File Letter

Dear Ms. Walker:

On May 15th, we met in my office with you and your representative, UFT chapter leader Mr. Rosenboom. We discussed the fact that, despite Common Core standards, you persist in teaching  literature in your English class. As we discussed, Common Core standards mandate that no more than 25% fiction be taught in the classroom.

You freely admitted having taught several novels, including The Grapes of Wrath, The Kite Runner and The Joy Luck Club. You further stated you'd taught various poems, and several Shakespeare plays, though these were not included in the list of suggested materials. I suggested you select from our fine selection of non-fiction works, including The History of Cement, or 1 Million Tedious Essays that No One Wants to Read.

You flatly refused, and referred to me as an "ignorant troglodyte." You then stood up and angrily called me a "killjoy," a "Philistine," and a "corporate tool," among other things. Despite Mr. Rosenboom's repeated entreaties to sit down, you continued standing and screamed uncontrollably at me for at least another 20 minutes, frightening the secretaries gathered outside my office and effectively disrupting the flow of our meeting.

You claimed your students enjoyed these works of literature and were inspired by them. You went on about how this student and that related to the stories, was touched by this or that, cried at the book's conclusion, and made other statements of varied levels of irrelevance. I must point out that we are here neither to promote enjoyment, enrich understanding,  nor to inspire children. We are here to produce test scores, and if we do not produce sufficiently good test scores we will likely be closed and replaced by half a dozen small schools or charter schools.

It is our policy at Preposterously Overcrowded High School to follow the Common Core standards, no matter how incomprehensible, irrational or counter-intuitive they may be. Please be advised that further forays into teaching of literature may result in stronger disciplinary measures, including termination, public humiliation via the New York Post, or whatever other measures Mayor Bloomberg may see fit to institute.

Sincerely,


S. Fields, Principal
c. T. Fields, Assistant Principal, English
c. A. Rosenboom, UFT chapter leader


Please sign and return one copy of this letter.


___________________________
I have received a copy of this letter and understand it will sit in my file for three years or until I am removed for the value added test scores of my students, whichever comes first.

Protest Sign of the Day

Thanks to Caroline Grannan

Waffles Walcott's Words of Wisdom

Hi, it's me, your old buddy Dennis "Waffles" Walcott. I've just made a tough statement about teachers, because Mayor Bloomberg thinks the way to support our hard-working staff is to let them know we're working on new ways to fire them, and I agree completely. From now on, get two U-ratings and we'll try to remove you from your job, whether or not your principal thinks it's a good idea. This may be tough, since some of our principals give U-ratings for arbitrary and frivolous reasons, but I don't care about any of that.

It's true that right now the burden of proof is on us, and we're likely to waste a great deal of city money going after teachers who haven't actually done anything wrong. However, I'm certain the NY Post will not see it that way, and will gleefully do stories on the perfidy of these teachers even after they're acquitted. So for me, it's kind of a win-win.

Of course, once we get that new evaluation system up, we figure the burden will be on the teachers and we can pretty much fire whomever we want. Of course, the agreement now states that 13% of poorly-rated teachers can get a fair hearing, and we're holding out until we can negotiate that number to a more reasonable 0%, which the mayor prefers, and I support completely.

You see, Mayor Bloomberg thinks the best way to encourage teachers is to not give them a raise for four years, and also to deny them the contract we granted all other city workers for the 2008-2010 round of pattern bargaining. I agree completely. A few days ago, the Mayor decided teachers would feel even more supported if they were denied a retroactive raise to catch up. You see, that way, we can wipe out at least 8% of the "raises" we're always boasting about, and actually lower teacher pay. Mayor Bloomberg thinks this will encourage teachers to support him, and I agree completely.

We're also looking at trying to fire the ATRs, but now we're thinking about a buyout. Maybe if we wave enough money at them they'll just go away without a fight. You see, our "fair student funding" plan makes principals pay the full salaries of teachers, so principals just don't want to hire some highly-paid experienced teacher when they can grab two newbies for the same price. Mayor Bloomberg thinks that's a great idea, and I support him completely.

So what we're looking at, especially with closing 24 schools for no special reason, which I support completely, is trying to make this job so insecure, threatening, and frustrating that teachers will walk out en masse. Then we can hire newbies to replaces them, turn them over every two or three years, and no one collects a big salary but consultants and those of us working at Tweed, which I support completely. Hopefully, no teacher sticks around long enough to collect some nasty pension--another win-win.

So thanks, teachers, for all your hard work. Mayor Bloomberg and I will be happy to give you a hearty handclasp along with your pink slip.

What Real People Think about State Exams

In my experience, at least, teachers can run in somewhat isolated social circles; i.e. many of our friends and relatives are also teachers.  But I have the great fortune to be married to a real person non-teacher, Mr. Eyre, who nevertheless possesses a great deal of forbearance when it comes to my willingness to discuss the absurdities of my profession.

A few days ago, we were listening to WNYC covering the scoring of the state ELA and math exams, and we had this conversation:

WNYC ANNOUNCER: Because of cuts in state funding, there was no money available to pay teachers overtime to score the exams, so teachers were removed from classrooms for days at a time to score the exams at central locations.

MR. EYRE: So the state exams get scored by teachers?

MISS EYRE: Yes.  Remember when I had to go out and score the exams, when I taught middle school?

MR. EYRE: Oh, right, I remember that.  But they used to pay overtime?

MISS EYRE: Yeah.  To get them scored faster, I guess.  Teachers would come in after school and on weekends and get per session for grading.  But I guess they can't afford to do that anymore.

MR. EYRE: So let me get this straight.  You have to work really hard to make these kids pass these tests, and if you get behind, someone yells at you, and if too many kids fail it's your fault...and then they pull you out of the classroom for a week to grade the exams?

MISS EYRE: So far, so good.

MR. EYRE: What are the kids doing while you're away?

MISS EYRE: They have substitutes.

MR. EYRE: So basically, nothing.

MISS EYRE: It depends.

MR. EYRE: I was in school once.  I remember.

MISS EYRE: Well, yes, it's hard to have continuity and consistency with a sub, no matter how good they are.

MR. EYRE: Wow.  These people in charge of the exams really care about kids.

Bad, or Worse? You Decide

Chancellor Walcott is always thinking of us. That's why, during Teacher Appreciation Week, he issued this statement as part of the Principals' Weekly:

I believe the best way I can show my appreciation is to support you actively in our critical work, and that’s why I’m pleased to share the 2012-13 citywide instructional expectations with you.

Thanks, Chancellor. Words can barely express how much I appreciate your sharing your list of demands with us. I've no doubt they'll be equally effective as anything else you and Mayor4Life cooked up over the last decade, which is to say, not at all. But I digress.

Not only has the chancellor magnanimously shared his demands with us, but out of the kindness of our heart, he's turned June 25th and 26th into attendance days for kids. This, apparently, is to make up for the snow days we didn't have. Why exactly there is a need to make up snow days we didn't have baffles me utterly. Like most initiatives from Tweed, it makes no sense whatsoever. But that's not all.

Actually, Mr. Walcott does not wish to have students attend those days. He wishes for schools to have SBOs so they can spend two full days discussing his list of demands. You see, Walcott forgot we still have this contract that dictates which days we can and cannot use for that sort of thing, and probably felt any day was as good as the next for indoctrination.

