UFT to the Rescue?

In Long Island City High School Wednesday night, there was a PEP meeting. I was very surprised when Chancellor Dennis Walcott got up and spoke of a UFT lawsuit. Walcott decried the timing of the lawsuit, citing the inconvenience it would cause kids planning to go to school in September. This was the first I'd heard of it.

Now Walcott is absolutely correct that this suit will inconvenience the kids. Of course, closing their schools didn't exactly help them very much either. If Walcott is truly concerned about these kids, he can simply stop closing schools, start fixing them, and the mean old UFT will leave him alone.

Meanwhile, I know for a fact the city is doing nothing to help closing schools. They send people who give ridiculous useless criticism and pay them big bucks, while improving facilities only in parts of the building the endangered schools have already given up. They pay lip service, but nothing more.

Walcott is a gifted speaker, a smart person, and personally, a large improvement over his two predecessors. Nonetheless, he's determined to carry on destructive and hurtful policies that benefit no one but charter operators looking for extra space. I applaud the UFT for taking them on, and strongly suspect this wouldn't be happening unless they'd thought things through more deeply than the Tweedies, who have all the management skills of the Keystone Kops, pictured at right. Those are the much-vaunted New York State test scores you see slipping away from them.

I only hope the city will finally be compelled to take responsibility for what it classifies as such a massive failure. Whose fault is it if every Bronx high school had to close, or be restructured, or redesigned, or whatever it is they call whatever it is they do? In fact, if there's that much failure after almost a decade, it's time for heads on high to start rolling.

As well as Walcott speaks, he's been part and parcel of every act this administration has taken. If he's as smart as he appears, it's very difficult to conceive of how he could sincerely believe Tweed is on the right track. If they really want to improve education, they will stop vilifying teachers. Unfortunately, while Walcott's pledge to stop trashing us in public is a nice gesture, he'll need to also match it with deeds.

With overcrowding rampant, with people fighting tooth and nail over limited space, with a 3.2 billion dollar surplus, a 2 billion rainy day fund, and a billion in ed. consultants, it's plainly unconscionable to even contemplate laying off one single teacher. So, Mr. Walcott, we'll give you a chance.

But it's time to walk the walk. In the very likely event that doesn't happen, it's time for the UFT to save what's left of the school system.

Counting the Days

With all the drama surrounding teacher evaluations and Regents exams over the past few days, maybe you've forgotten that summer is sneaking up on us pretty quickly...

HA HA! Of course you haven't forgotten! You've not forgotten, if for no other reason than your increasingly restless and/or sullen students remind you that they are counting every second of every minute of every day until they don't have to show up anymore. And if you teach seniors, God bless you. I know those who are sure of their graduation from my school are mentally and, in some cases, physically checked out already.

I continue to agonize over my lessons; more so, in fact, because my students are getting harder and harder to engage. They need to have rigorous and meaningful work to do for these last couple of weeks; if we as teachers cop out and go along with their creeping ennui, it just creates a vicious circle. That's not to say that the students will thank us now or even in July, but eventually they'll appreciate being challenged right up to the last day. I hope.

But those of us who teach high school are down to less than twenty instructional days, and I can't imagine I'm the only teacher in the city desperately trying to figure out how to keep my babes awake and not killing each other for this last stretch. What do you think? What keeps students hooked in as summer's siren call grows louder?

Thank You Sir. May I Have Another?

Over and over, we lie down with dogs, and marvel at the ensuing fleas. We invite Bill Gates to investigate what makes teachers "effective." He comes in and tests cameras in classrooms, because everyone knows those foul teachers cannot be trusted unless you monitor them every second. We invite him to speak at our convention, and the following week he attacks the wastefulness of those bloated teacher pensions, wondering aloud why we can't eat cat food like other elderly folk who aren't Bill Gates.

We endorse mayoral control, because who knows how bad it can be, and besides this Bloomberg fellow goes to baseball games with Randi Weingarten. He must be OK. Then after it turns out to be an unmitigated disaster, we make a list of improvements we'd like before we'll accept its renewal. When we don't get them, we support its renewal anyway.

We allow them to get rid of seniority transfers, and give power to principals to have absolute veto over incoming teachers. We design an open market that allows anyone to transfer anywhere, as long as principals think it's OK. Who woulda thunk that principals preferred malleable new teachers at half salary to grizzled old opinionated veterans? After all, just because those are the only people that get hired in the suburbs, why should it apply to us? And when thousands of teachers end up rotting in the Absent Teacher Reserve, demoralized and demonized, we are shocked, and state because more teachers transferred in the new program than the old, it is an unmitigated success.


We make a deal to reduce class size. The deal is so full of holes a tank could drive through it, but we declare victory anyway. When class sizes go up anyway, despite our deal and almost a billion dollars in CFE funds, we wonder how it could've happened.

Finally, we make a deal to allow value-added be part of teacher evaluations. Sure, it has no validity, but everybody's doing it, so where's the problem? We cleverly allow it to be only 20% of our evaluation, while other states are making it 50, and declare victory yet again. When the state passes a law allowing it to be double, we say, gee, how the heck did that happen? And Governor Cuomo, our good bud, is gonna do a Race to the Top and withhold money if we choose to exercise our option to negotiate, and turn down whatever abysmal offer Tweed comes up with.

Gee, how could this be happening? I thought we'd had it all taken care of.

Teacher Evaluations: Don't Judge the Mayor by Test Scores, but Teachers Are Fair Game

Hey, don't blame the Mayor or the Schools Chancellor when state test scores plummet, like they did in 2010. Standards are tougher now than they used to be. If the kids can't cut the new mustard, the thinking goes, it can't possibly be our fault, or so the thinking goes.

But it sure could be the teachers' fault. The Board of Regents is so sure of that that they're willing to stake up to 40 percent of teachers' total evaluation scores in a forthcoming new evaluation system on state test scores. So if these test scores that certainly aren't reliable enough for judging the Mayor's or the Schools Chancellor's performance happen to plummet, well, too bad. Or if you're teaching a group of students that are already pretty well-equipped so that there's not much room for improvement, maybe you should have thought of that before accepting your job.

It's not so much that I'm 100% averse to state test scores being used as a component of teacher evaluation. As a small component of an equitable evaluation package, they're something to consider. But 40% is a big number over which teachers have variable amounts of influence. I'd hate to think that a teacher who's doing everything right who happens to see test scores fall one year would stand to lose his or her job. Particularly with the state tests on all levels (elementary, middle, and high schools) being in such flux at the moment, this strikes me as an imprudent and not necessarily fair move.

But the Mayor and the Chancellor could fix all that. They could offer to resign if test scores fall by the same amount for the same length of time that it would take to fire a teacher.

Hmmmmm...

Governor Andy's True Colors

Governor Andrew Cuomo looked like a good guy when he opposed the ridiculous anti-seniority legislation that Bloomberg and his lackeys tried to ram through the State Legislature. But he's the first Democrat I ever voted against, and there are good reasons for that. Who the hell needs a Democrat who publicly declares he will go after unions, while declining to continue a tax on millionaires?

We've all been waiting for him to let his hair down, and it looks like the time has come. The UFT was party to a negotiation that resulted in a new evaluation method for teachers. This was supposed to be 20% from "value-added," or student test results, 20% from some sort of local evaluation, and 60% from observation and so forth. I was not happy with this as there is quite a bit of evidence that "value added" methodology has no validity to begin with. And with an preposterous margin of error, and clear evidence that good teachers can be labeled otherwise, it seems to me it ought not to be used at all.

