Rockdale Citizen

The Citizen Poll is a weekly compilation of reader comments on subjects of local interest. The Citizen publishes as many comments as space allows. Comments, which may be edited for space or content, are published anonymously on Sunday. To submit a comment, call 770-483-7108, ext. 402, email poll@rockdalecitizen.com or complete the online form.

"People say they do not want teachers teaching to the test. Well our superintendent and the county office manages to the test. That is their main focus and indicator on how they are doing. It is bad management. I feel that we have promoted a lot of good educators in this system but not really good managers. I also question the leadership degrees that many are getting through online universities. APS had their problems because that woman was managing to the test. That coupled with fear and weak moral standards caused a huge upset. Somewhere, someone knows how to manage a school system in a calm, holistic manner without looking totally at test scores. Could someone please ask Autry what other factors he looks at to determine the success of our county besides test scores."

"Could someone at the Board of Education please make Mr. Autry turn in lesson plans to the board every week? On it would be a personalized plan for each principal and AP in the county and how the CO will be improving the ability to inspire, overall management skills, and training programs of each principal and school. Because right now, all these yahoos are doing is looking at numbers and ripping on people. Pay me 200k to read a report and tell people they suck. I can do that. This school system needs a leader who can hire, inspire, and equip great principals, and Aps."

"I teach at RCHS now. But, when I was young, I was cutting wood one time and I was trying to roll a log over to finish a cut. It was a big tree trunk. It was too heavy and I couldn't do it. My dad came up and showed me how to jam one of the strong limbs underneath it and use the lever to roll it over. He even got a limb and helped. He didn't yell at me. He didn't say, 'roll it over or get out!' He didn't tell me to 'work smarter not harder.' He showed me. He saw I was trying and used his expertise to show me how to do it and got in there with me. And I loved him for it. We did it together and high-fived each other afterward. I wish my principal at RCHS would do that. I wish our school system superintendent would show her if he can. If they can't they should step down. We cannot continue like this. We have to work together if this is going to get fixed."

"OK, fellow Christian Rockdale Countians times are getting serious. We must be willing to do hard things to help our county, state and country. We have to (and that includes me) put down our Iphones and turn off the television and do something that will count for years to come. Our children and grandchildren's lives are at stake (not to mention mine and yours). 2 Chronicles 7:14 says 'If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.' This is a powerful verse that comes with a promise. If there's anything that we need more than anything right now it would be to have our land healed. This verse is aimed squarely at Christians. We have the power to do this but only if we wake up and actually realize the peril we are in. We have been lulled into distracted, busy lives that have little meaning. Please join with me and claim this prayer. We can make a difference!"

"OK the War Eagles are flapping and pecking and clawing all over the LSU Tigers and it is only half time. I love being a die-hard Auburn War Eagles fan. And we will dooky on the Dawgs!"

"Why did the BOE remove the principal at Conyers Middle School only to allow her to take a position as a grant coordinator at the county office? Is someone protecting her?"

"CMS is free at last! Thank God, CMS is free at last!"----

"An ID was required to enter the Democratic and Republican convention, get a library card, get Michelle Obama to sign her book for you, buy alcohol, traveling by air, rail or boat, buying a firearm, get into the capitol building or white house, using a credit card (most times), shopping at BJs, Sams club, and countless other places. Everyone should want to protect the integrity of our elections and the only reason I can think of that they don't is because they want to have people voting that are not entitled to. Why else would they not want to be sure that the election is secure. It has been documented over and over in various places like Chicago, Boston, and New Yorkthat thousands of dead people vote every year. Some may call it suppressing the vote, I call it ensuring our freedom. You can get an ID free so if it is important for you to vote, you will do what you need to do to make it happen. Do they really think we are that stupid!"

"Would someone please wise up and read the comments from educators and unhappy parents. They want your help. They need your help. Most of us realize that the people who need to read the Citizen Poll never pick it up. They tend to think that only angry people with some type of grudge would dare to send a negative comment in. They need to realize that these teachers and parents are begging someone -- anyone to please read and think about the complaints. Our school system is falling apart while principals and county office employees and board members sit back and watch. These concerns posted are so real. Teachers have no one to vent to. A principal would make your life miserable is you went to them to complain or dared to talk to anyone inside your own school. Gossip is just not allowed. The county office won't even give you an appointment to come in to talk. Sad thing is, this is not gossip. We are trying to get facts out and facts that someone will try and change. It is a weekly thing that we are given something else to add to our list to do.We can't get done what we were given at the beginning of school. Do you know how long it takes just to do lesson plans now? What about the report cards. The parents can't even read and understand what the report says or means. They too think it is insane. They would just like a report with grades like we had as a child. Then, the comments you have to write. You do progress reports and write comments and turn around a few weeks later and it is time for report cards. Between all of that you try and schedule conferences -- on your own time. Most parents say, 'call me if you need me otherwise I will know things are OK.' They have jobs to go to. None of it is worth anything. Students have got to want to have good grades. They have got to want to behave. We can not make them and it is not fair to continue to bribe the bad students while the good ones sit by and watch these students be begged and bribed into doing the work or not acting a fool. The good students are being discriminated against. They do not get the attention that a bad child gets. They pick up on this. There is absolutely no discipline in the schools. Most of us never even see the principal or assistant principal once a week. You might walk by and see most everyone in the office sitting around laughing or talking but they are never available when a discipline problems needs to be handled. We have silly meetings once a week to discuss children but nothing concrete is ever done. It is a waste of our planning time (which we have none of anyway) ... "

"Why doesn't the Citizen look into the report that Oden's car was broken into at Stonecrest Mall at midnight and his campaign material was taken? Why was he carrying around his campaign material in his county vehicle? Better yet, what was he doing leaving his car at Stonecrest Mall at midnight?"

Editor's note: Please see the Thursday, Sept. 27 edition.

"Rockdale County water should not convert existing water meters to automatic water meters. They are not reliable or have been fully tested and give inaccurate readings. Atlanta is a prime example of problems with automatic water meter reading. Current savings can be obtained by changing the pickup trucks used from full size to smaller pickup trucks or even changing to electric vehicles the size of golf carts or three-wheeled electric motorcycles. There is no need for a full size pickup truck that is not used for any other purpose. Readings can also be done every other month and estimated every other month to save on time. What has been done to find and fix the massive amount of loss of water or theft of water?"

"Parents, please educate your upcoming adult children on what voting means. Had a conversation with a girl that just turned 18 and is excited about voting for the first time. I asked her who our current vice president was and she couldn't tell me! So, you know she hasn't done any research or have any idea what she is voting for. Just because you can vote doesn't mean you should. And another thing, what happened to the pride we felt in waiting for election day and making arrangements to get to the polls and vote because of the special privilege that it is to vote? All I hear is whining about how much work it is to get an ID or how hard it is to get to the polls on election day. If someone told you that you won the lottery, I wonder how fast you could make arrangements to get there. Use some initiative and just do it!"