And On A More Positive Note

I think I am making progress with Problem Boy.  He's been showing up in class.  He's been working and we've even managed to laugh a little at my persistent phone calls.  He's promised to help with the Smart Board we are getting soon.

He might even make it this term.

If I can get through to this kid, I am a winner, no matter what any administrator thinks.  (Problem Boy cut math most of last year.)

Look Out

I don't cause the problems, normally I am not a spiteful person.

Push me and I will push back.  I don't care if I exasperate the problem.

I will not back down! 

I don't do things out of spite but I respond with finesse to those who do things to spite me.

If He Used His Brain He Wouldn't Be Such ...

"I"m right and you are wrong."  [Discussion over]

The department meeting was just as joyful as I predicted it would be.

We were told that if we teach higher level classes we have to write college recommendations, it is our obligation and duty.  Even if we don't know the students that well, we can always check transcripts online and have them give us resumes.

Teaching AP calculus is a higher level class and I write tons of recommendations. I like to include anecdotes and personal information, things that would convince the person reading what I wrote that I knew the student well.  I want the reviewer to be swayed by what I write, convinced that what I am saying is true and that the school should take him/her.  Over the years, I've realized that I don't have enough to write about when I only know the students since September, a few short months.  Even when the kids are doing well in the beginning,  I've seen some develop severe case of senioritis and blow off their senior year.  I often wish I could retract the recommendation I wrote.

This year I decided not to write recommendations for kids I only know a short time, the exception being the kids who have gone above and beyond by volunteering to tutor another student.  I've been unyielding and will continue to do so.  Good students should be able to go back to former teachers, teachers who really know them and get the recommendations they need.  The college counselor told me a tenth grade teacher who knows the student well can write a recommendation that will be accepted by the college.  (A certain person who shall remain nameless here does not agree with that.  Where that person gets the information from, is beyond me.)  In fact, he recommends the student go to this tenth grade teacher for an in depth recommendation rather than the superficial recommendation I could supply.  He also said there is no right or wrong answer as to who should write the recommendation.

I was always under that conference meant discussion, a bringing together of different ideas and a chance to arrive a conclusions beneficial to all.  "I'm right and you are wrong" is not the way to have a conversation.

How Did Things Change So Much?

I remember when older, more experienced teachers were valued.  The principal of the first school I taught in did not want to release me to my new school because I was important to the school, I helped the kids succeed. When did things change? (I had taught 8 years then and he stopped releasing everyone who wanted to transfer.) Now, they can't push us out the door soon enough.

Tomorrow is another departmental conference.  Will I, or one of my contemporaries be the topic of the meeting?  Will we spend an entire period hearing how awful we are and how we do nothing right?

I remember asking my AP why Ms. H, Mr. L and Ms. E all got the best programs in the department.  He said they were near the end of their careers.  He wanted them to go out in a blaze of glory.  He promised my time would come.

How did things change so much?

Pretty Boy

Here

Not Even Cute On The Outside

While looking for something else, I came across this and couldn't resist.  It reminded me of someone I know.

Race To Nowhere

Thanks Mrs. B for pointing this out.

Party Hardy

I'm not the only one noticing the rampant favoritism around.

I'm not the only one noticing the groups that party hardy with the person in charge getting favorite treatment.

I'm not the only one seeing them getting the best classes to teach.

I'm not the only one seeing them having their ideas and views becoming policy for the rest of the department to follow.

I'm not the only one seeing them have the same classroom problems everyone else has and seeing their problems ignored.

I'm not the only one that realized regents statistics were not e-mailed to everyone this year, probably because the party hardy crew did not do as well as some of the undesirables.

If I were the boss and I had a group of young, impressionable people working for me, calling me "father" and doing whatever I said, I might favor them too.

The contract says nothing about the boss having to be a nice guy, or even a human guy.  Bosses like this one know how to fragment their departments and hold back progress.  They know how to hurt, not how to help.  It is a shame.  Bosses like the one described know how to do whatever they want within the confines of the contract. 

Conflicted

Page 33 of today's Newsday has an article pointing out that 12th grade students read below the level of 1992's students.  Bush set a goal of every student reading at grade level by 2014  and Obama wants to set a goal of having the largest proportion of college graduates in the world.

Page 23 of the same paper has Blomberg saying he will eliminate 6000 teaching positions.

Sounds like a major conflict of priorities here.  But, what do I know.  I am one of those teachers whose position could be eliminated.  (If I decide to retire, I won't be replaced.)

