Don't Mess With Me

Thanks Vicki

Adopting Orphans



As I look back on my career, I say thank goodness merit pay was never in place while I was in the classroom.  I think about all the kids I would never have helped and wonder where some of them would be now without that extra care.

I've always felt like an outsider in every phase of my life and because of this, I've always looked to associate myself with people like myself.  Whenever I saw a kid in need, a kid who seemed lost and unable to fit with anyone else, I befriended that kid and did my darnedest to get that kid through.  The students I chose were never in my classes.  (This doesn't mean I didn't help my own students as well.) Not only did I work with these kids on their math skills, I helped them with guidance issues and even got to know parents.  I know I made a difference when I see where many of them are today.

I never would have gotten a penny of merit pay for my efforts.  I never even thought about getting anything for them either, except for the satisfaction of seeing a young person move on with his/her life.  I was never an administration favorite (or even a liked person) as I have a tendency to say what I think, even if it is not politically correct.  It took 30 years for a principal to be outsmarted so the kids could give me this award which had nothing to do with money.

My friend, NYC Ed as well as countless other teachers have done the same over the years.  I worked with ATRs who were never noticed (unless of course something was amiss) who did more for some of these kids than anyone ever did.  Another ATR I know agreed to teach a Saturday lab when none of the regular teachers wanted to work.  That ATR was rewarded with an excess letter at the end of the semester.

Merit pay is the worst idea anyone could ever come up with. Not only will it not make people work any better, it will make them do less.  I know, the orphans I helped along the way would not have gotten that help if I watched others being rewarded for my efforts. 

I don't have an answer to fixing education.  Smaller classes would help.  More relevant curriculum's would be effective too.  And, not expecting everyone to be able to attend Harvard would be a step in the right direction.  The only thing I do know is that merit pay is something that will never work.

Go To Hell



Here's  a great way to attract quality teachers--Tier 6 Pension Plan.

Let's charge them more and give them less.  Let's face it, the politicians don't care about kids or any state workers for that matter.  All this stuff about teacher evaluations and a quality teacher in every classroom is just a load of malarkey as far as any of them are concerned.  This pension plan will keep quality people from ever entering the profession.

The GO TO HELL message comes straight from Governor I hate Unions Cuomo.

Empty Seat That Will Be Impossible To Fill

The last real AP at Packemin HS recently retired.  His departure is a great loss to the school. 

This AP was a real teacher.  He knew his material backwards and forwards and could always be counted on to know the correct answer and the correct way to teach.  He truly was a master teacher. The kids adored him and did well in his class.  He knew how to teach new teachers their craft.  The vacant spot he leaves will be impossible to fill.

This real AP did not get is certification in a weekend class.  He taught for more than 5 minutes before taking the reigns of his department.  Unlike at least one of the other ones, he passed his teaching exam the first time. 

The students at Packemin will be the real ones to suffer.

This administrator worked hard and has earned his well deserved retirement.  I wish him a long, happy, healthy stress free work free life.

Putin Said It All

"You pour diarrhea over me day and night."

Vladimir Putin

in a conversation with the editor or Ekho Moskvy

a liberal Moscow station.

I read this quote in the January 30, 2012 edition of Newsweek Magazine (I got a year subscription free from some site--don't ask me which one).  I had to post it.  I so hope a certain individual from Packemin feels I am doing this to him/her.



You Belong Behind Bars



Hey you guys in high school.  Stop patting yourself on the back for your math statistics.  You are doing a shitty job of educating the kids.  They are coming in to college, into classes where calculator use is prohibited and they are dying.  They don't know multiplication tables.  They can't divide.   Fractions and decimals are a new language to them.  You've done nothing but put a calculator in their hands and teach them to push a few buttons.  You took ninth graders who knew something and turned them into total dummies by the time they graduated.  You should be ashamed of yourself.

