Opinions for Sale (Part 1)

Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein are about to embark on their third reorganization in three years. You won't read much about the clear implication that the first two have failed. That's because Mayor Bloomberg's PR, which began a rapid downward spiral when he left thousands of kids to freeze outside with no bus service, instantly halted its freefall when the UFT President Randi Weingarten decided to "postpone" a May 9th protest.

The reorganization Ms. Weingarten supports is one that still forces principals to consider the salaries of incoming teachers. While the UFT may grieve about salaries being placed on applications, it would be a pretty stupid principal who couldn't calculate salaries based on resumes alone. It was already rough enough for excessed veteran teachers to land jobs anywhere, and this will certainly make it worse.

Read what the UFT brass had to say about the current reorganization before they endorsed it.

They are taking the core mission of the Department of Education — the promotion of excellent teaching and learning which is at the center of any education worthy of that name — and are outsourcing it. Such a move is a tacit admission that those who make the decisions at Tweed are themselves incapable of providing educational leadership. They lack the most elemental understanding of how the world of instruction works, and so propose structural change upon structural change, with every one avoiding the substance of teaching and learning like it were the plague.

Now that doesn't sound all that promising. It's necessary to stand up for basic principles. Outsourcing their core mission? You can't get much lower than that. Clearly, these folks lack the remotest notion of what they're doing. In fact, the same article concludes nothing would do but the resignation of Chancellor Klein himself:

The way forward for New York City public schools is not putting up for sale the leadership of teaching and learning in New York City public schools. Rather, it is the replacement of a Chancellor of New York City public schools incapable of providing educational leadership with a Chancellor who can do precisely that.

But soon thereafter, the UFT leadership decided everything was okey-dokey; putting the leadership up for sale was fine. Outsourcing the core mission was no problem after all, Chancellor Klein didn't have to step down, and the massive protest against the much maligned reorganization was unilaterally halted by Randi Weingarten, with splinter groups instantly falling in line. Why? A few sweeteners that changed none of the above.

There is a clause about increased funding for ESL, which I like (though I seriously question whether those funds will ever find their way to my trailer). They're going to consult with parents, and with the UFT. They'll make consultations and abide by the toothless class-size regulation, the one with no benchmarks. Here's the paragraph that should most interest working teachers, though:

A “hold harmless” protection in the hiring of teaching staff. Schools can hire new teachers with the same experience and salary level as teachers who leave, at no extra cost.

Just as importantly, though, the school can opt not to hire new teachers with the same experience and salary level. The school could hire newbies at half the price, and use the rest for donuts. Or big-screen TVs. Or ping-pong balls, or a well-stocked bar in the administration office, or anything they wish.

You could say the UFT leaders were against it before they were for it.

What you couldn't say, though, is that this reorganization is remotely in the interest of working teachers, whom the UFT ostensibly represents. Will this change things for kids? Frankly, it's doubtful this will do any more than the last reorganization, or the one before that.

There are no shortcuts to good teachers, reasonable class sizes, and decent facilities. With all due respect to the judgment of Chancellor Klein's no-teaching-experience Leadership Academy grads, Reorganization the Third provides none of the above.

The Grand Hall

I'm ever-vigilantly standing in my hall patrol, in front of the department office, and a kid approaches me. As a hall patrol, I wear many hats (Actually I don't wear any, as the school dress code explicitly prohibits them). But as usual, there's no one in the office, and I'm the only adult around.

Since I'm wearing a tie, the young man figures I must be in charge.

"Ms. Laconic kicked me out."

"Why?"

"She crazy! She just kick me out for no reason!"

"Okay. Teachers do that all the time. But they always say some reason, even if it doesn't make any sense. So why did Ms. Laconic say she kicked you out?"

The kid understands. He smiles. "She say it's because I'm late."

"Well, were you late?"

"Yeah I was late, but she don't have to go kicking me out!"

"Was it the first time you were late?"

"No."

"How often are you late?"

