International Festival

Ribbon Dancers from China

Columbian Salsa dancers

Lion Dance

Fan Dance

Hatian dancers

The best thing about Packemin HS is its multi culturism. Tonight, the celebration took place in our annual International Festival. Boys from girls, from all over the world, came to the stage to share a dance, a song, a kung fu move, from their country of birth, or some other country they either have a relative or a friend from. Boys from India danced hip hop with kids from Queens. Caucasians joined African Americans in stepping (moves used by slaves to communicate with each other when communication was forbidden). Pictured above are just represent a small number of the events of the evening.

(I would put up more pictures but I am out of space again. I still have to figure out a way to fix this.)

Pompous Ass

This guy has more stuffing than a thanksgiving turkey.

If you wish to discuss this, come to my office. As I said in the previous email, I sent you the form by email twice!!! If you choose not to print it, that is your choice to not contribute. As for filling out the form, no teacher report is meaningless as it becomes a part of the student file which is used now, and in the future for services planning. I will not continue this dialogue any more by email.

(All this in answer to my trying to get the form and getting it too late to be meaningful. The student had resource room ripped from him because his mom went back and forth about his need for it. )

I sent one more e-mail to tell him there is no conversation to continue. Pompous Ass!

From My Warped Friend

I don't know if this is true, or an urban legend, but it was too good not to pass along. Thanks to my buddy, the Queen of the Nile, for sharing.

Apparently no one considered the sun when designing this wall

Anyone want to take a guess where this wall is located?

SAINT PETER'S BASILICA

Now, I don't care who you are, THAT'S funny!.

About Time

On my request, Mr. AP removed a boy from the period 9 class. After class, Mr. AP looked at me and said, "There is something wrong with that kid. He's crazy."

It's about time the admins are starting to admit they see the same things we teachers see.

No Need To Worry

People always say they are worried about the future of the country based on the caliber of students they are teaching and what they see of the young people in America today.

I'm not worried. Pictured above, is just one example of the good hands our country will be in. This boy is an Arista member, an AP calculus student, an AP physics students, a member of the jazz band, the marching band and the concert band and the catcher on our school baseball team. This boy, is just one example of some of the fine young people at Packemin HS.

Now I Know Why I Drink It

From a heath article in Newsday--Chase it with beer (in moderation). the bitter compounds that come from beer derived from hops seem to activate PPARs (at least in animal studies). Those are the substances in your body that some foods and beverages stimulate and that may have ani-infammatory effects. Once they're activated, they also decrease glucose and insulin levels, as well as lousy LDL cholesterol.

(Simple Steps Newsday April 13, 2010)

Are You Telling Me How To Do My Job?

He is such a nasty little f**k. Yes, you read that right. I don't usually use that language here but I can't help myself this time. Read all about it here.

Student Teacher Saga Continues

The student teacher taught a good lesson, thanks to the help of Mrs. X and Mr. T and no thanks to the cooperating teacher who left her to figure things out by herself. Mr. T gave up a big part of his prep to go over the lesson and offer ideas to K while the cooperating teacher went off to do her own stuff. Mrs. X gave up her lunch to watch K teach the same lesson two periods before the observer came and offered some good advice. The cooperating teacher commented on K's handwriting and told K things to do that the observer objected to.

Poor K, she is caught in the middle, knowing what she should do and knowing what she has to do. Her cooperating teacher is not helpful but she can't complain. She needs to keep her on her good side to get through the semester. Luckily there is only a short time left and K knows she will be able to find a way to survive. Luckily, the cooperating teacher is happy to have Mrs. X and Mr. T helping K out. She has one less thing to do.

Dressed Up

The pretty clothes don't hide the evilness within. This is one vicious chihuahua.

At Least Use The Correct Words

Mr. Porno's mom finally came in today, all defensive of her little darling. The dean in charge was great so the meeting did end on a positive note, but oh, until we got there.