CUNY is now requiring kids to come in with three years of high school math and with a minimum score of an 80 on at least one of these exams.  If they don't have this, they must take a remedial class, a class to teach them everything you didn't teach in the four years you had them.  (Those who got the grade and skipped remedial are in real trouble.)  And, they have to use their brains, no calculators are permitted.  For all of you who pushed them to use the fraction button instead of forcing them to learn, for telling them not to worry about signs, the calculator would do that for them and for all other basic functions, you committed a criminal act.  And, to the AP who pushed the calculator when it came to solving equations, shame on you.  And shame on you too for the way you trained new teachers in your departments.  You threatened them with U ratings if they did not use a calculator every day and you pushed guess and check with multiple choice.  Colleges, as a rule, do not give multiple choice exams.

Kids today are no less intellectually endowed than they were years ago.  But you people setting education policies are.  You've fucked with their minds so much, you have ruined them.  You all got your good statistics.  You bragged and patted yourselves on the back for a job well done, but, you've done the crappiest job imaginable.  And now, the kids are paying.

(Forgive the rant. I get so upset when I see the educational neglect my college students have received all these years.  If a parent did this to a child, there would be major jail time.)

Two Left Feet



I can't do two things at once.  My brain won't allow me to use my left hand with my right foot and I can't remember when I should move forward or when I should move back and it is not the teacher's fault.  She is great.  She moves around the room, her eyes fixed on the mirror where she can model in front of the people that need the modeling the most.  Many of my students can't think and write at the same time.  I've had many students who are verbally excellent but fall apart as soon as their work must go on a piece of paper. Sure they say they multi task the things they are interested in, we all do, but I now understand their test taking problems a little better.

Active Participation Is Not For Everyone



Mr. Principal walked into Ms. Worrier's class.  He  noticed a class that was participating and actively involved in the lesson.  He also noticed Shyboy, a young man who did not speak once during the 15 minute drive by observation.  Mr. Principal asked the boy's name and then looked up his record on his I-pad.  He saw that Shyboy was a poor student.

Later in the day, Ms. Worrier got a letter requiring her to attend a meeting with Mr. Principal.  She couldn't think of anything she had done wrong, but her nature got the best of her.  As her stomach churned, she made her way to his office.

Once inside, Mr. Principal did commend Ms. Worrier on some of the things he saw.  She, however, looked in his eyes and saw the big but about to arrive.  Sure enough, without hesitation, it all came out.  Mr. Principal began reprimanding Ms. Worrier because Shyboy was not called on during the period.  She tried to explain Shyboy's fear of talking, his thick accent and his fear of getting the wrong answer.  She explained Shyboy had been a cutter and she didn't want to do anything to scare him off.  Mr. Principal didn't care.  He told her everyone should be forced to participate.

I was reminded of this incident during today's Zumba class.  I have two left feet and am as graceful as an elephant in a china shop.  I always stand in the back and try to stay behind a fat woman so I cannot even be seen in the mirror.  After 20 minutes, the teacher had everyone in the back move to the front.  I thought I would die.  I stayed several minutes and then slowly made my way back.  The teacher noticed and said nothing.  She came back a few times to offer help and encouragement, but she let me be.  I finished the class and plan on going to many more.  If she had made an issue about my position, I probably would have left and never returned. 

Ms. Worrier knew her student.  She knew the best way to reach him was to let him be.  She didn't scare him off by forcing him to do something he didn't want to do.  He worked hard in class and his refusal to speak had nothing to do with his learning.  Shyboy went on to pass the class and pass the regents.

Active participation is not for everyone.  Too bad administrators don't know that.  It is a shame Ms. Worrier was put on the spot, forced to unsuccessfully defend herself when she did what was best for the child.

The Widow

The woman with the terminally ill husband used her ten self treated sick days to care for him.  Although he was the one dying, she was physically ill as well.  The stress and strain of caring for him took a major toll on her health.  Now, he is gone.  Her sick days are gone as well.  After her week of bereavement she doesn't know if she will be able to face the classroom again right away.  She wonders what her future will be like without the man she loved.  She wonders if her job will hold up if she needs more time off to heal.

