Friday's Conversation

Student:  "Ms, you got me in a lot of trouble when you mailed that letter home."

Me:  Well, you've been missing class every day for the past week, you got a 39 on the last test and zeros on the last two quizzes.

Student:  It still isn't right, you shouldn't have done that.

Doesn't Matter What We Say Or Do, It Is Still Our Responsibility

Mathematicama, after reading the previous post, reminded me of a post I wrote in September where I identified kids who did not belong but were not moved.  Thanks!

Another Memo

If you have students whose exam grades are extremely low, please look on computer and make sure the student(s) belong in your class.  It is already way too late but we want to make sure we fix all the problems before Open School Evening/Afternoon.  I do not wish to be the person to inform the parent that you failed to identify the student and I don’t think the parent will likely accept your apologies.

Xu speaks no English, not even enough to fill out a book receipt.  I knew immediately that she could not survive AP calculus.  I immediately brought her to the attention of my AP who said "She knows derivatives.  She is in the right class."  I went to the ESL department to find out why she was placed in a regents English class.  I was told "She placed out of ESL on the entrance exam.  She is in the class she belongs in."  I sat her next to some students who spoke her language and basically gave up trying to get her changed into something more appropriate.

Thursday night, right before Parent-Teacher conferences were set to begin Mr. AP said, "I took that girl, the one that does not speak English out of AP.  She is only a junior and does not belong there."  I was given no other information.  Sure enough, an hour into the conferences, Xu's mom walked in.  Unfortunately, she spoke no English either, not even enough to avail herself of the translators available.  I brought her to Mr. AP, explained the situation and left.

But, I'm the one that will be expected to apologize. I'm the one that is responsible.

(BTW--I was always under the impression programming belonged to guidance department.  This memo went out on Thursday.)

Inviting Sign

A Little Jewish Humor

Moshe is sitting at the bar staring at his drink when a large, trouble-making biker steps up next to him, grabs his drink and gulps it down in one swig and menacingly says, “Thanks, Jew Boy. Whatcha going to do about it?" Moshe burst into tears.


"Come on, man," the biker says, "I didn't think you'd CRY. I can’t stand to see a man crying. What’s your problem?"

"This is the worst day of my life," Moshe says. "I'm a complete failure. I was late to a meeting and my boss fired me. When I went to the parking lot, I found my car had been stolen and I don't have any insurance. I left my wallet in the cab I took home. I found my wife in bed with the postman and then my dog bit me....So I came to this bar to work up the courage to put an end to it all. I buy a drink; drop a capsule in and sit here watching the poison dissolve; then you show up and drink the whole thing! But enough about me. How's your day going?"

Record

Yesterday this blog had over 1000 hits.  That is a new record.  It beats all the others by a landslide.

I don't know what I am writing that has people so interested, but I am glad it has.  I just wish it would make a difference.

It Only Took Seconds

Mr. and Mrs. Smith came to see me this afternoon. Their daughter Jenny did not bring home a stellar report card and they were concerned. 

I actually had no idea Jenny was having difficulties in her other classes as she is a shining star in mine.  Jenny is one of the first students to arrive.   She is bright and motivated and is always going to the board to put up homework or just do a problem.  Her lowest test grade of the year has been a 90.  She helps the kids around her.  She is an overall delight.

As I sat and raved about this little wonder, I kept noticing the scowl on her dad's face and the look of disbelief on her mom's face and they finally told me what they had heard from her other teachers.  I was shocked and started doing some detective work to try to get to the root of Jenny's problems.  Finally it hit all three of us at the same time.  Jenny is in the class with only 20 students.  These kids get lots of individual attention.  I can tell anyone who asks exactly what each child knows and does not know and where their weaknesses and strengths lie.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith then turned to Jenny and asked her about the size of her other classes.  All were packed with 30 or more students.  Then they asked her about the math class she had difficulties with last year and in summer school.  Again she said they were big.  Mr. and Mrs. Smith asked me about getting Jenny into smaller classes for all her subjects.  Of course I had to tell them this was probably impossible.  Her class, being so small, was a fluke.

All the ed deformers seem to think teachers are the single most influential part of a child's education.  And, while teachers are a major part, small classes could go a long way towards helping the teacher do a better job.  It took Mr. and Mrs. Smith about 30 seconds to see the connection, a connection all these education experts have yet to make.