"Hey, you know I can't be making it to her class on time. It's too early, yo."

I know how it is. It's tough to get anywhere by 10:30 in the AM.

"Why are you late so often?"

"I have to work, yo."

Now we're getting somewhere. All too often employers abuse kids, make them work all sorts of hours, don't give a damn that they have to go to school. I'd better check that out.

"When do you work, exactly?"

"Three to six on Saturdays, in my uncle's store."

"So you're late every day to Ms. Laconic's class because you have to work three hours on Saturday? You're still tired from that on Wednesday?"

"I have to play soccer, too."

"When?"

"3-5 after school."

"That should give you plenty of time to make it to Ms. Laconic's class. You could even do homework..."

"Yo, I have to unwind. I have to go out after with my peeps, yo."

"How long does that take?"

"I might get home about midnight."

"You could still get to Ms. Laconic's class on time."

"That's wack." Now he's mad. "I got things to do."

At this point, a supervisor entered the office. I left her to work out a solution to this perplexing dilemma. After all, as a lowly teacher, I'm not qualified to judge all the fine points of situations like this.

And there are halls to patrol.

Quick Hits

Don't miss this week's Carnival of Education, over at The Education Wonks.

Doctor Homeslice holds court on school dress codes. If I sleep in a garbage can, why shouldn't I dress like it? If people don't like me the way I am, the hell with 'em.

Hillary 2008?

There's a lot of talk about '08, but many things could happen before then. Everyone seems to think Hillary Clinton has already clinched the nomination, just as Howard Dean had done a few years ago (remember?). But one loss, one unfortunate war whoop, and Howard was gone (only to rise from the ashes to do a great job for Democrats in 06).

I don't think I'll be voting for Hillary in the primary, though. First of all, I don't much like the fact that she's regarded as the inevitable choice. Also, I have liked John Edwards a lot since very early in the '04 campaign. If you'd seen him speak before he became Kerry's much-toned-down no. 2, you might too.

Hillary is very determined. I like that. I very much doubt she'll let grass grow under her feet while accusations against her go unanswered. Considering Kerry's wasted candidacy, that's the thing I like best about her. She won't give the Swift Boat Vets (or whoever) a free ride if she wins.

Still, her PR guy, Mark Penn, is not my favorite person in the world. He's the worldwide CEO of Burston-Marsteller, which represented clients like Union Carbide (after the 84 disaster in Bhopal), and the Argentine military junta.

B-M's website, under "Labor Relations," used to state "Companies cannot be caught unprepared by Organized Labor's coordinated campaigns," until The American Prospect went and quoted it.

Back in 2003, two large unions, UNITE (which later merged with the hotel and restaurant union, HERE) and the Teamsters, launched a major drive to organize 32,000 garment workers and truck drivers at Cintas, the country's largest and most profitable uniform and laundry supply company (it posted $3.4 billion in sales and $327 million in profits last year). Its longtime CEO, Richard Farmer, was a mega-fundraising "Pioneer" for George W. Bush. Cintas was sued for overcharging consumers and denying workers overtime pay--it settled both cases out of court--and was ordered by a California superior court to give employees $1.4 million for not paying them a living wage. It has also maintained unsafe working conditions (an employee in Tulsa died recently when caught in a 300-degree dryer) and, according to union officials, has used any means necessary to block the organizing drive. According to worker complaints documented by the unions, management fired employees on false grounds, vowed to close plants and screened antiunion videos. A plant manager in Vista, California, threatened to "kick driver-employees with his steel-toed boots," according to a complaint UNITE HERE filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). To put a soft face on its harsh tactics, Cintas hired Wade Gates, a top employee in B-M's Dallas office, as its chief spokesman. Gates coined Cintas's shrewd response to labor: "the right to say yes, the freedom to say no," which has been repeated endlessly in the press. In a speech at USC Law School last year, he outlined Cintas's strategy, calling for an "aggressive defense against union tactics." Says Ahmer Qadeer, an organizer for UNITE HERE, "It's the Burson influence that's made Cintas much, much slicker than they were." The unions have won two NLRB rulings against Cintas, but for four years the company has continued to resist the organizing campaign. Penn disclaimed any responsibility for B-M's activities before his arrival at the firm, and he told The Nation he has "never personally participated in any antiunion activity," even though B-M's antilabor arm is still operating under his tenure. (Penn added a personal note: "My father was for many years a union organizer in the poultry workers union.")

