Dr. Homeslice

Dr. Homeslice has changed schools.

2010-06-20T07:46:00.002-11:00

Not necessarily schools. But blog hosting sites. You can find me over at wordpress. Bookmark it; I won't be coming back here often, and I won't be posting here.

NEA RA 2009!

2009-07-01T06:47:00.002-11:00

Well folks, I'm here in beautiful, sunny San Diego. Hum is buzzing, things are happening and people are registering. I don't expect much (if any talk) at the RA publicly about what's going on with ISTA.

I will say this: if there is malfeasance involved with what happened over there, those responsible should face the consequences of their actions.

I would like to publicly thank NEA for stepping in and showing what Solidarity is about-- a threat to one is a threat to all. If ISTA was my state affiliate, I would expect the same thing. They've had to raise dues and also lay off state staffers, but they have a very capably person at the help, from Massachusetts, I believe.

Remember, you can follow me on Twitter, @drhomeslice is me.

I'm ready to do some good work for the union. I might even introduce myself to Mike Antonucci too. Never say never, I've been thinking about doing it for 3 years now.

Off to do good work!

Negotiations Misconceptions Quelled 101

2009-06-24T02:50:00.005-11:00

Having been involved in contract negotiations and the bargaining process now for a number of years with my local, I'd like to share my thoughts about negotiating a contract. We are going to be back at the bargaining table come this fall, so it's been on my mind as of late.

Contracts are rarely imposed.
Despite the fact that the media and the public and some education "reformers" would have you believe that the teachers' unions force contracts down the throats of the poor hapless school board administrators and elected representatives, that is just not the case.

In many cases (and at least in my state) both sides have to agree for something to go into the contract. If they don't agree, it just doesn't make the cut. Very rarely do the original negotiations demands (or ideas or whatever you call them) of either side make the contract in their original form. There's give and take on both sides; there always will be if there is good faith bargaining on both sides.

Closed-door negotiations must be agreed to by both sides.
A recent post on Mike Antonucci's EIA Intercepts blog got me thinking about this. The post, "Closed-door bargaining and the union padlock" struck me as a bit biased-- go figure. The type of negotiations that you enter into must be agreed to by both parties; neither one can force it on the other side.

Union members can provide input prior to the beginning of negotiations.
On the union side, members of a local have the opportunity to provide input into what they'd like to see in the next contract. Some locals do surveys, or meetings, or face-to-face "town hall" type sessions. The bargaining committee ideally should carry those ideas/desires into the negotiations sessions. Does it always work? No, but that's how it should work.

The taxpaying public can provide input prior to the beginning of negotiations.
On the board/administration side, the people finance the system with their taxes, and vote their board members in and out. They have the ability to contact their elected official (just like the union members within their organization) and express their concerns. The school board member may or may not be sitting at the table; perhaps they have hired an attorney to do that for them, but the option for public input is there prior to the "inking of the deal".

The media ALWAYS provides input prior to, during and after negotiations.
Let us not forget that the local media always has the option of adding their two cents at any given time. How? Op-eds, editorials, articles, letters to the editor are all published at strategic times in negotiations that can sway public opinion one way or the other, to say nothing of blogs, TV, radio, Twitter and the like.

When you hear specifics about negotiations it's generally because they're going badly.
Closed-door negotiations benefit the process because each side can negotiate in good faith without having to worry about the other side trying to influence the process by their actions outside of the room. When one (or both sides) feel that the other is not negotiating in good faith, that is generally when the rumbles and the rhetoric begins.

Tentative agreements are that: tentative.
A TA is simply a pause in the process, a holding pattern, if you will. It is a formal acknowledgement by both sides in bargaining that they think they have reached a middle ground on the issues that are important to them, and would like to take it back to their constituents for approval or disapproval.

Traditionally, the unions go first with a ratification vote. Depending on the size of the local, it could be in the school cafeteria, or it could be a mail-in or phone-in vote: all locals are different. Ultimately, the members have the option to accept or reject what has been brought to them in a democratic fashion.

There is a bit of "strategery" involved in unions bringing a TA to members.
A complaint that has registered before with me on the Internet is that teachers' unions "spring" the TA on their members with no notice and then expect them to vote on it. There's no ifs ands or buts around it-- that's how it happens. The reason is simple. My dues dollars to my local and state affiliate pay for the negotiations activities that ultimately results in some kind of a TA. I should be able to see it first without anyone else (media, public) being to see or comment on it.

If the teachers' union meetings are face-to-face and run correctly, there can be debate, and teachers can vote it down. They cannot, however, amend or modify a TA. If teachers vote it down, that sends the message to the bargaining committee that the membership isn't satisfied with what is in the TA and they need to go back to the table. If the members are satisfied and the TA is ratified, then it will go to the school board for their vote.

The tax-paying public has time to register their opinions and sentiments with their duly elected officials before they commit public tax dollars towards ratifying a new contract.
At this point, there is usually a pause in the process-- perhaps a week, two weeks or even as much as a month, depending on when the teachers vote on a contract and the next school board meeting happens. This is the built-in time where the media reports on the contents of the TA, and analyzes what's in there, editorializing all the way home. Members of the public can comment and have time to contact their school board members to express their opinions.

If the school board members adopt the contract, then both parties have a mutual agreement and it becomes a binding legal document.

Get it? Mutual agreement.

Thank you, drive through.

NEA RA and Twitter.

2009-06-22T04:35:00.003-11:00

Haven't posted in a while, but wanted to let anyone and everyone know I'll be at the NEA RA. I'd be interested in meeting up with folks at some point.

I'll also be tweeting from the RA, and my twitter account is: drhomeslice

So email me at drhomeslice hotmail +dot+ com or just do an @reply on twitter, and we'll meet up.

See you in 'Diego!

In Support of Educational Nationalism

2009-03-24T09:58:00.002-11:00

Doesn’t that sound dangerous, “Educational Nationalism”? Doesn’t it create a mental picture of hordes of goose-stepping brainwashed soldierly-type devotees saluting some kind of icon while running over a lesser country?

It should be us, minus the goose-stepping and brainless stuff. Oh, and we shouldn’t run over any country. Ever. That’s not nice. Just ask France, it seems to happen to them every 22.5 years or so.

Seriously, I think this is a great time to have some national content standards. I’ve thought this way for a while. Why do we have 50 different versions of what is and what is not acceptable? Just think about it, America is the land of freedom—our students can fail (or pass) 50 different ways! 52 if you count Guam and DC.

Quickly put, this is an aftereffect of the global economy. Since trade barriers are for the most part lowering across the world, the best jobs will go where the best-educated people are, regardless of political boundaries. Trade is becoming more and more regional, yet we rise or fall as a nation.

We must get national standards, quickly, sensibly and civilly. Yes, yes, I know, there are many people who will say that national standards will “redefine the role of the federal government in education and transfer the locus of power from the local school districts to DC”. I don’t know about that. Yes, there are political implications, but I’m not really worried about that. That’s why I pay union dues.

But, it used to be that when I taught my kids, I’d warn them about the people in a different zip code that were competing for their slot in a local college-- now they’re competing with people in other countries. Same thing goes for jobs.

I remember a teacher when I was in high school that everyone wanted to get for a certain subject. Teacher A, quite frankly, wasn’t a good teacher; in fact, they were the opposite. Everyone wanted to take A’s class simply because they were easy. Everyone who came in, stayed for the whole class, didn’t cause problems and smiled at the teacher a couple of times a week got an “A”.

The other teacher in that subject was mean, and rigorous but fair. Teacher B made you work until your brains came out of your nose. Unluckily (at the time) got teacher B. I whined and whined, but neither my Principal or my Counselor changed the schedule. I didn’t get an A, but I did master the material and concepts contained within the class.

After graduation, my classmates who had teacher A came back from their first quarter of college overwhelmed in the subject; many had D’s, some had failed. I had earned (through blood sweat and tears) a B.

Do you want our students to be held to teacher A or teacher B’s standards?
Our students don’t compete as Californians, New Yorkers or Rhode Islanders—they compete in the global marketplace as Americans.

America needs national content standards.

Yesterday.

T&A

2009-01-04T09:16:00.003-11:00

Hang on, hang on there.

Don't get all upset on me now, I'm not talking about what you think I'm talking about. Shame on you.

Actually, I'm talking about transparency and accountability; they seem to be the new buzzwords in this recession-filled time of awe and economic wonder. In education, too-- and what should be transparent and accountable? Data!

I had some free time lately, and I picked up a copy of "A Byte in/at/of The Apple", the new Fordham Foundation's ode to data. You might be wondering "Why, Doc? Why would you do such a thing?"

I direct you to a classic American movie, 1970's Patton. In it, when General George S. Patton is routing Rommel in the deserts of Africa he yells at the top of his lungs "Rommel, you magnificent bastard, I read your book!" This underscores the fact that Rommel, brilliant tactician that he is, wrote a book about his tactics, which aforementioned American general read and adapted his tactics to, thereby routing the "Desert Fox". Whether or not Patton actually said something like that, I don't know, but it is a memorable quote.

So I figured I'd do the same thing, make like Patton and read Fordham's book. It's uh, a data-filled book.

You spend a lot of time looking at that word, data; it appears there 2,375 times through the 154 page book, an average of slightly more than 23 times per page. By contrast, the word union appears just 17 times, and only 16 of those refer to the teacher's organized labor movement. Accountability shows up 78 times, transparency 17. Teacher shows up 436 times, administrator 43 times, management 184, and principal shows up 57 times. No, I didn't count 'em, Adobe has a nifty search function.

The best and most intriguing part of this book? The student data backpack. Summarized quickly, whoever wrote the essay (they're piecemeal parts combined into one book) about it, suggested that school districts (in essence) should create virtual student data backpacks; every bit of data on a student that educational folks have does in there: grades, attendance, standardized test scores, aggregate data about strength and weaknesses across state and perhaps national (gasp) academic standards.

This data backpack would be kind of tied in to a social-networking, web 2.0 type of "thing". It's interactive, so parents can find opportunities for their students (extended learning opportunities, other education settings, etc) and interact with other parents and educators and such.

I have to say that I like the idea...to an extent. I think that records and important individual student datasets need to be accessible to teachers. Whether it's district assessments, state achievement tests or other testing data, that's a good thing. I remember back in the day when I started, when you wanted to find something out about a kid, you had to catch a secretary when they weren't busy to pull something up on their DOS based system that was slower than molasses on a winter day or thumb through stacks of yellowing manilla envelopes in the stuffy, moldy school records room until you forgot what (or who) you were looking for and just gave up.

They're also right that there are few opportunities to catch appropriate data for mobile kids and families in an urban setting; I can't tell you how many times I get a bad phone number when I go by an office printout.

This piece doesn't take into account several things, the first being the digital divide, especially in my school system, an urban one. More and more of my students' families have computers with internet access each year (perhaps 40% or so now) but generally the kids are much more savvy with it than the parents are.

The thing I don't like about this essay is the postulation that parents in the future could "send" their records to a school and that would be the official act of enrolling a student (aside from answering a few other questions when you enroll). I think, in the educational landscape of things, that you need to "kick the tires" before you buy. Just clicking a button to change you student's education placement strikes me as convenient and easy, but not necessarily the best idea.

Also, there are just 17 mentions of the word security throughout the WHOLE BOOK. Who is to safeguard this information? Local districts? The state? The federal government? What happens if someone hacks into a database? Can you buy new SAT scores online, like you can buy someone's credit card numbers? I don't know. Interesting stuff, but still science fiction....

"Checker you magificent bastard, I read your book!"

What I wouldn't give....

2008-12-01T13:59:00.002-11:00

...to be at the UFT DA right now.

So what do you folks think? Is this resolution too extreme?

