Message From The President

Wednesday Governor Snyder said he wants to be a man of vision and turn Michigan’s economy around. In fact he wants to scare us by threatening to take away our certifications if we even mention doing something which he deems subversive and against his plan. In other words, this is my plan, if you don’t like it you can shut up.

His plan is heavy on consequences, short on cash and will be radically ineffective with its emphasis on expanding for-profit charter schools.

Threatening teachers with their careers so they will shut up and not oppose what they believe is wrong is neither collaborative nor in the American tradition. Taking how you feel about all of this into consideration, ask yourself this: How is threatening the careers of 155,000 people doing anything to move our state forward or help our students?

Remember 154,999 other members are with you!

R2

Value Added Equation

This is a formula for calculating the value of your teaching. A top teacher in New York rated a 7%. Read it and weep, or get mad.


UPDATE...

Un-American Activities

Un-American is a pejorative term of US political discourse which is applied to people or institutions in the United States seen as deviating from US norms.

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Is there anything more important than trying to help all students succeed? Enough fall through the cracks as it is, why make the cracks bigger? Must be some other agenda.

Protesting Teachers and Students Arrested in Detroit

Robert Bobb, Emergency Financial Manager in Detroit, orders successful school closed and turned into a charter. When teachers and students sit-in they are arrested. See here.

The War on Civility

Students support teachers, but face punishment if they continue.

Paul Krugman has an interesting article, Let's Not Be Civil, about the national political debate. It applies equally here at the state level. We are being told that changes are being made for the good of the state and we should not be fussy. The Emergency Financial Managers will only be used in the rare case. Yet, 400 are being given two days training. They are being trained so they will not be used. 400? Ready just in case, but their use will be the exception? Hmmm. Imagine all 400 being "needed" and what our state will look like. Two days training? Sounds like Teach For America, 5 weeks training and presto chango a newly minted certified teacher.

I'm sure Governor Snyder has our best interests at heart. We all just need to relax, let him tuck us in and get a good night's sleep. All will be well. He will watch over us and we will awake energized and refreshed in the dawn of a new day. We just need to be civil and let him be...uncivil.

VAM or Value Added Mumbo-Jumbo

In particular, these models indicate large “effects” of fifth grade teachers on fourth grade test score gains.

You might have to read that again.

Education Reform From Finland

The United States is alone in the way it is trying to reform education. Finland is often looked to as successful. This is what they did in Finland.

Summary below...
1 The children can't learn if they don't play.
2 Balanced curriculum
3 Professionalization
4 Very limited testing
5 Arts and crafts
6 More learning by doing
7 Rigorous standards for teacher certification
8 Higher teacher pay
9 Attractive working conditions
10 No outsourcing of school management to for-profit or non-profit organizations
11 Do not implement merit pay
12 Do not rank teachers and schools according to test results
13 All principals, superintendents, and policymakers from inside the education world
14 Classes in art, music, cooking, carpentry, metalwork, and textiles
15 Small class sizes

We Have A Union, They Did Not

From the Detroit News...

The National Guard fixed bayonets and halted any delivery of food to the occupiers. But the governor never ordered the troops into action...

President Roosevelt asked GM to meet with the union once more. The tension subsided. General Motors signed an agreement with the UAW, giving the union bargaining rights in 17 GM plants shut by sit-downs.

Employees at the 17 plants involved got 5 percent pay hikes and were allowed to speak in the lunchroom. The company agreed not to discriminate against union members and agreed to begin negotiations on other matters.

A synopsis of the issues included in the union demands:

1. Recognition of UAW as sole bargaining agency.
2. Abolition of piece work in favor of straight hourly rates.
3. A 30 hour week and 6 hour day, with time and a half for overtime.
4. A "minimum rate of pay commensurate with an American standard of living."
5. Seniority rights based on length of service.
6. Reinstatement of all employes "unjustly discharged."
7. Mutual agreement on "speed of production."

The dramatic military style battles depict the times and the desperation of those involved. The outcome much later in time proved that both the union and the company could coexist and indeed prosper beyond anyone's expectations. Those who made the cars could finally afford to buy them, pouring profits back to the stockholders. Spreading the wealth caused more to be created. The pension and wages won by the workers raised the standard of living for the whole country.

A lesson lost on our current governor and legislature. Just like in Wisconsin, this is not about the budget or education reform, this is about union-busting.