Bloomberg targets jobs, services in NYC budget gap

Originally published: November 18, 2010 9:50 PM
By SARA KUGLER FRAZIER. The Associated Press  

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is aiming to bridge a multibillion-dollar budget gap by cutting thousands of jobs and trimming services to the bone, including eliminating overnight staffing at 20 fire companies, filling fewer potholes and shrinking library hours.

The mayor took his budget knife to the city spending plan in a November budget update released yesterday. The city is also hiking a variety of fees, including ones for parking, taxicab licenses and permits for using ballfields in city parks. Together, the moves shrink the projected deficit from $3.3 billion to $2.4 billion for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

The plan raises the city's annual pension reserve from $600 million to $1 billion, putting total pension contributions in the next fiscal year at $8.3 billion. Officials said more city employees have pensions, and are living longer after retirement.

Bloomberg warned in a statement this plan would not be the end of bad news.

"More spending reductions are going to be necessary, and we have to continue to reduce the number of employees we have by not filling positions," he said. "We simply cannot afford the size of our current workforce."

The budget shrinks the city's 300,000-person workforce by 2,100 jobs this year and 8,300 next fiscal year; that includes 6,200 layoffs and other reductions through attrition.

Job cuts are spread throughout the agencies, with more than 6,000 teaching positions being eliminated, along with 350 police department civilian posts, 200 supervisor jobs in the sanitation department and 200 jobs in the child welfare agency.

Within the transportation department, one proposal calls for more than 600 street maintenance workers to take a required one-week furlough, which the city said would result in 9,000 fewer potholes filled for the year.

The fire department expects to save $15 million by unstaffing 20 fire companies overnight, and redeploying those firefighters.

Libraries will be open fewer hours, and funding is being reduced for substance abuse outpatient treatment and in clinics that treat developmental disabilities.

Inmates at city correctional facilities will get fewer slices of bread each day - down from eight to six - for a savings of $350,000 a year, and some homeless shelters will be doubling up families into shared rooms, saving $1.7 million a year.

New Yorkers can also expect a number of fees to go up. Metered parking rates in Manhattan below 86th Street will rise from $2.50 to $3 per hour, and from 75 cents to $1 in all other parts of the city.

Welfare recipients who get city-subsidized child care will have to pay higher child-care co-payments - up from $5 to $15, generating an extra $13 million per year. Ballfield permit fees will rise from $16 to $25, pouring another $720,000 annually into city coffers. Taxi drivers will have to pay $84 for driver's licenses, up from $60, raising another $1 million annually.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said some of the budget proposals were on the right track, but expressed alarm at those that affect children, seniors and the poor.

The City Council does not have to approve the mayor's cuts.

12th-graders' reading scores below 1992 scores

Originally published: November 18, 2010 8:29 PM
By CHRISTINE ARMARIO. The Associated Press  

MIAMI - A national education assessment released Thursday shows that high school seniors have made some improvement in reading, but remain below the achievement levels reached nearly two decades ago.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, referred to at the Nation's Report Card, tested 52,000 students in reading and 49,000 in math across 1,670 school districts in 2009.

Students scored an average of 288 out of 500 points in reading comprehension, two points above the 2005 score but still below the 1992 average of 292. Thirty-eight percent of 12th-grade students were classified as at or above the "proficient" level, while 74 percent were considered at or above "basic." "Today's report suggests that high school seniors' achievement in reading and math isn't rising fast enough to prepare them to succeed in college and careers," U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said.

Cornelia S. Orr, executive director of the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees development tests, said she was encouraged by the fact reading scores had gone up in recent years.

The trouble advancing student reading skills extends across grade levels. Reading scores for fourth- and eighth-grade students in 2009 were only four points higher than in 1992.

The No Child Left Behind law championed by President George W. Bush set a goal for every student to read and do math at their grade level by 2014, but the national assessment scores indicate students are still trailing significantly behind. In 2009, 33 percent of fourth-grade and 32 percent of eighth-grade students scored at the proficient level in reading.

In a statement, Duncan noted that President Barack Obama set a goal for the United States to have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by the end of the decade, and that in a survey that accompanied the reading and math test, 86 percent of seniors said they expect to graduate college.

"They'll only succeed if we challenge and support them to raise their academic performance and offer them the financial support they need to pay for college," Duncan said.

He said he is confident that goal can be reached with the efforts the administration currently has under way, including providing $40 million in Pell Grants, and investing in efforts for states to create data systems to help track student performance.

The scores released Thursday also show that a stubborn achievement gap remains across racial and ethnic groups. There was no significant change in the score or gap in reading for black and or Hispanic students since 1992. White and Asian students both scored higher than they did in 2005.

