tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76154259629280297772024-03-13T22:16:23.405-07:00outside the boxwhere public education needs to happen. ~ musings from a highly-qualified, highly-effective, credentialed, enormously pissed off teacher... and sometimes i've just gotta use my outside voice.A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-72890027177067119352015-02-07T14:26:00.000-08:002015-02-08T07:35:50.298-08:00my response to john merrow<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In response to <a href="http://takingnote.learningmatters.tv/?p=7443">What a Difference a Dash Makes!</a> by John Merrow</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Dear Mr. Merrow, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I believe you know EXACTLY what is going on; you are simply too smart and well-informed not to. Serving corporate masters is problematic. The last time you spoke truth to power regarding Michelle Rhee, it appeared you got a spanking from those powers. In my heart, I believe you are a closet opt outer.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The problem, in terms of academic achievement as measured by invalid tests, is poverty. Period. Why that elephant continues to be ignored is obvious. If not ignored, then that would mean politicians would have to do something about it. They would finally have to be serving the people rather than corporations and billionaires.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I think you have been very successful in your life, Mr. Merrow. You did this without being subjected to high-stakes testing. You did this without being subjected to a rigorous (as in death-like) set of standards. You were allowed to be a kid. You were allowed to play. I think you are doing well in the 21st century. Though younger than you, I, too, am a highly successful person not raised in the restrictive environment that children have been subjected to since the standards movement, NCLB, and now CC$$. I actually liked school. Sadly, I cannot say the same for children today.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It is well documented at this point that the CC$$ were not created by classroom teachers or early childhood professionals. David Coleman has stated that he and the others were unqualified to create the Language Arts and Math standards. His hubris allowed him to freely admit that in a presentation that was being filmed. Coleman admits, on film, that he had to go around the country to sell the standards to states. State adopted the standards before they were written. It was all part of the Raise to the Top bribery scheme. This is all very we'll documented, so all the spin to the contrary is complete and utter bullshit.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The idea that the CC$$ are fewer seems like another load to me. I live in California. Additional loads from the CC$$ propaganda machine would include: teacher freedom, and less focus on testing. Yeah, right. Whoever came up with those claims surely must've been smoking something powerful. So that kids will be well-prepared to eventually take the SBAC, in kindergarten I am expected to give 18 district mandated ELA and 14 district mandated Math tests. Since kindergarten testing is 1:1, that means I am no longer a teacher but a tester, testing kids on things I've been unable to teach because all I'm doing is testing. The rigor the district has insisted on for these kindergarten assessments has resulted in bad tests. Still we are expected to analyze the bad data produced by these bad tests. And so it goes. Teacher voice? Teacher freedom? Maybe in someone's mirage but not in my reality.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Comedy is, however, alive and well in Arne's Circus. Like he actually believes that at-risk kids will remain in school despite the effects of theses standards and high-stakes testing? Feeling like failures as early as age 5 will not incentivize (Arne loves this word!) kids to stay on school. I predict that they will simply drop out sooner in greater droves.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So here we are, forcing the CC$$ on our nation's children without even piloting them to find out if they will work. Even billionaire puppet master, Bill Gates, freely admits on film that it will take ten years before we know if the standards have been successful. But he doesn't care if another generation of our kids fall prey to the reformers. His children will never have to experience this bullshit. What does he have to lose? Nothing. Now what he has to gain is a different $tory. The only winners in this story are the money makers.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Mr. Merrow, the pressure being felt due to the real grassroots movements aligned with United Opt Out has intensified. In California, the State Superintendent od Education, Tom Torlakson, is no longer referring to the CC$$ by that name. He now simply refers to them as 'the standards'. He and others are finding that the term CC$$ has become toxic. The California Teachers Association is following his lead. But the stink is still there. We will not be fooled.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Poverty matters. Tests don't. If poverty's not going to be addressed in any meaningful way, and sadly I'm not hopeful, then can we just let our kids have happy lives in school? Our kids deserve to experience an engaging, we'll rounded curricula that addresses the whole child. Can we honor children where they are and celebrate where they move from there? Can we teach our children to be good people - to be kind? Can we show them how to get along with each other and work together? Can we teach them how to positively resolve conflicts? Can we teach them to care for others as well as themselves? Can we allow them to be creative and follow their own passions? Can we allow them to question and to listen? Can we encourage them to take risks and value failures? Can we honor the unique gifts that each child possesses? If we can, then were are truly teaching them 21st century skills. It's ironic that those skills, the most important ones, cannot be assessed.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Resist the tests. Opt out!</span>A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-42612302239680191042015-01-05T08:37:00.000-08:002015-01-05T08:37:38.563-08:00better late than never...<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Last New Year's Eve I blogged about the glory of entering 2014 AC. Unfortunately, I didn't get around to posting it to my blog. I did, however, include it in the newsletter I wrote for my local association. Ironically, this ended up being my last association newsletter. My president wasn't happy with my post for some reason, so she fired me from my unpaid position as newsletter editor. #whatthef**kever! Sadly, the association newsletter died with this last editorial. Go figure. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, here goes... Better late than never... maybe.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1… I
don't know about you, but I was soooo ready for 2014 to arrive in all its
glory. I had been waiting for this moment for over a decade and... I.
Couldn't. Wait. A new day would soon be dawning and I was waiting in eager anticipation.
As the clock struck midnight, a miraculous change could be felt first on the
right coast, then in the midwest, soon the left coast felt it with Hawaii
ringing in the <i>New Year Miracle</i>
last. As it happened, <i>Facebook</i>
and <i>Twitter</i> were alive with the
sound of music crossing this great land of ours as the shift we had been
waiting for occurred. The great day had finally arrived and now <i>All</i>. <i>Children</i>.
<i>Are</i>. <i>Proficient</i>. <i>Or</i>. <i>Above</i>.
Oh, happy day! </span></span></i></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Surely we would now be
bringing back the arts, music, science, social studies, voc. ed., physical
education, RECESS, developmentally appropriate curricula and classroom teacher
created tests back into the classroom. Surely we would be seeing the end of
high-stakes testing, and the test prep to infinity and beyond that goes with
it. No longer would we be <i>Teachers as
Testers</i>! We would finally return to being <i>Teachers</i>... dare I say it... as <i>Teachers</i>! Can I hear an <i>Amen!</i> </span></span></i></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Data (that four letter word)
would no longer be driving instruction. The never-ending analysis of data, created
by tests whose questions we were not allowed to see, would end. Our children
would no longer be <i>Data Points</i>.
They would be children once again! The individual differences of our children
would be celebrated and the cruel standardization of our children would cease
to be. Deficit-based thinking would be so five minutes ago! No longer would our
children be seen as common, but as unique. Children would once again be engaged
in the learning process and actually enjoy coming to school. Students,
teachers and administrators, finally released from the tyranny of the US
Department of Education, could once again enjoy teaching and learning! Oh
happy day! When will vacation be over so that we may enjoy this new world?</span></span></i></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Happy New
Year,
y’all. Enjoy all that 2014 has to offer. #TYNCLB</i></span></span></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0.1pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In 2015 I will continue resisting CC$$ and high-stakes testing. I'm so tired of this sh!t. Srsly!<i> </i></span></span></div>
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A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-67929456742607002602013-09-17T15:30:00.000-07:002013-09-17T15:30:31.827-07:00more stupid sh!t arne saysArne, you are just the gift that keeps on giving....<br />
<br />
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<br />A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-77563889687410994062013-09-01T12:28:00.001-07:002013-09-01T12:28:24.139-07:00"nea hearts arne" or "WTF? are you crazy!!!"
