The subject heading in the email was in bold, cc’d to my supervisor: BELOW 50%!!! It was referring to the 37% one of my students had earned so far. Nothing else needed to be said—it was a self-evident smoking gun, like a woman holding up her husband’s shirt with a lipstick stain.
A veteran teacher said, “We’re not giving the students an 11%. They’re earning an 11%."
Yes, that was my line:
"Why'd ya give me a 27?"
"Well, I didn't give you anything. You earned it."
Passing students who have no right to pass (aka grading on a curve) is why we have young men standing around on street corners scratching their crotches, or driving loud cars, or yelling all night. And why we have young women having babies at 16 years old.
Or getting into college, flunking, blaming everyone but themselves, and resorting to defacing monuments dedicated to people who actually made the world a better place.
Blame the educators, social workers, and politicians whose misplaced sympathy for students put them on the road to failure.
I’d be more concerned (and my mom taught in LAUSD - E LA - for 25 yrs) if this weren’t the result of teachers voting D, women (the overwhelming majority of teachers ) voting D, and teachers paying dues to NEA & AFT that goes straight to D campaigns. Not penalizing failure or rewarding success are foundational D policies.
I think blaming teachers for voting Democrat is besides the point. (I don't vote Democrat for what it's worth.) This movement doesn't stem merely from Democrats. Republicans like Bush were critical in starting the movement downward in No Child Left Behind (aka No Child Moves Ahead!). This is rather a top-down state-corporate movement, a movement that most Democrats and *many* Republicans endorse. The ultimate goal, I believe, is to maximize public and charter schools as money-making spigots; to produce students who are indoctrinated, incompetent, dispirited, & dependent on the state; and to basically create chaos and dysfunction so that "emergency" state rule becomes even more imperative.
If teachers all voted Republican, I don't think any of this outcome would be different. The problem is much bigger imo--the movement to destroy the West as a democracy.
Again, I applaud you for caring enough about your country to comment like this. When one looks at the supposed adversaries of the US such as Russia and China, they are doing extremely well education-wise and especially in STEM.
Every generation raised with this bullshit cares less and less about how it affects them long-term, and how their pervasive ignorance and lack of civility spreads to affect everyone. No place is safe any longer.
People like you should run for union leadership, and clean house once you win. Use the power of the union to demand accountability from students and staff. Reclaim the high ground of standards in education. And in doing so, create enough resources to help those who really need it.
How sad, for all of us and our society. The "soft bigotry of low expectations" indeed!
A veteran teacher said, “We’re not giving the students an 11%. They’re earning an 11%."
Yes, that was my line:
"Why'd ya give me a 27?"
"Well, I didn't give you anything. You earned it."
Passing students who have no right to pass (aka grading on a curve) is why we have young men standing around on street corners scratching their crotches, or driving loud cars, or yelling all night. And why we have young women having babies at 16 years old.
Or getting into college, flunking, blaming everyone but themselves, and resorting to defacing monuments dedicated to people who actually made the world a better place.
Blame the educators, social workers, and politicians whose misplaced sympathy for students put them on the road to failure.
I’d be more concerned (and my mom taught in LAUSD - E LA - for 25 yrs) if this weren’t the result of teachers voting D, women (the overwhelming majority of teachers ) voting D, and teachers paying dues to NEA & AFT that goes straight to D campaigns. Not penalizing failure or rewarding success are foundational D policies.
I think blaming teachers for voting Democrat is besides the point. (I don't vote Democrat for what it's worth.) This movement doesn't stem merely from Democrats. Republicans like Bush were critical in starting the movement downward in No Child Left Behind (aka No Child Moves Ahead!). This is rather a top-down state-corporate movement, a movement that most Democrats and *many* Republicans endorse. The ultimate goal, I believe, is to maximize public and charter schools as money-making spigots; to produce students who are indoctrinated, incompetent, dispirited, & dependent on the state; and to basically create chaos and dysfunction so that "emergency" state rule becomes even more imperative.
If teachers all voted Republican, I don't think any of this outcome would be different. The problem is much bigger imo--the movement to destroy the West as a democracy.
Again, I applaud you for caring enough about your country to comment like this. When one looks at the supposed adversaries of the US such as Russia and China, they are doing extremely well education-wise and especially in STEM.
‘ The Murder Machine. ‘
Absolute goddamn shame.
And what a useless, spineless "union" you have.
Every generation raised with this bullshit cares less and less about how it affects them long-term, and how their pervasive ignorance and lack of civility spreads to affect everyone. No place is safe any longer.
People like you should run for union leadership, and clean house once you win. Use the power of the union to demand accountability from students and staff. Reclaim the high ground of standards in education. And in doing so, create enough resources to help those who really need it.