Memo_021 Or The Brilliance Of An Administrator (Sarcasm Intended)



This memo was disappointing--not too much fun stuff, but one line stuck out so I will share it here:

Spending two weeks to review old topics before teaching the new topics is probably not a great idea because you will have less time to teach the lessons.  Review also only works for students who forgot not those who did not learn

The man is brilliant. He knows review doesn't work with kids who know nothing to start with.  An AP, the master teacher of the department should have an answer. But, his students don't have this problem.  They all learn.  And, when they don't, they magically get transferred to another class.

(According to Yogi, he was smarter than the average bear, an overestimate of his intelligence.)

Appreciation



I covered a class in the college today and taught for the entire time.  The class was attentive and worked the entire time.   At the end, they thanked me for being there. The administration thanked me for coming in.

The people in charge of NYC schools can learn a lot from these community college kids.

It's not about the money.  A million dollars couldn't get me back in a high school.  Appreciation and respect is what does it for me.

Cut Throat Games



My mom loved playing games, especially with her children.  She helped me learned to recognize my numbers and then to count using decks of cards.  She taught me to add playing Casino.  She helped me improve my spelling, vocabulary and even arithmetic through Scrabble.  It was always fun playing with her.  Winning wasn't the ultimate goal, learning was. 

A friend just introduced me to Words With Friends, an Internet game, similar to Scrabble but different enough to avoid copyright infringement.  Remembering the days with my mom, I thought it would be fun, but it's not nearly as enjoyable as I anticipated.  My friend (I should say friends because I have several games going) play cut throat.  No one, including me, leaves an opening for anyone else.  I find myself passing turns rather than leave a possible opening. 

I guess competition is not for me.  I want to go back to playing games, learning some new words and just having fun.  I never knew that ae was a word and frankly, I don't care.  It is one I will never use.

ISS Personnel With The Same IQ As the Basic II Kids They Educate



A child with a 75 IQ does not belong in a college class, no way, no how.

Some idiot guidance counselor or ISS administrator decided that Ginny should go to college.  She probably had lots of assistance (in the past, this would have been called cheating) on state regents exams as there is no other way for her to have passed them.  The person in charge, with an IQ that is probably lower than Ginny's and without any morals only cared about the school's stats.  After all, who could it hurt if Ginny sat in college?  Didn't these imbeciles realize the damage they were doing to this poor girl?  Didn't they even think about the money her family was throwing in the trash?

We did exponents in my remedial class tonight.  Ginny couldn't even get the hang of 8^3 meaning 8 x 8 x 8, let alone get a correct answer.  I asked her if she had an IEP.  She didn't even know what one was but eventually she found a yellow paper that she was told to give her teachers for test accommodations.

I hate all this emphasis on statistics and worse than that, I hate the low lifes in charge who put their school's AYP before the children they are supposed to care about.

Over 50--Get Out



It's the same shit no matter where you teach in NYC.  If you are over 50, they are out to get you.

Dinner tonight got me talking to a friend who teaches in a grades k - 5 school.  She has been there for 18 years and was always well liked.  Well, her once excellent school is not even a good school any more and administration is worried about the C the school got on its last report card.  The AP knows he better start shaking up the place or he could very well become an ATR. It looks like the shake up is starting with her.

Friend is teaching a grade 2 class.  She has already recommended five of her students for ISS classes.  Recently, a boy from another country (English speaking) was placed in her class.  He cannot sit still.  He scribbles on every test instead of trying to do it (he doesn't even know his alphabet).  He fights with the other children.  Last week, he pushed another student into the closet and closed the door on him.  He pushed a girl to the floor and pounded her with his fists.  He has assaulted my friend.  She has written him up many times.  Nothing has been done for the child.  The cluster teachers have also written this boy up and still no help or guidance has come his way.

Friend was told she is to meet with her AP tomorrow afternoon.  The AP has written friend up three times so far this year.  Infractions include not having written differentiated lessons for this boy and for not keeping him engaged during the class.  Yes, Friend is being disciplined, not the student.  Friend says the school has no room for him in the ISS classes and will keep making excuses to keep him in  regular classes.

