Why a Public School Teacher is Running for Allegheny County Council | gadflyonthewallblog

Why a Public School Teacher is Running for Allegheny County Council | gadflyonthewallblog

Why a Public School Teacher is Running for Allegheny County Council

People seem surprised when I knock on their doors.

Perhaps it’s the fact that they weren’t expecting anyone to drop by.

Perhaps it’s because we’re still in a global pandemic.

But when they peek through their screens or poke their heads out with a quizzical look, the one thing that seems to put them at ease is when I tell them I’m a public school teacher.

It’s certainly not that I’m running for Allegheny County Council near Pittsburgh, Pa.

A teacher, they know and understand. Their kids had teachers. They had teachers when they were young.

But County Council?

Many of them seem to struggle with what that governmental body even is.

Municipal council, they know. School board, magistrate, even CONTINUE READING: Why a Public School Teacher is Running for Allegheny County Council | gadflyonthewallblog

Jersey Jazzman: Lakewood, NJ: Where Public Schools Are Left To Wither, Part III

Jersey Jazzman: Lakewood, NJ: Where Public Schools Are Left To Wither, Part III

Lakewood, NJ: Where Public Schools Are Left To Wither, Part III

Here are the other parts of this series:

- Part I

- Part II

What happens when a majority of citizens rejects its own public schools? We need look no further than Lakewood, NJ -- a town that I contend is an object lesson in the consequences of school privatization. Again, I believe at least three things will happen when public schools are left to wither, as they have been in Lakewood:

1. When a large part of a community abandons its public schools, chaos ensues and accountability dissolves.
2. Segregation is the inevitable consequence of school privatization.
3. Educators will be disrespected in a community that does not support its public schools. 

Regarding point #2: in the last post I showed definitively that Lakewood's public and private school populations are highly segregated. In this post, let's spend some time discussing point #1.

I'll note first that, as I've written before, there are plenty of examples of corruption and malfeasance in districts where the majority of children attend the public schools. And the problems with private schools enrolling special needs students in New Jersey have been well documented. 

But one of Lakewood's private schools had, according to the verdict of a jury, taken things to a new level (all emphases mine):

2/27/19: NEW BRUNSWICK - The founder of a Lakewood special education school is guilty of money laundering and misconduct by a corporate official, but not guilty of corruption involving public funds, a jury said Wednesday CONTINUE READING: Jersey Jazzman: Lakewood, NJ: Where Public Schools Are Left To Wither, Part III

Marie Corfield: A Letter To My Students

Marie Corfield: A Letter To My Students

A Letter To My Students

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash

Dear Students,

Oh how I have missed you! I've missed your noise and your chaos and your smiles which are hidden behind masks, and your laughter and your hard work, and even your frustrations and tears. I have missed your creativity and how you never cease to amaze me with it. I have missed your fearlessness and your fearfulness, your good choices and your not-so-good ones. I have missed you because without you, there is no school. 

Many people who don't know much about what you and I do together call you 'lost'. But, you are not lost. Far from it! All of you who have diligently showed up on Zoom every day have been working so hard learning how to use computers and software in ways we teachers never imagined. You've been taking more responsibility for your learning, working independently, and learning from this global experience! 

Some of you have really struggled with this, and I want you to know that you are not alone. So many other students and, yes, even teachers (myself included), are struggling too. This is not easy work we are doing. It's really hard sitting in front of a computer for hours on end, not being able to talk to friends or eat together in the cafeteria or enjoy assemblies or play at CONTINUE READING: Marie Corfield: A Letter To My Students

Arkansas: Voucher Forces Trying Again, Backed by Walton Money | Diane Ravitch's blog

Arkansas: Voucher Forces Trying Again, Backed by Walton Money | Diane Ravitch's blog

Arkansas: Voucher Forces Trying Again, Backed by Walton Money

Max Brantley writes in the Arkansas Times that the voucher lobby is determined to reverse their 44-52 loss in the Arkansas House. Backed by Walton money, they are naming and shaming the legislators who stood up for their community’s public schools.