Love Some Of The Kids

I love some of my kids.  I have been trying to get them to use an online program, just extra credit so far, and surrpisingly, some have!  I got this e-mail today.  (This boy is only in the country about 7 months)

hello miss pod

i try to finish my castle learning.com homework but i need a scientific calculature. so i did;nt finish my homework i gonna finish tommarrow sorry about that.

THANK YOU
HAVE A GOOD NIGHT

Wake Up Call

I was talking to a colleague this morning about the kids we teach.  She teaches the brightest of the bright and was complaining that these kids are not nearly as good as the kids she had years ago.  I don't agree.

These kids have IQ's and work ethics that are equivalent.  The problem is not them, it is the system, something I have been complaining about for years.  Today's emphasis on test scores keeps us from doing any real teaching.  And, moving everyone ahead, having classes of 34 with kids ranging from barely literate to college level makes teaching to the top impossible.

America, we've got to wake up and start teaching again.

Stressful For Me Too

I love my night class.  For once, I have a room full of motivated, hard working students who are rarely absent or late.  They come to class prepared and have to be thrown out at 8:20 when the class ends.  But, they are also some of the worst math phobics I have ever met.  One told me she is seeing a dermatologist for hair loss which started when the term started.  Several others cry whenever we start a new topic, watery eyes caused by the stress of believing they will not understand.  One, who spent hours in the math lab and knew everything handed in a blank paper.  She just couldn't focus on the problems on the sheet.  I wish I had a degree in psychology to help me help some of these people.

Last night was the worst.  I handed back papers and watched one of my favorite students fall apart when she saw her grade of 58.  As her tears fell, mine fell as well.  It took a while, but I finally calmed her down and convinced her that her hard work and perseverance would win at the end and she would pass. 

I love this class but I so can't wait until it ends.  I never thought teaching motivated people could be this difficult.

They Wore Her Down

The city got what it wanted and she got peace.  Congrats to Moriah on her retirement.  Go over and wish her luck and happiness.

Makes Sense To Me

A reader's opinion:

Hi, Po'd,

I just have to get this off my chest. I believe in my heart of hearts that Bloomberg has only put Cathy Black up as a sacrificial lamb and knew that her appointment would be blocked. I think he really intends for one of the ed deformers to serve as chancellor. If he puts a noneducator up first and everyone screams foul, when he puts forth a name like Rhee or some such, the general public can no longer argue about the new chancellor not being an educator. So then only the teachers and the UFT and AFT will scream foul and we will look terrible again to the public, as cave men trying to stop any progress in the world of education.

Just my opinion.

Thanks for listening,
burntoutteacher

Big But

Sacrificing the extra periods of calculus to create an extra class seemed like a good idea.  So many kids were being left out, it seemed like the only option when I suggested doing it.  And, I am not sorry.  I just marked test papers and some of the highest achievers would have been left out had the extra class not been created.  (I intend to do an analysis of the data that is used to place the kids in AP and prove there is little to no correlation to the standards currently being used.  That, I promise will be a powerful post.) The kids are great and happy to be able to take the class.  But, and it is a big one, the cut back in class time is taking a toll on many of the kids.  They just aren't getting the time they need to work on problems and develop their skills.   These kids are bright and while they do well, it takes some of them a while to get the material.  Many never took pre-calculus and lack thinking tools as their trig class only taught them one thing--how to pass the regents--memorize and regurgitate. Analysis and clue searching was never mentioned.

Everyone is saying how important education is, how we have to educate our children to keep ahead in the world.  We are being compared to China and Japan and even some underdeveloped nations and we are see our kids lagging behind.   We want to keep up but when it comes to spending money on the kids who will benefit the most, the money is not there. 

It is time for Obama and company to stop giving lip service to the value of education and start giving it what it needs.

Blog Talk Radio

Next Internet cast; (9:00 tonight)

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bronx-teacher/2010/11/17/the-mind-of-a-bronx-teacher

Tonight's show, November 16 our guest will be the esteemed, the irreverent, the opinionated, the frank, and the honest Arthur Goldstein. Arthur is UFT chapter leader and ESL teacher at Francis Lewis High School in Queens. Arthur write for Gotham Schools, Huffington Post and the Indypendent. Tonight we will discuss the Mayor 4 Life Bloomberg's decision to hire Hearst Corporation

This is sure to be riveting radio. As always, the call in # is (917) 932-8721

Headache

Home for two hours between jobs.  Instead of relaxing I called parents!

The parents are great and responsive.  The kids are not terrible, they just refuse to work and do what they are supposed to do.

I don't have answers.  Hopefully our next chancellor will.

Impunity

I had dinner last night with a friend who recently retired from the XXX High School.  (You've probably read about this as it has been covered on many blogs and in the local newspapers.)  She is one of the teacher that brought charges, serious charges against her AP and the principal.  She is one of the ones that felt victorious when the arbitrator found in favor of the teachers.  She is one of the ones that feels she wasted her time.