Yet our esteemed governor, who met with DFER leaders to garner support for his campaign, is now referring to value-added as an "objective" measure of teacher quality.  I suppose lack of validity does not necessarily render data subjective, but I'm still disturbed by the governor's insistence that this take additional significance in teacher assessments. Governor Cuomo, in fact, wishes to preclude decent ratings for teacher who don't do well in such measures, and that will certainly lead to labeling good teachers "ineffective."

What must be addressed, of course, is how many careers of good teachers will be ruined, how many good teachers will lose their jobs, and how many will be slimed by the newspapers who can't wait to publish this dubious data. Right now no one knows. But if the governor gets his way, pursuing a career as a teacher will be, at best, a crapshoot.

At worst, it will be a disaster. Honors classes must be avoided at all costs, as kids with 99 averages can fail to get them up to 100, or worse, fall to 98, and it will be entirely due to the failure of their teachers. Likewise kids with learning disabilities may not overcome them by semester's end, and that can be your job. I'm an ESL teacher, and I've seen many kids make little progress while mired in the determination they would return to their home countries. I've seen those same kids wake up, determine this country was their future, and make enormous and rapid jumps. Under Governor Cuomo's plan if they don't make them on my watch, I'm toast.

Cuomo's plan is unreasonable and unacceptable. NYSUT has spoken out against it, and the UFT needs to oppose it by every means necessary. If it goes through unchallenged, vindictive supervisors will be able to deliberately give teachers classes that will ensure their failure, and more reasonable supervisors will do so by accident as well.

I work very hard to make my kids succeed. But I am not magic, and despite what "reformers" may contend, there are certainly things that influence kids far more than I do. If Mayor Bloomberg disagrees, if Governor Cuomo disagrees, that's their right, even though available data suggests they're entirely wrong. I suggest they resign immediately, since by their own standards they're both doing a terrible job.

Update: It's passed.

A Little Ditty for the Koch Brothers

Robotics Run Amuck

That's the theme in today's offering--Machines, by the inimitable Lothar and the Hand People.

Looking Out for the Common Billionaire

Visionary hedge-fund manager Smellington G. Worthington III is bullish on Governor Andrew Cuomo.

From Wall Street

I went to a rally yesterday with thousands of my fellow teachers. We marched the streets of Manhattan, and it's very clear to me that in numbers there is strength. The more we're out there, and the more of us who show up out there, the less the Emperor will be able to sit in his castle and ignore us. I'm inspired by the spirit out there, and amazed that I managed to run into half a dozen local bloggers, including the elusive Miss Eyre. (I only recognized her because she recited several of her posts verbatim on demand.)

I also noted some oddities, including a guy all by himself on the side of the road waving a sign that said, "We stand together."

There was also an endless chant of, "Enough is enough," accompanied by some very insistent drummers. I kind of wished they would grow a sense of irony, but I suppose it got lost in the crowd. 

I was highly impressed by the guy in front of me who was wearing a pink Barbie backpack. "That guy is a real man," I told my marching companions. I don't think I'd have the nerve to do the pink Barbie backpack thing. (To tell the truth, I favor messenger bags anyway.)

A lot of teachers I know said they had to go home, they had to watch the news, they needed some "me" time....ya know what? Me too. But I went anyway.

So I have a question for those of you who weren't there, and it's very simple.

Why the hell weren't you there? Mayor Bloomberg is bringing us a little bit of Wisconsin, and it behooves us to throw hearty shovelfuls of Wisconsin right back in his smug disingenuous face.

You can see me in the back there. I'm the guy not holding a sign. Am I gonna see you there next time?

Bursting, In More Ways Than One

Kindergarteners sure are cute, aren't they? Back when I worked with younger students, my heart would just melt when I saw the kindergarteners, carefully maneuvering hand-in-hand through the hallways, looking like It's a Small World in action. Most of them love school and truly are filled with wonder and excitement. Not many people can look at kindergarteners and feel cynical.

But I can definitely feel cynical when I read something like this. P.S. 19, in Corona, Queens, is full to bursting with kids. A nearby school opened to ease overcrowding has already doubled in size. The school is so overcrowded that those same freakin'-adorable kindergarteners are going home with red faces and wet pants because they don't have regular access to a bathroom.

Young children sometimes still struggle to manage their bathroom needs. At the same time, bathroom independence is powerful for a child that age. Only babies, kindergarteners feel assured, wet their pants. How embarrassing for a child to have an accident, no matter how compassionate and understanding the adults and even his or her peers may be. It still smarts for a kindergarten child to have to change into the spare sweatsuit and underpants or, worse, to ride the bus or take the walk home following an accident.

At my old school, the kindergarten rooms had attached bathrooms. They were new and clean. I don't want to suggest, not for a moment, that P.S. 19 might not be a priority for the city because many P.S. 19 parents are undocumented and therefore afraid to raise too much of a fuss. No. That couldn't possibly be it.

Get Out Your Shovel

Joel Klein has a piece in Atlantic magazine that reeks to high heaven. I'm not linking to it as I think it's bad enough that I had to read it. Spouting the same old nonsense we've heard for the last interminable eight years, Klein blames everyone but himself for what he deems the sad state of American schools.

I'm not quite as concerned about the quality of education as the quality of journalism. Leonie Haimson pretty much let him have it in a Facebook comment, and asked whether or not there are any more fact checkers at magazines anymore. It's not only that, but the fact that typical readers are so poorly informed that they could easily assume Klein is telling the truth.

In fact, if more journalists were doing their jobs, demagogues like Bloomberg and Klein would not be able to exist.  So get out your shovel, bury the article, and then bury the shovel.

After you do that, make plans to join Miss Eyre and me tomorrow at 4 PM. We're marching on Wall Street to ask them to take responsibility for the economy, to pay their fair share rather than dumping the mess on us working stiffs. No more garbage from the autocrats. We've had enough and it's time to tell them, repeatedly, every way we know how, until they get the message.

I Don't Rally, But in This Case, I'll Make an Exception. Also: NYC Educator's 3000th Post!

Folks, I don't rally. Something about large groups of people waving signs just doesn't do it for Miss Eyre. I'll blog and e-mail my Congressperson and give money and vote and all that stuff. But I don't rally. What can I say? My claustrophobia kicks in once I'm not surrounded by sweaty teenagers anymore. I can only suppress it for six or seven hours a day.

But somewhere in the crowd this Thursday will be Miss Eyre, Incognito, rallying. I'm rallying for the kids in my class who already get too little of my time one-on-one and who desperately need it, and will get much less once 40 of them are crammed in the same room. I'm rallying for my colleagues facing layoffs. And I'm rallying to get the attention of a mayor who continues to believe that faceless consultants can do more for struggling kids than the caring adults who see them every day. I don't know what good it will do, but we need to use all the means at our disposal to let the Mayor know that this is in no sense the will of the people.

So come on out and rally. I haven't been to one in eight years, and the last time I went to one, I was trying to convince a Governor to stop an execution. It kind of has to be serious to get me out there. So, is that serious enough for you?

***

Happy 3000th Post-a-versary to NYC Educator, by the way. He wouldn't tell you this himself (when I checked with him, he hadn't even noticed), but keeping a timely and (we hope) entertaining blog going is pretty hard work when you're also a full-time teacher, and NYC Educator does most of the work all by his lonesome. So, along with your Royal Wedding hats Budget Protest Rally outfits, please post in the comments a warm note of congratulations to NYC Educator. I've already budgeted several venti lattes for him out of my forthcoming Starbucks budget. Or so he says.

