GwinnettForum | Number 21.15 | Mar. 1, 2022
TWO STUDENTS at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine practice intubation on a task trainer (life-like mannequin). The college recently established a Medical Education Center for Excellence, the first in the nation, which “strengthens the college’s ability to prepare the next generation of osteopathic physicians.” Learn more by reading further in Notable below.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Why teacher tenure is a good practice for schools
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Taking a look at the races for U.S. Senate and governor
SPOTLIGHT: Georgia Banking Company
FEEDBACK: Disturbed at what she sees from school board meeting
UPCOMING: PCOM established medical education Center for Excellence
NOTABLE: Norcross gets $10,000 grant to reduce liability exposure
OBITUARIES: Jones Webb
RECOMMENDED: Great Swedish Fairy Tales by John Bauer
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Gospel singer Lee Roy Abernathy was popular; ran for governor
MYSTERY PHOTO: Send in your mysteries
CALENDAR: Author Julius Thompson speaks at Suwanee Library on Sunday, March 6
Why teacher tenure is a good practice for schools
By Alexander Tillman
VALDOSTA, Ga. | You hear a lot of talk about tenure these days, as the State Board of Regents have modified it for University System employees.
Tillman
Tenure is defined as status granted to an employee, usually after a probationary period, indicating that the position or employment is permanent. It is a strange and controversial subject especially in education. In reality it means a teacher cannot be terminated unless the cause is grievous. The question arises: does this system help or hurt education?
There is a myth that tenure has created thousands of incompetent teachers who cannot be fired. The fact is teachers can be fired. In my years in education, I have personally witnessed teachers being fired. They are usually terminated for excessive absenteeism, being consistently late for work, or neglect of their duties and responsibilities. In my opinion, such teachers deserved to be fired.
What I have found to be true is the problem of incompetent teachers almost always takes care of itself. If a teacher is struggling in the classroom, they are miserable and many will voluntarily leave education, because they realize that they don’t belong there. There is no shame in realizing a career path is not for you. I have seen this happen many times.
Are there more effective teachers than others? Yes, there are. In any occupation there are various degrees of talent. In education there are places you can put a less gifted teacher where they will be more effective. Teaching ninth grade World Geography is less challenging to teach than senior Advanced Placement Economics. Please remember the teacher shortage. We need every available teacher we can get.
If tenure is not protecting incompetent teachers, why do we need tenure? Tenure protects competent teachers from termination. I will give a few examples.
Teachers’ salaries are based on experience and training. Use any search engine to find the teachers’ salary chart for your state. Each year of teaching experience increases the pay scale, as does attaining advanced degrees. A ten year veteran teacher with a master’s degree or higher is earning more than a new teacher with only a bachelor’s degree. That seems reasonable.
If a school system wants to reduce their payroll, they can terminate the higher paid veteran teachers and replace them with lower paid new teachers. They would be making mistakes on several fronts , but it would reduce the budget immediately. This method then becomes a good argument for having tenure.
I have witnessed something else of a more devious nature. Sometimes school administrators are pressured to hire certain individuals in the community. Perhaps the largest church in town is recruiting a new minister whose wife is a kindergarten teacher. There may be pressure to find the preacher’s wife a good job. What about the new high school football coach whose wife is a teacher? I’ll let you fill in the blanks in that situation. Yet competent teachers should not be replaced in the name of favoritism. That’s another point for tenure.
You can see that I support teachers’ tenure in Georgia. A new teacher does not earn tenure until they sign their third contract. Before that time, their contract can be non-renewed without cause. That gives the school system time to evaluate the teacher long term.
As for the teacher shortage, like most occupations, what we need is more good applicants. But keep high the standards for good teachers, and protect them with tenure.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Taking a look at the races for U.S. Senate and governor
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MARCH 1, 2022 | Nine months out from the 2022 General Election in Georgia, let’s consider two large statewide political races, for the U.S. Senate and the governor’s office.
But recognize: this is an assessment made in late February. Many new circumstances can pop up in the next months that can dramatically change these long-range observations.
From the looks of it, Sen. Raphael Warnock seems to be taking the high road in his re-election bid, as you would think a minister of the Gospel should. Loaded with a campaign chest, he has been popping up on the television screen bringing thoughtful messages in a cadenced structure. There’s no hyperbole, only simple, straight-forward talks, something like a fireside chat.
Warnock
The overall understated impression: he’s in Washington working diligently for the people of Georgia.
We’ve seen few messages from Warnock’s opponent for the Senate, Herschel Walker. He seems to be campaigning from afar, raising money from admirers outside of Georgia. He’s also making large pronouncements on the state of national affairs, as if he were an expert on these vast subjects.