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: Times;">New
Business Item 36</span></i></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"> called for the removal of Arne Duncan
as Secretary of Education. Despite several well-informed speeches in support of
this NBI, it was defeated. It is a mystery to me how a room full of educators,
all of us victims of Duncan's horrific education policies, could continue to
support Arne Duncan. His policies are harming our nation's non-elite children
and the majority vote seems to send a message that that's OK with the majority
of teachers. WTF? Either there's not much critical thinking going on among the
delegation, or people are just plain stupid. Here's what I had to say...</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3kqqXL1062o/UiORDzzKcTI/AAAAAAAAAN0/-Hs_0nyXWto/s1600/nbi+36.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="126" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3kqqXL1062o/UiORDzzKcTI/AAAAAAAAAN0/-Hs_0nyXWto/s320/nbi+36.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>ATeacherAnon addressing 10,000 delegates at the NEA RA 2013</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times;">My name is *ATeacherAnon* from
California. I am a proud member of the <i>Badass
Teachers Association. </i>I am speaking as an individual in support of NBI 36. <br />
<br />
As CEO of Chicago Public Schools, Arne Duncan instituted policies that were
harmful to the city's children. In Chicago, he instituted school turnarounds,
firing the staff and turning schools into charter schools managed by for-profit
management companies.<br />
<br />
He closed neighborhood schools, forcing children to walk through the
communities of rival gang members and attend schools along with those gang
members. This policy resulted in increased violence, including murder.<br />
<br />
Arne supports charter schools, as well as the highly unqualified <i>Teach For Awhile</i> program which sends
recent college graduates with 5 weeks of training into schools serving our
neediest children.<br />
<br />
He supports evaluating teachers by test scores.<br />
<br />
He supports high stakes testing. <br />
<br />
He reveres truth-challenged Michelle Rhee yet doesn't support public school
teachers.<br />
<i>(See Rhode Island and New Orleans)<br />
</i><br />
<i>Race to the Top</i> and <i>Son of Race to the Top</i> are nothing more
than bribery schemes. Education is not a competition. Bribing financially
strapped districts to adopt expensive, bad ideas is unconscionable.<br />
<br />
And non-educator Arne Duncan, along with Bill Gates's former staffers, have
been working diligently to impose Duncan's failed Chicago strategies on our
nation's public school children. <br />
<br />
As <i>Secretary of Education</i>, Arne
totally sucks... And not in a good way.<br />
<br />
We need a lifelong educator as our <i>Secretary
of Education</i>. <br />
<br />
Support NBI 36</span></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-30490962799660586972013-07-23T14:57:00.000-07:002013-07-23T14:57:09.019-07:00more stupid sh!t arne says<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yz2uJdbtkVo/Ue77NCaTC8I/AAAAAAAAANQ/js3U6T4P8AY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-07-23+at+2.52.04+PM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yz2uJdbtkVo/Ue77NCaTC8I/AAAAAAAAANQ/js3U6T4P8AY/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-07-23+at+2.52.04+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Oh. The. Irony.</span></span></div>
A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-22372667247294569422013-07-22T12:07:00.001-07:002013-07-22T17:04:04.131-07:00nea ra 2013 - in opposition to nbi aI tried, but the delegation voted to support spreading the Corporate Core propaganda. Here's what I said:<br />
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<i>My name is ATeacherAnon from California and this is my first
RA. I am speaking as an individual.</i> <i></i></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I strongly oppose NEA’s support of the Corporate-, Privatizer-, Education
Deformer-, Bill Gates-driven Common Core State Standards, which were NOT developed by real, certificated
CLASSROOM teachers or child development experts.</i><i></i></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Nationally renowned early childhood expert Dr. Nancy Carlsson Paige's research
told us that out of the 135 people who developed the K-3 standards, there were NO
classroom teachers or child development experts among them, resulting in
standards that are not developmentally appropriate.</i><i></i></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Dr. Stephan Krashen predicts that the CCSS will increase testing twentyfold.</i><i></i></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I predict that that our already narrow, boring curricula will continue to be
so. I predict that we will continue to ignore the needs of the whole child. I
predict that we will continue to waste months of instructional time on test
prep and testing.</i><i></i></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>As our class sizes continue to grow, precious dollars will be used to buy
technology to serve the Corporate Core. I've read the Finnish national
education standards. They do not look at all like the Common Core.</i><i></i></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>My professional conscience leads me to support real, classroom teacher-driven
change, <b>not</b> corporate driven change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are burning out and stressing out kids. Kids have become disengaged
from learning.</i><i></i></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I oppose having my union dues spent to support the CCSS and spread Corporate
Core propaganda to our students, families, and colleagues.</i><i><b></b></i></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>I urge you to oppose support for the implementation of these expensive,
unproven set of standards. </b></i><i></i></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>I urge you, instead to support real, classroom teacher-driven change that will
address the individual needs of all of our children. </i></b><i></i></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Haven't we learned anything from NCLB?</i></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-88294055132132647632013-04-14T12:46:00.001-07:002013-04-14T12:46:25.833-07:00turning high-stakes testing on its head... <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #990000;">The following is dedicated to the tireless efforts of Peggy Robertson and the founding members of <span style="color: black;">United Opt <span style="color: #bf9000;"><b>Out</b></span> National</span>....</span></i></span><br />
<br />
Directions: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Be sure to color in the bubbles carefully. Take your time. Read the questions thoroughly.</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vz49fVasrJ0/UWsACe-90VI/AAAAAAAAAL0/iUn2C-C8gcg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-14+at+12.13.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vz49fVasrJ0/UWsACe-90VI/AAAAAAAAAL0/iUn2C-C8gcg/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-04-14+at+12.13.26+PM.png" width="258" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When you are done checking your answers, turn your test upside down and wait patiently.</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nnjbtAK4y-8/UWsAggfxnyI/AAAAAAAAAL8/0tzIKgQf5P4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-14+at+12.13.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nnjbtAK4y-8/UWsAggfxnyI/AAAAAAAAAL8/0tzIKgQf5P4/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-04-14+at+12.13.26+PM.png" width="258" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Thank you for doing your best on this <strike>totally fucked up</strike> <strike>stupid</strike> <strike>invalid</strike> important exam.</blockquote>
<br />
<b><i>Continue reading to learn:</i></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;">How to opt out in California</span></span></u></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Title 5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>EDUCATION</span></b></div>
<h6>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Division 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>California Department of Education</span></h6>
<h6>
<span lang="FR" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Chapter
2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pupils</span></h6>
<h3 style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in;">
<span lang="FR" style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Subchapter
3.75.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Standardized Testing and
Reporting Program</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span> </span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; layout-grid-mode: both; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Article 2. Standards-Based Achievement
Tests, Alternate Assessments, </span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">and Any Primary Language Test</span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="H5" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-outline-level: body-text; mso-pagination: none; page-break-after: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; layout-grid-mode: both; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">§ 852. Pupil
Exemptions.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="background-color: yellow;">A
parent or guardian may submit to the school a written request to excuse his or
her child from any or all parts of <span style="background-color: lime;">any test </span>provided pursuant to Education Code
section 60640.</span> If a parent or guardian submits an exemption request after
testing has begun, any test(s) completed before the request is submitted will
be scored and the results reported to the parent or guardian and included in
the pupil’s records. <span style="background-color: yellow;">A school district and its employees may discuss the STAR
Program with parents and may inform parents of the availability of exemptions
under Education Code section 60615. The school district and its employees shall
not solicit or encourage any written exemption request on behalf of any child
or group of children</span>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">NOTE: Authority cited: Sections 33031 and
60605, Education Code. Reference: Sections 60605, 60607, 60615, 60640 and
60641, Education Code. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><i><b>For learning how to opt out in other states, please visit United Opt <span style="color: #bf9000;">Out </span>National by clicking <a href="http://unitedoptout.com/">here</a>.</b></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--2yFIoYkpcg/UWsEiXu8LQI/AAAAAAAAAME/oKkHs6xGbT0/s1600/UOO+sm2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--2yFIoYkpcg/UWsEiXu8LQI/AAAAAAAAAME/oKkHs6xGbT0/s400/UOO+sm2.png" width="400" /></a> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><i><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><i>Occupy the DOE 2.0, The Battle for Public Schools</i></span> </b> </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><i>United Opt <span style="color: #b45f06;">Out</span> founders lead public education activists in a march </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><i>to the White House to tell President Obama,</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><i> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Our kids are more than a test score!"</b></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ym-Aru8rfaA/UWsFzAoKjZI/AAAAAAAAAMM/HQDefBfI31Q/s1600/Krashen+and+me2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ym-Aru8rfaA/UWsFzAoKjZI/AAAAAAAAAMM/HQDefBfI31Q/s1600/Krashen+and+me2.png" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stephen Krashen and @ATeacherAnon</span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">at the White House </span><b> </b></span> </i></span></div>
A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-59660702964316316372013-02-02T15:23:00.000-08:002013-02-02T16:21:42.209-08:00in honor of michelle rhee and her soon to be released memoir. the 3rd edition of michelle rhee - a glossarhee<br />
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<span style="color: #820000; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeality</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> an existence devoid of facts</i></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeally:</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">used to express surprise, interest or doubt as in
“RUFKM?” Serheeously!</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #820000; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeap</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> to obtain employment, wealth or stature through the efforts and/or
contributions of sugar daddy billionaires</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheecall: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">to
cancel, take back, or revoke – sort of – a lie one has told</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheecipient: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">an
individual receiving kudos or monetary prizes based on false data</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #820000; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheecommendation</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> a suggestion made by a highly
unqualified person</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheedact: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">to
delete factual information from written or oral communication because said
information does not support the rheetoric</span></i><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeduce: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">to</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="color: #333333;">diminish
the status of professional public educators</span></span></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheedundant: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">to
rheepeat talking points endlessly in order to avoid questions whose answers
would not support a particular rheeality</span></i><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheefer: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">an
herb smoked by corporate education deformers, often used to come up with the
ridiculous shit they rheegurgitate incessantly</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #820000; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeform</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> drastic change imposed by clueless people and unsupported by
peer-reviewed research or facts</i></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #820000; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeformer</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> an education deformer committed to imposing drastic change while
willfully ignoring input from experts </i></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheefudiate:<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">to refuse to be challenged when telling lies,
regardless of evidence</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheefund: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">bonuses forced to be returned by rheecipients of rheewards