Mr. Porno doesn't see any problem with walking around the room. To quote him, "I'm not a slave, I shouldn't have to be in a seat all period long."

Mr. Porno is not passing English either.

He Made My Night

I tortured him by calling his mom almost daily. I picked on him endlessly when he did no homework and came to class late. I supported him when he told me he wanted to be an engineer and his guidance counselor said it would never happen because of his grades. He graduated in June, is doing well in college and he just sent me this e-mail, which made my night.

This is NAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! oh my god Mrs POd i miss u tons, that is why me and Vicki is going to come visit you tomorrow, my BEST FAVORITE TEACHER in the whole wide world.!

Remember--I taught him math, not English and please don't judge him by the grammar in this e-mail. He knows the proper way to write. He was just being his funny self.

(I used to call him yea because nay made me think of a horse.)

Help

When a teacher goes to the AP for help that teacher should get help, not told what a bad teacher s/he is. The teacher should not be abused because the student cursed him/her out.

I never go to the AP of my department and advise others to stay away as well. I either handle problems myself or find someone else who is willing and capable of helping. This is not the proper but it is the only thing thing to do . Most teachers follow proper channels.

Teaching some kids is a very trying experience. Admins are supposed to be around to help, not to hurt.

I'm The Wrong Person To Start With

The Suit (or some one he considers an underling and sent to the first floor) left me the form today, finally, which I promptly filled out and added all the things he either stripped the kid of or did not know to offer. Nothing will be done with it as the IEP has already been written, but, still, I did what I thought was best.

I could have handed it to the secretary to return to him but left it in his mailbox on the first floor instead. Not a big inconvenience, but an inconvenience nevertheless.

Let this be a lesson to all. Don't start with me. I am a real bad loser. You will not win.

Public Service Announcement

Got this in a comment. Thought it should be shared:

Can you please help get the word out on this petition we are circulating.

The school "47" educates deaf & hard of hearing students.
They want to place another school in the building. Doing so would make it dangerously overcrowded. Would appreicate it if you would sign and pass it on.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save47/

Thanks for your support.

Cut Their Salaries

I totally agree with the article in today's NY Post, NY School Spending Doesn't Add Up. Teachers are paid too much damn money.

I propose teachers roll back their salaries to those of 1964. Teachers don't need housing and food. Their children don't need college educations. Thrift stores can provide them with all the clothing they need. They don't need cars either. Traveling by foot is a perfectly good mode of transportation, the longer the trip, the better the excercise they will get. There is no need to compensate them for their additional degrees and credits earned. And, while we are at it, maybe we can take away health coverage as well.

And, since we are saving money on teachers, we will have more to spend on school surveys. Parents and students have been filling them out for weeks and I got one to fill out today. The card I was given (as we were all given) is 8.5" by 11.0". If salaries are cut, a larger sized cardboard could be used and it could be printed with more vibrant colors. Think of the thousands spent to devise this survey. This amount could be worked up to millions, easily, if only those teachers did not have to get paid so much. And then there are the people that will collect the data, organize it, analyze it, draw the conclusions that Bloomberg wants drawn, and then toss this information in the trash. With more money to be spent, more questions could be answered and the data analysis companies could be better paid.

Raymond Keating is so right. If not for teacher salaries, the city would be in much better fiscal condition.

Rude Awakening

(Picture take at Flushing Meadow Park today--nothing to do with the post, I just liked how it came out.)

The parent of a college student approached me and started complaining about her daughter's math teacher. "The teacher goes too fast. He covers too much in one class. He doesn't stop even when my child tells him that she does not understand. He only counts test grades. He won't give any extra credit. My daughter had no trouble in high school and aced her Math A regents with a 78. I don't understand why she is having so much trouble now. It must be the teacher's fault."

I am sure everything the parent is saying is 100% true. I can almost hear those words being said about me somewhere at the same moment.

