Union/Gov't Battles

[SubGod22]

Wisconsin awaits final vote on anti-union measure, standoff broken with parliamentary manoeuvr

The anti-union measure moved to the Assembly after the Senate used a parliamentary manoeuvr to pass the legislation Wednesday night. At a news conference Thursday, Walker said he would sign the bill into law as soon as it passed the Assembly.

The vote has already been delayed because security officials are preventing anyone from entering or leaving the Capitol building. Police were removing some of about 100 protesters who were blocking the way into the Assembly chamber. No vote can be taken until the Capitol building is open to the public.

AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka, leader of the country's largest labour federation, said the Wisconsin Senate action was a "corruption of democracy." The action has led to a backlash and created more solidarity in the labour movement.

Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, Trumka joked that unions should give Walker their "Mobilizer of the Year" award for galvanizing support for labour among thousands of protesters and in national polls.

[ShockBand]

BTW, my smaller numbers remark wasn't directed at class size, though proper class sizing and total load is an important issue IF education is to be more than just a points/grade factory. By smaller, I was intending to mean essentially more control and impetus at the state, and preferably local level. What is best for the burbs of Wichita is not necessarily what is best in the City of Wichita, and vice versa. Some things in education are global and scalable, others aren't.

On the pay/benefits side, I'm OK with giving up some things. BUT I also think there are corporate (and some personal) subsidies and exemptions that should go away as well. Make taxation more straight up and simple, with fewer ways to hide and shield and duck and dodge. I'm all for notions such as the Fair Tax or similar types of taxing mechanisms.

[Maggie]

Should the little bits view this? It is kind of fun - right?:

Andrew Klavan: Behold! Your Public Sector Unions at Work

[SubGod22]

And it's done in Wisconsin: Wisconsin Lawmakers Pass Anti-Union Bill as Police Remove Protesters

In a decisive blow to union power, Wisconsin lawmakers voted Thursday to strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from the state's public workers.

The state's Assembly passed Republican Gov. Scott Walker's explosive proposal 53-42 Thursday. The state's Senate approved it the night before after using a procedural move to bypass its AWOL Democrats.

Walker says he'll sign the legislation as quickly as possible.

"I applaud all members of the Assembly for showing up, debating the legislation and participating in democracy," Walker said in a statement. "Their action will save jobs, protect taxpayers, reform government and help balance the budget."

[RoyalShock]

Should the little bits view this? It is kind of fun - right?:

Andrew Klavan: Behold! Your Public Sector Unions at Work

:good:

[SubGod22]

Taxpayers Have Rights, Too

Watching the coverage of the big Wisconsin standoff, you could easily get the impression that it's all about the trampling of workers' rights. And individuals do, indeed, have the right to band together in pursuit of better wages and conditions. The problem is, the taxpayers who pay those wages also have rights, and those are the ones currently being trampled. Which highlights the real problem: When government does things, someone's rights are always crushed.

National Education Association president Dennis Van Roekel exemplified the focus recently, declaring that Badger State Republicans are "just attacking workers' rights... . They want to silence the public employees."

Framing this as a one-sided attack on basic rights seems to be working for unionists. In a recently released New York Times/CBS News poll, 60 percent of respondents said they opposed "taking away some of the collective bargaining rights" of public employees.

For one thing, there's the forcing of people as a condition of public employment to pay union dues. The law will end this egregious violation of individual freedom — the right to associate or not associate with others — but not having to plow money into their coffers is one right the unions absolutely will not tolerate.

Then there is the broader right: that of any taxpayer not to employ workers under terms he finds unacceptable. In other words, just as potential employees have the right to propose conditions for their employment, those who hire them have the right to make their own proposals and reject those they find unsatisfactory.

The solution to this is freedom: Let people decide for themselves with whom they will do business and under what terms, and everyone's rights will be on an equal footing. It would be an especially easy thing to do in education, where private schools already educate millions of children and would proliferate if they didn't have to compete with "free" alternatives.

Unfortunately, there are two major obstacles in the way: education politics, and the teachers' unions that dominate it. To equally respect everyone's rights, politicians would have to end the public schooling monopoly, setting both educators and parents free. But that would decimate union power, and all their current rhetoric about rights notwithstanding, unions would fight madly to keep that from happening.

