Yesterday I had a post titled The Teacher As Bully I left off teachers as "legislator bullies." If you take a look at both the house and the senate you will find a disproportional number of "educrats" compared to the percentage of "educrats" in the general population. Why are there so many "educrats" who are legislators? There are at least two reasons, number one is the teachers' unions, they are an extremely wealthy, large and powerful group and they throw millions of our tax dollars annually at candidates that will push their agenda. The second reason is they have the time, with a short work year and retirement ranging from age 55 to 60 there are plenty of them who have the time to do the unions dirty work.
We saw this, this past year with legislation regarding "adequate education", education until age 18, legislation regarding kindergarten and legislation effecting home schoolers. Legislators are doing everything in there power to get more children in public schools because more children means more money and more money in the pockets of "educrats." It also means less money in taxpayers pockets.
Cathy Peschke
Thursday, July 10, 2008
The Teacher As Bully
One of the biggest problems in schools today is Bullies - not student
Bullies but Teacher Bullies. Students' biggest role models after their parents are teachers, in part due to the amount of time they spend in a classroom. We will continue to see an increase in student bullies until we address the problem of teacher bullies. We see teacher on teacher bullying with unions and we also see teacher on administrator bullying with insane teacher contracts that tie administrator's hands. We see teacher on student bullying because teachers often do not know how to properly handle difficult students. We see teachers and paraprofessionals bullying with their attacks on parents and students with the "labeling" of children. Lastly we see teacher on parent bullying through the PTA, the push of tax increases on parents in town meetings, through the children via book bags and classroom conversations, and holding towns hostages with the possibility of strikes during contract talks.
Cathy
Bill Page, Education Consultant has an excellent article titled The Teacher As Bully online at Ednews.org.
The Teacher As Bully
By Bill Page Educational Consultant Published 12/2/2007
The Teacher As Bully
The current focus on the problem of "bullying" has produced a flurry of programs, mandates, legal action, books, articles, and web sites; but I have yet to see research on the insidious behavior of the biggest school bully of them all—the teacher.
By Bill Page
Education Consultant
Students who don't conform, don't hand in assignments, don't abide by rules and procedures, and who are disengaged, apathetic, and oblivious to bad marks, test results, and low grades, are the scourge of every teacher, though such students exist to varying degrees and numbers in every classroom. Two or three such "troublemakers" categorized as "at-risk" can create havoc, and cause inordinate frustration, off-task time, management problems, and discipline concerns for hard-working, well-intentioned teachers. In too many schools such students are in the majority.Attempts to get the interest, to correct the behavior, and to change the attitude of these recalcitrant, uncooperative, intractable students frequently cause teachers to resort to classroom control strategies that are not only counter productive, but that actually transform teachers into the biggest bullies in school.
Three particular problems form the basis of the teacher as bully: First, many teachers, who were good students when they were in school, fail to understand such misbehavior as defense mechanisms of students who are embarrassed, bored, or fearful of showing their incompetence.Second, in their own school experiences and teacher training, they had little opportunity to learn alternative responses to uncooperative students.Third, teachers frequently employ teaching strategies based on faulty assumptions and erroneous beliefs about negative motivation, reluctant learners, and the underlying causes of students' hostile, anti-learning, anti-teacher attitude.
Believing that punitive responses, withholding approval, using embarrassment, teasing, shame, sarcasm, and failure will cause students to improve their behavior, teachers frequently employ the very same control methods used by student bullies to intimidate their victims. Probably only a few teachers resort to deliberate bullying, humiliation, or intimidation, but too many others use these techniques thoughtlessly, automatically, subconsciously, or because they have learned that bullying, without naming it as such, is an acceptable form of student control and classroom management.
Teachers Have Power
Although teacher's intentions, reasons for control, and feelings are quite different from those of student bullies, the effect on the victim and the methods used are precisely the same.But, since teachers are role models who possess overwhelming power, authority, and influence in school, their bullying is far worse than that of notorious schoolyard bullying.In addition, teachers' lack of awareness, unwillingness, or inability to acknowledge their role, makes their bullying all the more insidious and deplorable
School culture itself can contribute to bullying. Teacher bullying behaviors are driven by the demand that individuals conform to academic and behavioral expectations whether or not those demands are appropriate or even possible.I was reminded of student perception of teacher behavior, as I observed one of my daughters, a fourth grader, playing school with three of her friends in front of the apartments where we lived.As the game began, everyone wanted to be the teacher.It is no fun being a student.Shannon, a sixth grader, who was a grade level or two above the other three, easily won the starring role.