Studying math in college is not the same as studying it in high school. No one is spoon feeding you. The same topic isn't gone over again and again and again. Students are expected to put in a couple of hours a week on their own and to get any needed help outside the classroom. Math is not a subject that lends itself to extra credit--you either know it or you don't. There is no in between. The math this young woman is studying covers topics taught in high school, but it covers them at a much quicker pace and it does require you to have previous knowledge. Without this, you are doomed to failure.

I feel sorry for the girl and her mom. I hold the high schools responsible for her inability to succeed. I hold Richard Mills and his dumbed down regents responsible for giving her a sense of accomplishment when in reality, she had accomplished nothing in high school.

I was at a retirement party this evening and the guest of honor, a math teacher, talked about her first teaching job, a job where she taught a "dumbed down" version of intermediate algebra and trigonometry to a group of kids who were deemed not ready to pass a regents in the subject. The teacher said that those kids would be the honor students of today. Boy, was she correct.

Setting our standards so low only sets up our students for failure in the future. Parents don't know this. Kids don't know this. Facing the reality of all this in college is not a nice feeling.

Happiness

Who says money buys happiness? This little boy was having the time of his life with a reed and the water. No toy will ever bring him such joy. His nearby mom was beaming as she watched her offspring enjoying what nature has to offer.

Target

The arrogant, crotchety, ignorant principal has an agenda. S/he wants to "U" rate a specific number of teachers every year. Everyone knows this is true because s/he told this to an AP and is on this AP's case because of the refusal to do so. Since the AP is honorable, Principal From Hell ( PFH) has picked a target his/herself.

Target teacher has been teaching for many, many years. S/he has always been well respected and liked by fellow teachers, students, and even administrators. In over 15 years, Target has never received any evaluation short of glowing. Target however, has one major flaw. S/he speaks his/her mind. S/he does not let people walk over him/her and when something is not right s/he says something. PFH does not like this. PFH is not that bright and does not take any of these conversations well.

Target teacher was recently observed by his/her AP. The lesson went well, the kids were engaged and the AP was very happy with what s/he saw. PFH was not happy when she read the observation and decided to pay Target a surprise visit. PFH visited Target's worse class, on the first day back from spring break, without any warning or pre-observation conference. Target was intermittently showing a film and stopping for discussion and question time. The majority of the kids were engaged and working. One student did say the work was boring and did not want to do it, but that happens in every class. The class ended and Target was reasonably satisfied with the lesson she taught. PFH was not happy. To quote Target, "S/he ripped me a new ass hole. Nothing I did was right. S/he did not understand the topic I was teaching although the kids knew exactly what I was doing and did not stop finding fault." Target was given a "U" for the lesson.

Target is strong, and a fighter and PFH is weak and stupid. Target will end up winning this war, but, how many teachers, in similar situations will not emerge victorious? How many are sitting in rubber rooms or are in schools, worried if there livelihoods will be taken away from them by principals like PFH? All the victims of these sick, stupid, ignorant despots, will be on the streets if Klein and Bloomberg have their way.

UNITY just won the election. The people have spoken. Now is the time for UNITY to stand up and protect teachers like Target and all the ones falsely charged and unfairly incarcerated in these reassignment cents.

Arrogance

I love the arrogance of this reply to my e-mail about not receiving the form necessary for my student's triennial evaluation:

You can either print the one I sent twice already, you can easily come to the office and get one, or the next time forms are sent out, I will have another put in your box.

Just because he wears a suit does not mean he can't do the menial jobs of life and put some extra wear and tear on those expensive shoes. Wearing my jeans and sneakers means if you need something from me, you better make sure I get it. You'd think someone with a PhD who knows me for so long would know better than to send me an e-mail like this.

