who's the idiot?

So I checked my email this morning and found that a certain Anonymous user from Yucaipa, CA had left a comment on my previous entry. With a little investigation, I see that my dear, old friend Harry Ervin (of Yucca Valley HS and Colton HS fame and notoriety) left the comment. It read -

Mr. Curry,

As a reminder, you were an idiot under my administration and today I see nothing has changed.

Really? If that were the case, I would have been in the same situation as you. Instead, I've managed to find and keep employment in various locations around the world, including one of the top schools in South America. Yes Mr. Ervin - I'm such an idiot that administrators from excellent schools around the world recognize the value of a good teacher and have not only given me a job but also write wonderful letters of recommendation saying that I am an idiot. I've managed to be such a confounded idiot that my students are scoring in the top percentiles of the International Baccalaureate program and procure spots at universities such as Penn, Yale, Cambridge, TU Delft, Vrije Amsterdam, and other slouching institutions.

Or were you referring to my leadership skills within the MTA (Morongo Teachers Association)? Those leadership skills that led to a presidency at my school in Holland where I successfully led the teachers for 2 years. Or the leadership skills that allowed me to move into a coaching position that saw my team advance to the finals of South American schools? Perhaps you were trying to compare my leadership skills yours...

Let's take a look at Mr. Ervin - in less than 2 years you were relieved of being a principal in 2 separate school districts, one were a near-riot occurred. Now you have a position at Heritage College-Ready Academy in Los Angeles. Congrats on getting another job but when I visited the school's website, I noticed a disturbing trend. Is there any particular reason why 6 of your 18, fully 1/3 of your teaching staff, is leaving the school? Do they disagree with what is happening and looking to go elsewhere? Its not like THAT hasn't happened before. I also noted earlier that the message was sent from Yucaipa - why are you still doing long commutes to your place of employment? Is there some reason why you won't live in the communities where you work? What kind of message does it send to a community about a leader who won't live amongst the people? And why exactly did you write? Its been almost 5 years since I left YVHS and fully 3 years since the events at Colton. Were you saddened to see the top Google searches of your name come up with negative stories about you? Gee, so sorry to hear that your actions have consequences.

Sarcasm aside Mr. Ervin, I am happy (truly) that you have found employment and can continue to support your family despite the adverse situations you have managed to put yourself into. I appreciate that you are looking out for the best interests of students when you do some of the things that you do. You do have good intentions and I applaud your determination to improve the lives of those students whom you oversee. However, has it ever occurred to you that while your message is good, your method of implementation could be improved? I understand that in the Marine Corps, a chain of command is good and following that CofC is important to do without reservation or hesitation. And while classrooms may sometimes resemble a war zone, it may not always been necessary to adopt a Joe Clark of Eastside HS of Paterson, NJ mentality. Beating someone over the head with an idea doesn't mean they'll adopt it any quicker. Please keep that in mind when you are dealing with people - not everyone reacts as we would like when a certain stimulus is applied.

Mr. Ervin, let it go. You don't always need to have the last word (remember that wonderful email you sent to me when I left and the response it got?) and you've moved on in your career. Accept that people will not always be a fan of you or your decisions and go about your life. You've got a wonderful family, a well-paying job, your health, and the prospect of a good future, why trouble yourself with the petty aspects of someone who thinks ill of you on another continent? C'mon man, life is too short for that. Toss back a beer, chalk it up to another life experience, and enjoy the present. If you need a way to see how your life is so good, come visit me in Peru and I'll be happy to show you places where life isn't so grand, places where you'll appreciate the life you live and the hand you've been dealt in this world. Do yourself a favor and get out of Southern California on your next vacation - see the poverty of the world and then you can complain about something...