Her performance was absolutely stellar.Whatever anyone's stereotype of the portrayal of teacher might be, Shannon played it flawlessly.From the yardstick she used as a pointer to slam against the knee-high wall, which served as her imaginary desk, to her voice inflection, intonation, gestures, and exaggerated articulation; she was a teacher. She gave orders reminiscent of my old Army drill sergeant and meted out punishment fast and furious along with nonverbal gestures and hostility that caused me to cringe.As I expected, because the students, unlike in real school, were volunteers there to play and have fun, the game didn't last long.
With the intimidation by schools and teachers, with the labeling, name-calling, judging, belittling and intimidating aspects of the No Child Left Behind Act, it seems all too logical that the punitive, coercive pressures should be extended to students in individual classrooms wherein teachers can take on the role of "Big Bad Bullies".Teachers, serving as role models, condone bullying behavior in those students eager to identify with the teacher, gain approval, and who avoid identifying with the failing and fearful students.
To view the rest of the article visit Ednew.org.
Bullies but Teacher Bullies. Students' biggest role models after their parents are teachers, in part due to the amount of time they spend in a classroom. We will continue to see an increase in student bullies until we address the problem of teacher bullies. We see teacher on teacher bullying with unions and we also see teacher on administrator bullying with insane teacher contracts that tie administrator's hands. We see teacher on student bullying because teachers often do not know how to properly handle difficult students. We see teachers and paraprofessionals bullying with their attacks on parents and students with the "labeling" of children. Lastly we see teacher on parent bullying through the PTA, the push of tax increases on parents in town meetings, through the children via book bags and classroom conversations, and holding towns hostages with the possibility of strikes during contract talks.
Cathy
Bill Page, Education Consultant has an excellent article titled The Teacher As Bully online at Ednews.org.
The Teacher As Bully
By Bill Page Educational Consultant Published 12/2/2007
The Teacher As Bully
The current focus on the problem of "bullying" has produced a flurry of programs, mandates, legal action, books, articles, and web sites; but I have yet to see research on the insidious behavior of the biggest school bully of them all—the teacher.
By Bill Page
Education Consultant
Students who don't conform, don't hand in assignments, don't abide by rules and procedures, and who are disengaged, apathetic, and oblivious to bad marks, test results, and low grades, are the scourge of every teacher, though such students exist to varying degrees and numbers in every classroom. Two or three such "troublemakers" categorized as "at-risk" can create havoc, and cause inordinate frustration, off-task time, management problems, and discipline concerns for hard-working, well-intentioned teachers. In too many schools such students are in the majority.Attempts to get the interest, to correct the behavior, and to change the attitude of these recalcitrant, uncooperative, intractable students frequently cause teachers to resort to classroom control strategies that are not only counter productive, but that actually transform teachers into the biggest bullies in school.
Three particular problems form the basis of the teacher as bully: First, many teachers, who were good students when they were in school, fail to understand such misbehavior as defense mechanisms of students who are embarrassed, bored, or fearful of showing their incompetence.Second, in their own school experiences and teacher training, they had little opportunity to learn alternative responses to uncooperative students.Third, teachers frequently employ teaching strategies based on faulty assumptions and erroneous beliefs about negative motivation, reluctant learners, and the underlying causes of students' hostile, anti-learning, anti-teacher attitude.
Believing that punitive responses, withholding approval, using embarrassment, teasing, shame, sarcasm, and failure will cause students to improve their behavior, teachers frequently employ the very same control methods used by student bullies to intimidate their victims. Probably only a few teachers resort to deliberate bullying, humiliation, or intimidation, but too many others use these techniques thoughtlessly, automatically, subconsciously, or because they have learned that bullying, without naming it as such, is an acceptable form of student control and classroom management.