So far the write ups have not been file letters and every one of her observations have been satisfactory, and although she isn't worried, I am.  She is thinking the AP just wants to offer advice and help.  I hope she is right.

In My Blood



I have been enjoying my time off and thinking that maybe it is time to put down my chalk.  While not dreading going back, I wasn't exactly looking forward to my first class and waited until the last minute to open the book and see what I had to teach. 

I got out of my car and felt nothing except for a slight irritation at the woman who took the parking spot I wanted.  I walked into the office, said hello to the secretaries, made my copies and walked to class, still wondering why I was there instead of home.  And then, I saw the students waiting to go into class and something went off inside me.  I felt my apathy slowly change into enthusiasm.  When I put my books down and started talking everything changed.  It all came back.   I was where I belonged.

I didn't care that I was standing in front of remedial students instead of the pre-calculus students I had been promised.  I saw kids that wanted to learn.  I saw kids in need of help and I was ready and willing to give it.  I told them not to be ashamed of where they started.  There was nothing wrong with needing a little reinforcement.  After all, high school taught them nothing and they all agreed. 

I'm not going to get them all to succeed but I know I will get many to move ahead.  I am now looking forward to my next class.

Chihuahua Vacuum Cleaner

Last night some friends were sitting around reminiscing about the old days and somehow the topic of vacuum cleaners came up.  The guys were remembering the old Eurekas and how much suction they had.  They even remembered putting the hose up to their faces to suck their skin.

And then, one said to someone who couldn't remember "they looked like chihuahuas."  I know a chihuahua who sucks the life out of all the good people around her.  Yep, this vacuum was correctly named.

Retirement Questions



I got this e-mail from a retired teacher and reader.  she has lots of good points and questions I can't help her with so I am posting in hope of getting her some answers. 

Hi Ms. PO’ed,


I wanted to vent and didn’t know to whom to vent (sorry, I am an old English teacher). All the blogs are concerned with Bloomberg’s attempts to destroy education in New York as we know it and I can’t seem to find any that deal with the day-to-day complaints of our retired brethren. In fact, one of my formerly favorite bloggers seems threatened (his column this past week) by the retired teachers chapter members, afraid that if we vote in mass we will somehow make things worse both in the union itself and in the system.


I know you are (somewhat newly) retired and several of your followers are too. Do you know of any blogs that are specific to our needs?


My vents: 1) I paid into the 25/55 retirement plan for many years, confident that I would make it past the 25 years, even expecting to work beyond. But the sudden targeting of older teachers, the Principals Academy no-nothing principal I worked for, the lack of protection from the union, made all my plans go up in smoke. I went out after only 23 years. That means that the retirement figures bounce back to the 32 years model and the money I paid in goes for nothing. Why can’t we get that back? Since so many of us older teachers are going out early, being forced out by the Bloomberg policies, where is all that money going? Since I am now on a small fixed pension, smaller than I had ever dreamed because I went out early, I could so use that money. I emailed the retired teachers chapter leader, Tom Murphy, and got an email back saying he would look into it. I can’t possibly be the only retiree who has asked about it, can I?


2) I know that all the teachers are now being told they must use express scripts. I hate express scripts. I hate the idea that it is a monopoly and I have no choice. I hate that this badly affects neighborhood pharmacies trying to survive in this awful economy. I hate that even though I can get discount coupons from the drug companies that reduce my costs, express scripts will not honor them (the neighborhood pharmacies always did). I hate it taking up to 30 days to get my meds. I hate that I have to rely on the post office, which is on the verge of bankruptcy and is cutting services, to get me my much needed medicines.


3) Where did the deductible suddenly come from for lab tests? I thought the medical coverage (GHI) stayed exactly the same after retirement. I just received a denial letter on routine blood tests my husband and I got two weeks ago, saying I was responsible for the entire amount because my deductible had not yet been met. WTF? I have never, in all my years as a City employee, had a lab bill denied. And what does this mean when I go in later this year for some surgery? Will there suddenly be bills that wouldn’t have been there if I were still working? If so, why, if it is the same plan??????? And why does no one explain this? Nowhere is it written – all I find is that the medical coverage is the same after retirement.


