Unfair Advantage Or Just Plain Old Cheating

Is it considered cheating if a teacher goes into the room a regents is being given in and translates the exam for the students in the room?  Does translating mean explaining the questions?

Is it wrong for the AP to laud it over everyone else how the students in the rooms with translators did so much better than the students in the room without translators?

Or is this fine?  Does not knowing the Martian word for say, "isometry" mean that the translator can explain that word while the the students are taking an exam?  Weren't these kids taught the word "isometry" and then given the Martian translation?  How about the English speaking kids who didn't know what an isometry was? Shouldn't this have been explained to them to?  (How many readers had to click on the word to see what it meant?)

If this isn't cheating, shouldn't all students be given the same advantage?  Even English speaking kids might need a translator for certain words.  And, if it is cheating, it should be stopped.

A Strange Sight

I thought this was laundry drying on the fire escape, but when I downloaded the picture
I saw FISH!!!  This was China Town but still, I don't know anyone who hangs their fish up with their laundry.  (click on photo to enlarge.)

The Park In Fall



We were going to take a drive to see the foliage and then realized the best was in our own back yard--Alley Pond Park.  Pictures here.

Limbo Lower Now



The Principal of a Bellerose HS is advertising for an earth science and general science on Craig's List.  This guy would rather take someone from an Internet listing than hire an ATR.  Amazing how low these Principal's will go to avoid ATRs.  I know an ATR with the license for the field being advertised who has not even been able to get an interview.  How low can they go?

Thanks to Chaz

Getting Rid Of The Old



A friend, not a teacher, wanted to understand how teachers, with tenure and good reputations could be forced out of a job.  It made no sense to her.

We started talking about a mutual friend, a woman who went into teaching later in life, when her first job was done away with.  She works in an elementary school in the Bronx and has always done extremely well with the students and the parents.  All of a sudden things are getting rough for her.  The fifth grade class she always taught was taken from her and she was given fourth grade.  All her previous work was useless and she had to start the year from scratch.  She was unfamiliar with the fourth grade curriculum and had to spend hours becoming acquainted with it. 

The school couldn't get rid of this teacher by U-rating her because she was good.  The administration also had no desire to bring in the union so the contract was strictly kept to.  But, the admin was smart.  They made her school life hard and uncomfortable to the point where they hoped she would leave voluntarily.  She is rethinking her options and it is a good bet they might win.

This same tactic was used on me.  My old AP gave me a program a year ago that included three classes, two which were on my preference sheet (not as first choices), subjects that I either never taught or haven't taught in years.  The goal was to make me leave.  At that time I found an angle and managed to get a different program.  I knew, if I stayed, the same ploy would be used again and this time there would be no way out.  Even when I was given my first choice class (AP calculus) I was always given  low level classes to teach along with it and I was never given the same subject two years in a row so I was constantly writing new lessons.  At first I asked about getting something better, but the answer always was, "I have to be fair.  You have calculus.  Others need good classes too."  Being a union person, I accepted this.  But now that I am gone I see the young woman who took over the AP calculus class is teaching honors pre-calculus along with it (classes she taught for years.)  The AP stat teacher is teaching trig classes (classes she has been teaching for years.)  No one wants these two women to leave, so they are being catered to.

Don't be fooled when you hear the words "quality teacher in every class" because what that really means is young teacher in every class.  Even older teachers that are cheap aren't wanted because they won't jump through hoops to keep everyone happy.

The Real Most Powerful Educators



So the Forbes Magazine came out with a list of the World's 7 most powerful educators.  Looking at the list just shows how little they know about education and what really makes a powerful educator.  And, truthfully, why would they even have a clue as to who makes a strong effective teacher because those that make them are the unsung heroes, the ones sitting in a school, working with children and not having time to run around and get their faces on the front covers of magazines.

Ms. C, a teacher at Packemin is a powerful educator. When I began teaching at this school, Ms. C was working in the ISS department.  She is a former nurse and was running a successful nursing program for extremely limited students.  Several days a week she brought these children out in the field where they worked with nursing home residents and youngsters who were even more disabled than they were.  I remember a young woman who could not even ride the bus because she couldn't make change telling me how grateful she was not to be like the kids she worked with.  Ms.C gave her a reason to hope for a better future for herself.  Ms. C gave meaning to her education.

