Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Nite Cap 1-21-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

Social Equality Educators (SEE) introduces its “Respect” slate of candidates for the SEA elections | Seattle Education

Social Equality Educators (SEE) introduces its “Respect” slate of candidates for the SEA elections | Seattle Education:

Social Equality Educators (SEE) introduces its “Respect” slate of candidates for the SEA elections

On the one-year anniversary the historic MAP test boycott, teachers will launch a campaign in the upcoming Seattle Education Association (SEA) union election.

Social Equality Educators (SEE) will introduce its “Respect” slate of candidates and education platform for the upcoming SEA union election at a January 30th Garfield Community Center forum.

The SEE Respect candidates for office will include a coalition of MAP boycott leaders, members of current SEA Board of Directors, award-winning teachers, teachers new to the profession, and veteran educators, including:

· Jesse Hagopian, “Secondary Teacher of the Year”

Garfield High School, leader in MAP boycott—For SEA President

· Marian Wagner, National Board Certified Teacher, Salmon Bay K-8,

current member of SEA Board of Directors—For SEA Vice President

· Dan Troccoli, current Vice President of the SEA Substitute Association,

Founding Member of SEE—For SEA Treasurer

· and a slate of other candidates for the SEA Board of Directors

What: MAP Boycott Celebration/SEE Respect union candidates’ announcement

When: Thursday, January 30, at 4:30 p.m.

Where: Garfield Community Center (2323 E Cherry St, Seattle)

For more information:

Jesse Hagopian, 206-962-1685, hagopian.jesse@gmail.com

www.socialequalityeducators.org

“We have a bold vision for educating Seattle’s children,” said Jesse Hagopian, teacher and Black Student Union advisor at Garfield High School, and SEE’s “Respect” candidate for president in the upcoming Seattle

On the one-year anniversary the historic MAP test boycott, teachers launch campaign in the upcoming Seattle Education Association (SEA) union election. | I AM AN EDUCATOR

On the one-year anniversary the historic MAP test boycott, teachers launch campaign in the upcoming Seattle Education Association (SEA) union election. | I AM AN EDUCATOR:

On the one-year anniversary the historic MAP test boycott, teachers launch campaign in the upcoming Seattle Education Association (SEA) union election.

By I AM AN EDUCATOR on January 21, 2014

Today, I am excited to announce that I am entering the election to run for president of my union, the Seattle Education Association. It is truly an honor to have been nominated to run for president on theSocial Equality Educator’s “Respect” slate of candidates–an unparalleled team of educators in Seattle, running for officer and executive board positions, who are dedicated to achieving the schools Seattle’s children deserve. If you live in the Seattle area, please consider attending our MAP test boycott anniversary celebration and campaign kick off event on Thursday, January 30, 2014 at 4:30 p.m., at the Garfield Community Center (2323 E Cherry St, Seattle). You can RSVP at: https://www.facebook.com/events/584713934950158/

We would be grateful for your support of our campaign by making a secure donation on the Social Equality Educator’s Pay Pal Account located on the side bar of our website. With your help we can win this election and just education system!

Please read the announcement for our campaign:

J A N U A R Y 21, 2 0 1 4

On the one-year anniversary the historic MAP test boycott,

teachers launch campaign in the upcoming

Seattle Education Association (SEA) union election.

Social Equality Educators (SEE) will introduce its “Respect” slate of candidates and education platform for the upcoming SEA union election at a January 30^th Garfield Community Center forum.

Jesse Hagopian, “Secondary Teacher of the Year,” Garfield High School, leader in MAP boycott—For SEA President
Marian Wagner, National Board Certified Teacher, Salmon Bay K-8,
current member of SEA Board of Directors—For SEA Vice President
Dan Troccoli, current Vice President of the SEA Substitute Association, founding member of SEE—For SEA Treasurer

And a slate of other candidates for the SEA Board of Directors

What: MAP Boycott Celebration/SEE Respect union candidates announcement

When: Thursday, January 30, 2014 at 4:30 p.m.

Where: Garfield Community Center (2323 E Cherry St, Seattle)

For more information:

hagopian.jesse@gmail.com

www.socialequalityeducators.org

—

“We have a bold vision for educating Seattle’s children,” said Jesse Hagopian, teacher and Black Student Union advisor at Garfield High School, and SEE’s “Respect” candidate for president in the upcoming Seattle Education Association election. “This month marks the one-year anniversary of the announcement by my colleagues at Garfield that they would defend students by refusing to administer the deeply flawed MAP test. That movement galvanized parents, students, and education advocates across the city and around the nation. Today, educators throughout Seattle—many of whom were inspired by our stand for authentic assessment—are organizing to bring this movement for an equitable, high-quality education into our union election.”

