tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238255072024-02-02T03:03:14.667-08:00Labor's LessonsJohn Elfrank-Dana's quest for meaning in the classroom and in life.John Elfrank-Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945120682305889506noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-64940181161188995572017-07-31T08:32:00.000-07:002017-07-31T14:32:39.512-07:00Sean Patrick Maloney on Health Care and Free Speech - Progressive or
For Sale?<br>
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="Image result for sean patrick maloney" src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1866873.1406657786!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_1200/sean-patrick-maloney-4-071710-jpg.jpg" height="105" width="200"></div>
<br>
Maloney is the U.S. Congressional rep from New York's 18th District in the lower Hudson Valley, serving Orange and parts of Westchester County. He: <b>Opposes Single-Payer/Medicare for all.</b> While he pays lip service to single payer being a great solution, he can't bring himself to co-sponsor bill 676 by Rep. Conyers to bring about a single payer/Medicare for All solution. Is it the fact that Rep. Maloney takes large campaing contributions from Insurance and Big Pharma lobbies that prevent him from doing so?<br>
<br>
Supporting Links<br>
<a href="https://www.citizen.org/sites/default/files/pharmas-orders-medicare-part-b-campaign-finance-report-july-2016.pdf" target="_blank">Maloney's Big Pharma contributions from Public Citizen</a>. See p. 17 for the $27,950 contribution.<br>
<a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/339613-warren-dems-should-run-on-single-payer-healthcare-plan" target="_blank">Senator Elizabeth Warren on how Democrats need to get behind Single Payer</a>.<br>
<br>Maloney <b>Supports the Israel Anti-Boycott bill</b>, undermining American's freedom of speech. Americans could go to jail and or be fined for deciding not to do business with Israeli companies as a result of exercising Constitutionally protected speech in their consumer and business decisions. For example, this law Maloney supports would put you in jail if you decided to buy tomatoes from Canada instead of tomatoes from Israel you suspect were from illegal settlements because you don't want to support their illegal occupation of Palestine.<br>
<br>
Supporting Links<br>
<a href="https://www.aclu.org/letter/aclu-letter-senate-opposing-israel-anti-boycott-act" target="_blank">ACLU on Israel Anti-Boycott</a> - <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1697/all-info" target="_blank">The Bill and its Sponsors</a><br>
<br>
<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/industries.php?cid=N00034277&cycle=2016&type=I&newMem=N&recs=0" target="_blank">Maloney campaign contributions</a>: note insurance and Israel lobby<br>
<br>John Elfrank-Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945120682305889506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-17579628452240665212017-01-02T10:04:00.002-08:002017-01-02T10:10:26.862-08:00My Bit of Fake News!I had a lot of fun pranking friends with this one. Before, I was fourth rate. I am up a notch! LOL<br />
Many thanks to Harris Lertzman for showing me this first. "@TrumpInsulter" should tip people off.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNWjjLZPGDX3SYdS43i0Fo392-ZU072pbBAVxekPX_CBJi05KbHs3geZLCCYfO0proj3kS0kEHgpe6wEL_gPhSsGVC7GjydFUSUSYvWxsmJ4MHf1d_GDCcmt-Qar4RyDKgLWa9Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-01+at+9.43.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNWjjLZPGDX3SYdS43i0Fo392-ZU072pbBAVxekPX_CBJi05KbHs3geZLCCYfO0proj3kS0kEHgpe6wEL_gPhSsGVC7GjydFUSUSYvWxsmJ4MHf1d_GDCcmt-Qar4RyDKgLWa9Q/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-01-01+at+9.43.47+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
John Elfrank-Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945120682305889506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-73376305825539308082017-01-02T07:47:00.000-08:002017-01-02T07:52:41.564-08:00Arms Race with Russia?<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">You have to be careful how you read the chart. It just stacks the amounts. Subtract $350bn from $567bn and you have China's amount. $217 bn - far less than half our spending, which, ironically, is partially financed by China. Russia comes in at 1/10th our spending. Granted, spending is probably not proportional to predicting the likelihood of prevailing in a conflict. Odds are we would all be dead in the end from a direct confrontation with China or Russia. Look at Saudi Arabia. You know where they get their weapons? From us. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnbH1wZrQMmtEdsn-ZgjMMXFODQk6_WfoRKXqqb5mTMwrRVvSOQDudGd2l7VZCHRqPBO3kTsuF_pahr74lmzKs4e-p3qg2B_lVlG9dNyEpO51dVmHt-piIAsmLfgiKHDiSIZiqA/s1600/0053_defense-comparison-full.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnbH1wZrQMmtEdsn-ZgjMMXFODQk6_WfoRKXqqb5mTMwrRVvSOQDudGd2l7VZCHRqPBO3kTsuF_pahr74lmzKs4e-p3qg2B_lVlG9dNyEpO51dVmHt-piIAsmLfgiKHDiSIZiqA/s400/0053_defense-comparison-full.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">image source: http://www.pgpf.org/chart-archive/0053_defense-comparison </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
John Elfrank-Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945120682305889506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-25772695399297349162016-12-31T07:04:00.001-08:002016-12-31T07:39:58.166-08:00Washington Post's Yellow Journalism<br />
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Compare these to headlines.</div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
From their email alert:</div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<i><a href="http://link.washingtonpost.com/click/8497647.333815/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL3dvcmxkL25hdGlvbmFsLXNlY3VyaXR5L3J1c3NpYW4taGFja2Vycy1wZW5ldHJhdGVkLXVzLWVsZWN0cmljaXR5LWdyaWQtdGhyb3VnaC1hLXV0aWxpdHktaW4tdmVybW9udC8yMDE2LzEyLzMwLzhmYzkwY2M0LWNlZWMtMTFlNi1iOGEyLThjMmE2MWIwNDM2Zl9zdG9yeS5odG1sP3dwaXNyYz1hbF9hbGVydC1DT01CTy13b3JsZCUyNTJCbmF0aW9u/548293253b35d0d0698b8002Baf9f4967" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Russian hackers penetrated U.S. electricity grid through a utility in Vermont</a>. </i></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
compared to their headline for the article</div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "postoniwide" , "georgia" , serif; font-weight: bold; word-spacing: -1.12px;"><i>Russian operation hacked a Vermont utility, showing risk to U.S. electrical grid security, officials say</i></span><i><br /></i></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
They say different things. The latter is more accurate but still misleading based on their own reporting. They said a laptop at the utility (owned by whom?) that was NOT connected to the grid, had some malware on it, supposedly of the variety associated with Russian hackers. They offer no proof of a Russian operation.<br />
<br />
Oh ya, and the story relies on anonymous sources. As does this piece below.</div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
WP eMail Alert</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZ6cr8XeTr6iN9xE47R9KnQextxkK6wbH9PhuA6XXrXaR15wqx-inIDWh4cPFflJOUvQHwXpiSdAgU6bWk1nIoML0IxxVsdDYCp_-KqNLyCBFktGmw_IDxhNACkX-JBSdRyGIQQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-12-31+at+10.18.28+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZ6cr8XeTr6iN9xE47R9KnQextxkK6wbH9PhuA6XXrXaR15wqx-inIDWh4cPFflJOUvQHwXpiSdAgU6bWk1nIoML0IxxVsdDYCp_-KqNLyCBFktGmw_IDxhNACkX-JBSdRyGIQQ/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-12-31+at+10.18.28+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/russian-hackers-penetrated-us-electricity-grid-through-a-utility-in-vermont/2016/12/30/8fc90cc4-ceec-11e6-b8a2-8c2a61b0436f_story.html?utm_term=.14b900de1779&wpisrc=al_alert-COMBO-world%252Bnation" target="_blank">WP Article</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8-cqHQ2X3i700eKSM3mEL9TRC60FieiDqR2i2lkchRbVtBEpe29qWHL87JBahUGpcwAHuas6gTnYtbDEzb5nB_C5YBL7ayD0ywnbe9PZaRYkUBFsTgsUswEsHosHx_PazaNLtQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-12-31+at+10.18.43+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="68" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8-cqHQ2X3i700eKSM3mEL9TRC60FieiDqR2i2lkchRbVtBEpe29qWHL87JBahUGpcwAHuas6gTnYtbDEzb5nB_C5YBL7ayD0ywnbe9PZaRYkUBFsTgsUswEsHosHx_PazaNLtQ/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-12-31+at+10.18.43+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Add to this just another example of their ProporNot piece. See the background reading:</div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="https://theintercept.com/2016/11/26/washington-post-disgracefully-promotes-a-mccarthyite-blacklist-from-a-new-hidden-and-very-shady-group/" target="_blank">The Intercept Outs the WP on Neo-McCarthyite Group</a></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAl5m0mFJda70p1U_-cNyJFI0p0AdYp0AmKpGsDuHyDpNwDXGoF8KMAKSViXsRZqgdWuhFjEt8NCaHtHTCWB1P0tfWi5iJ3HxJfn6OTAChz3lGlVuWh7JDSab_dHC9N5k8f_YOQ/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-12-31+at+10.05.21+AM.png" width="400" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://theintercept.com/2016/11/26/washington-post-disgracefully-promotes-a-mccarthyite-blacklist-from-a-new-hidden-and-very-shady-group/" target="_blank">https://theintercept.com/2016/11/26/washington-post-disgracefully-promotes-a-mccarthyite-blacklist-from-a-new-hidden-and-very-shady-group/</a></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
John Elfrank-Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945120682305889506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-66849646033768624772016-12-29T16:19:00.005-08:002016-12-29T17:19:19.024-08:00The Hoopla Over Alleged Putin Meddling - A guest post...<div id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196888" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
From Philip Panaritis:</div>
<div id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196888" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196888" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_197064">"Grizzly Steppe" hah</span></div>
<div id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196888" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196888" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_197280">They released nothing, nada, zero, zilch, beyond fuzzy insinuations that in no way corroborate the <i id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_199849">Putin hacked our elections</i> mendacity. </span></div>
<div id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196888" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196888" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_199511"><span id="m_3414180094734787765yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_372955">To wit, the report begins with this ominous assertion, </span><span id="m_3414180094734787765yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_372953" style="background-color: #fdef2b;">"However, public attribution of these activities to RIS is supported by technical indicators from the U.S. Intelligence Community, DHS, FBI, the private sector, and other entities.</span><span id="m_3414180094734787765yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_372951">" Okay so far. There's a preponderance of evidence and we're about to find out the details. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196888" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196888" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_269533"><span id="m_3414180094734787765yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_372949">But consider the slippery premise that the entire argument hangs on, "</span><span id="m_3414180094734787765yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_372947" style="background-color: #fdef2b;">technical details regarding the tools and infrastructure used by the Russian civilian and military intelligence Services (RIS)."</span><span id="m_3414180094734787765yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_372411"> And that's it! No further distinction between the two crucially different categories provided, just "RIS", "</span></span><span id="m_3414180094734787765yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_372409">RIS actors", or "RIS cyber-actors," from then on, except for one deviation at the bottom of page three where the authors helpfully denote another version of the culprit: </span><span id="m_3414180094734787765yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_372944" style="background-color: #fdef2b;">"Actors likely associated with RIS are continuing to engage in spearphishing campaigns, including one launched as recently as November 2016, just days after the U.S. election." </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196888" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196888" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_290572">Seriously? </span>"Actors<span id="m_3414180094734787765yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_372297" style="background-color: black;"> <span id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_352217" style="color: #fdef2b;">likely associated with</span></span> RIS ..." What constitutes "associate with"? What does "likely" entail and how do these people differ from "RIS actors" above? They Got Nothing!</div>
<div class="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101qtdSeparateBR" dir="ltr" id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196890" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibR8XxyBOTavA1nQ_tw344_PmLxmvoF3-60GtT5sTRRFWDsxhm5A8_Cp2xeSfu-gcTCW5yfAYVyhrjqSgn-qpjzXMm9BH8IxvqZP4_Ac4oVXfZJ4RU-pwdTQAdscy5UqRtxPah4g/s1600/00-dnc-leaks-010816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibR8XxyBOTavA1nQ_tw344_PmLxmvoF3-60GtT5sTRRFWDsxhm5A8_Cp2xeSfu-gcTCW5yfAYVyhrjqSgn-qpjzXMm9BH8IxvqZP4_Ac4oVXfZJ4RU-pwdTQAdscy5UqRtxPah4g/s320/00-dnc-leaks-010816.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://02varvara.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/00-dnc-leaks-010816.jpg?w=1000&h=960" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br clear="none" />
Of course "Russian civilian and military intelligence" is cleverly worded to imply that "Russian civilian" belongs to "intelligence services", instead of constituting its own category. So, unlike America where many hackers and hacking groups are clearly on their own and even adversarial to government intelligence agencies, in Russia, they're all known to and work for, an arm of we might say, the Kremlin. Credit card scammers, bored computer geeks, phishers and blackmailers, for the thrill of it malware designers, disaffected server techs, geeks with a grudge against the US Olympic Hockey Team, phishing and retired military techs with time on their hands, ... all their deeds are explicitly directed by Russian spy agencies and personally approved by Putin. That's plausible! They Got Nothing!</div>
<div class="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101qtdSeparateBR" dir="ltr" id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196890" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div class="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101qtdSeparateBR" dir="ltr" id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196890" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Page four of the "report" lays out all 48 of the cool names our American spies came up with for "Reported Russian Military and Civilian Intelligence Services (RIS)" like "Onionduke", "Sandworm," and my personal favorite "Crouching Yeti". And while at first it seemed odd and a lil heavy-handed that "Grizzly Steppe" was the only name in 49 to specify a particular geographic feature indelibly associated with Russia, once you run into "Fancy Bear," "Energetic Bear," and "COZYBEAR," the ursine pedigree of "Grizzly" is apparent. Oh, don't forget "reported" -- still another wishy-washy, mealy-mouthed, lower branch on the decline of certainty and attribution. </div>
<div class="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101qtdSeparateBR" dir="ltr" id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196890" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<br clear="none" /></div>
<div class="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101qtdSeparateBR" dir="ltr" id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196890" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
They Got Nothing!</div>
<div class="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101qtdSeparateBR" dir="ltr" id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196890" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
And they think we're stupid and brainwashed.</div>
<div class="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101qtdSeparateBR" dir="ltr" id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196890" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
The Mainstream Media is already selling it as conclusive proof.</div>
<div class="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101qtdSeparateBR" dir="ltr" id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196890" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101qtdSeparateBR" dir="ltr" id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196890" style="background-color: white; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2;">
Background Story <a href="http://click1.email.thehill.com/ViewMessage.do?m=qwvggmm&r=ihycngzn&s=ntkjgcwhkqqbcbqtdkkjjkwmqwqzzpkhcrm&q=1483041804&a=view" target="_blank">From: <i>The Hill</i></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101qtdSeparateBR" dir="ltr" id="m_3414180094734787765yiv2829840101yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1483031801829_196890" style="background-color: white; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div>
