Standing Up to Bullying: Refusing to be a "Victim" — Whole Child Education

Standing Up to Bullying: Refusing to be a "Victim" — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

Standing Up to Bullying: Refusing to be a “Victim”

September 6, 2012 by Bob Sullo

Note: The issue of bullying is serious and multifaceted. I am in no way suggesting that we don't intervene. I am in no way suggesting that we "blame the victim" and withhold necessary support. My goal in wring this piece is simply to make sure that our attempts to help don't result in exacerbating an already horrendous problem.

A teacher in Florida wrote and asked me to address the issue of bullying, specifically asking how we can help kids stand up to bullies. First, I encourage you to read "Getting at the Roots of Bullying," an article I wrote for the Virginia Journal of Education a couple of years ago.

Those of you familiar with my work know that I'm particularly interested in language because I believe the words we use contribute to the reality we create, something I discuss in "Watch Your Language!" So how does our use of language relate to bullying? How does our language impact kids who have been victimized? When exploring the dynamics of bullying, we typically read about three main roles: the bully, the victim, and 

To those union leaders who seem at a loss as to how to extend support to the CTU. « Fred Klonsky

To those union leaders who seem at a loss as to how to extend support to the CTU. « Fred Klonsky:

To those union leaders who seem at a loss as to how to extend support to the CTU.

by Fred Klonsky

To those union leaders who seem befuddled as to how to extend support to the Chicago Teachers Union, perhaps they can copy this. Sort of use it as a template.

AFT Statement in Support of Chicago Teachers Union

WASHINGTON—Statement of AFT President Randi Weingarten in support of the Chicago Teachers Union.
“Yesterday, on a call with her fellow AFT executive council members, including the union’s three national officers, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis reported on the status of the CTU’s ongoing negotiations with Chicago Public Schools, the CTU’s hope for a settlement, and its 

The in box. Port Jefferson teachers from Long Island will wear red on Monday in solidarity.

by Fred Klonsky

The Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association, a membership of approximately 300 teachers located on Long Island, will be wearing red on Monday in support of our brothers and sisters in Chicago: http://thepjsta.org/2012/09/06/pjsta-members-please-wear-red-on-monday/
Additionally we are making a donation to their solidarity fund.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm giddy in Charlotte as strike nears

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm giddy in Charlotte as strike nears:

Rahm giddy in Charlotte as strike nears

by Mike Klonsky

As the strike deadline draws near, I'm taken with image of Rahm Emanuel, last night, still in Charlotte,giggling like a little boy in front of the TV cameras and clapping wildly as his patron Clinton lectures the eager crowd.. For a moment I thought he was going to pee himself.

Meanwhile back home, the CTU was not impressed. The union upped the ante yesterday, filing a charge with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board accusing CPS, among other things, of unfairly denying CTU members “step” increases for additional years of experience. CTU officials contended the board must honor the step increases in the current contract until a new contract replaces it. 

In response to the charges and feeling the stress of mounting public pressure and possible damage to the Obama campaign, CPS made a concession. While they refused to move off of their measly 2% pay increase offer, the board did move away from its "merit pay" demand -- a major concession. Previously, CPS had 

K.J.’s dark money machine - Bites - Opinions - September 6, 2012 - Sacramento News & Review

K.J.’s dark money machine - Bites - Opinions - September 6, 2012 - Sacramento News & Review:

K.J.’s dark money machine

Turns out, the mayor has his own lobbying group

Read 1 reader submitted comment

This article was published on 09.06.12.

If you managed to choke down SN&R’s 5,000-word report on Mayor Kevin Johnson’s nonprofit network a couple weeks back, there’s more where that came from. Plenty more.
First, a quick clarification. In that story, “K.J. Inc.” (SN&R Feature Story, August 16), we reported that Mayor Johnson was funneling his leftover campaign money into one of his 501(c)(3) groups, called the Sacramento Public Policy Foundation.
The Sacramento Public Policy Foundation has received more than $1 million in so-called “behested” payments through the mayor’s office, in addition to unknown amounts given by anonymous donors. That was explained in the story.
But, in fact, the $180,000 in campaign money from Johnson’s re-election account was actually slushed into yet another fund, controlled by a 501(c)(4) group called the Sacramento Public Policy Forum.
Part of the confusion stems from the Forum’s low profile since its formation in 2009. It was formed—by Johnson and his attorney Fred Hiestand—to do lobbying on behalf of Johnson’s Sacramento First initiative, the mayor’s first attempt to boost development of a new Kings arena.
Sacramento First is defunct, but the Forum actually lived on, somewhat under the radar. Until this year, when it got a big infusion of cash from Johnson, to do … something.
Like the Foundation, the Forum is run by Johnson’s attorney Hiestand, along with political 