Educators4NYCEducator Policy Statement

As you know, Mayor Bloomberg has announced his plans to reduce the teaching force by 12%. Many people are saying, oh, this means higher class sizes, and will thus be a disaster. Others are saying it's incredibly stupid to cut teachers while sitting on what is now a 3.2 billion dollar surplus.

We at Educators4NYC Educator choose not to wallow in negativity, but rather to seek new reforms. For example, Mayor Bloomberg will be saving over 300 million by laying off thousands of teachers. We see this as an opportunity for innovation. NYC is a city of innovation. For example, we're now not only using value-added methods, but fighting to make the results public, despite the fact that the actual results can be worse than meaningless.

We've also created a merit pay program that failed to substantively improve anything. We've devoted a lot of time and money to this plan, and as reformers, the important thing is that we tried. And, of course, there were the incredible test score gains that proved to be nothing but an illusion.

What's the point? The point, of course, is that it's daring and noble for NYC to fearlessly try new things. That's why we at Educators4NYCEducator are now upping the stakes. We'd like Mayor Bloomberg to take a mere 100 million of the savings and donate it to the Educators4NYCEducator Foundation. Our numbers have increased considerably since last week, with 4 or 5 commenters agreeing to sign our pledge and grab a share of the loot promise to uphold our guiding principles. Will this be an improvement to education? Who knows? But it's been amply demonstrated that Tweed will pretty much try anything, and that evidence whether or not it would succeed was neither here nor there.

So please sign up in the comments section. As soon as Mayor Bloomberg signs off on our proposal, Miss Eyre and I will be sending your checks. And don't worry about follow up--Miss Eyre and I both pledge to stop going to work once we get the money an agreement from Tweed so that we can devote ourselves full time to shameless self-promotion the principles that guide us all. And please tell your friends we'd like to buy them off encourage their participation in our noble quest!

And don't forget, we need to keep pressure on the union to poll members on whether or not they'd like the city to give us 100 million bucks. It's always good to have a scapegoat principled argument with which to win over the public!

It's a Miracle!

I have a kid in my afternoon class who's been here three years and managed not to learn English. That in itself is remarkable. Teenagers are naturally social, and it takes real determination to shut out a culture that announces itself pretty much everywhere. Yet this kid never wanted to be here, and only mixes with others who speak his language.

As you might imagine, this has not resulted in what you'd call excellent grades. Yet a month ago, after many calls that went nowhere, the kid's dad showed up quite unexpectedly for parent-teacher conferences. Since then, the kid has not missed a single homework assignment. If I were Michelle Rhee, I suppose I'd loudly proclaim I'm the best teacher ever. Were I to take that approach, though, I'd have to ignore that his test grades are still abysmal, and when asked to complete tasks in class, the kid cannot do it. I said to him, "Boy, it's remarkable you can do this stuff at home but not in class."

What that really means is I know he's copying the homework. But really, should I acknowledge that? Wouldn't it be better to take the Rhee-form approach and take credit for this extraordinary improvement? After all, just a month ago this kid didn't have the motivation to copy the homework, and now he does so religiously. Should I give him extra credit for effort?

Sadly, no. Nor does it seem worth it to get in touch with Dad. Since this kid wasted seven months learning nothing, and an eighth month trying to trick me into thinking he's doing something, it's pretty much impossible he'll get to the point of passing in the next six weeks.

The best I can do is hope that next year Dad will be responsive in September rather than April. If that happens, the kid can really catch up. Despite what you see in Davis Guggenheim films, and despite how much I'd like to credit myself, there are no miracles.

Citizenship in an Era of Standardized Testing

As someone who loves history and civics, I was saddened (though hardly surprised) to note that most American students failed a recent standardized civics exam, and the civics exam scores are better than those in history. I can't say I'm surprised, though. When I taught middle school humanities, social studies was easily the class that got shortchanged the most in terms of instructional time. Social studies classes were, it seemed, expendable. My students received only four periods a week, compared to five periods of science and eight periods each of math and English.

We are certainly reaping what we have sown. In an era in which we are more consistently being misled by people in power, a discerning and critical mind applied to questions about the life of a citizen is absolutely necessary. I think I've done and continue to do my part, but, as I observed earlier this week, it's not something that one teacher can do alone.

"During the past decade or so," says Charles N. Quigley, executive director of the Center for Civic Education, "educational policy and practice appear to have focused more and more on developing the worker at the expense of developing the citizen." Think about this quote for a minute. We may indeed have developed workers, but by all accounts, far too many children remain unprepared for promising careers of the future. With few marketable skills and little sense of citizenship, the conditions are ripe for the development of a permanent underclass that can only consume or destructively deviate.

I regret, I suppose, the Hobbesian tone of this post, but I think all teachers start to feel a little Hobbesian by May.

The New Spirit of the DOE

It's a new day in NYC. We have a new chancellor, who's publicly declared that he will not say anything bad about teachers. I'm certain you won't hear him do so. Walcott is a seasoned politician, and anyway, he's got the NY Post to do all the dirty work.

Even so, when you read this, about the DOE's determination to release value-added scores of highly dubious value, you have to wonder why in the world anyone would trust them. I'm sure I questioned the UFT's wisdom in making a deal to study value-added at the time, what with it having no validity whatsoever, and the DOE has made me a genius by reneging utterly on the deal.

Regrettably, we have a history of making ridiculous deals with the DOE, perhaps most egregiously this utterly unenforceable class size agreeement. I am hopeful that we will refrain from making any further such deals, as both demonstrate that the DOE is simply not to be trusted.

Here's the thing, though--we are in the business of educating kids, and it would be advantageous for everyone if we could function in an atmosphere of trust. The DOE, by indulging in such preposterous nonsense, precludes trust.  And honestly, if you can't trust your partner, you can't be a partner.

From a UFT perspective, I hope that all of us, particularly our leaders, understand the toxic atmosphere fostered by Bloomberg, with Walcott taking part in every step, means no deals without explicit written guarantees, with collateral, penalties, and whatever else it takes to compel to keep their word.

From a DOE perspective, it behooves you to work with us, rather than lie to us. It's nice that Walcott refrains from badmouthing us, but if he really wants to change things, he'll have to let us know that his department is not a bunch of lying weasels, waiting for whatever opportunity to slur us for no reason. It can be done. However, reneging on an explicit agreement with the largest teacher local in the country is hardly a good start.

What can Walcott do to tear down the wall between teachers and administration?

Teachable Moments: The Death of Osama bin Laden

A couple of history teachers at my school suspended their planned lessons yesterday and swiftly collaborated on a lesson around the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound that resulted in his death. I was impressed by how quickly they moved, but wasn't planning on doing anything myself; I'm not a social studies teacher anymore, anyway. But as it turned out, one of my classes is an elective in which we deal with a lot of historical content, and many of my students wanted to talk about it.

So, in the spirit of teachable moments, we did. A few of them re-watched videos of Obama's late-night address from Sunday. Another noticed that the Times homepage had been redesigned to accommodate the volume of bin Laden coverage. One or two of the boys wanted to know more about how the raid had happened, fascinated by what the Navy SEALs must have had to do to accomplish this mission. But my favorite moment was between two kids as one wrapped up watching a CNN story about the raid.

"I'm glad we got him," the first student said.