Problem Solved

I love pushing buttons and seeing what happens when I click around on the computer. Last week, in my experimentation, I did something to my DOE e-mail which left me unable to find any of the old mail I saved and unable to even open new mail. At first I thought Outlook had made some changes that I was unaware of and figured the problem would be straightened out in a few days. I was so sure everyone was facing the same problems, I didn't give any of it much thought until I noticed a colleague checking his mail on the same old screen I had been using forever.

Then, I got worried. I knew it wasn't my computer because I had the same problems on every computer I used. And then, I started clicking around again and wa la, my problem was solved. I inadvertently changed some setting to conversations only and this prevented me from getting my mail.

I feel good. I was able to solve the problem on my own. True, it should never have been a problem in the first place, but it is what it is. If there is a button to push, a click to be clicked, I am going to do it, I can't help myself. The best part of all this is that I is that I learned something and I didn't need help from anyone.

Just Stating Facts

Ricochet got me thinking about the racial make up of my classes. My calculus classes are close to 100% Asian or South East Asian, with a few Caucasians from somewhere in eastern Europe and a token Hispanic from the Dominican Republic. My geometry class has 3 African American, 8 Caucasians, 9 Hispanics, 13 Asians, and 3 from South East Asia. My low level ninth period has 5 African Americans, 7 Caucasians (not one born in the United States), 12 Hispanics, 4 Asians and 4 from South East Asia.

When I once asked someone for an explanation as to why vocational and general programs were ended, I was told they were racially segregated. I was told that a disproportionate number of minority students were being "dumped" into those programs and ending them was a way to even up the playing field.

I'll let the numbers speak for themselves. Has NYC truly been able to put a stop to racial segregation in its high schools?

(Don't even think of writing a comment about the minority kids not being able to do the work. It's not true and I won't publish it.)

Park Pictures

The winter was hard on trees.

This week, enjoying the good weather, I took my camera for a walk through the park.

Pictures on facebook.com

The Answers To All Your Prayers

Didn't go to class most of the year?

Didn't do any work on the days you did show up?

Kept others from working when you were in class?

Didn't bother to do any homework?

Failed exams?

Missed handing in important projects?

Never fear, the solution to all your problems is here.

Believe It Or Not

Teachers sometimes sit on this chair, in this room, and do work or make private phone calls. I've seen it look a whole lot worse, but this is pretty much the norm.

I Wanted To But Couldn't

I want to drive a truck, but I haven't had the opportunity to do so yet.

I'm trying to help my ISS students. That is more difficult. At least I know where to take truck driving lessons.

When I got an e-mail telling me one of my students would need a form filled out as he is up for his triennial, I looked for the form. When I never received it, I sent an e-mail letting the party in charge know. I got no response. I saw the party in charge a few days later and asked for it. I got a shrug of the shoulders and told that it would be given out soon. When a week passed, and I still did not receive it, I asked another teacher if she received the form. She said she got it after asking twice. Again, I sent an e-mail, to which I got the reply "It was in your mailbox, someone must have taken it." No one ever takes anything from my mailbox and I can guarantee and evaluation form would not be stolen. Finally, I got a form e-mailed to me but, since the person in charge does no work outside the office, I decided to wait to download the attachment at work. Unfortunately, I not only could I not open my DOE mail today, I could not even get the printer to work. I was told I could come up to the office and pick up a hard copy but the person in charge could just as easily deliver it to me. After all, that person needs my input to do the job. Meanwhile, the resource room teacher told me the meeting already took place.

So, don't tell me I would find a way to go to these meetings if I really wanted to. (read the comment section) I really wanted to have some input for this kid. I have some real ideas as to what he needs. The system makes it really hard or impossible to implement them.

Bitch Slapped

Not literally, but it happened all the same. My colleague needed the copy machine this morning at the exact time I was using it. Although I finished the stuff I needed for the day, I pulled some extra materials from my bag and kept on copying, made her wait an extra five minutes. And then, she jammed the machine. Although I knew what the problem was, I watched her sweat it out for another few minutes before explaining what to do. This was fun. I intend to let it happen again.