"The right to say yes, the freedom to say no." Sounds great, doesn't it? Still, to me it's very rough to imagine a prospective union holding more sway over working Americans than the person or company that signs their paychecks.

There's a lot more in the article if you choose to tackle the whole thing. And there are other corporate advisers besides Mr. Penn. Now, can you win an election without dealing with companies who've engaged in blatant anti-union activity? Can Mr. Penn possibly blunt the incredible hatred the right seems to have for Hillary? And if so, at what cost?

Hillary was instrumental in persuading President Bill Clinton to veto the bankruptcy bill that precludes catastrophic medical emergency from having your bills haunt you (to the early grave the emergency may not have provided you). However, she voted for something very similar in 01, and was absent for the vote on the bill GW Bush signed into law.

While I'd probably vote for her against a Republican, I don't really trust her. Obama hung around New Jersey with faux Democrat Cory Booker, and lost my vote right then and there. I'm left with Edwards, who I like a lot, and maybe Bill Richardson.

Who does the enlightened teacher vote for in this primary?

God Bless the First Amendment

It's alive and well, but I've taught my students it no longer applies once they enter my classroom.

The other morning, one of my students walked in with a very tight-fitting blouse announcing, "You can't be the first, but you can be next."

I asked her if she'd considered that message, and it appeared she had. I told her if my daughter came home wearing such a thing she would be in mortal danger.

"You wouldn't kill your daughter, Meester."

"No, but I'd burn the shirt for sure."

But clearly that wasn't the appropriate move while the kid was wearing it, so I taught my lesson and forgot about it.

The next period, a young man walked in ten minutes late wearing a shirt with a huge middle finger emblazoned on it. Under the finger it said, "Yankees."

I'm indifferent to baseball, but I decided right then and there that was beyond the pale (Some of my colleagues suggested it would have been acceptable had it said "Mets"). I noticed he was wearing a white T-shirt under the huge finger. I told him he couldn't wear that shirt in my class.

"I already am."

"You're gonna have to go into the bathroom and take it off if you want to stay here."

"No."

The problem with giving ultimatums to kids is you really must follow through. I called the dean's office, and the secretary insisted on talking to him. She tried to persuade him to turn it inside-out, but he refused (but isn't she great for trying?). She then sent security guards.

While they were coming, I called the young man's father. He asked to speak to his son. The security guards arrived, and I asked them to wait. The father told him to take the shirt off. No dice.

Now dad's gotta come to school and pick up the shirt. And it grieves me deeply to admit my ten-year record of not throwing kids out is broken (I don't count the clearly sick kid I forced to go to the nurse's office).

It may be my fault. As this kid is borderline passing (and till recently I was inclined to give him 65), I failed to mention his possible grade reduction before calling the dean. I'll never know whether I could have avoided this with just a gentle little veiled threat, and that bugs the hell out of me.

Still, though, it's much better that I carried through with my threat. Had I not done so, future threats would be worthless. If you're young, rest assured that being a teacher is the best possible training you could ever have for being a parent.

Found in Translation

Miss Cellania tells all.

Budget Woes?

Vouchers will only get you so far. Sure, the money's good, but you can't expect it to get you through a whole school year.

Here's an idea. Why not just cut down on the food you serve the students? The national school lunch program will give you the money, and you can feed the kids mashed potatoes. Say it's for discipline, and just give them bread and water if things get really out of hand.