"So what?" said student #2. "It doesn't change anything. The wars aren't going to be over soon or anything. There's still people who are going to be terrorists. I don't think it matters."

"Yeah, but we got HIM," the first student countered. "We finally got the 9/11 guy. I think that's a big deal."

"It won't bring all those people back, though," student #2 returned. "And all those soldiers that died trying to get him and stuff. I just don't think it's this big thing."

Rather than take a position on their conversation, I just watched and listened. They brought out the various sides of the argument well enough on their own that I didn't think I needed to say anything.

Moments like this continue to thrill me as an educator. I love being surprised by what my students know and wonder without any prompting from me. In this instance, I was pleased to see them reflecting critically on the event and pondering what it means in a larger sense. I'm not saying this magic happens all the time--sometimes it's like pulling teeth, it's true--but when it happens, it's profound. And I don't think it's the kind of thing one teacher can teach; I think it takes years of teaching by different teachers in a reflective critical vein to make this happen.

Educators4NYCEducator Press Release

Our new organization, Educators4NYCEducator, has taken a stand for the good of NYC Schools. It is our contention that, should layoffs occur, reverse seniority order is unacceptable. For the good of our students, we need to ensure quality. We therefore propose that, should layoffs occur, that we not focus over who does or does not get laid off. What is truly important is that the NYC Department of Education invest 80 million dollars in the Educators4NYCEducator Foundation. This foundation is dedicated to the enhancement of all educators in the foundation, primarily myself and Miss Eyre.

As everyone knows, a good teacher is a happy teacher. Both Miss Eyre and I vow to be exceedingly happy once the city forks over the 80 million dollars. In fact, we are so confident that this will improve our practices that we are willing to forgo the next year's payment of 80 million dollars if the first 80 million fails to enhance our teaching. We are willing to make that sacrifice, even though we would very much prefer to make the 80 million an annual rather than one-time payment.

Furthermore, we have challenged the United Federation of Teachers to poll its members and find out whether or not rank and file approves of this notion. Thus far, the UFT has declined. We find this outrageous as we think it's the function of a union to fulfill whatever request we make, no matter how preposterous or counter-productive.

We urge you to come to one of our socials. All you need do is sign a commitment to support our goal of getting the city to give us 80 million dollars, and you will get not only a free bowl of peanuts, but also the opportunity to step up to the bar and buy yourselves a drink.

50% of all proceeds will go to Educators4NYCEducator. If you haven't got time to come to our social, please feel free to sign up in the comments section, where we will cut you in on some of the booty make you a charter member.

Leslie O' Grady, PTA Co-President

Jeanette Cunolata, PTA Co-President

Assemblywoman Grace Meng

Francis Lewis Chapter Leader

Leonie at Lewis

UFT President Michael Mulgrew at Francis Lewis High School--Yesterday

Student Activist Khaair Morrison at Francis Lewis High School

Same Old Story

The New York Post is engaged in yet another series of articles on the perfidy of teachers. This series basically tells the world that teachers have too many job protections. It does this by giving examples of teachers who have jobs despite the fact that, for example, a dog the teacher owned killed someone. This teacher's boyfriend went to prison for this, but the teacher herself did not. This suggests to me the state felt her boyfriend responsible, but the Post is not persuaded. None of this innocent until proven guilty nonsense for Rupert Murdoch.

In any group, you can find examples of outrageous behavior, or at least behavior a tabloid can claim to be outrageous. You can always air accusations about individuals, even if courts and/ or arbitrators have determined them to be without merit. So why limit such stories to teachers?

We could target racial groups, and say, hey, look at this guy. We could target religious groups, and say hey, look what someone says this woman did. Of course, that would make us bigots. In fact, that's the MO of bigots pretty much everywhere.

So if Rupert Murdoch engages in despicable manipulative behavior with his propagandist rag, would it be rational or justifiable to paint all publishers with the same brush?

And when the New York Post blatantly stereotypes teachers, tarring the whole group with the actions of a small group, are they any better than racists or bigots?  Why or why not?

New Network for Closing Schools: Uh, Thanks?

Chancellor Walcott yesterday announced the formation of new "Children First" networks that would specialize in giving guidance to schools that are about to be closed.

Just that sentence alone ought to give you pause. I know it had that effect on me.

Schools that are being phased out have typically been troubled by a variety of challenges. In many cases, these schools have not received adequate support for these challenges despite asking for it many times, sometimes over the course of years. The strange case of P.S. 114 is one that shows that, despite steady improvement in test scores and parents who want to school to remain open, the DOE does what it does, for reasons that are occasionally opaque at best.

I'm not sure I can praise this move on Walcott's part. Obviously phasing-out schools do face unique challenges. But how much better it would be to make a renewed commitment against closing schools? For the Chancellor to state, "School closures are terribly disruptive to communities, and we're going to focus on giving lots of extra support to schools that need it, rather than close them" would go a long way in building trust with stakeholders.

Instead, Walcott is so committed to continuing the same old (ineffective) policies that he's throwing life preservers after the man overboard has already drowned--or, more accurately, been thrown overboard by the captain and the first mate.

Public Service Announcement

Rally!

In front of Francis Lewis High School, Friday, April 29^th, at 4 PM.

Guest speakers will include:

Assemblywoman Grace Meng

State Senator Tony Avella

Leonie Haimson

UFT President Michael Mulgrew

Mayor Bloomberg is sitting on a 3.1 billion dollar surplus, and insists on reducing the amount of working teachers by 8.2%--to fix a deficit that doesn’t exist.

The most overcrowded school in the city has gotten a little relief, and was hoping for a little more next year. With fewer teachers, that will be tough, if not impossible.

Kids deserve better—reasonable class sizes, decent conditions, and a stable learning environment.

The last time this happened, in the 70s, there was a real financial crisis. Nonetheless, the system was thrown into chaos and we lost thousands of teachers who never returned. 

Come to Francis Lewis High School, 58-20 Utopia Parkway, Fresh Meadows NY 11365 at 4 PM on Friday. Send Mayor Bloomberg a message that putting Children First does not entail laying off their teachers when you're sitting on a huge budget surplus.

What Can Be Done for Saquan?

I really loved this column from Joe Nocera in the Times, even if it made me a bit sad to read it on this last day of spring break. Nocera points out that a young man named Saquan came close to experiencing academic success at the Bronx's M.S. 223, only for his teacher and principal to see much of their hard work slip away when Saquan moved back to Brooklyn.

It must have been discouraging for his obviously involved and compassionate teacher, Emily Dodd, to see Saquan go after the extra hours she put in with him. M.S. 223's principal, Ramon Gonzalez, must have felt it too. Gonzalez, from what I have read of him in the press, reminds me of my own principal: a good leader who cares about running a great school and helps everyone in the school community feel "on board" and valued, while still a skeptic of some of the cornerstones of so-called "education reform." It's helpful to work for someone who is at least willing to point out that the emperor's socks are mismatched.

Still, Nocera's point is that school, even a great school with great teachers, can't overcome everything. Even well-intentioned and loving parents, as Saquan's mother seems to be, sometimes find themselves in difficult circumstances that take quite a bit of time to unravel. So Saquan goes to another school, where a new teacher will start from the beginning with understanding his challenging behavior, finding his talents and smarts, and working with him painstakingly to keep him involved and invested in school. Even if we could guarantee that 100% of the teachers in this city have the time, capacity, and intuition to pull off such a task, there is no similar guarantee that Saquan won't be uprooted again, or go through something as tragic and frightening as homelessness again. And as teachers and support professionals work hard to just bring Saquan to the table, time for actual learning is draining away very, very quickly.