So those of us in high schools are faced with a choice--do we call students into school after their grades have been issued, their books have been collected, and their minds have tuned out, or do we sit through two days of mind-stultifying nonsense about programs that are sure to fail? Let's not forget these programs are designed by the same people who gave contracts and 8% plus raises to every city worker except educators over the 2008-2010 round of pattern bargaining.

There doesn't seem to be a great choice here. What would you choose?

Where Do Troubled Kids Go in the Summer?

As the school year starts to wind down, I'm getting worried about what will become of one of my students who's struggled with depression.  Because of the sensitive nature of this subject, I hesitate to say anything much about him, except that he seems isolated from his family and his (former) friends, and so I'm concerned about him being on his own for most of the summer.

There are summer programs for kids who need academic help, and jobs programs for kids who need money or resume building.  But I wish there was something for this middle-of-the-road student--or, rather, something he could be legally compelled to attend, since his lack of motivation probably will prevent him from getting out of bed to play basketball or swim or explore this great city.  He needs company and someone to talk to more than anyone else.  I'll stay in touch with him via e-mail over the summer, but is that really enough?

I think it speaks well of our school that we have such great systems in place during the school year.  We have three full-time guidance counselors, all of whom are wonderfully proactive and empathetic when it comes to troubled kids.  We have partnerships with several community agencies to provide extra counseling and activities like creative writing and peer mediation.  All of this is wonderful.  But I still fret over my kid who isn't doing any of this even with all of the support and encouragement we offer him in the school building, and he certainly won't do any of it over the summer.

If you know of any offerings in the city that you can share for the benefit of city kids who might need some extra support that's not necessarily academic over the summer, please share in the comments.

No Impossible Demand Left Behind

That's what you're expected to do, and you've got just about a year and a half to do it. NCLB says all children will be proficient by 2014, and every year you fail to get 100% of your kids to pass is another year you risk your school being closed. Why don't we judge other professions by that standard? Let's begin at the top.

Are 100% of Americans employed? I don't think so. If that isn't corrected by 2014, we'd better close the White House, toss out the Congress, and have the whole government taken over by privatizers. Sure, you say, it's those same folks who put the economy in the crapper, left it there, and had us bail them out. Yet that's how we run education, what with Joel Klein's hotline to hedge-funders, so obviously we need to replicate this system elsewhere.

Are 100% of crimes solved? Are 100% of criminals in prison? If not, we'll need to close all the police stations, fire 50% of working cops, and replace them with temporary TFA workers. Maybe what we need is smaller police stations, each with 6 captains rather than one. Probably cops would do a better job if criminals were tested on a regular basis, and if said criminals failed tests two years in a row we could dismiss them. Surely Pearson could devise questions on safecracking, murder, extortion, or any topic under the sun.

How about banks? Is there enough cash in your account? If not, it's surely the fault of incompetent bankers who've failed to ensure you have enough to pay your bills. It certainly couldn't be your fault you blew a wad of cash on a Hawaiian vacation, neglecting that mortgage and car payment. If they can't figure out how to balance their books before 2014, they're outta there!

Finally, let's get on those darn doctors. It's already 2012, and lots of people are still sick! In fact, some people are still dying. Many, truth be told. If those health providers can't stop providing excuses rather than the health we pay for, they ought to be severely penalized. Heads must roll at hospitals, and not only those of patients.

Let's get the word to Mayor4Life Bloomberg, Governor 1% Cuomo, and faux-Democrat President Barack Obama that standards must be universal, and if our demands are not met, we will close down the city, state and country.

After all, that's what they want from us, isn't it?

Exported from NYC to Louisiana

We Watch So You Don't Have To

President Obama Makes a Stand, Sort Of

President Obama made a historic announcement supporting same-sex marriage the other day. I agree. Why on earth is it any of my business, or yours, who marries whom? So good for you, President Obama. Yet there's this:

The president stressed that this is a personal position, and that he still supports the concept of states deciding the issue on their own. 

So if your state is inclined toward narrow-mindedness and bigotry, this President is okay with that. You can vote for him and still discriminate against your fellow citizens for their sexual orientation. He personally feels you should not be a simple-minded, ignorant galoot, but this is America, and you absolutely have that right.

Oddly, he does not feel the same way about education. His signature program, Race to the Top, dangles dollars in front of cash-starved states and offers them money only if they agree to baseless nonsensical mandates favored by the likes of Bill Gates, Eli Broad, the Walmart Family, and Michelle Rhee. I should not be surprised. In a debate with Maverick Johny McCain, Obama called Rhee a "wonderful new superintendent." I figured he would learn on the job and went and voted for him anyway.

Of course now, after having watched him give GW Bush a third term in education, I won't be making that mistake again. I can no longer vote for people simply because they call themselves Democrats. Our unions have made the egregious error of endorsing him while extracting nothing in return. The rationale,  that Romney is even worse, resonates somewhat with me. I shudder to think of a Supreme Court that will once again take the election from the people, as it did with Bush v. Gore. And I do like Obama's health care program better than what we had before.

But one of his promises was to get us out of these wars, and that's not done. Another was to repeal the Bush tax cuts. A very significant broken promise was to pass the Employee Free Choice Act. He not only failed to pass it, but as far as I can tell, never even advocated for it. Most importantly, he reneged on a promise to the NEA to do things "with you, not to you." My state now faces an evaluation system seemingly designed to randomly pick off working teachers based on junk science, another outrage supported by our unions for reasons utterly unfathomable to me.

Obama sends his kids to a school with small classes and little high-stakes testing. He paid lip service to overtesting at SOTU but his policies belie his words. At this rate, his legacy will be the degradation and destruction of one of the best and most important jobs in the country, a job I love and would like to urge my students to follow.

I simply can't and won't vote for that. I'm thinking very seriously about Dr. Jill Stein. I realize her chances are not very good, but I no longer care.

Who are you voting for, and why?

Testing My Patience

As the (soon-to-be-nonexistent-anyway) Regents exams approach, I cannot help but notice that we are starting to lose a lot of instructional time to test prep and practice testing, even in my fairly enlightened and rigorous school.  Entire halves of days are commandeered for mock Regents exams, on the theory that the kids need to see the tests at least once in their entirety before they actually take them and the results will help to inform instruction for the last few loosey-goosey weeks of school.

(Sidebar, Your Honor: WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE LAST FEW WEEKS OF SCHOOL?  Yes.  Go count if you don't believe me.  High school teachers have just about 20 days of instruction left.  Friends, we are almost there.)

Anyway, preparing my kiddies for the English Regents exam makes me wonder what kind of teaching, for eleven years, would have enabled my kids to pass the Regents with no test prep whatsoever.  The kind of teaching that demands lengthy, calm, focused attention on the part of the students?  Yes.  (Which, I realize, is well nigh impossible for some of our students.  Point taken.)  The kind of teaching that would have included wide and deep reading in multiple genres with extended time for independent reading and interpreting with meaningful feedback about tricky literary elements like theme, tone, and figurative language?  Yes.

I want to provide that kind of teaching, but it's not always possible.  Many of my students will rebel with apathy and/or disruption if they become bored or frustrated.  The kind of deep teaching about the difficult work of interpreting literature...well, difficult is the first problem.  It's hard to do well, especially for kids who still work to decode words or have such limited life experience that texts from outside their own time period, place, or culture might as well be written in Russian.  And then teaching them to persist in the face of that difficulty is its own work.

And then trying to do that kind of teaching, when I have to teach them how to take a test, when they could pass that test without any preparation if they had just been taught well (and prepared from home well) in the first place?  That vicious circle is the kind of thing that keeps me up at night and, well, tests my patience.