John Elfrank-Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945120682305889506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-31596908996539587972015-12-30T08:03:00.002-08:002015-12-30T08:18:24.709-08:00Farina's Compliance Clerks and the End of Educational Leadership and Unionism<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">In an email 12/23/15 to fellow educators I discuss the end of educational leadership and unionism and the triumph of compliance and intimidation:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">I am back after 6 months on medical leave. The </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Compliance</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Clerks</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> (formerly known and principal and dept. AP) have wasted no time in investigating (formerly known as observation) my classroom- 6 times in the past 5 weeks. All drop-ins. Superintendent was in one, principal in a couple, principal's mentor in another and AP in the rest. </span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
I suppose I should be grateful they are here to help. But, that's not the case. <b>The new model, hence the term- <span class="il">Compliance</span> <span class="il">Clerk</span>, is just to evaluate; to determine who they can run out. </b>I got this from the principal's mentor last year in a meeting, and it's the only explanation that makes sense. When I said the principal and AP have very little experience and subject matter expertise, nor do they even teach a class, it is obvious they have zero capacity to lead by example. He said that's not what they are here to do. The new model makes them just a kind of <span class="il">Compliance</span> <span class="il">Clerk or Danielson rubric technicians </span>(my interpretation). It's valid, and I respect the mentor's honesty. But, that's not the impression they give.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<b>Since they are not here to help, I won't waste my time with the illusion of due diligence</b> in the form of feedback meetings, pre-formal observations, etc. Why participate in a fraud? This new model may not have hit your school but it will eventually. It's bad for the administrators too. Imagine being put into a situation where you are pretending to lead but cannot?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<b>And speaking of Illusions; the UFT (teachers union) plays its part too</b>. They have put in place an appeals process and the APPR (Annual Profession Performance Review) complaint form to give the members the feeling like they have recourse for unfair evaluations. I have been a chapter leader for 9 years and have yet to see an appeal reverse a decision more than once out of dozens of cases, or an APPR complaint have any kind of impact. If I am wrong let the UFT publish its statistics on rating reversals as a result of their appeals process. But, don't hold your breath.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<b>The grievance process is the same illusion.</b> Yes, you can file a grievance, let's say for illegally excessing your newly elected chapter leader (a true case a Murry Bergtraum). You file a grievance, it goes to Step 1 after a week when you meet with the principal. He/She always upholds their decision. You escalate to Step 2 if the UFT agrees. If they do you wait a month or more for a step 2. They did in this case. During the step 2 the principal brushed off the call in the Step 2 process and you have to reschedule. This was back in November. Still waiting... Maybe by August the step 2 will happen. Then the UFT, if the past is any guide, will reject going to arbitration when they find out they lose at step 2 (which is assuredly the case). The result: Murry Bergtraum High School has no union representation. The first time in over nearly 40 years. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Score 1 for the <span class="il">Compliance</span> <span class="il">Clerks</span>. Score 1 for the UFT? Since new teachers hired to replace senior teachers run out of the system pay the same dues, the UFT doubles its money as two teachers paying the same amount of dues each at the bottom rate can be hired. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Do you think it needs to change? <b>There's a UFT election this spring</b>. Tell your colleagues not to throw their ballot in the garbage for a change. The vast majority do. Mulgrew was elected by retirees (why he campaigns in Boca Raton, Fl.). There are good people running against the Mulgrew/Unity old guard. <a href="http://morecaucusnyc.org/" target="_blank">MORE</a> and <a href="http://www.uftsolidarity.org/" target="_blank">Solidarity</a>. While I know Francesco Portelos as a courageous fighter, I am endorsing MORE as I think they have the most democratic form of organization and also have a strong leader in <a href="http://morecaucusnyc.org/2015/10/25/jia-lee-for-uft-president/" target="_blank">Jia Lee</a>. We need a democratic union for a start. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Happy Holiday and In Solidarity!</div>
John Elfrank-Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945120682305889506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-2261888728490504362015-12-01T08:38:00.000-08:002016-03-15T08:41:08.517-07:00Like Teaching a Class with no Mobile Phone Discipline<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This is exactly what it is like trying to corral a group of teenagers to focus on a lesson with no social discipline or mobile phone impulse control. See video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa0wXSh4I34</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Pa0wXSh4I34/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pa0wXSh4I34?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Teachers, can you relate?</span>John Elfrank-Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945120682305889506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-65080021957977302832015-04-09T14:05:00.001-07:002015-04-09T14:09:35.040-07:00Introducing......a true patriot in the service of all that is right and fair in education in the service of children. It has been my honor to serve as Nicholas Weber's representative at Murry Bergtraum. I invite you to explore his thoughts on this, his new web site.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://mrweberclassofrigor.wordpress.com/">https://mrweberclassofrigor.wordpress.com/</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03vtvRXjSWqqQs0O9JDBbAZxTMoYIC3uToo1i7hZXK7ka-IA8Y1wBfQdHo3pmaukATyHa0ATIj-uAWFe6ARlqv-ToqLqere1Q6QS-FixVQ4WgFiXd3NaAR1PBEwPoi_Pp2_6N/s1600/nick.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03vtvRXjSWqqQs0O9JDBbAZxTMoYIC3uToo1i7hZXK7ka-IA8Y1wBfQdHo3pmaukATyHa0ATIj-uAWFe6ARlqv-ToqLqere1Q6QS-FixVQ4WgFiXd3NaAR1PBEwPoi_Pp2_6N/s1600/nick.png" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />jedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17689606461811818488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-41107030549459834922015-03-11T07:18:00.000-07:002015-03-17T09:01:40.528-07:00The Buddha in the Classroom<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was sent in an email to staff, expats of Murry Bergtraum and the Chancellor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; widows: 1;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As our PD the last two weeks has told us- greet students with unconditional positive regard. Don't punish, but look at yourself. See how you can grow together to a better relationship. After all, discipline is about relationships and compassion, not punishments. I agree wholeheartedly. </span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; widows: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; widows: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The problem is that Buddhist philosophy doesn't pass muster at the Principal's Leadership Academy. Machiavelli is the prevailing philosophy when dealing with "subordinates". Is that the message from the top as well?</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; widows: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; widows: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The damage done is to drive cynicism even deeper in us. Below is a quote from an article about <a href="http://t.signaledue.com/e1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7lC8dDMPbW2n0x6l2B9nMJW7t5XYg7gbTjzW65jrhW8rBsmRW7fclSC56dQpmf7906M802?t=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.capitalnewyork.com%2Farticle%2Fcity-hall%2F2015%2F03%2F8563677%2Ffari%25C3%25B1a-method-purging-bad-teachers&si=6335757067747328&pi=81df4413-0960-4c46-f7f1-a1b311769a7a" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">the extent of the Chancellor's Buddha nature</a>. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; widows: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; widows: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; widows: 1;">
<div style="border: 0px; color: #2b2b2b; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 30px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"The schools chancellor, who defined her first year on the job as a mission to restore “joy” and “respect” to the classroom, has, of late, been encouraging hundreds of city principals to identify and get rid of their weakest teachers. <b>“The teachers who are not up to the job, you’ve got to get them out the door,”</b> Fariña said to a large group of high school principals at a conference in late February."<span style="color: #222222; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; widows: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If there was every effort to develop the "bad" teacher it would not be such a blatant contradiction of the Chancellor's pledge to bring "joy" back to education. But, that's not what we are hearing. It's because of the void in leadership. Type A personalities, that belong on Wall Street (to be blunt the Chancellor's way), have flocked to fill the administrative vacancies created by the explosion of small schools. They often have neither the experience or intent, to develop teachers. Their job is to fire. We have experienced that first hand at Bergtraum going on 5 years now. It's Social Darwinistic to terminate without a meaningful intervention. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; widows: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; widows: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The culture of the school must be consistent from top to bottom. Everyone deserves patience, understanding, compassion and support. I would give the Chancellor the benefit of the doubt that she did extent the possible patience and support to teachers who needed it before she wrote them off. I hope she conveys to the new principals to get their Buddha nature up.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; widows: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; widows: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; widows: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Article: <a href="http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2015/03/8563677/fari%C3%B1a-method-purging-bad-teachers" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.capitalnewyork.com/<wbr></wbr>article/city-hall/2015/03/<wbr></wbr>8563677/fari%C3%B1a-method-<wbr></wbr>purging-bad-teachers</a> </span><br />
<div class="adL">
</div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span class="HOEnZb adL" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; widows: 1;"><span style="color: #888888; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-- </span><br />
<div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<h1 style="color: #181818; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” </i>Albert Einstein</span></h1>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>John Elfrank-Dana</b><br />UFT Chapter Leader<br />Murry Bergtraum High School</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">jelfrank@Gmail.com</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/uftmbhs/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://sites.google.com/site/<wbr></wbr>uftmbhs/</a> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.elfrank.net/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.Elfrank.net</a> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
jedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17689606461811818488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-33651451510045728062015-01-26T10:29:00.001-08:002015-01-27T17:53:28.268-08:00Opportunity KnocksChancellor,<br />
<br />
If we don't have Regents exams on Tuesday we will have nothing to grade on Wednesday. This creates an opportunity. How will we fill the empty day? You have an opportunity before you. Send your principals a memo directing them to fill the day with mandated PD or perhaps allow your army of teacher-creators to convene their own meetings with the only direction to provide some new ideas about teaching and learning that may be applied to their practice. Each group can take notes on what transpired and submit that for supervision.<br />
<br />
Is such a departure from compliance culture possible? With a "Progressive" mayor running education in this city now I would think nothing more appropriate. What would give me the moxie to propose such a departure? It appears to work in the private sector.<br />
<br />
Take Google:<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 20.0200004577637px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"We encourage our employees, in addition to their regular projects, to spend 20% of their time working on what they think will most benefit Google. This empowers them to be more creative and innovative." </i><a href="http://investor.google.com/corporate/2004/ipo-founders-letter.html" target="_blank">source</a></span></span><br />
<br />
They give their engineers 20 percent time during their week to work on whatever they want however they want so long as it's related to Google. I proposed this to a DoE deputy Chancellor about five years ago only to have it scoffed at. But, that was a Bloomberg educational administration.<br />
<br />
<br />
Google is not the only one doing this. Atlassian, a software developer and others also give "free time" to their creative staff. ".<i>.. an increase in autonomy occurs only when</i><br />
<i>employees are truly free to work on any project they desire. Freedom to set one’s schedule</i><br />
<i>within a defined group of tasks is not the same as freedom to define one’s tasks."</i> <a href="http://www.creativitypost.com/business/why_free_time_frees_creativity" target="_blank">source</a> This is from a study in the <i>Journal of Strategic Leadership</i>.<br />
<br />
The only structure I would recommend would be to give your teachers some quiet time first for their minds to wander but on thoughts related to their teaching. Then groups convene and share, themes are identified and a regrouping along shared themes for refined collaboration with tentative proposals that offer resources and methods for experimentation and evaluation. A report is generated for the group and shared with the principal. These ideas can go to you and you can decide if another session in the Spring would be worth it. Just an idea.<br />
<br />
Or, you could do the predicable: Common Core, Danielson, Online Grading/Smartboard Tech, Learning Board mandated, seemingly ad nauseam, time. As for me, I believe your teachers have creative potential and don't always need to be lead by the nose to the next task. I believe they have an innate need for mastery which requires a degree of autonomy and purpose.<br />
<br />
Not sold? Here's a brief intro by motivation expert Daniel Pink: http://youtu.be/u6XAPnuFjJc<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/u6XAPnuFjJc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Believe in us Chancellor.<br />
<br />
Regards,<br />
<br />
Johnjedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17689606461811818488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-54876616239091000862014-09-01T07:21:00.001-07:002014-09-01T08:37:06.130-07:00Gaza Reader<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Gaza: I have been active on Facebook and present here an anthology.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">July 18, 2014</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">What are the odds an Israeli will be killed in a car crash compared to the odds of being killed by a Hamas rocket? About 100 to 1. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Love Israel? Send money for drivers ed and not weapons. Oh yes, and tell them to end all illegal occupations and blockades too.</span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="color: #37404e;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><i>July 31, 2014</i></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupNj0G3_P6ZQ_-FsBHXaiOwXJfuD9r747hGDQnflKdAp-m6QScNALNOTT79mhrUN0XbqhpGuMZh0vVOv-2Jn-3FSGnrYjOT_WBw9XgMlAjC0b_J7ZqZvqsIczIYHHEC8edA4L/s1600/indy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupNj0G3_P6ZQ_-FsBHXaiOwXJfuD9r747hGDQnflKdAp-m6QScNALNOTT79mhrUN0XbqhpGuMZh0vVOv-2Jn-3FSGnrYjOT_WBw9XgMlAjC0b_J7ZqZvqsIczIYHHEC8edA4L/s1600/indy.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At a pro peace rally in Indianapolis </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqNB2sBkD1tLXB79AwKNbVWrr8fcR8rg8uOVVlCqyRwbjsP4tlA38iupzzs68-JpElbHO5aqD-CEP1hGtfsiIuqKItcHFke9D-lybRshdrWMgoV_o7aKhTzV80P6ZjM47lPEa/s1600/yourself.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqNB2sBkD1tLXB79AwKNbVWrr8fcR8rg8uOVVlCqyRwbjsP4tlA38iupzzs68-JpElbHO5aqD-CEP1hGtfsiIuqKItcHFke9D-lybRshdrWMgoV_o7aKhTzV80P6ZjM47lPEa/s1600/yourself.jpg" height="320" width="244" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This refers to any religion</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">August 10, 2014</span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Israeli employees fired for speaking out against attack on Gaza. </span></b></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">If Israel is a democracy, and they have a free press, then this practice should stop. </span></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><i>Gideon Levy, the Haaretz journalist and commentator, has had his life threatened for being critical of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.</i> </span></span></div>