Teachers Have Power
Although teacher's intentions, reasons for control, and feelings are quite different from those of student bullies, the effect on the victim and the methods used are precisely the same.But, since teachers are role models who possess overwhelming power, authority, and influence in school, their bullying is far worse than that of notorious schoolyard bullying.In addition, teachers' lack of awareness, unwillingness, or inability to acknowledge their role, makes their bullying all the more insidious and deplorable
School culture itself can contribute to bullying. Teacher bullying behaviors are driven by the demand that individuals conform to academic and behavioral expectations whether or not those demands are appropriate or even possible.I was reminded of student perception of teacher behavior, as I observed one of my daughters, a fourth grader, playing school with three of her friends in front of the apartments where we lived.As the game began, everyone wanted to be the teacher.It is no fun being a student.Shannon, a sixth grader, who was a grade level or two above the other three, easily won the starring role.
Her performance was absolutely stellar.Whatever anyone's stereotype of the portrayal of teacher might be, Shannon played it flawlessly.From the yardstick she used as a pointer to slam against the knee-high wall, which served as her imaginary desk, to her voice inflection, intonation, gestures, and exaggerated articulation; she was a teacher. She gave orders reminiscent of my old Army drill sergeant and meted out punishment fast and furious along with nonverbal gestures and hostility that caused me to cringe.As I expected, because the students, unlike in real school, were volunteers there to play and have fun, the game didn't last long.
With the intimidation by schools and teachers, with the labeling, name-calling, judging, belittling and intimidating aspects of the No Child Left Behind Act, it seems all too logical that the punitive, coercive pressures should be extended to students in individual classrooms wherein teachers can take on the role of "Big Bad Bullies".Teachers, serving as role models, condone bullying behavior in those students eager to identify with the teacher, gain approval, and who avoid identifying with the failing and fearful students.
To view the rest of the article visit Ednew.org.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Croydon School Board Meeting.
The Croydon School Board meeting is scheduled for tonight, Croydon residents are still awaiting answers to the tuition scandal. Will Croydon residents get the answers they need? Croydon residents were sent questionnaires this past spring. The SAU sent out the questionnaire to the residents of Croydon. Residents have yet to hear the results of the questionnaire and no further news has been heard as to when the next planning committee meeting will take place.
Cathy Peschke
Cathy Peschke
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
NEA Convention
Mike Antonucci of the Education Intelligence Association has updates of the NEA Convention on his BLOG Intercepts. Intercepts is a must read this past week. Obama has labeled himself the candidate of change. The NEA has endorsed Obama by the lowest margin of any other democratic presidential candidate, they appear not to be ready for the changes Obama wants to make. The NEA booed Obama when he mentioned both charter schools and merit pay. The videos can be seen on the EIA website, what is most interesting is that in later videos the NEA rewrote history and took out the comments about charter schools and merit pay that Obama made.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Debbi Tepper
Lennie Jarratt a fellow education reformist and tax fighter requested I share the following story. His neighbor Debbi Tepper died May 28th, 2008 after contracting bronchitis, that same day the government was declaring a Sherriff’s sale on her home. If you are inclined to help and learn more about Debbi please visit the website set up by friends.
Lennie Jarratt also works for the Sam Adams Alliance.
Lennie Jarratt also works for the Sam Adams Alliance.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Search Is on for Nation's Worst Teachers
The following piece appeared in School Reform News. To learn more about the contest go to Teachers Union Exposed. To read some of the submissions click here.
Search Is on for Nation's Worst Teachers
Written By: Jillian Melchior
Published In: School Reform News
Publication Date: June 1, 2008
Publisher: The Heartland Institute
Urinating in a bottle and leaving it in a public school administrator's office sounds like something a particularly ill-behaved middle-school boy might do.
Unfortunately, it's just one of the stunts pulled by an unidentified, tenured schoolteacher that earned him a nomination for the Worst Teacher in America contest, sponsored by the Center for Union Facts (CUF). CUF is a nonprofit organization created to "show Americans the truth about today's teachers unions," its Web site says.
CUF launched the campaign in March to find the 10 worst teachers nationwide, taking out full-page ads in The New York Times and USA Today, airing commercials on CNN and Fox News, and buying an 80-foot, seven-story billboard in New York City's Times Square.