So good luck, Regents prep teachers.  Remember, if too many of your kids fail, you'll get fired and then you won't get that awesome Teacher Appreciation Week e-mail from NYSED.

Obama to Teachers--Drop Dead

To show how much he appreciates the endorsements of NEA and AFT, President Barack Obama declared this week, Teacher Appreciation Week, to be National Charter School Week. So all you public school teachers wasting your time with kids who don't speak English, kids who have special needs, kids who need alternate assessment, and all the other kids who don't improve the test scores can go straight to hell. The President has taken your week and given it to Bill Gates, Eli Broad, Michelle Rhee and the Walmart family.

In fact, this President does not appreciate teachers. Otherwise, why would he push for value-added/ junk science evaluation methods that depend as much on chance as on skill? Why would he applaud the firing of an entire staff of teachers (that largely served ESL students)? And for goodness sake, how on earth could he tolerate a Secretary of Education who declared Katrina was the best thing to happen to education in NOLA?

President Obama takes us for granted, as well he should. We endorsed him solely because we've determined his opponent is even worse. Were I a union bigshot, urging you to vote for him, I'd need to say, "Vote for him, because he doesn't stink as badly as the other guy!" Or perhaps I could say, "Vote for Obama! Next to the other guy, he appears almost adequate."

These are hardly slogans that make me jump up and down. Obama fooled me once. Shame on him for that. And far more shame on him for disrespecting every working teacher in America just to kiss up to his corporate buddies. Those who teach our children ought to be celebrated rather than reviled.

Have you got a message for this President?

I Sure Do Feel Appreciated

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!  I know it's Teacher Appreciation Week because I got this lovely e-mail from State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr. informing me, among other things, about the great new teacher evaluation systems that are going to be put in place despite the fact that the vast majority of working teachers don't like them.

I try not to be paranoid about such things.  I tell myself that I work hard, that I have good relationships with my administration, my students, and their families, that I have nothing to fear.  Usually that works.

But this "Teacher Appreciation Week e-mail" was a real head-scratcher.  Usually when I tell someone that I appreciate them, I don't tell them that I'm going to be figuring out a new way to evaluate their performance (and presumably re-evaluate exactly how much I appreciate them) in the next breath.  But maybe that's just me.

I'm thinking of getting a different Mother's Day card for my mom, for example.  "Thank you for everything you did as my mother.  In the next few months, I'm going to roll out an evaluation system that will allow me to compare you with other moms across the state on a variety of metrics, including post-college income and marital happiness, among the similar daughters of similar mothers."

Maybe that will make her feel even more appreciated.

The Emperor Speaks

To kick off teacher appreciation week, Mayor Bloomberg has unilaterally declared that there will be no retroactive pay for teachers. In Mayor Bloomberg's New York, as in much of the country, putting "children first" means teachers, alone among city employees, get nothing. They should be happy they get paid at all. Billionaire Bloomberg takes a dollar a year to run his fiefdom and thinks that ought to be enough for anyone, except cops, firefighters, clerks, and everyone else but educators.

This is a remarkable position for several reasons, and particularly so if you've followed the contract history of the United Federation of Teachers. There were many of us who opposed the 2005 contract, viewing its draconian givebacks as highly detrimental to the profession. If you doubt that, ask any ATR teacher who hasn't received a permanent assignment anywhere. Think about it while you patrol the halls, or bathrooms, or dodge a flying cheeseburger during lunch duty.

Denial of retroactive pay, of course, is not the Emperor's only salary decree. A few years ago he declared that he would avert teacher layoffs by denying educators the raise he'd granted all city employees--something in excess of 8% over a two-year period. The 05 contract comes to mind because the pattern at that time was crap, and PERB declared that if we wanted anything above it, we needed to surrender the sun, the moon, and the stars in exchange. And this we did. At that time, PERB specifically declared the pattern to be sacrosanct. Haven't heard a peep from them this year.

Now, Mayor4Life, while demanding we accept an evaluation system designed to fire as many teachers as possible, simply says, "Screw the pattern, you guys get nothing." I'm very curious in what astral plane this is acceptable. Does the pattern apply when it saves money for the city, but when working people are screwed, become strictly optional? That's tough to understand. In case you haven't been paying close attention, teachers have been without a raise for four years this month. And employees who got the last round of raises were not asked for givebacks, let alone to evaluate themselves out of their own jobs.

It seems to me that collective bargaining entails negotiation. Clearly Mayor Bloomberg feels otherwise, preferring to spout nonsensical merit pay schemes rather than acknowledge that even teachers have cost of living increases.

Bloomberg is an anachronism. Having gotten absolute power over schools via his PEP, our fake school board, he thinks he is royalty, a feudal lord who requires tribute from the serfs. In this case, Lord Bloomberg demands we forgo the raise granted everyone else, and loudly proclaim, "Thank you sir, may I have another?"

I have a slightly different message for this mayor. What would you like to tell him?

In Which the Meek Finally Inherit the Earth

Can I Buy a House?

That's what one of my colleagues asked the other day. I told him it was OK with me, but he was neither comforted nor encouraged. "No, will we have jobs in five or six years?"

That's a tough question. Easy answer is yes, but who really knows? If ever the ATRs are given a time limit, it's giving Mayor4Life a free hand to close every school, then close the new ones, then keep closing and closing until the only thing that's left are non-union charters. Lots of teachers are unable to keep up with the pace of charter schools because, oh, they want to get married, have lives, or do things other than worship at the pedestal of Eva Moskowitz.

We haven't got all that much to give away anymore. With the new evaluation system, the best case scenario is 20% of your rating will be based on junk science. We already know how that's been working out around the country. We also know that the tabloids can't wait to seize on any evidence, no matter how flimsy or unreliable, to label teachers the worst in the borough, city, country, universe, or whatever.

In fact, the entire "reform" movement is predicated on the fallacy that there is a bad teacher plague that must be eradicated at any and all costs. And folks like Klein, Rhee, and Bloomberg can't wait to fire as many teachers as possible, for any reason or no reason, and decimate the profession. So will my friend have a job in five or six years?

I'll do everything I can to assure he does, but that won't be nearly enough. We're all wearing targets on our backs, and we need to be really careful, really smart, and ruthlessly efficient in fighting the propagandists and billionaires who hate us for having jobs, benefits, unions, contracts, and time off. Americans read the papers and say, "Boy, those greedy teachers have too many benefits." They read the Post and think anyone can do this job. They're sorely mistaken.

The question is, what do we need to do to get Americans to ask, "Hey, why the hell don't I have a contract, a union, benefits and time off?"

Can DOE Higher-Ups Read, Or Is It That They Just Don't?

This is the second news article I've read in the last month that suggests to me that the bigwigs at the DOE either can't read or just don't.  The first was the hubbub about "transforming" Bushwick Community High School, one of the city's most successful and beloved transfer schools, because not enough of its students graduate high school in four years--completely overlooking the fact that the entire stated purpose of transfer schools is to serve severely undercredited students, many of whom are dropouts seeking a second chance at a high school diploma.  The second is this piece in today's Post, not-so-subtly suggesting that teachers are "shirking" work to which the city taxpayers are entitled.

Michael Mulgrew wakes up long enough to mention that the audit does not consider comp time positions like serving as a dean, which is an excellent point.  Teachers serving as deans, department chairs, and other positions are valuable to schools.  But, more to the point, teachers are not responsible for designing their own schedules.  Teacher programs are overseen by principals and in some cases delegated to programming teachers, but in any case, principals have the responsibility for assigning and signing off on all teacher programs.  If indeed some teachers are underutilized, that is the fault of principals, not of teachers.