<h3 style="color: #0085bd; font-size: 22px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Dozens of Workers Fired Because of Facebook Posts</span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span class="date" style="color: #595959; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">07 August 2014</span><span class="list" style="color: #e1612f; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; padding: 0px 0px 20px;"><a href="http://www.nif.org/our-issues/civil-and-human-rights/1754-dozens-of-workers-fired-because-of-facebook-posts#" style="color: #e1612f; text-decoration: none;">By New Israel Fund</a></span></div>
<div class="item-page">
<div class="text" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; overflow: hidden;">
<div class="item-image" style="color: #41464c; float: right; font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 12px; margin-top: 4px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" src="http://www.nif.org/images/stories/NIF_News_Photos/07Aug2014/GadeerNicolaWorkersHotline_origWebSafe.jpg" style="max-height: 100%; max-width: 100%; padding-bottom: 15px; width: 257px;" /></span></div>
<div style="color: #41464c; margin-bottom: 20px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza, dozens of Palestinian Israelis have been fired from their jobs for expressing their opposition to the war on social networks. We spoke to <strong>Gadeer Nicola</strong>, a lawyer and coordinator of the Nazareth branch of NIF grantee <em>Workers Hotline</em>, to hear about the efforts to fight back and promote freedom of expression. <a href="http://www.nif.org/our-issues/civil-and-human-rights/1754-dozens-of-workers-fired-because-of-facebook-posts" style="font-size: medium; line-height: normal;" target="_blank">See full article</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>August 10, 2014</i><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; line-height: 20px;"><i>Can I, as a US citizen, donate to this organization?</i></span></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">B'Tselem is the Israeli human rights organization. The bulk of my information comes from progressive Jewish and Israeli sources. </span></i></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_qksg6_s5mVVB87k2Nj-SYPniIMVxLjzJ0VRl2Rk6qzswPdx9zogLts16msdN_IT0HLC_HpREoZi_f68HBg1toMiHtzk3jCYJEzDPokCwO4dnAv6Qv6BBpTgWONi2a9BANM6/s1600/BT.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_qksg6_s5mVVB87k2Nj-SYPniIMVxLjzJ0VRl2Rk6qzswPdx9zogLts16msdN_IT0HLC_HpREoZi_f68HBg1toMiHtzk3jCYJEzDPokCwO4dnAv6Qv6BBpTgWONi2a9BANM6/s1600/BT.png" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="title-row" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 23px; padding-bottom: 4px;">
<h1 class="supertitle" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 30px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; padding-top: 8px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Families bombed at home, Gaza, July-August 2014 (initial figures)</span></h1>
</div>
<div class="buildmode-full" style="background-repeat: no-repeat;">
<div class="node node-type-page clear-block" style="background-repeat: no-repeat;">
<div class="nd-region-header clear-block " style="background-repeat: no-repeat; clear: both; font-size: 10px;">
</div>
<div class="nd-region-middle-wrapper nd-no-sidebars" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; float: none; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-right: 0px; width: auto;">
<div class="nd-region-middle" style="background-repeat: no-repeat;">
<div class="field field-updated" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; color: #787777; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 4px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="field-label-inline-first" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; display: inline; font-weight: bold;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Updated: </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<span class="date-display-single" style="background-repeat: no-repeat;">11 Aug 2014</span></span></div>
<div class="field field-body" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; overflow: hidden;">
<div class="btselem-one-column" style="background-repeat: no-repeat;">
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the fighting in Gaza, dozens of residences were bombed while residents were at home. The following infographic lists members of families killed in their homes in 72 incidents of bombing or shelling. In these incidents, 547 people were killed, including 125 women under the age of 60, 250 minors, and 29 people over the age of 60. Mouse over the houses for more details.</span></div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The figures B’Tselem collected regarding the number of Palestinians killed in the course of the fighting in the Gaza Strip are very preliminary, and are still being cross-referenced and checked. In the months ahead, B’Tselem plans to further investigate the incidents, including confirming the identity of the individuals killed and whether or not they <a href="http://www.btselem.org/statistics/fatalities/clarifications" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; color: #787777;" target="_blank">took part in the hostilities</a>.</span></div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 10px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5a-39b6bWLHU42aTqaPrmkcgM4byvqjZwIBsnAWUWLZPtoQa8YMnHYZPhdwjVm8kojWRmUaPEs_He37xC3Xq6wPh4YA4o9VMNF3yvrFyxU0Snsfdx7EsR_QLHw0nH-SS57ot/s1600/houses.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5a-39b6bWLHU42aTqaPrmkcgM4byvqjZwIBsnAWUWLZPtoQa8YMnHYZPhdwjVm8kojWRmUaPEs_He37xC3Xq6wPh4YA4o9VMNF3yvrFyxU0Snsfdx7EsR_QLHw0nH-SS57ot/s1600/houses.png" height="229" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 10px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sept. 1, Postscript by me.</span></div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember 100 to 1 Israeli death by car crash as opposed to Hamas "rocket"... Rockets are the excuse now since it was revealed Hamas didn't kill the 3 Israeli teens. But, that was revealed too late. So, like the rational from WMD to Democracy the US used in Iraq, Israel plays the slight of hand. </span></div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>August 10, 2014</i></span></div>
<div role="article">
<div class="userContentWrapper aboveUnitContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<div class="_wk mbm" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span class="userContent"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't share the voices of extremism here. Whether it's Palestinian extremists calling for the extermination of Jews (which the vast majority do not) or Israelis who call for the extermination of the Arabs (as which the vast majority do not). This young man's opinion I believe is that of the mainstream in the world.<br />BTW, MondoWeiss.net is an invaluable source of information for anyone wanting a progressive Jewish analysis.</span></i></span></div>
</div>
<div class="_5rny">
<div class="_1xw clearfix" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.14902) 0px 1px 3px -1px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f6f7f9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; zoom: 1;">
<a class="shareLink _1y0" href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmondoweiss.net%2F2014%2F08%2Fthrills-ancestors-palestinian.html&h=NAQGTaE9-AQFNr9BjXwBLrklGeAB0PgXpMADf3jfaNOGT8w&enc=AZMNI1g52oPVLho7FVox1QwDLO3_dBiMZ-IM-TXouqjAVCb8Wki2aTieZEzGwhIKGXqLG8a3oMFTno4UTeF2-vqT8huYbkLBxMmCOBV4c6EuEkritl-f9nvY19O1d0QX-i1c0jr0xZTxZHaMws-zOyQsfUd7vr3kosiHVf9wLFg5Hw&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"></a><br />
<div class="_1xy _1xx" style="border: 0px; float: left; height: 116px; line-height: 110px; margin-right: 12px; min-width: 72px; position: relative; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; zoom: 1;">
<a class="shareLink _1y0" href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmondoweiss.net%2F2014%2F08%2Fthrills-ancestors-palestinian.html&h=NAQGTaE9-AQFNr9BjXwBLrklGeAB0PgXpMADf3jfaNOGT8w&enc=AZMNI1g52oPVLho7FVox1QwDLO3_dBiMZ-IM-TXouqjAVCb8Wki2aTieZEzGwhIKGXqLG8a3oMFTno4UTeF2-vqT8huYbkLBxMmCOBV4c6EuEkritl-f9nvY19O1d0QX-i1c0jr0xZTxZHaMws-zOyQsfUd7vr3kosiHVf9wLFg5Hw&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="_42xb img" height="116" src="https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/y4/r/-PAXP-deijE.gif" style="background-image: url(https://fbexternal-a.akamaihd.net/safe_image.php?d=AQCsp4Nuv2uOlBed&w=116&h=116&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwordpress.com%2Fi%2Fblank.jpg&cfs=1); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; border: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" width="116" /></a></div>
<a class="shareLink _1y0" href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmondoweiss.net%2F2014%2F08%2Fthrills-ancestors-palestinian.html&h=NAQGTaE9-AQFNr9BjXwBLrklGeAB0PgXpMADf3jfaNOGT8w&enc=AZMNI1g52oPVLho7FVox1QwDLO3_dBiMZ-IM-TXouqjAVCb8Wki2aTieZEzGwhIKGXqLG8a3oMFTno4UTeF2-vqT8huYbkLBxMmCOBV4c6EuEkritl-f9nvY19O1d0QX-i1c0jr0xZTxZHaMws-zOyQsfUd7vr3kosiHVf9wLFg5Hw&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">
</a>
<br />
<div class="_1xx _1xz" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: rgb(222, 226, 233) rgb(219, 222, 229) rgb(210, 213, 220) rgb(222, 226, 233); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; height: 90px; padding: 12px; vertical-align: top; zoom: 1;">
<div class="_2qo4" style="height: 98px; position: relative;">
<div class="_1x-" style="cursor: pointer; max-height: 98px; overflow: hidden;">
<div class="_4ysy" id="u_jsonp_4_u" style="color: #3b5998; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
<div class="_1x_ fwb" style="font-weight: bold;">
<a class="_2qo3" href="http://mondoweiss.net/2014/08/thrills-ancestors-palestinian.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Jewish boy thrills London in the name of his ancestors: I too am Palestinian!</a></div>
<div class="fsm fwn fcg" style="color: #9197a3; font-size: 12px;">
<a class="_2qo3" href="http://mondoweiss.net/2014/08/thrills-ancestors-palestinian.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">mondoweiss.net</a></div>
</div>
<div class="_1y1 _3-8x fsm fwn fcg" id="u_jsonp_4_5" style="color: #9197a3; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 8px; text-decoration: none;">
<a class="_2qo3" href="http://mondoweiss.net/2014/08/thrills-ancestors-palestinian.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Today the Day of Rage demonstrations are taking place in cities all over the world, demanding immediate sanctions on Israel. We're expecting reports to start rolling in, here's our first one....</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="_1y1 _3-8x fsm fwn fcg" id="u_jsonp_4_5" style="margin-top: 8px;">
<span style="color: #9197a3;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owQNoLiBdEQ#t=11 </span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="fbTimelineUFI uiCommentContainer" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4e5665; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: -12px; margin-left: -12px; padding-top: 3px; position: relative; width: 510px;">
<form action="https://www.facebook.com/ajax/ufi/modify.php" class="live_10154553431545602_316526391751760 commentable_item autoexpand_mode" data-ft="{"tn":"]"}" data-live="{"seq":0}" id="u_jsonp_4_i" method="post" rel="async" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="fbTimelineFeedbackHeader">
<div class="clearfix fbTimelineFeedbackActions" style="background: rgb(250, 251, 251); border-top-color: rgb(233, 234, 237); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; padding: 8px 12px 9px; zoom: 1;">
<div class="clearfix" style="zoom: 1;">
<div class="_4bl7 _4bl8" style="float: right; min-height: 1px; word-wrap: break-word;">
</div>
<div class="_4bl9" style="overflow: hidden; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class="UFIBlingBoxTimeline" style="float: right;"><span data-reactid=".1w"></span></span><span class="UIActionLinks UIActionLinks_bottom" data-ft="{"tn":"=","type":20}" style="color: #999999;"><a aria-live="polite" class="UFILikeLink accessible_elem" data-reactid=".1x.0" href="https://www.facebook.com/john.elfrankdana#" role="button" style="clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: 1px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; text-decoration: none; width: 1px;" title="Like this">Like</a></span><br />
<div>
<span class="UIActionLinks UIActionLinks_bottom" data-ft="{"tn":"=","type":20}" style="color: #999999;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/owQNoLiBdEQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
<span class="UIActionLinks UIActionLinks_bottom" data-ft="{"tn":"=","type":20}" style="color: #999999;">
<a aria-live="polite" class="UFILikeLink" data-ft="{"tn":">"}" data-reactid=".1x.1" href="https://www.facebook.com/john.elfrankdana#" role="button" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-decoration: none;" title="Like this"></a></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</form>
</div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat; font-size: 13px;">
<div class="userContentWrapper aboveUnitContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<div class="_wk mbm" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span class="userContent">August 16, 2014<br /><i>Nothing needs to be said by me</i></span></div>
</div>
<div class="_5rny" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">
<div class="_1xw clearfix" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.14902) 0px 1px 3px -1px; background: rgb(246, 247, 249); border: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; zoom: 1;">
<a class="shareLink _1y0" href="http://feedly.com/e/LiYhwlQL" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"></a><br />
<div class="_1xy _1xx" style="border: 0px; float: left; height: 116px; line-height: 110px; margin-right: 12px; min-width: 72px; position: relative; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; zoom: 1;">
<a class="shareLink _1y0" href="http://feedly.com/e/LiYhwlQL" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="_42xb img" height="116" src="https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/y4/r/-PAXP-deijE.gif" style="background-image: url(https://fbexternal-a.akamaihd.net/safe_image.php?d=AQCzlemm5Uh5cjWT&w=116&h=116&url=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic01.nyt.com%2Fimages%2F2014%2F08%2F16%2Fworld%2F16DUTCHMAN1%2F16DUTCHMAN1-videoSixteenByNine1050.jpg&cfs=1); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; border: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" width="116" /></a></div>
<a class="shareLink _1y0" href="http://feedly.com/e/LiYhwlQL" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">
</a>
<br />
<div class="_1xx _1xz" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-color: rgb(222, 226, 233) rgb(219, 222, 229) rgb(210, 213, 220) rgb(222, 226, 233); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; height: 90px; padding: 12px; vertical-align: top; zoom: 1;">
<div class="_2qo4" style="height: 98px; position: relative;">
<a class="_2qo3" href="http://feedly.com/e/LiYhwlQL" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"></a><br />
<div class="_1x-" style="max-height: 98px; overflow: hidden;">
<div class="_4ysy" id="u_jsonp_3_z" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="_1x_ fwb" style="font-weight: bold;">
<a class="_2qo3" href="http://feedly.com/e/LiYhwlQL" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Holocaust Honor From Israel Is Sent Back After Gaza Deaths</a></div>
<div class="fsm fwn fcg" style="color: #9197a3;">
<a class="_2qo3" href="http://feedly.com/e/LiYhwlQL" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.nytimes.com</a></div>
</div>
<div class="_1y1 _3-8x fsm fwn fcg" id="u_jsonp_3_a" style="color: #9197a3; margin-top: 8px;">
<a class="_2qo3" href="http://feedly.com/e/LiYhwlQL" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Henk Zanoli, who saved a Jewish boy in 1943, said he could not keep the award after six relatives of his grandniece’s Palestinian husband were killed in Gaza last month.</a></div>
</div>
<a class="_2qo3" href="http://feedly.com/e/LiYhwlQL" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">
</a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="background-repeat: no-repeat;">
<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; word-break: break-word; word-wrap: break-word;">
</h5>