The Coalition for Better Education: Colorado | United Opt Out National

The Coalition for Better Education: Colorado | United Opt Out National:

The Coalition for Better Education: Colorado

from United Opt Out National by admin

United Opt Out National just received the following report from Don Perl, President of the Coalition for Better Education in Colorado:

Yesterday I signed a contract with CBS Outdoor advertising for two billboards to go up after the first week of January 2013 and to run for a month.  The billboards will once again alert parents that they have the right to exempt their children from the fraud of TCAP testing (formerly CSAP).  One of the billboards will be on I-25 between Colorado Springs and Pueblo.  The second one will be on the Western slope near Montrose.  We have seen a remarkable increase in the number of parents exempting their children.  If you look at our website at www.thecbe.org you will see that in 2010 there were 324 parent refusals while in 2011 there were 1,427.  The word is going forth.  But here is the hard part:  We have an account in Weld Schools Credit Union of $600.  The 

Teaching Another 180 | The Jose Vilson

Teaching Another 180 | The Jose Vilson:

Teaching Another 180

by Jose

Last night:
Honestly, I’m nervous again.
I know the routines, too. Sleep tight. Groom well. Come in with a tie. Introduce myself and the class I’m teaching. Announce names. Give out contact cards. Discuss the syllabus. Hope you don’t have a lot of time left over at the end. Leave without too much fanfare.
Yet, I can never shake the first day feeling.
I’m not scared of the kids. I just hope I can do right by them.
They’ve had a whole summer to forget the process of schooling, and the routines I’ll establish throughout the 

Teachers unions differ on approach to controversial education film - The Hill - covering Congress, Politics, Political Campaigns and Capitol Hill | TheHill.com

Teachers unions differ on approach to controversial education film - The Hill - covering Congress, Politics, Political Campaigns and Capitol Hill | TheHill.com:

Teachers unions differ on approach to controversial education film

By Kevin Bogardus - 09/05/12 06:41 PM ET

  

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The leaders of the country’s two largest teachers unions are taking different tacks when it comes to a controversial film set to be released later this month.

“Won’t Back Down,” which is expected to get a wide release on Sept. 28, has angered teachers union members for its depiction of a teachers union that hampers a crusading single mother who wants to improve her daughter’s school. The movie has also gained heavy promotion from groups that often spar with teachers unions, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and StudentsFirst, which was founded by former Washington, D.C., public schools chancellor Michelle Rhee.

Rhee’s group hosted a screening for the film in Charlotte, N.C., earlier this week, which followed a screening in Tampa, Fla., during the Republican National Convention. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation 

UPDATE: Diane in the Afternoon - Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

NBC Sponsors Parent Trigger Movie

by dianerav

Last year I was invited to participate in NBC’s Education Nation. I had a head-to-head discussion with Geoffrey Canada. This year, I received an invitation to sit in the audience.
Now as a perk, I have been invited to a special screening of the parent trigger movie and its world premiere. Imagine all those private school parents and Wall Street titans sitting about and feeling sorry for the children trapped in those dreadful public schools.
So, I was doing this thought experiment, now that the elites are so excited by the idea that parents should be able to seize control of a public school and turn it over to a private operator.
What if the people in the New York Public Library decided to sign a petition and seize control? We could give it 

AFT Statement Supporting CTU

by dianerav

Just received from AFT press office:

AFT Statement in Support of Chicago Teachers Union

WASHINGTON—Statement of AFT President Randi Weingarten in support of the Chicago Teachers Union.“Yesterday, on a call with her fellow AFT executive council members, including the union’s three national officers, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis reported on the status of the CTU’s ongoing negotiations with Chicago Public Schools, the CTU’s hope for a settlement, and its preparations for a strike if a settlement is not reached. “Chicago’s teachers want what is best for their students and for Chicago’s public schools. And they want to work in an environment that respects their work and their role as partners with administrators in ensuring that every Chicago child has a chance to succeed. The AFT and its members stand with the CTU. “Chicago teachers have already agreed to a longer school day—and offered ideas to make it not just a longer

We R-E-S-P-E-C-T Teachers, Don’t We?

by dianerav

In New York City, when the Department of Education decides to close a school, all the teachers have to scramble to find a job. Some do, some don’t. If they can’t find a job, they join the Absent Teacher Reserve and they are known as ATR.
The ATRs are assigned to different schools, often every week. They are paid, but they have no position. Sometimes they substitute. This teacher was told to help out around the office.
Being an ATR doesn’t mean that you got a bad evaluation. They just had the bad luck to be in the wrong school at the wrong time.
This is the way teachers are treated in New York City.

Making Sure That Poverty Is NOT Destiny

by dianerav

Paul Thomas reminds us that poverty is destiny if we do nothing about it.
Finland figured this out and it has a strong system of social protections for children and families.
If we keep expecting schools to close the achievement gap by testing more, by adopting higher standards, by closing schools with low test scores, by evaluating teachers by test scores, and by offering carrots and sticks to 

An Exchange of Views about TFA

by dianerav

I received the following comment from a TFA advocate, in response to a blog about the outspoken and brilliant Camika Royal:
In my experience with TFA, which stretches across over a decade, at local and at national levels, Dr. Royal is not the exception, but a shining example of the kind of person who joins, then runs (she was on staff for a number of years) TFA and who then moves on to contribute in thoughtful ways to education. Granted, she is exceptionally incisive, but the difference between her and many other TFA alumni is one of degree, not of kind.
Whatever it may look like from the outside, TFA is one of the most self-critical organizations I have ever seen, 

When Politics Trumps Education

by dianerav

Peter Goodman is one of the most astute observers of education in New York City.
His blog “Ed in the Apple” is a must-read for education buffs.
In this one, he says that the Department of Education puts more emphasis on burnishing the Mayor’s education reputation than on actually solving any problems.
The Mayor has had unlimited control of the city’s public schools for a full decade. No one could challenge his decisions. The laughable “board” rubber stamps whatever he wants.
He has relied on two strategies only: testing and choice.
He has closed over 100 schools, opened hundreds of small schools, and to the extent possible, eliminated

Rightwing Foundation in Chicago Backs Rahm

by dianerav

The Heartland Institute in Chicago, a major advocate for charters and vouchers, has issued a statement supporting Rahm Emanuel and urging him to be firm in resisting the demands of the Chicago Teachers Union. Is Mayor Emanuel at the right convention?

Heartland Institute Education Expert Reacts to
Chicago Teachers Union Strike Threat

The Chicago Teachers Union on Wednesday filed unfair labor practice charges against Chicago Public Schools, and CTU President Karen Lewis says the union will not extend its Monday, September 10 deadline to reach a 

The Real Turnaround School in Massachusetts

by dianerav

Andrea Gabor wonders why Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick drew national attention to Orchard Gardens while ignoring the true turnaround at Brockton High School, the state’s largest high school?
Orchard Gardens fits the Duncan script: Blame the teachers, fire 80% of them. But the school made modest gains and still has low scores. Contrary to what Governor Patrick claimed, it is not “one of the best schools in

Arne Duncan Opposes Teaching to the Test

by dianerav

At the Democratic National Convention, Arne Duncan renounced many of his own policies.
He came out in opposition to teaching to the test, although his own Race to the Top demands it (he never mentioned Race to the Top.)
He denounced the millionaires and billionaires who are supporting the charter school movement and privatization of public education (he didn’t mention that either).
He didn’t mention that he wants education colleges to be graded by the test scores of the students of their 

The Problem with Computer Adaptive Assessments

by dianerav

Computer adaptive assessments are all the rage. They are supposed to be not only cost effective but they allegedly are objective and standardize grading. Also, and not incidentally, they are big business in an age of mass testing.
The idea behind them is that the student answers a question (picks a bubble), and if it is the right answer, gets a 

NJ Plans to Punish High-Poverty, High-Minority Schools

by dianerav

New Jersey has announced the schools that are targeted for aggressive intervention.
It will not surprise readers of this blog to learn that most of these schools serve children of color and children of poverty. Many, most or all of these schools will be closed. If Governor Christie has his way, many new charters will open to replace public schools.
According to the Education Law Center of New Jersey:
In early April, NJDOE released the list of schools in the new classifications. An ELC analysis of the list shows:

Connecticut: The State of Modern Capitalism: - Wait, What?