Walker also hasn’t addressed sufficiently various domestic and personal charges made against him, many from his home base in Texas. Without addressing these issues, there arises a doubt among voters about Walker’s past indiscretions.
The overall impression: Walker isn’t directly addressing the people with answers to topics, and seems only to be riding the coattails of Donald Trump’s endorsement.
Now to the race for governor, given in two takes.
Perdue
Kemp
First, let’s address the Republican primary (May 24), where Gov. Brian Kemp is challenged by former Sen. David Perdue.
Earlier in the race, it appeared that this race for the GOP nomination for governor might be a toss-up between two political factions. Senator Perdue was enjoying the support of President Trump, which might make a difference among Republican voters. But the ex-senator’s fund-raising support hasn’t caught fire. And he doesn’t seem to raise many reasons why the GOP should put their faith in him.
Overall: Senator Perdue’s campaign seems to be sputtering.
Meanwhile, Kemp, with his bully pulpit as governor, is in the news almost daily with positive stories. He seems to have come through the Legislature unscathed, and not only that, his war chest of funds is large.
Overall: Governor Kemp should be smiling. His campaign seems to be running smoothly.
But….this is only the assessment of what’s about to happen in the primary.
For the main bout will come in November. Right now it appears that the Republicans will be headed by Governor Kemp, who will face the probable Democratic candidate for governor, Stacey Abrams.
Abrams
Ms. Abrams reminds us at present of B’rer Fox. She’s peeking out from the pea patch, watching the two Republican candidates, not saying too much right now, and just waiting. Meantime, her effort to raise money is soaring, and her voter registration campaign is in high gear.
Come November, we’re thinking Ms. Abrams will take the gubernatorial vote, and return the Democrats at least to one elected statewide office. And with the power of the governor, this can be significant.
You may recall that getting a Republican as governor was the initial step in the Republicans taking over the Georgia Legislature. Time the first Perdue (Sonny) was governor, first one conservative Democrat after another recognized it might serve them better to call themselves a Republican. And almost overnight, the Republicans had control of the whole state.
Should Stacey Abrams win the governor’s office, we may see history repeat itself quite soon, with at least one house of the Legislature becoming Democratic.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Georgia Banking Company
Georgia Banking Company (GBC) is a full-service, commercial community bank headquartered in Atlanta. With a local, yet sophisticated and savvy, high-tech/high-touch approach, GBC provides businesses with banking products integrated with innovative technology and delivered in a consultative manner. Led by fifth generation banker, CEO Bartow Morgan, Jr., GBC has assets of approximately $1.1 billion as of December 31, 2021 with offices in Buckhead, Duluth, Griffin, Lawrenceville and will soon be expanding to serve customers in Alpharetta, and Marietta. GBC has the tools and resources to ‘build Atlanta’ through an expanding network of offices and a team of proven relationship managers who offer critical thinking to identify solutions for complex business needs and a deep understanding of customers’ unique businesses, opportunities, and goals.
- Learn more and stay connected by following GBC on LinkedIn.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here.
Disturbed at what she sees from school board meeting
Editor, the Forum:
The level of trust has eroded at Gwinnett County Public Schools and cameras in the classroom would restore parental confidence.
Watch a board meeting. We had one last week. One parent was arrested and two parents were escorted out by the school resource officers. I watched the live stream last night. I have a very heavy heart for our Gwinnett County Schools.
I firmly believe our Gwinnett Democrat delegation is handicapped by the dysfunction of our school board. People have noticed our controversial board and have become involved in the political process. Our board chair, Tarece Johnson, has gone viral (nationally, she was featured on Tucker Carlson a few weeks ago) with her unprofessional social media.
– Cathy Loew, Peachtree Corners
Dear Cathy: If people were arrested and escorted out of a meeting, I presume they were causing some kind of ruckus. Inappropriate conduct at any meeting should get you kicked out. –eeb
Send us your thoughts: We encourage you to send us your letters and thoughts on issues raised in GwinnettForum. Please limit comments to 300 words, and include your hometown. The views of letters are the opinion of the contributor. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net.
PCOM established medical education Center for Excellence
With a nine-fold mission statement, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine has established a Medical Education Center of Excellence, under the direction of Dr. Art Sesso, senior associate dean and chair of the Department of Surgery. According to Dr. Sesso, the center, which is the first in the nation, “strengthens the college’s ability to prepare the next generation of osteopathic physicians.”