Let The Experts Provide The Answers

I taught them how to add polynomials and emphasized combining like terms only.

Then, we multiplied a binomial by a binomial and they don't get why x^2 + 2x is not equal to 3x^3.

Even the kids that do the work and try have zero retention. and have absolutely no idea about doing problems with mixed operations.

Now, we are factoring. They did okay when it came to finding the greatest common factor, they liked factoring the difference of two perfect squares and they even got factoring trinomials when all the signs are positive, but, when they see all these problems together, they are lost.

I think I need Bloomberg, Klein, Rhee, Obama, Duncan or Gates to come in and teach me how to get them to retain the information and use it properly. These guys seem to have all the education answers. Let's see them put them to practice in a real life situation.

(I don't know what that stop sign is supposed to be stopping but it's purpose reminded me of my purpose in this class.)

Boycott

There is a brand new soda machine in the teachers' cafeteria. The problem is this machine is in direct competition with the cafeteria that sells the same water and soda. And, to make matters worse, if the cafeteria does not bring in a certain amount of money each day, it will be closed down.

Upon asking a few simple questions, I found out this machine is owned by one of Klein's no bid cronies and the profits from it go to the DOE< If we have this machine, I am willing to bet other schools have them as well.

SAY NO! BOYCOTT THE MACHINE! BUY YOUR DRINKS FROM THE CAFETERIA, THE NEIGHBORHOOD DELI OR BRING THEM FROM HOME. DO NOT SUPPORT ANOTHER ONE OF KLEIN'S SPECIAL INTEREST PARTNERS.

You Will Pay!

You needed copies for your period 1 class and asked to go to the head of the line.

I said yes.

Today, you were making multiple copies for several classes, not just your first period. I asked if I could run something off for first period.

YOU SAID NO!

I hope you never need copies in a hurry when I am at the machine. I guarantee you will have a long wait.

When Graduation Meant Something Great Things Happened

From an article about Bill Cosby in Today's Newsday:

5. He's sometimes credited as Dr. William H. Cosby Jr., Ed.D., referring to the doctorate in education he received in 1976 from the University of Massachusetts. But his father's brother, classical-music teacher Samuel Russell Cosby, preceded him in doctoral distinction. "He has his doctorate from Columbia University," Cosby told Newsday in 1995.

10. He flunked 10th grade twice at an advanced school, and returned to a regular school where he flunked again and then dropped out. He completed work for his diploma while serving in the U.S. Navy.

And, for all you people out there that think failure is not an option, think again. Imagine what would happened if Cosby had just been pushed along? He would have gotten that meaningless high school diploma and gone on to do nothing with his life. Instead, he joined the navy, finished the credits needed to graduate high school, then went on to college, received a doctorate and became the great man he is today. He probably is very grateful that credit recovery, boot camp and seat time were not options for graduation in his day.

Teachers, just because the child is not performing now doesn't mean he will never perform. There is always hope.

BREAD

Only a masochist would watch "The Best Thing I Ever Ate Between Bread" on Passover. I want a bagel and some fresh baked rye bread real bad. Wednesday, I am hitting the bagel store for lunch.

How Do Most People Do This?

I just left a $450 deposit at the dentist for some work that has to be done. After he gets my insurance check he will bill me for the rest.

I don't understand how the average person can afford this. Before my husband retired, we had double coverage. His was very good and paid for almost everything. My coverage pays almost nothing. True, I could go to a participating dentist, but at this stage of my life, I am afraid of change. I'm just glad that this expense is not going to break the bank.

Let's Not Fire The Senior Teachers

Orkut Myspace Angry Comments & Graphics

Marcus Winters writes

Basing layoffs on seniority would make sense if it were true that more experienced teachers were always more effective. But a wide and uncontroversial body of research says that’s not the case. We know that after only a couple of years in the classroom, a teacher’s additional experience has no bearing on the amount her students learn.