And for goodness sake, don't forget to charge the school lunch program for the days when you close the school. You have to be resourceful in the old education biz. That's the only way you're gonna make a buck.

Highly Recommended

I've just spent a good portion of a very productive day sitting by a pool reading Rumpole and the Reign of Terror, now available for the slick price of $4.79 in hardcover from Amazon. There's nothing quite like Rumpole of the Bailey, and if you've never seen Leo McKern portray him on PBS, you really ought to arrange a viewing right now.

Actually, the DVDs should be available at self-respecting public libraries.

Alas, Leo McKern, shown here, passed a few years back, but octogenarian John Mortimer is still chronicling the exploits of Horace Rumpole, aged junior barrister and holy terror of the Old Bailey. Read 'em in huge gulps, or trek to your library to read a piece at a time.

The Carnival

Well, I've just received an email informing me that I was not actually the subject of carnival criticism I'd read. I've therefore deleted my previous post. I apologize to anyone and everyone I may have offended in that post (As usual, I had endeavored to offend as many people as possible).

This was not my first mistake, and it surely won't be my last. But when I make a mistake, I'll be the first to admit it.

Here's the thing about the Carnival, though--you pays your money, and you takes your chances. You can't realistically expect everything to reflect your particular point of view, whatever it may be.

The carnival is basically democratic. Within reason, I include posts sent to me regardless of POV, and I try not to negatively editorialize on their content, as I would not wish them to do so to me. However, inclusion does not necessarily indicate agreement.

I have mixed feelings about The New York Times, Newsday, The Daily News, The New York Post, and The Village Voice, all of which have printed anti-union op-eds or articles. That doesn't stop me from writing them letters, though. Thankfully, my point of view doesn’t preclude them from printing my letters either.

One of the most anti-union folks around is NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, and the UFT published a column of his in its publication, NY Teacher. Would it be fair to conclude, on that basis, that the United Federation of Teachers is anti-union?

When The Daily News began excerpting posts from this blog, I got some angry email from Unity faithful expressing horror that I would allow myself to be quoted in such a publication. I couldn’t help but notice they had no objections whatsoever when the News printed UFT President Randi Weingarten’s op-ed a week later.

I think the carnival is a great place for all of us to express our views on education, whatever they are. I don't expect to persuade people like Rod Paige that unions are good things. But that doesn't mean he isn't entitled to his point of view.

However wrong it may be.

Threaten a Teacher, Go to Jail

That's a law they're proposing in Wisconsin. I once had a kid come into my classroom and offer to blow my head off with a 45. I'm not certain any law would have dissuaded him from making that particular announcement.

Are laws like these what we need? I'm still wondering who I have to sleep with to get the soap dispensers filled in my trailer, so I can't yet tackle this question.

Kelly Grapples with Sacred Cows

It's an odd day in Mr. Bloomberg's New York when one of his employees publicly questions his infinite wisdom. But Police Commissioner Ray Kelly thinks the way to resolve the police shortage is to pay them more money. Mayor Bloomberg, of course, says it's never been done that way.

Hizzoner points to the teachers' union, which simply made its members work more. It agreed to longer days, and even longer days. It agreed to extra days. It tossed seniority rights into the trash. It sent its members to inspect hallways and bathrooms and sentenced others to an eternity wandering the system as overpaid subs. It even agreed to keep its HQ open an extra hour a week, to make it appear that the patronage mill was sacrificing something as well. Why can't the PBA agree to the same?

I mean, it's not like working for NYPD is stressful. You get to know people you might not meet in your everyday life. Sometimes you get to chase them down city streets, by car, by foot, by motorcycle, by bike, or even by horse. Some days people actually try to kill you and stuff, just like on TV. You get to run into collapsing buildings and make the mayor look like a hero. You just never know what excitement the next day may offer. Who could ask for more?