So they can't/don't read their own guidelines and definitions for different types of schools, the teacher contracts, or principals' job descriptions.  What else is collecting dust on the collective DOE Kindle?

Not My Job, Man

That's essentially the DOE policy on Facebook and social networking. They recommend you not friend your students. No, wait, they STRONGLY recommend you not do so. I recommend the same, to tell you the truth. But my motivations are quite different.

I think it's a bad idea because it's entirely possible your Facebook comments could be printed out and sitting on the principal's desk the next time you get called in for a friendly chat. Do you really want to explain why you chose that particular string of obscenities? Did you mean to imply something about the principal? Your students? It doesn't matter all that much because you can't grieve the letter in your file until you're at a 3020a proceeding and they're trying to take your job. My advice? If you don't want your principal, your class, and your grandmother to see it, don't write it.

DOE has a different perspective. Go ahead, they say. Do whatever the hell you want. But if it blows up in your face they'll be right there, saying see? We told you! You shouldn't have said that. You shouldn't have done that! Now look. We have to tell the New York Post and they say you're the worst teacher in the world, even worse than the last worst teacher in the world!

That's the late Freddie Prinze above. Not my job, man, was part of a comedy routine he did years ago on the Tonight Show. It was pretty funny. But if the DOE catches you on Facebook, they won't hesitate to go after your job, and it won't be funny at all. It's not wabbit season, and it's not duck season. It's teacher season, and you'd better believe Bloomberg, Walcott, and all their hedge fund buddies are coming after me, you, and anyone else who commits the unpardonable offense of teaching children and demanding to be paid for their services.

Teachers' Rights Are Students' Rights; Also, Some Clothing Companies Like Teachers

So Kenneth Cole has decided to remove their teacher-trashing billboard.  Well, that's nice.  One billboard down, but meanwhile, Michelle Rhee hasn't yet moved on to doing something more constructive with her life, like watching paint dry.  Still, we'll take all the victories we can get.

As I've pointed out in this space before, teachers' rights are students' rights; they are not in opposition to each other.  Schools that are clean, orderly, and safe are in teachers' and students' interests.  Teachers who are well-supported and, yes, well-compensated are teachers who are comfortable and confident enough to grow into passionate, energetic educators, constantly challenging themselves and their colleagues to improve--and all of that is good for the children.  Manageable class sizes mean that students actually have some room to move around and the teacher can provide more of them with individualized attention and warm, personal relationships.

Fighting the pernicious false dichotomy that is "teachers' rights vs. students' rights" is a battle that we'll probably have to take up for some time.  But in the meantime, lady teachers, do you need some new duds?  Loft loves teachers.  No, really, they do.  They put their money where their mouth is.  And, pro tip: if you ask nicely, they will almost always let you stack the teacher discount on top of any coupons or other promotions they are running.  There's a reason why so many of us have closets full of Loft-wear, and not just because Ryan Gosling digs it...in our collective dreams.  Because, hey, if we're going to fight the system, we may as well look good doing it.

Happy May Day, by the way.  I vote for taking the day off!...from, um, voracious consumerism.  Or, say, Twitter.  Workers of the world unite...at the coffee maker.

Go Knit a Scarf

That's what I want to tell Governor 1% Cuomo's brother in law, Kenneth Cole, after reading about his teacher-bashing bulletin board the other day. A friend of mine set up a petition to protest this nonsense, while another says we ought not to give him the attention the billboard seems to demand.

It could indeed be that Cuomo's brother in law simply wants attention for his product, and that he hopes this blows up into some controversy. But I wonder how this would look if he pitted one racial or religious group against another, rather than simply pushing the tired motif of teachers vs. students. This is pretty much the standard playbook of "reformers," who trot it out as children first, students first, and Governor 1% calling himself a student lobbyist.

One thing all these demagogues don't tell you is that teaching conditions and learning conditions are often identical. Hence, the folks who put "Children first, always," dump my students and me into a trailer. Bloomberg, in 2007, said he'd get rid of trailers by 2012. He later clarified and said he would not. In fact, there are just as many trailers today as when he said he'd get rid of them.

Another thing they forget is that our fondest wish for children in our care is that they grow up. If they trash and degrade the jobs facing them when that happens, they're hardly doing anyone any favors. Perhaps Mr. Cole would like today's children to work under the same conditions as those in his Bangladesh factories. Maybe he'd like to see our unions treated like theirs.

Now I can't read Cole's mind. But short of a public apology, I won't ever spend a dime on anything with his name on it, and I had no problem signing the petition.

Not to Be Missed

Diane Ravitch has a brand-new blog, and she's opened it today with a defense of teacher tenure.

You Don't Need the Amazing Kreskin Today

Yesterday morning I watched NBC 4 announce that Mayor Bloomberg would replace 50% of the teachers in the schools he was closing. Actually that's President Obama's model. Bloomberg has opted to follow the model in article 18D of the contract he negotiated with the UFT, which states that 50% of most senior qualified staff must be retained. Does that mean 50% of working teachers will keep their jobs? Not necessarily. But the folks at NBC 4 couldn't be bothered to look up details.

They also commented that this would be decided at the PEP. It's kind of incredible that they would not bother to inform their viewers that 8 of the 13 PEP members are selected by Mayor Bloomberg and vote as he says, or are fired before they get a chance to dissent. It reminded me of things I read and saw when I was in East Berlin in 1984. And it's pathetic that it's what we get in mainstream media today.

There was also a comment about federal funds available via turnaround. But the good folks at NBC couldn't be bothered to look into the fact that this was based on Obama's model, which Bloomberg is no longer following.

I called and complained. The woman who answered the phone said they couldn't possibly comment on how the PEP could vote, despite their 100% record. She had no response for my remarks about 18D vs. federal turnaround plans. She said I should write up something and send it in. I told her I couldn't because I had to go to work.

The woman said she was already working. I pointed out that when I worked, I actually had to do things. Then I wished her a nice day.

But for our colleagues at two dozen schools, and their debased neighborhoods, it's far from a nice day. I'm very sorry they have to go through such pointless nonsense simply to appease the megalomania of the richest man in New York, who considers NYPD his army and the DOE his personal fiefdom.

I wrote this last night and set it to post this morning. For me there's no mystery whatsoever about the PEP vote.

This is what happens when you give the richest man in the city absolute power. How could we not have predicted this?

Othello, the Mohawk General of Venus

The scene: Miss Eyre's students are writing essays on Othello.  Miss Eyre is helping a student we'll call Brandy revise her essay.


BRANDY [in essay]: Othello, a Native American, was a great Venusian general.

MISS EYRE [to Brandy]: So, Brandy, I didn't know Othello was Native American.

BRANDY: Wasn't he?

MISS EYRE: Um, no.  He was a Moor.

BRANDY: Oh.  So he was African-American.  'Cause Moor is black, right?

MISS EYRE: Well, kind of.  But this play dates from the seventeenth century.  So there was no America.

BRANDY: Oh!  So I should just put that he was a Moor?

MISS EYRE: Yes.  That will work.  Also, you might want to rethink your spelling of "Venetian."  That's the term you mean for someone from Venice.

BRANDY: Why?

MISS EYRE: Well, you spelled it "Venusian."  That means he's from Venus.  Like the planet.

BRANDY: Oh!  Right.  [giggles] Oh, miss, you know I didn't mean that.

