to be returned to her students and for the district to take accountability for starting this mess in the first place simply, because they wanted to keep rainbows out of a first-grade classroom.
The Alliance for Education in Waukesha calls on the School District of Waukesha to End Bias in SDW Schools
STATEMENT ON BIAS IN WAUKESHA SCHOOLS
The School District of Waukesha (SDW) made national news for banning the song “Rainbowland.” This decision is a consequence of nearly three years of bad policy implementation by the SDW Superintendent and Board. Rainbowland is merely a symptom of an on-going pattern of bias, bullying of students, staff and parents, and failure to appropriately document and respond to incidents of discrimination and harassment.
Statement to the Teaching & Learning Committee on the Bridges Math Curriculum
When it comes elementary math curriculum, expecting all student to succeed under the same program is not logical. Students are humans, not robots. You cannot anticipate all students learning the same.
I urge this board and administration to consider not removing Bridges from Hadfield. When it comes to our students’ learning, removing something successful in a high-needs school should trump having a standardized curriculum used district wide.
Rainbows and spectrums are also well recognized symbols of neurodiversity and autism – An Open Letter
ALL children and families deserve to be welcome, respected and represented in our school district. It’s well past time to stop trying to remove any representation of one group; in trying to do so you are harming us all.