As with all good things in the DOE, Ms.C's work with ISS children came to an end.  A new administrator decided he only wanted ISS licensed teachers in his department and he transferred everyone teaching there without the certification.  (He removed two living environment teachers, one math teacher and one English teacher.)  Ms. C was upset but went on to teach living environment to mainstream students and she quickly found her niche working with the students who had a difficult time in most classes, many who didn't even like to come to school.  Ms. C spent (and still spends) hours finding songs and games to help them remember concepts and facts needed to pass the regents.  She gave (and still gives) hours of her free time helping these students achieve.  Ms. C is a tier I teacher.  She could be sitting at home, collecting her pension, but she isn't.  She is still in a classroom every day, reaching the hard to reach.

Forbes Magazine doesn't really care about who is a powerful teacher.  They care about who looks good on the cover, who will buy the magazine and who business people want to see because they see education as a business.  Children are commodities that count for nothing as far as they are concerned.  They have never heard of Ms.C and have no desire to ever know anything about her or the countless teachers like her.  The probably sold a lot of issues with these 7 powerful educators making headlines, issues that missed the truth by  miles.

The 99% Speak

Thanks goes to Mr. Talk for sharing.

Wishful Thinking



It's only wishful thinking but it is wished by so many...This  fairy tale probably won't have a happy ending after all.  Read it here.

Take The Throne



Any interest in becoming an AP?  Lots of openings, one in particular might interest many of you.  Go check them out and if you have the qualifications (I think my cat is qualified) and the desire, apply!

The Lounge



Unnecessary Cruelty



Sometimes we all have to do something we don't want to do.  Sometimes these things even hurt others but the action can't be helped.  Why is it necessary to add extra cruelty to the action?  What is to be gained by deliberately hurting another human being?  Does inflicting pain make the person feel better about themselves?  Or, is the pain being caused because the person inflicting it has the power to do so?  How will this person react when a ruthless action is directed at him/her, a husband/wife, a son/daughter?

Great Newbie

I found a book of lessons I forgot to chuck and a whole lot of math books I will no longer need.

I found a nice young teacher to pass them on to.  I know they will be appreciated and well used.

Here is a young person in teaching for the long run, a person that will make a difference in the lives of children.

It feels good to be able to help.

More Than A Step Behind



A group of low-level freshman heard me talking about calculator use being forbidden in the college classes I teach.  He heard this as he was handing his ID card in to get a calculator for the days lesson.  I heard him say, "Mr., why do you make us use calculators when we won't be able to use them in college?"  The boy was clearly disturbed about the caliber of education he was receiving.

I left before I heard the teachers answer so I don't know how he justified calculator use to this student but I do know the AP of the department is demanding that all classes use a calculator daily.  Education and college readiness is not a step behind statistics, it is the being on the first step of the staircase  leading to the top of the Empire State Building behind.

Should Have Spoken Up then



They sat back and said nothing while others were being abused.  They ignored issues that faced them and waited for someone else to deal with the problem.  They were safe in their own little world, remaining incognito to keep the good life they enjoyed.

Things have changed.  The ones who stood up are no longer around.  Evil policies are the norm of the day.  The bully, in need of someone to bully is now picking on them.

Remind You Of Someone?



Visit To The Vet

These poor babies are at the vet for their annual checkup.  It is a chore getting them in their carrying cases and listening to them cry is heartbreaking.  Today is a day I appreciate work.  My husband gets to be the one to take them.

Out To Pasture



Because it is illegal to send old teachers to the glue factory.

Math Scores Lag, Overall Achievement Sluggish

Last time I checked, NYC was part of NYS.  We aren't doing too great.  The education mayor has not succeeded.  He needs a U rating and a trip to the rubber room.

Math scores drop for NY fourth-graders

November 1, 2011 by JOHN HILDEBRAND / john.hildebrand@newsday.com

New York is the only state where fourth-grade math scores fell significantly during the latest round of national testing.

On a scale of 0 to 500, average scores inNew York dropped to 238 from 241 two years ago, federal officials reported Tuesday in the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

This marked the first time since 1992 thatNew York's performance in fourth-grade math has fallen below the national average in the assessment. The national average is 240 this year, up from 239 in 2009.

The assessment, described as the "nation's report card," is a federally funded project that since 1969 has tested samples of students at the national level, and more recently state-by-state.