(read the full story here but note that although he is a researcher, he makes no mention of any research that has been done to support his claim).

As an experienced, super senior teacher, I can tell him that is a 100% false statement. Teaching is a learning experience and we, as teachers, grow and perfect what we do every single minute we are in the classroom. It takes years to develop a classroom style, a style that fits both the teacher and the students and this takes more than a couple of years. Curriculum is another area that needs to be developed and improved daily. It is difficult to teach an advanced class if you have no experience teaching lower level ones, have no idea where kids are coming from and what they already have seen and been exposed to. It is also easier to teach lower level classes when you have already taught the upper echelon because you need to see the level you must strive to obtain. Talking to parents, and getting them to work with you is also a skill not easily developed in a couple of years. The same is true about learning to work with students.

Winters is right when he writes there are some bad teachers out there and being experienced doesn't cut it for them. But, a newbie principal, a thirty something year old individual who has taught for only a couple of years, or who never taught, or who is just plain evil should not be the only one permitted to destroy a career. This is happening all over the country right now. Good young teachers may be laid off. Last one in, first one let go is the way it has been in all industries for as long as I can remember.

I've been teaching for over 30 years and while I might not be the best teacher around, I know I am better than these kids just out of college. My years in the classroom give me a big advantage over them. I know because they often come to me for advice on anything from a math question, to handling a student to handling our AP. There might come a time I am no longer useful in the classroom and hopefully I will realize that and exit on my own terms. But, my termination should not be at the whim of one administrator.

Winters is a research fellow. A senior research fellow who conducts research and writes about educational policy should know better and not write such obvious generalities.

What We Need

Orkut Myspace Angry Comments & Graphics

Last week, trying to save paper, I ran two quizzes on one sheet and then went to use the "guillotine" cutter to divide the paper. As usual, I could not get it to work properly and my handouts were a ragged mess. A young teacher, watching me struggle, jumped up and showed me how to use the broken cutter. She had the same problem earlier in the term and Mr. AP was around to demonstrate the correct use for her. From now on, my half sheets will no longer be deformed.

A few days earlier, the copy machine jammed and Mr. Y was clueless as to how to fix it. Ms. J tried to help, but she was just as ignorant of the machines workings. Then, Mrs. P jumped in. When she had the same problem, someone was in the office that knew how to help and demonstrated the correct way to free the machine up so it could keep making copies.

One morning, I explained Ms. W that the riso machine would not work on any color paper but white when her gray original kept jamming the machine. I told her to make another copy in white and it would run fine. She thanked me and got her stuff run off in time for her class.

Mr. N is a master at changing the master in the riso machine, but not too many other people are.

Okay, I know these aren't exactly life threatening problems but they are problems that affect teachers every day. Not being able to make the copy might have serious lesson repercussions. We've spent infinite staff development hours doing all sorts of stuff that have no impact on our daily teaching and have no real meaning for most of us at all. It would be nice if at least one conference could be devoted to these problems.

Creativity In The Kitchen

I bought these to go in soup and they were pretty bad. No one would eat them. I was about to toss them and then I thought.. I could use it as breading.

Although I hate to cook, I am addicted to the Food Network. One of my favorite shows, Chopped, uses strange ingredients in creative ways and while my ingredients are different, the ideas I've gotten from these shows is now.

It's nice to be off from work and have time to experiment.

Spring Break In The City

Passover makes it impossible for us to travel on spring break. All the holiday preparations and cooking makes it hard to even do city stuff so, when the time permits a weeks worth of adventure must be condensed into one day.

Today's adventure started with a LIRR ride to Penn station where I drooled over the most delicious looking gelato and vowed to return as soon as Passover is over.

Next came a visit to the Macy's Flower Show, a sight to behold. Although I preferred last year's Flamingos, this year's show was equally as spectacular.

Then, it was on to FIT, to see the Delman shoe exhibit, which closed today. I had never heard of Delman shoes, but seeing them made me want to wear them.