based on excessive rheerasures</span></i><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheefurbish: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">to attempt to repair the status and reputation of
one caught in a lie</span></i><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheegret:</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">
sadness felt by a rheeformer when caught in a lie and/or cheating</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #820000; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheegurgitate</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> to spew out nonsense; usually done by
education deformers</i></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheehearse:</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">to practice and repeat key phrases or
sound bites for later public performance;</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> e.g. </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">status quo; dramatically change;
change the trajectory; put adult interests ahead of students; rheesearch shows;
a teacher’s value-added; I don't give a crap.</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeinstate: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">to call back teachers fired based on criteria that
violated contract</span></i><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeinvent:</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">
to spin shamelessly in order to aggrandize one’s self</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #820000; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeism</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> a lie</i></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheelay:</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> <span style="color: blue;"> </span>to receive
and pass on misinformation and/or lies</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheelinquish: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">to
give up one’s throne due to the anger of the constituency</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeluctant: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">unwilling
or disinclined to deal with facts</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheemail:<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">an<span style="color: maroon;"> </span>electronic communication generated by an education
rheeformer</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheemember:</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">
to rheecall alleged facts based on hearsay</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #820000; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheemove</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> to fire without cause; to fire and replace with cheap, unqualified
labor</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheepeal: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">in tandem with
complicit union leaders, to make invalid contractual protections, denying
educators of important rights</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #820000; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheepeat</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">stating a lie over and over in an attempt to create a truth</i></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheephrase</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> to express a lie in a different way, especially with the purpose of
inciting fear or deflecting truth when confronted with facts</i></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeplace:</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">
to change a wrong answer to a right answer; provide or find a substitute for an
ousted quack or fraud</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeplay:</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> to play back a section of a rheecording in
order to watch and/or hear one’s self again and again and again</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeply:</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">
an answer most likely untrue</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeprehensible: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">see Michelle Rhee</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #820000; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheerase</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> a strategy employed to raise test scores</i></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #820000; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheerasure</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> the outcome as a rheesult of rheerasing.</i></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #820000; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheesearch</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> a billionaire-funded investigation initiated to support a
predetermined outcome</i></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #820000; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheesign</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> to leave a job after 3 years</i></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #820000; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheesist</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> to vigorously deny facts</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #820000; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheespond</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">to answer a question with a lie</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheespect: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">a positive feeling of esteem or deference given to
public education deformers, Teach for America, or those determining education
policy with no background in education whatsoever</span></i><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheestate<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">: </i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">to
state again the same lie in a new form</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #820000; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheesult</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> an outcome obtained through questionable, unethical, illegal, or
immoral means; a fake outcome</i></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheesumé:</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> a page full of lies</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheetaliate:</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">to seek revenge in an especially evil manner</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #820000; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheetard</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> a devotee of Michelle Rhee; a member of the </i>Michelle Rhee Fan Club</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #820000; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheetell</span><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> to change one’s story multiple times; back peddle</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheetire<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">:</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">to be forcefully driven from one’s position or
occupation under a cloak of controversy</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheetoric:</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> sh!t
spewed by Michelle Rhee and other like-minded deformer idiots (See Duncan,
Gates, Broad, Kopp, Guggenheim, Oprah, and most of the cast of Waiting for
Superman) </span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheetract:</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">to quickly take back or disavow incorrectly marked
test answers or verifiable statements of intentional misinformation</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeturn: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">to elect, or rheeelect, legislators favorable to corporate
deformer agendas, usually Republicans or Neo-Liberal Democrats</span></i><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeverse:</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> acting,
operating, or arranged in a manner contrary to proven effective public
education policies </span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeview:</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">
to examine facts then willfully and intentionally dismiss them</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheevile:</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">to<span style="color: blue;"> </span>criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner,
often involving the word </span></i><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">crap<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> or </i>crappy<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheevise:<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">to
prepare a newly rheerased, edited version of what rheelly was; to intentionally
change or modify in order to mislead</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheevision</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">an
illegally altered final draft or new version of existing material</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheevoke: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">in high-stakes testing, a revoke is a violation of
important rules serious enough to render the results invalid. A rheevoke is a
violation ranked in seriousness equal to overt cheating, a major offense that
is not accidental.</span></i><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeview: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">to look over, study, examine facts again then
choose to ignore them</span></i><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheevolution: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">an attack on public education orchestrated by the
corporate education deformers.</span></i><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheeward</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">a
monetary prize based on bogus test scores</span></i><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rheewrite</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">to
write something again in order to embellish or falsify an existing document</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Unrheedeemable:</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> not capable of being cured or reformed due
to vicious, destructive actions taken in the name of corporate ed deform</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: maroon; font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Unrheesonable<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">: </i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">having
unsound judgment; unfair and insensible; often in regard to education policy</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-82403793334605727302012-10-13T11:58:00.000-07:002012-10-13T11:58:33.991-07:00dear president obama...
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Dear Readers,</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Please join the <i>October 17 Campaign for Our Public Schools </i>by writing a letter to President Obama!<i> </i>For more information, please go to Diane Ravitch's <a href="http://dianeravitch.net/2012/10/06/spread-the-word-about-october-17-campaign-for-our-public-schools/">blog</a>.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here's my letter.... </span></span></span><br />
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Dear President Obama,</div>
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<br /></div>
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I am a teacher and a parent writing to you about my deep
concerns regarding your administration’s education policies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I voted for you in 2008, I did so
hoping desperately for change. I hoped that we would finally have healthcare
for all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hoped that Wall Street
would be held accountable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hoped
that campaign reform would happen. And I hoped that the toxic education
policies brought by the Bush administration, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NCLB</i>, would finally end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You were my hope for all of those changes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say, I am deeply disappointed.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NCLB</i> policies have
harmed an entire generation of children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Those policies have <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>turned
our schools into test prep factories. We no longer honor or teach the whole
child; our curriculum has been narrowed to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Language
Arts</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Math</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All. Day. Long. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NCLB</i> affected not only our most poverty-ridden schools, but also
our more affluent ones, due to the impossible growth model mandated by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NCLB</i>. It is nearly impossible to find a
public school today that has not turned into a test prep factory focusing on
one, problematic, time-consuming, standardized test given near the end of the
school year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That one score
determines the fate of schools, teachers, and students across the nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And you’re okay with that.</div>
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Your policies have made George W. look like public
education’s best friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Race to the Top </i>(RTTT) has been nothing
more that a bribery scheme to force cash-strapped states to adopt and implement
your administration’s unsound, punitive education policies, policies that do
nothing to help our students, especially those children living in abject
poverty. Rather than give money to our most poverty stricken schools, you’re
awarding money to states that have capitulated to your Secretary of Education’s
demands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, the awarded money
will not even cover the costs of the changes you have mandated in order to be
in compliance and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">none</b> of that money
will end up in the classroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>None. Of. It. </div>
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<br /></div>
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And then there’s Arne Duncan. That you appointed a
basketball player as your Secretary of Education was insulting to teachers
everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That you have
supported him in his efforts to force our nation’s schools to implement his <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">failed</b> education policies imposed
during his tenure, as CEO of Chicago Public Schools, is unfathomable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re from Chicago, Mr.