In another blow to New York, the chairman of the NAEP's Governing Board Tuesday singled out the state, along with Iowa andWest Virginia, as places where overall academic progress has been particularly sluggish -- both in reading and math -- during the past eight years. The board is a bipartisan panel appointed by the U.S. education secretary to oversee testing policy.

David Driscoll, the Governing Board chief who also is a former Massachusetts education commissioner, observed at a Washington news conference that the three states have "stood virtually still" since 2003 in percentages of students attaining proficiency on fourth- and eighth-grade tests.

Most other states since 2003 have shown substantial improvement in fourth- and eighth-grade math, and more modest gains in reading. In the 2011 round of testing, national scores rose significantly in fourth-grade and eighth-grade math and in eighth-grade reading. National results in fourth-grade reading remained flat.

New York State Education Commissioner John King Jr. called the results "disappointing and unacceptable." He added that a new Common Core curriculum, slated for statewide phase-in during the next school year, will help student achievement.

"The goal is college and career readiness for every student, and that starts the first day a child walks into a classroom," King said.

The Common Core curriculum is part of a multiyear, national drive to raise the bar of American students' achievement. The new standards put more emphasis on advanced literacy and applied math. The program, which is linked to international academic standards, has been approved by 44 states.

Driscoll said in a phone interview that New York has made considerable efforts to boost scholastic achievement. He suggested, however, that his own state of Massachusetts has made greater progress by aligning its testing standards early on with standards set at the national level -- a move that New York only recently began.

"I think the proof here is that Massachusetts leaped to the top of the country," Driscoll said of his state's test scores. "If you're a coach, I don't think you start the season saying you want to go two and eight."

Jack Bierwirth, superintendent of Herricks schools and an expert on testing issues, agreed that Massachusetts has set the pace among states in terms of rigorous assessments. Bierwirth added that New York needs to redouble its efforts to help failing students.

"We have some of the highest-achieving students, and we also have some of the lowest," said Bierwirth, who serves on state-level panels dealing with assessments. "And I think it's unconscionable that we have so many kids at the margin."

NAEP's math assessment was administered to a representative sample of 209,000 fourth-graders and 175,200 eighth-graders across the country. In reading, a representative sample of 213,100 fourth-graders and 168,200 eighth-graders participated.

The organization does not make public the districts where students are tested.

New York State racked up solid gains on most NAEP tests through 2007, but then the momentum slowed.

In more recent years, state school officials have conceded that the cutoff scores they set for students to reach the so-called proficiency level had dropped too low to keep pace with federal standards. Those cutoffs were raised in July 2010.

Selling Her Soul



This chihuahua would do anything for money.

Who Would Have Guessed Streets Like This Existed In NYC?

I thought I knew my city pretty well but I am always looking for new places to explore so when I saw an Artfacting exhibit in Willets Point (Iron Triangle) I welcomed the chance to see something new.  We couldn't find the exhibit, but the streets were something to see.  There are wall to wall auto shops, no pavement and no sewers.  I only took a few pictures from the car's window and posted them here.  I plan on returning and spending more time with my camera in hand.

Four Wasted Years



Four years of high school spent with calculators in their hands,  four years of letting a machine do work their brains should have been doing has left kids unprepared for college.  Four years where the only thing that mattered to administrators was getting an A on a progress report did nothing for education.

The math teachers at Packemin have been pushed to use graphing calculators with all our students, particularly the lowest level ones.  Teachers have been told, over and over, to teach the kids how to solve equations using the calculator.  They have been threatened with "U" ratings for not using this device.  An ISS teacher told me that her former school forbid her from teaching simultaneous equations without a calculator.  Kids have gotten so calculator dependent that even simple operations like 12/1 are not being done by hand anymore.  A really sad part of all of this is that the calculators are not easy to use.  The time spent learning to do certain operations on the Casio or TI 84 could be better spent learning to do the work by hand.

I am not anti-calculator by a long shot, but when I see bright kids fall apart because they forgot basic arithmetic, I want to cry.  We've thrown away a generation.  How many more can we afford to lose?

Oyster Fest 2011

Oyster Fest--  Took me a while to take them off my camera.  If interested, they are posted here.

