With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week
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Dear President Obama:As a scholar in African American History and a teacher and coach formore than 45 years- it is my unhappy duty to inform you that youreducation polcies have contributed to the lowest morale among teachers that I have seen in my lifetime, while failing to narrow gaps inopportunity or achievement based on race or class.You may not believe me, but if you were, as I am, in daily contactwith thousands of teachers from inner city to suburb to small town, youwould be as worried as I am. Judging teachers on the basis of studenttest scores, as your Race to the Top policy requires, h
Dear Governor Christie, Yesterday I took the opportunity to come hear you speak on your campaign trail. I have never really heard you speak before except for sound bytes that I get on my computer. I don't have cable, I don't read newspapers. I don't have enough time. I am a public school teacher that works an average of 60 hours a week in my building. Yes, you can check with my principal. I run the after-school program along with my my classroom position. I do even more work when I am at home. For verification of this, just ask my children. I asked you one simple question yesterday. I wanted t
To My Students, I did not return to the classroom this year and I want to apologize. I am truly sorry for having left you. It was the hardest decisions I have ever made. I want you to understand why I left. It had nothing to do with you. I still love you and believe in you. You are still amazing and you can do anything you want to do. I did not give up on you. I left to fight for you. I saw you struggling with Common Core skills. Even with the new curriculum from the district, no matter how I broke it down for you I could see you didn’t understand. I saw the fr
NOV 24
Message to Food Critic Frank Bruni- Who Fancies Himself an Education Expert
As a coach and teacher for more than 45 years, I always wonder at the "chutzpah" of those who have not worked closely with children who feel they know what serves their needs better than lifetime educators. The most effective educators-- and coaches- start with the personalities and talents of the children in front of them and try to inspire them to achieve to the best they are capable o
NOV 23
50 Years Later: My Thoughts on JFK's Assassination
I was a 17 year old sophomore at Columbia College when JFK was assassinated. I was walking up the steps of Low Library toward my art history class when I got the news, Like many of my classmates, I was stunned, and watched the funeral and subsequent events with them on televisions in the student lounge in my residence hall.But unlike many of my classmates, I had a larger narrative in which to plac
NOV 21
The Teacher as An American Hero
One of my major goals as a spokesperson for BATS is to create an image of the pubic school teacher as a New American Hero, a woman or a man who, in the face of overwhelming pressure decides to stand up against attacks on childhood, the erosion of civil liberties, and the wholesale intimidation of American workers on the job. BATS are people of courage who refuse to accept turning schools into trai
NOV 17
10 Things BATS Know About Common Core- Official Statement
10 Things BATs Know about Common CoreINTRODUCTORY STATEMENTBATs continue their fight against the CCSS. We do not believe in a “one-size” fits all standard for education and we do not believe in a top down federal approach to control education for profit. BATs fight the CCSS for a variety of reasons but specifically we know that the CCSS doesn’t make up good education and will not fix, nor lower,