"The contest is an effort to jumpstart a conversation about how difficult it is to fire incompetent teachers," explained CUF Communications Director Sarah Longwell. "We're not trying to hurt anybody's feelings, and this is not a witch hunt."
The contest's mastermind, CUF Executive Director Rick Berman, created it to highlight two points: Tenure systems make it impossible to fire incompetent teachers, and teacher unions block needed reform, offering nothing to motivate or reward excellent teachers.
Outraged Response
CUF says it launched the campaign on behalf of all teachers, but teacher unions adamantly disagree.
American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Edward J. McElroy called it "outrageous" in a March 10 statement, writing that his group has long endorsed greater professionalism for teachers and school staff and arguing local affiliates embrace education reforms that improve teaching and learning.
McElroy called Berman "an ethically challenged attack dog," "a shameless lobbyist," and "a coward."
"Berman has a record of using hidden funders to attack groups that contribute a great deal to society," McElroy wrote. "Now he is coming after teachers at a time when most Americans support education and want to make improving education a top national priority. Teachers and the public deserve to know which businesses are bankrolling Berman's despicable tactics, but he is too much of a coward to reveal the source of his funding."
AFT spokesmen refused to comment beyond that, and other teacher unions did not return phone calls requesting comment.
Reward for Quitting
Meanwhile, CUF regularly updates its Web site with lists of nominees for the Worst Teacher award.
The top 10 will receive $10,000 apiece if they quit their jobs and seek employment in a different field, Longwell said. The winners must give CUF permission to use their names; all other nominees will remain anonymous. Nominations must be verifiable--anything from court records to camera phone recordings.
"In terms of the meanness factor, we're trying to advocate on behalf of all the teachers, the good ones--and most of them are good--so they can continue to do the excellent work they're doing," Longwell said. "Can you imagine how demoralizing it would be to get paid the same amount [as a bad teacher]?"
Hundreds of Nominees
The competition will be stiff. Since the contest was launched, hundreds of teachers have been nominated for incidents ranging from the serious (waving guns at store clerks and having prison records) to the silly (like bottling one's own urine).
Overall, the nominations have had a sobering effect, Longwell said.
"More than terrifying, [it's] frequently sad," Longwell explained. "A lot of it is not about extreme circumstances--though some are with teachers who have been violent or sworn at kids--but a lot of it is teachers who don't care, teachers who have sort of quit, but who are still on the job."
Search Is on for Nation's Worst Teachers
Written By: Jillian Melchior
Published In: School Reform News
Publication Date: June 1, 2008
Publisher: The Heartland Institute
Urinating in a bottle and leaving it in a public school administrator's office sounds like something a particularly ill-behaved middle-school boy might do.
Unfortunately, it's just one of the stunts pulled by an unidentified, tenured schoolteacher that earned him a nomination for the Worst Teacher in America contest, sponsored by the Center for Union Facts (CUF). CUF is a nonprofit organization created to "show Americans the truth about today's teachers unions," its Web site says.
CUF launched the campaign in March to find the 10 worst teachers nationwide, taking out full-page ads in The New York Times and USA Today, airing commercials on CNN and Fox News, and buying an 80-foot, seven-story billboard in New York City's Times Square.
"The contest is an effort to jumpstart a conversation about how difficult it is to fire incompetent teachers," explained CUF Communications Director Sarah Longwell. "We're not trying to hurt anybody's feelings, and this is not a witch hunt."
The contest's mastermind, CUF Executive Director Rick Berman, created it to highlight two points: Tenure systems make it impossible to fire incompetent teachers, and teacher unions block needed reform, offering nothing to motivate or reward excellent teachers.
Outraged Response
CUF says it launched the campaign on behalf of all teachers, but teacher unions adamantly disagree.
American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Edward J. McElroy called it "outrageous" in a March 10 statement, writing that his group has long endorsed greater professionalism for teachers and school staff and arguing local affiliates embrace education reforms that improve teaching and learning.
McElroy called Berman "an ethically challenged attack dog," "a shameless lobbyist," and "a coward."