Joke



Bayside H.S. is on the list of schools who got A's.  I couldn't believe my eyes and read the article twice, to make sure I was seeing it  right.

Bayside is an A school if you consider a school that does away with a "Smart Program" without parent consultation a good school.  The parents and many several staff members believe this was done on purpose.  Perhaps the powers that be are looking to close Bayside down and are just building up ammunition.  Most of the money Bayside has to spend is being spent on the lower 1/3 of the school and the kids in the middle and top are being left to their own devices. Kids, with holes in their program (why should there be holes?) are shoved into any available class, sometimes even given two gym classes to fill the day. How can  Bayside HS be an A school when the school has no regards for the needs of its middle students?

These ratings are a joke.  Just ask the kids or their parents.  Who needs comedies in the movies and on television when we have these progress reports to keep us entertained?

I'll end here with a quote from someone with first hand information about that school.

Now, these youngsters [new teachers], who seem competent and idealistic, are stuck with this horrible fake system and still have real kids like mine to educate. I’m glad my son has only 2 more years. I feel his academic opportunities are lessened because of Bayside HS and the cuts and where they were made. The A is so fake because the intent is to make this school eventually fail by budget starvation. .. Please do a post/expose of all this diminishing of opportunities for middle class kids. I’m all for it….this A is just so much bullshit.

His New Title

Bloomberg can't fix education and he can't solve the budget crisis but he can blame the education problems on teachers and fix the economy by getting rid of expensive teachers.  I crown him the Hemorrhoid Mayor.  He is a big pain in the ass for the people of NYC.

Stolen From A Facebook Page



It's Not The Teacher's Fault, No Matter What NCLB Says

Read what California Dad has to say.

Happy To Admit I Was Wrong



Last year I thought I would miss everything about teaching, including parent teacher conferences, especially parent teacher conferences.  I was wrong.

I spent parent-teacher evening covering a class at the college for a friend.  I made lots of $$$ and helped out a good person.

Parent-teacher afternoon was spent at the Discovery Times Square, being a CSI agent, riding the tram (something my husband has wanted to do for years) and ending with dinner at a great place on Roosevelt Island (Groupon special--dinner for 2 $19!).  Even the subway ride home was great.  I met a former calculus student who thanked me for making his class fun and giving so much to them.

Don't mean to rub it in, but I am learning there is plenty of life after retirement.

Memo 108



While in the math office before my college class, I happened to pick up a copy of the latest memo from, you guessed it, Mr. AP.  If you read the entire memo, you would see what a moral builder it is (sarcasm intended here) and how once again, the teachers are being blamed for all the problems in the classroom.  I could, and will, pick apart the entire memo, but for now, let me start with just one little part of one paragraph.

I don't miss these wonderful memos and wish I never saw this one.  When I read them I am so happy I made the decision not to return to Packemin.  If the writer of this memo and the people that allow them to be written believe quality teachers will continue to work under these conditions, they are mistaken.  Who would stay if they have a choice?  I heard a rumor that several more senior teachers are considering leaving this year.  Many of the new ones hired will leave as soon as they get the chance.  Will Packemin be able to keep its "A" as good teachers trip over each other running to the exit? 

By the end of each term, the effective teachers have taken measures to correct all the undesirable behaviors and figured out what students could not do in math. [Yep, the kids who continually disrupt, do no work and cut are still doing so because we have ignored these behaviors.]  We already started to drill them until they learned the concepts/skills. [Every dog can certainly be taught to perform on command.]  We have the final exam also to bail the boarder line students out, [but we are always told to not just pass kids based on one exam and the uniform final makes it around the school so that the later classes have all the answers before they even walk in the room] not to mention we have already moved out the students who really could not do it. [These kids were moved to other classes so the problem is only solved for the original teacher.  Someone will still be teaching the students who could not, so their results will still suck and they will never be considered effective.]

A Comment Worthy Of Its Own Post

T

This little, nothing post, Rate My Teacher, written last March has gotten 110 comments.  Most are pretty lame--some trash teachers and some praise them.  Most I just hit publish and ignore.  This one, deserved sharing.  Thanks goes to the anonymous commenter.  I wish I knew your name to give you credit.