President.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re clearly a very
smart guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t believe for a
moment that you are unaware of those well-documented failures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I have to ask you, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Is your endgame the planned failure and
dismantling of our nation’s public schools?</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because that is what it is looking like to me. </div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Mandate that schools implement failed policies. </li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Close schools and disrupt communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Push out veteran teachers to make room for
untrained, temporary <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Teach For America</i>
short timers. </li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Support large class sizes</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Charterize our public schools and use our tax
dollars to help your hedge fund buddies amass profits made at the expense our
nation’s children even though you know that few charter schools do any better
than public schools despite their ability to game their student population</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Continue with the test and punish agenda</li>
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So I have to ask you, Mr. President:</div>
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<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Your daughters’ class sizes are 13:1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is it okay for my daughters to be
in classes with 36 students?</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Your daughters’ enjoy a rich, well-rounded
curriculum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is it okay for my
daughters to spend their days on worksheets, test prep and testing, studying
only <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Language Arts</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Math</i>?</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Your daughters are not given a scripted
curriculum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is it okay for my
daughters to be subjected to a boring, irrelevant, low-level, yet often
developmentally inappropriate, scripted curriculum?</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Your daughters will not be subjected to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Common Core Standards</i>, another product
NOT developed by educators or child development experts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is it okay to subject other
children to this possibly illegal idiocy? I guess like David Coleman, you don’t
‘give a sh!t’ what I, an actual, highly-qualified, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>veteran educator, have to say.</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Your daughters don’t have any untrained, temporary
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Teach For America</i> corps members as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">teachers</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is it okay for other children to have unqualified,
temporary TFA <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">teachers</i>?</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Your daughters are not labeled based on one test
score.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is it okay for my
daughters to be labeled by a test score? (And I don’t care if the label is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Advanced</i>!)</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Your daughters aren’t subjected to high-stakes
testing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is it okay for my
daughters to be subjected to high-stakes testing that robs them of receiving
the education they deserve?</li>
</ul>
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For
me, I don’t have to worry about the affects of your education policies on my
highly gifted daughters any longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They chose to drop out of school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Their education stopped meeting their needs so they opted out
completely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I allowed them to make
that choice because I could not defend the system that had been imposed on them
by the Bush-Obama education policies.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
But
I worry about the 4 and 5 year olds I teach every day. Your policies affect my
students in harmful ways that can have long-term effects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am expected to deliver a
scripted, developmentally inappropriate curriculum, have them complete
worksheets, and test them 3 times a year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not only do the tests not inform my instruction (I assess my student in
authentic ways daily to inform my instruction), my students are robbed of
instructional time while stressing out because what I am asking of them is
beyond their ability. Weeks are wasted each year due to the 1:1 testing that I
am now mandated to administer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That testing has become more important than teaching should cause you
great concern, but that is what your policies have created. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s all about the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">data</i> now, whether or not the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">data</i>
collected has any value at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
speaking of the stress some children experience when being required to take
these inappropriate tests, I have to ask you, Mr. President, have you ever had
the joy of cleaning up a test that a distressed child has thrown up on it?</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
I
hold Secretary Duncan accountable for the bad education he is forcing on my
students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hold you accountable
as well, Mr. President, because the buck stops with you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You both should be ashamed about imposing
your bad policies on my students, while protecting your children from these
abuses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NCLB</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NCLB, The Sequel – RTTT</i>, all I can say is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sh!t is really @#$%&* up</i>!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t count on my vote this time around.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
Sincerely,</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<i>A Teacher Anon</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-11504616619367837212012-07-11T13:58:00.001-07:002012-07-11T14:17:15.043-07:00more stupid sh!t arne says...<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“We have so many great teachers, but we haven’t listened. And teachers
are so nice they haven’t demanded a seat at the policy table…"</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://neatoday.org/2012/07/10/how-should-we-support-new-teachers-arne-duncan-hears-from-nea-student-members/"><i>Arne Duncan</i></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>US Secretary of Education</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
O.M.F.G! D.E.L.U.S.I.O.N.A.L. (Except for the <i>"we haven't listened"</i> part.)</div>
A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-42663961314978430022012-07-03T12:56:00.000-07:002012-07-03T12:56:01.867-07:00kindergarten criminals<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>"The sources I have is I went to the Department of Education and got a
list of kindergartens and I went to the safety department and got the
crime report," he said. "In general, the towns with a kindergarten have
400 percent more crime than other towns in the same county. In every
county the towns and cities with kindergarten had more crime."</i></span></blockquote>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Rep. Bob Kingsbury (R-Laconia)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: small;">New Hampshire</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #660000;">Are. You. F@#king. Kidding. Me. </span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-12639118320737086482012-06-15T14:23:00.004-07:002012-06-15T14:23:58.925-07:00my opinion of the common crap standards? do they really want to know?<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Recently, my school district sent out a survey to teachers asking for input on the <i>Common <strike>Crap</strike> Core <strike>National</strike> $tate $tandard$</i>.</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The district has hand-picked a <i>Common Core </i></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>$tate $tandard$</i></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i> Implementation Steering Committee </i>to represent teachers and allow for transparency.</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Sadly, what my district tends to do is only select teachers who will passively, yet enthusiastically, suck down whatever <i>Kool-Aid</i> the district puts before them. If one is an advocate for doing what's best for kids as opposed to corporations, well, don't sit around waiting for a call to join a committee.</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And let me be clear: its not that my district evil, its just that they think they don't have a choice, so they cowardly roll over and accept the truly bad ideas being shoved down from on high.</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Then the dominoes continue to fall as administrators push these bad ideas on teachers who are then expected to push them onto our students. This circle-of-educational-life truly sucks. No <i>Hakuna Matatas</i> from me.</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I'm seeing problems everywhere and it doesn't look like they're going to be going away any time soon.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So, though I doubt it will garner anything more than an <i>eye roll</i> and maybe an <i>Oh, she's the developmental one</i>... followed by yet another <i>eye roll</i>, here's my response to the survey:</span><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><i>Common Core $tate $tandards</i> $urvey</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What are you particularly excited about
regarding the transition to CC$$?</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Is this a trick
question? <span style="color: blue;">(I really wanted to say </span><i style="color: blue;">Are you fucking kidding me?</i><span style="color: blue;"> but I'm trying to be somewhat professional.)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And BTW - Most teachers don’t
even know what the CC$ are or how they will impact our students and our
profession.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">2. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What obstacles or issues do you foresee?</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: .5in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Continued de-professionalization of teaching</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: .5in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Teacher burnout from over a decade of top down mandates that
have yet to close the achievement gap.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: .5in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Continued student burnout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: .5in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Increased stress experienced by children, teachers and school
districts due to increased high-stakes testing.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Continued mislabeling of
children as failures</span></b><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> because they are not