4) Can anyone explain SHIP to me in laymen’s terms? Do I save all my doctors’ and lab bills and then submit them? Why? I am confused about the purpose of SHIP and what to do about it.


5) And finally but perhaps more important than the rest, why should it, in this era of computers, take 5 full months for them to get me my actual pension? I retired in the off-season, not at the end of a school year when so many others were putting in their papers. And, more to the point, why did they “tide me over” with less than half of my projected pension – I figured that my twenty-something daughter who works for little more than minimum wage was earning more than I was getting, certainly not enough for a person to live on! I know, I know, they give you interest on the monies, as the person at the pension office kept saying, but I had to take out loans to get through these five months! That is a sin! Why can’t they err on the side of the newly retired teacher?


Thanks so much for letting me vent. You know I am such a big big fan of your blog. If you want to use any of this in your blog, of course, feel free.


burntoutteacher

Frustration



Struggling to learn how to bid in bridge.  Moving left when you are supposed to be moving right in Zumba.  Throwing an arm when you should be lifting a foot in kick boxing.  Having that straight line you are trying to draw come out crooked.

Being unable to succeed--something some kids deal with every single day.  Everyone needs to experience this frustation to better understand what their students are going through.

Teach What Helps

Peter was a former special education student of mine with an IQ of 75.  In spite of his limited intellect, he learned how to cover up his disability.  He was a personable young man and easily got a job in a nearby fast food restaurant.  He worked hard and was promoted to manager, a job he did exceedingly well most of the time.  I say most of the time because he had a big problem when the computer that ran the register went out.  He couldn't make change and needed someone to help him out.

I remembered Peter today when a friend told me the story of a cashier who didn't know what to do with the dime he was handed when the change due was $9.90.  I told this friend the story and he was glad.  He never thought of people being too limited to even make change.  I then told him about a girl I taught several years earlier who would not ride the bus by herself because she could not count out the four quarters she needed for her fare.  No one would have guessed this about her.  She looked like you and me.

Things are different today.  These two students would probably be in an ICT class because some administrator or guidance counselor with an IQ slightly above that of those two kids decided it was right for them.  They would not be able to pass.  If by cheating some miracle they did pass, what good would it do them?  College should never be in their future.

I don't know what happened to the young woman but Peter's life has been a success.  He got a job sweeping floors at a major company.  The guys liked him and taught him to drive the truck, a job that paid a lot more money.  He married a registered nurse and became the father of two wonderful children.  He didn't waste time or money pursuing a college education, something he never could have completed.

Cheating Allowed--If You have The Title



You are teaching a class which is full of  kids who failed the previous term and need to do an online project  to earn back this credit.    You tell the students not to worry about learning anything new and encourage them to work on their assignment instead.  You even allow them to bring the questions up on the smart board which gives everyone in the room a chance to help do the assignment for them.

You might worry that your supervisor won't approve this activity, but the teacher doing this had no worry because, this teacher was the supervisor of the department.

(Actually witnessed this last semester.  The AP encouraged kids to do this.  No wonder 78% of CUNY freshman need remediation.)

Memo_015 In Its Entirety



There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call The Twilight Zone.

—Rod Serling

Entering the Twilight Zone of Packemin H.S. Math Department

For the students who only showed up for one part of the final exam, please prorate the part of the final they took and calculate the average if you wish to pass them, but leave the exam field blank. But if a student gets 38 out of 40 on Part II and their average is below 90, I would not count the final at all.

Nice, huh?  You can count the good grade for a 90 student but not for a student who hasn't done so well in the past and now has studied like a dog to make the grade.

 No student who failed the final exam in my class had a passing average because the grade we give is a performance indicator. 

Wow, isn't he wonderful.  I don't even know why he bothers to make his students take the final since he has magic powers to know who is passing before hand.

In some extreme cases, the only exam a student was able to pass was the final exam.

