Category Archives: education

Mexico City Teachers Protest

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Apparently, they’re trying to break the teacher’s unions in Mexico, as well.  The teachers aren’t taking it lying down, either.    So now it appears this isn’t just the United States that this is happening to…

…the question is WHO is doing this…and why?

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….and here we have one of the players, Arne Duncan, who has never set foot in a classroom, being called out for his nonsense.

If teachers and parents are protesting the lame testing that does not test  potential…and they’re protesting No Child Left a Mind…and if  money will be withheld if they do not comply–I say that is a case of taxation without representation.    Time for a true Boston Tea Party.

If parents don’t start getting organized against the hedge fund managers, Gates, Broad, Rhee, and others, they will succeed in destroying public education.

Slave life in Stagville

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Michael Twitty has a link up to epicurean’s post on the slaves and their food preparation and diet.   I love learning the stuff outside of the “normal” history (wars, wars, land grabs, oil, wars).

It’s interesting the note on slaves using herbs for medicinal purposes because they had no medical care..  I think perhaps that was the best medicine…if you compare it to the number of staggering deaths related to pharmaceuticals.

I was hoping that Michael was going to tell us that Paula Deen took him up on his offer to come visit and begin the conversation and healing…but alas…

Education News

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Nancy Carlsson-Paige has a guide for parents who wish to advocate for their kids and schools.  Note in the comments section how they are requiring a kindergartner to know the value of money, and won’t let them into kindergarten without that knowledge.

Are you kidding me??  A child that young has no need to know the value of money.  They are not likely to be in a store buying items requiring them to know correct change–so why is this something they need to know when they’re 5 or 6?  Absurd.

Next, we have the New York Times reporting on how “loud” Diane Ravitch is…how can one be LOUD on a computer keyboard?  And where are the facts to back up their claim of Ravitch’s name-calling?  And again with the “personal attacks”?  What personal attacks?  Attacking someone on their record is NOT a personal attack.  She pumps out “hundreds of barbed words” in her blog? Really? Well, if Motoko Rich considers Diane’s blog full of barbed words….she would surely find my blog worse than that.   haha.

So…Tony Bennett is in the news yet again.  This time for using State time for political activities….against State employee ethical guidelines.   It is drilled into you that you cannot use your job for political activities or accept anything of value from political campaigns.  (hat tip Diane Ravitch)

Lastly, Tennessee Superintendents speaking out against Kevin Huffman, former husband of Michelle Rhee.  One of the commenters stated that Rhee was now married to a pedophile.  I went looking for information and found this.  Wow. So…not only does Michelle Rhee put tape over young children’s mouths and then laugh when they peel the skin off removing it, she defends a sexual harasser.  Good God.

Walker Backs Down

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Gov. Scott Walker has rescinded a $500,000 grant to the United Sportsmen of Wisconsin.

You know, for folks who are so dead set against government in their lives, via taxation and regulation, they sure to go out of their way to get those tax dollars while trying to circumvent the democratic process.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the grant was slipped into the budget bill by outgoing Majority Leader Scott Suder with terms that excluded most sporting groups in the state. The grant was not properly advertised, conveniently leaving United Sportsmen as the sole applicant.

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More Wisconsin news here. 

You’re telling me that citizens throwing pop cans and shouting obscenities requires the use of armed guards?  Talk about overreaction.  Yes, it was wrong for the one demonstrator to destroy the camera, no doubt, but having armed guards with assault rifles is just soo over the top.

What I don’t understand is why  they are allowed in the forest at all.  Why are they destroying what little we have left?  People seem to think that climate change is this thingy down the road….hello, it’s happening now and destroying the forests is one of the reasons.    Why are they not valued as much as the mining operations?  Why aren’t the environmental impacts on the land and water considered as important?

The primary cause of this lasting pollution is acid mine drainage. Mining exposes sulfide-bearing ore that generates sulfuric acid and mixes with water. This outflow of acidic water, otherwise known as acid mine drainage, contaminates drinking water aquifers, lakes, and streams, agricultural lands, and prime fish and wildlife habitat. Because acid mine drainage can’t be stopped, once started it must be treated until the acid generating material runs out. As acknowledged in government mining permits, this can take hundreds or thousands of years.

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Texas’ Freedom of Information Foundation is aiding CMD in obtaining public records that members of ALEC are trying to keep in the dark.