Doc Challenges Jay Matthews....

2008-12-01T13:53:00.001-11:00

In a column that came out today, WaPo’s “genius-in-residence” self-styled education guru Jay Matthews explained what you need to do to jump-start a chronically failing urban school system, illustrated by one school principal at Shaw Middle School. For the folks that have a lot of things to do (or email to read, in the case of Michelle Rhee), I’ve boiled it down to what I think are the key points. I have conveniently added my commentary as well.

(Principal Brian Bettes) eliminated homeroom periods and recess as wastes of time, instituted daily teacher training and told some instructors that they wouldn't last the school year if he didn't see enough energy in their classrooms.

Physical activity, physical fitness—waste of time! Burning off energy that could come out the wrong way in classrooms—pshaw! Why engage in exercise when you can drill and kill? Daily teacher training—I call that MY JOB. I learn something new every day; I learn how to handle different types of students, different types of situations every single day, and I learn from my successes and my mistakes. Oh yes, the motivation by fear thing shows love, and family, and caring, and why am I standing on plastic? (Reference to Lethal Weapon 2).

That's not all. The 41-year-old former Montgomery County middle school assistant principal said he wanted a school full of ambitious, young teachers "before they were jaded." So he hired just two with more than five years of experience.

I hate this—new teachers are great, they youth and boundless love and energy but they don’t know anything! They learn from everything they do; I’ve met teachers two weeks in that were jaded. Young teachers won’t save the world unless they have experienced veterans to learn from.

He also visited scores of students and parents before school started, asking them, among other things, how they felt about a white man running a school where all of the students were black or Hispanic.

I don’t care who you are—that’s freakin’ cool.

What he is attempting looks similar to what successful public charter schools have done: aggressively recruiting young, enthusiastic teachers, dropping anything that gets in the way of learning, letting everyone know that he or she will be judged on performance and developing strong relations among staff, students and parents.

I can’t stand it—young teachers are great, but give props to the veterans!

Students and parents told Betts that many teachers they knew at Shaw and Garnet-Patterson didn't care about them. "Nothing that I have ever seen trumps personal relationships at this level," Betts said. "The kids in this building who can be absolutely horrible in one person's class can be angelic in another because they have formed a relationship with that teacher."

You know, he’s right.

A young teacher from New Jersey named Meredith Leonard was hired after saying: "Every kid can learn, and we all say that, but what is missing is the last part of the sentence: Every kid can learn given the motivation, given the supports, given the expectations. I will be motivating my kids, I will be giving my kids the support and I will be expecting them to do it."

Good answer, I’d hire her too.

Many more applicants, including experienced teachers, blamed the bad test scores on undereducated parents and impoverished homes and suggested that those social ailments would be hard to cure. They weren't hired. Betts is happy to be left with an eager and optimistic staff. Still, he does not have much time to prove that he and Rhee are right about this, with me and everyone else watching.

Mm…nope. If your students’ parents are undereducated, that doesn’t make things any easier as the teacher. If your student’ parents come from poverty and they’re wondering where their next out of school meal’s coming from, or don’t know where they’re going to spend the night, well sorry, but those concerns trump any standardized test multiple choice question.

Good teaching can’t fill a hungry belly, but it is a ticket to better times.

You know Jay, come to my school. Do my job for a day and I'll do yours, but you can’t do mine.

Of Rhee, DC, Fenty and Randi.

2008-11-18T16:12:00.002-11:00

Wow.

Whole lotta crazy stuff going on in DC, huh?

Rhee wants to basically get rid of tenure, throw a whole bunch of money at the teachers and see if they jump for it. Kind of reminds me of the satirical "volunteers step forward" bit and then everyone but a few people actually end up stepping backward.

You know, I'm one for reform. I like it, I think that things need to change in American education. The thing is that change cannot be brought by one side; nor can it be forced by one side. That's not change....that's uh, I don't even know.

If the union (any union) comes into negotiations and wants to do something, but can't get the district to agree it doesn't happen. You don't hear about that though, do you? You don't hear about the innovative ideas that teacher unions bring to the table that don't make it through bargaining.

In my opinion, the most innovative ideas that get press are the ones that don't happen, that don't get negotiated into a contract, and almost always their collective idealistic deaths are blamed on the teachers' unions and the union leaders.

You have to meet halfway folks-- you can't just say "Hey you, come over here". That just isn't good-faith bargaining.

Now, I've got to tell you what Rhee is doing is admirable-- that is, trying to make the DC schools better for the kids. What is not admirable is how she's trying to break the union with her red/green plan. I think tenure and seniority are important-- but so is being fair. She ain't being fair.

I can see it now...perhaps the WaPo, perhaps Fordham's Flypaper....perhaps even the Republicrats over at DFER/RFER, whatever they're called.

"Teacher union leader blocking significant reforms," says the headline. "Those fat-cat teacher union leaders just want more money," said blogger Wonkish EdType, "less accountability and fewer students in the classrooms of their teachers, so they can put more teachers in the classroom, have more members in their bargaining unit, collect more money for their teacher union PACS to elect more pro-labor politicians until they lower the teacher/ student ration from where it is to 1:1 and then there will be more teachers, and then you know, they'll elect one of those teachers as the the President of the United States or something and then American education will never change. Damn those teacher unions!"

Ahh, yes. How many years to retirement?

EIA To Shift Watchdog Focus Away From Teacher Unions

2008-11-12T16:20:00.008-11:00

Note: This is satire. That means it's not real.

(Satire Wire News Reports) In a move that caught education policy wonks throughout the blogosphere by surprise, Education Intelligence Agency (EIA) founder, President and CEO Mike Antonnuci announced late yesterday that the teacher-union watchdog group would move away from its traditionally skeptical view of education-sector organized labor to making sure all students went to every class with a pencil or pen to write with.

“With the recent win by President-elect Obama,” said Antonucci, “and the increased Democratic composition of the House and Senate and the resulting after effects to the education establishment, it is clear that no one is listening to me when it comes to what I have to say regarding the NEA, AFT or teachers’ unions in general. I think by shifting my focus away from organized labor and doing my utmost to make sure that all of the students in the United States go to their classes with a pen or pencil, I’ll be helping to make sure that no children are left behind.”

An accomplished writer and noted military historian, Antonucci began covering the education beat in 1993, shifting his efforts to teacher-union surveillance shortly after the beginning of President Bill Clinton’s second term in June of 1997. EIA is a one-man for-profit research firm that promises anonymity unless a client specifically agrees to waive it, leading to rampant speculation about the group’s funders and clients.

“Those were the days,” says Antonucci, reminiscing about the beginning of the group. “Everything was so new. I remember I started EIA only about four months after NEA President Bob Chase’s ‘New Unionism’ speech at the National Press Club. You know, that speech was my call to arms. It really opened my eyes and made me see teachers, their unions and their union leaders for how they really were.”

“Things are different now,” adds Antonucci. “My ‘Intercepts’ email used to go out to over 4,000 people…now, well, I can’t tell you how many it goes out to because it’s confidential.”

Multiple anonymous sources agreed with the ideological change in climate, but maintained that there were multiple reasons the one-man research group changed its focus from unions to unfettered writing utensil access for all students.

“Antonucci has always done a good job of being thorough in this research and publications, but his output was never at a high volume,” said one high-ranking source, speaking under the condition of anonymity. “When the Fordham Foundation opened up their ‘Flypaper’ blog and started putting out between 20 and 50 posts a day over the same anti-union issues, it kind of seemed to take the wind out of his sails.”

Others familiar with the situation disagreed, chalking it up to a case of “Solidarinosis”.

“Mike was spending too much time involved with union ideas and concepts,” said another anonymous source. “He worked super long hours poring over data, statistics and tables of all things union. I think it rubbed off on him. (Antonucci) started to feel as if the hard work he was doing for EIA wasn’t being truly appreciated by the management. He confronted the management with demands, and the management turned him down.”

When asked why Antonucci would confront himself with demands when he is the founder and only employee of the organization, the anonymous source simply replied, “This is a satire piece. None of this is true, and it’s supposed to be funny. So there.”

Little Puffy Edublog Tag Clouds.

2008-09-05T18:42:00.007-11:00

Yeah, so it's been a while since I've been on here. Whoops. Most everyone is familiar with tag clouds, I hope. Basically, it's a web 2.0 visual representation of more commonly occuring tags or meta data. There's a web app called TagCrowd that allows you to select an url, upload a file or paste your own text to custom-make your own tag cloud. It's fun. I figured I would run it on a
couple of blogs I read, but don't necessarily respect.

First, the anti-union, Mike Antonucci:

Notice above, that the word "student" does not make it into the cloud.

Now Eduwonk, following below....

Obama still beats out McCain, almost a ratio of 2-1. I'll take those odds come november 4th. Notice that in the cloud, the tags teachers and students fall behind schools.

Below, the center of idiocy, the Fordham Foundation's Flypaper blog.

Hey, Liam and Mike and Checker-- if students are so important (as you constantly put out there with everything you folks do, 'cause according to you it's all about the kids) then why do the tags children, child and student come after unions in the cloud? What about McCain? Are you folks McCain supporters?

So, what does everyone else think?

I'm such a news release whore...

2008-07-13T14:51:00.002-11:00

...but I'll fully admit it.

AFT has recently approved a resolution at it's delegate assembly (or whatever its called) supporting the Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) program. Way to go!

For the unitiated, PAR was pioneered in Toledo, Ohio, by the Toledo Federation of Teachers (TFT). Dal Lawrence was President at the time (now Fran Lawrence is President) and it was a groundbreaking initiative. No one else was doing it-- now PAR has spread across the country. My national, NEA, grudgingly approved it at one point or another.

The point is this:

Quite frankly, new teachers (especially millenials) need guidance and mentoring...especially from more senior teachers...PAR is the avenue to make this happen.

I remember meeting Dal at one point and asking him what Shanker had said about PAR...he had never met Shanker until that point and he supported what he did. The executive council or board or whatever (I don't remember, I'm NEA) was a little more miserly in their support.

PAR needs to be in every district...it's worth the investment. Teachers mentoring teachers is the way to go!

Yea AFT!

At The NEA RA....

2008-07-02T03:44:00.003-11:00

Hasn't started yet, but Bylaw Amendment 1a will be a doozy, that is offering membership to private Pre and K-12 schools. It's been split, so it will be in two parts. The Pre-K part might pass, but I think the other part will go down hard.

Word is Obama will only be addressing us by video feed, this is not good for former Hillary supporters.

I don't think I can Gabcast for whatever reason, it doesn't seem to go through. Hopefully I will get a chance to post a blog entry occasionally.

I'll Be Gabcasting From the NEA RA!

2008-06-25T10:10:00.004-11:00

Howdy folks, just a quick note to let you know I'll be Gabcasting from the NEA RA, just like I did last year. For the uninitiated, Gabcasting is when you do audio blog posts. Posts will start the 30th and run through the 6th. Heck, I might even go over and introduce myself to Mike Antonucci....

Update....I don't think it's going to happen, I'm having issues with my Gabcasts being uploaded to my blog. Perhaps I'll just type them in.

Is a child really more than a test score?

2008-06-21T17:19:00.002-11:00

That's the line I'm going to be hearing in about two weeks at the NEA annual meeting; "A child is more than a test score".

I have to wonder, if they are truly, really more than a test score.

Case in point-- one of my former students, who, according to my ethics when it comes to this blog, shall remain nameless. Their situation is not unique; I've encountered it several times before.

Student X is completely unmotivated, yet grasps the subject matter for one of two reasons; either they've gotten it before in another class from another teacher, or they are interested enough in what I've been teaching so that they have shown a real aptitude on quizzes and tests (which I give too damn many of).