What could be done for Saquan? Things that no one has the political willpower to do. Keep him and his family in a subsidized home near M.S. 223. Work vigorously with his mother to help her avoid homelessness and subsequent trauma that inflicts on a child. Make sure he lives in a safe neighborhood. Put him in small classes where a teacher would have time to get to know him, work with him, and bring out his best qualities. But there's no willpower to do all that right now; whether that's because there is no money or lack of money is just an excuse is unclear.

There are a lot of Saquans out there. Heaven knows I know, and have known, more than a few. And neither I nor any other teacher nor even 80,000 superteachers could save them all. This is not to say that it isn't worth trying, but it is to say that refusing to admit this fact keeps us as teachers in the position of forever castigating ourselves for not doing more.

Conciliatory?

The NY Times declares that new Chancellor Dennis Walcott has a knack for conciliation. Certainly Walcott is charming and well-spoken. And he has asked for a new tone, something that would go a long way toward easing the toxic relationship between Tweed on the one hand, and parents and teachers on the other. Unfortunately, and not noted in the three page article, Walcott has been part of this administration every step of the way.

Furthermore, he's embraced Mayor Bloomberg's insistence on sidestepping the contract by eliminating reverse-seniority layoffs. In case you're on the fence on this issue, note that the city is sitting on a 3.1 billion dollar surplus, ridding the city of 8.2% of working teachers will save only 369 million, and there is, in fact, no need to lay off anyone at all.

You wouldn't know that from reading the article. After 9 years of failed programs from Bloomberg and company, do they really merit yet another puff piece? Shouldn't the press alert us to these things?

A free press ought to be a bulwark against billionaires like Mayor Bloomberg and their propaganda. When I read pieces like these, I wonder where the analysis is.

Feel free to offer your own.

Yet Another Disease Ravages NYC

Learn From Us

I've been reading Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath this week, something I've meant to do for decades, and I can't help but notice that the entire theme of the book is being played out today, all over the United States. The richest people, despite having more money than they and their descendents can possibly use, are determined to keep it all, get more, and the hell with everyone else.

And the wrath of the rich is directed against those who organize, those with voices. In Steinbeck's book, anyone who stood up was labeled a "red." They were dispatched to jails, their camps were destroyed, they were tossed out of town. In these United States, union is rapidly becoming a foreign concept. Since Reagan destroyed PATCO unions have been waning, and working conditions have gotten worse. The road to middle class is tougher every day, to the benefit of no one, even the rich folks who think they've got it made:

"And the great owners, who must lose their land in an upheaval, the great owners with access to history, with eyes to read history and to know the great fact: when property accumulates in too few hands it is taken away. And that companion fact: when a majority of the people are hungry and cold they will take by force what they need. And the little screaming fact that sounds through all history: repression works only to strengthen and knit the repressed."

- John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 19

We're not yet at that point, of course. But Scott Walker of Wisconsin has pushed us one step closer. And one day the galoots who vilify teachers are going to realize the folly of complaining because we've got decent jobs. The idiocy of depriving us, our children, and their children of decent jobs, of crying "My job sucks so yours needs to suck more," is a national disease.

America needs to stand up. We, the teachers, are the last vestige of vibrant unionism in the country, and that's why we're under such vicious and constant attack. America needs to learn that, rather than take away protections and benefits for teachers, it needs to demand them for everyone.  When I'm face to face with billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who'd just as soon reduce us to serfdom as look at us, I'm very pleased that 80,000 working teachers are standing by my side, whether they know it or not.

Actually, we have the right idea. We have the idea that America needs to emulate. Join us, America. We're ready when you are. You can trust us. Why?

Because we're teachers, and it's our job to share worthwhile knowledge with everyone we can.

Decisions, Decisions

The school choices I hear the most about these days, having made the leap to teaching high school, are those that my school's seniors are busy making as they sort through their college acceptances. I got a bit of nostalgia for my middle school days as I read this article from GothamSchools about the convoluted high school admissions process here in NYC. Unfortunately, for someone such as myself, it raises more questions that it answers.

The first and most obvious question is why such a process is necessary to begin with. I know the answer that some people will propose: To give families and students more choice in where the students will spend four years of their lives. All well and good. But it seems to me, having spoken to many actual families and students, that most families would prefer that their children be able to attend a safe and well-functioning school close to home. So many of my students are commuting up to an hour each way to come to school, which is not at all uncommon for many high schoolers in the city. This effect is trickling down to middle school, too; one of my students with a long commute also has a younger brother with a similarly lengthy commute to a middle school. Their mother is extremely involved with her sons' education and clearly wishes to see them succeed, which is wonderful. So why does she feel that her sons cannot be successful close to home?

I wonder if the "creaming" effect some people theorize regarding charter schools doesn't also happen with some of the public high schools, and here I specifically do not mean the testing or audition schools like Stuy or LaGuardia. I mean some of the new small schools in tony or up-and-coming neighborhoods--Frank McCourt is one that immediately comes to mind. Frank McCourt is only entering its second year of existence, yet is already in high demand. While I have no doubt that its faculty and administration is committed to building an excellent school, you can't tell me that the UWS address has nothing to do with it, either. Look at some of the Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods that are seeing high demand for their small schools--Astoria, Williamsburg, Red Hook, Cobble Hill--and I wonder what resources are being driven to these schools to continue to drive up real estate demand. These schools will then soak up some of the kids who would have attended the formerly zoned high school, now in a more affluent area, and the more motivated kids from outside the area like the young men I mentioned above. The schools get even better. Meanwhile, the schools in areas that aren't gentrifying get worse, starved of resources and of the best local students.

I'm not a social scientist, an economist, or a demographer, mind you--just a teacher who reads. And the mother I told you about earlier might very well be right that her sons are getting a better education because of the choices she was empowered to make. I am merely very curious as to why she or anyone thought that choice was necessary. After all, her sons now attend schools in which they are still taught by lazy unionized teachers (SARCASM) and supervised by terrible unionized principals (ALSO SARCASM)...so what's the difference?

From NYC Educator's Mailbag

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER 

- by Erma Bombeck

(written after she found out she was dying of cancer).

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been done.

I would have sat on the lawn and not worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, 'Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.' There would have been more 'I love you's' More 'I'm sorry's.'

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute, look at it, and really see it . . live it and never give it back.       STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what.  Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.

Don't Hurt Yourself Trying to Do Us Any Favors

Well, happy spring break, y'all. I'm coming to you live from one of the five boroughs, where I'm staycationing for this particular break. It works for me, though. After all, if I'd gone somewhere, I might have missed Chancellor Walcott's heartwarming speeches from the weekend, in which he promised not to do any teacher-trash-talking. However, in pretty much the same breath, he sounded the death knell on layoffs yet again.

I hate to be a Debbie Downer here. It is, after all, nice to have a Chancellor who does seem to have some foggy notion of what it's actually like to do our job. So I'll give him some props for that. But working very hard and doing all the right things at a job you're not sure if you'll have for much longer doesn't comfort the soul very much.

Let's not forget that the city experienced higher than expected tax revenues and, depending on who you ask, is sitting on a $3 billion budget surplus. This surplus is what made Gov. Cuomo skeptical at best about Mayor Bloomberg's insistence that the city needed from the state both more money and more flexibility on how to do layoffs.