<div style="font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="font-size: 13px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><i>August 19, 2014 </i></span><a class="pam shareText" href="http://www.youtube.com/attribution_link?a=Z1-XPpSItpU&u=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D3ux4JU_sbB0%26feature%3Dshare" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; display: inline !important; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; min-height: 78px; padding: 7px 10px 5px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><strong>Dershowitz vs Chomsky debate Israel at Harvard</strong></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><i>Israel/Palestine: A great debate between two prominent scholars for background.</i></span></div>
<div class="_6a shareRedesignVideo shareRedesignMedia _8o lfloat _ohe" id="u_jsonp_3_5" style="color: #37404e; display: inline-block; float: left; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; margin-right: 0px; position: relative;">
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />
<div class="_6a _6b" style="display: inline-block; height: 90px; vertical-align: middle;">
</div>
<div class="_6a _6b" style="display: inline-block; vertical-align: middle;">
<a ajaxify="/ajax/flash/expand_inline.php?replace=1&target_div=u_jsonp_3_5&context=timelineOC&bgcolor=%23f7f7f7&story_fbid=10154585202400602&id=707220601" class="uiVideoThumb shareMediaVideo" data-ft="{"video_type":"platform","type":42,"tn":"F"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/john.elfrankdana" id="u_jsonp_3_4" rel="async" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; border: 0px; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; display: block; overflow: hidden; position: relative; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Play Video" class="img" src="https://fbexternal-a.akamaihd.net/safe_image.php?d=AQD01_xrNUXTbt0i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2F3ux4JU_sbB0%2Fhqdefault.jpg&jq=100" style="border: 0px; display: block; max-height: 100px; max-width: 130px;" /><i style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yz/r/ZZiPa3nPLlt.png); background-position: 0px -67px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; height: 72px; position: absolute; width: 72px;"></i></a></div>
</div>
<div class="_42ef" style="color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; overflow: hidden;">
<div style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">
<a class="pam shareText" href="http://www.youtube.com/attribution_link?a=Z1-XPpSItpU&u=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D3ux4JU_sbB0%26feature%3Dshare" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; display: block; min-height: 78px; padding: 7px 10px 5px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"></a><br /></div>
<div class="attachmentText fsm fwn fcg" style="color: #9197a3; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; max-height: 78px; overflow: hidden;">
<div class="uiAttachmentTitle" data-ft="{"type":11,"tn":"C"}" style="color: #3b5998; word-break: break-word; word-wrap: break-word;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;"><br /></span></span>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">August 26, 2014</i></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="mvm uiStreamAttachments fbMainStreamAttachment" data-ft="{"type":10,"tn":"H"}" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 10px; min-height: 80px;">
<div class="shareRedesign _gxb" style="position: relative; width: auto;">
<div class="clearfix shareRedesignContainer" data-ft="{"type":42,"tn":"F"}" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; zoom: 1;">
<div class="_42ef" style="overflow: hidden;">
<div class="userContentWrapper aboveUnitContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<div class="_wk mbm" style="color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span class="userContent"><i>Sorry - It's heavy time again. Why do I share what comes out of Israel about Gaza? Because you won't get it on CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, NY Times...etc.</i></span></div>
<div class="_wk mbm" style="color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span class="userContent"><a class="_2qo3" href="http://972mag.com/nstt_feeditem/israelis-on-facebook-wish-death-for-holocaust-survivors-against-protective-edge/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"></a></span><br />
<div class="_1x-" style="max-height: 98px; overflow: hidden;">
<div class="_4ysy" id="u_0_2z" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="_1x_ fwb" style="font-weight: bold;">
<span class="userContent"><a class="_2qo3" href="http://972mag.com/nstt_feeditem/israelis-on-facebook-wish-death-for-holocaust-survivors-against-protective-edge/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Israelis on Facebook wish death for Holocaust survivors against ‘Protective Edge’ | +972 Magazine</a></span></div>
<div class="fsm fwn fcg" style="color: #9197a3;">
<span class="userContent"><a class="_2qo3" href="http://972mag.com/nstt_feeditem/israelis-on-facebook-wish-death-for-holocaust-survivors-against-protective-edge/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">972mag.com</a></span></div>
</div>
<div class="_1y1 _3-8x fsm fwn fcg" id="u_0_2f" style="color: #9197a3; margin-top: 8px;">
<span class="userContent"><a class="_2qo3" href="http://972mag.com/nstt_feeditem/israelis-on-facebook-wish-death-for-holocaust-survivors-against-protective-edge/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Nope, it’s not The Onion. A few days ago some 300 Holocaust survivors placed an ad in the New York Times condemning the massacre in Gaza. My colleague from Local Call, John Brown,...</a></span></div>
</div>
<span class="userContent"><a class="_2qo3" href="http://972mag.com/nstt_feeditem/israelis-on-facebook-wish-death-for-holocaust-survivors-against-protective-edge/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">
</a></span></div>
<div class="_wk mbm" style="color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span class="userContent"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="_wk mbm" style="color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span class="userContent"><i>August 28, 2014</i></span></div>
<div class="_wk mbm" style="color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
90 years old... Hang in there!<span class="userContent"></span><br />
<div class="_5rny">
<div class="_1xw clearfix" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.14902) 0px 1px 3px -1px; background: rgb(246, 247, 249); border: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; zoom: 1;">
<div class="_1xy _1xx" style="border: 0px; float: left; height: 116px; line-height: 110px; margin-right: 12px; min-width: 72px; position: relative; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; zoom: 1;">
<span class="userContent"><a class="shareLink _1y0" href="http://www.democracynow.org/2014/8/20/stop_the_violence_from_ferguson_to" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="_42xb img" height="116" src="https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/y4/r/-PAXP-deijE.gif" style="background-image: url(https://fbexternal-a.akamaihd.net/safe_image.php?d=AQAA_9KbH0LPI6hh&w=116&h=116&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbeta.democracynow.org%2Fimages%2Fstory%2F69%2F24969%2Fsquare%2FHedyEpstein.jpg%3F201408120530&cfs=1); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; border: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" width="116" /></a></span></div>
<span class="userContent"><a class="shareLink _1y0" href="http://www.democracynow.org/2014/8/20/stop_the_violence_from_ferguson_to" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">
</a></span>
<div class="_1xx _1xz" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-color: rgb(222, 226, 233) rgb(219, 222, 229) rgb(210, 213, 220) rgb(222, 226, 233); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; font-size: 12px; height: 90px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; padding: 12px; vertical-align: top; zoom: 1;">
<div class="_2qo4" style="height: 98px; position: relative;">
<span class="userContent"><a class="_2qo3" href="http://www.democracynow.org/2014/8/20/stop_the_violence_from_ferguson_to" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"></a><br /></span>
<div class="_1x-" style="max-height: 98px; overflow: hidden;">
<div class="_4ysy" id="u_0_2x" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</div>
<span class="userContent"><a class="_2qo3" href="http://www.democracynow.org/2014/8/20/stop_the_violence_from_ferguson_to" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">
</a></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<span class="userContent">
</span></div>
<div class="_wk mbm" style="color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span class="userContent"><a class="_2qo3" href="http://www.democracynow.org/2014/8/20/stop_the_violence_from_ferguson_to" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"></a></span><br />
<div class="_1x-" style="max-height: 98px; overflow: hidden;">
<div class="_4ysy" id="u_0_2x" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="_1x_ fwb" style="font-weight: bold;">
<span class="userContent"><a class="_2qo3" href="http://www.democracynow.org/2014/8/20/stop_the_violence_from_ferguson_to" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Stop the Violence from Ferguson to Gaza: 90-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor Arrested in St. Louis</a></span></div>
<div class="fsm fwn fcg" style="color: #9197a3;">
<span class="userContent"><a class="_2qo3" href="http://www.democracynow.org/2014/8/20/stop_the_violence_from_ferguson_to" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.democracynow.org</a></span></div>
</div>
<div class="_1y1 _3-8x fsm fwn fcg" id="u_0_25" style="color: #9197a3; margin-top: 8px;">
<span class="userContent"><a class="_2qo3" href="http://www.democracynow.org/2014/8/20/stop_the_violence_from_ferguson_to" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Just days after her 90th birthday, Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein was arrested Monday in St. Louis when she was part of a protest outside Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon’s office. Epstein was...</a></span></div>
</div>
<span class="userContent"><a class="_2qo3" href="http://www.democracynow.org/2014/8/20/stop_the_violence_from_ferguson_to" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">
</a></span></div>
<div class="_wk mbm" style="color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span class="userContent"></span><br />
<div class="userContentWrapper aboveUnitContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<div class="_wk mbm" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span class="userContent"><span class="userContent"><i>Sept 1, 2014</i></span></span></div>
<div class="_wk mbm" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span class="userContent"><span class="userContent"><i>Why Likud (Israel) does not want peace. It just swiped another piece of occupied territory illegally. Real peace means Israel cannot keep stealing Palestinian land.</i></span></span></div>
</div>
<span class="userContent">
</span>
<div class="_5rny" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">
<div class="_1xw clearfix" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.14902) 0px 1px 3px -1px; background: rgb(246, 247, 249); border: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; zoom: 1;">
<span class="userContent"><a class="shareLink _1y0" href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2014%2F09%2F01%2Fworld%2Fmiddleeast%2Fisrael-claims-nearly-1000-acres-of-west-bank-land-near-bethlehem.html%3Fsmid%3Dfb-share&h=dAQH9dmn9AQGyRNTRI6xZ3skLDSwi2Vs2f-FgAbL1drUilw&enc=AZNV0CPcIksCY96KfZh_owoeLDVoBI42HLgHiz31Eog9E_21Il2Hw8sW2AR6VtdCre04GHNxwp4gSENHwD26uwM-ZsEukphlA3yN9boTt7VD1EZWzAWfzj1gbb7muF5AdhJ02W69PIj9sIoR1cHcb8CdK5DCmQS7bt_r7JbEIFduuA&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"></a><br /></span>
<div class="_1xy _1xx" style="border: 0px; float: left; height: 116px; line-height: 110px; margin-right: 12px; min-width: 72px; position: relative; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; zoom: 1;">
<span class="userContent"><a class="shareLink _1y0" href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2014%2F09%2F01%2Fworld%2Fmiddleeast%2Fisrael-claims-nearly-1000-acres-of-west-bank-land-near-bethlehem.html%3Fsmid%3Dfb-share&h=dAQH9dmn9AQGyRNTRI6xZ3skLDSwi2Vs2f-FgAbL1drUilw&enc=AZNV0CPcIksCY96KfZh_owoeLDVoBI42HLgHiz31Eog9E_21Il2Hw8sW2AR6VtdCre04GHNxwp4gSENHwD26uwM-ZsEukphlA3yN9boTt7VD1EZWzAWfzj1gbb7muF5AdhJ02W69PIj9sIoR1cHcb8CdK5DCmQS7bt_r7JbEIFduuA&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="_42xb img" height="116" src="https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/y4/r/-PAXP-deijE.gif" style="background-image: url(https://fbexternal-a.akamaihd.net/safe_image.php?d=AQCQG4wgBpOPU4md&w=116&h=116&url=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic01.nyt.com%2Fimages%2F2014%2F08%2F31%2Fworld%2Fmiddleeast%2F01ISRAEL%2F01ISRAEL-videoSixteenByNine1050-v4.jpg&cfs=1); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; border: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" width="116" /></a></span></div>
<span class="userContent"><a class="shareLink _1y0" href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2014%2F09%2F01%2Fworld%2Fmiddleeast%2Fisrael-claims-nearly-1000-acres-of-west-bank-land-near-bethlehem.html%3Fsmid%3Dfb-share&h=dAQH9dmn9AQGyRNTRI6xZ3skLDSwi2Vs2f-FgAbL1drUilw&enc=AZNV0CPcIksCY96KfZh_owoeLDVoBI42HLgHiz31Eog9E_21Il2Hw8sW2AR6VtdCre04GHNxwp4gSENHwD26uwM-ZsEukphlA3yN9boTt7VD1EZWzAWfzj1gbb7muF5AdhJ02W69PIj9sIoR1cHcb8CdK5DCmQS7bt_r7JbEIFduuA&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">
</a></span>
<div class="_1xx _1xz" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-color: rgb(222, 226, 233) rgb(219, 222, 229) rgb(210, 213, 220) rgb(222, 226, 233); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; height: 90px; padding: 12px; vertical-align: top; zoom: 1;">
<div class="_2qo4" style="height: 98px; position: relative;">
<span class="userContent"><a class="_2qo3" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/01/world/middleeast/israel-claims-nearly-1000-acres-of-west-bank-land-near-bethlehem.html?smid=fb-share" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"></a><br /></span>
<div class="_1x-" style="max-height: 98px; overflow: hidden;">
<div class="_4ysy" id="u_0_2x" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="_1x_ fwb" style="font-weight: bold;">
<span class="userContent"><a class="_2qo3" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/01/world/middleeast/israel-claims-nearly-1000-acres-of-west-bank-land-near-bethlehem.html?smid=fb-share" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Israel Claims Nearly 1,000 Acres of West Bank Land Near Bethlehem</a></span></div>
<div class="fsm fwn fcg" style="color: #9197a3;">
<span class="userContent"><a class="_2qo3" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/01/world/middleeast/israel-claims-nearly-1000-acres-of-west-bank-land-near-bethlehem.html?smid=fb-share" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.nytimes.com</a></span></div>
</div>
<div class="_1y1 _3-8x fsm fwn fcg" id="u_0_25" style="color: #9197a3; margin-top: 8px;">
<span class="userContent"><a class="_2qo3" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/01/world/middleeast/israel-claims-nearly-1000-acres-of-west-bank-land-near-bethlehem.html?smid=fb-share" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The move could herald significant Israeli construction in the area — defying Palestinian demands for a halt in settlement expansion and challenging world opinion.</a></span></div>
</div>
<span class="userContent"><a class="_2qo3" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/01/world/middleeast/israel-claims-nearly-1000-acres-of-west-bank-land-near-bethlehem.html?smid=fb-share" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">
</a></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<span class="userContent">
</span></div>
<div class="_wk mbm" style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<div class="userContentWrapper aboveUnitContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<div class="_wk mbm" style="color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="_wk mbm" style="color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.3599996566772px;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
jedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17689606461811818488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-3634667333585749502014-05-19T16:41:00.003-07:002014-05-31T08:48:11.233-07:00Mulgrew's MythNo wonder so many softballs were thrown at President Mulgrew tonight in the seminar. I don't recall a single question from a high school teacher. Was there one?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMQAAJ7fWY0wiwTe9OKzCdK8_dXZ19FYV1SKsZ32d3JhKldahmrSL0D0oMhO2FC21ysVLp-C6X7I-H3E_OEw2i0Jar4KC3dSD7vfvdVzhLDcy18y3Q-gj_nTwAL1G3dYvCaz0/s1600/sb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMQAAJ7fWY0wiwTe9OKzCdK8_dXZ19FYV1SKsZ32d3JhKldahmrSL0D0oMhO2FC21ysVLp-C6X7I-H3E_OEw2i0Jar4KC3dSD7vfvdVzhLDcy18y3Q-gj_nTwAL1G3dYvCaz0/s1600/sb.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
I did spot the high school Vice President and a Chapter Leader in the studio audience. But it was one PS question after another. Either way, it would have just been another softball.<br />
<br />
<b>Mulgrew opened with his own myth. That the UFT doesn't want a contract that hurts the children we serve. </b>But, this one does! My question of - <i><span style="font-size: large;">Why is there nothing about class size reduction in this contract?</span> </i>Which I submitted 15 min before the start on their online form but was not asked. I suppose if I asked - <i><span style="font-size: large;">Why is there nothing to reduce the testing of our students in this contract?</span></i> Or, <span style="font-size: large;"><i>Why is there nothing to bring back enriched curriculum with arts, music, and electives?</i> </span>I suppose these wouldn't have been asked either. And, for us teachers: <i><span style="font-size: large;">Why is there nothing to reign in bully principals? </span></i><br />