Throughout the year, they have been as lazy as the day is long, sloughing off homework assignments, coming late to class, cutting class and so on and so forth.

When the state standardized tests are given and the results have been returned, they pass. Not just pass, but pass with flying colors. Yet they fail miserably each and every quarter they're my student. At the end of the year, they have no mathematical snowball's chance in hell of passing (I average final grades based on percentage, not a 4.0 scale).

But keep in mind they've passed....the standardized test administered by the state for my subject. The only thing administrators in my district (or state) cannot fudge to get this kid to walk across the stage for their graduation. Which, by the way, won't happen for another two years.

So what do I do? Do I pass them? Do I fail them? Sure, they've answered questions about the subject matter in class and dazzled me (and astounded their classmates) with their brilliance, but that isn't the Puritanical work ethic that diplomas are made of, is it? I mean, I could pass them for my class, but would that devalue their diploma? Or the diploma of the countless others before and after them?

I remember being pulled aside by one of the senior teachers in my building, the chapter chair, actually. Keep in mind I teach in an urban district, and my students have about 1,678,456 more issues that they deal with than a suburban kid. I know this because I grew up in a suburban district.

My first year of teaching, there was a student who was a senior that failed me. Hard. I didn't fill out the paperwork to notify the central office that they were going to fail my course (one required for graduation) in time. I was a new teacher, so shoot me.

The CC pulled me aside and asked me about the student. I gave the lengthy details. They asked me:

"Are you going to be the stopper for this kid?"

I said 'What do you mean?'.

"Well," said the CC, "this kid has already made it through 11 or 12 years of school. They've successfully navigated around gangs, family problems, neighborhood issues and the like."

"I don't see what you're getting at." I said to the CC.

"The fact that they could fail your class would deny them a diploma. They're going to face other stoppers in life.

"Are you going to be their stopper?" I was asked by the CC.

I thought about it for a quick second and replied "No". The grade was changed and the kid graduated.

When I was entering grades at the end of the school year, I came upon student X. Failed my class each and every quarter, yet still passed the state exam with flying colors, and I asked myself--

"Am I going to be the stopper?"

I said no. Student X passed.

Major Fight At Fordham Foundation....

2008-06-20T13:57:00.003-11:00

Insiders tell me that Coby and Liam got into a heated argument. Checker walked in, and the rest of the Fordham crew took sides....it was not pretty. Check out the video below for footage of the incident.

http://view.break.com/521743 - Watch more free videos

Fordham's Liam Julian Causes Nationwide Teacher Union Revolution

2008-06-18T13:48:00.010-11:00

Liam Julian over at Flypaper jumps all over Diane Ravitch, a Fordham Board member who stepped up to defend teachers' unions.

Ravitch wrote:

I find myself getting really annoyed when people rage against the teachers’ unions, because they are the organized voice of most of the people who work in schools. The same people who vilify the teachers’ unions never complain about the influence of businesses or foundations, both of which try to steer the public schools by the power of the purse.

To which Julian responded:

What business mostly wants: results-based education, standards, accountability, innovative management, choice, educational markets. What unions mostly want: more money, more teachers (smaller classes), less testing, less focus on educational outcomes. Oversimplification? Slightly (it is a blog post, after all). But mostly true.

To which I write:

What business mostly expects: lower bottom lines, numbers/scores/indicators of achievement yesterday, market-based solutions for a non-market "industry", business solutions that don't take into account the human factor.

What unions mostly expect: better wages to attract better teachers, better working conditions to keep the teachers we have, smarter testing, flexibility to use our own lessons to focus on educational outcomes instead of reading a script. Oversimplification? Yep, it is a blog post. But mostly true.

And now to ageism...

Julian continues on to the age divide:

On the other hand, the interests of teachers’ unions directly compete in oh-so-many obvious ways with the interests of students. Furthermore, unions may technically be “the organized voices of most of the people who work in schools,” but they hardly represent the interests of all teachers—especially disadvantaged by union policies are young teachers and good teachers.

That's it Liam, play the age card. Nevermind the what EdSector's Waiting To Be Won Over said about the role of teacher unions. Didn't read it? This is from the summary page:

Teachers are more likely today (than they were in 2003) to say unions are essential. The jump among new teachers who say the unions are essential is especially striking.

Great job attempting to alienate the younger teachers from the organization that is responsible for the improvement of their working conditions, wages and fringe benefits, much of which was done prior to their births. It won't work, but let's take a tongue-in-cheek look at what would happen if it did:

Now you've done it Liam, you've planted the seeds of dissension with your post. Looking into the future, your efforts will result in a nationwide teacher union revolt and the eventual breakdown of teacher unions across the country. Tenure is refused by younger teachers-- it becomes as unpopular as past affiliation with the communist party discovered by HUAC. Mature contracts are burned en masse in steely-eyed defiance of the blood, sweat and tears of veteran teachers of years past. With the cohesion brought about by teacher unions now gone, young teachers will now turn against veteran teachers.

Teachers above the age of 30 will begun to be shunned by their younger peers in the teachers lounges across the country. Older teachers begin to refuse to eat lunch with their younger colleagues, prompting the new teachers to begin spreading rumors and create fake Myspace and Facebook pages on the internet with the older colleagues' likenesses.

Eventually, given the increased tension and issues between educators, competing teacher gangs will emerge. Starting in just one or two schools and quickly spreading across the country, they begin openly waging teacher gang warfare in the halls of their schools, leaving flaming paper bags full of dog excrement at the door of each others' classroom, shooting spitballs at one another during passing times and instructing each other's students to simultaneously knock the books off of their desks at the same time of the period.

Chaos reigns supreme!

In all seriousness, just because someone is young and new doesn't make them a great teacher. That's just like a principal or vice-principal walking by a classroom, hearing no disruption and expecting that there's an amazing amount of learning going on in there. I thought I was the bee's knees my first year, as did my students, my administrators and some of my colleagues.

Truth is, I look back now and realize how much further I had to go. I have to go, to continually improve and be a better teacher for my students.

Yes, older teachers can become set in their ways, but so can a teacher that's been in the classroom for five years. Our older (politically correct term = veteran) teachers are just as great, too. Don't count them out.

Want to meet/ unmask Dr. Homeslice?

2008-06-18T11:35:00.002-11:00

Wow...my first post in like 3 months. It'll be a brief one, sorry there folks.

Just curious if any of you bloggy internet unionist types will be in DC during the NEA annual meeting. If so, drop me a line at drhomeslice@hotmail.com so we can meet up for a beverage of choice and talk blog crap.

Intel on the Rick Berman Campaign-- from Rick Berman Himself.

2008-03-09T06:48:00.003-11:00

This article is a bit old, but it gives a little more info on what he's trying to do.

Rick Berman's folks have been looking at my site...

2008-03-09T06:42:00.001-11:00

Yeah, Bermanco, we know what you're gonna do.

Bring it-- we'll get ya.

Forces of evil to attack teachers' unions on Tuesday.

2008-03-08T11:55:00.003-11:00

Tuesday marks the beginning of Rick Berman's Center For Union Facts' $1 million dollar ad assault on teachers. Paid ads on FOX (go figure) and CNN start on Tuesday. AFT seems to be doing a good job by getting the word out, and telling us what's going on; yet I don't pay dues to AFT; I pay dues to NEA. I haven't gotten anything from them. What's up, Reg?

Here's the complete text below:

Heads up: A national campaign against teachers unions will kick off next week.

Next Tuesday (March 11), the Center for Union Facts (CUF) will launch what the organization describes as "an unprecedented, $1 million advertising assault on teachers unions."

CUF is airing commercials on CNN and Fox News, and buying full-page ads in the New York Times and USA Today. The attack ads will promote its campaign Web site, www.TeachersUnionExposed.com. We suspect these ads, which focus on union actions in 20 school districts across the country, also will include distortions about tenure, claims that unions oppose worthwhile school reforms, and outright lies about what we do. The charges will be vicious and outrageous, and the ads may result in news coverage, particularly from anti-union media outlets.

We are currently developing our own attack plan and will have additional information to you shortly. However, each of you is capable of answering these charges by asserting the real facts and talking about your union's successes. In doing so, it may help to know a little about CUF, which has been monitored by Sourcewatch (www.sourcewatch.org): "The Center for Union Facts is a secretive front group for individuals and industries opposed to union activities. It is part of lobbyist Rick Berman's family of front groups including the Employment Policies Institute."

Berman has lobbied on behalf of pesticide, alcohol and tobacco companies, and against the Americans with Disabilities Act, checkpoints to catch drunk drivers, minimum wage increases, and card-check. A 2006 USA Today article reported that his lobbying firm brings in $10 million per year for his work on ultra-conservative, anti-union clients. Berman has even waged a campaign against Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

American Rights at Work (www.americanrightsatwork.org/the-anti-union-network/center-for-union-facts) has additional information about Berman and CUF. We hope this helps you respond. If you need further assistance, please contact John See in the AFT's public affairs department,

Political related- post.

2008-03-02T14:14:00.001-11:00

Hillary; the AFT endorsed her in early October; I'm thinking she's not going to make it. Go Obama!

(Yes, Dr. Homeslice has officially endorsed Obama!)

Hello out there in bloggerland...

2008-03-02T13:39:00.002-11:00

So I've been gone a while....

Things have been busy on my end; can't say why-- if I did, I'd have to kill all of you.

Seriously, a friend of mine (who knows of my secret blogger identity) told me the other night, "Take it down, you haven't done anything with Homeslice in a while, you should just get rid of it,"...

NEVER!

Heh.

Seriously, folks-- let's talk about union officers getting cozy with management.

Specifically, I'm referring to Louise Sundin, former President of Minneapolis Something of Teachers or Education Association. I can't remember, and I really am too lazy to look. She was ousted after being criticized by her members as too close to management; the same thing happened in Ohio as well, with I think Mansfield or some little EA/ FT unit.

Quite frankly, the call for Bob Chase's "new unionism" is lost on the ears of the membership. They would advocate the same adversarial relationship that is typical of management and union; combative and uncompromising. The fact of the matter is that compromises have to be made; relationships have to be forged with administration, yet the rank and file can't see the union officers as getting "too close" with the administration, lest it doom them to lose the reelection. For real change to happen, rank and file has to abandon the illusion of a mostly adversarial management/ union relationship and realize that compromises have to be made, but not at the expense of members. Just 'cause we're coming to a consensus doesn't mean that your interests are falling by the wayside.

Look at UTLA, for crying out loud; 20 percent of the union members voted, keeping AJ Duffy in with just over 10% of the vote. Mike Antonucci had a field day-- and well he should; the idea that 20% of a union determines the leadership is abhorrent. UTLA needs to make sure its members are organized and informed, and, quite simply VOTE!

When I was in charge of a building, I made sure EVERYONE voted. I had a meeting. Those that didn't make it to the meeting, I tracked down. You don't put ballots in mailboxes; that's just asking for trouble, folks. And all but one member voted. Buh!

Dr. Homeslice Is On Strike....

2008-01-30T14:33:00.000-11:00

Heh.

Not really, jus' kidding folks.

The long and short of it is that for whatever reason I keep taking on more and more responsibilities within my local and as we all know, there's NEVER a shortage of volunteers (heh) for what needs to be done.

Anyhow, I love my local; I've put a lot of time and blood, sweat and tears into it. I love being Dr. Homeslice, yet no one in my local (save one or two) knows of my alter ego. Unfortunately folks, right now Dr. Homeslice is suffering b/c I'm cheating on it with my local. Ahhh.....

So....I'm not closing this thing down, but I have to accept that I'm not going to be posting as much. Boooooo!

Later, Y'All...

Because I can.