MISS EYRE [to herself]: I sure hope not, or my teaching of Othello was more confusing than I thought.

Presto Chango

What on earth is the point of Bloomberg's turnarounds? Why is he closing 26 schools, renaming them, and taking in all the same kids?

The first reason is fairly obvious--to humiliate and inconvenience thousands of teachers by forcing them to reapply for their own jobs. This will certainly be a miserable experience for all of them, whether or not they succeed in getting their jobs back. That's how folks like Bloomberg build morale. As a side bonus, the numbers of ATR teachers are likely to explode. Though it's an incredible and idiotic use of city money and their time, he can use them as a convenient scapegoat while dragging his filth through the NY papers.

Another reason, I'm told, is this--if XYZ high school needs to make a certain graduation rate next year so as not to be closed, all we need to do is change the name to ABC high school, and voila! They don't need to meet that standard anymore! Michael Bloomberg has magically arranged for them to meet some lower standard and he isn't "accountable" anymore.

Of course, even if he were accountable, he could always blame those darn unionized teachers. They want classrooms instead of trailers. They want blackboards instead of hammers and chisels. Look, here's one demanding a computer instead of an abacus! Is there any end to their gall?

Smoke and mirrors. Bloomberg's got nothing more to offer. The turnarounds will not improve the education of the kids who live in those neighborhoods. It insults the heritage of these schools, and the neighborhoods that they're in. But Bloomberg doesn't care. Because now, even though fewer kids graduate, he may be able to meet arbitrary standards that are now lower than they'd have been otherwise.

It's endlessly ironic that this mayor has staked his reputation on education, he knows nothing whatsoever about it, and doesn't even care to learn. He's expert at PR, and it appears nothing else matters.

We Want to Go on Trips! No, Wait, We Don't

I've blogged a number of times about how valuable I think field trips are.  Not only can they be educational, but they present wonderful opportunities to build relationships with your students in new and unexpected ways.  We in my grade at TMS2 have been hearing our students' (loud, insistent, shrill) pleas for more field trips, and we are embarking on our second one in a month in a few days.

However, there's just one problem: only about 75% of the slots available for the trip are filled.

The trip is free, by the way, lest you think financial difficulties might be holding students back.

One of my colleagues who teaches a different grade is in an even tougher position.  She's hard at work putting together an overnight trip, this intrepid gal, and more than half of the invited students haven't returned so much as the permission slip, let alone the medical paperwork and trip fees.

I'm starting to think that what the students really want is a few attendance-optional school days, since the students not going on the trip naturally aren't in school.  It really seemed, at one point, though, that the students really liked the trips themselves.  They liked hanging out with each other and, God forbid, their teachers, going somewhere new and learning something new outside the classroom.

What's going on here?  Why will students beg for trips, only to have interest levels hover somewhere between 40%-75% when they actually happen?  And in what universe don't students want to go on field trips, anyway?

Don't Know Much About History

Is NY State right to abolish the Global History Regents exam? Lots of us have had our fill of standardized testing, and would like to see far less of it. Of course that's not the case, as the state plans all sorts of nonsense, largely to assess teachers. Kids will be spending hours of potential learning time indulging in nonsensical junk science, to appease those who wish to fire teachers by any means necessary.

The problem with this proposal is not that there will be one fewer test. The problem is the rationale behind eliminating it--that too few students pass it. As the test with the worst record, it needs to be eliminated, disappeared. There is a counter proposal to make two tests rather than one, but that will cost more money. It's kind of amazing where they choose to make cuts--like the January Regents exams that not only allowed kids to graduate on time, but also boosted school stats.

That, of course, was a huge waste of money, as the notion here is to close as many schools as possible. This global exam, though, not only made the schools look bad, but also made the state look bad. That is unacceptable. So, like Geoffrey Canada dumping an entire cohort rather than deal with scores that make his school look bad, the state is exercising its absolute power rather than deal with a problem.

If the state were taking a reasonable approach, like empowering rather than vilifying teachers, we could present history in a way that might actually interest our kids in it. We could incorporate current events, and try to develop involved citizens. Or, we could simply dump the tests, hope interest in history wanes, fire hundreds of teachers who don't contribute to valuable test-taking, and try to raise a generation of citizens who believe people like John King, Mike Bloomberg, Andrew Cuomo, and Arne Duncan actually work for them rather than zillionaires like Bill Gates.

On Getting a "Seat at the Table" with Bill Gates

Earth Day Musing

Everything Is POV

Thanks to Richard.

SleepLearning?

Kids asleep in class has been a scourge of school since, probably, forever, but for some reason it's really on my nerves lately. I really resent being made to feel responsible for the learning of students who sleep through my class day after day. I know--these are teenagers with no sense of their body's limits, so staying up until 3 a.m. playing Call of Duty or doing whatever it is that they do doesn't sound like a terrible idea.

It doesn't kick in until 3rd period and you're supposed to be taking notes on annotation strategies. Putting your head down for a few minutes sounds so easy and lovely. I'll just rest for a minute, then, boom, the teacher is shaking you awake. "Wake up. Come on, buddy. You're missing these notes. I don't want you to miss this. You're going to be confused later if you don't get this."

"Mmmmmphmmm."

The teacher shakes you again. "Come on. Stay with us here."

You pick your head up and scribble a few notes, then put your head back down. So tired. Stupid English class.

When you finally pick it up again, the teacher, having given up on waking you up, knowing that students in a deep sleep occasionally come out of their slumbers with torrents of profanity that will be much more disruptive than letting them sleep, has moved on in the lesson. It's half an hour later. You have no idea what's going on. Well, might as well go back to sleep. Then I'll feel nice and rested for geometry.

And if you're the teacher, you physically can't put a student out of your class for sleeping, because what are you going to do, pick them up and deposit them in the hallway? Calling home for a kid sleeping is pretty damn useless, too, I've found.

There are some decent tips for dealing with sleeping students here, though I can't see my kiddies doing jumping jacks. I might try the "you can sleep if you're standing" trick. But until there's evidence for SleepLearning, we've got to fight the Sandman as well as every other battle in our classes.

Common Core, Uncommon Assumptions

I have, in general, been in support of the Common Core. I'd like it if every child in this country had the opportunity to learn from the Core Knowledge curriculum, especially in the early grades; I've witnessed the chaos and despair that results from students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds and then receiving substandard educations. Common Core is at least one small step towards unifying curriculum in this country, which, in general and in theory, could be a good thing.

But recently, I started to worry. A few of my colleagues and I sat down with a draft of a "performance-based assessment" that is aligned to the Common Core. This assessment came with a pair of nonfiction texts about "green consumption." A fine topic, but one that would need to be taught carefully and explicitly to many of the students we teach in order for them to be successful with it. I would bet money right now that maybe 2 of my current students could define "locavore." My colleagues and I completed a gap analysis of this task and quickly became overwhelmed and, I think it's fair to say, concerned by the prospect that something like this could appear on a Regents exam, or whatever they're going to be calling the Regents exam, in 2014.

The cultural bias in these pieces was blatant to teachers who teach in high-poverty schools. How many of our students, for example, know what a "thread count" is in a set of sheets, or even know how much a car-seat cover or a pound of pomegranates should cost? Yet all of these assumptions and more were built into the texts. And the assessment that emerged from these texts is the one by which our students, and of course we ourselves, will be judged.

If we're going to take all this time and money and effort to totally revamp all the state tests, can we at least not design ones that poor kids might have a fighting chance at passing?