Inexplicably, Patrick J. Lynch, PBA president, thinks the job is tough enough already:

Base pay for the city’s officers tops out at $59,588 after five and a half years. In Suffolk, top pay is $97,958 after five years; in Nassau, it is $91,737 after seven years. “Even if we went to pattern bargaining and it brings us up to $63,000, it’s substantially lower than every other nearby department,” Mr. Lynch said. “Our members will continue to leave.”

Mayor Bloomberg, of course, knows better. Police, like teachers, are interested neither in a living wage, nor working conditions, nor sending their kids to college. They just want to pitch in, help Mr. Bloomberg fudge the figures and make people think he's doing a great job.

It's not like Mr. Bloomberg isn't doing his part. He declines even to accept a salary. Sure, cynics will say he's already a billionaire.

But that still doesn't change the facts.

On Livestock

In my morning class, we were discussing similes, and the book suggested "strong as a bull/ ox. I told the kids "strong as an ox" was more commonly used (One colleague agreed, while another did not. If you have any opinions, I'd love to hear them).

One kid asked, " What's an ox?"

"It's a kind of bull, I think," I replied.

"Are bulls cows?"

"No, Jaehi. Cows are cows. Bulls are bulls."

"How do they have babies then?"

"Well, the cows and bulls get together, and they have babies."

"Why can't the cows just go with other cows?"

"Because the cows can't make babies by themselves."

"Why not?"

"You need a bull. Bulls are boys, and cows are girls."

"Well, what about cowboys?"

"Well, Juan, cowboys are boys. But they don't go out with cows. They go out with girls."

"Well, I saw a movie on cable where the cowboy went with another cowboy."

"Maybe he did, Gloria, but they couldn't make babies either."

What Do We Have that Green Dot Doesn't?

Well, we have tenure. It's a very slippery slope when folks from your union start saying lack of tenure is insignificant. Do I need to spell out what that implies?

I believe Green Dot teachers have job protection, it's superior to what's offered in the awful factories that have popped up in fun city, but the truth is probably far closer to what you can read on Eduwonk today.

The argument that Green Dot's system is superior to tenure is superficial, since Green Dot specifically rejects seniority privileges. So you may have it good your first three years, but if you plan to stick around much longer than that, you're likely to be disappointed (Disposable teachers are all the rage nowadays).

On the other hand, we also have a boss making hundreds of thousands of our dollars being perpetually chauffeured about on our dime. While she goes to gala luncheons, we walk hall patrols and teach in trailers and closets.

And we have patronage employees who have no qualms about libeling real working teachers (while receiving 2-4 times our salaries to do so). In fact, we have a veritable army of them marching to any tune the leadership calls. To make sure, Unity has them sign loyalty oaths.

I started writing this blog with the express intent of countering the teacher-bashing I saw regularly in the pages of the New York tabloids. But the 05 contract hit me over the head like a piano falling from the sky. On my worst day, I could never have imagined such a thing.

I hit maximum salary last February because we voted down a contract that would have raised it to 25. The UFT now characterizes that as an insignificant gain, but I don't.

I believe in strong, active union that fights for its members. I've been in this for 22 years, and right now I cannot remember the last time the UFT leadership fought for anything.

If anyone can, please let me know. I'm all ears

En boca cerrada, no entran moscas*

I told my students we'd be filling in DoE surveys this week. My kids don't speak a lot of English, so it takes a little while to explain.

"Surveys are wack to the heck," observed Paulo.

"What the heck does wack to the heck mean?" I asked.

"You're supposed to know that." Maria informed me. "You're the teacher."

She had me there. But then I remembered what my daughter had told me.

"You're wrong, Maria. That's slang and slang is for kids."

Much discussion ensued about who exactly was supposed to know what exactly. We finally decided to go to the source, and asked Paulo what he meant.

"I don't know, teacher." he confessed. "I just opened my mouth, and it came out."

Things like that used to happen to me a lot, too. When I became a teacher, I really had to work on stopping it. It's even rougher, though, for kids just learning English. Apparently, sometimes even they themselves don't know what they're talking about.

They'll get it, though, if we give them a little time and patience.