1.  The chapter chairman, the one who fought the fight, is gone from that school.  He was forced, under threat of continued "U"s to leave.  He was just too good at exposing the misconduct of the administrators in question.

2.  The young teachers in the department are still discouraged (and forbidden) from talking to the veteran teachers in the department.

3.  Three brand new  teachers, right out of college were hired in September.  (So much for a hiring freeze in that school and no, these are not special education teachers.)

4.  The AP and the principal go on as if nothing has happened.  Other than a slap on the wrist (if they even got that much) they faced no penalties for their actions, actions they were found guilty of.

Continue reading here, for impunity hitting closer to home.

ATR Info

Check out the ICE blog for important ATR information.

How, Not What

I read somewhere that Black's supporters believe she knows exactly what skills students need to survive in the 21st century.  Knowing what they need is not the issue.  You don't need any kind of special degree or experience to know kids need to know how to read, write, do basic calculations, have a rudimentary knowledge of computers, have people skills, etc.  The "what" is not the issue.  The "how" is.  Ms. Black knows nothing about the workings of schools, the issues they face and thus has no clue "how" to solve the problem.

Blame Me, But You Still Pay

When kids do absolutely no work for several weeks, they are totally unprepared to take an exam.  (These kids are capable of passing if they would only use their brains instead of their mouths.)  Most were clueless during today's test and started blaming me for their lack of readiness.  I said, "Blame me all you want, but you will be in summer school, not me."  Their complaints suddenly stopped.

Your Rights Under American With Disability Act

I got this e-mail from a blogging buddy who asked me to post it for her.  It is a story that needs to be told.

I am wondering if you would put my story -- of having gotten exasperated one night and screamed at my principal ending in the Rubber Room on your blog. It's not just the extremity with which I was dealt, but my principal knew I was disabled -- I am a person with XXX. So, according to the American's with Disabilities Act I was supposed to be put in the least restrictive environment especially for my first major offense.

What I want is for other people with disabilities to MAKE THE UFT aware that they have the right to be pulled out of these kind of situations. It was because there was an undercurrent of "potential lawsuit" that my case was expedited so I didn't spend two year there.

But the damage was done. I let myself completely go -- and I've just discovered I have spinal stenosis in my lumbar and sacral regions and in my neck. I spent some of the time in the room helping my mother get her hip replaced. But, I did nothing for me. I didn't care about me. Certainly, a lot was losing YYY. But, I had been living in a room of people considered "outcasts" and that reinforced my overall feeling as an XXX. A guy nearly raped me by scaring me into trusting him and then manipulating me into getting into his car. People taunted me -- other people stuck up for me, but I felt like I had been violent, evil, uncontrollable.

I used XXX for the disability because this could be any one's problem. The goal is that the UFT has to be proactive for these folks -- especially when they have been teaching for over 15 years without a problem.

Sports Trump Academics

At least this time it did.  Read it here.

Community Colleges Grade Rates

Klein might have graduated them, but they don't know much.  Check out this article in the Queens Courier. 

The colleges are now faced with provideing all sorts of remediation and special services.  At this rate, medical schools will be facing the same problems in the near future.

09-10 School Closure Retrospective

No Waiver For Black

There is an on-line petition here: http://www.petitiononline.com/DenyWaiv/petition.html
Please consider adding your name.


Thanks, Jonathan.  I already signed but didn't think of adding it to my blog until I got the e-mail.

Blame Game

I'm tired of the blame game.Teachers are not responsible for everything their students do, but parents are not all to blame either.  This year, as in pat years, I have met lots of concerned parents, parents who have done everything and more to help their child succeed.  They've been checking homework and signing tests.  They've showed up in school whenever they were asked and even when they weren't asked.  They've punished and they've rewarded. In spite of this, their kids screw up.

I don't have answers, only observations and from what I have observed, there are people out there that will never do what is expected of them, what is correct, no matter what the consequences or rewards might be.  It is time to stop pointing fingers. Sometimes there are no solutions.

Letting It Out

There are so many stories I want to tell.  So many misdeeds and misconducts I wish I could disclose.  Too many people read this blog now and I don't want to make any more enemies than I already have.  I have begun using new outlets.  It feels good to let the stories flow.

Cheating

I cheated.  I rigged my last algebra test to make sure almost everyone passed, at least I tried to do this.  It worked in the small class but not in the larger one.  It's not that I wanted to give grades for free, it's that I wanted to encourage these kids, show them that passing was possible and that getting a good grade was also something they could accomplish.