2008-01-01T03:04:00.000-11:00

Blacklisted transgender teacher. Don't need to say much more than that. Yes, it's work safe.

Pittsburg Federation of Teachers have been working under an expired contract since June. Go Pitt!

You won't believe this, but Lake-Lehman teachers in Pennsylvania are still negotiating!

"What can you do when a union comes calling? Treat people with dignity and respect, and do it before organizers hit the scene." says this article, on how not to become unionized.

How did I miss this?

Board attorney goes out on a limb and accuses the local union of negotiating in public in a guest column in the local newspaper. Doh!

What exactly is a "disciplinary janitor"? Read more to find out. Heh.

Huh?

Early on Christmas Morning....

2007-12-25T01:26:00.000-11:00

Merry Christmas, all!

7 Random things....damn you, PREA Prez!

2007-12-18T23:30:00.000-11:00

Heh.

Okay, 7 random things?

I've met H.W. Bush (as VP) Nixon and Ford, but still largely vote democrat.
I remember running into Victor Borge as a kid and getting his autograph (he was on sesame street, you know).
My father told me he'd pay me money to cut off my long hair in high school-- twenty whole dollars, and I took it (old man voice: That was a lot of money back in those days...)
In my classroom I took my clock down and put up a sign that says "Time will pass and so will you" the kids HATE it!
It is getting harder to do each progressive random thing!
I had lunch down the street from Winnie Mandela's house in South Africa-- a mansion, with 10 foot high walls around it!
I wanted to go up and introduce myself to Mike Antonucci at the NEA RA this summer, but I was afraid he'd de-unionize me. :)

And now the tags....

Eucator on the edge

That's it, I'm too lazy to do more. This is eduwonkette's fault. Blame her.

Breaking News Regarding 2008 Presidential Election!

2007-12-17T14:04:00.000-11:00

Someone's going to win.

Someone's going to lose.

Chances are, the winner will probably be from a major party.

Any questions?

Been a long time since....

2007-12-15T17:22:00.000-11:00

...I posted. Here's some good stuff.

They wanna ban school strikes in Ohio, just like they want to do it in PA. The Cleveland Plain Dealer says it's a bad idea.

From the other side of the table: calling a professor an insufferable bastard means you're going to get rid of them, right?

$100,000 to waive district and union rules at your school? Dunno about this one. When the local paper says your union whines, you know what you're up against.

Death to virtual charter academies. Well done, WEAC!

Israel's secondary school teachers are back after 2 months on the picket line with a 13.5% raise.

A San Diego Charter School that was rated one of the 10 best in the country has widespread grade tampering (shock) and only 25% or so of its AP students passed the AP Exams (horror). SDUSD has a 46% AP passage rate.

Wow.

Fred Thompson: "NEA sucks."

Minor epidemic of sickout flu.

Quebec: land of francophilia, home of unionist racists. It's about solidarity, folks. Get a clue. I'm a pretty secular kind of guy, but this is just stupid.

Somewhat old, but interesting reading: how charter schools can prevent unionization.

Sunday, Sunday....back to work tomorrow. How many days 'til Christmas?

2007-12-02T13:10:00.000-11:00

Jon Berry over at Labor Pains is being....well...a pain when he questions the appropriateness of teachers working to the rule. Would you rather have a strike, Jon? I do have to agree with him on one thing-- if the yearbook advisors are recieving a supplemental contract, they should be putting in their contract approved work after school.

Unions as the anti-theft device for working folks? This union brother thinks so....

This union is going to work to the rule. The Superintendent is quoted as saying it won't cause major problems for the school district. A strike will cause major problems for the district.

Employing a "rare strategy in contract negotiations", this teachers' union will also be working to the rule. Someone needs to learn about job actions.

$800,000 for back pay goes to these 6th grade teachers who were forced to take an extra academic period. Way to go!

Informational picketing in Fremont, California.

The Federal Education Association (the one that works in the DOD schools) filed a grievance over lunch times for teachers.

The AFT President is upbeat, according to this article, that NCLB will be changed so that schools judged as passing or failing will be stricken from the future legislation. Hope so.

On the topic of AFT, they're making great inroads organizing in higher ed in the state of Michigan-- lecturers at MU are next on their list.

Why do most teachers enter education? Why, to work with young people (73%) says this article that cites an NEA study.

Continuing the NEA theme, this blogger seems to take issue with the fact that NEA promotes acceptance of people who aren't like you. For shame!

'Tis the season-- best gifts for teachers? Read about it here. I do occasionally get gifts from students, which are wonderful. What about you?

Elgin rejected their contract and they've authorized a strike.

There is a blockage! Interesting bit from a French university.

16 year old student marries 40 year old teacher? Ugh. Thank God I wasn't that idiot's union rep.

Interesting.

A lot of teachers have nothing to do tomorrow...

2007-12-02T11:37:00.000-11:00

How do I know this? I just looked at my stats and they exploded for a Sunday. Those teachers are all coming here, 'cause TBS ran the "Ron Clark Fiction, er Story" and now they're looking for Ron Clark's Presidential Rap. Silly teachers, you've got to fork out ungodly amounts of money to buy the CD that it's on! Rote rap, gotta love it. Sorry, I ain't got it here.

Dr. Homeslice Value Added Model-- For Free!

2007-11-29T14:22:00.000-11:00

Since the beginning of the school year, I’ve implemented my own value-added model in my classroom. For the uninitiated, value-added is basically a statistical, (most often proprietary) mathematical model that shows the “value” a teacher is able to “add” to student learning and proficiency based on a series of standardized tests. My model is called the DHVAM (Dr. Homeslice Value Added Model) and does not claim any patents (pending or otherwise) and is free for all to use.

To wit:

In my school district, I am given pre-packaged curriculum for my content area. It is not direct instruction (i.e. teaching without thinking, just reading from a script) but is somewhat flexible and opportunistic, so long as you “hit” the state standards.

We are given test questions (written by my district) that correspond to a unit that aligns to our state standards. I take all of the questions, pare them down to the best ones (there are some utterly crappy ones included) and then throw them at my students at the beginning of a unit.

What, you say? Why should you test them at the beginning of the unit? They don’t know the material, they’ve never seen it, never been taught it, you’ve never covered it. Why would you possibly test them over something they don’t know? You know they don’t know it, so why do you need to know they don’t know it, you know?

Reasonable question. Simply put, I want to know what they don’t know, and I want to know how little they don’t know what they don’t know.

So I give them a pre-test, with those district-provided questions. I tell them, this is a pre-test, it won’t hurt your grade, but I want you to take it.

“Why Dr. Homeslice?” asks a student. “Why would you give us a test that doesn’t count towards our grade?”

“Simple,” I answer. “When you go to the doctor because there’s something wrong with you, if the doctor doesn’t know what’s wrong, what do they do?”

“Well, they run some kind of test or something,” comes the customary reply.

“Precisely. That is what I’m doing with you, I want to figure out what’s wrong with you. Or in this case, I want to know what you don’t know.”

This usually elicits giggles from the student’s classmates.

Back to my methodology. I have them take the pre-test, and I tell them that when they take it, and they come to a question that they have no freakin’ clue on (sometimes I use those very words) to leave it blank. If they think they know, I tell them then they can guess. But if they have no idea, leave it blank.

Why no guessing, you ask? I don’t want them guessing and skewing my results. I want to know if they don’t know.

Once they take the test, I grade their answers. (They have an answer form that they fill in, and I don’t use scantron—I grade their responses by hand.) Once I’ve graded them all, I print out my chart and fill in for each question (for each section of students I teach) how many students got each question right. I also turn that number into a percentage of the total number of students who got that particular question right. There’s a lot of hand-work and number crunching, but it’s become somewhat interesting and I daresay comforting to me over the past few months.

Now I look at the numbers and figure out what my students know and what they don’t know. I look at the questions they were asked on the test. I think about prior knowledge, vocabulary, content and so forth. Then I plan for my next lesson, breaking down by each standard, how I’m going to raise those percentages of correct answers on each question. (You know I’m going to use the same freakin’ questions again, don’t you?)

Then I teach my lesson that’s specifically targeted to the areas where my students failed miserably and horribly. I ask for questions and assign homework that is targeted directly to the state standards that showed poor accomplishment on the pre-test.

The very next day (yes, the very next day) I give them a quiz of the same questions (not all of the original pretest, just the relevant ones) that they had for the pre-test. It’s been at least two days since they’ve taken the test, so hopefully they’ve forgotten about the questions, and not stayed up at night thinking about what they should have answered.

I give them the quiz (which this time counts for points) which is based on the lesson in class from the previous day and the homework from the night before. This way I will be able to assess the effectiveness of my in-class and out of class activities.

Those of you statistical wankers, er, I mean wonks will be wondering how I keep my results “pure” and reliable to show growth or no growth on the repeated pre-test items relative to the original pre-test. For me, it was actually very simple to do.

I only allow students who were present the day prior to take the quiz (that is, those who were there when I taught the lesson to overcome the shortcomings on the pre-test). If a student was absent on lesson day but present during quiz day, they don’t take the quiz. I either give them a zero on the quiz or exempt the grade based on whether or not they are able to come up with an excused absence for the day they were out.

I then go back and re-average the multiple choice items to see if there’s been any growth. You’re probably thinking, ‘You know Dr. Homeslice that the students who are taking the quiz aren’t the exact same students who took the pre-test and therefore your results are skewed’. To those folks, I say skew you. I use the pre-test as a baseline to establish a minimum competency assessment for my students.

So how’s it working, you ask?

I just “crunched the numbers” today from a pre-test and the resulting lesson and quiz. On average, students improved the number of correct answers on each item 20% or more.

I gotta tell ya, I’m feeling pretty damn good.

'Tis The Season For Working To The Rule, Grievances and School Closings.

2007-11-28T16:07:00.000-11:00

Wicasset teachers in Maine are working to the rule.

These teachers in Minnesota are working to the rule.

Collier County Florida teachers are also working to the rule.

An interesting grievance from the other side of the pond.

From PA, the teacher-strikeyist state of the union, Hampton Township School District teachers (PSEA members) have authorized a strike.

From the international side of things, Dutch 16 year olds organized and went on strike because Parliment wanted to extend their time in school.

The classified staff union in this school district is scheduled to go on strike on Friday. Not the teachers, the classified staff (paras and such). Will the teachers in the district respect the picket lines if they do go on strike?

DC teachers are bracing for the bloodbath that will ensue with the potential closing of over 20 under-enrolled schools.

Random Post Title Generator-- Does one exist?

2007-11-26T16:35:00.000-11:00

The President of AFT Michigan speaks eloquently in this Detroit editorial on the topic of why unions are important. Perhaps he should be the next AFT President, eh?

So this charter school is doing home visits. No offense, but big whoop. I've done 'em before, and I think many of us in the true public sector have done 'em and continue to do 'em. But no one's writing an article about us. Why?

If I read one more article about how KIPP is the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to schooling, I think I'm going to hurl. You know I'll blog about it, too.

By the way, the whole point of the post title was simply this-- I'm really getting tired of trying to come up with post titles. Any of you folks out there who are good with programming, you should come up with a web-based random blog post title generator engine. That would be cool. Note: I found this link, where you can random generate a story title. Neat, but not the same.

Come On People: The Review

2007-11-26T16:19:00.000-11:00

When I got an email from the nice folks at Team Cosby asking if I’d like to review “Come On People”, Bill Cosby’s latest book, I jumped at the chance. Only a few days before I had been watching Bill Cosby and Alvin Poussaint on NBC’s Meet The Press, and was intrigued by what was said. A few days after responding to the email, a little package came in the mail. I unwrapped it, and promptly put it in the “really must absolutely do” pile. It gathered some dust. Then it gathered some more dust. Then Thanksgiving came, and I read it. Henceforth commences my review.