*Roughly, if you keep your mouth shut, flies won't get in.

Related: See what a city parent thinks should be on the parent survey.

Teacher of the Year

And what a year it's been. Kanesa Hopkins, who recently gained that coveted title, is charged with having sex with one of her female students. Ms. Hopkins taught her alleged partner not only math, but Sunday school as well.

As the United States assumes people innocent until proven guilty, Ms. Hopkins was suspended with pay. She's lucky she doesn't work in New York city where the United Federation of Teachers, to serve us better, agreed to suspensions without pay based on allegation alone.

Chancellor Klein Enhances His Image

According to Juan Gonzalez, Chancellor Klein forgets when he purges test ESL students from his test scores. But when they come back and get factored in, he remembers them all day long. In fact, 30,000 more ESL students were counted this year than last:

Fred Smith was outraged when he heard Klein's explanation. Smith, you see, spent three decades analyzing tests for our city's school system, so he knows a thing or two about how chancellors paint the prettiest picture for the public.

"They never told you that back in 2005, during the mayoral race, the school district quietly increased the number of exemptions for ELL kids and then claimed a record boost in scores," Smith said.

That year, Bloomberg and Klein announced "the highest one-year gains ever achieved" by city fourth-graders, a more than 10% increase in those scoring at or above grade level.

But, as Smith noted, Bloomberg and Klein never mentioned in any press release that the city had dramatically increased the number of immigrant students exempted from the test that year. Some children had been in the school system as long as five years and were still being exempted from regular state tests.

Gonzalez said Klein had photos with circles and arrows and paragraphs to be used as evidence against them. And despite all the hoopla, he remained unimpressed (as do I).

Closing their neighborhood schools (Take that, non-English speakers!)and busing ESL kids all over the city is highly unlikely to hasten their acquisition of English. Language acquisition is not as much about intelligence as wanting to fit in and be part of something. Kids who have to wake up at four in the morning to take a bus, a train, and a brisk run to Far Far Away Middle School are not likely to be unexpectedly break out singing "I Love New York."

"They all try to make things look better than they are to further their own ambitions," said Smith, who is now writing a book on how public schools doctor test results. Bloomberg and Klein just "have better public relations" than previous administrations, he said.

Gonzalez gets straight to the heart of the matter. Test scores from this administration are best sampled with a grain of salt.

Or more, if possible.

I Think I Thought...

...I Thought a Think was hosting the 120th Carnival of Education.

Find out why the number 120 is so amazingly special.

Well? What are you waiting for?

The Naked Truth

UFT Vice President Richard Farkas, on page 6 of the May 10th, 2007 edition of NY Teacher, wrote a thoughtful article about the plight of ATR teachers in NYC. Apparently, the Daily News bemoaned the fact that hundreds of teachers were working as substitutes, but receiving much higher pay than regular subs.

As of now, there is no working link to the article at the NY Teacher website.

Mr. Farkas explains that many of these teachers are tossed into the ATR pool through no fault of their own. When Mr. Bloomberg closes a school, they're left to their own devices, and cannot get a job without a principal's say-so. Though they try, it's no dice for many of these folks.

Now the UFT does provide job security for these folks, at least until contracts are renegotiated. That's a good thing.

Of course, it would be a far better thing if the UFT had not given up the UFT transfer plan, or seniority transfers. The UFT categorizes it as an urban myth that the new "free market" plan is not an improvement over the UFT plan, the one I used. They come to this conclusion because more people transferred under the new plan. Typically, they're unwilling to respond to a single question about how many teachers were refused positions.

However, hundreds of ATR teachers are stuck in limbo. The ones who've contacted me were understandably less than enthusiastic about the new free market plan.

Under the old system, there would be not hundreds, but precisely zero ATR teachers. And anytime the Daily News, or even the DoE, wants to do something about this, they can insist that new classes be created, old ones be reduced, and all those ATR teachers get back to work.

Unless they're just looking for something to complain about, of course.