<br />
I have always asked myself, <i>Would I stand for my own children to be educated in this way? With class sizes so large, with high concentrations of high need students, with stripped curricula? </i>This has always been the driving force behind not being able to keep my mouth shut about this system.<br />
<i><br /></i>
Instead of a meaningful discussion we got redundancy; another rehash of Unity contract propaganda. How many times was he asked if retro was paid after one retires? How many references to the career ladder combined with a murky mix of Prose schools?<br />
<br />
There should have been a rebuttal afterward from an opposition caucus. But, let's be real. This crowd is so insecure it has to rig everything in advance. There's no way they will allow an intelligent dissenting opinion to penetrate the ditto head culture. They are counting on most of the members to say "F---k it!," Hold their noses and check the "Yes" box.jedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17689606461811818488noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-66143844372307884302014-05-18T19:29:00.000-07:002014-05-18T19:30:14.311-07:00Send Mulgrew Back to the Bargaining Table - Why I Vote NO<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">There's money</b><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-10/de-blasio-s-1st-nyc-budget-get-surplus-before-labor-talks.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">the press talks of the City Budget Surplus</a>.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
I get waiting for the retro, but raises should begin right away. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
Speaking of raises we are talking 18% over 9 years. That's not fair and it sets the bar way too low for our other brother/sister unions who have to follow our pattern.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
<b>ATRs deserve full due process.</b> These teachers should be rotated back into a position to become a regular teacher. Why the UFT agrees to keep them in a special category is truly sad. This contract offers them Due Process LITE, expedited firing process. We cannot stand for that.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
<b>Enshrining Danielson and MOSL</b> - Anyone who plans on staying more than a couple of years has to take this seriously. This contract does nothing to get rid of evaluating teachers by test scores. <a href="http://dianeravitch.net/2014/04/24/breaking-news-tennessee-legislature-rolls-back-test-based-teacher-evaluation-law/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">The teachers union in Tennessee are getting rid of test score eval</a><u>.</u> Why can't we?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
<b>Backdoor Merit Pay </b>- in the guise of Master Teacher, etc. Undermines solidarity by creating a teacher caste system. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
<b>What's Missing?</b> Class Size Reduction, Guidance Counselor Case Load Reduction, Wrap Around Services for Families, Brining Back Curriculum the children of the 1 percent enjoy: electives, music, art, PE...</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
We need to do this morally, as professionals who care for those we serve. Our students deserve everything we want for our own children to have in a school. If the parents get behind us, we cannot lose. But, this contract makes us look like defeated patsies. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
Take this opportunity to stand as a proud professional with convictions by saying NO, we and our students deserve better.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
In solidarity,</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
John</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
John Elfrank-Dana<br />
UFT Chapter Leader<br />
Murry Bergtraum High School</div>
jedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17689606461811818488noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-62585914632211640032014-03-30T17:45:00.000-07:002014-03-31T08:13:23.935-07:00The Hatchet PrincipalThe "Hatchet Man" in the parlance of the business world is a manager brought in for the specific purpose of mass firings of staff. As a manager in the hotel business before becoming a school teacher I was aware of these people. A hotel would bring such a person in with the full support for him/her to "do what had to be done."<br />
<br />
Management gives the Hatchet Man the necessary time to flush a significant number of staff out the door. Then, after enough of the bloodletting has occurred (not too difficult if the union is sluggish and bureaucratic, or indifferent), the management finally concedes to the union complaints. "Ya," they say, "the guy was no good." So, they can him. But, the damage is done - mission accomplished. He goes off and finds another hotel looking for a hatchet guy. After all, that's his specialty and there's always enough demand. Meanwhile the management and union get to pretend they were the good guys after all, they got rid of him- didn't they?<br />
<br />
In the parlance of the NYC Department of Education we have the "Closer Principal." It's a title anointed to those who have a reputation for belligerent staff relations. When it was announced we would get Lottie Almonte, the blogosphere was a buzz with speculation. <a href="http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2012/07/death-watch-for-murry-bergtraum.html" target="_blank"><i>Death Watch for Murry Bergtraum</i> was published on Ed Notes Online</a>. She had a reputation coming out of Brooklyn schools for far less than collaboration and veracity in staff relations.<br />
<br />
I contacted the United Federation Teachers Brooklyn Borough office which confirmed the worst of what we were hearing. We had just managed to remove a troublesome principal, Andrea Lewis. The response from our Manhattan UFT Borough Office was to wait and see if we can play nice. Furthermore, our principal's boss, Marisol Bradbury, <a href="http://insideschools.org/high/browse/school/1336" target="_blank">is reported to have had the same management style</a> when she was principal. Given her aloof style, compared to other superintendents, it's no surprise. So, complaints up the chain of command are futile. They only signal that the principal is doing her job.<br />
<br />
<b>The Bloodletting - The aftermath of 2012-2013</b><br />
<br />
After the first year, <b>over 51 staff members left, mostly voluntary in the form of transfers, hastened retirements and voluntary excess.</b> This out of about 170 total staff in the building. No complaints from the Department of Education, not even UFT headquarters. Every instructional Assistant Principal, every secretary, every guidance counselor and dozens of teachers at the top of their game, including our staff developers and Broad Science Prize winner - GONE! With this I gave her the name "Lottie Neutron", as the neutron bomb kills people but leaves buildings in tact. <br />
<br />
The <a href="http://schools.nyc.gov/OA/SchoolReports/2012-13/Survey_2013_M520.pdf" target="_blank">school's Learning Environment Survey</a>, with 100% of the staff participating, says it all with regard to our Closer Principal's leadership with the majority of staff saying they don't trust her nor think she's competent. Now the trust question was removed from this year's survey. The results won't be available until the fall. It's a safe bet the numbers will be worse for the school's administration.<br />
<br />
<b>Background</b><br />
The school is named for a former President of the NYC Board of Education - Murry Bergtraum. The family is still prominent in city politics. Closing the school would mean the name would have to change. The school, one of the best in the city from the 1970s-1990s, took a nose dive when it become a dumping ground for the Bloomberg/Klein educational policy (2001-present) of closing large schools and sending kids whose parents have no plans to get them into a new small school.<br />
<br />
Finally, we are in the shrink-down phase. The name Murry Bergtraum will remain outside on the wall but it will now be a campus hosting 4 schools. To make this happen the DoE had to gut staff. Keep in mind we also had a large percentage of senior staff in the building. We were an expensive lot. Union dues are the same for brand new teachers as they are for veterans, so the UFT has no automatic incentive to protect senior staff. Voluntary retirement is preferred, as ATRs (unassigned, fully benefited teachers who roam as substitutes- there is a no layoff clause in the contract) are a political headache for both the DoE and UFT.<br />
<br />
<b>On the Horizon</b><br />
Just as the Hatchet Man's performance is not based upon employee satisfaction or retention -nor customer satisfaction really, the Closer Principal's performance won't be based as most principals' will be, i.e. on student test scores. For she comes for a specific purpose- to clear the decks and make room.<br />
<br />
A high number of "Ineffective" ratings for staff this spring should also garner another wave of bloodletting. With minions of the principal in the form of brand new Assistant Principals of questionable experience or credentials to lead seasoned educators, seeing the glass half empty when they come to observe a lesson, citing dissent as unprofessional, punishing teachers for not staying beyond contractual time for meetings, using canned phrases in post-observation reports to teachers, referring to web sites for staff that request help, not making themselves available to model lessons, and you see there's no plan to develop the staff. They become the Closer Principal's Goon Squad.<br />
<br />
The students suffer as much as the staff. The school has been in a state of programming and security chaos for the last year and a half. Special education violation abound and reports have been filed with New York State by whistle-blowing staff members. Does all of this pass muster with Chancellor Farina, who said she wanted to see more "joy" in the schools? Nothing but silence from her thus far.<br />
<br />
Will this pass muster with a mayor who has a Progressive brand? If the teachers' union doesn't pressure the mayor to do away with these bully principals what incentive does the mayor have? School closings re supposed to be on the outs. So, what about the league of closer style principals out there? How do you change the culture of a bureaucracy that valued teacher bashing the last 12 years?<br />
<br />
The majority of the staff at this point would welcome a shut down of the school. The misery is that palpable. Such is the work of the "Closer." What place does the Closer have in a de Blasio educational policy?<br />
<br />
Lastly, I get no personal satisfaction exposing anyone's failings in public, and no less for Lottie. On a personal level she has been mostly friendly. But, her professional role has caused staff and students much harm at our school. It's my obligation to note it for the record in the hopes that someday an enlightened chancellor and union president will take notice.<br />
<br />
John Elfrank-Dana<br />
UFT Chapter Leader<br />
Murry Bergtraum High School<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />jedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17689606461811818488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-45409327734163828642014-02-23T17:32:00.003-08:002014-02-23T18:38:23.767-08:00Murry Bergtraum High School - The TakeawayMurry Bergtraum has been in the press yet again. This time in response <a href="http://nypost.com/2014/02/09/murry-bergtraum-hss-blended-learning-a-scam-whistleblowers/" target="_blank">to a prior <i>NY Post</i> article two weeks ago</a> about the school's so-called "Blended Learning" program. <a href="http://nypost.com/2014/02/23/students-defend-murry-bergtraum-hs-in-error-filled-letters/" target="_blank">The article today was about a bunch of letters written in defense of the program</a> and school's administration but many written riddled with grammatical errors. It makes one wonder how the administration let this happen, as we know it was orchestrated from the school's principal-appointed Brand Manager. Why weren't the letters at least proof read? They were sent to Chancellor Farina as well as the<i> NY Post</i> reporter, Susan Edelman. This madness is symptomatic of the larger failure of education reform in the city.<br />
<br />
It's important that we not forget the background that got us here.<br />
Setup for Failure: Murry Bergtraum has been a school that has been <a href="http://nypost.com/2012/11/25/just-steps-away-from-city-hall-murry-bergtraum-hs-is-abandoned-to-failure/" target="_blank">setup for failure since the early days of the Bloomberg administration</a>. High academic and social need students were dumped on the school throughout the closing process of other schools. Bloomberg wanted the small schools to have a good shot at success so students whose family had no plan were sent to large schools like Bergtraum and Washington Irving. <a href="http://dianeravitch.net/2014/02/23/new-york-post-reveals-another-part-of-the-bloomberg-klein-failure-factory-legacy/" target="_blank">Diane Ravitch cogently explains</a> how Bergtraum has become a nerve ending for the failed Bloomberg and Klein educational policy.<br />
<br />
Lack of Security: In the last three and a half years the school has been under siege from incompetent administration that failed to provide enough security to ensure a school tone conducive to success. Teachers have complained and I have filed numerous security grievances and complaints that not enough was being done to reign in the school's worst behaving students. You can witness numerous fights online at various social media sites.<br />
<br />
Incompetent Administration:<b> </b>Three years ago we saw <a href="http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2010/12/10/bathroom-ban-leads-to-riot-at-nyc-high-school/" target="_blank">the infamous bathroom "riot"</a> in response to then Principal, Andrea Lewis' misguided attempt to punish students for fighting by banning use of the restroom for the rest of the day for 2300 of their classmates. That's how the students heard it over the PA anyway. She was removed in August of 2012. Now we have suffered through <a href="http://ny.chalkbeat.org/2013/09/10/at-murry-bergtraum-hs-fights-and-frustration-mark-years-start/" target="_blank">the worst school opening in Murry Bergtraum's history</a> this year with botched student programming and a principal, Lottie Almonte, who just never takes responsibility for anything. And like the<a href="http://nypost.com/2014/02/22/my-time-at-the-school-of-no/" target="_blank"> School of NO, PS 106, in Queens scandal</a>, staff who could escape did. Over 51 staffers at Bergtraum including: all assistant principals of instruction, all the secretaries and other teachers and guidance counselors, most at the top of their game, ran to the welcoming arms of other schools over the summer never to look back. <a href="http://www.wnyc.org/story/302945-union-leader-at-murry-bergtraum-asks-teachers-tell-us-how-you-really-feel/" target="_blank">Staff polls</a> on both principals have shown a strong vote of no confidence only to fall on the deaf ears of Bloomberg's Department of Education.<br />
<br />
Curricular Gimmicks Rather That Solutions That Work: Rather than reducing class sizes, adjusting the admissions policy so students with high academic and/or social need come from the neighborhood so families can be integrated into their schooling and receive social services, we got gimmicks. The latest is so-called Blended Learning. But, when you blend anything you need at least two parts. In this case it should have been traditional classroom instruction with computer-based instruction. That's not what was happening. Instead, students were given a log-in to an online class and sent their way with a deadline for them (or whomever they hire) to complete the online packaged lessons. Before that was the Leadership Academy 3 years ago which, like the current "Blended Learning" program was a credit recovery scheme that failed to meet state requirements.<br />
<br />
The spin will be from pro-charter folks that is shows how public schools can't work. The spin will come from anti-teacher union groups that the school's teachers are to blame. But, given the facts presented above and the accounts embedded therein from those of us who lived it those biases just won't get off the ground.<br />
<br />
The fact is that many of our students write well, and are going to have successful careers in college and the work place. It's a big school. There's well over a thousand young people in that building. But, the struggling students in numbers too large have not been served as they needed to be. They shouldn't be sent half way across town to go to school, they need more social services and their homes need support. They need small class sizes and real curriculum. Just like the kind of schooling the children of President Obama and NY State Ed Commissioner King receive. <br />
<br />
But, ed reform in NYC and most of the rest of the country has been reduced to a high stakes numbers racket where district administrators look the other way to give principals the message - "get the numbers up any which way you can." Teachers are pressured to pass at least 80 percent of their students or else face the consequences of possible U or Ineffective ratings. The teachers union has been less than aggressive at reigning in bully principals in recent years. "Just transfer if you don't like it" seems to be the implicit and sometimes direct response to staff from the UFT. The result, our students get junk education and when the evidence hits us in the face like those letters in the <i>NY Post</i> did this morning everyone is talking and anticipating- what's next?<br />