A Modern Fairy Tale

One morning, bright and early, Ms. Finnerty got an email from the principal.

Please come to my office period 2.

Ms. Finnerty was confused. She taught period 2.

Are you sure you didn't mean period 3? I teach period 2.

Moments later, there was a response.


I know very well you teach period 2. Of course we will cover your period 2 class. Please be sure to leave a lesson so the person who covers you can teach something of value that period.

Wow. That didn't sound good. Ms. Finnerty searched her memory for what could be so important her class needed covering, and drew a blank. Period 2 she reported to the principal's office.

"Sit down," said the principal. The principal then started fumbling with her collar. Ms. Finnerty sat down, but was inwardly concerned. The principal only fumbled with her collar when she was angry.

"You came into the building this morning carrying two Macy's bags," the principal announced.

This was true. Ms. Atkinson had two sons a little older than Ms. Finnerty's son, and had just given her some clothes her son could wear.

"How did you know that?" asked Ms. Finnerty.

"Ah!" the principal practically shouted, standing, and beginning to pace around like a detective from a black and white potboiler. "How do I know? Because I saw you!"

Ms. Finnerty was getting worried. She didn't know that Macy's bags weren't allowed in school. Why would they forbid Macy's bags? It's not such a bad store. They don't sell narcotics or anything. Well, not as far as she knows...

"That's right, I saw you!" repeated the principal. "And you didn't even say hello to me!"

"I didn't see you," said Ms. Finnerty.

"Let me tell you something, Ms. Finnerty. I am the principal. I am the educational leader of this school.  You walked into this building this morning and did not even acknowledge my existence! That is simply unacceptable!"

From that day on, Ms. Finnerty's professional life deteriorated. In June, she was fortunate enough to find another principal who was happy to hire her. And she would have lived happily ever after, if only Mayor Bloomberg had not decided to close her new school for no reason whatsoever.

Vacation from Vacation

As I mentioned before my departure, I traveled to exotic climes for spring break this year. And as the vagaries of international travel would have it, I didn't return until quite late Sunday evening, and once I made it through immigration and customs and the taxi stand and what have you, it was after midnight.

Now, I had planned accordingly for this. Lesson plan and materials were already in place for Monday morning before I left, so it wasn't too bad. Although I was tired, I knew I needed to be at school, not just for the sake of saving a day, but to send the message to students that once vacation is over, it's over, and it's time to come back.

However, that message was lost on the one-third of my students who decided to extend their break yesterday, some of whom had also started their breaks early. I have one student who has apparently been in Florida since the last weekend in March and another who has been in Puerto Rico even longer. Don't get me wrong; you'll pry spring break from my cold, dead fingers, and it's important that kids get time to relax and have fun with family and friends, too. But it concerns me how many families seem to decide that they can take multi-week vacations smack dab in the middle of the school year. I especially love it when I'm asked to provide, say, three weeks' worth of work for a student going off to visit relatives abroad in, say, March.

I know, too, it's hard to fault the kids for this when the families explicitly endorse and encourage this behavior. And I'm not talking about a kid with a death in the family or something like that. I'm talking about parents who have told me openly that they're going to visit family and friends and designated break times were simply inconvenient.

Well, bon voyage, my students who I haven't seen since maybe March 30th. Hope you're having fun. But please don't ask for some kind of elaborate explanation as to why you're not passing English.

That Wacky Funster from New Jersey

Governor Chris Christie, though not a teacher by trade, has real class. You can tell, because he's brought his ALEC-inspired war on teachers straight to the classroom. It's one thing to attack teachers. That's pretty common, and has become pretty much as standard as no. 2 pencils. However, His Governorship has taken things a step further:

"There’s a lot of really great teachers in the state," said Christie. "But their union cares more about how much they get paid than they care about how well you learn."

That's why Jersey schools are short of supplies, according to Christie. It's so inconvenient for him to provide teachers with salaries that the only way he can make up for it is by pulling supplies from schools. After all, Christie long ago made sure taxes on the rich were cut, and that cost around a billion dollars. Yet those greedy teachers still won't agree to work gratis. Where is Governor Christie going to get funds to helicopter to his son's baseball games?

Christie, of course, is always concerned with the taxpayer. That's why he killed the tunnel that was supposed to run from Jersey to New York. It turns out that he just lied about the whole darn thing, and now there's no tunnel, and it appears he deprived his state of it just to advance his up-and-coming political career.  President Christie. Emperor Christie. Whatever it takes.

Still, teachers have to be careful what they say to students. It's kind of incredible the governor is not subject to such standards. This particular governor has no problem spouting outright falsehoods to his state, no matter what the cost.

So lying to a bunch of teenagers, for him, is like stealing candy from a baby. And that's precisely what I expect to see Chris Chistie do next.

Put Another Shrimp on the Barbie

Alas

Shocking!

This photo ran in today's Daily News. I can't remember what the story was about, or who this guy is, but when I saw that this young woman was a student, I was beside myself. This looks like improper touching to me.

As a regular reader of the Daily News, I know that teachers who've committed such acts of barbarism have been labeled perverts. I certainly hope they say the same about this man, whoever he is. Perhaps there's a letter in his file that was thrown out for being baseless, and we, the public, need to know about it so we can shun this man, whoever he is, for whatever it was he was acquitted of doing.

The New York Post should camp out on his doorstep, call him the worst whatever-it-is he does in the city, and run a story about it. And the Times should catalog all the instances of anyone in the world having been acquitted of committed such atrocities and run a story about that too.

This looks to me like something for which this man, whoever he is, needs to be removed from his job, whatever that is, and sent to some other place for a few years to await a hearing. Then, after that, if he's declared innocent, it's important that all the papers call him a pervert and demand he be fired anyway.

Because that's not simply justice. It's New York tabloid justice, the best kind money can buy.

Related: NY Times Schoolbook

Related: The ICEUFT Blog

Related: Perdido Street School

Related:  Assailed Teacher

Related: Pissed Off Teacher 

Related: Accountable Talk 

Related: EdNotes Online

Walcott Explains This Week's Turnaround Plan

 Good morning New York. I'm Dennis "Waffles" Walcott, NY City Schools Chancellor.

You know, we here at Tweed take the education of our youngsters very seriously. That's why, two years ago, Mayor Bloomberg decided to utilize the "transformation model" for 33 schools in the city. I fully supported this great innovation, as supporting our schools is something it's important for us to do. Also, using the Danielson Framework was helpful. While some people, including Danielson, felt our rubric was kind of a "gotcha" thing, I thought we did a pretty good job, especially since none of us had actually been trained in how to use the darn thing. I fully supported the way we used it.

Now, once we and the UFT were unable to come to an agreement on evaluation, I fully supported Mayor Bloomberg's decision to keep the federal money via the federal "turnaround" plan, which entails replacing the principal and at least 50% of staff. After all, we need that money to enact valuable reforms. When the UFT and the city came to a preliminary agreement on evaluation, I fully supported Mayor Bloomberg's decision to do the turnaround model anyway. After all, the UFT ought to know that we do what the mayor wants, when he wants, and how he wants, and that I fully support this approach.

Mayor Bloomberg also took the step of removing 7 schools who'd received As or Bs in our progress reports. We looked pretty stupid closing those schools, so when Mayor Bloomberg took them off the list, I fully supported him. 

Of course, there is that nasty contract that the UFT insists we use, just because we negotiated and signed it. While I think it's unreasonable, it turns out that the federal "turnaround" model violates the contract, which says we must allow a minimum of 50% of the most senior teachers to keep their jobs. Mayor Bloomberg wisely decided to follow this model rather than face a losing lawsuit, and I fully supported him.