Thanks to Schoolgal

The American Federation of Randi Weingarten

UFT President Randi Weingarten may soon be DC bound, where she can enjoy many gala luncheons with her admirers, like ex-US Secretary of Education Rod Paige. Thus, her United Federation will become but one lowly portion of her vast kingdom. She's now schooling heir-apparent Michael Mendel in the groundbreaking "more work for less pay" philosophy that's characterized her reign.

Before she makes her ascent, she will painstakingly instruct Mr. Mendel in the art of time-for-money swaps, negotiating zero-percent increases for perks, surrendering said perks (and far more) for less than cost of living, supporting mayoral control, and enabling reorganizations that blatantly hurt working teachers. Rest assured that by the time Mr. Mendel is handed the reins, he will be fully prepped on all Ms. Weingarten's canny negotiating techniques.

No one can deny Ms. Weingarten is no old-fashioned union leader, and the time is right.

Teacher-bashers like Rod Paige and the LA Times editorial board are enamored of Ms. Weingarten as they praise her very public move to the center. They applaud when she unilaterally cancels a demonstration against Mayor Bloomberg's third reorganization, magically dragging the groups under her umbrella with her.

They cheer when she casually tosses away the UFT transfer plan, and relegates hundreds of teachers to wander about as permanent subs. They hoot and holler when she sends teachers back to the lunchroom, to the hallway, to the guidance office, to a drafty doorway. They stand up when they see her teachers can be suspended without pay for months based on unsubstantiated allegations. They cry "Hallelujah!" when they see her inch toward partnerships with people who publicly renounce tenure and seniority.

Tenure-shmenure, says Ms. Weingarten's internet mouthpiece, Leo Casey. What's in a name? So what if Green Dot's website clearly states he did away with it as a reform? So what if the LA Times says his teachers toss it out the classroom window? Let's get the message out that tenure isn't important, and who knows how excited we can get Rod Paige and friends?

In fact, let's get rid of tenure, let's eliminate seniority (instead of merely weakening it, like we did in 05),and make the teachers think it's for their own good!

It's the wave of the future. Let's partner with a charter school outfit that already rejects tenure and seniority, delight Bloomberg, Paige and Klein, and show the world how moderate we are.

"Bravo!" shouts Rod Paige. "The NEA may be a terrorist organization, but the UFT is my kind of union!"


Related: Don't miss Eduwonk on the Casey case.

The College Office

My colleague Phil, for his building assignment, works in the college office. Now teachers write recommendations for their students all the time. I write dozens of them, and I believe I've declined only two kids in 22 years. But what happens to the kids teachers decline? They still need recommendations.

Well, Phil writes 'em:

I've never actually met Susan, but I'm fairly certain she has some very good qualities. I can see from her photo that she's very well-dressed, at least down to her shoulders. Also, her hair is immaculately combed. She appears to have all of her teeth, though I can't actually be sure from the photograph. I think, though, that you can count on Susan for good hygeine. There's not a stain on her, at least from the shoulders up.

Susan's transcript clearly states she got a 75 in gym last spring. That's ten more points than are required to pass. Now, Susan didn't have to work that hard, but she took it upon herself, and chose not to accept the minimum.

This says to me that Susan is the kind of person who strives for something better. Clearly she could have settled for 65. She may have even settled for 70. But, no, she went for 75.

I think when Susan gets her GED, college will be just around the corner. This will be even more likely if she ever learns to speak English. And make no mistake, she's trying hard. She's taken level one English as a second language not four, not five, but six times.

Sure, she hasn't actually reported to any of those English classes, but Susan is nothing if not determined. Why next time, it's entirely possible she may show up. If so, she may access that gumption she displayed in gym last spring, and....

I don't know whose idea it was to make Phil (or others) do this job. It appears someone determined that with Phil writing their recommendations, these kids would have it made. Somehow, though, I'm left wondering whether there should have been more serious intervention before the matter reached his desk.