I wish they weren't so expensive and I wasn't so cheap. We also got to see the mannequin exhibit. Each was dressed by a different group of students with a special theme. This was my favorite. The Bloomingdale bags had intricate cut outs on them.

After that, it was a walk over to the Agora Gallery to see the Lego brick sculptures of Nathan Sawaya. This exhibit only runs until April 13 so try to get there if you can. If not, at least click on the link to see the fabulous stuff this guy does with Legos. This was my favorite, but the others were just as interesting. Since the High Line was nearby and the weather was perfect, we strolled the park from beginning to end.

We exited in the Meat Packing District and continued walking south to Century 21. From there, we stopped in a great little coffee shop, the Financier, where I got to watch my friend devour a delicious looking pastry (none for me due to Passover) and then it was back to the subway and home.

More pictures on facebook--no restrictions so you don't need to be a friend to see them.

Uninvited Playmate

Rover had a big play date with his friends. (Rover is the big brown and white dog.) Little Woof Woof wasn't invited but came along anyway. He is always afraid of missing some of the fun.

It Didn't Take Long

More of the ceiling came tumbling down. We just nailed the rest of it up, hopefully that will hold it until the insurance company decides to grace us with a visit. Good thing no one was present when it fell.

Student Teacher Or Free Labor

I never had a student teacher. One of the reasons is that I am a control freak and the thought of turning my classroom over to another person does not sit well with me. A second reason is that I am too lazy to do the work that having a student teacher entails. The third, and real reason I never had a student teacher is that I know I am not good enough to be a role model for the new teacher. There are so many better teachers for them to learn from. My friend, a teacher in another state, has similar feelings.

Ms. X, a teacher in my friend's school always takes a student teacher. She thinks she is great and the administration has apparently bought into this greatness thing as well. Besides, not that many teachers want a student teacher or even have a program that accommodates one so Ms. X does not have much competition.

Unfortunately, Ms. X is not the role model she claims to be. She is, to be blunt, lazy as all hell. She looks upon the student teacher as someone who will take over a class, mark papers and make any relevant phone calls. In other words, Ms. X has brought back slavery and introduced it to the teaching profession.

K is the poor student teacher assigned to Ms.X. She is struggling and worried about being thrown out of the program at her college. Ms. X never spends any time going over lessons or teaching strategies or doing anything to make K's student teaching experience rewarding.

My friend happened to over hear a conversation between K and Ms. X and he heard the fear in K's voice. He quickly jumped into the conversation, offered advice and model lessons and even offered to spend every lunch period helping K improve. He even helped K rewrite the lesson she did poorly on to create a defense when consulting with her advisers.

Now my friend is caught. She can't drop K because if she does, there will be no one around to help her. Her duty free lunch now became a duty period. Ms. X is still enjoying the benefits of the free labor without any of the strings that go with it. K can't complain because she needs to stay in Ms X's good graces to finish the program. My friend still worries about not being good enough to help K get through this.

Personally, I'm glad that I stick to my own company and avoid situations like this.

No Good Neighbors, No Good Hands and No Geckos

The ceiling fell and the insurance company says we are covered, which is good news. The bad news is that it fell on Tuesday and we can't get an adjuster here for 2.5 weeks. The bad weather left lots of basements flooded and the adjusters are busy. And, to make matters worse, we were told not to touch the ceiling until the adjuster shows up.

But, the tiles are barely hanging on and even as I type, I wonder if another one will be falling soon. I am ready to run at the first sound of a tiling coming loose.

My husband spent an hour on the phone with different people in the claims' department. We've paid premiums for over 30 years, never once being late. I'm sure if we were late, they would not accept an excuse, yet we are supposed to accept theirs. They finally agreed to let us figure out a way to make the room safe until the adjuster arrives.

We need to try another insurance company.