In the introduction of the book, Cosby says “The trials of black people are at the core of Come On, People. But the problems they face are similar to those of all poor and alienated groups, regardless of race.”

He’s right. This book is a starting point for discussions of a variety of topics that is not exclusive to any group of people in the United States today. Any individual of any race can read this book and come away with a greater understanding of the issues and forces that are charting the paths of untold numbers of young men and women throughout America.

Central to the book are the inclusion of the voices of many people who attended Cosby’s community call-outs held in the years prior to writing the book. They are at times inspirational, often thought-provoking and always pointed. The disparate voices allow for another perspective of the topic that is being addressed, thus adding to the richness of the book.

This book is a starting point—where will people go from here as a result of what is written?

Outta leftovers, fearing going back to work.

2007-11-25T13:18:00.000-11:00

Did ya know that NEA at one point advocated getting rid of high school history? Sure, it was back when Woodrow Wilson was President, and I think that was when the administrators were in charge of NEA. Yeah, that must have been it.

Teachers get assaulted in ritzy private French schools, too.

There's a "secret" 61 page document that NYC administrators have recently been given on how to get rid of teachers. NYC Educator should get it and post it on his site. I would looooove to read it. Perhaps there's a section on how not to be like Jolonta Roloff. Heh. New York = Gotham, NYC Public School District = Gotcha Squad. Oh, the humanity!

I don't know what to say about this guy except that perhaps if you're going to blog about Education type stuff there should be some basic kind of competency test you have to pass before you get your username and password. How about it Blogger?

Cranberry Dressing...

2007-11-23T16:19:00.000-11:00

Skewed contract vote? Perhaps someone at the ballot table was telling teachers to vote no? Hmm. An investigation is underway.

Lake Lehman. Complaining. Something about the calendar. Strike. Huh?

10,000 striking teachers in Australia.

Things are a mess in Patterson, NJ. Supe and the union aren't getting along at all.

Turkey Day Leftovers...

2007-11-23T03:58:00.001-11:00

Baltimore got a 2 year contract, so I guess they can stop working to the rule now. Interestingly enough, the issue of planning time (which is more or less why they started working to the rule) is still completely unresolved.

Change strikes a school district and the teachers' union struggles to make sure its voice is heard in the process.

Elwood Classroom Teachers' Association is working to the rule.

Seneca Valley got Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, but not much else thanks to the strike. If the school board had actually bargained in good faith, that wouldn't be an issue right now, would it?

Gobble gobble!

2007-11-19T11:08:00.000-11:00

This is really interesting. A private school closes, and both teachers (yes, teachers) and students are absorbed by San Diego Unified School District into one under-enrolled elementary school. Parents of the elementary school kids who were there originally are crying foul, because the private school assimilates are getting better treatment than their kids. A must read.

The teachers in Israel are on strike. (Thanks NYC)

It's rare that elections of a union's executive board makes the news, but this one did.

Edison Local Education Association voted to go back in after five days on the line and reaching a TA with their BOE.

What happens when you're a student teacher and your class goes on strike? (Scroll down for the English version.)

Dale Vigil, the Superintedent during the Hayward Education Association strike in California last year has had his contract extended. I don't think HEA got to vote on that one.

This guy pulls no punches. According to him, charter schools and vouchers are the wave of the future. The idea(s) of sensitivity and diversity have no place in education. And those dang teacher unions-- they run the schools! Go back to your cable access show, buddy.

Teachers' personnell files should be an open book, easy to get to and easy to read, says this editorial.

In Florida, they're working to the rule.

This teacher refuses to work to the rule and blogs about it.

On a side note, I'm in "feast or famine" mode. I don't think I'm going to have a lot of time to keep up with "Strikewatch" so those of you folks out there that see something, email me an'
I'll put it up.

Two weeks?

2007-11-16T12:15:00.000-11:00

Wow, it doesn't seem that long...but that's how long it's been since I've last posted. Everything's fine with me in case you were wondering. Things have gotten really busy as of late, I've become very involved with my local (I though it couldn't get more intense, but yet it seems that there's something more and more to be done) and the end of the first quarter came and went, and we had parent-teacher conferences, and I've been sick, and somewhere inbetween all of that stuff I had to eat, sleep, shower, teach and find some time to not go nuts. So there ya go.

I will dip my toe back into the blogosphere soon, probably within the next week.

In solidarity,

Doc

Single minded.

2007-10-31T15:40:00.001-11:00

Happy Halloween everyone. I ended up with a lot of candy at the end of the night-- usually there are a lot of kids by my place, but tonight it was somewhat dead.

Lake Lehman is still on strike.

Seneca Valley is still on strike; though they do have a meeting at an undisclosed location with a state mediator. (I'm thinking that the mediator has to belong to the US shadow government and is therefore none other than the VP himself, Dick Cheney.)

I've been cruising the edblogs, and I'm with PREA Prez on this Diane Ravitch thing. Quite simply, ?

I haven't read the NOLA charter school report, but I will soon.

Later, y'all.

Back from the undead...

2007-10-30T12:42:00.000-11:00

Seneca Valley is still out.

Lake Lehman is still out.

And I will be reabsorbed by the dark gaping maw that is my life outside of this blog. Happy Halloween!

After 3 days, back!

2007-10-26T23:00:00.000-11:00

Edison local issues an intent to strike.

Seneca Valley is still out. "Useless, incompetent deadwood teachers" says one SV BOE member. You should check out their website-- well done. Have you seem this blog?

When you want to file a grievance in Chicago Public Schools, should you go to the union website or craigslist to get better service? Yep, you're right. You should probably go to craigslist.

Earlville is no longer on strike.

Don't forget Merge Divide's series "Report From The Line".

AFT's got a new report out about the mess that is New Orleans, thanks to the super-privatization that's going on there. Check it out.

Nippersink is back in.

This Catholic Teachers' Union will take a strike authorization vote on Tuesday.

More about banning teachers' strikes in PA. I say bite me, they have the right to strike.

Lake Lehman is still out; they will probably stay out the entire length they can to force negotiations to binding arbitration.

UFT Organizes Home Care Workers!

2007-10-24T11:48:00.000-11:00

Here's the UFT press release: what will Mike Antonucci say about this? :)

Culminating the city’s largest labor organizing drive in decades, New York City’s 28,000 home-based child care providers have voted overwhelmingly to form a union with the United Federation of Teachers as their collective bargaining agent, UFT President Randi Weingarten announced today.

According to the New York State Employment Relations Board (SERB), which tallied secret ballot cards mailed in between September 5 and October 15, the providers voted 8,382 to 96 to form a union that will be represented in contract talks by the UFT, which represents the city’s 110,000 public school educators.

“This vote caps a two-year drive to secure an economic and political voice for home child care providers,” Weingarten said, adding, “The UFT will soon begin negotiations for them and will seek the economic dignity and professional opportunities and respect they so deeply deserve but now lack.

“It is a privilege for the UFT to represent these hard-working providers,” she continued. “They share a bond with teachers in that they help educate and care for thousands of our city’s youngest children. We are grateful for this vote of confidence and we are committed to fighting for their interests and the interests of the kids they serve and integrating the providers into our union family.

“We and our affiliates at New York State United Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers want to help these providers help children make the transition to pre-kindergarten and kindergarten by ramping up what we started, giving the providers opportunities for professional development as well as access to curricula and training. The unionization and professionalizing of providers will give thousands of children who will enter our public school system the head start they need,” Weingarten said.

“We are thrilled that the providers have taken this ultimate step toward obtaining the compensation, dignity and respect they deserve,” said Bertha Lewis, executive director of the New York Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), which worked hand-in-hand with the UFT on a two-year grass-roots campaign to organize the providers.

“This is one of the first genuine collaborations between a community organization and a major labor union, and the result is important for both,” Lewis continued. “Today we celebrate a major accomplishment that bodes well for all workers striving to become part of the middle class in New York City. This partnership between ACORN and the UFT shows that great things can be accomplished when progressive labor groups and community organizations work together.”

“Today marks a great victory for the over 28,000 providers who have joined the UFT, and I thank Randi Weingarten and ACORN for all their work these last few years to make this a reality,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. “In voting to be represented by the UFT, these hard-working New Yorkers have cast a vote for a living wage, for quality health care, for the ability to retire with a pension,” she continued. “This is also a victory for New York City families whose children will now benefit from providers who have access to professional development, curriculum and training.”

Weingarten noted that the providers are among the lowest-paid workers in the region. A 2006 ACORN study showed that the average annual wage for family and group family providers in New York City is $19,933. The federal poverty line for a family of four in 2004 was $18,850. The providers have no health benefits, pension plan or paid vacations.

Luz Alvarez, a 53-year-old native New Yorker who provides care for children in her Manhattan home, said, “Thank Heaven we finally have a union. I’ve been a provider for eight years and in that time I’ve had one vacation, which was to attend my daughter’s wedding. The union can help us go in and negotiate a salary and other benefits so we can take a vacation once a year or take a sick day without losing pay.”

Weingarten said anything the UFT can do to improve services and working conditions for the providers will result in huge, long-term benefits for the children they care for. She cited the Perry Pre-School Study in Michigan, which tracked children from the ages of 3 or 4, when they began pre-school, into their 20s. The study participants had increased cognitive skills and higher academic achievement, improved graduation rates, more college enrollments and greater rates of employment. That study also estimated a savings of $7 for every dollar invested in early education through reduced special education needs, lower incarceration rates and reduced welfare and unemployment costs.

Weingarten thanked and congratulated ACORN and those who spearheaded the union-organizing effort, including UFT Vice President Michelle Bodden, Special Assistant to the President, Amina Rachman, special coordinator Fran Streich and several providers who merited special recognition for their contributions including Tammie Miller, Melvina Vandross, Nila Edwards, Shirley Middleton, Adele Kearny, Cheryl Ipperson, Gladys Jones, Jenni Rivera, Lourdes Lebron and Andrea Royal.

“Our providers did a lot of hard work over the past two years going door to door to enlist the support of their colleagues, getting cards signed, holding house meetings, attending rallies, writing letters, lobbying elected officials and making phone calls. They have done a real service for their brothers and sisters in the cause,” Weingarten said.

Weingarten also thanked key elected officials for supporting the organizing effort including Gov. Eliot Spitzer, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat who had introduced legislation in the state Legislature to allow the providers to organize. Espaillat’s bill was approved by the Legislature but Gov. George Pataki vetoed it. Gov. Spitzer later approved the measure as an executive order.

Weingarten went on to thank state Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, state Senator Bill Perkins, former state senators Carl Andrews and Nick Spano, City Council Speaker Quinn and City Council members Bill de Blasio, Robert Jackson and Joel Rivera for supporting the organizing effort.

“It took a lot of hard work by a lot of people to get to this point, and there’s still much more work ahead of us,” said Bodden, who helped coordinate the union organizing effort. “But even so, we should take a moment to savor this victory and congratulate the providers for taking this bold step toward their empowerment.”

“Today the voices of thousands of city day-care providers have been heard,” said Richard Iannuzzi, president of New York State United Teachers, the UFT’s statewide affiliate. “These new union members join forces statewide with more than half a million NYSUT members who work in education and health care. As unionists, their voices will be amplified as together we seek the pay and respect that recognizes the important work they do.”

Nat LaCour, secretary treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers, the UFT’s national affiliate, said the inclusion of the providers in the AFT marks the largest addition of workers unaffiliated with any other union or organization in the AFT’s history.

“There is an old saying in early childhood education: ‘Parents can’t afford to pay, workers can’t afford to stay, there’s got to be a better way.’ Today I believe that the UFT and ACORN have created that elusive better way,” LaCour said. “Together they have blazed a trail for a new form of community-focused union organizing that recognizes child care workers’ right to fair wages, children’s right to the best early learning experiences possible, and parents’ right to affordable and readily available, high-quality care.”

