The Smallest Of Efforts – Hatchet
Timeline: October 18, 2021 – October 20, 2021
33.1 Since the start of the school year, six weeks have passed and the applicant’s parents are still waiting for just a single piece of finished school work from their son’s time at school to come home.
33.2 Like Kevin Maddalena, the DSBN and many other schools in Ontario. They have a tendency to hoard students work and not send it home to the parents so they can see how their children are doing. And because of this common practice, this is the exact reason why the applicant parents were unaware of their son’s so to be discussed Fatty Legs book situation.
33.3 A friend of the parents who is a teacher explained that the act of hoarding is a common practice among school boards. Students work is held back as a way to satisfactorily address any concerns that parents might have during parent-teacher meetings regarding their children’s grades, behavior, lack of participation and other issues of this nature. This is why school boards typically release a significant amount of work following parent-teacher meetings and before beginning a new cycle of hording students work again for the second half of the semester.
33.4 This failure Kevin Maddalena’s to fulfill his September 09, 2021 promise that “I will try to get some homework for your son… As for school work, when it is complete and marked and returned to him, I will communicate with him that he is to bring it home for you to see.”
33.5 Makes it clear that Kevin Maddalena was making no attempts to live up to his promises, or was even trying to create any form of dialogue with the parents on the matter. So the parents ask their son to ask Kevin Maddalena if there was any marked work that he could bring home on the following Monday?
33.6 That day Kevin Maddalena eventually gives the applicant a single batch of graded work to carry home. The majority of the content focused on writings by the applicant on a book called Fatty Legs.
33.7 The applicant continually scored very poorly on the previous four chapters and he expressed to his parents that he was worried about his grades. The applicant expressed his desire to bring the work home so that he may receive assistance. However, Kevin Maddalena insisted that it was a purely an in-class project that “could ONLY be done at school.”
33.8 The applicant complained that when he would ask Kevin Maddalena for assistance, he did not provide him with the help he needed, as he would instead quickly moved on to other students. (Caucasian students) And for this reason, he kept doing very poorly on the Fatty Legs chapter reports.
33.9 The applicant’s parents advised their son to bring the assignments home and they will inform Kevin Maddalena that he was going to work on it at home; and they sent Kevin Maddalena an email explaining this.
To: Kevin Maddalena Kevin.Maddalena@dsbn.org
Dated: October 18, 2021
Hello, I have noticed that the applicant has repeatedly been doing poorly on his Fatty Legs Chapter Reports. I have told him to bring the book home each night so we can work on it together so he can learn to write proper sentences and explain himself better. If you have issue please let me know?
Also at the beginning of the year I asked for extra work to be sent home with the applicant each night and we are now in mid-October and I have yet to see any extra Math, English, Science or History work being sent home for him to do.
33.10 Once more, Kevin Maddalena remained silent because he was obviously angered that his lies have been exposed again.
33.11 Two days later, the applicant’s parents again send another follow up email to Kevin Maddalena about their son who left his school work at home.
To: Kevin Maddalena Kevin.Maddalena@dsbn.org
Dated: October 30, 2021
Hello, our son forgot his work this morning. I have scanned it to show that he did work and finished it last night. He will bring tomorrow.
A hand written version of the applicant typed answer sheet.
33.12 The parents offered the only required assistance their son needed. The applicant was solely accountable for the work he produced and all the parents did was show him where to find the tools to help him learn and get it done.
From: Kevin Maddalena Kevin.Maddalena@dsbn.org
Dated: October 20, 2021
Hello, Not a problem, I knew he took it home and was almost finished anyway. I sent home a novel study with the applicant, I am sure you saw it. Work through it at your own pace, there are many very useful activities in the package, and it’s a great novel. Reading comprehension, in my opinion, is an extremely important skill across all subjects. Please let me know if you have any questions.
33.13 Once more, Kevin Maddalena sends home a book and now includes some photocopies of pages from a textbook and instructs the applicant to complete it at home at his own pace.
33.14 Kevin Maddalena doesn’t care how quickly the applicant answers the questions since he doesn’t want him return it so he can review it. He has once again quickly chosen book off the shelf and photocopied some work pages to again merely try and silence the parents after addressing the issue again from over a month earlier in the email two days ago.
33.15 Kevin Maddalena once again makes the smallest of efforts to assign anything that is fruitful or beneficial to the applicant. Just another random book and some lip service on how much he cares.
33.16 As you can see, Kevin Maddalena had this planned from the beginning. He had hoped that the applicant’s parents would just implement their plan to homeschool their son. As a result, he is no longer responsible for their son’s education.