The founding documents state that the center will strive to educate the finest osteopathic physicians, assure an understanding that student outcomes equate to patient outcomes, produce leaders in patient-centered care, and develop a campus-wide community of educators.
According to PCOM President Jay S. Feldstein, the establishment of the center, which has developed the PCOM ONE curriculum for the osteopathic medicine program, underlines the fact that “PCOM is three distinct locations, but one university.”
He said, “We want to assure there is not a difference when our students graduate from the Philadelphia, Suwanee or Moultrie (Georgia) campuses. We want the standardization and quality assurance, the PCOM brand, to be the same when our students start their residency programs.”
He added, “MECOE strives to assure that our students have the same opportunities with the same curriculum the first two years. I don’t think we can understate that in today’s world,” he said, “because residencies will continue to be more competitive. There are more and more osteopathic schools and allopathic schools which continue to increase their class sizes.”
Not only is the content different with a new emphasis on wellness and nutrition, but curriculum delivery has changed. Dr. Feldstein explained, “PCOM ONE involves small groups, active learning, critical thinking skills and team building. That’s the world we live in today.”
The center’s mission prioritizes the integration of basic and clinical sciences in a translational education model, communicates and shares outcomes data for future curricular development, and inspires and supports research, scholarship and innovation.
Finally, the center addresses cultural competency, issues of health equity and the delivery system, in addition to providing an atmosphere that encourages new ideas and promotes faculty and student initiatives.
The center utilizes a structure with seven faculty directors across PCOM’s three campus locations in Pennsylvania and Georgia. The directors ensure the progress of each student throughout their educational journey.
Norcross gets $10,000 grant to reduce liability exposure
The City of Norcross will get a $10,000 grant from the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) to be used toward the purchase of equipment or training to reduce exposures related to liability and property damage.
The GMA Safety and Liability Management Grant program was introduced in 2000 to provide financial support to aid members in improving employee safety and liability loss control endeavors. The funds can be used for the purchase of training services or equipment that reduce the probability of claims.
Mayor Craig Newton says: “Safety is a top priority in Norcross and these funds will go a long way toward our ongoing effort to ensure the safety and security of our valued employees.”
Branding firm in Buford moves into offices on Main Street
On the heels of a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new offices on Main Street in historic Buford recently, The Edge Agency has in five years since its launch helped clients in branding across a wide range of industries. That includes firms ranging from those in real estate, to healthcare, interior design, education and more. In the last year alone, the branding firm released its first e-book, Unconventional Entrepreneurship and launched a division targeted to small business owners, My Edgy Band. From left is Alex Radford and Lauren Tatum, owners of the agency. Its offices are at 115 East Main Street.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Jones Webb
Retired Lawrenceville attorney Jones Webb entered eternal rest on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022, at his home surrounded by loved ones. He was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Marion Allison Webb, who passed away on Dec. 9, 2016.
Webb
Jones’ request was that his obituary be a humble expression of his character, and so it begins. Jones Webb never liked his name because he didn’t have a middle name and people were always calling him “Webb Jones.” He was a faithful son and brother, a small-town lawyer, loving husband and father, a family man, and friend to all.
Born in the hills of east Tennessee, from an early age, Jones always loved going to the mountains to hunt, fish, camp and hike especially in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee where he and his ancestors were born. As a young boy, he dreamed of being a flying ace and having a military career which he achieved both dreams later in life by flying antique airplanes into his 80s and serving in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, the U.S. Army and finishing as a commander in the Naval Reserves. He never had the chance to fight in a war, but he served his beloved country well.
He loved the Wild West and really, as Toby Keith’s song says, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.” Instead, as an adult he was an avid horseman, teaching his two children to love horses and Western riding, riding out West with the Round Up Riders of the Rockies for 25 years and taking numerous weeklong western horseback adventures in Wyoming and Montana with his local friends lucky enough to be invited to go until he was 91 years old. He sold his last two horses at age 93. …
Great Swedish Fairy Tales by John Bauer
From Raleigh Perry, Buford: Years ago, I started reading mythology, then went to folk tales and fairy tales, studying comparisons in hopes of finding the origins of the myriad of tales. Virtually every country has a story that deals with how the sea got salty and another about the well at the world’s end. This book has about 21 stories in it by various authors. It is illustrated by John Bauer, who is in the same category as Rackham, Pyle, and Dore — the best that history has to offer. The stories vary in intensity and length. Good always overcomes evil. I would place the audience mainly for girls from ten up, but it would be good reading to put a child to sleep. You will need to know a bit about trolls, tomtes, and such. I whole- heartedly recommend it to anyone. Trolls might be bad, but everything comes out in the wash.