"Berman has a record of using hidden funders to attack groups that contribute a great deal to society," McElroy wrote. "Now he is coming after teachers at a time when most Americans support education and want to make improving education a top national priority. Teachers and the public deserve to know which businesses are bankrolling Berman's despicable tactics, but he is too much of a coward to reveal the source of his funding."
AFT spokesmen refused to comment beyond that, and other teacher unions did not return phone calls requesting comment.
Reward for Quitting
Meanwhile, CUF regularly updates its Web site with lists of nominees for the Worst Teacher award.
The top 10 will receive $10,000 apiece if they quit their jobs and seek employment in a different field, Longwell said. The winners must give CUF permission to use their names; all other nominees will remain anonymous. Nominations must be verifiable--anything from court records to camera phone recordings.
"In terms of the meanness factor, we're trying to advocate on behalf of all the teachers, the good ones--and most of them are good--so they can continue to do the excellent work they're doing," Longwell said. "Can you imagine how demoralizing it would be to get paid the same amount [as a bad teacher]?"
Hundreds of Nominees
The competition will be stiff. Since the contest was launched, hundreds of teachers have been nominated for incidents ranging from the serious (waving guns at store clerks and having prison records) to the silly (like bottling one's own urine).
Overall, the nominations have had a sobering effect, Longwell said.
"More than terrifying, [it's] frequently sad," Longwell explained. "A lot of it is not about extreme circumstances--though some are with teachers who have been violent or sworn at kids--but a lot of it is teachers who don't care, teachers who have sort of quit, but who are still on the job."
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Having Trouble With Math? Teachers Are Too, Study Finds
It is no wonder that the economy is in the state that it is, people are just not being taught simple math skills. To take it one step further I think students are not being taught responsibility or accountability. Students learn from teachers not to be responsible or accountable for their actions, teachers are not accountable for actually educating our children and they fight any form of legislation that holds them accountable. It is no wonder work ethics continue to decline. Students remain in a system for 12 years and see you can keep a well paying job even if you slack off and do a terrible job.
Cathy
Quote of the Day "Mathematics - the unshaken Foundation of Sciences, and the plentiful Fountain of Advantage to human affairs." ~Isaac Barrow
The following piece appeared on Fox News.com.
Having Trouble With Math? Teachers Are Too, Study Finds
Thursday, June 26, 2008
WASHINGTON — For kids to do better in math, their teachers might have to go back to school. Elementary-school teachers are poorly prepared by education schools to teach math, finds a study being released Thursday by the National Council on Teacher Quality.
Math relies heavily on cumulative knowledge, making the early years critical.
The study by the nonpartisan research and advocacy group comes a few months after a federal panel reported that U.S. students have widespread difficulty with fractions, a problem that arises in elementary school and prevents kids from mastering more complicated topics like algebra later on.
The report looked at 77 elementary education programs around the country, or roughly 5 percent of the institutions that offer undergraduate elementary teacher certification.
It found the programs, within colleges and universities, spend too little time on elementary math topics.
Author Julie Greenberg said education students should be taking courses that give them a deeper understanding of arithmetic and multiplication. She said the courses should explain how math concepts build upon each other and why certain ideas need to be emphasized in the classroom.
Teacher candidates know their multiplication tables, but "they don't come to us knowing why multiplication works the way it does," said Denise Mewborn, who heads the University of Georgia department of math and science education.
The university was cited in the report for having an "exemplary program," while nine others met basic requirements. The rest offered too little math coursework or coursework that was considered weak, according to the report.
The University of Georgia requires teacher candidates to take courses to help them understand concepts underlying elementary-school math, as well as math courses not designed for teachers.
The report found significant differences in the number and kind of courses required by each education program.
Education schools also are not being selective enough, the report stated. Most require applicants to take an admissions test, usually around their sophomore year of college. But the test, which typically includes reading, writing and math sections, is far too easy, according to the report.
"Almost anyone can get in. Compared to the admissions standards found in other countries, American education schools set exceedingly low expectations for the mathematics knowledge that aspiring teachers must demonstrate," said the report.
U.S. children often fall in the middle or bottom of the pack when compared to other students on international math tests.
Jane West, vice president of government relations for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, said her organization had not received a copy of the report Wednesday. The National Council on Teacher Quality plans to release it publicly at a news conference Thursday.