I gave the exam on a day when I knew the period would be shortened. But, I left the same number of questions on the exam and decided to see what would happen.  As they worked, I realized finishing would be impossible so I told them they could leave out the last two problems.  A few of the kids managed to do them anyway and I promised extra credit.  The test was worth a little over 100 points.

The results were good.  All except for one passed, and passed well.  The kids were excited.  One girl told me this was the first math test she passed since eighth grade and she had no idea how she even got to eleventh with her dismal math record. 

That day, we started a new topic today.  The kids greeted the topic with enthusiasm and worked hard, hopefully boosted up by the good grade.

I'm not worried about inflated grades.  One test out of 8 for a semester won't carry much weight.  I am happy about the effect these grades had on my students and the way they motivated them to keep on plugging.  Let's hope it keeps going strong.

No Surprise To Me

I didn't need a NY Times article to tell me there is still a huge achievement gap in our schools.  I've been writing about it and trying (unsuccessfully) to do something about it for years.

Huffington Post Again

Link here.

New Career

I am going to become a magazine publisher.  I read them so I must be an expert on how to run them.

Paranoia

Sometimes just being in a certain place gets some people going. Read about it here.

Nicest Thing I Heard All Day

Conversation with the girl who hasn't passed a math class since 8th grade:

Girl:  Ms, math is my stress relief class.

Me:  I thought you didn't like trigonometry.  You said it was too hard to figure out what went where.

Girl:  That was last week.  It is easy now.  I love being able to do this.  I look forward to coming to this class everyday.

Don't Tell Anyone

The college pays adjuncts teaching more than 6 credits for an office hour.  In the past, its been great, free money.  I would go to the math lab, sit for my two-thirty minute sessions, take care of some work and then go to class.  This term, no so easy.  There are students in my class who actually show up and ask for help.  I'm working extra.  Don't tell anyone, but I love it.  I'm thrilled to be teaching students that are so motivated and so concerned about passing and getting A's.  I even show up early to make sure they are getting all the help they need.

Evaluating Teachers By Student Test Scores Won't Work

Thanks to Michael Dunn over at Modern School.

Heavy reliance on test scores for teacher evaluation is misguided


Read and sign the policy statement opposing the use of test scores for teacher

Master Teacher or Masturbator?

I never heard the term master teacher until I started working at Packemin HS.  Sure I worked with a bunch of fantastic teachers before, but no one was considered a master teacher, not even our chairperson who could teach any course from remedial arithmetic to calculus and have the kids listening and learning.

I encountered this term for the first time on a posting for a comp time job.  My friends and I all laughed about it and figured it was just another way for the administration to hand pick the person they wanted and void union regulations.  We never even gave it much thought and applied or didn't apply based on whether we wanted the jobs or not.  I don't recall anyone ever being turned down because they were not masters.

This week I had a discussion with an AP that I like and respect very much.  As we were discussing a person that is very well known on this blog, she said, "Well, he is a master teacher."  I couldn't believe my ears and asked for clarification.  She then went on to say how he got 43 out of 47 kid to pass the Math A regents one term.  She had this and nothing else to go on to give evidence to her conclusion.

A young teacher, not in my department, walks around the school telling everyone that he is a master teacher and as such, should not be subjected to teaching the lowest level kids in the building.  They are giving him a very hard time.  Unfortunately, this master teacher cannot teach without a Smart Board or a Power Point presentation. 

I was always under the impression that a master teacher should:
1.  Have total knowledge of every course offered in the department in which s/he works.
2.  Be able to walk into any course and teach that class with ease.
3.  Have the ability to make material crystal clear to everyone in the room.
4.  Be engaging.
5.  Have total control of the class
6.  Be able to inject his/her love of the subject into everyone in the class.

According to dictionary.com:
mas·ter·y   
1. command or grasp, as of a subject: a mastery of Italian.
2. superiority or victory: mastery over one's enemies.
3. the act of mastering.
4. expert skill or knowledge.
5. the state of being master; power of command or control.

Neither of these individuals possess these characteristics.

Today's data driven world has replaced mastery of subject areas with mastery of exams.  My very bright calculus students do not know how to think because last year they were taught to memorize and regurgitate.

In all my years of school, I can think of one master teacher--Gerry Elgarten.  I first met him in JHS 113 in the Bronx.  He taught a slow algebra class that my best friend was in.  He used to let me sit in on my lunch.  I remember being mesmerized by the way he brought the subject to life and held the attention of 34 young teens who wanted to be anywhere but math.  (He moved on from there, teaching in high school and college and eventually becoming a AP).  There are no master teachers anymore only masturbators and it is time to stop giving these self fulling individuals so much credit.