Although Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, and his children attended public schools, they are determined to destroy public schools that provide the same opportunity for other people’s children. They blithely toss out millions to buy the support of people who have no heart or soul and will gladly lobby to harm the institution that has been an abiding symbol of our democracy for generations. Public schools have failings, like every other institution. They must be far better, and they should have the respect and the funding to provide equal opportunity to all children.

But the Waltons have led the forces of greed that seek to undermine public schools that accept all students and have standards for professionals. Let me tell you what I think of the Waltons: I think they are greedy. I think they don’t care about other people’s children. They hate CONTINUE READING: Arkansas: Voucher Forces Trying Again, Backed by Walton Money | Diane Ravitch's blog

A VERY BUSY DAY Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #openonlywhensafe

 Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

A VERY BUSY DAY

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

The latest news and resources in education since 2007

THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

The latest news and resources in education since 2007 - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/03/this-week-in-education-larry-ferlazzos_13.html

Ed Tech Digest

by Larry Ferlazzo / 11h

Ten years ago, in another somewhat futile attempt to reduce the backlog of resources I want to share, I began this occasional “” post where I share three or four links I think are particularly useful and related to…ed tech, including some Web 2.0 apps. You might also be interested in THE BEST ED TECH RESOURCES OF 2020 – PART TWO , as well as checking out all my edtech resources . Here are this we

My Latest BAM! Radio Show Is On Supporting LGBTQ Students

by Larry Ferlazzo / 11h

My latest ten-minute BAM! Radio show is on how educators can support our LGBTQ students (I think the actual title of the show is a little strange, but that’s not my department). I’m joined in the conversation by Silvina Jover and Jennica Leather, who have also contributed written commentaries to my Ed Week column. I’m adding it to All My BAM Radio Shows – Linked With Descriptions .

Guest Post: “What Is ELT Buzz?”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 11h

Editor’s Note: David Deubelbeiss is a “serial” developer of some of the most useful – and creative – sites on the web for teachers of ELLs. I invited him to write a guest post about his latest endeavor. David Deubelbeiss is a teacher trainer, author and professor of TESOL who champions the use of educational technology in English language teaching. He espouses the simple philosophy of “When one t

Most Popular Posts Of The Week

by Larry Ferlazzo / 11h

I’m making a change in the content of the regular feature. In addition to sharing the top five posts that have received the most “hits” in the preceding seven days (though they may have originally been published on an earlier date), I will also include the top five posts that have actually appeared in the past week. Often, these are different posts. You might also be interested in IT’S THE FOURTE

Top-Notch Language Conversation/Pronunciation Site “Peaksay” Now Lets Teachers Create Classes!

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

Peaksay is an amazing site for language teachers and learners (see “Peaksay” Is Likely To Become A “Go-To” Site For Language Teachers ). It has a pronunciation game that lets users repeat phrases and uses AI to “grade” its accuracy and it has a number of conversations in different languages that you can turn into a game: it speaks and shows one line, offers four choices, and you have to pick the

Thursday’s Must-Read Articles On School Reopenings

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

geralt / Pixabay Here are new additions to THE BEST POSTS PREDICTING WHAT SCHOOLS WILL LOOK LIKE IN THE FALL (you might also be interested in SCHOOLS WENT REMOTE A YEAR AGO – HERE ARE MY CHOICES FOR THE BEST PIECES WRITTEN ABOUT SCHOOL REOPENING SINCE THEN): White House Announces $10 Billion For COVID-19 Testing In Schools is from NPR. Three Feet or Six? Distancing Guideline for Schools Stirs Deb

Video: “The True Scale of the World’s Tallest Buildings”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

asmuSe / Pixabay I’m adding this new video to The Best Sites To Learn About The World’s Tallest Buildings :

Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

BiljaST / Pixabay Six years ago I began this regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES, ARTICLES & BLOG POST

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007