developmentally ready to master the standards.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">A further narrowing of the curriculum</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">3. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What essential questions do you have
regarding the $tandard$ or the transition?</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Why are only TK and K having to implement the CC$ in the 2012-13
school year? (Though I'd vote for NO one implementing them next year, or any year, for that matter!)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Implementing the CC$ will be co$tly (follow the money): more
profe$$ional development; more high-$take te$t$; more technology; new
textbook$, etc. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">How can there be </b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">adequate
funding for implementing all aspects of the </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">CC$ when we are experiencing continued budgetary crises?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The CC$ will require substantially more high-$take$ te$ting
(Stephen Krashen predicts that testing will increase 20 fold.) </span></div>
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<span style="color: #943634; font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">More high-stakes testing
= less teaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #943634; font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">More high-stakes testing
= more teaching to the test. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #943634; font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">How are we going to protect our students from such abuse?</span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: .5in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The CC$ were NOT developed by classroom teachers or child
development experts. We will still be in a ‘one size fits all’, test-centric
environment, expecting ALL children to learn and master standards at the same
pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">How will this benefit our children?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Will our curricula become
even more narrowed? </span></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">(Hint: Yes)</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Will our curricula become
even MORE test focused? </span></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">(Hint: Yes)</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And, yes, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">are the CC$
developmentally appropriate at any grade level? </b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(They aren’t at my grade level and they go against best practices based on rigorous,
peer-reviewed research.)</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The CC$ diminishes the
importance of fiction and personal narrative writing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coleman, </span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">a leading <strike>idiot</strike> author and <strike>smarmy</strike> architect of the CC$,</span><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> expressed his view of personal narrative quite succinctly: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“[A]s you grow up
in this world you realize people really don’t give a shit about what you feel
or what you think.”</span></i><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu6lin88YXU"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu6lin88YXU</span></a><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Coleman is not an educator. Bill Gates, who bank rolled the CC$,
is not an educator. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Are we comfortable implementing
standards that were determined by non-educators?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Have we learned nothing from the failure of NCLB?</span></b><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> Basing everything on one test score is lunacy. The
most important things cannot be measured. Creativity in American students is
declining. Duncan, Gates and Obama would never submit their own children to
these mandates. Why are they submitting ours?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Will the CC$ eventually be challenged in the courts
as a violation of federal law that prohibits the federal government from
imposing a national curriculum on our nation’s schools?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri;">How will implementing the CC$ close the achievement
gap?</span></b><b><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> Please be specific and cite peer-reviewed research to support your argument.</span></b><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Interesting links addressing the CC$:</span></b></div>
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</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://whatiscommoncore.wordpress.com/2012/06/15/anti-common-core-in-national-news-from-reuters-washington-times-cnn-huffington-post-tampa-bay-times-deseret-news-new-york-post/">http://whatiscommoncore.wordpress.com/2012/06/15/anti-common-core-in-national-news-from-reuters-washington-times-cnn-huffington-post-tampa-bay-times-deseret-news-new-york-post/</a>
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</span></span></span><a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2012/05/yong_zhao_common_core.html"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2012/05/yong_zhao_common_core.html</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> </span></div>
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</span></span></span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/common-core-wont-likely-boost-student-achievement-analysis-says/2012/02/16/gIQAOfZuJR_blog.html"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/common-core-wont-likely-boost-student-achievement-analysis-says/2012/02/16/gIQAOfZuJR_blog.html</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> </span></div>
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</span></span></span><a href="http://susanohanian.org/core.php"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">http://susanohanian.org/core.php</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> </span></div>
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<i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">NCLB’s Lost Decade
for Educational Progress:<br />
What Can We Learn from this Policy Failure?</span></b></i></div>
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<span style="color: #943634; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><a href="http://www.fairtest.org/NCLB-lost-decade-report-home"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">http://www.fairtest.org/NCLB-lost-decade-report-home</span></b></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #943634; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-91434533927112176452012-04-14T16:34:00.000-07:002012-04-14T16:34:21.923-07:00r u smarter than a 6th grader?<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">So I was sitting in a sixth grade classroom waiting for our staff meeting to begin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> L</span>ooking around the room, taking in the environment, I was trippin’ on how different the kindergarten room environment is from where the big kids are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The words,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Final Push</i>, written </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">on the whiteboard caught my eye. Uh oh, I thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve heard that term before and since we’d just began the fourth quarter I knew it wasn’t referring to the end of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was referring to the <s>stupid</s> <s>totally fucked</s> <s>waste of time</s> <s>waste of money</s> <s>brain killing</s> <s>ulcer inducing</s> upcoming high-stakes, standardized State test.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Crap,”</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> I thought.<span></span><i><span> </span></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Oh yeah, now I’m making a connection!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grades two through six have been gearing up for these tests with their <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Final Push</i> test prep extravaganza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Six weeks of mind numbing, stomach wrenching, enormously boring, enthusiasm sucking, test preparation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Six whole weeks stressing kids out while denying them access to a real education where their natural curiosity and ability to think critically has been sorely eliminated – along with social studies, science, music, art, recess, etc.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I looked at the terminology on the board and thought, wow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also thought, <s>Are You Fucking Kidding Me</s><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> really</span>???<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Srsly!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'll bet if I asked any non-sixth grade teacher in the room, including our principal, no one, I mean NO one, could define all of those terms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d be willing to bet NO one at the district office could define those terms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our local school board couldn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, I’d be willing to bet that Arne Duncan, Bill Gates, Eli Broad, Michelle Rhee, Wendy Kopp, Geoffrey Canada, Michael Bloomberg, Joel Klein, and even Oprah couldn’t define those terms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet our SIXTH GRADERS are supposed to be able to know these terms and apply that knowledge on the State test? Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, seriously, why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who came up with the ludicrous idea that this was grade level appropriate material, let alone relevant to sixth graders?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">All I can say is, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Shit is fucked up!”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Totally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year has been the most frustrating in my entire career.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am sick of District and State generated test data.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sick of test prep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sick of testing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, even kindergarten teachers are now testing our children into oblivion. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(More about that in an upcoming post.)</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m disgusted by the reward parties for children who have made the grade, so to speak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I weep for all those kids who NEVER get to attend any of the special events because they couldn’t make the grade no matter how hard they tried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My stomach clenches when I think about walking into the multipurpose room at the beginning of the next school year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will I see the NAMES and SCORES of the kids who scored <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Proficient</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Advanced</i> on the State test posted on the walls for all to see, AGAIN? Will we spend $6,000 on <i>Accelerated Reader</i> when we spend $0 on new books for our library?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The only good thing about having furlough days for the third year in a row is that it means that I have five fewer days to put up with this shit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Class sizes continue to rise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Testing continues to increase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More mandates that do nothing to help kids learn proliferate. Really, people, I can’t possibly take any more meds than I am currently taking.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">So, dear readers, please take the test below and see if you’re smarter than a sixth grader.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re not, and you are a parent with a school-aged child, please opt your child out of high-stakes testing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you don’t have kids, tell all parents you know that they can opt their child out of high-stakes testing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Check out <a href="http://unitedoptout.com/" style="color: #660000;">http://unitedoptout.com/</a> for more information.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span> <style>