When Pigs Fly

He thought he was invincible and could do whatever he wanted to do.  A little person stepped up and called him on his actions.  A higher authority intervened and showed him he was just as vulnerable as everyone else.  He did not like being exposed.  He did not like being reduced to tears.  He came down hard on the little person.  The little person was upset and vowed never to speak to the higher authority again.

The armor was nicked, but only a little.  He will still do whatever he pleases, no matter who he hurts.  All the little people saw the way their friend was squashed.  They are afraid.  Pigs will fly before any of them speak again.

Evil

How can you live with yourself  knowing the things you do to others?

Does looking in the mirror scare you?

Does what you do turn you on?

Evilness flows from every pore of your body.

Thwarted

Here

Happy Halloween

I read the e-mail from Klein, the one giving his take on this added value nonsense and, if I didn't know better, I would be inclined to believe it made sense.  Unfortunately, I do know better.  The problem is getting others to know the same.

I really get the part about moving kids ahead, or at least getting them to show improvement and I do believe, except for a small minority, all teachers feel the same.  But, it is also incumbent upon the people in power, like Klein, to help us do this job.

This semester, I am teaching the third term of a four term algebra class.  The kids in the class are weak math students.  Some never passed either of the first two terms and many failed the second term of the sequence.  Several have severe behavior problems.  A guidance counselor of one of the boys in the class wrote that he has a history of behavioral issues which she and his mom have unsuccessfully been dealing with for over a year.  

This child disrupts the class on almost a daily basis.  He is keeping others from learning and moving ahead.  The system our wonderful education mayor has created does nothing to help kids like him.  In fact, the system created penalizes him and his classmates by keeping them all in large classes, classes they do not have the background to pass.  Some of the students in this class will not move as far ahead as they should because of him and several others like him.  Added value would make me look like a failure, someone who should not be in the classroom.

It has been said over and over but it can never be said too often.  Teachers are important, but small classes with appropriate curriculums are just as important.  Enforcement of discipline is a must.  Teachers are just mortals, in some cases trying to do super human jobs.  It is not right to hold us accountable and up for public scrutiny due to things not under our control.

From My Crazy Chicago Friend Dave

Sometimes it is better not to know the process.

Huffington Post

I made it again.  I put the link here.

What The Ratings Don't Show

1.  Mrs. G spent every afternoon working with a group of students who improved greatly.  The only problem is that Mrs. G was not the teacher on record.  She got to know the kids while trying to push them into class one day and they took a liking to her.  They stayed late every day to get extra help from her.

2.  Mr. T always ends up with the students no one else wants to teach.  He is strong and caring and manages to get through to many who have been deemed hopeless.  His only problem is that he loses some along the way and his statistics are never glowing.

3.  Ms. K can look at a student's face and know whether the topic she taught has been understood.  She doesn't have to wait for the test to evaluate learning in her classroom.   Ms K's problem is this ability is not measured by numbers and because she spends extra time on certain things, she has left other issues uncovered.

4.  Miss J has a heart of gold.  She instinctively knows how to comfort the child and how to make that child feel good about himself, even when others have given up on him.  Miss J's statistics are not all that glowing either, yet she is one of the most outstanding teachers in the school.

5.  Mr. P has been teaching combining radicals for almost a week.  On the 5th day, he modeled a few more problems, had a student go to the board and model a few more and then gave the class an assignment to do on their own.  As Mr.P walked around the room, he saw more than 50% of the class adding radical 27 to radical 48 put down radical seventy five as an answer.  He taught, nothing sank in.

Klein thinks parents have a right to know what sort of teacher their child has and every child should have a great teacher, but this data does not only not do the job, it hurts the very people that might be helping the students the most.

Worth Listening To

Leonie Haimson is the guest tonight on South Bronx Teacher's blog talk program.


http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bronx-teacher/2010/10/27/the-mind-of-the-bronx-teacher

Pleasant Surprise

I broke down and decided to wash the boards in the room I use for my first four classes.  I came early, with rags, ready to work.  But, guess what?

THE BOARDS WERE CLEAN!!!!!!

Uplifting Story

One administrator can say you stink as a teacher, and your career is over.  Maybe you are bad or maybe you are just not liked.  Maybe the administrator has no idea as to what makes a good teacher.