But back to Chancellor Walcott. Having worked beside the Mayor for so long, I can't imagine that he doesn't enjoy some influence at City Hall. Nice words are, well, nice. But even nicer would be if the new Chancellor would roll up his sleeves (for something other than waffle-making) and dig in there with the Mayor. Tell him that now, in a time of economic crisis that has not, for the most part, eased for the middle class, in a time when kids need all their teachers more than ever, now is not the time for layoffs. We can't "win the future" without librarians, who are facing a 15% cut in their numbers. We can't hope to save kids who are likely to drop out without the arts and sports so kids who aren't academically inclined have some reason left to come to school and pass their classes.

Failing any efforts in that area, Chancellor Walcott, don't hurt yourself trying to do us any other favors.

Off the Meter

Welcome to the tenure of Chancellor Dennis Walcott, who bemoans the "poisonous debate" in NYC, claiming it's hurting kids. Doubtless the new chancellor would much prefer that city parents and teachers sit down and shut up, Mayor Bloomberg's preferred mode of debate. After all, Walcott has been an integral part of Board of Education "reform," resulting in a Panel for Educational Policy on which 8 of 13 members either vote with the mayor or get fired before getting a chance to vote against him.

Walcott bemoans the toxic atmosphere that's pervaded city-community relations, failing to note that he's fostered it every step of the way. He fails to see any problem with charters invading public schools, usurping libraries and getting better facilities and favored treatment. He fails to see the animosities his administration has caused by depriving neighborhoods of schools, or by placing five layers of administration in buildings that got by just as well with one.

Outrageously, Walcott has the audacity to push the highly polarizing plan to eliminate seniority rights for teachers while ostensibly calling for civility. In a display of what can only be called chuzpah, he contends that seniority would not factor in layoff decisions under that scenario, ignoring the fact that one of his "reforms" was making salary school based. Somehow, this is labeled "fair funding," and somehow, this boneheaded move was approved by Randi Weingarten's UFT.

If Walcott wants a dialogue, public school parents and teachers would welcome it. If he wants to stand there peddling the same tired old nonsense, insisting on "accountability" for unionized teachers while accepting none whatsoever for the outrageous failures of the last decade, no informed person, no active parent or teacher, and knowledgeable community member not on Bloomberg's payroll will take him seriously.

If you want to do better, Mr. Walcott, we're all ears. Please don't insult our intelligence by placing a ribbon on the same old garbage we've been hearing for the last long, long decade.

The Fight to Get Toxins out of NYC Schools

by guest blogger Krista Peterson

For the past decade, it seems like the number of schools, companies, and construction practices have all swayed towards more “green” materials and practices. Even with an overall positive swing in more sustainable materials and practices, there is still some material use that’s having a negative impact, primarily in many New York City schools. From the use of dangerous heating oil to toxic forms of insulation, many NYC schools are in need of a slight makeover.

It’s been recently estimated that around 9,000 buildings in New York are using a dirty heating oil to help sustain heat and create hot water; nearly 450 of them are schools. Essentially, these buildings are burning “sludge” to heat up their buildings. These buildings amount for nearly 90 percent of the city’s soot pollution, heavily topping the releases from all cars. This fuel, also dubbed “No. 6 oil” is essentially leftover petroleum that is extremely heavy and thick. The health problems associated with No. 6 oil include lung inflammation, emphysema, and possible cardiovascular issues.

State government and the city have both passed acts that are geared to clean up some instances of dirty
heating oil, but none affect the use of No. 6 oil, which is widely considered the most threatening and
dangerous. Mayor Bloomberg has even pushed through two laws on heating oil, but neither address no.
6. Luckily, the Department of Environmental Protection is reviewing a possible rule that would push out the use of No. 6 oil, forcing a switch to low-sulfur No. 4 oil. Still, administration refuses to outright ban the use of No. 6 oil because of the financial burden that would ensue.

The financial burden would be particularly heaviest on removal from schools. The mayor has plans
to reduce just over 100 schools from No. 6 use in the next 10 years. The problem with removal from
schools is that a number of obstacles present themselves in the process, adding the financial burden.
Before any type of switch to the piping and fuel could occur, asbestos would have to be removed
from the insulation. This is a commonly used fiber throughout the past century that is now commonly
removed because of its connection to diseases like mesothelioma and asbestosis. Having this material
removed before any type of piping work is necessary because of the possible life threatening health
risks to any of the workers, for example, mesothelioma life expectancy can be extremely severe after
repeated exposure and diagnosis.

Essentially, given the price that it would cost to even eliminate the oil from 100 schools, the total cost
for repair in all the effected schools would near $5 billion dollars. Maybe the smartest way to go about
the removal of this type of oil is to keep pressure on the talked about proposal from the DEP, that would
phase out use of the material, instead of an overall removal. In any case, even the proposal from the
DEP has yet to be pushed through. In the end, it will take the help and support of the administration to
get a removal process off the ground, at the least. In the meantime, it seems as if the DEP, Mayor, and
other city officials are stalling because of the possible financial problems that could ensue.

All in All, No Change at All

Newly christened chancellor Dennis Walcott is very smart. He thinks on his feet and speaks very well. He is comfortable before the press and speaking to community members. He's certainly better equipped for the job of chancellor than his immediate predecessor, a preposterous figure.

Walcott will not make idiotic utterances about using birth control to control overcrowding, as both Black and Klein did. You won't see him making juvenile noises at PEP meetings. He's a seasoned politician, and not prone to blatant stupidity. In fact, for Mayor Bloomberg, he's a huge improvement over both Black and Klein.

I know you're waiting for a "but." Here it is--Walcott is wedded to Mayor4Life's policies, which are abysmal failures. He's been with Joel Klein every step of the way, from school closings, to favored charter schools, to leaving children freezing at bus stops, to spending hundreds of millions on computer systems that don't work, to fraudulent test scores, to taking hundreds of millions to reduce class sizes that ended up higher, to now, where financial genius Michael Bloomberg determines a 3.1 billion dollar surplus is a financial emergency so dire that we need to get rid of almost ten percent of working teachers.

Walcott will look better, but represents more of the same. I was at a UFT rally in Queens yesterday, where State Senator Tony Avella suggested the only solution was a mayoral recall. The crowd went wild, and shouts of "Recall, Recall," punctuated the speeches of every speaker that followed, including that of UFT President Michael Mulgrew.

Not a bad idea at all. Is it viable?

This Is Not Building Goodwill

"It's not question of whether there will be layoffs, but when." Thus saith, in so many words, the heir apparent to the Chancellor position, Dennis Walcott. This is how he is going to start his tenure, then; not with a bang but with a whimper, so to speak.

On Tuesday, I pointed out that one way Walcott could instantly build some street cred with kids, teachers, and parents would be to come out strongly against layoffs, to side with those who have pointed out that the city has reserve funds and, depending on who you ask, a budget surplus that would make teacher layoffs totally unnecessary. Human capital is one of our most important assets, Walcott might have realized, and we don't have any to waste. All the technology in the world is no good without good people to run it.

But Walcott, unfortunately, is stepping up for the mayor rather than teachers and families. We need to cut teachers. And we better start with the expensive ones, under the false rubric of "keeping the best teachers in the classroom." A move like this suggests that he is the mayor's man rather than a thoughtful steward-leader of a system on the edge of a major destabilization and demoralization.