Following the vote count, several of the providers said they are thrilled to be part of a union with the ability to fight for a better way of life for them and their colleagues as well as better conditions for the children they serve.

“I’ve been doing this for four years now, and I couldn’t be happier about this vote because what the UFT will be able to do for us will improve the lives of thousands of children throughout New York City,” said Tammie Miller, a 40-year-old native New Yorker and a mother of two children attending city public schools who cares for children in her home in the Kensington section of Brooklyn.

“We are the children’s first teachers, so we represent hope in their lives just as the UFT represents hope in our lives. Without a union, without all this hard work, there was no hope for us,” Miller continued. “We always teach our children that if they work really hard they can be whatever they want. And that’s what we’ve been doing, working hard for two years now for what we want. We are living examples of that. Being in a union was just a dream at one point, and now it’s here.”

The UFT and ACORN already helped the providers by successfully lobbying the city and the state over the summer to pay some of them $160,000 in back pay. The UFT’s Teacher Center also sponsored free classes in childhood development, early preparation for literacy and other subjects for about 3,500 providers.

Weingarten said the next step will involve surveying the 28,000 providers to determine their contract priorities, goals and professional needs before seeking to begin negotiations with the New York State Office of Children and Family Services.

The UFT and ACORN had worked to unionize the providers for about two years in what had been the largest organizing drive in New York City since the UFT became a union in 1960 with 45,000 members.

After counting authorization cards it received from more than 12,000 New York City home day care workers last May, SERB certified that the UFT and ACORN surpassed the margin required for the workers to hold an election to join a union. The cards were filed May 17, less than a week after Governor Eliot Spitzer signed an executive order allowing more than 60,000 providers across the state to organize. Prior to the Governor’s action, the providers could not organize because the state treated them as independent contractors. His executive order effectively made the providers quasi-employees of the state, which permits the UFT to negotiate for them.

Signatures on the authorization cards from 30 percent of the total 28,000 city providers – fewer than 9,000 – were needed to trigger an election. SERB conducted a count of the city providers’ cards between July 12 and July 19 and determined that the margin was surpassed with 8,860 providers voting to hold an election. SERB scheduled the election and the UFT and ACORN embarked on a get-out-the-vote effort involving advertisements in local newspapers, rallies and door-to-door campaigning through the end of August.

SERB tallied the mailed in secret ballot cards yesterday. A simple majority was required for the UFT to become the providers’ collective bargaining representative. As a result of the vote, the UFT now represents the 28,000 providers in New York City. The Civil Service Employees Association is seeking to organize day care providers in the rest of the state.

New York is the eighth state to let home-based providers unionize. They receive government subsidies to watch, care for and educate children from low-income families in pre-school and after-school settings. They provide meals and snacks, help children with reading, learning colors and numbers, help with homework, direct safe play and change diapers.

2007-10-23T21:29:00.000-11:00

Seneca Valley strike is still going on.

Seven days on the line in Lake Lehman.

Nippersink's strike is over.

Am I missing anyone?

Strikes, strikes and more strikes.

2007-10-21T13:26:00.000-11:00

More about banning teacher strikes in PA. Bah humbug, I say!

Lake Lehman has until November 6th, or November 26th to stay on strike, depending on your preference. Whenever it ends, it will change the school calendar. I think they should get a fair deal so they can get back in the classroom now, but that's just one blogger's feelings.

Carlisle Teachers Association in Ohio submitted a strike notice, they may begin their strike November 2nd if it passes their vote. Strikewatch has been updated, need you ask? :)

This is interesting reading-- historical perspective of the first and only teachers' strike in Columbus-- from 30+ years ago! Their local has come under national scrutiny due to the county Democratic Party withdrawing a school board candidate's endorsement 3 weeks before the election. Grow up people, it ain't always the "big bad unions"!

Strikes. Charters.

2007-10-20T15:13:00.000-11:00

Seneca Valley is still out, health care and salary are the sticking points, or so says the press. The parents have established this blog, though it's late and I can't figure out exactly whose side they're on.

Lake Lehman is still on strike, and when your PSEA regional rep tells the press they can't tell how long the strike could last, that's BAD NEWS. The good news? The AFL-CIO showed up for the LLEA. That's called solidarity, folks. This is an interesting article about the "negotiating in public" charge that the LL SB has rightfully earned in PA.

Earlville is out; they're out, out of the classroom! (Apologies to Seinfeld fans.)

Good news, Reynolds EA is back in, apparently they reached some kind of a TA.

As PA is strike-bound, the talk about banning 'em gains steam. This opinion piece speaks out in favor of it! Boo!

New Orleans is the worst-hit city by charters, but would you believe Dayton, Ohio is the 2nd worst-hit by charters? Neither did I.

Remember Harrison Hills' two week strike? I do. They just ratified their contract, but no details yet.

This coach crossed the picket line. It's a moral decision, one that everyone has to make.

Nippersink is still on strike.

Janesville EA is working to the rule. I have absolutely no idea where Janesville is. Do you?

Striking: Lake Lehman, Seneca Valley, Nippersink!

2007-10-17T15:58:00.000-11:00

Lake Lehman is still on strike. They'll be on strike on Thursday, too. The IBEW supports the strikers! The two sides didn't meet to negotiate, either.

Seneca Valley is supposed to meet with the BOE today, I think. Or at least should have met.

Nippersink is still out as well.

Lot Of Comments On This Site Lately...

2007-10-17T15:54:00.000-11:00

Just a brief word to all of the folks who have been commenting on the posts on this blog:

Keep it up. Keep it respectful. Keep it clean. I have not yet deleted any comments (minus spam) on this blog since I began it over a year ago; I would like to maintain this as a forum for people to voice their thoughts on what I write (even if I don't agree with them). Everyone has been doing a great job adhering to my 3 rules-- please keep doing so.

Lake Lehman Education Association Strike

2007-10-17T12:51:00.000-11:00

A kindly soul reminded me of LLEA's website. Make sure you go there to get the union's side of the story, which too often is overlooked in the media!

Nippersink, Lake Lehman Strike.

2007-10-16T17:24:00.000-11:00

Nippersink in IL is still on strike.

The Lake Lehman strike is still on:

The LL BOE President's union supports the teachers. More here. Mr. Charles Balvage, your name is mud, sir.

Seneca Valley Strike Updates.

2007-10-16T17:17:00.000-11:00

The strike is still going on.

The football coach for SVHS decided to cross the picket lines to hold practice and coach his team. They might make it to the playoffs. It's a moral decision each person has to make, being involved in a job action like this. I only hope the frostiness he encounters from his (perhaps not so colegial) colleagues once the strike is over is worth the next few games in the season. Teachers have a way of remembering who crossed picket lines for years and years.
The union and district will meet on Wednesday at 1 PM with a state department of education mediator.
More about the strike here.

Seneca Valley, Nippersink, Lake Lehman Teachers On Strike!

2007-10-15T15:28:00.000-11:00

Seneca Valley's on strike-- they didn't meet over the weekend to negotiate, either. More here.

Lake Lehman's on strike as well. More here. The school board President's union (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 16) has stepped back from the BOE prez, saying his views don't represent those of their union.

Nippersink is still on strike.

Stuff of sunday!

2007-10-14T01:01:00.000-11:00

Southwestern College in Cali will be voting on whether or not to disaffiliate themselves with CTA soon.

Nippersink Education Association is on strike. I need to update Strikewatch!

Pittsburg Federation of Teachers met yesterday in P-burg. They're going to take a strike vote by mail.

Earlville teachers plan to walk on Friday if they don't get a contract on Thursday's bargaining session.

Students walk out of Seneca Valley High School before the teachers do. The teachers have been working for two years without a contract.

What about these words of wisdom?

It was unions, after all, not congress, the church, or philanthropic organizations, who first outlawed child labor, mandated equal pay for women, and introduced industrial safety codes to the workplace. Heroically, unions beat everybody to the punch. Protecting workers is what unions strive to do.

Teach For America

2007-10-13T11:48:00.000-11:00

I haven't blogged much about TFA. In fact, I don't think I've done it at all, which makes now a great time to start.

Not a big fan of Alexander Russo, but he does a good job of critically picking apart TFA in a recent post over at The Huffington Post. My Opinion is that it's a lot of well-meaning people who have great academe credentials but that they're not around long enough to make a lasting impact.

He writes:

More recently, the underlying question of whether TFA members stay around long enough to make a real difference has re-emerged. TFA members are only asked to stay in the classroom for two years, far too brief a time to make much of a difference to anyone besides the individual students they teach. A substantial number don't make much past that. In 2005, The Onion parodied the situation: "TFA Chews Up, Spits Out Another Ethnic-Studies Major."

Saturday morning.

2007-10-13T00:01:00.000-11:00

New DC Supe Michelle Rhee is stirring it up; she's asking to classify about 900 or so non-unionized employees as at-will workers so she can fire 'em when and how she wants. That's one thing, but she was quoted in this article that she'd be asking for the same thing in DC for their teachers. She already has the power to fire a teacher in 90 days-- which is unheard of, why does she want to do it more quickly?

Merge Divide over at Serendipity in PA ruminates on the idea of teacher strikes being illegal and says "heck no". To quote, "Exactly what leverage would teachers have in contract negotiations if striking became illegal? How would they maintain the type of salaries and benefits that attract the brightest minds to the field of education?"

Mea Culpa to my union brother PREA Prez for not picking up on the Maine Township lack off a contract; please check it out at his site.

It's getting really ugly in Tiverton, RI-- they went on a brief strike last year and have been fighting with their BOE ever since. More here, same paper kinda same article.

In the somewhat morbid but cool file: I just say NYSUT runs obits on its web page.

Yet another "wow, where has KIPP been all of our lives" type of article. Yeah, ask 'em about "the bench".

The clock continues to tick for Seneca Valley. They've been without a contract for over a year-- I think that's pretty patient, don't you?

TA Reached in Harrison Hills!

2007-10-11T15:45:00.000-11:00

Read about it here. Parents have begun to question the strike curriculum in Harrison Hills; the simple answer is that "Just Push Play" is not a viable curriculum or a lesson plan but simply a scab tactic to cover up the fact that they are but a warm body placed in a room that they do not have the skills or necessary abilities to teach in.

Full of P*ss and Vinegar.

2007-10-11T15:31:00.000-11:00

I'm not sure why, but for some reason I'm more militant in this post than in others. Enjoy.

Reynolds Education Association is still on strike.

The Manchester Education Association bum-rushed a BOE meeting with 500 peeps 'cause they haven't had a contract in nearly 100 days.

"Lake-Lehman Strike Seems Inevitable" reads the headline. Well, simply put it wouldn't be inevitable if the BOE didn't negotiate in public.

In Carlsbad, the BOE got spanked on a prohibitive employer practice-- they're fairly rare and you have to be pretty stupid to do it.

Wellington EA in Ohio is back on track; a strike is not in their future.

This grammatically/ punctuationally challenged anti-union blogger asks the question "Do teacher’s deserve contracts?". Yes, "The Watcher" they do, 'cause your English teacher obviously didn't get paid enough to teach you correct usage of an apostrophe! (It is easy for me to make a typo, but when it comes to grammar and punctuation I am somewhat of a stickler.)

American Samoa had a strike, but it didn't go so well.

"Real World vs. Our World"

2007-10-11T15:17:00.000-11:00

A reader in Ohio emailed me about this article in the Ohio Education Association monthly "Ohio Schools" magazine. My new friend homeslice at OEA (she's not a Dr. yet like me) sent it over. For all the idiots out there in "thinktankland" who think that education should be run like a business or according to free-market principles, back at ya. This one goes out to HHTA and REA teachers on the line.