You Like Apples is the story written by a guy who was made to doubt himself, who spent a year worried about U ratings and losing is job and has now found himself in a new school where he is being asked to model lessons for other teachers. 

Go over, read his story and see that good things do happen.

Good Thing I Am Not Trying To Earn A Living This Way

My latest attempt at being an artist.  More here.

Tony Avella

Taken at the College Point Street fair.

I made my husband give back the Padavan bag he was given, even though it was a good one for grocery shopping.

School Danger News Story

Thanks to This Week In Education for sharing.

Empowerment

Empowerment includes the following, or similar, capabilities:-

The ability to make decisions about personal/collective circumstances
The ability to access information and resources for decision-making
Ability to consider a range of options from which to choose (not just yes/no, either/or.)
Ability to exercise assertiveness in collective decision making
Having positive-thinking about the ability to make change
Ability to learn and access skills for improving personal/collective circumstance.
Ability to inform others’ perceptions though exchange, education and engagement.
Involving in the growth process and changes that is never ending and self-initiated
Increasing one's positive self-image and overcoming stigma
Increasing one's ability in discreet thinking to sort out right and wrong .

Empowerment helps people who have been marginalized become self sufficient and confident.  In the workplace, empowerment helps reshape employees attitudes and helps them do their jobs better.

If any of the blogs around have helped anyone get empowered, that is great and I am proud of doing my part.   The enabler, the one who is sharing their opportunities and helping these individuals become empowered should feel proud too,

“Empowerment is not giving people power, people already have plenty of power, in the wealth of their knowledge and motivation, to do their jobs magnificently. We define empowerment as letting this power out (Blanchard, K)." It encourages people to gain the skills and knowledge that will allow them to overcome obstacles in life or work environment and ultimately, help them develop within themselves or in the society.

Life Of Riley

Everyone is up in arms about teacher contracts and how we all use the contract to avoid work.  I wonder why no one ever talks about the custodial contracts.

1.  Blackboards are only washed twice a year.
2.  Floors are also on the limited wash list.  (Not sure how many times, so I don't want to post it here.)
3.  Cleaning dust is not in the contract.
4.  Putting paper towels and soap in art rooms is not part of the contract.
5.  Painting an entire wall is not in the contract.  (They are allowed to paint up to a certain height so there are rooms with half walls covered.
6.  Cleaning the insides of radiators is not covered.

I'm sure there are other things that should be done too, that are not covered.

Why isn't anyone up in arms about getting custodians to provide these basic necessities?  Why are teachers the only ones with the a contract that provides the Life of Riley?

I Tried

I really tried not to say anything at the make up for the departmental meeting I missed on Monday.  I really tried to just sit and say nothing.

I couldn't do it.

Now I know how it feels to be the Incredible Hulk.

Highly Motivated and Cooperative

Report card grades of N's or U's require a comment.  One of my favorite ones to use, especially for kids that are not top notch students, but work hard is "Highly motivated and cooperative.  Today I was told (I'll say who told me here) to only use that code for kids who have gotten "E's"  Basically I was told that if a child was truly motivated and hard working, he would be getting 90's not 70's.  I disagreed.  I have students who are always prepared, always volunteer to go to the board and are constantly going for extra help, yet they only squeak by with 70's. 

So, I am looking for some feedback.  I asked a room full of teachers today if they thought it was acceptable to use this comment with a 70 student and all present agreed with me.  But, I would like some additional comments.  Please let me know if you think this comment should be reserved for the 90+ kids.

From Inez

This is for some of the strongest women I know.

Be the kind of woman

that when your feet hit the ground

each morning,

the devil says,

"OH SHIT, SHE'S UP!"

Feeling Good

When we are in the same room, the tension is thick enough to be cut with a knife. (continued here.)

It Shouldn't Be That Difficult

The exam was left for you in plenty of time. 

You just had to take it from your mailbox when you arrived in school that morning.

You didn't do that this time or the time before.  In fact,you told the child it was not your responsibilty, although it is a big part of your job.

You said you would try to do it in the future.

Come on, YOU WOULD TRY!!!!  It is your friggin job.  How hard is it to do?  No one is asking you to dig a ditch or perform open heart surgery.  If  you can't handle this, how can you handle being in a classroom?

I Didn't Get My Window But...

No window but the room was cleaned, even the walls are now dirt free.  There are supplies on the table and paper for the printer.  Someone was listening! 