The Fight for Fifteen in Wisconsin.  I think $15 per hour is reasonable and would put us back to where we would have been had our wages not stagnated over the last twenty or so years…

There is just something terribly wrong when a CEO can make millions in income while employees are forced on food stamps or food banks to feed themselves and their families.

Finally, in non-Wisconsin news, CMD has this up on the paper trail of Larry Summers.   I haven’t begun to read all the information here, so I’m off to read the links. …note, however, the link to education “reform”–he’s on the board of the Eli Broad Foundation.  Not only that, but Andy Stern is also on the board–he was head of the Service Employees Union…wow….a union supporter on the board of an organization trying to destroy teacher’s unions and public education.  Just wow.

 

 

The Opt Out Movement **edited

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Diane Ravitch reports on a growing movement of parents who are keeping their children home on test day–to opt out of the stupid nonsensical testing of things that can’t be tested…. **edited to add link. Geesh.

In other Ed. news- — Joe Williams, a PR shill for the corporate reformers masquerading as Democrats has been…ahem….schooled.

The facts don’t lie.

More reports of crooks running public education in the ground so they can profit off of it….

From the article on the expose in Maine:

A Maine Sunday Telegram investigation found large portions of Maine’s digital education agenda are being guided behind the scenes by out-of-state companies that stand to capitalize on the changes, especially the nation’s two largest online education providers.

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And the graphic linked to in the article is just mindboggling.  Look at the flow of money!

It still just absolutely stuns me on how the American Legislative Council (ALEC) was able to get away with so much for so long!  Just stunning.

Finally, Teach For America plans exposed.

Teachers’ unions under fire in Canada, as well

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Well, this shouldn’t surprise me, but yet it still does…Canadians have been a little more progressive in a lot of ways, but apparently education isn’t one of them.

Given the recent statement by Canadian politicians on mulitculturalism, and the stealth racism of charter proponents here in the U.S., one has to wonder if racism isn’t at the heart of the attack on education, in Canada, as well.

 

More from the edumucation files

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Wow. I am continually amazed at what has been going on behind the scenes with the charter school engineers.  Truly amazing how they have been able to get away with it.

This report from a teacher who spells out exactly what my fear is of the nonsense testing that really cannot test potential and does not allow for the obstacles to learning for kids in poorer districts….and then blames the public school teacher for things that are out of their control: student engagement and parent involvement.  The resident troll, teaching economist, has finally revealed he has no clue about what teachers in k-12 are up against.  He teaches lecture courses of 500 students, some of them online.  There is no engagement with classes that size–that was my complaint about my classes in college–no class discussion to enrich the learning experience.  The guy’s a robot who cannot engage in dialogue.

Parents United Philadelphia has this up.

Advice from a money manager….who actually likes public education.

From a comment:

As a teacher with wealthy connections, I can tell you that most of the rich don’t care much about public education either way. They send their kids to private school on principle. The public schools are for the “unwashed masses”. They use private schools to separate their children from the commoners. The old money saw public schools as giving back to their butler’s kids or their cook’s children, and they weren’t bothered by paying taxes (chump change anyway). The new money see taxes for public schools as irritating, and they want to keep as much money as they can, and don’t care about their cook’s children, city children, etc. The “new money” have no interest in community or helping others.

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Spot on. The wealthy do not care about public education. Period.  It has always been for the “rest of us” who cannot or will not put our kids into private schools.   The most annoying thing to the wealthy is that public education creates citizens who are….educated.  Educated citizens cause all sorts of trouble–like being able to carry on arguments against the destruction of public schools; like asking intelligent questions of politicians; of fighting for civil rights….of fighting against things the wealthy hold dear: greed, selfishness,  lack of social conscience…..

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The student who stood up to be heard at the *cough*  conversation with teachers has a blog up explaining what went on.  What a powerful young woman…this old lady was worried about the future generation, but Hannah gives me hope….

(hat tip to Diane Ravitch)

Lastly, a blog at Reclaim Reform on Arne Duncan.  How can someone who failed so miserably be….promoted...?

A student speaks up to Michelle Rhee

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What a brave phenomenal young woman.  Truth to power.

Steve Perry sounds like a real nice guy….not.  Cockroaches?  Really??  Sounds like sour grapes to me…

The rape culture in action

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Students were actually chanting misogynist lyrics advocating rape.    The administration claims to not have known about it, but a student had complained when she was a freshman in college, but….wait for it….her complaint was not taken seriously.   She probably was portrayed as an uptight bitch who hates men….<sigh>