Connecticut: The State of Modern Capitalism: - Wait, What?:

Connecticut: The State of Modern Capitalism:

by jonpelto

The concept that Connecticut taxpayers need to pay the world’s biggest hedge fund $115 million dollars to stay in Connecticut is, understandably, a hard thing to truly understand.  They managed to pay their CEO $3.9 billion last year and we have to cough up $115, or they’ll move?

But of course, Bridgewater is not the only private corporation that taxpayers are subsidizing.

In fact, while cuts are being made to vital services, more and more companies are demanding what is, in essence, a ransom.  If we taxpayers don’t pay the ransom, they won’t relocate to Connecticut, or even worse, they’ll leave and take their jobs with them.

Take, for example, the situation that occurred two months ago, when on Sunday, July 8, 2012, more than 400 people joined Governor Dannel Malloy, Mayor Bill Finch, Johnny 

Moms booted from Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s film screening during Democratic Convention | The Raw Story

Moms booted from Michelle Rhee’s film screening during Democratic Convention | The Raw Story:

Moms booted from Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s film screening during Democratic Convention

By David Edwards
Thursday, September 6, 2012 14:05 EDT

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Topics: Democratic National Convention ♦ Michelle Rhee ♦ Pam Grundy

 

Two Democratic moms who oppose the privation of schools say that security personnel escorted them two separate events at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte this week after organizers learned they opposed charter schools and other education “reforms.”

Mecklenburg ACTS co-chairs Pam Grundy and Carol Sawyer told Raw Story that both Former D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s Students First group and Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) did not want any dissenting voices at their events.

Grundy recalled that after initially being denied entry to a Students First screening of the movie

NYC Public School Parents: Welcome back to a new school year, & please fill out our 2 minute class size survey!

NYC Public School Parents: Welcome back to a new school year, & please fill out our 2 minute class size survey!:

Welcome back to a new school year, & please fill out our 2 minute class size survey!

by Leonie Haimson

Welcome back to a new school year. I hope your child is settled in a good school, with a reasonable class size, but I fear for too many, this will not be the case. 

• Here is our updated fact sheet on class size in NYC schools, including the union class size limits, the goals that DOE originally promised to achieve by this year, and what you can do if your child’s class size exceeds either of those levels.  Take a look.    

• Most important:  parents, teachers and administrators: please fill out a 2 minute survey about the class sizes in your school.    It is critical that I have as much information as possible so I can help. 

El Estudiante | United Opt Out National

El Estudiante | United Opt Out National:

El Estudiante

by admin

The image titled “El Estudiante” (The student) is the first in a series of paintings that takes on a radical perspective on the game known as “Loteria” (Lottery). A popular culture Iconic game in Latin America, like BINGO (rather than numbers), reflects numbered cultural icons  from everyday life; myths, social class, fruit, animals and music.

The Radical Loteria series will reflect modern popular culture icons and individuals associated with the struggle for social and political equality.

El ESTUDIANTE  is a reflection of the not often represented “student activist.” 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Duncan -- the less said the better

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Duncan -- the less said the better:

Duncan -- the less said the better

by Mike Klonsky

Popout

Many of last night's speakers at the DNC were over the top. Arne Duncan wasn't. I actually missed his speech. I was too busy teaching my class of future teachers. From what I heard, Duncan's ratings were pretty low and there was hardly a mention of his speech, or of education issues at the DNC, in this morning's news. I had to watch the video of Duncan's speech this morning on WSJ's website.

Duncan: "Education is about jobs." 

What? Really?

Leaving aside for a moment whether or not education should really be about filling corporate job slots (my