Ownership

I know, when I own something, I take care of it.  I keep it neat and tidy and if it shows a little wear and tear, I do the best I can to fix it up, to make it presentable.

I don't feel the same way when something is not mine, I won't deliberately do something to ruin it, but I won't do any upkeep of it either.  For example, when I rent a car, I make sure I take out all the garbage before I return it.  I don't bother dusting the interior or wiping the bird crap off the windows.  The car is not mine and I don't care enough about it to keep it clean.

One of the problem with working in a big school like Packemin is that there is no feeling of ownership. Every teacher area is common area and quite honestly, I and I am sure most of us, have little desire to keep the areas clean.  Most people (there are slobs around, so I won't count them here) throw their trash in the cans and if they spill, they wipe the area, but that is the extent of their cleaning.  So, when the computers have a half inch of dust around them, no one will clean them.  When the window sills and the chalk boards are covered with months of chalk dust, that too sits, because we are only in that particular room a period or two, and then we move somewhere else, to another room with just as much dirt.

I looked at pictures of a friend's kindergarten classroom and wondered why she would spend so much time making the place look so nice and then it hit me.  This was her space.  This was the space she would be governing for the next 10 months and she wanted it to be comfortable for her and her students.  She owned the space.

As I sat and bitched about our despicable teacher's room today, another teacher said, "I'll just get a rag and clean my little area."  (Which she did not do.)  If she did, I guarantee, another teacher would have been using that spot the next time she wanted it and she would have to start over again.   The computer printer ran out of paper and she said, "I'll go get some."  I did that yesterday, and today it was empty again.  That is the end of my running for supplies. 

I want a space to call my own.  I want to "own something."  When I do, I will keep it in a presentable condition. 

Recipe For Trouble

Put a totally incompetent person in charge of a department. Let this incompetent hire personnel to do jobs they have no experience in and no training for. Be sure to give them no training and no help.  The resulting mess will be disastrous.

Putting A Damper On The Situation

A young man wanted to take an AP course, but due to budgetary restrictions, he could not get in.  Others, with higher grades beat him out for the few seats.  The child was persistent.  He wanted to do the course as an independent study and take the exam with everyone else.  The person in charge said "NO!  You were not good enough to get in the class.  What makes you think you are good enough to learn the course on your own?"  The boy persisted and explained how he planned on going about learning the material.  The person in charge said, "There is the door, use it!"  The boy hung his head and left.

I sat listening to this in disbelief.  Here is a child who wants to learn, who is motivated and ambitious and he is not only being stifled, he is being humiliated along the way.  I thought we were supposed to encourage academic pursuits, not throw buckets of ice water on them.  What is this world coming to.

South Bronx Teacher On Blogtalk Broadcast

Tuesday nights, 9:00, you will find me glued to the computer listening to South Bronx teacher on blogtalk broadcast.  I admit, I started listening because I like the way the guy thinks, but the idea of listening to a radio talk show over the Internet did not appeal to me at all.  Little by little, my addiction to this program has grown and I look forward to hearing his latest topics every week.

The next broadcast:

Leading educator Amy Modesto of the Orange County (FL) Schools will be joining us as we discuss riveting and important trends in education. RTI, bi-lingual education, special education, children with special needs, and the education system in Florida. Amy Modesto has been teaching almost 25 years combined in both New York State and Florida. The call in # as always is (917) 932-8721

Self Love

I'm the best, I'm the best, I'm the best....

What I missed by  (continued here.)

A Thought

A beautiful exterior hides this interior.

Oyster Fest

Supposedly the biggest street fair around.  Get there early, if not the traffic is unbearable.

Also, be prepared to wait on long lines to spin wheels and win prizes you care nothing about.

More pictures here.

Garrulous Mr. Gates

IF you haven't had a chance to read this, go do it now, it is fantastic

Garrulous Mr.Gates by Arthur Goldstein

Damn Shame

A good friend of mine used to blog, but the blog was discovered by the admins in his school and to protect himself, he took it down.  He wrote about the same sort of things I write about.  Lately, he has been very stressed because of the things going on in his school, particularly his department which is headed by a person with no heart and  no brain and whose only interests are self serving. 

His latest e-mail broke made me cry so I decided to share it here. 