<br />
Hold your heads up high students and staff of Murry Bergtraum. You are stronger for what you have endured.jedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17689606461811818488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-53679297234225313092014-02-16T16:52:00.003-08:002014-02-22T21:43:28.014-08:00Memorable Teachers and Danielson - A letter to my supervisor<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Hi Nadine,</span><br />
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
As I reflect on the exercise you gave us at a recent department meeting- to discuss in small groups teachers in our past that had an indelible impression on us as students and then evaluate them in terms of the characteristics of the Danielson, I reach an interesting conclusion. I think the expected outcome would be that these teachers in my past would have had effective and highly effective marks in many of the instructional domains 2 and 3. Perhaps they did. But, none of that kind of technical skill stayed with me. They were a handful of teachers who had a profound impact on me and they were across disciplines: music, social studies, psychology. And what made them so accessible to me I don't find a place for on the Danielson Framework. If there is a nook, it's a relatively insignificant one. This points to a problem I have with the Danielson Framework- it reflects in the inhumanity of the current educational reform movement. </div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
Conversely it was the humanity and honesty that these educators lived every day in the classroom that made me putty in their hands. Such people had the qualities for a genuine relationship with me. They knew me. I was not some data point that could be broken down into components for differentiation. I was a whole human to them. Of course they knew their content and exercised enough classroom management to keep things moving. But, it was the simple things they did and said. My 8th grade social studies teacher was openly critical of Nixon and the War in Vietnam and that we should all so see the new musical, Hair. These were bold statements to make in right-wing St. Louis. My high school music teacher saw my passion for playing drums and devoted herself, perhaps to a fault, to my musical advancement and promotion. And a psychology teacher I had as a senior who had a sensitivity to what young people my age were going through offered a number of insights that told us we were going to be ok. </div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
However, as I reflect on these teachers and hunt that Danielson Framework I don't see a place to hinge what made them special to me. Sure the Framework does a good job out outlining what would be logically expected of good mechanical instruction. But, it cannot capture the qualities of the art of teaching and the honesty required to be the teacher/artist. </div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
Danielson doesn't recognize teaching as an art. There's no room for creativity. Her educational universe is bland and superficial. I realize she had not spent many years herself as a full-time teacher to experience this kind of depth of the profession. She was very mobile rapidly ascending the bureaucratic ladder becoming an expert at everything except aerospace (or, was she an astronaut too?). How could she have possibly experienced the nuances of the profession as did Jonathan Kozol or Frank McCourt. Both of these seasoned teachers emphasized authenticity in the character of the educator. </div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
We have to welcome our students with unconditional positive regard. Yet, we have to expect they have come from homes that have prepared them to be civilized enough to function in a room with youth so as to not detract from a collective effort at discovery. I am happy to report that the vast majority of students want to learn in this way. The problem is that too many lack the academic skills to do so. Many came from homes where they were not read to by their parents and were physically punished. Adding to these problems were the social promotions and over-testing of the Bloomberg/Klein administration. Learning became just one damn test after another and everyone went to the 9th grade when you hit 14 years old regardless of one's reading level. They have learned to hate school over the years. They learned the the principal requires an 80 percent passing rate from teachers and, therefore, if they just showed up enough they'd get their 65 and pass. </div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
Add to that unrealistic expectations placed on teachers and the disconnect between how we are evaluated and the reality we know as educators and the atmosphere becomes toxic. We are expected to bore our kids to death covering the breadth of the subject area to get them past the Regents at the expense of the depth that can captivate young minds for subject matter. In contradictory fashion we expect critical thinking to meet Common Core requirements but do so in a mode of accountability that the joy of discovery is irrelevant. </div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Honesty and humanity make an authentic educator. As someone who prescribes to Albert Einstein's belief that "it's the art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." I was encouraged by NYC Schools Chancellor Farina's statement that there's not enough joy in our schools today. Only in an atmosphere that values humanity and honesty can we nurture the joy that comes with discovery. The current educational regime for which you choose to be a functionary strangles any prospects for such joy. I can only be grateful I didn't go to high school in this age of hyper accountability and inhumanity. I suspect also that these memorable teachers would not have been allowed to be the humans they were.<br />
<br />
In all sincerity,<br />
<br />
John<br />
<br />
p.s. Can I submit this article as an artifact for a Danielson Domain credit? </div>
</div>
jedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17689606461811818488noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-52151013471896876042014-01-01T16:04:00.001-08:002014-01-01T16:38:18.525-08:00Danielson's Once Size Fits All Rubric and Teaching Impoverished Children<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial;">Again another scientific study showing the impact of social deprivation from poverty impacting a child's prospects for success in school and in life. Exposure to 30 million fewer words for poorer kids by age 3!</span><br />
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">
<a href="http://news.stanford.edu/news/2013/september/toddler-language-gap-091213.html" style="color: #1155cc;">http://news.stanford.edu/news/2013/september/toddler-language-gap-091213.html</a></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">
Over 70 percent of Murry Bergtraum students come from these households. </div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">
But, there's no lever on the Danielson rubric to take this into consideration. No need for reducing class size, no need for increased services. Just whip the teachers harder! More frequent spritzing of learning boards! More observations. Inquiry circles so you can go round and round in an endless cycle of pointless discussions regarding curricular gimmicks like data, differentiation, common core learning standards and workshop model. </div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">
Here's another factor. Do this experiment. Ask your students to raise their hands if they were NEVER hit by their parents. I guarantee you it will usually represent a special minority in your class- most if not all of your best students (academically and/or behaviorally). The lack of verbal communication is usually accompanied by more frequent physical punishment. For a study on it's impact on education <a href="http://pubpages.unh.edu/~mas2/" target="_blank">see Murray Strauss</a>. </div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">
I have no information that Charlotte Danielson ever taught a student population like ours. I believe her limited teaching experience was in the suburbs. If anyone has information to the contrary do let me know.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Our students need us to face the truth. They need to work harder because of their upbringing as well as an impoverished educational system. Our parents are not perfect even though they loved us as best they could. I believe this is true across the spectrum. But, the study indicates a clear problem when a simple solution- eliminate the effects of poverty on holding these kids back. Now, we just have to figure out how Pearson, McGraw, and other ed vendors can make money fighting poverty, so politicians and ed bureaucrats will get on board. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
John</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
jedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17689606461811818488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-18966960143023266922013-12-14T09:50:00.002-08:002013-12-28T16:44:53.263-08:00Murry Bergtraum High School - A Case Study for the Mayor Elect<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Foreword: What started off as a reply to a member regarding the missing teacher comments from the report cards and their distribution in the middle of the school day- creating much tension and animosity, as expected towards the faculty by several students grew into a blog post. In other words, just another administrative debacle in what is amounting to <a href="http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/EF6250B0-78D8-4A1E-B06C-F1F9462A33FF/153453/101513PEP_Minutes_Draft.pdf" target="_blank">the most chaotic year in Bergtraum's 30+ year history</a>, and right after its first "F" on the school report card. Or, is it deliberate? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">...I wonder if Principal Almonte did this deliberately (report card debacle)? I can't believe it. I find her actions more and more inexplicable. We were warned in the blogosphere the summer of 2012 that she was coming in as a closer. Notice how she is silent regarding the collocation of a Moskowitz kindergarten coming in Bergtraum, while several other principals speak out against collocations. Were the warnings true? Is she here to put us down?</span></span></span><br />
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">The solution to collocate the old Bergtraum out of existence, ironically, acknowledges what I have been saying all along - that no school that was sent high academic and social needs kids in large number from half way across town will be successful. So, a breakup/shrink out of Bergtraum can be ONE response to that. Except, </span><b style="color: #222222;">in the DoE's plan the teachers play the roll of the fall guy, not its own misguided policies and, perhaps, incompetent/sabotaging school administration (expect a lot of Ineffective ratings this year)</b><span style="color: #222222;">. 51 from the faculty and administration, out of about 150, left last year. Most fled by getting jobs elsewhere, hastened retirements... The large number of teachers excessed by the principal in June was never approved by the network, and therefore, never official. No attempt was made by the administration to update these teachers- hence many were surprised when they learned in August they were never in excess. Is the principal's goal another 50 to leave this year? </span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Look at the action steps from the Manhattan Superintendent's Early Engagement meetings with some staff last month- Inquiry Teams! I could have told her- "Been there done that- the last 7 years." Perhaps it was deduced from the advise of teachers new to the school this year- several attended these sessions. Or, is it that she knows the plan is to phase the school out? My reference to the issue of trust in principal's competence and veracity (painfully revealed in the LE Survey of last year and <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1C1UeZEJuXQg-sTasfz6xEyJbtXthgMYZd0VNw9gLdNs/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">our own in-house survey this year </a>) and how no reforms are going to work unless that issue is resolved apparently fell on deaf ears with the superintendent. We got an "F" for security as well. There too, the Department of Education sees no need for change... Stay the course! Sorry to sound so conspiratorial. However, when information is not shared with us, when there's no other explanation than this is deliberate mismanagement that connects all the dots- where does that leave you? Remember, the backdrop is the mayor's statement that he'd fire half of the teaching force if he had his druthers. Add to that the great union busting effect of shrinking large schools - many new small schools have no UFT chapter, and it makes sense for the agenda of the Moskowitz' and other privatizers.</span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile a program that was working - Freshman Academy, and a highly functional department, social studies, were decimated this year. The leaders of the academy and department fled the school- chased out by the principal. Why would what works (at least works better than anything comparable in the school) be deliberately undermined by the school administration? </span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The high need students should have good community high schools close enough to home so that social workers and attendance teachers could make visits to several students' homes a day (</span><a href="http://laborslessons.blogspot.com/2012/08/hope-for-my-school.html" target="_blank">see details in <i>SchoolBook</i> article</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">). Also, that parents can easily come to parent association meetings and to the parent/teacher conferences.</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://gothamschools.tumblr.com/post/65054678084/empty-halls-at-one-high-schools-parent-teacher" target="_blank">The school has been a ghost town on these <u>occasions</u></a></span><span style="color: #222222;">. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">If a student is strong enough socially and academically, let them commute to school. Bergtraum could be a good neighborhood school serving Smith and Rutgers houses as well as the Lower East Side and Tribeca area. You'd have a diverse student population with plenty of 3s and 4s (higher level students) to balance out the others, as well as no one racial group dominating the population. </span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Where were the Bergtraums during the 10 year dismantling/sabotaging of their school? Silent and even <a href="http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/EF6250B0-78D8-4A1E-B06C-F1F9462A33FF/153453/101513PEP_Minutes_Draft.pdf" target="_blank">r</a></span><a href="http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/EF6250B0-78D8-4A1E-B06C-F1F9462A33FF/153453/101513PEP_Minutes_Draft.pdf" target="_blank">ubber stamping the closure of schools and collocation of Moskowitz here on the Panel for Educational Policy</a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">. Murry Bergtraum was a union man from what we were always told. Now, Judy Bergtraum, a Bloomberg appointee to the PEP has voted for the collocation of the union-busting Eva Moskowitz in the school that bears her father's name. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">The onslaught on the UFT members of the school continues unabated. If Principal Almonte believes that an F school cannot have Effective teachers, you will see an inordinate number of Ineffective ratings of teachers under a tunnel vision application of the Danielson rubric. Combine it with the programming chaos this year and its discontinuity for student and teacher programs. The result is guaranteeing failing grades on tests used as part of the teacher evaluation when compared to more functional peer schools. Furthermore, it assumes the faulty premise that teachers have the lion's share of responsibility for student success ignore much </span><a href="http://www.rand.org/education/projects/measuring-teacher-effectiveness/teachers-matter.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">research that the home accounts for four times or more impact on student success than teacher quality</span></a><span style="color: #222222;">. But, studies be damned- we are told time and again "instruction is the problem here". Of course, it can and always should be improved. But, we will not be scapegoated for failed DoE policies that account for the systemic setup for failure at the school.</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">The lessons for a mayor elect intent of changing the course of educational reform are the following: </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b>Community Schools:</b> <br />The needier the student population, the closer physically families need to be to the school. The corporate agenda is to atomize us. Make us consumers and cogs in their workforce. Communities can germinate democratic movements that can threaten their power. So called "school choice" is largely a sham for many students in NYC who get one of their TWELVE choices.