The best way to stop the creep of charter schools is the same way you stop a terrible candidate from ascending to elected office : Look at what they've done so far. I can't say enough about the Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman. And in watching how NYC Mayor -- and 11th richest person in the US with an estimated monetary worth of about 22 billion-- went around eliminating school boards and replacing them with one panel of "experts" and "reformers" to which he named 8 of the 13 "experts." From there they proceeded to overcrowd public schools by setting up charters inside of them and causing the two to fight for space. Not shockingly, teachers and parents both said it felt like a takeover. Let's keep this in mind next time the Chameleons want to flick their tongues and pick off Buffalo Public Schools instead of the hissing cockroaches that are said to make an excellent repast for the little fellows. I wonder if these edu-lizards are hoping they can at least score a compromise and inflict some charter "cohabitation" on Waterfront and East High School. Isn't that a pleasant little euphemism for mooching or overcrowding or taking over though? A Cohab might make the Principals of these two places balk as it would seem likely to reduce their negotiating power for more money as they were only able to deliver half a school. Question for parents and skeptics who still think teachers and their unions are the bad guys : When was the last time you saw a rich guy who gave a shit about public schools ? Well now that you see a whole bunch of them - Bill Gates, John effing Legend, Bloomberg and all of the Hedge Fund managers from Dumbocrats for Ed Reform -- are you street smart enough to ask what in hell are these rich white dudes up to? I really hope so because if you don't wonder then you're going to find out after it's too late to do anything about them.
P.S. Do your HW and read the above link about DFER but not on a full stomach. You'll see local hacks Antoine Thompson and Sammy Silver Spoon Hoyt both mentioned as beneficiaries of this crowd.
This did make my stomach take a turn. I read with joy the reaction the Chameleon group received on this blog and in Artvoice. Our union needs to be more proactive in educating all members about what they do for us in Buffalo, and what attacks are out there against us. With all this backdoor dealing going on to undermine us and our solidarity, someone needs to stand up and give teachers the real message of how we are in jeopardy. This blog is a great start. And I've been spreading the word about it at the SLO trainings this week.
ReplyDeleteHopefully more people read it and take note of the importance of the message.
Thank you.
Kevin,
DeleteI agree with you wholeheartedly. This blog is the ONLY game in town when it comes to discussing the important truth about what is going on right now in our district. The union is now, and has been, fighting the inanity of the avalanche of current NYSED laws and legislations that are overwhelmingly designed to crush public urban education. I only hope that our teaching staff is not waiting for superman, or the union, to inform them of current happenings. As teachers, we have an obligation to our students and to our profession to stay current on the actions of those who would see our profession debased and out schools privatized. Yes, it is an investment of time and work to keep informed. At this point in history, it is a moral imperative to keep informed and to be able to formulate a response to NYSED, the Chameleons, Arne and Obama, Broad and Gates, etc. etc. Keep advocating! And thanks to Sean for the time and effort spent on this blog.
I hadn't seen this Artvoice article until I read Kevin's post just now. Here is the link. Our friend Peg gets a nice mention in the article! Thanks Peg and Waterfront teachers.
Deletehttp://artvoice.com/issues/v11n29/week_in_review/school_colors
Thanks Kevin, I appreciate your input and your willingness to stand up and be counted. It bugs me that the waterfront teacher in Artvoice refused to give her name. Why ? Why are we the ones afraid to give OUR names when we are the ones stepping into the breach every day with some of the most troubled kids from the most poverty stricken and dysfunctional homes imaginable while these other fakes crow about "teacher accountability" and "the data." What bullshit, the game is all backwards and it's the wolves in sheep's clothing or the chameleons in caring nurturer's clothing who should be afraid to give their names. We're doing the job they are trying to hire people and pay them peanuts to do while collecting their little 30 pieces of tangible reinforcers. God I remember when I thought my biggest enemies were the Skinnerheads with their behavioral charts, chips and tokens. I pine for them now...