So now it looks like we won't get the federal money after all. That was the main reason Mayor Bloomberg decided to use the turnaround model. But he has decided to go ahead with it anyway, and I fully support him. After all, it will be a nice change for kids to come to a school that's brand new, with lots of different teachers. Why? Because Mayor Bloomberg says it will, and I fully support him.

Sure there are those nattering nabobs of negativity, who wonder how a school will get off to a good start when it can't actually program for next year, or plan anything whatsoever given it has no idea who will be working there next year, and that the school technically will not exist next year. I say, embrace the challenge! Mayor Bloomberg changes his plans all the time, for any reason, or for no reason at all, and all I can say is I fully support him.

To My Student "Melissa," Who Is Transferring

A student who is very dear to me is transferring at the end of the academic year due to a move to a very "outer" region of an outer borough. This is for her.

***

Dear "Melissa":

I can't believe you're leaving. You were one of the first students I noticed when I came to your school almost two years ago now. At first you just seemed like another scared ninth grader. But as I got to know you over the past two years, I've learned a lot about you that sets you apart from your peers.

Even among many students who had tough starts in life, yours has been uniquely tough. It started when you were born early, disabled, and clinging to life. It got tougher when your dad went back to his native country, leaving you, your mom, and your sister to fend for yourselves in one of the most challenging cities in the world. And it got even tougher when you entered school, finally, and found yourself progressing so much more slowly than the other kids.

But the tough start that shatters so many children made you tough, Melissa. You fought back, maintaining at least an 80 average every year since 6th grade. You refused to disengage even when you were left back, and then left back again. You and your mom learned how to advocate for the services you needed and made sure you got them. You came to school every day, maintaining a 98% attendance rate. And by the time you reached the end of ninth grade, you were a star student in English class, typing out essays on your Blackberry because it was the only way you could type them at home and reading your poetry out loud to your classmates.

And as if you haven't had enough on your plate in your young life, it's been a difficult year for you as well. The challenges you've faced are so painful and personal that I don't want to post about them even with your real name and my real name left off this post. And yet here you are, with your mom, at parent-teacher conferences, discussing your (good) grades with me (except history, of course--it's always been your Achilles heel!). Here you are visiting me in the morning before classes start, talking about your dream of becoming a psychologist and writing your life story. Here you are, crying in the guidance counselor's office because you don't want to leave your school. So many kids, you have no idea how many, would have quit long ago. Here you still are.

On the very worst of days, kids like you remind me why I work so hard, because even on the worst days, there's at least one kid that I know for sure is giving everything in terms of effort and focus to make sure she gets an education, in spite of dizzyingly lousy odds. And I have to hang in there for that kid. Because if she can do it, I can do it.

You're that kid, Melissa. I'm going to miss you so much. But you? You'll be fine. If you've made it this far, nothing, nothing can possibly hold you back now.

Love,

Miss Eyre

Mayor Bloomberg's Evaluation at Grover Cleveland High School

Trash Journalism

The New York Daily News, along with the other papers, has been covering a group of 16 teachers it's labeled as "pervs" because of their alleged sexual misconduct. The DOE removed all these teachers from their classes, and attempted to fire them, but failed. However, Chancellor Walcott has determined that he knows better than any damn arbitrator.

Naturally, this is not his fault, and it's not Mayor Bloomberg's fault. This is because nothing is ever their fault, and anyone who says otherwise, like the thousands of residents who fruitlessly protest at PEP meetings, is wrong. After all, if Mayor Bloomberg was wrong, why would he have all that money? This is why he was able to change a law twice affirmed by voters and buy himself a third term.

Mayor Bloomberg cannot be bothered with inconveniences like due process or anyone superseding his infallible judgment. That's why Walcott, whose job it is to say whatever Bloomberg tells him to, says these teachers need to be removed. Who cares if the procedures they agreed upon were followed? Mayor Bloomberg wants what he wants, he wants it all, and he wants it now.

Personally, I'm acquainted with only one of the 16 teachers. Knowing that teacher, and knowing the case, I know the case was ridiculous nonsense. Were the other cases nonsense as well? I don't know, but the independent arbitrators determined the DOE had not proven what they set out to. They certainly made the right call in the case of the teacher I know.

But reporters don't always fret over truth or lack thereof when there are teachers out there to be trashed. If they learn the truth, why ruin a good story? Some reporters don't worry about calling people perverts when they're guilty of, at very worst, a momentary lack in judgment. The important thing appears to be tossing red meat out there to all the teacher haters. If it's true, so much the better. If not, what's the dif?

These days, racism is no longer as chic as it once was. It's pretty much passe to hate and fear Russia. You can't nonchalantly make fun of gay people anymore. Sure, there are terrorists, but who even knows where they are? So who's left? That, ladies and gentlemen, would be us, unionized teachers. People who read and watch crap need someone to hate. And Mayor4Life, who denied educators the contracts he granted all other city workers during the last round of bargaining, is always pleased when teachers are trashed.

Still, publishers who issue hateful misleading nonsense and call it news deserve to be sued for libel. I certainly hope they get what they so richly merit.

Brave New World

Those Wacky Politicians

Taking the Assignment to Heart

And likely leaving one very confused social studies teacher.

Michelle Rhee's Greater New York Flat Earth Society

Michelle Rhee has brought her spectacular "Students First" program to New York. This is significant because, with only billionaire mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor 1% Cuomo to push endless "reform," it needs more representation. So she's started a group! After all, if Mayor4Life declines his right to change the law again and buy a fourth term, it's possible a candidate who is not insane may emerge.

So Rhee has gathered a bunch of CEOs, whose education expertise, like that of renowned expert Bill Gates, stems from the millions of dollars they've managed to accumulate. Of course she's recruited Joel Klein, who presided over the spectacular rise in NYC test grades that later proved to be completely unfounded, not to mention the no-bid contract from Alvarez and Marsal that left schoolchildren shivering on the coldest day of the year, waiting for buses that never arrived. He also managed to close hundreds of schools he claimed were failing. The fact that these schools invariably had high concentrations of high-needs students was neither here nor there. Joel Klein has a no excuses POV, and he made none as he blamed unionized teachers for absolutely everything that troubled these schools.

Another important achievement of Joel Klein's was to establish a two-tier school system. Charter schools, largely unburdened by those nasty union contracts, were established. And his BFF, Eva Moskowitz, sits on the committee. After all, if she doesn't get a pro-"reform" mayor, it might be her schools relegated to basements, rather than the public school kids. Klein himself sent his kids to private schools, with class sizes under 15. For regular New Yorkers, they can enter a lottery and hope for the best. Why bother fixing schools when you can just close them, shuffle kids all over the city, and then close them some more?

Then, of course, he resigned, took one of the pensions he claims teachers shouldn't get, and took a high-paying gig with media mogul and master propagandist Rupert Murdoch.

Of course they needed a teacher, to legitimize their enterprise. So where else would they go but E4E, which takes Gates money to support every darn "reform" that comes down the pike. And the teacher they selected comes from an F-rated school. I suppose it's good to hedge your bets so that if Mayor Bloomberg closes your school, you can score some cushy gig with Gates or Rhee while your colleagues shuffle all over the city as ATRs (who E4E thinks should be fired).