[SubGod22]

Florida Governor to Sign Teacher Merit Pay Legislation

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida public school teachers would lose job security but could make more money if their students do well on standardized tests under a trailblazing bill that went to Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday after a party-line vote in the Republican-controlled state House.

The legislation will establish a statewide teacher evaluation and merit pay system in 2014 and do away with tenure for new teachers hired after July 1 this year. It also chips away at teachers' due process and collective bargaining rights.

Scott has made the bill a priority and it's the first legislation sent to the Republican governor since he took office in January. It's similar to legislation his predecessor, Republican-turned independent Charlie Crist, vetoed last year after statewide protests by teachers and their supporters.

[ShockBand]

Basing merit pay on standardized test performance is not a good idea, IMHO, as it will press teachers into doing things in the classroom for short-term gain (drill and kill worksheets and practice tests) rather than long-term benefit (critical thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving skills). This will especially be true in schools that already struggle on these standardized tests. We HAVE to get away from standardized single-shot testing being our ONLY metric, which it currently is in many states.

Standardized testing also presumes that most students actually care about their performance. Since poor performance on one rarely causes the student to be held back, I question how seriously many students take the tests. We move on too many kids who haven't mastered their current grade level, let alone the one above them (or behind them in some cases).

The system is broken, and I'm not referring to the bureaucracy, cronyism, and politically polarized aspects, though that doesn't help. The way we do school itself in this country is in serious need of retooling, but right now I don't think we have the nerve and fortitude it takes to dare to do great things. We have worried so much about pulling up the bottom that we have forgotten to push the top.

[SubGod22]

Basing merit pay on standardized test performance is not a good idea, IMHO, as it will press teachers into doing things in the classroom for short-term gain (drill and kill worksheets and practice tests) rather than long-term benefit (critical thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving skills). This will especially be true in schools that already struggle on these standardized tests. We HAVE to get away from standardized single-shot testing being our ONLY metric, which it currently is in many states.

I agree. But I'm all for some kind of performance system and I hate tenure. Bad teachers get protected and almost impossible to let go.

Standardized testing also presumes that most students actually care about their performance. Since poor performance on one rarely causes the student to be held back, I question how seriously many students take the tests. We move on too many kids who haven't mastered their current grade level, let alone the one above them (or behind them in some cases).

I know I never really cared. I knew I was smart enough to get a decent score. But I didn't really try to score high.

The system is broken, and I'm not referring to the bureaucracy, cronyism, and politically polarized aspects, though that doesn't help. The way we do school itself in this country is in serious need of retooling, but right now I don't think we have the nerve and fortitude it takes to dare to do great things. We have worried so much about pulling up the bottom that we have forgotten to push the top.

Amen.

To be honest. I was bored at school and my grades were lower than they should have been (got an occassional B and even C from time to time). One, for lack of trying. Two, because I rarely felt pushed. Only got comments from teachers that they knew I could do much better and be at the top of the class. Sadly, I felt most of the homework was rather insulting and a waste of time and didn't do a lot of it because I knew my test scores would always keep my grades way up.

[Maggie]

We have worried so much about pulling up the bottom that we have forgotten to push the top.

:good:

[Maggie]

Sadly, I felt most of the homework was rather insulting and a waste of time and didn't do a lot of it because I knew my test scores would always keep my grades way up.

Funny you write that….I was once in eight grade taking algebra. My parents were summoned to speak with my teacher, and with great reservation my Mother complied. You see, there was an “issue” with my class performance. The issue was soon made very clear (I knew ahead of time, of course), you see, I scored an average of 98% on all my tests; however, my homework grade was sub-40%. This perplexed my teacher – she seemed confused.

When asked to explain myself (which I was by my aggravated Mother), I said truthfully – the home work assigned is often divided between three or four separate problem sets. Given my “time constraints” at the time – I completed the first three or four problems and last three or four problems in each set. I ignored the rest – knowing that I had answered the simplest and most difficult – I felt everything else was a colossal waste of my time and quite frankly my instructor's time. Now – since my homework assignment was incomplete – I often didn’t see the point of turning it in. Hence, my poor marks.