ReplyDeleteP Squared I am afraid Peg is going to try and take over my blog and turn it into a charter blog. She has data, she is well spoken and she could easily put me outta bidnit if I don't get my numbers up. I shut off the FB feed for last night and today to see if it made a difference. I truthfully don't know if it did but according to this counter we will have had 5000 hits since early July so I guess somebody must be wondering about edu ma cation in B-lo.
ReplyDeleteIt makes Hiser look like an ass after his remark when you started.
ReplyDeleteSometimes there is no reply because you've said it all!
I really am addicted to this blog ( and DR. Ravitch's.)
I wish I were still teaching ( but not the way it is now), so I feel like I'm still" with it" because of the teachers on this site.
Thanks to you..and "OUR Gang" on this blog.
In response to your statement that it "bugs" you that the Waterfront teacher did not want her name published, I have a a few comments. There are very real concerns as to why teachers should be careful about using their names in the media. For instance, many teachers are still afraid of the media after Williams and Oladele threatened teachers with dire consequences for ANY public comments in the media. And as you know, there are still nefarious forces in the district. Most teachers cannot afford to be cavalier about their careers. They are professionals, parents, husbands, wives, single earners, caretakers etc. etc.. Teachers know, and if they don't at this point, they SHOULD, that their jobs are precarious. The imminent conversion of Public Schools into charters will make those jobs even MORE precarious. The voices of dissent are few in our district. There is a culture of fear in education now with the 1% attempting to grab our buildings and jobs. The 1% are wealthy, ruthless, entitled and have the backing of NYSED, Cuomo, DFER dollars, Obama and Arne. A healthy dose of fear and self-preservation is a good thing. The local 1% would not hesitate to retaliate against a lone, brave teacher. Until more teachers become informed and involved, speaking out publicly is a scary, lonely, very brave act. That is where this blog comes in so handily! It seems like many are reading but it is hard to gauge the sentiment of the readers. So, keep on blogging. I for one, love those Waterfront teachers for the classy way in which they posed their questions to the Chameleons. They are the "models" for how to show up and represent.
ReplyDeleteOh, and in case you didn't know, my mama didn't name me Pineapple at birth. I'm verbose,opposed to charters and edDeform, but very careful, not stupid!
Ok PP i hear that. BUT: the other side has a foxnewslike asssult going 24/7 with their accountability memes and their insistence that they are the only adults who care about kids. Our silence is complicity and anonymnity is great at AA because there is a serious social stigma that goes with bad drinking. If enough of us say nothing do little and expect a few loudmouths to do all the heavy lifting these jobs we are protecting with our silence will be gone. We are buying into the idea that we are all of those lies they spread about us every time we try ducking tge radar. I just dont buy the premise that speaking truth on behalf of dedicated professionals is anything a teacher should be disciplined for. I am pretty syre I could find a laywer whod win on this too.
DeleteI'd bet a truck full of dollar bills that the deformers are paying attention to this blog...
ReplyDeleteI kind of respect the way E Martinez and his pal stepped up yesterday when i dogged their consulting operation in The News. Is it because they are guys? I notice nobody at deform ed ever fires back on anything and I am not sure if Sam Hoyt advised them not to or because its a group run by women that their tactics ate so different than the other place.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I "respect" E. Martinez' bland, self serving comment in response to yours in the News yesterday a whole lot. Nor would I characterize it as "stepping up", exactly. They may be "guys", I'll give you that, but where were all the "guys" at the Chameleon meeting last Saturday? Watching cartoons on TV? So, maybe the women actually do have some different "tactics". Those tactics are called "showing up" and "speaking up".
DeleteNow, Aaron Conners comment yesterday, I DO respect. And he's getting some pushback from the brave, respected E. Martinez today.
And the girls and boys at Buffalo Edreform operate at such a higher intellectual level than any Buffalo teacher that they do not even possess the coarse plebian words with which it to respond. They, like the children of Arne, Bloomberg, Gates, etc. have had the advantages of the private educations that all reformers and their children possess. When they read a comment in the News from a teacher, they simply whip out their iphones and text LOL to their Ivy League sisters and brothers.