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</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">All I can say again is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Shit is really fucked up.”</i> And not in a good way!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-45086060127160374142012-02-15T19:21:00.000-08:002012-02-15T19:21:55.266-08:00sh!t arne says<blockquote class="tr_bq">“Our goal is to work with educators in rebuilding their profession—and to elevate the teacher voice in shaping federal, state and local education policy,” said Secretary Duncan today at the launch of the RESPECT Project. “Our larger goal is to make teaching not only America’s most important profession—but America’s most respected profession,” he said.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div style="text-align: right;">Secretary Arne Duncan<strong class="channelTitle"></strong> </div><div style="text-align: right;"><i>National Conversation on the Future of Teachers Town Hall Meeting</i></div></blockquote>So, Arne. You're going to do this while you and your corporate ed deformer pals continue to beat the sh!t out of these teachers you so <i>respect</i>. Give me a break! Seriously, Arne. How stupid do you think teachers are?<br />
<br />
R.E.S.P.E.C.T..... Arne, you haven't a clue!A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-43228627541246084522012-02-10T09:30:00.000-08:002012-02-10T09:30:19.489-08:00breaking newsBREAKING NEWS: NYC DOE murders 23 more public schools. No arrests made. Meanwhile, in other news, texting Occupier is thrown to the ground, arrested and charged with resisting arrest and battery of a peace officer. Bail set at $10,000.A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-85520932389317404322011-10-15T10:19:00.000-07:002011-10-15T10:19:18.476-07:00i heart george buzzetti or f.u. arne duncanRecently the <i>US Secretary of Miseducation</i>, Arne Duncan, traveled to Pico Rivera, California to have a 2-hour-long town hall with parents and community leaders, hosted by the <i>US Department of Education</i>. As usual, Arne <strike>didn't give a sh!t about</strike> wasn't interested in meeting with teachers. Anyway, over 1,000 people came to ask questions and share their thoughts with Arne. I guess Arne didn't expect such a large crowd, eager to ask questions and tell their stories. So after 20 short minutes of <i>blah blah blah blah</i> from Arne, he split. Yep. He left. After. 20. minutes. Gee, Arne. What happened? Weren't you feelin' the love? Afraid of what the crowd might say? Come on, dude! Where are your cojones? Aren't you the All Powerful Oz??? Oh, that's right. You're not. Bill Gates is. My bad!<br />
<br />
But as Arne was trying to slickly sneak outta town, a voice was heard from the audience, <i>"He has no respect for students, parents or teachers, he is now on his way to get money."</i><br />
<br />
OMG! If I'd have been there, I may have had to light a cigarette. Oh, yeah, baby! That was the voice of George Buzzetti (who I am SO gonna <i>Scroogle</i> after I finish this blog)!<i> </i>When an article covering the event was published in the<i> LA Weekly</i>,<a href="http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/10/arne_duncan_la_town_hall.php#Comments"> George commented:</a><br />
<blockquote><i>I am the person who yelled to the audience "He has no respect for students, parents or teachers, he is now on his way to get money." I did not plan that. It happened as a reaction to his total disrespect, and if not addressed right then and there he would get away with it. I was not going to allow that to happen as I am the one who originated opening up a closed meeting to all comers through Lydia Grant, Board Member of the Parent Revolution, and Yolande Beckles with the LAUSD Parent District Advisory Council (DAC) and new Parent Union. I am with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) of California and requested attendance for three members myself, Celes King IV and Miguel Paredes. We received that Sunday. Monday I called Lydia and Yolande to send in requests on their letterhead, they did. Within several hours both received phone calls, from officials representing Duncan, asking them to bring every student, parent, teacher and community member they can so they can be listened to by the Secretary of Education. Also, go to the press so we can have as many people there as possible. This was done. From San Diego to the edge of L.A. County they came including a bus load paid for by The California Teachers Association (CTA) who helped parents go to this supposedly important event for the public to be heard. Channel 11 was there and got video of me calling down Duncan and ran on the news he ran from parents. He was there by helicopter no more than 20 minutes total.<br />
<br />
When I went outside with one of his aides, and a lot of police, I ripped his aide apart so much the police started laughing. Students were watching all of this intently. The aide left and I spent the next hour plus with many students who told me and my other friends there what is really happening to them. I also had my laptop and wireless card and showed them the statistical facts. I took them to the California Dept. of Education (CDE) website and asked them to give me a school and we went there and I showed them how to use the website to do what I do to learn the truth. They gave me their emails and I am sending them my spreadsheets and the instructions on how to use the CDE website. <br />
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I must ask you to also ask yourselves the same question I asked myself, and that is "Why were they not out there talking with the students?" Isn't that supposed to be their MISSION!!!!!<br />
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Unfortunately, we are seeing the same Arne Duncan as in Chicago. He helped to ruin the Chicago Public Schools academically and financially. Please go look at the new University of Chicago study on Chicago Public Schools from 1988 until now. He did not do good.<br />
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Also, while superintendent of Chicago he and Senator Feinstein wrote letters to the California Legislature stating that those before Daley and Vallas took over in 1995 had put the district into $1.8 billion in debt. I have the financial income and expenditures from 1994 and there was a surplus. They lied. Is this who we want for Secretary of Education? A person with no respect for the public and a liar! </i></blockquote><br />
George, I hope you don't mind that I published your comments in my blog, but they were just too awesome not to share! And, Arne, dude, all I can say is, despite your evidently petite cojones, you are a <i>dickus maximus</i>... and I DON'T mean that in a good way. FUAD and the helicopter you rode in on! Srsly.A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-3448123345479248052011-10-02T16:32:00.000-07:002011-10-02T19:00:12.902-07:00arne duncan - the BS whisperer<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><i>Sometimes I wonder why I do the things I do. Last year, watching </i><i>MSNBC's, now annual corporate education deform infomercial, <strike>Mis</strike> Education Nation, my already hormonally hot self became even hotter. </i><i>Despite having this prior learning embedded in my schema, I decided to watch the segment, <a href="http://www.educationnation.com/index.cfm?objectid=0C6529A0-E87C-11E0-B00E000C296BA163"><b>Classrooms in Action: A Window on Great Teaching</b> </a>to see what 'great teaching' looks like because surely, as a veteran educator, I couldn't possibly know. And since none of the corporate ed deformers have been able to substantively define it, I thought maybe this segment would finally crack the code. ...Oh, crap! This segment is brought to me by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation! ...OK. Never mind. I probably won't see any code being cracked in this segment, after all. But since I'd already pointed and clicked, I thought I hang in there to see what my <strike>idiotic</strike> <strike>dimwit of a</strike> Secretary of Education would have to say about "great teaching".</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>After viewing Arne's pick for "great teaching" in action, IN the classroom of the "great" teacher an interesting question was asked:</i></div><br />
<blockquote><b><i>Anne Curry:</i></b> Secretary Duncan, here’s the situation. In this particular school, on paper, is an affluent, suburban middle school: 82.95% white, 90% non-economically disadvantaged. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">You can see that they have all kinds of materials.</b> There are lots of schools where the students don’t even have pencils, don’t have notebooks, and yet look at what these kids have! So of course these kids have a better start! <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Isn’t this something we should have for every school, no matter what the economic background?</b> </blockquote><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: maroon;">Arne Duncan:</span></b><span style="color: maroon;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Absolutely</b>.</i></span><span style="color: #1f497d;"> (</span><b><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Wingdings;"><--</span></b><span style="color: #1f497d;">That was his answer. Period! Then he goes into empty rhetoric mode. </span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Wingdings;"><b>--></b>)</span><span style="color: #1f497d;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: maroon;">Education has to be the great equalizer and whether you’re coming from an affluent background, or whether you have parents who neither one graduated from elementary school, every child in this country deserves a world-class education. Teachers like Kyle are just absolutely amazing. Every teacher needs a great great teacher like that but a huge part of our job is to make sure children in traditionally underserved communities, be they urban or rural or remote, have a chance to have a world-class education. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">As a country, that’s what we stand for.</b> </span></i><span style="color: #1f497d;">(</span><b><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Wingdings;"><-- </span></b><span style="color: #1f497d;">BS ALERT! WE DON’T, as a country, stand for that! We stand for war and corporate greed, dude!) </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: maroon;">We all have to work together, the federal level, the state level, local level ….business community, philanthropic community. If we’re not giving children these kinds of opportunities, we’re just robbing them of their future and ultimately hurting the country.</span></i></div></blockquote><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d;"><b><i>Me:</i></b> Arne, are you really that dim or are you just trying to mess with us? Let me help you out here. Curry was asking you to tell the audience what you could do to make certain children in impoverished schools received those resources as well. Specifically. Empty rhetoric not allowed. But that’s all you gave us. More of the same, empty BS.</span></div><br />