An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (150 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. Send to: elliott@brack.net
Gospel singer Abernathy was popular; ran for governor
(From previous edition)
Lee Ray Abernathy wrote Burning of the Winecoff Hotel following the tragic Winecoff Hotel fire in Atlanta, which claimed the lives of 119 people on December 7, 1946. He had a permanent room at the hotel and, because of post–World War II (1941-45) gasoline shortages, would have stayed there the weekend of the fire rather than returning home to north Georgia. A friend had given him a coupon for three gallons of gas, however, and he left town. While some accused Abernathy of capitalizing on a tragedy, the song garnered him the National Fire Protection award.
In 1947 Abernathy became the pianist for the Homeland Harmony Quartet. A year later he persuaded the group to record what would become one of the best-selling gospel songs of all time, Everybody’s Gonna Have a Wonderful Time Up There. Some conservative clergy, however, objected to its jazz beat and insisted that Homeland Harmony omit the number from its repertoire when performing in their respective churches. Abernathy disregarded the criticism, believing that he had written the song as a result of divine inspiration. Later labeled the Gospel Boogie, the song was eventually recorded by numerous quartets, as well as by Johnny Cash, Johnny Mathis, and Pat Boone, whose cover of the song rose to number ten on the Billboard charts.
Abernathy’s book, It, a gospel music industry primer, was published in 1948. The following year he and Shorty Bradford toured nationally as the Happy Two, appearing on television and creating commercials. The duo’s daily show on Atlanta’s WAGA-TV began in 1951 and continued for seven years, at one point reaching the national top-three ratings, according to the Nielsen ratings system.
With $500 and a “road train,” complete with a red piano and a Coca-Cola crate on which to sit, Abernathy launched his campaign for Georgia governor in 1958. Finishing a distant third in the Democratic gubernatorial primary behind William Bodenhamer and the eventual winner, Ernest Vandiver Jr., he received much media coverage as he traversed the state.
Abernathy was inducted into the Gospel Music Association’s Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tenn. in 1973. In 1989 he received the Mary Tallent Pioneer Award from the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon. In 1996 he became one of the (posthumous) charter inductees in the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame, in Sevierville, Tenn.
Late in life, Abernathy gave voice lessons at his Hall of Fame School of Music in Canton, drawing students from as far away as California. He died on May 25, 1993, and was buried in Holly Springs in Cherokee County.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Send in your mysteries
Due to a glitch, we’re not able to provide you with a new Mystery Photo in this issue, but we encourage you to send us some of your own to be published in future issues of Gwinnett Forum. Send your ideas to elliott@brack.net, and include the town where you live.
Julie Whitmore of Monroe, Ga. recognized the Mystery Photo of a tower located in Comfort, Tex. in Kendall county. The tower is a remake of the original hygieostatic Bat Roost Tower, founded by Dr. Charles A. Campbell, He was a physician and bacteriologist in San Antonio. He began his experiments attracting bats to artificial bay roosts to ultimately help control mosquitos, that are the cause of many deaths around the world. Malaria was his connection as he treated many patients who suffered sickness and death from the disease! Also identifying the photograph was George Graf of Palmyra, Va. The photo came from Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex.
Sundays in Suwanee Series with author Julius Thompson will be Sunday, March 6 at 3 p.m. at the Suwanee Library Branch,361 Main St, Suwanee. Join this national award-winning author as he discusses his newest book, Killer Kudzu, a pre-apocalyptic, semi-horror novel where science has gone terribly wrong. Books will be available for sale and signing.
Surviving the Sandwich Generation: Senior Living Options, will be Tuesday, March 8 at 6:30 p.m. at the Five Forks Library Branch, 2780 Five Forks Trickum Road, Lawrenceville. Learn signs to watch out for in determining when an older adult may need safer housing and how to choose the best option.
Sixth annual Paddy’s Day Pathfest in Braselton on March 12, from 10 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. along Georgia Highway 211. Gather your feather boas, green tutus, four leaf clovers and Paddy’s Day tee-shirts and join in the festival golf cart parade along the LifePath. Teams get four hours to putter around the LifePath completing challenges to finish a Quest. Details: www.BraseltonLifePath.com
Sundays in Suwanee Series with bestselling author Vanessa Riley will take place on Sunday, March 20 at 3 p.m. at the Suwanee Library Branch, 361 Main Street, Suwanee. Join the award-winning author as she discusses her historical novel, Island Queen, based on the true-life story of Dorothy “Doll” Kirwan Thomas, a free Black woman who rose from slavery to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful landowners in the colonial West Indies.
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