Focus Walk

Planning Session

More videos like this on the Answer Sheet.

On Added-Value Data

Albert Einstein: "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts."

Found On Facebook

The Problem Children

No matter how many schools get closed or how many teachers lose their jobs, there will always be problem children, the ones that can't or won't do what is expected of them.  This is a fact that no one with a modicum of intelligence would dispute.

Problem children always have a way of finding their way onto my class rosters.  My first goal with these kids is to keep them coming to class and to find a way to get them interested in the topic.  Do I have to put up with some noise and quite a bit of distracting behavior along the way?  To quote Sarah Palin, "You betcha."  It isn't easy.  I often go home with a headache, but when I see the end results, I am happy with what I did.

I've been praising the value of my small ninth period class, but it wasn't until this week that I realized how troubled some of these kids also are.  We just finished a unit on radicals and Rita told me I should be thrilled she is still coming to class.  Last year she walked out after the first day of radicals and never went back.  Her teacher never looked for her.  (Rita got an 80 on the test dealing with this topic.)  Missie told me the 70 she got on her last test was the first math test she passed since eighth grade and cut the class all the time.  Jean, who said she hates math, has now said math is her favorite class of the day.  Karrie stopped cutting, started doing homework and willingly works with a tutor during her resource room period.  Tara glowed from ear to ear when I told her she was going on the principal's student of the month bulletin board.  Tara failed math all last year.  Jodie would come to class spitting bullets because I called her mom every time she cut.  Now, she comes in smiling, homework in hand and determined to pass. Tara got a 90 on the last test. 

I guess what I am trying to say is running a quiet class that begins on time, where kids do exactly as they are supposed to do is not in the best interests of all students.  Some kids need that little bit of chaos in the beginning before they settle down to work.  It is better to have them engaged and learning for 38 minutes than to have them wandering the streets and the halls for the entire 45 minutes.

Mr. AP praises the teachers who run the quiet, organized classrooms.  He holds them up as the models, the ones we should all strive to be like.  (He also helps them by removing difficult kids, but that is a whole different story.)  These are the teachers my kids had last year.  Problem Boy had one of those teachers.  The teacher told me how happy he was when Problem Boy stopped coming to class.  These are the kids that were lost.  These are the teachers with the best statistics in their classes but they are also the teachers who statistics are hurting the overall school.

My stats will be better this year as the Integrated Algebra Regents is an easy exam to pass, but that doesn't matter to me.  What matters is seeing my students come to class, participating and learning.   I'll deal with the chaos and the noise because not to deal with it means losing kids that should not be lost.

Be Prepared Should Be An Administrator's Motto Too

One of the things we were supposed to learn on Tuesday's Pd was how to use the Castle Learning program as it will hopefully provide a better, or at least an additional method to reach the students.  Unfortunately, I missed the introductory session (I was at a different workshop) and did not fully understand the benefits of the program until today, when I watched a teacher in my department checking the work he assigned to his class.

If things had been explained differently, if the person running the second workshop had prepared properly, my classes too would be using this program.

We were never told to bring class lists to the work shop and everyone spent half the time printing these lists off ARIS.  We were also told we needed all our classes, when we really only needed the regents classes as that is all the program links to.  I spent the entire time adding useless names to a class list and never got to the ones I could use.

Teachers are required to be prepared for class every day.  Good teachers always are.  Too bad the same is not true for administrators who run workshops they know nothing about.

The Cat Speaks

Said the cat to the chihuahua.

Thanks to Mrs. Chili for the picture.

Consequences

When there are no consequences, bad behavior is not corrected.   This holds for everyone, not only children. AP's who continually abuse teachers without cause, will never stop unless there are repercussions for their actions, and not just a little slap on the wrist.

A colleague of mine suggested that the administration secretly likes AP's who act in this manner.  It is the good cop/bad cop scenario.  By not condemning this opprobrious conduct, they are encouraging it and using it as a way to rid the schools of certain teachers. 

I want to believe this colleague is wrong, but I have my doubts.  I need a sign.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Please be reminded that you are to properly prepare for your classes including having enough copies for each class.
 
Memo from the person running off copies 5 minutes after his class had started.
 

Who's Line Is It?

"There is nothing wrong with your dumping kids [from your classes] who will not pass.  You have to protect yourself and your statistics."

Guess who said this.  To check your answer, click here.

Not Putting Up With His S*** Anymore (Not That I Ever Did)

"Ms. will you be upset if I throw a penny at you", said Problem Boy from the back of the room.  The class immediately jumped on him for making not only an inappropriate comment, but making one that was anti- Semitic as well.  I called to have him removed immediately.