I would love to be wrong, but Walcott's support of layoffs is not a goodwill-building stance. Not so helpful to create distrust and fear before the job is even officially yours, sir.

No Waiver for Walcott

Just saw that NY State is meeting to consider whether or not Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott will get a waiver to be chancellor. If they've learned anything from the debacle of Cathie Black, or the abject failure of Joel Klein, they will insist Bloomberg select an educator.

However, look for Steiner, having set the bar low enough for socialite Cathie Black, to show no integrity whatsoever and do whatever Mayor4Life Bloomberg golly goshdarn feels like.

Gobsmacked

That's how this post at NYC Public School Parents blog left me. Nice as it is to read stuff Bill Gates doesn't veto, when you read things like this, you know exactly what journalists are not doing. Why should Leonie Haimson be finding the outrageous contradictions of the Tweedies while tabloid editorial writers, and even some reporters, write ridiculous echoes of billionaire Mike Bloomberg's utterly invalid notions about education?


Can you believe people get paid for this, many times our salaries, and yet the public is like a demented Queen of Hearts calling for the heads of teachers? Newly annointed Chancellor Walcott, though much more articulate and less of an embarrassment than socialite Cathie Black, spouts the same discredited ideas that Bloomberg and Klein have been spewing for a decade. He speaks of the "tremendous job the DOE is doing with our schools," despite the fact that the only prescription they have for improving them is closing them, replacing them, and then closing and replacing the schools they closed and replaced them with.


When faced with the consequences of their idiotic and unnecessary plan to fire almost ten percent of working teachers, they seemed to have no idea how it would affect class size, eventually deciding class size would go up by 1.5. Exactly whose hind quarters that figure came from I couldn't say.


We deserve better from our elected officials. Though Mike Bloomberg bought the office fair and square after weaseling around the term limits law NYC voters twice affirmed, we deserve better from him. And NYC's kids deserve a chancellor who will serve them, rather than the richest man in New York City.


The fact is, this city does not exist for the benefit of Mike Bloomberg. What would it take to make him realize that? A conscientious press corps would preclude this nonsense. Until then, what's a city to do?

The Short Happy Tenure of Chancellor Walcott

I was in the teachers' room at school last week when I heard that Chancellor Black was to be no more. The attitude in the room might have been politely described as jubilant. I have yet to meet the real working teacher that was at all excited or motivated by her leadership, and no one I know seems to find her departure to be a great loss.

(Acting?) (Maybe?)-Chancellor Walcott has been in the position, I guess, for a few days, so nothing has really happened yet. Although trying to withhold judgment on Black didn't turn out well for me, I'll try to give him a bit of a honeymoon period as well. I know that there isn't much hope that he'll stand up against the mayor on layoffs, though. What a goodwill gesture it would be to talk to city teachers and tell them he'll do anything he can to avoid even one teacher layoff.

It is great that we have a Chancellor who attended the city schools, and one who seems to be more welcomed by parents. Walcott's closeness to Bloomberg, though, troubles me. So much of what Bloomberg has done and still wants to do to the city schools has been useless at best and dangerous at worst. Should he develop a separate philosophy and principles of his own that are more compatible with the real interests of teachers, students, and parents, I would feel more encouraged about his taking over. As it is, I am concerned that he will simply be a mouthpiece for the Mayor. I would like to see him show some independence.

For now, I'll watch and listen with an open mind. Maybe I won't get my hopes up, but I won't vilify him straight out of the gate, either.

"I’m going to fire somebody in a little while. Do you want to see that?"

So speaks uber-"reformer" Michelle Rhee to a PBS camera crew. Apparently, this is something Rhee takes pride in. I guess I'm not made of whatever Rhee is. On the few occasions I've known people losing jobs, I found it deeply disturbing. For me, it really had nothing to do with whether or not the people deserved it--as a human being I can't help being upset by seeing others lose their livelihoods.

Rhee has no such reservations. That's a good thing, because under her tenure, almost half of the DC education staff either left or was fired. Diane Ravitch, in reviewing Richard Whitmire's The Bee Eater, points out that Whitmire sees her contract offer, getting the "best teachers" to give up tenure for a raise, as her prime accomplishment. Ravitch further notes that Whitmire seems to have forgotten that 40% of teachers declined her offer, retaining their due process rights.

Had I the patience to wade through a book-length piece of propaganda (and God bless Ravitch for saving us the trouble of doing so), I'd be curious how many of the 60% retained their positions. I wouldn't want to depend on the propagandist for accurate information, though, as most readers of this book likely did.

I'd also wonder how much extra money if would've taken to get them to sell their immortal souls. What's the going rate in a down economy? Surely a competent devil would be making deals left and right. How else can you explain the proliferation of subhuman demagogues like Rhee, or the gaggle of propagandists and wannabe "reformers" who lap at her feet? What do they have to say about scandals like Erase to the Top, perpetrated in Rhee's DC just as the so-called Texas Miracle was touted by another artificially produced education expert, GW Bush?

Here's what the propagandists do--they wait and hope the public forgets. That's proven a pretty fair strategy. Despite what happened in Texas, Americans were all too willing to accept the notion of miracles from Bloomberg, from Geoffrey Canada, from Davis Guggenheim, from Bill Gates, and from Rhee, she who prefers to be identified with her broom, rather than her more relevant eraser.

What on earth will it take for we, the people, to wise up to such nonsense?

The Gift that Kept Giving

Cathie Black, after all the hoopla, has packed it in. It seemed a simple question of just how long Emperor Bloomberg could pretend she had the remotest notion of what the job entailed, and Joel Klein kept spinning pretty much until the last instant. But finally, Cathie Black has gone back to do whatever it is she does when not ostensibly running the largest school system in the country.

Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott will be filling her shoes, or more likely bringing in his own. Those who followed Ms. Black's abbreviated speaking tours will recall that Walcott was there to answer the questions she found too tough (read--all of them.) Ms. Black had innovative approaches to overcrowding--like birth control. This was not warmly received by New Yorkers for some reason. I've no doubt such talk made her a hoot on the party circuit frequented by billionaires like Bloomberg, and I can imagine her with a lampshade over her head amusing the mayor. Alas, such abilities did not translate into popularity, and hers was in the toilet for some time before they threw in the towel.

I can't imagine Walcott making juvenile sarcastic noises when presiding over the rubber stamp PEP. Too bad. It really made this exercise in absolute power appear to be what it really was. Walcott has some very good qualities. He's a product of NYC public schools, and sent his kids to them too.

Sadly, he's a former teacher, and holds two master's degrees, so his appointment is not nearly so preposterous as that of Ms. Black, who came from nowhere and went right back. I don't expect ridiculous outbursts on a regular basis, and I doubt he will hole up so reporters can't speak to him. Alas, qualified as he is, he works for Mayor Bloomberg, and has therefore supported his ineffectual and destructive policies. Bloomberg broaches no differences of opinion, since he knows everything. So you can expect more of the same pointless nonsense as we move on.

On the bright side, this is another huge failure for Mayor Bloomberg, who's been caught in a perpetual snowstorm ever since he had his private jet return from whatever exotic locale he goes to when he wishes to avoid the weather we lowly New Yorkers endure as a matter of course.

No one will forget Cathie Black's idiotic utterance about there being many "Sophie's Choices" in education. But neither will they forget that the woman who said it was Mayor Mike's choice. His downward spiral continues unabated, and all his makeup choices and million-dollar ad campaigns are doing little to change it. If anyone remembers him as the education mayor, it will be only for the remarkable amount of time and money he spent accomplishing nothing.

