11-11-13 Fred Klonsky | Running for our pensions. | VOTE 4 Fred Klonsky

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

John Dillon’s to-do list.

John Dillon is a friend and pension blogger. His blog can be found here. Snow is falling outside the window; most of the leaves have fallen or been blown into the neighbor’s yard.  They rake mine, and I rake the family’s on the other side of my home. Traditions. Thanksgiving comes late this year, and Christmas will follow quickly after.  Legislators in Springfield are spreading speculations of a

by Fred Klonsky / 10min 

The in box. “”Characterizations that affected unions negotiated and agreed to Senate Bill 1523 are inaccurate.”

We Are One: “Characterizations that affected unions negotiated and agreed to Senate Bill 1523 are inaccurate. The bill was not the final product of any negotiations. Furthermore, SEIU Local 73, a coalition member which represents 80% of the affected employees and retirees, opposes the bill, as does our coalition. “SB 1523 unfairly slashes constitutionally-protected pension benefits and harms the r

by Fred Klonsky / 7min 

Tony at the Red Line Tap.

  “Who are you? Where’s Marty?” “I’m Sean. Marty quit.” “Quit? How come.” “She got hired to host a show on public access channel in some town in Iowa. It is going to be like Check Please! Different people reviewing restaurants.” “In a small town in Iowa? How many restaurants can there be?” “I told her that. But she said that it’s a local public access show. Nobody watches anyway. They may just do

by Fred Klonsky / 8min 

Park District union opposes pension cutting bill.

There has been confusion as to whether SEIU local 73 which represents Chicago Park District employees agreed to Bill 1523. They did not, calling it “a devastating pension reform bill.” There is concern that the Madigan bill will be used as a template for cutting state employee pensions. Here is the SEIU local 73 statement: On November 6, the Illinois legislature passed Senate Bill 1523, a devastat

1 by Fred Klonsky / 46min 

The in box. Benefits with strings attached.

Patrick Yeagle, The Illinois Times A new package of health benefits for state retirees comes with a string attached: an audit to make sure every dependent on the new plans is eligible for coverage. But some retirees say the audit is skewed to kick people off of the rolls. Historically, state retirees have paid deductibles and other costs for their state-provided health insurance, but they haven’t

by Fred Klonsky / 1h 

Dad was a veteran of two wars.

Robert Klonsky. Between his two wars. Dad was a veteran of two wars. In 1936 at the age of 17 he fought at Jarama. The Spanish Civil War. And six years later he fought in the Pacific. The Second World War. “Your dad fought in the Spanish-American War?” The Spanish Civil War. “With Teddy Roosevelt?” With Steve Nelson. Irv Goff.  Against Franco. “Franco?” General Francisco Franco. A pal of Hitler a

32 by Fred Klonsky / 2h 

11-10-13 Fred Klonsky | Running for our pensions. | VOTE 4 Fred Klonsky

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: A pension bill by December 5th. Corrections and updates.A few days ago I posted about the prospect of The Gang of Ten having a COLA busting bill ready for a special General Assembly session on December 5th. I said I was skeptical. But I have since been corrected on several factual points. I thought th

2 by mike simpson / 4h 

Is Loki after YOUR PENSION? You Need The Pension Avenger

Big Education Ape: 11-10-13 Fred Klonsky | Running for our pensions. | VOTE 4 Fred Klonsky: Is Loki after YOUR PENSION? You Need The Pension Avenger11-10-13 Fred Klonsky | Running for our pensions. | VOTE 4 Fred KlonskyFred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: A pension bill by December 5th. Corrections and updates.A few days ago I posted abo

2 by mike simpson / 15h

11-11-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL:

New Resources On Student Motivation

Here are some new resources on student motivation. I’ll be adding this post to The Best Posts & Articles On “Motivating” Students: 14 Videos for Starting Dialogue on Rethinking Rewards, Awards is a must-see post from Chri Wejr. Sandy Millin has a good post titled Motivation Stations (including student hand-outs) that is specifically geared to motivation for learning a second language. When 3+

6 by Larry Ferlazzo / 22min mark as read  //  save

Three Lessons For ELLs On The Importance Of Being Bilingual

Sean Banville’s great website Breaking News English has three good lessons on the importance of being bilingual: Can learning another language keep your brain healthier? Being Bilingual Boosts Brainpower Half of Europe’s citizens are bilingual I’m adding them to The Best Resources For Learning The Advantages To Being Bilingual.