The dean brought Problem Boy to Mr. AP, who I went to see as soon as the class ended.  Mr. AP said there is nothing he could do about him, there is no other class that fits his program.  (I know he would have found a class if the boy made a comment like that to one of his little cuties.)  Mr.  AP also found nothing wrong with the comment.  He said he questioned Problem Boy about the incident.  Problem Boy told Mr. AP that I was teaching when he made the comment and he and his friend were sitting in the back, making jokes.  Mr. AP looked at me and began, "I've told you time and time again, do not teach while the kids are talking and,,,"  At that point, I cut him off.  I said I am not going to listen, got up and slammed his office door on my way out.  With steam still pouring out of my ears, I found my way to a higher authority, someone who listened to me, understood that I had done everything possible to control the situation.  This person called Problem Boy in and dealt with the real problem, him, not me.

I know I am upset about Problem Boy, but he is a child and that I can deal with.  My bigger issue is with Mr. AP and his constant negativity and his demeaning of every female over 50 in the department.  (Yesterday's department conference is a prime example of his actions.)  Hopefully he heard loud and clear that his actions are totally unacceptable.  I don't believe he will ever learn.  Unfortunately, we all believe that life will go on and nothing with him will ever change. He'll leave me alone for a while but find someone else to attack, someone who won't fight back. And, before you know it, he will be on me again.  Only I don't back down.  He'll get a fight every time.

Important Women's Health Issue

Just thought I'd share some valuable medical information.


* Do you have feelings of inadequacy?
* Do you suffer from shyness?
* Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?
* Do you suffer exhaustion from the day to day grind?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or
pharmacist about Margaritas.

Margaritas are the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident
about yourself and your actions. Margaritas can help ease you out of
your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing
to do just about anything. You will notice the benefits of Margaritas
almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can
overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want
to live.

Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will
discover many talents you never knew you had. Stop hiding and start
living, with Margaritas.

Margaritas may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or
nursing should not use Margaritas. However, women who wouldn't mind
nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.

Side effects may include:

- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Incarceration
- Erotic lustfulness
- Loss of motor control
- Loss of clothing
- Loss of money
- Loss of virginity
- Table dancing
- Headache
- Dehydration
- Dry mouth
- And a desire to sing Karaoke


WARNINGS:
* The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you are whispering
when you are not.
* The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to tell your friends over
and over again that you love them.
* The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to think you can sing.
* The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you can logically
converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.

Please share this with other women who may need Margaritas.  After today, I need one.  I'll post about that later.

Out With The Old

Congrats to Tony Avella!!!!!!!!! 

 Our new state senator.

I'll take my lawn sign down now.

A Rose By Any Other Name

I know some of the things I write about Packemin make it sound like the worst place in the world to work and to go to school.  But, truth be told, it is anything but that.  We have a great bunch of kids, fantastic teachers and, except for two, good administrators.   The kids who come to Packemin get the best education available to any New York City public school student.  In fact, the size and the diversity of Packemin gives or students an education that is better than that of most private school students.  Our students thrive in an atmosphere that challenges the bright and supports the ones that need help the most.  Anyone walking in will see students who are engaged in learning and happy to be where they are.  Last year, my college class conducted a survey on the effects of overcrowding on education at Packemin HS.  The results shocked us all.  While there were some issues being in a school our size, they overwhelmingly felt the rewards far exceeded the problems.  Not one regretted their decision to come here.

So now you are probably wondering why I am all of a sudden writing a post bragging about my school?  Well, today we were told that our "A" school is now a "B" school.  Although all our statistics have gone up, by some magical formula our grade has gone down.  I could say we are still the school we were a year ago, but I don't think that would be true.  We have gotten better.

Now, bear with me for the rest of this post.  I am sure I will be making a lot of enemies now, but I don't care.  (And, please don't think I am sucking up.  I have nothing to gain by writing this post.)

Two years ago, Principal Suit retired and in his place we got a young, bright, enthusiastic new principal.  Our new principal thinks with his head and his heart and has made quite a few changes that have improved the quality of our school for students as well as teachers.  I don't agree with or even like everything he has done (one in particular) but I do believe every change was only made after careful thought about the outcome and possible consequences.  Before he took command, computers for teacher use were almost non existent in the building.  Now, they are everywhere.  There is now a teacher's work room.  (He is still opposed to adding a window, one of his major faults.)  Although no one wants to attend a faculty conference, at least now they are engaging and end before or at the bell.  The door to his office is always open to staff and students and no one has to worry about retribution for speaking openly.  He openly supports extra curricular activities and is never too busy to show up in the evening or on the weekends.  The kids know they have a person in charge who has their best interests at heart.

