Truth
in Education. . .
Another
school year came to an end this week for my students and me. As always it was a year filled with
challenges and successes. Even as I see
myself becoming one of the "most veteran" (a kind way to say oldest)
educators in my building I still have new experiences and learn so much from my
students, families and colleagues.
Educators are constantly learning, refining and improving our practice,
our skills and our knowledge as we seek to become the best we can for our
students.
The
problem is that more and more our efforts are being degraded and discounted by
a significant portion of the population, and an even greater portion of those
elected to represent the citizens of our different communities fail to understand
the realities of education. "Common
sense" and logic are being applied to public schools in ways that are
either misleading, or simply blatant lies.
This results in a level of frustration and anxiety for educators that
undermines our efforts and erodes our morale.
We are portrayed as the enemy, or as incompetent failures when the truth
is very different.
We
are victims of a divide and conquer strategy that has created an image of
educators as part time employees who are paid full time salaries. The efforts to undermine public support of
educators and to destroy confidence in our public schools and public educators
has focused on creating jealousy around the wages and benefits we receive while
focusing on the perceived ineptness of our schools to educate students.
This
strategy relies on confusing the public and misrepresenting the facts about
public education in order to succeed. It
has been successful in changing the tone and tenor of the discussion about our
public schools and has been effective in portraying our schools in negative
ways. However, the reality that exists
in our schools is quite different from what education "reformers"
would have people believe.
Certain widely-shared myths
and lies about education are destructive for all of us as educators, and
destructive for our educational institutions. I want to focus on eight of the
myths that I think are relevant to most teachers,...
edutopia.org
A
few truths about education to get your summer started.
Policies based on fear are poor policies.
We
have become a nation that reacts to change in a tentative way at best, but
usually in a fearful and anxious manner.
It seems like we are always either on the brink of disaster, or already
down the path to the destruction of all that we value. It is true that the world is a competitive
and challenging place. However, our
nation has the resources and the ability to compete in a global market if we
choose to embrace the challenges that exist.
The idea that we need to return to the 1950's or even the 1780's is a
concept that limits our ability to grow and improve as a nation. We should have pride in the philosophy that
our nation is founded on, but also need to recognize that the strength of our
nation is our diversity and flexibility not a static set of ideals that stifle
opportunity for all citizens.
Nothing should ever get in
the way of bathroom breaks for students, right? Think again. In early-January,
an administrator from a Chicago
public school sent a letter to her staff about “new...
www.taughtbyfinland.com
This climate of fear
causes our conversations to continually focus on what we don't have or on how
we will suffer instead of looking at the realities that we face. We limit our thinking and fail to see the
possibilities that exist. We also narrow
our vision and see alternative viewpoints as threats instead of potential
improvements to our ideas.
The debate that has
erupted over the MMSD Student Senate proposals regarding the budget for next
year is an excellent example. We are
fortunate to have a well informed and extremely articulate group of students
who have strong opinions, represent their peers well, and who base their
arguments in research and data. The
public response that we should ignore them because they're kids is ridiculous
and short-sighted. Policies like the
Tech Plan should be debated and reviewed on a regular basis. We need to be very sure of what we are doing
before we commit such significant resources to any plan or proposal.
Student Senate members also
recommend that taxpayers absorb the cost of...
madison.com|By
Lee Enterprises
The Tech Plan debate also
highlights a significant problem in America today. The comments of a few on-line participants is
given as much voice as the researched and documented proposal of the Student
Senate. Because we live in a society
where comments can be posted on any issue and shared widely we get a distorted
perception of public opinion. A few
inflammatory and confrontational comments can help foster a climate of
ignorance and fear. The media fuels this
by giving those writing comments a forum and recognition of their opinions that
go beyond what is merited. Participation
in debate is a cornerstone of democracy, however, sensationalizing and profiting
from the process is harmful and limits our ability to really engage in
important conversations.
Some wondered if teachers had
shaped student ideas, while taxpayers were both opposed to and in favor of
paying more to save families from school lunch and student fee hikes.
madison.com|By
Lee Enterprises
Public educators and public employees
contribute to the economic stability and success of our society.
If you've received a
mailing about the supposed successes of Act 10 recently you would think that
the changes made to collective bargaining rights and the ability of educators
to negotiate with their employers were the greatest thing to happen since
sliced bread. However, all of the
rhetoric around "reforms" like Act 10 ignore the contributions that
public servants make both as professionals, and as a vital part of the
economy.
A new report from the
nonprofit research group In the Public Interest shows that outsourcing public
services hurts middle and working class...
Truthout|By
Mary Bottari
Report shows that workers
employed by state and local government...
inthepublicinterest.org
Market-based education reform
has become a mainstay of American...
Salon
We work hard for the money.
Education isn't an easy
field to be employed in. Educators
aren't martyrs, but we do deserve the support and respect of our community and
policy makers.
You probably think to
yourself what a lovely place to learn for your child....
The Huffington Post|By Carla Friesen
The end of the school year is
approaching, so we’re checking in again with...
wuwm.com|By
Ann-Elise Henzl
There is an obvious effort
to defund our public schools across America.
Public schools have struggled
during the long, slow economic recovery. On...