Article originally appeared in the October 2007 issue of Ohio Schools magazine, written by OEA member Robert Meyer.

"Real World"

I could pick and choose who I hired as an employee based on qualifications, education and job position needs.
If an employee didn’t perform his or her job satisfactorily, I had the option of terminating that employee.
As a manager, I could choose whether or not to be sensitive to an employee’s needs, but ultimately, the employee had to put work first or risk losing a job.
I never gave a thought to leaving my managerial position until my 19th year.
I educated myself regarding managerial techniques and adopted the best.
Continuing education was not a requirement of my job.
In the "real" world, businesses often pass on their increased costs to customers.
I rarely had a parent contact me with questions or comments regarding their son or daughter in the work environment.
In the event that, as a manager, I contacted a parent about problems with an employee, my assessment of the situation was not questioned.
The workplace tends to incorporate employees who are generally of the same education and ability level needed to perform the job functions.
Management would not tolerate it if employees were unprepared.
We were not required by law to make modifications for workers who could not meet work requirements.
If modifications for employees were mandated, the businesses would pass the costs on to the customers.
The focus often is not on the needs of the individual, but rather on the overall needs of the business.
In the "real" world, I routinely worked 50 plus hours a week.
Business depends on teachers to provide educated, responsible employees.
I rarely wore hats other than manager.
As a manager, I rarely had to be concerned about the role in which my employees saw me outside of work.
I didn’t need to spend my own funds to purchase materials for my job duties.
Business owners or management are rarely criticized or urged to make financial sacrifices "for the employees."
During my business career, I had the luxury of scheduling my own break times.
After 19 years in business, I questioned what I was contributing to my community beyond helping a few superiors to become wealthier and increasing corporate profits.
In business, few people take it upon themselves to contact businesses and inform the owners how to properly run the business.

"Our World"

If a student doesn’t perform his or her work satisfactorily, he or she still returns to school each day.
In education, if we don’t consider the emotional needs of our students at any given time during the day, we risk losing a connection that will affect the entire remaining school year.
I almost turned in my resignation as a middle school teacher after my first year. It was the most challenging job that I had attempted.
Likewise, as a teacher, I am continually researching new methods and considering how to adapt the best ideas for my students.
I am required to continuously seek continuing education.
We are at the mercy of voters who can vote "no" to supporting increased costs and still expect to receive the same level or a higher level of service.
We routinely deal with parents who have suggestions or comments—both positive and negative.
Parents often question the teacher’s ability, decision making, and assessment of the situation.
I have classes of students with a full range of cognitive abilities and capabilities.
In education, all types of modifications must be made to ensure each student’s best chance of success.
All modifications must be made at whatever cost is required, even if the "customers" vote "no" to requests to help pay for such needs.
Each individual student’s needs must be met in order for us to be considered successful.
I routinely work 50-60 hours per week, weekends, holidays and during summer "vacation."
In education, we do not depend on businesses to supply us with educated and responsible students.
As a teacher, I have been parent, counselor, cheerleader, coach and have filled a host of other roles.
I am always seen in that role by students and must always keep that in mind when in public.
I have spent several hundred dollars per year to acquire materials for my classroom.
Educators are routinely urged to accept economic sacrifices—since we are in it for the kids. For every hour that I teach, coach, give up lunchtime, and work outside the classroom, I am working for the kids. However, I do not accept that teachers should have to struggle financially in order to be there for the kids.
In my classroom, every minute must be planned for, and I run on my students’ schedules.
I have no doubt as to what I and other teachers contribute on a daily basis; we have tangible proof in the faces of the students we impact each day.
With education, many people feel that they know how best to operate a school district and educate children.

Teacher Strikes! Teacher Strikes!

2007-10-10T14:35:00.001-11:00

Jeez, you'd think it's spring with all of the job actions going on.

A bit about Reynolds Education Association strike.

Harrison Hills is still on strike and a mediator is scheduled to meet with the two sides Thursday at 1 PM. Ironically, someone just walked into the schools and began teaching-- the only way they knew about it was that the scab hit a picketer. More here. The Ohio Department of Education is sending a team to Harrison Hills to make sure all of their scabs, er subs are certified. The football team is supposed to play this Friday at home, but the visiting team's Superintendent said he won't send his kids there to cross picket lines to play.

Comment Wars on my Blog!

2007-10-10T14:32:00.000-11:00

Go to this post and read the comment wars that are beginning. Short post, long comments.

Reynolds Education Association on STRIKE!

2007-10-10T06:45:00.000-11:00

Read about it here or here.

It's odd-- in a state like PA where teacher strikes are so commonplace and well publicized, this one doesn't seem to be getting much press.

Rarity: Teacher Union Political Endorsements Reversed By Membership!

2007-10-09T15:02:00.000-11:00

Yep, it's a rarity, but shows that the democratic process within a union works.

Lake Lehman Madness!

2007-10-09T14:50:00.000-11:00

Yep.

Madness.

Why?

The BOE released their contract proposal to the PUBLIC-- didn't even send it to the union. That's called "negotiating in public" and LLEA will be filing a ULP, and rightly so. The BOE says they just want to keep things "transparent". Their offers are crazy and unworkable, no wonder the district went on strike last year. If I were a member and saw this, I'd want to strike again!

They also want to censure the Union President for an alleged slur he used that was directed towards a member of the BOE.

If you are a union type and read nothing else today, read the original article.

Harrison Hills: Day 8

2007-10-09T08:55:00.000-11:00

They're still on strike-- read more here. A scab hit a picketer with a car a few days back and it turns out that the guy was never actually hired by the district to substitute teach. Go figure. Attendance is on the rise in Harrison; all that means are more students are going into classes and watching movies. Your tax dollars at work, ladies and gentlemen!

Reynolds Education Association will strike on October 9th!

2007-10-09T08:51:00.000-11:00

Classes have been cancelled due to the Reynolds Education Association's strike. More here.

Seneca Valley Teachers Will Strike!

2007-10-08T15:57:00.000-11:00

Teachers have authorized a strike to begin 10/15/07. Teachers have been without a contract for 2 years; read more here. Strikewatch has been updated!

Seneca Valley Teachers

2007-10-08T15:50:00.000-11:00

I've been getting a lot of hits about Seneca Valley lately. Stay tuned, more will come later.

Harrison Hills Teacher Strike: Week Two Update

2007-10-08T15:45:00.000-11:00

Both side are in court, at issue is the picketing. They met for 8 hours yesterday but made little progress.

Get the latest at the Harrison Hills Teacher Association website.

Sunday nite.

2007-10-07T13:42:00.000-11:00

Epiphany continues to blog on the job actions in Baltimore and the pending demonstrative pickets and scheduled no-confidence vote in the Superintendent.

There's a ten-day old teacher strike in Bulgaria. I don't do much international reporting, but when you say you as a teacher are on the dark side of Bulgarian society (the same society that gave birth to Bela Lugosi) I say what the heck...

Israel's Secondary Teachers Union is going to probably strike. Does that make sense to anyone but me?

UFT money going for low-cost teacher housing? Sounds false but is true. How does NYC Educator feel about it? Will they segregate based on whether or not they are city school teachers or charter school teachers? The questions are endless.

It's getting huffy in LA. Or should I say Duffy? (heh) The payroll problems aren't fixed, so the war of words, including "job action" has begun. Although, the continuous performance pledge they've got (which is pretty much boilerplate in all teacher contracts) really will hinder the, if they want to do something. In all fairness, if I wasn't getting my check on a regular basis, I'd be hacked off too.

Reynolds Education Association might strike on Tuesday; they've got a meeting tomorrow. I'll keep ya posted.

Harrison Hills Teacher Strike: Day 5

2007-10-07T00:50:00.000-11:00

They've spent 5 days on the picket line and today (Sunday) they will meet with a federal mediatator for another attempt at negotiation.

Harrison Hills Still on Strike.

2007-10-04T15:41:00.001-11:00

This is about day three; pickets, egress and ingress into schools.

Sorry I've been behind, but my "real" life (being a teacher, being active in my union) has kept me from getting on here as much as I'd like.

In solidarity,

Doc.

ULP filed against HHTA by HH BOE.

2007-10-03T08:25:00.000-11:00

The HH BOE is alleging misrepresentation by the HHTA to its members. More later.

AFT endorses Hillary Clinton.

2007-10-03T08:20:00.000-11:00

Hmmm....wonder what the NEA will do?

American Federation of Teachers Endorses Hillary Clinton
1.4 million-member union cites proven abilities, bold plans

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Acting on behalf of its more than 1.4 million members, the executive council of the American Federation of Teachers today endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president, citing her proven ability to advance our nation’s key priorities, and her bold plans for a stronger America.

“Our members have told us that they want a leader they can trust to strengthen public education, increase access to healthcare, promote commonsense economic priorities and secure America’s place in the world,” said AFT President Edward J. McElroy. “Hillary Clinton is that leader.”

Clinton thanked the AFT executive council for the union’s endorsement and said that, as president, she will be “committed to improving and strengthening our public schools, providing support for teachers, and ensuring our education system is able to meet the needs of the global economy and that we have commonsense laws that make that possible.”

Clinton added that she looks forward to working with the AFT to ensure that all Americans have affordable, quality health insurance; to protect the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively; and to strengthen pension systems and retirement security.

The vote of the 41-member AFT executive council capped a deliberative seven-month process designed to solicit from membership their issues of concern and the candidate they believed would best address those concerns. As part of that effort, the AFT created the “You Decide 2008” page on its Web site, which to date has received more than 50,000 individual visits. AFT leadership also solicited input through meetings at the local level, regional caucuses and individual member outreach.

The AFT invited all the major presidential candidates to meet with its executive council. The seven major Democratic candidates accepted the invitation and individually participated in an extensive question-and-answer session with the council, and with rank-and-file members in attendance. All of the announced candidates also were asked to respond to an AFT candidate questionnaire.

Each of the major Republican candidates also was invited to participate, but all either declined or did not respond to the invitation.

“The candidates we met with have an impressive depth of experience and commitment to strengthening America,” McElroy said. “With so many strong candidates focused on the needs of America’s working families, it was really an embarrassment of riches. In the end, our members and leaders determined that Hillary Clinton is the strongest leader to advance these causes.”

Clinton said that the AFT’s “support and leadership will be invaluable to the success of my campaign.”

She also praised McElroy for his leadership, saying, “For over 40 years, Ed has been a proud trade unionist and champion for teachers, students and the basic ideal that all children have the right to a good education.”

The AFT endorsement activates the union’s considerable member education and political mobilization program on behalf of the endorsed candidate. The AFT immediately will put in motion a grass-roots campaign to engage its members throughout the country to help nominate Hillary Clinton.

Harrison Hills Strike, Lake Lehman Strike? Baltimore, Angry Ohio

2007-10-02T13:12:00.000-11:00

Big row in Ohio over the potential fact that OEA (largest state afiliate) suggested the strategy state AG Dann is using to try to close underperforming charter schools.

Baltimore Teachers' Union is still working to the rule and will begin protesting in the near future to voice their unhappiness at how things are going at the bargaining table.

Lake-Lehman in PA just gave notice for 10/15. You may remember they went on strike for four days in may of last year. Strikewatch has been update

Harrison Hills put in Day 2 on the lines, but there is some good news-- the enrollment within the school district dropped from Day 1 to Day 2. You can't hire Huffmaster to teach the kids that aren't there.

Harrison Hills Teacher STRIKE DAY 1: WHEN SCABS ATTACK!