In January of 2013, teachers at Garfield High School began the “MAP test boycott,” a movement that was supported by the student body government and the PTSA. The boycott then spread to several other schools in Seattle, including Orca K-8, Chief Sealth International High School, Ballard High School, Center School, and Thornton Creek Elementary—while solidarity with the boycott spread around Seattle, the nation, and then around the world. The MAP test boycott by Seattle’s educators has been widely credited with having played transformative role in the debate around standardized testing in the U.S.—as was recently recognized in national media, including The Nation, Alternet,ColorLines magazine, and The Washington Post’s “Answer Sheet.”

“It was an extremely difficult decision to run for Vice President of the SEA because I don’t want to leave the classroom. I love the challenge of improving our world through teaching the next generation, but the education of our youth is not being supported systematically,” said Marian Wagner, 5^th grade teacher at Salmon Bay K-8. “I can’t ignore the thunderous cry of phenomenal educators who are not being heard. I am agreeing to step and run on their behalf.”

The Social Equality Educators will host an award ceremony on January 30^th to recognize the leadership and courage of teachers participating in the boycott. Teachers and prominent community leaders fighting for social justice will also speak briefly, followed by the announcement of SEE’s Respect slate of candidates.

“The Respect slate of candidates is made up of teachers who support valid, reliable assessment, responsible evaluation, and full funding for the education of Seattle’s students,” said Dan Troccoli, the current Vice President of the SEA Substitute Association. Educators will elaborate on the Respect platform at the event.

“As a teacher in the Seattle Public Schools and a SEA union representative for many years, I have never been so excited about an election before because of SEE’s ‘Respect’ slate of candidates,” said Roberta Lindeman, a teacher at Chief Sealth High School. “I’m confident that these educators will best represent Seattle’s students and educators, will fight for student and teacher assessment based on best practices, and will bring a voice of reason to education reform.”

Join us as we celebrate this important victory and launch the next

campaign for education justice in Seattle!

Louisiana Educator: Political Priorities Involved in State Contracts

Louisiana Educator: Political Priorities Involved in State Contracts:

Political Priorities Involved in State Contracts

Louisiana Voice blogger Tom Aswell in this blog exposes some of the wasteful excesses found in many of the Jindal consulting contracts.

It does not seem to matter how financially strapped our Louisiana State budget seems to be, there always seems to be room for lavish, politically motivated consulting contracts.

I must admit that I voted for Bobby Jindal the first time he ran for Governor because I thought he would be the kind of public official who would do his job with the highest ethics in true service to the citizens of Louisiana. I was greatly disappointed just like many others that he turned out to be the worst kind of politician.

Some of the abuse of office by Jindal and his lieutenants is created by dozens of unnecessary consulting contracts with various firms. State Treasurer John Kennedy has been calling these contracts to the attention of the legislature and the public for the past two years. Kennedy has suggested legislation that would cut all state contracts by 10%. According to Kennedy, even such a small cut would save the state millions.

It seems the department with some of the most lavish and questionable consulting contracts is the Department of Education managed by Superintendent John White. Last week Kennedy blew the whistle on a $250,000 consulting contract that is supposed to help parents make good choices using the new school voucher

Kindergarten teacher: Too many tests, 'no time to play' | Twin Cities Daily Planet

Kindergarten teacher: Too many tests, 'no time to play' | Twin Cities Daily Planet:

Kindergarten teacher: Too many tests, 'no time to play'

By Sarah Lahm, TC Daily Planet

January 15, 2014

(Photo courtesy of David Boucher)

Kindergarten teacher David Boucher wants time to play. "I would like to see more recess because studies show that more play time makes kids more attentive. It is hard for them to stay focused without play or movement. In fact, it leads to more behavior problems."

Time to play is extremely limited in Boucher's classroom and school. He spoke about his experience as a teacher of young children as part of our Focus on Teaching series, with specific attention to the Minneapolis Public Schools’ current instructional mandate of Focused Instruction.

A Minneapolis resident, David Boucher has a long relationship with the Minneapolis Public Schools, as a student, as a parent of one graduate and one current student, and as a kindergarten teacher at Folwell School, a K-8 Performing Arts Magnet in south Minneapolis.

Can you describe the students in your classroom to me?

I have 27 students, although this number can fluctuate because, on average, six kids transfer in or out during the school year. On average, the kindergarten classrooms at Folwell have between 26 and 28 students. Out of the 27 I have, around 50 percent of them are ELL students, and 14 percent qualify for Special Education services. My school also receives federal Title 1 funding because of its high percentage of ELL students and those who qualify for free and reduced lunch.

What is an average day like for these students?

My students have five-ten minutes of recess a day; there is no time to play. They are required to

Four Years Later–What Stays With You From High School? | Gatsby In L.A.

Four Years Later–What Stays With You From High School? | Gatsby In L.A.:

Four Years Later–What Stays With You From High School?