This is what happens when the same exam is given all day long--kids get the questions and answers in advance.  And, what message does it send the kid who studied his behind off and still fails the class?

 If a student’s average is in the low 60’s and the student has passed some exams during the term, s/he can be given a grade of 65 provided their final exam grade is at least 65. For students with a passing average who failed the final exam with grades higher than 57, you can give a grade of 65.  For students whose final grades are below 57, a grade of 55 should be given.

A child who scored a 57 is so much more prepared and knows so much more than the one who scored a 55 or a 56.  That 57 is such a meaningful number.

If a student is absent more than 15 times and you wish to issue a passing grade, please make sure you speak to me first. Such students certainly did not participate in class while they were out. The question you should ask yourself is –“if a student is absent so many times and the student is doing ‘satisfactory’ work, what have I taught in that class?”

There are kids that can pass, even when out.  We have all seen it. 

You have to decide on the 55 or 65 based on how much harder they will work when they see the grade. After all, you know your students.

Some teachers might actually have brains. Besides,  grades should be uniform and not based on what you think your students will do.

Once again, I would like to thank all the grade leaders for the work they did on the uniform exams. There are some issues with a few exams - not indicating clearly our expectations on how to solve a problem, easy problems and errors on the exams. Directions should always include “show all work whenever possible to receive credits.” I will check next time.

I can't believe Mr. Micro Manager actually missed something. 


And printed in its entirety so anyone wishing can view this memo without commentary:

January 23, 2012


I would like to wish everyone a happy lunar New Year to those who celebrate.


Once again, I would like to thank all the grade leaders for the work they did on the uniform exams. There are some issues with a few exams - not indicating clearly our expectations on how to solve a problem, easy problems and errors on the exams. Directions should always include “show all work whenever possible to receive credits.” I will check next time.


I would like to remind everyone of the following when giving grades for this marking period in the required courses (for graduation). If you are teaching an elective, please speak to me directly if you have any issues.





Thank you very much.


Memo_015

Some Actually Take Education Seriously

 

A former calculus student writes:

i feel like i go to a university where everyone from these non urban areas gets way to hyped up about going out every weekend. relax, it's not that serious. yes, i'm studying on a saturday night. i have a future set in my mind.

Blindness Instead Of A Senior Moment

I just read memo_015.  The title of this post is the subject of that e-mail. (I guess you had to be there to understand this.)  Thanks to the many people forwarding these beauts.

Get ready for a good one.  I have no time to do it justice now, so I will post it later.  These things should be in Ripley's Believe It Or Not.  I guarantee they are unbelievable.

Editiorial Comment



Bloomberg's plan to close A rated Maxwell H.S. and others like it because the city scores don't reflect the state standards is just another indication of how flawed this rating system is and how clueless Bloomberg is when it comes to education.

Bloomberg is a mean, vindictive ego maniac who cares about his agenda and his agenda only.  And the media that sucks up and buys into it is just as bad.

No matter what he says Bloomberg wants to keep the lower and middle class of NYC down.  He wants to create a class of workers who will be fit for no more than doing his bidding.  He wants to keep his ruling class elite.  It would be a stretch to put him in this group, but if there was a list of the ten most evil government officials, he would be on top.

DOE Hot Shots

Saw this sign and thought of all the people running the DOE right now.

Even A $20,000,000 Bonus Wouldn't Have Helped



Hard work and a desire to do well are just not enough to be a success at some things.  If I didn't believe this before, I would believe it now, after completing my first Zumba class. 

I'm looking for activities to fill my days.  While I am enjoying not working, I need to be in motion.  There is a limit to the amount of time I want to spend on the computer or reading.  My friends are doing mahjong and bridge but card games are just too sedentary for me.  When Living Social came up with a $20 coupon for 6 classes, I grabbed it, not knowing what I was getting myself into.

Being born with two left feet, and being extremely unathletic, I worried about looking the fool.  But, I learned I had nothing to fear.  The class had people from 20 to 70 years young, in all physical conditions and with varying levels of talent.  Everyone was so busy doing their own moves, no one had time to look and laugh at me.