Going The Extra Mile

We aren't a Kipp school or a charter school. Most teachers don't get paid extra for coming in on holidays and weekends. You would have never known any of this if you had been in Packemin today. AP calculus kids got up early and spent 3 hours going over problems, preparing for the upcoming exam. The baseball team and the tennis team (probably more, but those are the teams I saw) were hard at work on the field..(Yes, the coaches get paid but if you figure out the number of hours they work and divide that into the amount they get paid, it would probably come to pennies an hour.) The JROTC was also deep into their practice for upcoming competitions. In addition, there is a math teacher (not me) who is coming in on Saturdays because there is no time or place to give his students extra help during the week. The teachers in charge of the robotics team also put in countless, unpaid hours. I could go on and on, but I think I made my point.

Schools like Packemin don't have documentaries made about them. Our kids are not showcased because they are kids on target to graduate with honors, and on time. Sure we have our failures and there are kids like the ones in my ninth period that are difficult to reach, but, overall, we are successful.

If the media wants to keep portraying schools like the one Edward Tom's is (if he is still there) principal of, there is nothing we can do about it. But, it is important to let the world know that there are lots of successful schools, run by educators, not business people turned educators, who go the extra mile all the time and reach plenty of students, more than the few at that small school in the Bronx.

(I probably lost my best friend, pictured above to today's session. I thought they were gone a year ago, but I've managed to nurse them along until now.) I got caught on a chair and the rip is unrepairable. Oh, the sacrifice made to help our students.)

Business Take Over

I've been wracking my brain trying to pinpoint the time education stopped being about education and started being about business and I cannot pin point any time, so I am guessing the change must have been so gradual, so slow in taking place that it just slipped in, past everyone who knows anything about education.

I'm old. I started teaching in 1973. I just squeezed in to the field before Tier I went away to make room for Tier II. Here comes the old lady part, the reminiscing about days of old and remembering how much better they were.

Back then, I taught in probably one of the worst schools in the city, Julia Richman HS. I didn't realize how bad it was until schools started closing in the early 80's and this was one of the first ones to go. Even back then, general and commercial diplomas were a thing of the past, but there were standards. Kids passed certain courses and if I remember correctly, there was a difference between a regents diploma and a non regents one. Kids who weren't college bound took courses in arithmetic, pre-algebra and business math. We taught what the kids needed to learn to survive in life. We had a college bound program for kids who needed that little bit of extra help to succeed. The kids in the basic arithmetic classes had other classes along side and we always tried to move them ahead. Our AP, (not a likable person), was a brilliant teacher and a very concerned educator. She always taught the bottom level classes and looked for ways to move the kids to a higher level. But, she also knew that some kids could never get past where they were and looked for other ways to help them succeed.

Some time, in the mid 70's RCTs (regents competency exams) were introduced. These exams required basic competence in math, reading and writing. While not as difficult as the regents exams, they did require the student to know quite a bit to be able to pass. No calculators were permitted on the math exams. I remember marking the writing exams and seeing the kids had to write a business letter and a persuasive essay. Many kids had trouble doing this and standards were lowered and the state decided to do away with these exams and have everyone take the regents. When regents exams proved too difficult, they made the exams easier to pass. Still, with all of this, there was no talk of statistics and teachers not doing their jobs.

Somewhere in between all of this, in the beginning of the twenty first century, everyone is realizing that education has no easy fix. Education, they say, should be run like a business. Goals have to be met and if the goals are not met, teachers have to be fired and schools have to be closed. Principals are nervous for they know if they don't get the kids to graduate, they will be walking the unemployment line.

Principals, even the ones who want to do the right thing for education can't. They are caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. If they don't offer credit recovery boot camp and those useless extended day classes, they won't graduate enough kids. And, if they don't graduate enough kids, they will be out of work. There only option is to go with the flow, education be damned.

So now I am back to the beginning. How did this all come about? And, more importantly, what are we going to do to take back education and put it in the hands of the educators?