33.17 And if they did not, then he continues to be a lazy teacher, while pledging to give the applicant extra “Math, English, Science, Geography ect” while claiming that “I think reading is very import.”
33.18 With this tactic, he could always just grab a book and suggest the applicant read it as opposed to having to find related work on what was currently being taught in the classroom.
33.19 After two months had elapsed, Kevin Maddalena had only given the applicant two random books to read at home:
• The Shark Encyclopedia which had no questions, and
• The Hatchet book which had some questions that were photocopied
33.20 Kevin Maddalena never intends to make a genuine effort to assist the applicant in learning Math, English, Science, Geography ect. Kevin Maddalena idea of helping the Black applicant was making him reading some random book he grabbed off a classroom shelf.
33.21 Now we know why Kevin Maddalena made such a big deal out of how important reading is to him. In an effort to be able to just keep handing out books every time the parents have issue. Kevin Maddalena presented his reading tactic as – WOW, your son is really learning a lot; thank goodness he reads! As Kevin Maddalena tries to bullshit the parents into believing this.
33.22 Kevin Maddalena made such a big deal out of how important reading is to him only because it makes his job easier. It is the easiest and fast way to try and get the applicants parents off his back.
33.23 When the parents have issues, grab a book, maybe photocopy some question pages and send it all home, ALL DONE, and PROBLEM SOLVED!
33.24 Never did Kevin Maddalena ever send any work home that was being taught in class. He sure could find the time to grab a random book, but not could not find the time to locate any work that would actually assist the applicant in learn what was being currently taught in the classroom.
33.25 It is clear that Kevin Maddalena was going out of his way NOT to assist the applicant. It would have taken Kevin Maddalena absolutely no extra effort to just give the applicant work relating to what was being taught in class, as it did for him to assign a random book with photocopied questions that he wanted no feedback on.
33.26 And when Kevin Maddalena finally had to allow work to go home with the applicant to get help him improving his skills and marks. Kevin Maddalena made it very clear that it would NOT be graded.
33.27 The perfect example of this is the applicants Fatty Legs chapter reports. Kevin Maddalena claimed that on September 18, 2021 he had “no problem” with the applicant bringing the work home and getting assistance from his parents to complete it.
33.28 Kevin Maddalena also had “no problem” not speaking to the applicant or his parents with any kind of concern or inquiry about how they might all help the applicant improve in his writing skills during the first four chapters of Fatty Legs, during which time the applicant continuously performed very poorly.
33.29 Kevin Maddalena was aware of the applicant’s persistent difficulties with the task as he seen it when marking and yet he showed absolutely no sign of caring or trying to help him.
33.30 Kevin Maddalena and the DSBN;
- obviously see that the applicant is Black.
- obviously see that the applicant is struggling.
- obviously see that the parents want to be involved.
- obviously see that they are not reaching out in support of the applicant to help him get assistance.
- obviously see that they are not living up to their own expectations as stated in the emails.
- obviously see that the applicant is trying.
33.31 And even after all this and evaluating four poorly written Fatty Legs reports. Kevin Maddalena still couldn’t be bothered to assist the applicant in his struggles.
33.32 If Kevin Maddalena had wanted to, he could have easily taken time out of his busy day on the whiteboard to reach out and talk to the applicants parents about how THEY ALL could work together in helping their son. But instead Kevin Maddalena was too busy helping others Caucasian students and the applicant had to find a solution on his own AGAIN!
33.33 But this time it was not against a bully named Marcus, but the DSBN and Kevin Maddalena who have deliberately refused to even acknowledge his struggles with his school work and have refused to assist him in his efforts of improving his writing skills so he could get better confidence and grades.
33.34 If Kevin Maddalena would have just taken a break from his hectic day at the whiteboard to reach out to the parents of the applicant and discuss ways that they could ALL assist their son. The applicant would not have to find a solution on his own to get better skills and grades.
33.35 Let’s recall what Kevin Maddalena said on September 9, 2021. “As for school work, when it is complete and marked and returned to him, I will communicate with him that he is to bring it home for you to see.”
33.36 After six weeks of school Kevin Maddalena eventually does return some work. And it was not until the applicant had four chapter reports with poor grades, an email was sent and the applicant asked for his work that Kevin Maddalena finally decided he should release it to go home.
33.37 What has he doing with the applicants work during those six weeks begs to be asked? He marked it, and then forgot about it! He was hoarding it!