<blockquote><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anne Curry:</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i> …Secretary Duncan, I think what we are really seeing here though is that we need to figure out a way for all schools to get the resources to be able to get this kind of opportunity for these students to get hands on learning that seems to part of the equation for creating good teaching. </blockquote><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: maroon;">Arne Duncan:</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: maroon;"> </span></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: maroon;">Hugely important. </span></b><span style="color: #1f497d;">(</span><b><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Wingdings;"><--</span></b><span style="color: #1f497d;">That was his response. Then he changes the narrative yet again.<b> --></b></span><b><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Wingdings;"></span></b><span style="color: #1f497d;">) </span><span style="color: maroon;">I just want to thank Kyle. He’s an amazing amazing teacher. His students are so lucky to have him. You asked me to pick one highlighting great teaching, but let me tell you we have hundreds of thousands of teachers around the country every single day with Kyle’s creativity, passion and commitment. We can’t do enough to shine the spotlight on great teaching. I appreciate the opportunity you’ve given us to do that. </span></div></blockquote><i><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Me: </span></b></i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Arne. Arne. Arne. Curry reframed the question in an attempt to get you to answer it. But again, you didn't! Well, bully for you!</span><span style="color: #0b5394;"> Rather than answering questions in a substantive manner, you simply cut and paste a collection your BS sound bites into the dialogue to fill the time. You, Arne, are a chicken. I dare you to tell us how you can make sure ALL schools receive the resources that affluent, suburban schools do! I dare you.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><b>NOTE TO ARNE:</b></i> While we're at it, saying "great great" or "amazing amazing" is not the way to increase the power of a word. At least try pulling out a thesaurus, dude! You're modeling bad English for our nation's school children.</span> <span style="color: #0b5394;">And given your <strike>hard-on</strike> enthusiasm for world-class academic standards, I would expect the </span><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Secretary of Education</i> </span><span style="color: #0b5394;">to be more erudite!</span>A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-6470206333050178662011-09-21T22:08:00.000-07:002011-09-21T22:08:02.436-07:00sh!t arne says<blockquote><span style="font-size: large;"><i>We also want you to enjoy so many other enriching experiences that are so important to a complete education. We know you have great music, art, and physical education teachers at your school, and we believe that these subjects are essential for a well-rounded curriculum. And so is recess. We want you to have fun!</i></span></blockquote><div style="text-align: right;">Arne Duncan</div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1063852081"><i><span style="font-size: small;">An Open Letter from Secretary Arne Duncan</span></i></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.ed.gov/blog/2011/09/an-open-letter-from-secretary-arne-duncan-and-karen-duncan-to-their-children/"><i><span style="font-size: small;">and Karen Duncan to Their Children</span></i></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Arne, I'm really happy for you that your kids attend a great school that provides them with such a rich educational experience. I truly heart how you think music, art, physical education and recess are important! That your children's elementary school actually has teachers for those subjects is remarkable! And Arne, though it may be hard for us to believe, it would appear that we actually agree on something! How 'bout that?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But here's the thing, Arne. Schools in my city don't have such enriching experiences for our children. <i>(BTW - Elementary schools in my city have NEVER had specialized teachers for music, art, or physical education.) </i>And thanks to NCLB and RTTT, <i>rich educational experiences</i> are not part of my kindergarteners' day. While your kids are rockin' their rich educational experiences, my 25 students' day looks like this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> 8:35 - <i>Greeting, roll, lunch count, news</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> 8:55 - <i>English Language Development</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> 9:25 - <i>Learning to Read, Word Work, Writing & Language</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">10:25 - <i>Strategic Support for English Language Arts</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">10:40 - <i>Nutrition Break</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">10:55 - <i>Math</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">11:25 - <i>Strategic Support for Math</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">11:45 - <i>Lunch</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">12:15 - <i>Dismissal</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Yep. Welcome to my world! Tell me, Arne, does the above look like a <i>rich educational experience</i> for my 4 and 5 year olds? <i>(Hint: Hell to the no!)</i> Instead, our world delivers to America's future a <i>"Sit-down-Shut-up-Listen-and-remember"</i> educational experience. We have one workbook for <i>Language Arts</i>, one workbook for <i>English Language Development</i>, and two workbooks for <i>Math</i>. Lots of seat time and paper and pencil activities for these young learners. Sadly, you probably don't even get why this is a bad thing. And why don't you get that? ANSWER: BECAUSE YOU AREN'T A TEACHER! Not to mention you've never studied education theory or child development. Other than photo ops, public schools haven't really been part of your life experience - especially high poverty public schools.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So Arne, it just seems that every time you open your mouth you say something that is guaranteed to piss me off. Our mandated curricula sucks. It's developmentally inappropriate, narrow narrow narrow, greatly irrelevant <i>(I mean who cares what a possessive pronoun is, anyway? Srsly!)</i> and BORING! And thanks to the stupid sh!t you keep promoting through your Federal Education Bribery Schemes... Well, regarding irrelevant, boring education... I'm thinking we ain't seen nothin' yet!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I have no faith in you, Arne, as the <i>Secretary of Education</i> for our nation. Maybe I'd look more kindly on you if you'd put your own kids in one of the many high poverty DC public schools near your workplace and let them experience all the richness that our test prep factories have to offer. Hey, you can even put them in one of those high poverty DC charter schools you're so enamored with, hopefully in a classroom with a <i>Teach for America</i> 'teacher'! You know, one of those <i>best and brightest</i>! If you did that, then maybe I'd believe that you think that what you're doing IS what's best for kids.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Come on, Arne. I dare you!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div>A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-88938361739691266672011-09-05T16:03:00.000-07:002011-09-05T16:16:09.853-07:00california department of education's policy on STAR testing.....<style>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Title 5. EDUCATION</b></div><h6><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Division 1. California Department of Education</span></h6><h6><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Chapter 2. Pupils</span></h6><h3 style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in;"><span lang="FR" style="font-family: Arial;">Subchapter 3.75. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Standardized Testing and Reporting Program</span></h3><h3 style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 150%;">Article 1. General </span></h3><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="H5" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-outline-level: body-text; mso-pagination: none; page-break-after: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">§ 852. Pupil Exemptions.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .25in;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A parent or guardian may submit to the school a written request to excuse his or her child from any or all parts of any test provided pursuant to Education Code section 60640.</b> If a parent or guardian submits an exemption request after testing has begun, any test(s) completed before the request is submitted will be scored and the results reported to the parent or guardian and included in the pupil’s records. <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;">A school district and its employees may discuss the STAR Program with parents and may inform parents of the availability of exemptions under Education Code section 60615. The school district and its employees shall not solicit or encourage any written exemption request on behalf of any child or group of children.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none;">NOTE: Authority cited: Sections 33031 and 60605, Education Code. Reference: Sections 60605, 60607, 60615, 60640 and 60641, Education Code. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">..... just sayin'. Neutrally, of course!</span></span> </div><br />
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<span id="goog_2116740915"><span id="goog_2116740917"></span><span id="goog_2116740918"></span></span><span id="goog_2116740916"></span>A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-48602149074308449642011-08-20T12:48:00.000-07:002011-08-20T12:48:21.964-07:00kindergarten 2011-12 on the left coastThanks to continued Federal intrusion into the learning lives of children and the importance of data points and accountability, here's the new and improved schedule for the <i>Kindergarten Class of 2011-12:</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KoNMKe3tpS4/TlAIe4aovXI/AAAAAAAAAIM/0vchoWI2MV0/s1600/Kindergarten+Schedule.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KoNMKe3tpS4/TlAIe4aovXI/AAAAAAAAAIM/0vchoWI2MV0/s400/Kindergarten+Schedule.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Other than the 5 minutes allotted for <i>Opening Activities</i> (greeting each student; putting backpacks away; getting settled; attendance; lunch count; mail; announcements.... <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Right, like in 5 minutes?</span></i>), these 4 and 5 year old children will enjoy 2 hours and 55 minutes of seat time as I effectively deliver a skills based, scripted, academic <i>English Language Development, English Language Arts</i>, and <i>Math</i> curricula. During 60 minutes of <i>ELA</i> and <i>Math Strategic Support</i>, I will address the needs of the <i>Below Basic</i> and <i>Far Below Basic</i> children while the other 4 and 5 year olds are working <b>independently</b> at their instructional level. (NOTE: In the school districts in my city on the Left Coast we do not have instructional aides, or <i>specials</i> - music and art teachers.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I am sure my students will enjoy the <i>Health Nutrition </i>break, where they will be able to eat a snack and play play play to their hearts' content and socialize for an entire 10 minutes! Wow! Life doesn't get much better than that when you're 4 and 5 years old.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Now regarding the 20 minutes allotted for <i>Science/Social Studies/Music/Art.</i>.... well I won't even get into the reality of those 20 minutes. Anyone who's ever taught kindergarten can look at the above schedule and figure out why.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So the year has begun... <i>On your mark. Get set. GO! </i>And while I'm at it, I'll be giving the <i>Emerging Literacy Assessment</i>, one-on-one, to each of my students (<i>To Be Completed</i> by the ninth day of school. No excuses!) After all, it's never too early to labels kids as failures, is it? So in 9 short days, my kids have been <i>bibbidy bobbidy booed </i>and<i> </i>magically turned into <i>data points</i>... because, well, DIG*! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">*DIG = <i>Data Is God</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-86064597070469275882011-08-02T16:23:00.000-07:002011-08-02T16:29:43.046-07:00today's ela training's wtf moment<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>In today's training I learned that.....</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tLYEfmCCmnA/TjiGwUDpDJI/AAAAAAAAAII/EihxGfrjDZA/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-08-02+at+4.21.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tLYEfmCCmnA/TjiGwUDpDJI/AAAAAAAAAII/EihxGfrjDZA/s320/Screen+shot+2011-08-02+at+4.21.31+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span id="goog_1153797634"></span><span id="goog_1153797635"></span><br />