Or perhaps even less than nothing.

We Can't Help You If You're Not Here

I wish that this article from WNYC about New York's large (and possibly growing) drop-out population had been more detailed, and that it had addressed the problem it discusses more deeply. The issue, as I see it, is not only school drop-outs; rather, it's also the difficulty of working with kids who only pop into school once or twice a week. Chronic absenteeism that doesn't quite reach the definition of truancy is one of the biggest challenges we face as urban teachers.

My school stresses the importance of trying to get these kids into school regularly and then catching them up as quickly as possible. Fine advice, but for children and families who have not internalized the urgency that the situation entails, anything we can do as teachers feels like a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound. These are not children with chronic health problems unless you count those vague "stomachaches," "cramps," and "headaches" that some of them seem to always have. Children malingering has been a problem for all of history, of course, but for kids who already desperately need to be in school, the problem magnifies. And calling home doesn't always solve the problem because, I've found, in many cases, the parent(s) know that the child isn't in school. In some cases, the parent(s) have kept the child home to babysit, care for a sick relative, or just chill at the child's request. Add on top of that that many of these children already struggle (perhaps because of years of absenteeism?) and you're talking a perfect storm as far as grades, credit accumulation, and, you know, learning.

Sometimes I feel like, between the kids who can't manage to show up and the kids who show up every day but consistently do nothing, maybe only half of my students are actually learning most or all of what they should be. And I'm not sure how any of us can be held responsible for that. It's this kind of problem that makes me cringe a little at posts like this that stress the "responsibilities" and "professionalism" of teachers. I'm responsible and professional, but is it really my job to teach a fellow adult that their child needs to come to school regularly?

The Perpetual Audition

Today I was speaking to a relatively new teacher who expressed gratitude he had reached tenure. "I'm glad I don't have to do what Mr. Newbie has to do. He has to do a whole portfolio, with all kinds of stuff in it. What a pain in the neck."

He's right, of course. The DOE, in its infinite wisdom, decided to make a bunch of arbitrary requirements on what's needed for tenure, and if you hadn't been collecting for your portfolio the last two-and-a-half years, well, you'd better start searching those papers in your attic. Maybe there's stuff in your file you can use, but if not, you'd better get searching, or at the very least get fabricating.

But don't be so smug as you chuckle over Mr. Newbie's unfortunate circumstances. There's a new teacher evaluation program coming down the pike, it's a mystery box, and no one knows exactly what's inside. 20% of your rating will depend on some state test that doesn't exist. Another 20 will be based on some district-based assessment, which of course doesn't exist either. A whopping 60% will depend on other things, and it could very well entail some sort of portfolio, with pictures of your field trips, the ones where no one got lost or killed, and the amazing things that go on in your classrooms. Science teachers might include experiments, and those with Leadership Academy principals may want to add a Think and Do Page.

Maybe there will be a modern day variant on Goofus and Gallant, with the good teacher taking the job to help children no matter how bad the salary or benefits, and the bad teacher taking it because the school's across the street from Five Guys and Fries. In any case, you, I, and all state teachers may be doing what Mr. Newbie's doing every year until we retire.

That would be an incredible waste of time for those of us already immersed in the job. Hopefully the UFT will move to preclude this never-ending audition. There are ways to tell whether teachers do the job or not. Value-added has not proven to be one of them, and I'm quite certain this notion of portfolios would be yet another needless diversion for already hard-working teachers.

Rollercoaster Day

So hey, y'all, I know I usually come at ya in the wee hours of the morning, but situations being what they were today, here I am in the after-school-type hours. It is what it is. Hopefully Mr. Educator won't fire me from this super-cushy gig. I really need the subsidized Blackberry and Starbucks runs.

Anyway, it turns out that this worked out really well, because today was a wild rollercoaster of a day. I prevented a fight in one of my classes today through persistence, speed, truth, justice, and the American way. One of the almost-fighters even made it all the way through the day without getting re-engaged in the drama. I facilitated a discussion among four angry kiddos who all have beef with another (lovely, well-intentioned, hard-working) teacher at my school and promised to help them get to the bottom of things.

Then, in the crowning glory on the day, I sat down with the teacher in question and we had a heart-to-heart. It was great. It seems crazy that I'm now in a position to offer someone else advice, but there you go. The whole time I was listening to the kids complain about this guy, because they need to feel I heard, I'm also stressing that they need to own the problem and figure out their own way out of the situation. My heart was breaking for him because I know him to be a great guy and it was so hard to hear that he was struggling with this group of kids. We're going to work on turning a few of the kids' hearts and getting them to maybe pull along some of their friends in helping the class run more efficiently.

It's tough. Today was, while wild, not really exceptionally different from what I and so many of us do on a daily basis. It's just that it all got rolled into one wacky day today.

All the News that Fits

Providing yet another indispensable morsel, Gotham Schools reveals:

Cathie Black made a joke that proved she understands she’s had a rough start.

What does this, or the Daily News piece it links to, reveal about NYC's Schools Chancellor? That she has a keen perception of the obvious? Or not even that? Actually, it reflects only a single instance of such perception. Had Ms. Black the remotest awareness of what this job entailed, she'd have declined it on the basis of utter lack of qualification. Nonetheless, something, perhaps her experience firing people, perhaps her bubbling presence at cocktail parties and gala luncheons, persuaded Mayor4Life Bloomberg to select her.

You'd think it would behoove someone in that position to find out what works and replicate it, or find out what doesn't work and reject it. Ms. Black opts not to trouble herself with such mundane tasks, preferring to rubber-stamp the failed policies of her predecessor, Joel Klein (who's sold whatever remained of his soul to Rupert Murdoch to seek ways to replace teachers with computers).

There is room for far more in the way of investigative journalism. Doubtless Michelle Rhee's Erase to the Top is simply the tip of the iceberg. If journalists weren't tripping all over themselves to pay homage to billionaire-sponsored shills who accomplish little or nothing we, the people, would know precisely what Gates, Broad, Bloomberg and their ilk were doing to us and our children. In fact these men have an easily discernible agenda. Our incurious and complacent press has largely failed to share it with us, preferring to bask in their glory and lazily report their so-called accomplishments.

How can it be that Diane Ravitch was reporting the unbelievable nature of NY test scores in 2007, but it took the NY Times a full three years to catch up? How, then, can we rely on the nonsense corporate media feeds us now?

I'm just a lowly teacher, and thus precluded from doing the sort of investigative reporting we need. But I've no doubt there is a veritable mountain of scandal out there, and a major factor in keeping reporters from it a trained unwillingness to open their eyes.

Tea Party Icon Ronald Reagan Supports Unions--in Poland

"Where free unions and collective bargaining are prohibited, freedom is lost."

It's My Word, and I'll Do What I Want To

Yesterday morning, one of my kids was complaining about me, and what an awful person I am. I tried to defend myself.

"Don't I call your house every time you're absent? What other teacher does that?"

"Only you, Mr. Educator. You ever call my house."

"I think you mean always."

"No,  I mean ever. I like ever."

"But it doesn't make any sense."

"Yes it does, Mister. What about forever and ever?"

'Well, the forever sort of means always. But ever by itself doesn't really work."

"But I like it. I'm ever going to use it," she insisted.

"No one will know what you're talking about," I said, "and people will ask who the idiot is who taught you English."

"That's right, Mister," she agreed, "forever and ever."