FiveThirtyEight|By Ben Casselman
We know that educators
aren't alone in our struggles to make a living in our current economic
climate. Instead of fighting amongst
ourselves, working and middle class Americans should find ways to unite.
Why "efficiency"
and "productivity" really mean more profits for...
Mother Jones
Experience matters!!
It's become popular to
make the claim that educator experience isn't a significant factor in student
achievement. This makes about as much
sense as the idea that class size doesn't matter. These claims come from people who have an
agenda that focuses on other things that actual student achievement. Young educators cost less and this is one
major goal of many "reformers."
Young educators frequently don't have strong connections to educator
unions. They aren't as likely to have the
experience and knowledge to speak out about reforms that are too often bad for
kids, or are simply old ideas repackaged and boxed up for profit, not
performance.
Scarcity of experienced
educators is not a chance development, and it is...
america.aljazeera.com
This isn't to say that
young educators aren't capable, or that there aren't new educators who are vocal
advocates for their students. What is
happening is that we are seeing a concerted effort by "reformers" to
try and weaken the power of educators.
This is done by eliminating the current leaders in schools, just look at
how "reforms" like Act 10 have changed the demographics of Wisconsin educators.
It is also done by making classroom work a stepping stone to more
prominent, better paying jobs in education, like administration or
consulting. Educators without experience
who are not planning on staying in a school system for extended periods of time
focus on short term goals and building a resume. Our students shouldn't be vehicles for
self-promotion, they deserve better than that.
There are several ways
that "reformers" are working to eliminate veteran educators from the
profession. Eliminating
"tenure" is one of the key components to this movement. Those who support this effort celebrated a
win in California
this week.
California court rules teacher tenure creates unequal
conditions, amounts to civil rights violation.
Judge finds tenure amounts to
civil rights violation, ruling could have broad implications...
Washington Post
The trouble is that the
victory for "reformers" comes with a heavy price for students and
educators. The fact that the decision
was based on misleading information and could result in changes that will harm
students is troubling. The idea that our
best educators will work in the toughest conditions without the support of
policy makers and the general public is a false hope. Educator unions and the concept of seniority
can be used to improve education in ways that charter schools and
"free-market" education never can.
Alex Caputo-Pearl, president
elect of United Teachers Los Angeles, takes...
Common Dreams
Tuesday's ruling by Los
Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu declaring...
latimes.com|By
Los Angeles Times
You can tell a lot about
the true nature of any educational decision or policy by looking at those who
support the changes.
A California ruling against tenure shows that
educators should be rewarded.
Washington Post
Remember that five-story
billboard five-story billboard in Times Square
in December 2013 and the accompanying full-page ad in the New
York Times blaming American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Pres...
deutsch29
Schools
and society in general are interconnected and interdependent.
Our public schools are a
part of the fabric of our nation. We
can't separate what happens in our schools from what is going on outside of our
classroom walls. To try to do so is to
ignore the realities that exist and the obvious connections between schools and
the communities they serve. Until we
start to work on addressing the many challenges that our society faces in a
comprehensive and proactive manner we will continue to struggle. Our schools are a visible measuring stick for
the success or failure of our entire society.
The only other Oregon entry on the list stems from a Feb. 7 incident at Bend High
School. A...
www.oregonlive.com
The
Good, The Bad and
The
Ugly. . .
The Good . . . While there is still a lot of work to be done, at least the
conversation is starting to become more prominent in places where decisions can
be made. Student loan debt is crippling
many people's ability to enjoy the benefits that higher education can provide
them personally, and it is crippling our nation's ability to benefit from the
expertise, training and knowledge that these individuals acquire.
The move is the latest effort
by Democrats, including many in Wisconsin,...
madison.com|By
Lee Enterprises
The Bad . . . Of
course Walker's
views on Marriage Equality matter. As
the chief executive of our state he is responsible for enforcing the laws and
policies of our government.
OAK CREEK, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says his
personal...
madison.com|By
Lee Enterprises
Instead of coming out and
making a clear statement about his beliefs, he simply has used the Attorney
General's office to advance his agenda.
On the other hand, Walker certainly doesn't
want any attention paid to his stance on social issues given the struggles that
he is facing trying to convince Wisconsinites that his economic policies are
working for our state. At least with
economics he can attempt to mislead and confuse voters.
But by any measure, Scott
Walker’s WEDC has failed in its mission to elevate “Wisconsin’s economy to be the best in the
world.”
madison.com|By
Lee Enterprises
The Ugly . . . The Conservative ideals of freedom and independence only work when
individuals are capable of exercising their rights and have an equal ability to
succeed. Those who suffer from issues
around mental health need the support and advocacy of others to fully
participate in our society. Ignoring
this reality only pushes issues on to other agencies or creates challenges for
communities.
Gov. Scott Walker missed the
deadline Monday to name all members to a new board to oversee mental health
care in Milwaukee
County.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|By Meg
Kissinger
It isn't only GOP
candidates who accept and rely on big money donations. Too many of our politicians are beholden to
special interests who purchase votes. We
just happen to have a blatant example of a "bought" politician here
in Wisconsin.
Rep. Vance McAllister (R-LA)
openly acknowledged on Thursday that...
Talking Points Memo
No sooner had Mary Burke
pulled even with Scott Walker in the polls than...
thedailypage.com
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