And the darndest thing about this whole club is this--none of their ideas--value-added, merit pay, charter schools, firing teachers for the hell of it--have actually proven to help anyone or anything but the bottom line. If I were chancellor, a real one rather than a pawn of the mayor, I'd move to reduce class sizes, retain experienced teachers, and teach kids in real classrooms rather than trailers and closets. But I'm a dreamer.

Still, my ideas, unlike those of Rhee and her corporate whores, are not for sale to the highest bidder.

"But Someone Has to Make War"

Really, Geoffrey Canada? The author of Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun, who really ought to know something about the ramping up of not only violence, but rhetoric?

The title of this post is a direct quote from Canada, founder of Harlem Children's Zone and big-time ed reform mucketymuck, and whose comprehensive approach to school reform brings much to appreciate. But unfortunately, his alignment with Michelle Rhee and Joel Klein hasn't done much to endear him to me, and his comments in this article from the Times about the founding of Students First NY aren't going to help.

This new branch of "Students First" (which I place in quotes, as if somehow making sure that teachers are paid fairly, schools have enough seats for the children attending them, and that budgets are able to meet children's needs isn't putting students first) has formed in response to the coming mayoral election, to do combat with any candidate who might theoretically not be a complete disaster when it comes to the city's schools. Individual merit pay? Publishing teacher data? Stuffing as many students as possible in every class, since class size doesn't matter, only how "effective" the teacher is? Testing everything right down to whether students give up their seats for old ladies on the subway? (Actually, I'll take that last one. I'm "highly effective" in that department. But anyway.) Bring it on and more, they say.

But, since we shouldn't be shocked that our old pals RheeKlein et al. are going to make sure they stay in the headlines even when their ally Bloomberg leaves office, let's go back to the curious case of Geoffrey Canada. The full quote from Canada is this: "Folks are genuinely looking for opportunities to make peace and not war. But someone has to make war." This is in reply to the suggestion that many charter schools and advocates are looking at their own schools and making improvements, rather than attacking others.

So someone has to make war? Why? Haven't city teachers borne the brunt of years of largely failed reforms, going the last three years without a raise? Haven't kids suffered in schools without adequate chairs, books, and even toilets? Why can't we focus on making the changes in schools that all stakeholders can support, like smaller class sizes, a wider range of activities and classes to keep kids engaged with school, and keeping facilities and materials up to date?

Evidently not. Canada, who, again, should know something about the perils of escalation, thinks someone has to make war. Color me disappointed with someone like Canada having a foot-in-mouth moment.

On a happier note, happy spring break! Enjoy the time off. I'm certain you've earned it. I'm off to exotic climes indeed for this break and looking forward to it. So I'm leaving you in the very capable hands of NYC Educator for the coming week (except for one quick post from me on Wednesday). Go easy on him in case he has to go to darkest New Jersey.

Chillin' With Mayor4Life

Okay, now, you see that big guy in the picture? That's Mayor Mike. And the beautiful woman? Well, that's us I guess. What are those chains that bind us? Are they mayoral control? The UFT Contract? A stolen third term?

Whatever binds us, it'll be there for a good year-and-a-half. No sense letting him get too comfortable. I was at the closing hearing at Grover Cleveland High School on Monday, and I was just a little bit upset. I may have said one or two uncomplimentary things about Michael the Hut and his band of Tweedies. I could have researched good things about the school and made some kind of impassioned plea, but figured the DOE rep was probably playing a Pacman game under the table and just waiting for the moment he could go home.

Leo Casey pointed out that Cleveland did not meet the DOE's own criteria for a closing school. He asked what a parent would say if a teacher laid out requirements for passing, the kid met said requirements, and then failed anyway. As a parent, I would not be jumping up and down with happiness.

These hearings will be going on all month. You should catch one, or three, and stand up for the schools Bloomberg is closing in a fit of pique. Maybe if they hear enough of us, something will rattle around in their lizard brains and they'll come to their senses. Probably not. But if they're going to chain us, or our schools, to their repugnance, we might as well make it as difficult as we possibly can.

There's nothing quite like seeing an entire community lined up against Bloomberg "reforms." And there's nothing quite like seeing firsthand Tweed's indifference to education, community, reality, and anything else our billionaire mayor deems inconvenient. Come out. Sign up. Speak. Remember this administration as the abomination it is, and work like hell so history doesn't repeat itself in 2013.

Let's Go to the Field

I had the kids out on a field trip last week. "Miss," one of them said to me, "why is it called a field trip if we never, ever go to a field?" He wasn't kidding, so part of our transportation time was spent explaining the broader meeting of "field."

I do like field trips, though, generally speaking. I like museums and parks and such, and for kids born and raised in New York City, many of our students have never experienced some of the city's great cultural institutions. And we're lying if we say we don't like getting out of the classroom now and again ourselves.

Plus, you get to see a whole other side of the students. One of my more rambunctious boys, for example, showed a great deal of focus and patience during a challenging game, coaching his teammates (including me!) with warmth and positivity. We talked about subway etiquette (today's post image notwithstanding--no "cheese buses" for the high schoolers, please!), and a few of my young men gave up their seats for older women. We made sure to clean up our tables to pristine condition after we ate pizza for lunch. It's all about sending a good impression when you're with 100+ teenagers, who can to the general public sometimes seem like one giant loud messy mass.

Field trips are a great occasion to educate the whole student and bond as a class. Don't overlook them in your plans for the year. And as the weather gets nicer and principals are itching to spend, spend, spend before the DOE takes the money away, maybe it would be a good time for you to plan a quick trip. May is a very long month.

Bloomberg Feigns Generosity

A story in Gotham Schools points out that Mayor4Life Bloomberg, in his infinite wisdom, has decreed that "Turnaround Schools" will not, in fact, have to replace at least 50% of staff. In fact, the federal model on which this is supposedly based states schools would "rehire no more than 50% of existing staff."

However, article 18D of the UFT Teacher Contract, to which the city is a signatory, states that "at least fifty percent of the School's pedagogical positions shall be selected from among the appropriately licensed most senior applicants from the impacted School(s) who meet the School's qualifications."

And therein lies the conundrum. Should the Emperor set 50% as a maximum, to fulfill federal regulations and qualify for SIG money, or should he abide by the terms of the Contract to which he's agreed? Given an almost certain lawsuit if he defies the Contract (and likely a losing one), Bloomberg has opted for the latter. After all, even Regents Chancellor Meryl Tisch has determined Bloomberg's turnaround plan has nothing to do with helping children.

The fact is, Bloomberg is simply doing this in a fit of pique over his awful evaluation system. I want what I want, and if I can't have it, I'm taking my ball, going home, and closing 33 schools. When you're a billionaire mayor, you can do things like that.

Tonight, in accordance with city agreements, there will be a closing hearing at Grover Cleveland High School in Queens. The school will present its arguments, a panel will pretend to listen, and the panel will recommend closure. On April 26th, the PEP will pretend to listen to arguments and then vote to do whatever Michael Bloomberg has told told them to, because that's what mayoral control means--that no one in the entire city except Michael Bloomberg has a voice.

Panels all over the city will convene to determine which teachers get to stay at their schools and which become ATRs. In schools with hundreds of teachers, this will be incredibly time-consuming. There will be chaos, and it will be appropriately blamed on Bloomberg's juvenile decision to move ahead with this nonsense. Because he's avoided a time-consuming losing lawsuit, there will be somewhat less chaos.

But let's not applaud the mayor for making a boneheaded move marginally less idiotic. I don't expect to see "marginally less idiotic" as a campaign slogan anytime soon.

Articles of Faith