The report also criticized the tests education students take when they complete their coursework, which are generally relied on by states in granting teacher licenses. In many cases, the prospective teachers are judged on an overall score only, meaning they could do badly on the math portion but still pass if they do well in the other areas.
Since states oversee the preparation of the nation's school teachers, the report recommends they set tougher coursework and testing standards.
Francis Fennell, the past president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, said the report fails to examine the math instruction students receive while attending community colleges, where many elementary-school teachers start their higher education.
He also said the study's authors should have surveyed teachers to get their views on how well prepared they were to teach math.
Fennell, who instructs teacher candidates in math at McDaniel College in Westminster, Md., said a common area of weakness among his students is fractions — the same subject the national math panel described as a weak area for kids. "Part of the reason the kids don't know it is because the teachers aren't transmitting that," he said.
To boost teachers' understanding of math, the math departments at universities ought to place more emphasis on training educators, Fennell added.
Please visit the Fox News website to view the chart attached to the story.
Cathy
Quote of the Day "Mathematics - the unshaken Foundation of Sciences, and the plentiful Fountain of Advantage to human affairs." ~Isaac Barrow
The following piece appeared on Fox News.com.
Having Trouble With Math? Teachers Are Too, Study Finds
Thursday, June 26, 2008
WASHINGTON — For kids to do better in math, their teachers might have to go back to school. Elementary-school teachers are poorly prepared by education schools to teach math, finds a study being released Thursday by the National Council on Teacher Quality.
Math relies heavily on cumulative knowledge, making the early years critical.
The study by the nonpartisan research and advocacy group comes a few months after a federal panel reported that U.S. students have widespread difficulty with fractions, a problem that arises in elementary school and prevents kids from mastering more complicated topics like algebra later on.
The report looked at 77 elementary education programs around the country, or roughly 5 percent of the institutions that offer undergraduate elementary teacher certification.
It found the programs, within colleges and universities, spend too little time on elementary math topics.
Author Julie Greenberg said education students should be taking courses that give them a deeper understanding of arithmetic and multiplication. She said the courses should explain how math concepts build upon each other and why certain ideas need to be emphasized in the classroom.
Teacher candidates know their multiplication tables, but "they don't come to us knowing why multiplication works the way it does," said Denise Mewborn, who heads the University of Georgia department of math and science education.
The university was cited in the report for having an "exemplary program," while nine others met basic requirements. The rest offered too little math coursework or coursework that was considered weak, according to the report.
The University of Georgia requires teacher candidates to take courses to help them understand concepts underlying elementary-school math, as well as math courses not designed for teachers.
The report found significant differences in the number and kind of courses required by each education program.
Education schools also are not being selective enough, the report stated. Most require applicants to take an admissions test, usually around their sophomore year of college. But the test, which typically includes reading, writing and math sections, is far too easy, according to the report.
"Almost anyone can get in. Compared to the admissions standards found in other countries, American education schools set exceedingly low expectations for the mathematics knowledge that aspiring teachers must demonstrate," said the report.
U.S. children often fall in the middle or bottom of the pack when compared to other students on international math tests.
Jane West, vice president of government relations for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, said her organization had not received a copy of the report Wednesday. The National Council on Teacher Quality plans to release it publicly at a news conference Thursday.
The report also criticized the tests education students take when they complete their coursework, which are generally relied on by states in granting teacher licenses. In many cases, the prospective teachers are judged on an overall score only, meaning they could do badly on the math portion but still pass if they do well in the other areas.
Since states oversee the preparation of the nation's school teachers, the report recommends they set tougher coursework and testing standards.
Francis Fennell, the past president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, said the report fails to examine the math instruction students receive while attending community colleges, where many elementary-school teachers start their higher education.
He also said the study's authors should have surveyed teachers to get their views on how well prepared they were to teach math.
Fennell, who instructs teacher candidates in math at McDaniel College in Westminster, Md., said a common area of weakness among his students is fractions — the same subject the national math panel described as a weak area for kids. "Part of the reason the kids don't know it is because the teachers aren't transmitting that," he said.
To boost teachers' understanding of math, the math departments at universities ought to place more emphasis on training educators, Fennell added.
Please visit the Fox News website to view the chart attached to the story.
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