<br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Genuine Collaboration:</b><br /><a href="http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar03/vol60/num06/Trust-in-Schools@-A-Core-Resource-for-School-Reform.aspx" target="_blank">Trust is a prerequisite for collaboration between the school's leadership and staff and is essential for the implementation of reform</a><span style="color: #222222;">. Give School Leadership Teams real power over school budgets. C-30 hiring committees made up of school stakeholders that select administrators the final word instead of just a recommendation. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b>School Democracy:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"> Only transparency and shared decision making can produce such trust. The finger of accountability runs up the chain of command, not down. Dictator principals, a hallmark of Bloomberg/Klein ed policy, need to be sent packing. Public schools in a democracy must not be modeled on corporate hierarchy. Where else will young people learn about democratic structures? Not at work, not in the family. School is what's left.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b></b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b>Leadership Responsibility:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"> School leaders need to adopt the Harry Truman model- "The buck stops here." Our principal confuses passing the buck for "empowerment" of her staff. She took no responsibility for the school's programming debacle. Strong teachers don't become administrators very often. When principals learned that they would be held responsible for Regents passing rates those worth their salt got out of city schools. The creation of more small schools created a huge void for administrative positions that needed filling. Many of the most mediocre of our profession rushed to get their administrative certificates. No wonder it's hard to find administrators who can demonstrate responsibility.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b></b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b>Leadership that Walks the Walk:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"> We call repeatedly for our principal and assistant principals to teach a class of their own so they can lead by example; show us (I am from Missouri - the "Show Me" state) what Effective teaching looks like. No dice in the new technocratic Danielson rubric interpretation system. The principal explained all the administrators' time is now spent becoming experts as evaluators. I call them Compliance Clerks, not educators. God forbid they actually have to demonstrate they can do what they expect of us! Again, see what I said in the last paragraph- the many of the most mediocre educators become administrators to fill the demand created by the explosion of small schools and exodus of the capable who knew the new accountability on the horizon was a sham. </span></span><br />
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If Bergtraum High School is to die Mr. Mayor Elect, don't let it die in vain. Instead, understand what really happened here. If Bergtraum will be resurrected in a new way while embodying the spirit of excellence it once had, come talk to us, the students, parents and teachers about how that can happen. All we ask is that you give us a real chance at success. </span></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
<span property="dct:title" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/">Labor's Lessons Blog</span> by <a href="http://laborslessons.blogspot.com/" property="cc:attributionName" rel="cc:attributionURL" xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#">John Elfrank-Dana</a> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>.<br />
Based on a work at <a href="http://laborslessons.blogspot.com/" rel="dct:source" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/">http://laborslessons.blogspot.com</a>.jedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17689606461811818488noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-28141031139720800412013-12-02T03:23:00.001-08:002013-12-02T03:23:29.973-08:00An iPad on Every Desk: A Trojan Horse, Teachers Say | Labor Notes<a href="http://labornotes.org/2013/11/ipad-every-desk-trojan-horse-teachers-say#sthash.2MVIN1Nj.cmfs">An iPad on Every Desk: A Trojan Horse, Teachers Say | Labor Notes</a><br />
<br />
Comment forthcoming...John Elfrank-Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945120682305889506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-57919214502650434572013-10-12T08:59:00.000-07:002013-10-12T09:19:16.038-07:00How the UFT Led Members Down the Path to Hi-Stakes Testing Evaluation<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The 2008 Agreement Between Chancellor Klein and Weingarten (UFT President) </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to use teacher data reports on hi-stakes testing, but without the hi-stakes (for now). Many of us argued that with the fundamental premise being so wrong- that you can summary measure student achievement and teacher effectiveness from tests, why go there? Even with the promise of confidentiality of the results, don't go there. But, in Weingarten's zeal to show the new unionism plays well with others, she put us on the path. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jump to the present and we see the same Unity UFT leadership indignant over the hi-stakes testing component of the teacher evaluation scheme UFT President Mulgrew signed on to for us, without allowing UFT members to see, much less vote on it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How Playing Well with Others Painted Us Into a Corner:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Below is Klein and Weingarten's joint letter with my comments in red and bold for emphasis of their words. Shrouded in platitudes and apple pie statements of education is the agreement to centralize collection of student data for comparison across the city. Teachers could easily take their own students test scores and individually done their analysis with very little training. So, there was no need to do it in a manner that would set up a system for ranking teachers against each other. We know what happens next. <a href="http://laborslessons.blogspot.com/2012/02/worst-teacher-in-city-shame-on-everyone.html" target="_blank">Total betrayal on the confidentiality promise and public humiliation of teachers and bewilderment of principals</a> that many of their best teachers were found ineffective. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="color: #333333; padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dear Colleagues,</span></i></div>
<div style="color: #333333; padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The work of a teacher is not only about teaching; it’s also about learning. As teachers, you know that this learning process isn’t just something that happens in the first week or year on the job. It’s a career-long effort to perfect your craft—to help more students understand, achieve, and progress.</span></i></div>
<div style="color: #333333; padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This learning happens in many ways: when you share ideas with other teachers, when you observe your colleagues’ classes, when you participate in professional development sessions or reflect, on your own, about what you’re doing well and what you could do to improve. While information from sharing and observing is critically important, educators have told us that they want as much information as possible about what’s working and not working in their classrooms. How is your work affecting particular students? For the purposes of learning and growing, how do you compare to other teachers? What are your biggest strengths and successes that you could share with your colleagues? What could you learn from your colleagues that could help you fine tune your skills?</span></i></div>
<div style="padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">We are writing to let you know that this fall, the Department of Education is giving ELA and math teachers in grades 4-8 and their principals </span><b style="color: #333333;">a new tool </b><span style="color: #cc0000;">(I was already doing this to a limited extent with Regents results of my own students using the spreadsheet my department head gave me. This, was all unnecessary.) </span><span style="color: #333333;">to help teachers learn about their own strengths and opportunities for development. We all appreciate that there is a broad array of factors, many outside of an educator’s direct control, that influence student learning. At the same time, many of you have told us how useful it would be to better understand how your efforts are influencing student progress. This new tool is designed to help you understand just that. The reports will be provided to all 4-8 grade math and English Language Arts teachers and their principals. They will give teachers access to very useful information, including:</span></span></i></div>
<div style="color: #333333; padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<br />
<ul style="color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whether the data suggest that you had a greater influence on the learning of some groups of students than on others. For example, how have special education students and English language learners fared in your classroom?</span></i></li>
</ul>
<ul style="color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How are you doing with students in the bottom of the class or the top of the class?</span></i></li>
</ul>
<ul style="color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What are other English and math teachers in similar circumstances doing successfully and what could you learn from them? What are your biggest successes that you could share with your colleagues—whether they’re other teachers in your school or teachers through the City?</span></i></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="color: #333333; padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="color: #333333; padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The reports are based on your students’ performance on last year’s New York State math and ELA exams. If applicable, you will also see information for the two prior testing years. The reports isolate individual teachers’ effect on student learning by controlling for more than 35 different factors outside of a teacher’s control, including class size, students’ prior test scores, and the percentage of students with disabilities and living in poverty in each class. Even with these statistical controls, reports like these can never perfectly represent an individual teacher’s contribution to student learning.</span></i></div>
<div style="color: #333333; padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">We wish to be clear on one point: </span><b style="color: #333333;">the Teacher Data Reports are not to be used for evaluation purposes. That is, they won’t be used in tenure determinations or the annual rating process</b><span style="color: #333333;">. </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">(We saw this coming then, no Monday morning quarterbacking here. Dissent was equated with support for the status quo.)</span><span style="color: #333333;"> Administrators will be specifically directed accordingly. These reports, instead, are designed to help you pinpoint your own strengths and weaknesses, and empower you, working with your principal and colleagues, to devise strategies to improve. The data reports will add to the other sources of information—like periodic assessments, examination of student class and homework, and school inquiry teams—that you can use to develop as professionals. These reports will also help your school community plan collaboratively for professional development and make other instructional decisions.</span></span></i></div>
<div style="color: #333333; padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="color: #333333; padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It may be useful to understand the Teacher Data Reports in the context of two values that are central to the collective work of the Department of Education and the United Federation of Teachers over the past two years: empowerment and collaboration.</span></i></div>
<div style="color: #333333; padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">We deeply believe that our students have the best opportunity for success when <b>the school, not the school system, is the central point of focus</b>. </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">(Yet, hypocritically, they are in the process of setting up a system wide teacher comparison scheme.)</span><span style="color: #333333;"> That is why the school system has shifted more than $350 million from the bureaucracy to schools and classrooms, and that is why schools have been given substantially more power over professional development, scheduling, budget, and even support. This notion of “empowerment” is premised on the view that we need to give educators—the people closest to students with the best knowledge of what it will take to succeed—the decision-making power and tools necessary to determine how to help students succeed. The Teacher Data Reports are very much in that spirit, empowering teachers and schools with even more information that can be the foundation for improved strategies for student success.</span></span></i></div>
<div style="color: #333333; padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Collaboration is an essential ingredient to school success. Over and over again, we have learned what is already intuitively obvious: when teachers work collaboratively with each other and when administrators value and support a collaborative environment, the probability of success rises. Simply put, students benefit when educators work together to assess what they’re doing well and what they need to improve. When educators use this information in a collaborative way to address school shortfalls and build on strengths, they improve their schools and improve results for students. Successful collaboration is at the heart of a well-functioning Inquiry Team </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">(What ever happened to these teams?)</span><span style="color: #333333;">, which empowers teachers to work together to solve problems and help children make academic progress. These new Teacher Data Reports will, in many cases, create additional opportunities for collaboration around instructional improvement, by giving teachers and principals additional information that will help them make more informed decisions for their schools and their students.</span></span></i></div>
<div style="color: #333333; padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="color: #333333; padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the next few weeks, we’re asking schools to verify the student and classroom information in the reports. When the reports become available later this fall, the DOE and UFT will work together to provide you with information, training, resources, and support so you understand the information fully and can begin to put it to use. In the meantime, we encourage you to visit the Teacher Portal [link to Teacher Portal] to learn more and to view a draft of a sample report.</span></i></div>
<div style="color: #333333; padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="color: #333333; padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sincerely,</span></i></div>
<div style="color: #333333; padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Joel I. Klein and Randi Weingarten</span></i></div>
<span style="color: #333333;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span>
<span style="color: #333333;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- See more at: http://www.edwize.org/doe-and-uft-reach-agreement-on-appropriate-use-of-standardized-test-data#sthash.CYVxUxY4.dpuf </span></i></span>John Elfrank-Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945120682305889506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-53484845330266034752013-09-14T05:11:00.000-07:002013-09-14T05:20:14.575-07:00Will the Common Core Widen the New Digital Divide...in the context of the new Annual Professional Performance Review (Teacher Evaluation) system, there is a real danger that in a race to teaching to the test to preserve one's livelihood, as teachers will do, our disadvantaged students will lose out. Here's a piece that addresses some of these concerns and poses some important questions.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wnyc.org/blogs/schoolbook/2013/sep/12/corner-tech-core-and-evaluation/" target="_blank">Will the Common Core Widen the Digital Divide?</a><br />
SchoolBook.org 9/12/2013<br />
by John Elfrank-Dana<br />
<br />
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23.75px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 5px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://www.wnyc.org/i/620/372/c/80/1/emptycomputers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://www.wnyc.org/i/620/372/c/80/1/emptycomputers.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ever since the advent of Web 2.0, users of technology are no longer just spectators and consumers of web pages but content providers and active participants. The implications for teaching and learning are enormous, especially now as teachers focus on the new Common Core standards that demand more critical thinking skills.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23.75px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 5px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">As a high school social studies teacher, and observer of new technology, I've seen whole new skill-set emerging with concepts such as <a href="http://cci.mit.edu/" style="border: 0px; color: #0073d5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Collective Intelligence</a> enabling people to work together in new ways, <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/odu307fall2012/resource-article/jenkins/key-terms/transmedia-navigation" style="border: 0px; color: #0073d5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Transmedia Navigation</a> (story telling through various media) and Networking to name a few. This skill set necessitates problem-based and authentic learning and often significant tracks of time from standard curriculum scope. (<a href="http://www.wnyc.org/blogs/schoolbook/2013/sep/12/corner-tech-core-and-evaluation/" target="_blank">Read full article</a>)</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div id="fb-root"></div>