The leader was a young man.  He demonstrated the moves and kept us going for an hour.  As we gyrated, he kept his eyes on the mirror, moving around the room and offering individual guidance to many of the needy students.  With 30 students in the class, it was impossible for him to give the individual attention I was desperate to have.  Oh, he tried all right but one teacher cannot successfully guide so many students.  Five minutes was the most time he could give me.

This was a fun class, no one was graded and really, the goal was to keep moving and get lots of exercise, which we all did.  The teacher really did a great job.  I don't know what he is paid, I'm willing to bet it is not very much, but he worked like a dog.  A huge bonus wouldn't get  him to do more.  If the class was smaller and he could have spent more time with me, I know he would have and I might have gotten a tad better.

I get why my Zumba class is big.  This is a business and profit is important.  Kids, on the other hand, are not a business.  They need smaller classes so they can get the attention they need to succeed.  Teachers, even the best, cannot give them what they need with class size as big as they are.  And, just like the Zumba teacher, public school teachers won't be able to do any more, even with the promise of a $20,000 bonus, something most will never see.

Footprints In The Snow

I keep telling my two little rescue cats how lucky they are to be indoors and not out in the ice and cold where they would have to scrounge for food.  I showed them these prints in the snow from the poor little ones that no one has saved.  I know they don't get it but that's okay.  They remind me of the Bloomberg and his cronies and the media.  They don't get education.  I just figured out why--they have cat sized brains!

Bummer



I was supposed to teach a pre-calculus class this term but after registration, I was given a remedial class. 

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the lower end work and I definitely don't have anything against the students but teaching this class is sometimes so depressing.

A remedy should heal, and should right a wrong.  But, how do you fix wrongs wrought by twelve years of inadequate education in just four months?  These students don't need a fix, they need an education.  They have been deprived of one for almost their entire lives. This emphasis on NCLB and teaching to the test has not taught them basic facts and it has not taught them how to think and process material.  To keep their schools afloat, Principals have instituted so many credit recovery programs that failing kids know they don't need to do a thing, or even show up for class for years and then, at the end, they will have a chance to get four years worth of credits in one year.  Believe me, I have seen it and, I am embarrassed to say, have been a party to it. (If I didn't do it, someone else would have.)  Several years ago, I had a class of seniors who had passed exactly one math class before they got to me.  I had them in a double period.  At the same time, many were going to night school and getting credit for the exact same class with a different code attached.  Kids would sleep through day school because they were tired from night time classes.  Then they would do their day time homework in night time classes.  The biggest farce was 27 out of 28 passed the regents that year.  I warned them that although they would graduate, they still had no math knowledge.  Six years later, there are some still floating around the community college trying to get though the remedial class.  Most have dropped out.

Another problem is that the kids come in expecting everything to be handed to them on a silver platter, like it was done in high school.  They miss exams and expect make ups.  They do not work without review sheets and other hand outs.  They are excessively late and absent.  They don't do homework.  And, they always expect to be given a second chance.  Last time I taught the class a young woman handed in a blank final and didn't understand why I wouldn't give her an incomplete instead of an F in the class.  High school has trained her to expect second, third, fourth,..., hundred,....thousand chance.

Then there are the ones who don't belong in remedial but screwed up the entrance exam.  Everything is so easy for them and I always feel bad about wasting their time and money (financial aid iis their money) on a course they don't need.  It is sad that there is no way out.

Lastly, the ones that break my heart are the good students who just can't get the work no matter how hard they work or how many hours of tutoring they sit through.  Face it, people are different, have different abilities and not everyone is meant to pursue academics.

The hardest thing is passing the borderline student.  Once they get through remedial, they move on to a class where they are expected to have basic algebraic skills.  Like a fish out of water, they can't survive and many don't.  I see this happening all the time.

Arthur Goldstein wrote a great opinion piece in today's Daily News about the demise of education under Bloomberg's reign of terror.  It will take at least an entire generation to repair the damage he has done to the students of NYC.

