Ed Notes Online
Fred Smith Calls Farina on Field Test Waste of Learning Time
From Schoolbook. Go Fred. No time now but I will add to this later about the Bronx teacher who was fired years ago because 4 of his 8th grade classes refused to take the field tests. Search ed notes for Doug Avella if interested. I've been too busy with the contract stuff so have neglected the great work Fred and CTS people have been doing around this absolute waste of time where kids and teachers
JUN 05
Loretta Prisco
With a heart broken open with love, I let my community know that my mother, Loretta Elinor Prisco, transitioned to spirit side last evening. She was full of grace, light, intelligence, and a deep sense of justice. She taught me to see situations from multiple angles, and to consider others' points of view. She courageously chose life, while simultaneously grieving and facing a painful and difficul
UFT Contract: Why Union Officials Owe Ellen Fox, Me and MORE
View from my deckOh, what I gave up to spend 2 days observing the vote count as a MORE rep. (I'm still redoing my ravaged garden from Sandy.) The UFT owes Ellen and I bigtime. Here's why.A call came in last night (I'm paraphrasing): "Norm, if not for your ed notes piece on the count being honest the people in my school - almost 100% NO - would be ready to storm UFT HQ over what looks like a
Exposing the Charter School BS About Demographics
I saw this a few weeks ago and it reinforces the case that hook or crook, charters skim the cream despite claims all the kids in public and charters come from the same demographic and socio-economic status. Any teacher who works(ed) in public schools in certain neighborhoods, like I did in East Williamsburg (old-style) for 35 years saw how different kids from the same projects could be. Since clas
JUN 04
UFT Contract Vote Lessons: Number 1- Unity DID NOT STEAL THE VOTE
You know why Unity didn't steal the vote? BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO. (The first in a series of LESSONS - directed at the oppositionists to Unity - based on what I learned this time in the context of what I've known for the past 44 years.) 14 color cards for 9 bargaining units - why? beats me.The emails started coming yesterday afternoon. Skeptics about the vote being real. People looking for ch
JUN 03
Support Leonie Haimson Class Size Matters By Attending Skinny Awards Dinner
Time out from contract vote reporting for a word for a worthy cause. OK. It's time to ante up for Leonie and the great work she does in all our interests. And to support the awardees - the great Patrick Sullivan who single-handedly fought the evil forces in all his years on the PEP. And to honor great principals everyone wishes they could work for - Carol Burris and Liz Phillips.If you are going
UFT Contract: Vote Predictions - Will the NO Voters Spark an Anti-Unity Movement?
Anyone for 80-20? 70-30? 60-40? How about 75-25?(I scheduled this to be posted at 3PM, the rough time the vote count is expected to be announced. I will be there.)Many of the bloggers have been out there predicting.Mr. Talk Predicts: 2014 Contract Passes in a Landslide Perdido Street School UFT Contract Vote: Predictions And The Roadmap For The Future - Urban Ed is relatively optimistic:My C
UFT Contract: Will OT/PT Chapter Turn it Down?
UFT leaders seem worried this will happen. What are the implications if the UFT has to go back to the bargaining table?I scheduled this to go up around 10AM when I will be on the subway.I mentioned this in this morning's first post (UFT Contract: A Day At the Count - What I Learned - Updated) but didn't want to see this get lost in that sea of words: That it is likely that the Occupational/Physi
UFT Contract: A Day At the Count - What I Learned - Updated
Before heading over for today's vote count, which I hear will be released at around 3PM, let me give a report of what happened at yesterday's count.(I will be sending updates based on rough batch counts to the MORE and ICE listserves but probably won't be able to post on ed notes unless I find wi-fi access.) Yesterday, Ellen Fox and I spent a few hours at the AAA a few blocks north of UFT HQ in a
JUN 02
UFT Contract - Dissecting MORE Contract Discussion Happy Hours: Should Unity be Worried?
I spoke and asked if there were any next steps since after Tuesday, when the contract will most likely pass, it will all be over. She turned to me with a defiant stare, shook her head and said, "No! It isn't." One of the "benefits" of the recent contract struggles is how the consciousness of so many rank and file teachers has been raised. Not only about the contract itself, but
MAY 31
My Friday: Hot Yoga, Set Construction at Rockaway Theatre Co, MORE Happy Hour
This past Friday I had a busier day than I had when I was working. I need a break. If I unretire and go back to the DOE can I get that thousand buck bonus if I vote YES on the contract? So hot yoga - Bikram yoga - is one of the harder things to do and after losing 3-5 pounds in an hour and a half (and gaining it all back) you feel parts of your body are no longer connected. I would be the Tin Man
Ipswitch Kids Want to be Paid for Taking Field Tests
No testing without compensation! Ipswich is not far from Boston harbor. This has tremendous potential! Imagine if dozens or hundreds of schools caught on to the idea that students field testing products of for-profit companies should be paid; kids all over the country start sending bills to state officials. ... Jeff N. What I found so great about this story is that the teacher made an off-hand com