Its damn shame that no one cares about the kids....isn't that what school it about??? providing a safe place....providing a place where responsible adults do the BEST things for kids...the best practices....follow the best policies??? I am confused...when did all this happen???

Outlet

I found my outlet.  I can be me anonymously again! 

Two Teachers

Two teachers sharing a room and a class. 

Story continued here.

Newbies Only

More admins are inviting the newbies to parties, barbecues and happy hours.  The ones that have been around for a while are being excluded.

This might be legal, but it is not very nice.

Another Way To Spend Our Prep And Lunch Periods

With all this talk about accountability lately, no one bothered to find someone to hold accountable for school cleanliness.  Blackboards are rarely washed which makes writing difficult to read.  There is chalk dust everywhere.  Overhead projectors are covered with dust.  Floor washing takes place, I believe, twice a year.  No one is responsible for cleaning common computers and the tables they sit on.  Think NYC school and filth will come to mind.

As I was ranting about the state of uncleanliness today, someone mentioned a teacher that cleans her own space.  Truthfully, if I had my own space, I would keep that clean too, but as for cleaning a common area, NO WAY! 

So far, no one has suggested doing away with janitors by letting teachers do this work, but, if things keep going the way they are, this will definitely be the wave of the future.

Giving Them What They Want

Here

Where's The Bargain?

(Picture taken in Waldbaum's, Francis Lewis Blvd and LIE)

Torture

The PSAT. the exam that measures verbal and math skills was given today.  My room was packed.  For the first time ever, all the kids had pencils and calculators.  That should have been a sign something was wrong, but I just went with my good luck.  Everything ran so smoothly too.  The kids even helped me rearrange the weird shaped room we were in to accommodate the 4 rows of 7 seats each.  Even the answer sheets were pre-bubbled  so I had nothing to do but tell the kids where to sit and then read the script instructions.

Remember I said I should have noticed something was up?  The room was full of non English speakers.  Most managed to go along with the program, but one young lady was totally baffled.  I caught her trying to work on part I while everyone else was working on part II.  I told her she had to stick to the one part we were working on and walked away.  Then came the break and when I said pencils down, she stopped for a few minutes and then while my back was turned to let kids go to the bathroom, she began working again.  I immediately stopped her and I told her what she was doing was cheating.  Since she hadn't answered a question, I let it go.  Then, while everyone was on part 3, she went to part 4.  At that time I had enough, made her stop working and called to have her removed from the room.

After she left, another student said, "Ms, she just got here.  She doesn't know any English."  I felt awful about yelling at her but I felt worse about the people that sent this young lady to take the exam.  How could anyone in their right mind expect a student who knows no English to sit for an exam like the PSAT? I know schools are judged by their numbers but increasing numbers by subjecting a child to hours to torture is just not right.

If a child does not have enough of a command of the English language to understand which parts of an exam to work on, that child should not be taking the exam period.  I'm going to find this girl and apologize.  And, I will find someone to translate the apology into a language she understands.

Breaking News

The Washington Post reports Michelle Rhee will announce Wednesday that she is resigning at the end of the month.

Nobody Does It Better

When it comes to wasting money and time and then more money, no one does it better than the New York City Department of Education.  Now, if you happen to be a McGraw Hill stockholder, or a city bureaucrat with ties to that company, I am sure you are vehemently disagreeing with me.

Today was Acuity test day for the algebra classes.  The kids got to spend a period bubbling answers to questions most not only had no clue as to how to answer, but had no clue as to what the question was asking.  The test predominantly covered material they will be taught this term.  The good kids were frustrated.  I don't like being given questions I can't answer and they felt the same.  The not so good kids just bubbled anything and used the period as an excuse to do no work.

We gave Acuity tests to the same kids in June and we never saw those results.  They performed as they did today. 

I have been told that these tests are given so teachers can determine what their students know or do not know. I know that the kids don't know how to graph or how to recognize a parabola.  That work is in this year's curriculum.  They haven't been exposed to yet.  Besides, I am the teacher.  I evaluate what my students know or do not know on a daily basis.  McGraw Hill is being paid thousands of dollars to do what teachers do daily.  The big difference is they are not doing a very good job and teachers are not making the money the execs at this big company make.

Money is tight, budgets are stretched to the limit but McGraw Hill and its stockholders are still doing well.

Where is the accountability for all this wasted time and money? 