Why Do You Want This Job?



The retired teacher had the per session job for over 25 years.  He had tenure and retention and had never been rated anything other than satisfactory so it came as a shock when he was denied the position this September. He grieved.  The principal claimed the number of positions available had been reduced but this should not have been a problem because he had seniority over almost everyone in the system.  He went to the next step and the arbitrator had the nerve to ask why he wanted the job and why he wouldn't just give it up to a young person.  He smiled and said nothing.  He didn't have to.  He knows he has to win on the next step.

The process is dragging on.  When it finally ends, he will not only get back pay, he will get several sick days. The city will have lost thousands of dollars and children will have their education disrupted.

No one seems to care.  The whole idea is to make him miserable and leave.  He's not dong that.  He's not laying down quietly and passing away.

Reminded By The Snow

Today's snow reminded me of the Christmas House on 185th St and the pictures I forgot about.  Anyone who still wants to think about Christmas can find them here, on Facebook.

Use Them And Abuse Them



Several years ago, in an effort to get rid of high paid senior teachers, the state offered the 55-25 plan to encourage early retirement.  They needed our money to stay afloat and they wanted to lighten their payrolls.

Now the state is trying  to raise retirement age and do away with pensions.  In the interest of saving money, they want new workers to be unable to retire and collect.

They will just keep dumping on the us little people, using us to solve all their problems.

I Support Equal Rights For All



From the Facebook Page of a former student

Doing This Felt Really Good

Here

Bloomberg Overhauls Winter



The city has decided that, in order to save money and avoid the problems caused by last winter's snow storm, winter will now be cancelled.  Without winter, there will be no need for snow removal and millions of dollars will be saved.  The city will not be paralyzed and life can go on as usual.

Sounds ridiculous?  It is.  And just as ridiculous is the mayors plan to overhaul 33 struggling schools by replacing  up to half of their teachers.  The only difference is the mayor can ruin the lives of teachers.  He can't change the weather.  And, he can't improve education with this stupid plan.

NYC mayor pushes plan to overhaul 33 schoolsJanuary 18, 2012 by The Associated Press / KAREN MATTHEWS (Associated Press)

(AP) -- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg vowed Wednesday to move forward with his plan to overhaul 33 struggling schools and replace up to half of their teachers.
"The students in these 33 schools that we're talking about deserve effective teachers, as do all of our students in all of our 1,700 schools," Bloomberg said during a visit to the Urban Assembly School for Applied Math and Science in the Bronx.
Bloomberg announced the plan to effectively close the 33 schools and reopen them during his state of the city speech last week, saying the move would allow him to sidestep a battle with the United Federation of Teachers over teacher evaluations.
If state education officials accept Bloomberg's overhaul plan, they will free up nearly $60 million in federal aid that the 33 schools are supposed to receive.
Bloomberg said Wednesday that the money is important, but overhauling the schools is even more important.
"These are 33 schools that have not been performing," he said. "We have an obligation to the kids in those schools."
Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said hearings on closing and reopening the schools will likely take place in March or April.
"These children need to have high quality-schools, high quality teachers, plain and simple," Walcott said.
They spoke one day after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued his own challenge to unions over teacher evaluations.
Cuomo said Tuesday he would give school districts and unions 30 days to settle a lawsuit that is blocking a statewide teacher evaluation plan or he would draw one up himself. "Education really isn't an employment program for adults. It's an education program for the students," Cuomo said.
Bloomberg praised Cuomo's action and said the governor "understands the problem."
Asked if Cuomo might impose his evaluation plan on city schools, Bloomberg said, "I don't think the governor wants to do that yet. He wants each city to negotiate with its union."
Earlier, Bloomberg visited an English class and a physics class at the Urban Assembly school.
He told the English class that since he graduated from high school in 1960, he didn't remember much about the two books being discussed, "Of Mice and Men" and "To Kill a Mockingbird."
He told students in the physics class, "What I like about science is, there's a right answer and a wrong answer.