2007-10-01T21:56:00.000-11:00

Read about the first day on the pickets here, but the real news is that Huffmaster security hit two different teachers on two separate occasions on two different locations. The district had a 36% attendance rate, hopefully it will decrease, the Superintendent wants it to increase. Read about it here.

Harrison Hills on STRIKE!

2007-09-30T22:23:00.000-11:00

Yep, they're out. They voted overwhelmingly to reject the contract offer from the BOE, and now they're out. Good luck HHTA!

Harrison Hills Teachers' Association: Anything could happen!

2007-09-30T13:26:00.000-11:00

Down to the wire, they could be on strike in a few hours. Latest is here, but it doesn't tell you much other than what I just did. Nothing new on their webpage.

Good luck HHTA, I'm goin' to bed, check the 411 early in the 'AM.

Battle for the hearts and minds of the public in negotiations...

2007-09-30T00:10:00.000-11:00

Negotiations break off; what does the Superintendent do? He claims teachers make more per hour than he does 'cause he works more days and longer hours over the year. Great guy.

By creating some kind of panel the RI governor hopes to improve negotiations so teacher strikes don't happen. Just get rid of the bad board negotiators.

Harrison Hills Teacher Strike?

2007-09-29T17:14:00.000-11:00

Whether or not there will be one will be decided in a a number of hours by a vote from the teachers; the BOE there has already hired a security firm and scabs. At least in Cahokia the administration had the good sense to shut down the schools. The board left an hour early from the negotiating session. Good luck, HHTA.

To quote Jack London:

"A scab is a traitor to his God, his country, his family and his class."

Cahokia Back IN!

2007-09-27T14:28:00.000-11:00

Their 9 day strike has been ended, a three year contract voted in by upwards of 90% of the membership. Congratulations!

Shoreline, Harrison Hills, Shanker, uninformed BOE President

2007-09-27T14:13:00.000-11:00

A pre-strike article about Shoreline, then there's this article about the actual one-day strike, with the memorable comment "fire them all for breaking their contract and then hire back the good ones."

Harrison Hills' strike date of October 1 is getting closer, and things aren't looking better.

Interesting interview with the writer of the Shanker bio. (Note to self, stop writing notes to self and review Shanker book.)

"I don't want to do this (hire a union teacher) just because the union says we have to." Yes, this quote came from a public school district's Board of Education President. Read about it here.

$50 per teacher, Cahokia, UAW Strike an' good ol' Al.

2007-09-26T14:55:00.000-11:00

Texas teachers don't have to pay the $50 fee for fingerprinting and background checks required under state law. Yea. Now if they'd just change their status from a "Right to work" state and stop roughing up union leaders, there'd be real progress in that there land.

Still nothing in Cahokia. More about the nothing that is being achieved.

Ed in the Apple (I seem to be reading it more and more) tries to draw similarities between teacher unions and the UAW strike. I still remain largely unconvinced.

Norm of "Norm's Notes" fames, also a poster on EdNotesOnline digs into the Al Shanker bio. (Note to self, really gotta write that review.)

Shoreline, Cahokia, Harrison Hills.

2007-09-25T13:52:00.000-11:00

Shoreline Education Association will be on strike for one day, and one day only. Thursday.

Cahokia has been out for 7 days. They met with the board on Monday, but still no dice.

This opinion piece urges the Harrison Hills District and the HEA to talk now so they don't strike later. The interesting part is that it seems somewhat heartfelt, too.

Cahokia Still out.

2007-09-24T22:25:00.000-11:00

Here's the latest.

Breaking News: Shoreline, WA One Day Strike!

2007-09-24T15:34:00.000-11:00

Shoreline Education Association voted to go on strike for one day on this Thursday-- after voting no confidence in their Supe, the result of poor staffing decisions at the elementary level. More news as I get it...but for now, this is it.

Cahokia still in the news, Tiverton back in the news.

2007-09-23T14:12:00.000-11:00

Cahokia's still on strike, the kids are staying at home on Monday. Where is the BOE President? Where he should be-- at Notre Dame, taking in a football game. Glad to know he has the kids' priorities at heart.

Tiverton EA in RI might sound familliar; the local went on strike and I believe was court-ordered back in. They just passed a "work to the rule" vote. The plot thickens, they're still in negotiations. Oh yeah, the Supe said he won't pay the teachers for their one-day strike (which was illegal under RI law), you can read more about it here.

Trouble Brewing in Harrison Hills!

2007-09-22T14:38:00.001-11:00

There's trouble afoot in Harrison Hills, Ohio. Somehow, I missed the fact that the local there, Harrison Hills Teachers' Association (an OEA affiliate) had authorized a strike vote and given notice for October 1st. This past Wednesday, the Superintendent had been authorized by the BOE to hire scabs and security for said scabs should the strike actually happen. You can check out the union's page here, the actual article here or the three page FAQ (PDF) about the "what ifs" put out by the district, designed to help parents feel better about sending their kids to cross picket lines.

Angry Ohio, Cahokia, Tucson, SMETA, Higher Ed Strike and good 'ol Al.

2007-09-22T14:27:00.000-11:00

Tucson Unified School District seems to have quieted down. After suffering a 1,400 teacher sickout, the union has accepted an across the board 3% raise.

Cahokia Federation of Teachers is still on strike. This article focuses on the effects of the strike on the kids.

Parents in San Mateo are getting edgy that SMETA might strike; I wrote about them in an earlier blog post.

Ed over at Ed in the Apple takes a sincere look at what Al Shanker taught us. (Note to self: Finish Shanker book review soon.)

CTA has begun it's anti-reauthorization campaign for NCLB.

Rider University's staff have voted to authorize a strike. Strikewatch has been updated.

Wellington Education Association in Ohio has voted to authorize a strike. What's up in Ohio? Things seem a little testy there.

Cahokia Teacher Strike: Day 4 Came and Went, Still On The Line

2007-09-20T15:48:00.000-11:00

Day 3 of the Cahokia strike. Day 4 of the strike. Strike causes forfeiture of Friday's football game. This editorial pleads for the teachers and administration to agree, and for a no-strike law to enter the state legislature. (Oh, and by the way, did you know the strike is tarnishing a 4-0 football team's record?) A letter to the editor from the CFT's President, Brent Murphy.

The coming sign of the apocalypse...

2007-09-20T15:36:00.000-11:00

...Checker Finn and the Education Gadfly take the side (gasp) of the teachers' union:

"When progression is regressionThe Denver teachers union has proposed to end social promotion in Mile High City schools and instead to tie students' progress to their scores on standardized tests in third, fifth, and eighth grades. Opponents of the plan worry that it will harm the self-esteem of students who are held back and could encourage those youngsters to drop out. ''Unless you've got a very serious set of interventions in place, all retaining kids does is drive the dropout rate up,'' says Denver Superintendent Michael Bennet. The union agrees, which is why its plan calls for extra services for students with low test grades and reading scores. And what's the alternative? Allowing students to progress through the grades without, say, being able to do basic math? If you want to talk about a blow to self-esteem, talk about the seventh grader who reads at a third-grade level. There may be more to this story: the union and district are embroiled in contentious contract negotiations. But on this issue, regardless of the politics that may be involved, we're taking union's side."

(From this issue of the Education Gadfly)

Some stuff, SMETA

2007-09-20T15:29:00.000-11:00

The board approved Norwin's contract, so I am going to take 'em off of strikewatch.

Edison Local Education Association voted to authorize a strike, 98% for, 2% against. Strikewatch will be updated.

The San Mateo Elementary Teacher's Association (SMETA) is going into fact-finding, one step before strike. However, I can't seem to find anything about a strike authorization vote, so I just want to chalk this one up to the paper beating the strike drum a little too early.

Updates.....

2007-09-19T14:37:00.000-11:00

Cahokia Federation of Teachers is still on the line...day two. Some history about the district and the union.

Tucson Teacher Sick Out Opinion Piece

2007-09-18T13:54:00.001-11:00

This piece is surprisingly pro-teacher. 1,400 teachers sicked out Friday in a non-coordinated response to TUSD's opening offer of a 1% raise. I noted that students watched "Daddy Day Care" in the high schools along with "Rush Hour 2", but apparently they also watched "Nacho Libre".

Cahokia On Strike, Reported To You By Britney Spears.

2007-09-18T13:48:00.000-11:00

Following her disastrous appearance at this year's Video Music Awards on MTV, Britney Spears has signed an exclusive deal with Dr. Homeslice to do a few blog posts.

(Best Britney Spears Impersonation)

"Y'all! Y'all! There's like a strike or somethin' going on right now in that state that people abbreviate IL. I really wasn't paying attention in math class, so I don't know what state that is or anything. Oh well. I do know the teachers aren't working, and the name of the district is Cahokia. This article was before the strike and this one was after the strike started."

Dr Homeslice: Ladies and gentlement, Britney will no longer be posting. Please check out what's happening in Cahokia at the CFT website. Here's another article. Just in case you might be wondering, the teachers' strike for better wages and respect from the BOE might possibly affect the football team's season-- parents should call their Board members and urge them to settle with the union.

Fordham Foundation on Alternative Certification/ Licensure

2007-09-18T13:42:00.000-11:00

First, let me get this straight-- I don't usually agree with anything Checker Finn or any of his Finnites put out from the Fordham Foundation. Come to think of it, I can't really remember any time that I've agreed with anything they've said, unless it's something like "The sky is blue" or "Charters are underlegislated and undermonitored". However, seeing as how they would never say the second thing, they did release a report today about how the alternative certification process for teachers across the US isn't really that great, something that I would agree with.

Just 'cause you're a great engineer, doesn't mean you'll make a great math teacher. Some folks just aren't teachers, pure and simple. The drive is noble and appreciated, but uh... yeah. You can read the report here in it's entirety (PDF) or the summary here.

Cahokia Teachers On Strike!

2007-09-17T22:29:00.000-11:00

Got this message this morning:

Great site!! I found it while searching for more info on Cahokia School District strike. Thought I would let you know Cahokia Federation of Teachers Local #1272 did strike this morning(Monday, Sept 17). We had an spectacular turn out and will continue to stand united for our cause!!!

In solidarity,

Doc.

Strike? School Board Rats? Not working to the rule?

2007-09-17T15:30:00.000-11:00

Cahokia-- on Sunday, this article went online stating that the Superintendent had cancelled school due to the expected and pending teacher strike.

Fresno-- this columnist calls for the Fresno Teachers' Association President Larry Moore's ouster. Of course, the columnist does not have a vote. This edutorial calls for the ratification of the BOE's offer for their contract.

Calument, IL-- The teachers of the District 155 Teachers Council of the Southwest Suburban Federation of Teachers Local 943 (whew!) have authorized a strike.

Did you know that being a teacher is a part-time job? That's what this guy thinks.

Baltimore Blogger Epiphany who isn't working to the rule blogs about why exactly he/she isn't.

Hud Callahan laments about the Chicago pay system.

"Well of course I'm pro-union," said the Charter School Operator, "but why would my staff need to join a union? There are only seven of them."

1,400 teachers sick at the same time, strikes, bargaining, strikes and more possible strikes.

2007-09-16T13:05:00.000-11:00

San Mateo Elementary Teachers Association might go on strike on 9/28 if things don't get better with their bargaining.

Depending on how things go tonight, Cahokia Federation of Teachers could be on strike at 12:01 AM Monday, September 17th.

Over 1400 teachers sicked out in Tucson, AZ as part of a contract dispute, cancelling classes at a number of schools. High School students who showed up for class were shown Daddy Day Care and Rush Hour 2.

Earlville Teachers' Association filed an intent to strike last week.

Do you give up your 1st amendment rights once the bell rings?

2007-09-14T16:46:00.001-11:00

Apparently this teacher did. She was fired.