9 by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

“The Ten Ways Blogs…Are Used In Schools”

Sue Waters has just published a very useful post over at The Edublogger titled The Top 10 Ways Blogs and WordPress Are Used in Schools. If you are a blogger, are considering starting a blog, or just want to learn more about blogging, that’s the post where you should start. You might also be interested in these resources: Resources From All My Blogs The Best Sources Of Advice For Teachers (And Oth

3 by Larry Ferlazzo / 1min 

Twitter Chat on My New Book Starts Today #classmgmtQA

Regular readers of this blog know that Education Week recently published a eBook collection of posts from here on classroom management and student motivation.  It’s titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching. It also includes new material, and you can read an excerpt from the book that appeared in The Washington Post.  Also, Middleweb has recently published a review. I’ve

by Larry Ferlazzo / 22min 

More Resources On Veterans/Armistice Day

Here are new additions to The Best Websites To Learn About Veterans Day: Remembrance Day: The 10 greatest paintings of war is from The BBC. Why Do We Celebrate Poppy Day is from English With A Twist. America’s veterans: Who they are is from The Washington Post. Why Veterans Day is on Nov. 11 is from The Washington Post. Veterans Day: Resources To Embrace, Engage, And Educate is from The ASIDE blo

7 by Larry Ferlazzo / 32min 

The Best Resources For Geography Awareness Week

Thanks to Richard Byrne, I’ve been reminded that Geography Awareness Week is November 17th through the 23rd this year. Here’s a description of the week’s origin: Each year more than 100,000 Americans actively participate in Geography Awareness Week (GeoWeek). Established by presidential proclamation more than 25 years ago, this annual public awareness program organized by National Geographic Educ

6 by Larry Ferlazzo / 31min 

Quote Of The Day: “The Myth of Teachers Not Changing”

The Myth of Teachers Not Changing is a new post by Larry Cuban. Here’s an excerpt:

17 by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h mark as read  //  save

Teaching English With Lucha Libre

My latest New York Times post for English Language Learners uses the Mexican wrestling phenomenon called Lucha Libre in a speaking, writing, and reading activity. A student interactive, video & teaching ideas are included….

5 by Larry Ferlazzo / 2h 

YESTERDAY

This Week In Web 2.0

In yet another attempt to get at the enormous backlog I have of sites worth sharing, I’ve recently begin a regular feature called “The Week In Web 2.0.” It’ll be a short compilation of new decent sites that are worth noting, but maybe not necessarily worth a separate post and generally — though not always — not worthy of being on a “The Best…” list (let me know if you think I’m wrong in my assess

11 by Larry Ferlazzo / 7h 

11-10-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Updated Resources On Typhoon HaiyanHere are new additions to The Best Resources For Learning About Typhoon Haiyan: Philippine super typhoon kills at least 10,000, official says is from Reuters. Death toll likely to exceed 1,000 after typhoon slams Philippines is from CNN. Philippine Death Toll Feared In Thousands is from Th

by mike simpson / 9h

11-11-13 teacherken at Daily Kos

teacherken at Daily Kos:

The country is doing better than you think

so opines Eugene Robinson in this op ed for Tuesday's Washington Post. It is crammed full of data to make the argument.  He begins like this:   The economy is growing much more quickly than expected. Inflation is basically nonexistent. The federal budget deficit has been slashed dramatically. The stock market is reaching all-time highs. One of our long-running wars is over, and the other is windin

3 by rss@dailykos.com ... / 24min 

VA AG - the math is simple, and devastating

as many of you probably know, Democrat Mark Herring went ahead today (although not yet on the state website) as a result of actions in Richmond. Going in to today, Obenshain led by 17. As expected the missing machine with a net of 116 for Herring was accepted. There were net 16 other additions for Herring. As of earlier today, Herring has, at least theoretically, a 115 vote lead (I am going to use

14 by rss@dailykos.com ... / 7min 

Update on VA-AG race

State Board of Elections website this evening changed from Obenshain by 55 to Obenshain by 17.  People have been digging through to account for the 38 vote change.  We knew that 11 was from Richmond City provisionals, H 15 O 4 = +11H The rest came from Precinct 606, which had corrections of Herring +30 and Obenshain +3 for a net of +27. 55 - 11- 38 = 17. Still NOT in state is Richmond Precinct 501

16 by rss@dailykos.com ... / 9h 

11-10-13 teacherken at Daily Kos

teacherken at Daily Kos: An explanation of dispute on Fairfax County provisionals in AG raceFairfax County Virginia has had a practice that allowed those casting provisional ballots on election day to sign documentation allowing party or candidate organizations to allow them to represent the voter when the provisional was being considered.  The state election board decided that this was in violati

by mike simpson / 9h 

With A Brooklyn Accent: Why BATS is Militantly Pro-Union as Well As Against Common Core

With A Brooklyn Accent: Why BATS is Militantly Pro-Union as Well As Against Common Core:

Why BATS is Militantly Pro-Union as Well As Against Common Core

Unions are the best protection for the living standards of workers and the best defenders of workers rights at the workplace. The powerful interests who have worked to undermine unions and drive union membership from 35 percent of the work force when i was growing up to less than 13 percent today have helped transform the US from the most equal nation in the industrialized world to the most unequal. Teachers unions are a bulwark against the massive destruction of the nation's shrinking middle class as well as a force defending public education and public schools. They also protect teachers against 

With A Brooklyn Accent Go BATs All Week 11-9-13

With A Brooklyn Accent: Powerful Speech to Her Local Rotary Club by a North Carolina Teacher...Cristi Lackey Julsrud Hi BATs! As my school's teacher of the year, I was invited to speak at our local Rotary Club for their monthly luncheon. The people there were representatives from the business community. I was supposed to talk about my school, and myself , and my teaching, and how everything is all

by mike simpson / 10h 

11-11-13 Wait What?

Wait What?:

Hartford’s Clark Elementary School Community says “NO” to takeover

Achievement First, Inc. the large charter school company that was co-founded by Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor, is continuing their campaign to get the Hartford Board of Education to close the Clark Elementary School and hand it over to the charter school operator. In response, Hartford parents, teachers and community residents are fighting […]The post Hartford’s Clark E

3 by jonpelto / 38min 

Mr Excessive Absences, Steve Perry, will be out again on Thursday.

This time he is speaking at Rutgers on the topic of “Why Aren’t Students Ready? Barriers to College Access for America’s Youth” at 10:00 am–11:15 am. As fellow pro-public education blogger, Jersey Jazzman notes in his recent post, “nice to see Rutgers University – perhaps the most important center for teacher training in the state […]The post Mr Excessive Absences, Steve Perry, will be out again o

4 by jonpelto / 1h 

Malloy Administration turns Connecticut’s Freedom of Information law into a joke

Hartford Courant columnist Kevin Rennie has unearthed what might be the most serious attack on the public’s right to know in modern times. In a weekend article entitled “Private Emails Hide Work Of Malloy’s Administration,” Rennie reveals “The Malloy administration has created a far-flung network of private email accounts to conduct the public’s business.” Rennie […]The post Malloy Administration

11 by jonpelto / 2h 

11-10-13 Wait What?

Wait What?: Curiouser and curiouser! – It was said down in the rabbit hole…The Connecticut Post has the latest chapter in the Vallas in Wonderland installment with a news article entitled, “Vallas may be going but Moales is not.” Bridgeport Board of Education members received their packet for Tuesday’s upcoming meeting.  Inside was a three page letter from Board Chairman Kenneth Moales, Jr. Highli

by mike simpson / 7h 

11-11-13 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

Record number of foreigners study in U.S. while more American students go overseas

A record number of foreign students are enrolled at American colleges and universities in 2012 — led by hundreds of thousands of Chinese — while, at the same time, more American students are studying abroad than ever before, according to a new report. The annual report, released Monday by the Institute of International Education,  says […]    

3 by Valerie Strauss / 49min 

John Lennon’s ‘bad boy’ behavior: School detention records up for sale

I’ll use any excuse to write about John Lennon, but here’s a really good one:  Twice, John Lennon earned three detentions in the same day when he was a young student at  Quarry Bank High School for Boys in Liverpool, according to school detention records being auctioned. According to this story in the Independent (which is […]    

1 by Valerie Strauss / 33min 

America’s veterans: Who they are

Here are some facts and figures explaining who America’s veterans are, when they fought, and more. This is courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau, which puts out data on major American holidays every year. Veterans Day 2013: Nov. 11 Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end […]    

10 by Valerie Strauss / 23min 

Why Veterans Day is on Nov. 11

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. That’s when the armistice ending World War I began in 1918, and that is the origin of Veterans Day (note that it is spelled without an apostrophe), a U.S. holiday often confused with Memorial Day. Memorial Day honors America’s war dead, while Veterans Day […]    

2 by Valerie Strauss / 7min 

Why colleges shouldn’t check online life of applicants

Yes, Jacob and Sophia and Emma and Mason and all you other students planning to apply to college some year soon: Your online life can affect your chances of getting into the school of your dreams — or any school at all. Fair or not. According to a new survey, more college admissions officers than […]    

by Valerie Strauss / 4min 

11-10-13 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet: Tolstoy endures — but here’s why the liberal arts might notAre the liberal arts really dying in higher education, and if so, how fast?  Writing about it in this post is Liz Willen,  editor at The Hechinger Report, an independently funded unit of Teachers College at Columbia University. She is also director of The Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media at  Teachers College

by mike simpson / 9h