Young Love

Carnivore meets vegetarian.

Unknown Blogger

My first guest post, written by another blogger and posted here anonymously.  I'm looking forward to having mine published as well.  I've gotten a few offers already.

Bonehead

I allow the kids listen to their I-pods while they work. I used to listen to the radio when I did homework, so I understand their music is important. I specified no phones and emphasized that if they tell anyone, the deal is off.

Bonehead took his phone out during a quiz. I told him to put it away. He could have just done that, but no, he had to be difficult. He said he needed his phone to pass the quiz. I wrote him up. He said he was going to tell the administration that I let the kids listen to music and he would get me fired. I calmly turned around and told the class that they could no longer listen to music.

Bonehead refused the one day of punishment he was given, cut school, cut class, mouthed off some more. He was suspended for 2 weeks. He sat out another 2.

When he returned he was angry that he was failing. Every time I tried to do anything with the class, he was in my face, demanding that I do things to raise his grade.

Finally, finished with the rest of the class (well, I had them working and they were not happy they couldn't listen to music), I gave him things to do (things I had sent home with him that he had thrown away) so that he could bring his grade up.

We had a long talk after this - he actually apologized for threatening me and we have gone back to listening to music.

I have no clue what the moral is.

Outlet Needed

This blog is starting to stifle me.  Too many people know my real identity so I can't write what I would like.  I contemplated starting another one, one open to the public, one where I could go back to my Suit bitching days but realized no one would be able to find it, not just the people I don't want to find it.

I propose to some of my fellow bloggers, the ones who live outside the NYC area, that we exchange posts occasionally.  If  Mr. X in Calgary is unhappy with his principal, he can post here and no one will know it is him writing about his school.  On the same token, I can let myself be free on Mrs. J's in Manchester.

Anyone interested?  E-mail me and we can start.  (I got this idea from a fellow blogger, no link because I don't want to give anything away who is very unhappy with some of the crap going on in his district.)

(Pictured above is the beautiful Millie, the golden retriever next door.  If I wasn't too lazy to own a dog, this is the kind I would want. )

Dilbert

This one appealed to me in more ways than one.

Sea Cliff Street Fair

Sea Cliff street fair--October 3, 2010  Pictures here.

Fear Or Complacency

There were not enough chairs in the room and some of the ones that  were in the room lacked comfort and did not work well with the tables there.

The area was dirty.  Everyone bitched about how their clothes got all grimy just from sitting at the table.

One of the phones did not work.

The computers in another area were out for over a week.

No one said anything.  Some told me they were afraid to say anything.  Afraid of what, I don't know, but afraid they were.  Most were just complacent.  They have come to accept these conditions.  They feel these are conditions they deserve, the best they will get.

All it took was a few e-mails from someone not afraid or complacent. The phone got fixed.  The computers were getting fixed.  New chairs are being delivered.  The room will be cleaned.   Sometimes I think teachers get what they deserve.

Kind Heart

I am a grudge holder.  Piss me off once, and you've probably made an enemy for life. 

On the other hand, do something kind for someone, especially someone I like, and you've won a place in my heart forever.

I hate bullies and meanies and people that do unkind things but the hate I feel for them is nothing compared to the love I feel for those that are good.

To the person with the heart, I know you will be reading this:  People in your position are born with hearts but those hearts are usually put into long term storage once the job has started.  You are the exception to that rule.  At this moment I can't imagine anything, short of murder, that will change the way I feel towards you.

Lucky Kid

She's one of the young ones I always bitch about but this girl has really got her act together when it comes to doing the right thing for the kids.  She happens to be the counselor of my friend, the one who wanted me to use my mouth in not such a nice way.  She gets that his problems are coming from way below the surface and is working on a plan to help him.  This one is a winner!  This kid is lucky to be on her case load.

Program Changes Still Going On

Jay was in my class the first day of school.  After two weeks, he had a program change and went into a different algebra class (same level).  Yesterday, he was back in my class. 

Thankfully Jay is bright and catches on quickly so he will have no trouble catching up.  (His previous teacheer was out 4 days so the class he was in is behind mine.)  The powers that be want merit pay.  With stuff like this going on, I can think of a person who does not deserve merit pay.

(Changes are still being made.  I got a new one student today.) 

I Did It!

I actually got something posted in the Huffington Post.