The school's rating has no consequence for me.  I'm old and I will be long gone before the DOE decides to turn our building into mini schools or give it over to a charter school.  But, I've been at this school for 25 years and to see some arbitrary, meaningless number bring it down makes me mad as hell. Let's face it, no New York City school is really an A school.  Our classes are too big, our facilities are too crowded and most of our buildings are just too old.  But, I'll take the comparison of Packemin to any school in the city and, if it is done fairly, I know we will come out on top.

Bloomberg--take your A's and your B's and all your other ratings and shove them where the sun never shines.  You wouldn't know a good school if it bit you on your ass.

PD

When running a PD session:

1. Make sure you tell people coming to the session the things they will need for the session to be successful.  Do not waste half the time gathering materials.

2.  Make sure the room is equipped with everything you need to make the meeting a worthwhile procedure.  Do not run out of paper or markers.  Preparation is a must.  Teachers are expected (and rightly so) to be prepared for their classes daily.  PD facilitators, especially when they are administrators, should be required to do the same.

3.  Make sure you explain procedures and expected outcomes properly.  It is important not to spend precious minutes doing work, especially tedious work that is meaningless.

4.  Make sure the program is easy to set up and use.

5.  Make sure you understand what you are teaching us.

6.  Encourage give and take at meetings.  No one wants to listen to someone putting them down for over an hour.  It is a sure way to turn everyone off.

Someone needs to observe the people running these Pd sessions and rate them, the way they rate teachers.  Click here to see my PD day rating and the story behind the above observations.  You will understand the picture above then.

Letter To The Editor

From Sunday's Newsday:


My first year teaching was at a Catholic school with a sizable population of Protestant students. Their parents spent their hard-earned money, not to get them a Catholic education, but to get them out of the "failing" public schools.

What amazes me is that none of the education reform experts, including your editorial staff, seem to have any clue about what these students were escaping. They weren't fleeing "execrable" teachers. They were fleeing their fellow students.

Fire all the teachers you want (and there are some who should go), but if you do not grapple with this inescapable fact, education reform does not have a prayer.

A while back a picture appeared in your paper of a Hempstead student attacking another one with a two-by-four. You can sack every bad teacher and even disband teacher unions, but if you think it will make a significant change in test scores, I have a bridge I am looking to unload.

Patrick Flynn
Wading River

Torture

Root canal without anesthesia would be less painful.

From Little Neck Ledger

I do not understand how teachers have become the villains of society and scapegoats of every politician facing a budget deficit. Teaching is one of the most important professions that exists within an advanced society. Teachers have the responsibility of preparing our youth for the challenges of daily life as American adults.

In other words, teachers are possibly the greatest influence on the direction a person’s life takes. Teachers, in many cases, have more of an influence than parents in this regard. Successful citizens with the ability to be productive members of society directly affect our nation’s future.

As such, teachers should be treated with respect. Instead, we are mocked, degraded and trivialized by every outlet of the media and politician and anyone else who has an opinion about the state of our education system. We are seen as a drain on our nation’s economy. We are seen as selfish. As New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said, “We are only out for our paycheck.”

How did we get to this point? At what point in our history did teachers become the bad guys? The emphasis on education and the high regard in which teachers were held in the past is part of what made this country great. Is it really any wonder that we are falling behind the rest of the industrialized world now?

Let’s face it: If teaching was so easy, more people would do it. The reality is, the vast majority of Americans are not cut out to teach and just as many of those people have no idea what teaching entails.

If policymakers were truly concerned about a high-quality education for our nation’s children, they would make sure teachers were well-paid and -respected. Maybe then our nation’s best and brightest would go into teaching.

Richard Schaffer

Glen Oaks

My New Toy

I'm sitting at PD blogging with my new toy. I'm finally getting the hang of the touch screen keyboard. I don't know how the kids do this so easily.

Special Broadcast

Make every effort to catch tomorrow night's internet radio broadcast from South Bronx School. His VERY special guest is long time blogger Fidgety Teach, who has spent three years in the rubber room at the behest of Leadership (??) Academy Principal Mustillo, who he blogged about some time back.

Broadcast at 9:00 on Tuesday.  Click here to listen

A Real Writer

Number 3--in the Huffington Post.  Maybe I can be a real writer after all!!!  Link here.

If It Feels Good, You Should Be Ashamed

How do you feel knowing you were the straw that broke the camel's back?

The Day After

Student:  Ms, you ruined my evening. 

Me:  How did I do that?

Student:  In the car [going home from parent teacher conferences] and then all night, all I heard was how important math was and how I better go for help and start doing better.

Me:  Good, that is what you have to do.

Student:  Ms, you didn't have to be so hard.