<script>(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1";
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script>
<div class="fb-recommendations-bar" data-site="developers.facebook.com" data-side="left"></div>John Elfrank-Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945120682305889506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-58559721718193009412013-09-06T09:55:00.000-07:002013-09-14T05:39:54.609-07:00Teacher Evaluations - May the Farce be with you!I have been trying to follow as a member of our school's MOSL (Measures of Student Learning) Committee. It's a merry-go-round of changes. So much so, we recommend what we think will be better from a litigation standpoint (growth model/default) down the road, as many of us think this system is a setup to fire teachers.<br />
<br />
Several years ago Randi Weingarten, then President of the UFT, agreed to allow NYC Schools Chancellor Klein to experiment with using teacher test scores (on an experimental and confidential basis) to evaluate teachers. What we got was<a href="http://laborslessons.blogspot.com/2012/02/worst-teacher-in-city-shame-on-everyone.html" target="_blank"> the debacle of the teacher data reports</a> which, in the end, were not kept confidential. Many of us warned her not to go down that path, even with the promises of confidentiality, because the premise was wrong, wrong, wrong- you cannot evaluate teaching by student test scores. But, she went for it anyway. Many of our members were humiliated in the press, their principals were flummoxed and bewildered that some of their best teachers were rated among the worst teachers. Value Added Modeling (VAM) is the main ingredient in this debacle of test score teacher evaluation. <a href="http://garyrubinstein.teachforus.org/2012/02/26/analyzing-released-nyc-value-added-data-part-1/" target="_blank">Gary Rubinstein, in his blog</a>, gives a thorough treatment of why VAM is so destructive as an assessment tool, because it is so unstable and unreliable.<br />
<br />
Now the UFT hides the fact that <a href="http://laborslessons.blogspot.com/2012/02/uft-whats-next.html" target="_blank">after two consecutive years of sour student test results their members will be fired</a>. This happens regardless of what principals, students and parents think about the teachers' performance. It's not mentioned on<a href="https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnx1ZnRtYmhzfGd4OjUwYzBhZDM0MzY3ZDViMGE" target="_blank"> their quick guide to understanding the teacher evaluation</a> and is probably why we UFT members were never allowed to see it or vote on it, by our own union leadership, before it became law. But, you can also think President Obama for this one, as it's a requirement of Race To The Top upgrade to No Child Left Behind. Why NY State is not taking advantage of Secretary Duncan's one year held harmless on teacher evals based on test scores is beyond me. Where's my union? What do my contributions to my UFT's political action committee, Vote Cope, go for in the state capitol if not to strangle this baby of sham teacher evaluations in its crib? If the UFT and NYSUT don't get a moratorium on this members should start a Vote Cope divestment campaign.<br />
<br />
Here's my presentation, adapted from others, to the staff. Read the credits and disclaimer at the end. It's my attempt at a little levity.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/73826337" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/73826337">Advance the Movie</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user9019435">John Elfrank-Dana</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />John Elfrank-Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945120682305889506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-49642069567867490272013-04-04T18:50:00.002-07:002013-04-04T18:50:26.523-07:00Turning Back from the AbyssVOTE FOR MORE<br />
to give public education and the teaching profession in NYC a chance.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-size: xx-large;">MOVEMENT OF RANK <br />and FILE </b><b style="font-size: xx-large;">EDUCATORS</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: medium;"> <a href="http://www.morecaucusnyc.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.morecaucusnyc.org</a></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><img alt="Inline image 1" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=5352882e72&view=att&th=13dd7e03055914f4&attid=0.1&disp=emb&realattid=ii_13dc647239183699&zw&atsh=1" /></b></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The UFT elections are upon us. </span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;">UFT members have a choice for new officers, and MORE believes that this choice can make a difference. The Movement of Rank and File Educators believes the teachers union can and should be the fighting force to defend public education for all students. In the classroom we will fight for small class sizes, rich curriculum, push back on the testing regime and an end of harassment and incessant paperwork. Outside the classroom we will demand a fair contract and democratic governance of our schools instead of simply waiting for a new mayor. </span></b><b><span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;">We will partner with parents, communities and other unions because we understand that </span></b><b><span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;"><i>our teaching conditions are our students learning conditions</i>, and together we can make a difference.</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Ballots are out April 3 and are </span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">due back April 24 by mail.</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;">We urge you and all UFT members you know to vote for a positive leadership for our UFT. </span></b><b><span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;">In past elections less than a quarter of the </span></b><b><span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;">active UFT membership voted for their leadership. </span></b><b><span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;">Please spread the word to <span style="background-color: yellow;">Get Out the Vote</span> </span></b><b><span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;">and </span></b><b><span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;">vote in a positive alternative leadership.</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Vote MORE!</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;"><b>Demand MORE from the UFT. </b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;"><b>No more waiting, </b></span><b style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">no more concessions to billionaire mayors </b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<b style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">and his corporate reform agenda that ignores the needs of students, teachers and communities. </b><b style="color: #666666; font-size: large;">Together let's build a movement to fight for the quality public education that every students deserves! </b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<b style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">IMPORTANT<span style="font-size: small;">:</span><br /><span style="color: black;">VOTE ONLY THE MORE SLATE ON THE TOP PAGE<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">BY MARKING THE MORE BOX WI<span style="font-size: small;">TH AN X.</span></span></span><div style="color: #500050;">
<br /> TEAR IT OFF AND MAIL IT IN. </div>
DO NOT VOTE BOTH FOR A SLATE AND INDIVIDUAL CANDIDATES OR YOUR VOTE MAY BE INVALIDATED.</span></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<b style="color: #666666; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">HELP US CHANGE OUR UNION</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;"><b>Vote MORE in the election and encourage all the UFT members you know to do the same.</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;"><b>Forward this email to friends, relatives, activists circles and ask them to do the same. </b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;"><b>Watch and share our video at: </b></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="http://morecaucusnyc.org/2013/03/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://morecaucusnyc.org/<wbr></wbr>2013/03/</a></b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;"><b>For more ideas on how to help GET OUT THE VOTE for MORE, please visit </b></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="http://morecaucusnyc.org/2013/02/19/get-out-the-vote/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://morecaucusnyc.<wbr></wbr>org/2013/02/19/get-out-the-<wbr></wbr>vote/</a></b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<b style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.morecaucusnyc.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">WWW.MORECAUCUSNYC.ORG</a></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Inline image 1" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=5352882e72&view=att&th=13dd7e03055914f4&attid=0.2&disp=emb&realattid=ii_13dccbe4f4bf69e5&zw&atsh=1" /><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://facebook.com/MOREcaucusNYC" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><b>on Facebook.com/MOREcaucusNYC</b></a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"> <img alt="Inline image 2" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=5352882e72&view=att&th=13dd7e03055914f4&attid=0.3&disp=emb&realattid=ii_13dccbf680a0dda0&zw&atsh=1" /> <a href="http://twitter.com/MOREcaucusNYC" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><b>on Twitter.com/MOREcaucusNYC </b></a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<b style="font-size: large;"> </b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<div style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">
“In the last ten years, in a departure from the roots of our union’s founding, the leadership <b style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">has failed to organize and mobilize the membership at the time we </span></b><b style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">have needed their </span></b><b style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">leadership the most. The tidal wave of unprecedented attacks on </span></b><b style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">our profession, our </span></b><b style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">schools and our children will not stop with a new mayor. </span></b><b style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It is time for change. It is time we </span></b><b style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">demand MORE from our union.”</span></b><b style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> -Julie Cavanagh, MORE’s candidate for UFT president</span></b></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
John Elfrank-Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945120682305889506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-18650136244148937232013-02-05T08:21:00.001-08:002013-02-05T08:24:07.453-08:00Professional Conscience and the Quest for Data Consistency<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Dear Colleagues:</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Recently the principal sent us the following things to be mindful of:</span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">- What are you best at?</span></i></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">- What are you deeply passionate about?</span></i></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">- What can you do better than anyone else in your department / in the school?</span></i></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Additionally, make sure that your students can answer the following questions:</span></i></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">- What am I learning in class today?</span></i></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">- Is this information important?</span></i></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">- How so?</span></i></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Good things to think about anytime; even with no quality review forthcoming. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">We also got our class grade passing rates and Regents passing rates by department and individual teacher. A local version of teacher data reports; a first for our school. If you feel "outed", don't. Because you are granting too much to such raw data.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">As we can see numbers are all over the place. It's what I would expect from teachers exercising professional judgement, teaching different subjects to a diverse student population and different times of the day. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">What kinds of conclusions can we reach from such raw data? Not much that I can see. If the administration wants to see more uniformity </span><span style="color: black;">across</span><span style="color: black;"> the board in scholarship and consistency between class grades and Regents passing, then you can expect more teaching to the test. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">If you are like me, you teach what you do because it's worth knowing, whether it's about supply and demand or civil disobedience. Why is this information important? <b>Like everything I teach, "It's worth knowing", Because "Knowledge is power." Because, "The un-examined life is not worth living."</b> These are the things I am <i>'deeply passionate about'</i>. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The problem arises then if we teach to the test in the quest of data consistency the answers become:</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">- What am I learning in class today? (whatever)</span></i></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">- Is this information important? <b>Yes,</b></span></i></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: black;">- How so?<b> </b></span><b><span style="color: black;">Because</span><span style="color: black;"> it will be on the Regents.</span></b></i></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<i><b><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></i></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">This produces an impoverished intellectual culture in the school. It's why I could never be an administrator in this system. I cannot administer a system that runs counter to my sense of professional ethics and purpose. I will continue to resist, to mitigate the damage on our students who have already been severely disabled by this pseudo system of accountability based on standardized test scores, social promotion and, with the new teacher evaluation system- the junk science of value added modeling.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I look forward to your sharing of what you can interpret by this data shared with us by the principal. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">In solidarity,</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">John </span></div>
</div>
jedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17689606461811818488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23825507.post-1046840386117566712012-11-01T06:48:00.000-07:002012-11-01T06:48:06.448-07:00Appeal to the Mayor for Stranded TeachersMr. Mayor,<br />
<br />
If ever there was a time for distance learning, now is it. Many of your city educators are currently coping with the aftermath of this catastrophe. Some have power, some have not.<br />
<br />
What cannot be accomplished online that you are going to make us take risks to come in for on Friday?<br />
<br />
Professional Development you say? That can be accomplished easily online. You have the tools. Just have the materials uploaded and contact us with the necessary links via our DoE email you expect us to check anyway. You can have online discussions via Aris or any number of quickly configurable online spaces.<br />
<br />
For those teachers without power; do they really have any business coming in on Friday? Odds are they have enough to deal with.<br />
<br />
So, cancel the call in to work on Friday and send us the PD materials via email with online discussions.<br />
<br />
It's time to think on our feet. This is the 21st Century. Let's leverage the new assets we have at our disposal like blended learning online.<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
<br />
John Elfrank-Dana<br />UFT Chapter Leader<br />
Murry Bergtraum High School<br />
jelfrank4@gmail.comJohn Elfrank-Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03945120682305889506noreply@blogger.com0