  

Yep, that's right folks, teachers are only in it for the HUGE paycheck they get. It's like the easiest job in the word to teach 30+ kids at a time with 60 adults banging on the door everyday just to tell you what a crappy job you're doing. Oh yes, please sign me up for that job! Because you know teachers are in it only for the money and to screw up YOUR child. They wake up just thinking about how they can make your child dumber and how to make your life more miserable by sending home homework. GASP! So yep, I spent over $50,000 in my college tuition and over 5 years in college just so I can sit on my ass and screw up your child. So to be fair, go ahead and rate your teacher, but I think we should have a rate the student and parent. I think a grade for parental support should be on the report card, and a website that rates students should be started. Is this student a pain in the ass? Yes. Argues? Yes. Does homework? Nope. Parent support and follow through? F- Truth hurts doesn't it?

By Anonymous on Rate My Teacher on 10/28/11

Nonsense



If we look at data and see Sammy failed last year should we assume Sammy will follow the pattern and fail again?  If we do, we can keep our statistics consistent and that is what it is all about, isn't it?  Background here.

Like Today's Diploma Continued



I had to fill the backyard swimming pool.  The hose was not working and all I had available for use was the 4 ounce paper cup pictured above.  It wasn't worth very much, it was not better than nothing at all.

Like Today's HS Diploma



The snow was six feet deep.  The only shovel I had was the one pictured above.  It wasn't worth very much, it was not better than nothing at all.

Tools

It is no surprise that kids graduating high school today are not ready for college.  But, when  Clara Hemphill of The New School's Insideschools.org. compares Bloomberg's new schools to the older ones, you've got to wonder what clueless imbeciles are actually working inside these schools today.

 "Those diplomas are probably not worth very much, but it's better than dropping out with a sixth-grade education, which is what was happening before."

There is no denying the drop out rate was higher years ago but there is also no denying that earning a high school diploma meant kids were ready to face the world, be it as a college student or a worker. A diploma meant the acquisition of skills needed for life.  It wasn't a gift.  What is the point of awarding a diploma without any worth? Even the drop outs of yesterday were better off than many of the graduates of today.  These kids learned that life wasn't a free ride and they had to work for what they wanted.  They couldn't get high end jobs but they could get jobs,  support themselves and their families and be productive members of society.  Now, these would be drop outs have the unearned piece of paper and believe life should be full of the same entitlements.

People like Hemphill are tools of the Bloomberg administration.  They are the ones destroying the youth of today and insuring a disastrous future for all.

Maturity



It's a sign of maturity when a kid recognizes early on that college is not for him, at least not for him right now and decides to follow is dream of enlisting.  The boy knows he's smart and eventually he'll return.  He can't see wasting time and money now.

Let's hope Obama really does pull out of Iraq and doesn't involve us in any more wars so this student will be alive and well and able to reap the benefits of the GI bill for his education.

Feelings

When you didn't do something you should have done, you might feel bad, but the person this was done to feels a lot worse than you.  Trust me on this one.

Look Inside



Progress reports are bogus.  Everyone, even our education mayor must know that and still they continue.  Schools sit on pins and needles waiting for these useless documents to come out, knowing all that matters is that A.  We wonder why our students only care about what is on the test but they only need to look at us and follow the example we are setting, putting such a high value on a meaningless score.

Last year, my "A" school, Packemin, got a B rating.  Supposedly, a couple of ISS students didn't do as well as they were supposed to do and that is what brought us down.  The school then school found a way to get the numbers up and this year, Packemin got the A.

Packemin has and will always be an A school.  The kids are good and so is the staff (except for a few admins and I won't go into that here.)  At any time teachers, guidance counselors, paras, school aides, security guards and cafeteria workers can be found talking to students, helping them work through anything that might be bothering them or just lending an ear.  The school is full of teachers like the one  who spend an inordinate amount of hours working without compensation with the Robotics team, making our team one of the top in the country and giving kids an extraordinary education.  The same can be said about our JROTC instructors and countless other unnamed heroes who work above and beyond without any sort of recognition.

It is time to end these progress reports.  They show nothing and should mean nothing.  It's not the wrapping of the package, but what is inside that counts.  

Real Photos and Mine



There is a fantastic photo exhibit by Andrew Moore at the Queens Museum.  So, if you like photography, go see it.  Here is a great, little museum in my own back yard.

I really enjoyed his photos and was thrilled to see many of my subjects are his as well.  I only wish mine could be half as good.