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I sent my children to private school, something I did for reasons that in part were rational–when my oldest went to kindgergarten, the local school was truly terrible and there were no charters at the time–but also in large part irrational: I was driven by the vague conviction that they would get a good education at a private school, though I could not have said exactly what I meant by a “good education,” only that I felt on an instinctual level that whatever it meant, it was what I owed my children, something that literally kept me up at night with worry.

Several years later, as I’ve also mentioned repeatedly, I became a teacher at a charter school in South Los Angeles for similar reasons: to be part of providing a “good education” for children in the community, a drive that again I could not have entirely explained but that also frequently kept me up at night with worry.

But what exactly was I worrying about? I mean, I could name a million tiny details, deadlines, tests, grades, but on some level, I worried for my children and my students that they were not getting what they needed in order to…I couldn’t have said what. Obviously I wanted them to learn stuff and get good grades, but that wouldn’t have kept me up at night. What did they need? What should I have given them?

Now, some years later, with many of them grown, my job as a parent mostly done, my job

1-21-14 THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG - ED Pulse Poll Results: What Is the Best Way for Teachers to Engage Their Students? — Whole Child Education

ED Pulse Poll Results: What Is the Best Way for Teachers to Engage Their Students? — Whole Child Education:

ED Pulse Poll Results: What Is the Best Way for Teachers to Engage Their Students?

ASCD continually seeks to provide solutions to the challenges that face educators of all levels. A recent ASCD SmartBrief ED Pulse poll, suggested by a high school administrator from New Hampshire, asked readers how to best engage students. He wrote: What is the best way for teachers to engage their students? There is so much time and emphasis placed on the Common Core, essential questions, asse

by Kit Harris, ASCD ... / 47min

1-20-14 THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG - This Week Celebrate Kindness — Whole Child Education

This Week Celebrate Kindness — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGThis Week Celebrate KindnessJanuary 20, 2014 by Kristen PekarekThis week—January 20–24th—is designated as No Name-Calling Week(NNCW), an initiative of whole child partner Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) that provides students, teachers, staff, and parents with a week of resources and opportunities to show

by mike simpson / 16h

Teaching in a Dystopic State ! : Lots Less for Lots More and No One Even Seems to Notice (Or Care)

Teaching in a Dystopic State ! : Lots Less for Lots More and No One Even Seems to Notice (Or Care):

Lots Less for Lots More and No One Even Seems to Notice (Or Care)

When I attended college (which of course was many years ago) Semester I began the first week in September and extended to the third week of December during which a one week Christmas vacation was held. After that vacation we returned to school for three additional weeks.

After a one week break Semester II began during the first week of February and continued until mid-June with a one week Spring vacation at mid semester.

Today the college Semester I begins just prior to the first week in September and ends in the first week in December. Some schools even have a break additional to Thanksgiving that they euphemistically call a “study break”.
(I kind of thought students were supposed to be studying throughout the entire semester?)

Semester II doesn’t begin until the last week in January and ends during the first week of

Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Nite Cap 1-21-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2

James Baldwin said it best:

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."

YESTERDAY

Social Equality Educators (SEE) introduces its “Respect” slate of candidates for the SEA elections | Seattle Education

Social Equality Educators (SEE) introduces its “Respect” slate of candidates for the SEA elections

On the one-year anniversary the historic MAP test boycott, teachers launch campaign in the upcoming Seattle Education Association (SEA) union election. | I AM AN EDUCATOR

On the one-year anniversary the historic MAP test boycott, teachers launch campaign in the upcoming Seattle Education Association (SEA) union election.

We would be grateful for your support of our campaign by making a secure donation on the Social Equality Educator’s Pay Pal Account located on the side bar of our website. With your help we can win this election and just education system!

On the one-year anniversary the historic MAP test boycott,

teachers launch campaign in the upcoming

Seattle Education Association (SEA) union election.

What: MAP Boycott Celebration/SEE Respect union candidates announcement

When: Thursday, January 30, 2014 at 4:30 p.m.

Where: Garfield Community Center (2323 E Cherry St, Seattle)

For more information:

hagopian.jesse@gmail.com

www.socialequalityeducators.org

Louisiana Educator: Political Priorities Involved in State Contracts

Political Priorities Involved in State Contracts

Kindergarten teacher: Too many tests, 'no time to play' | Twin Cities Daily Planet

Kindergarten teacher: Too many tests, 'no time to play'

Four Years Later–What Stays With You From High School? | Gatsby In L.A.

Four Years Later–What Stays With You From High School?

1-21-14 THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG - ED Pulse Poll Results: What Is the Best Way for Teachers to Engage Their Students? — Whole Child Education

Teaching in a Dystopic State ! : Lots Less for Lots More and No One Even Seems to Notice (Or Care)

Lots Less for Lots More and No One Even Seems to Notice (Or Care)

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