<div style="color: #990000; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: large;">And all I can say is RUFKM? Srsly!</span></div>A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-36888454513795700722011-08-01T20:36:00.000-07:002011-08-02T17:34:50.107-07:00the devolution of the teaching profession<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Last night I returned home from an invigorating, yet sweltering, five days in Washington, DC for the <i>Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action</i>. My profession was affirmed by not only the keynote conference speakers, Diane Ravitch and Jonathan Kozol, but also by the thousands of like-minded individuals attending the event. At the rally, the voices of Deb Meier, John Kuhn, Taylor Mali, Nancy Carlsson-Paige and Matt Damon were added in the mix. We listened. We learned. We marched. We engaged democracy. I returned home inspired, energized and ready to start the new school year.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And then I went to training for our new language arts curriculum. We were handed the obligatory copy of the <i>PowerPoint</i> slides as we signed in. I'll admit, I was tired and not particularly looking forward to the training, but here I was, like it or not. I get that my district is held hostage by the policy makers at the state and federal levels and they're just doing what is being mandated. But, really, I don't know how much more of this absurdity I can take.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As the trainer read the <i>PowerPoint</i> slides, I reflected on how unamusing I find it when trainers read their <i>PowerPoint</i> slides to their audience. I mean, all of us are college graduates who are very capable readers. We don't really need a read aloud. The story's just not that good. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Then we were introduced to content and language objective frames, and my eyes started rolling around in my head. I mean, how many times do I have to point out that our kindergarteners can't read the frames, so what's the point in posting them? And why in the hell do they have to repeat them after me? I'm teaching children here, not monkeys. And regarding focus walls... don't even get me started. And I am so over using <i>academic language</i> with my four year olds.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So I admit, I was kinda having a brattitude about all this, but I was doing a pretty good job of not looking seriously pissed off. After all, I do have a degree in <i>Theatre Arts</i> and am a highly proficient actor. So I can look interested if need be. And though it's annoying enough to have to <i>choral</i> read the <i>PowerPoint</i> slides, that was nothing compared to what we were told to do next.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The topic was <i>the importance of reading with expression.</i> Yeah, ok.... like, duh?! That's a no-brainer, dude. But I was completely unprepared for what came next. With the text projected on the screen, our trainer selected several words from the text. We were told that we were now to read the passage, chorally, putting emphasis on the selected words. 1, 2, 3, go! Geeze. If this is a bad nightmare would someone please wake me up? I mean, we're already handed a script for teaching, complete with comprehension questions in red to ask during the read aloud which is utterly joy killing. Seriously, can I just read the story to the kids for fun? Interrupting the flow of a good read aloud to ask these inane questions is a real story killer. And now we're being told which words to emphasize in the text? Sh!t. What comes in the next edition of the Teacher's Manuel? Will Houghton-Mifflin start color coding the words they deem important enough to emphasize when reading aloud? I mean, I may be blonde, but I'm not stupid! Is this absurdity never ending?</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">After the training, I returned home and reflected on the day and what was being asked of, and imposed upon, my profession... my practice. I'm tired of forcing a joyless curricula on my children. I'm tired of interrupting stories to discuss pointless questions. I'm tired of having 8 million standards to cover to prove the rigor of our curricula. I'm tired of discrete lessons focusing on useless details taught without context. I'm tired of hearing myself talk talk talk. When do I get to listen to my children's voices? I'm tired of racing to reach the ever rising bar. And I'm beyond tired of doing stupid sh!t that is not supported by research, just because it's in the Teacher's Manuel. And I am oh so so tired of our collective wisdom, expertise and understanding of how kids learn and should be taught being ignored.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I just think I'm done. I don't think I can keep imposing this stupid stuff on my kids. These kids are my future. What will happen if they don't learn to think critically? What will happen if they never learn that their voices are important and need to be heard? What will happen if they think the only thing that gives them value is a test score? What will happen if they only learn how to listen and not how to participate in a meaningful way? What will happen if they never learn the importance of relationships and working together? What will happen if they never discover the joy of reading or develop a love of learning? I worry about this because the current day curricular programs put my children's brains, hearts and lives in harms way. And like doctors, I believe teachers should <i>do no harm</i> yet that is what we are being forced to do.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I know how the kids will feel someday if their voices are not heard, or if their expertise is not honored, because that's the way teachers are feeling today. Disillusioned, demoralized, angry and uncertain whether or not they can carry on in today's climate. So the big question is what do I do now? Perhaps I'll just close my door and read stories all day long, without being interrupted, and choose which words I want to emphasize. I cannot live without reading. I want my kids to feel that way too. And if I need to have my spirits lifted and my efforts encouraged, I'll just go to <i>YouTube</i> and watch Diane Ravitch's inspiring and passionate speech at the <i>Save Our Schools </i>rally because bottom line, I've got precious lives to save!</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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</div>A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-80392856987502633702011-07-20T15:48:00.000-07:002011-09-05T16:08:40.720-07:00got signs?<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And the winner is....</span></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VPpphaiG9Uk/TidXRkjEQNI/AAAAAAAAAG8/ZQl4MIaGKRg/s1600/NCLB+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VPpphaiG9Uk/TidXRkjEQNI/AAAAAAAAAG8/ZQl4MIaGKRg/s400/NCLB+poster.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div style="color: #990000; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Thanks to all who voted!!!</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I'll be bringing this to DC! </span></span></i></div>A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-76612680886803669532011-07-17T23:15:00.000-07:002011-07-19T00:09:50.886-07:00what i'd really like my sign to say.....<div class="separator" style="background-color: #d9ead3; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="background-color: #d9ead3; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wCkbhUvqlbo/TiUtR5nfCLI/AAAAAAAAAG4/0BwmzAoPQoo/s1600/ARNE+LOOKS+SICK.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wCkbhUvqlbo/TiUtR5nfCLI/AAAAAAAAAG4/0BwmzAoPQoo/s1600/ARNE+LOOKS+SICK.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: #d9ead3; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d9ead3; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">With all due respect,</span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: #d9ead3; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d9ead3; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">F@#k You, Arne Duncan!</span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: #d9ead3; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: #d9ead3; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">...and I don't mean in a <i>good</i> way! </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ok. I'll go put myself in a timeout now.</span></i></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b8eQJId7or0/TiPPOvVh8QI/AAAAAAAAAG0/hz0EeBkjDX0/s1600/Poodle+lying+down.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b8eQJId7or0/TiPPOvVh8QI/AAAAAAAAAG0/hz0EeBkjDX0/s320/Poodle+lying+down.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></span></span></div>A Teacher Anonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14334585140333970002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7615425962928029777.post-13835221070902077602011-07-12T20:49:00.000-07:002011-07-12T20:49:41.575-07:00protest signs for the sos march<div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Teachers Are More Than a Test Score!</span></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Arne Duncan is Far Below Basic!</span></span></i></div><div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> NCLB Put Us on a Trajectory to Failure.</span></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">DON'T REAUTHORIZE!</span></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Teachers Put Kids First Every Day!</span></span></i></div><div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">$pend $$$ on Kid$, NOT Te$t$!</span></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Tests are Harmful for Children and Other Living Things!</span></span></i></div><div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Fire Arne!</span></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Bubble Tests Create Bubbleheads!</span></span></i></div><div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Fire Arne, NOT Teachers!</span></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">NCLB - Don't Reauthorize! EUTHANIZE!</span></span></i></div><div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Arne Duncan, Proudly Pushing Ideology Over Evidence, 24/7!</span></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Failed Policies Coming to a School Near You!</span></span></i></div><div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Just Say No to Arne!</span></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Teachers Vote!</span></i></span></div><div style="color: #444444; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Arne, STFU... Please!</span></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #444444;">It's Poverty, Stupid!</span></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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