Explanation complete, I was told by my Mother, with a wry smile (I knew I was not in serious trouble - she seemed amused), to complete my homework in full, period. This annoyed me greatly. A huge injustice in my mind – but at least I didn’t get grounded.

[SubGod22]

Sadly, I felt most of the homework was rather insulting and a waste of time and didn't do a lot of it because I knew my test scores would always keep my grades way up.

Funny you write that….I was once in eight grade taking algebra. My parents were summoned to speak with my teacher, and with great reservation my Mother complied. You see, there was an “issue” with my class performance. The issue was soon made very clear (I knew ahead of time, of course), you see, I scored an average of 98% on all my tests; however, my homework grade was sub-40%. This perplexed my teacher – she seemed confused.

When asked to explain myself (which I was by my aggravated Mother), I said truthfully – the home work assigned is often divided between three or four separate problem sets. Given my “time constraints” at the time – I completed the first three or four problems and last three or four problems in each set. I ignored the rest – knowing that I had answered the simplest and most difficult – I felt everything else was a colossal waste of my time and quite frankly my instructor's time. Now – since my homework assignment was incomplete – I often didn’t see the point of turning it in. Hence, my poor marks.

Explanation complete, I was told by my Mother, with a wry smile (I knew I was not in serious trouble - she seemed amused), to complete my homework in full, period. This annoyed me greatly. A huge injustice in my mind – but at least I didn’t get grounded.

That's funny. I almost always did my homework for math class just because I love math and could finish it in class more often than not. Hell, in HS I slept thru most of my math classes and my teachers allowed me because I had such a high grade and got my work done.

Now, in other classes that I felt were too easy, but I didn't enjoy, I had the same problem as you. Frustrated my teachers. Now, I wish my parents would have been more on top of me and my homework as it would have led to better study habits and simply put, scholarships. Problem was, everyone knew I'd get an athletic scholarship somewhere so nobody stressed the academic side as long as I was doing well and eligible. Illness took away the athletic side and everything else stayed the same.

I do wish my teachers and parents would have done more to push me and others like me. I had a few friends who were the same way.

[Maggie]

Sadly, I felt most of the homework was rather insulting and a waste of time and didn't do a lot of it because I knew my test scores would always keep my grades way up.

Funny you write that….I was once in eight grade taking algebra. My parents were summoned to speak with my teacher, and with great reservation my Mother complied. You see, there was an “issue” with my class performance. The issue was soon made very clear (I knew ahead of time, of course), you see, I scored an average of 98% on all my tests; however, my homework grade was sub-40%. This perplexed my teacher – she seemed confused.

When asked to explain myself (which I was by my aggravated Mother), I said truthfully – the home work assigned is often divided between three or four separate problem sets. Given my “time constraints” at the time – I completed the first three or four problems and last three or four problems in each set. I ignored the rest – knowing that I had answered the simplest and most difficult – I felt everything else was a colossal waste of my time and quite frankly my instructor's time. Now – since my homework assignment was incomplete – I often didn’t see the point of turning it in. Hence, my poor marks.

Explanation complete, I was told by my Mother, with a wry smile (I knew I was not in serious trouble - she seemed amused), to complete my homework in full, period. This annoyed me greatly. A huge injustice in my mind – but at least I didn’t get grounded.

That's funny. I almost always did my homework for math class just because I love math and could finish it in class more often than not. Hell, in HS I slept thru most of my math classes and my teachers allowed me because I had such a high grade and got my work done.

Now, in other classes that I felt were too easy, but I didn't enjoy, I had the same problem as you. Frustrated my teachers. Now, I wish my parents would have been more on top of me and my homework as it would have led to better study habits and simply put, scholarships. Problem was, everyone knew I'd get an athletic scholarship somewhere so nobody stressed the academic side as long as I was doing well and eligible. Illness took away the athletic side and everything else stayed the same.

I do wish my teachers and parents would have done more to push me and others like me. I had a few friends who were the same way.

Ha! I did the same thing in some classes. I would do the homework while the teacher was lecturing but at some point I was bored – I had had enough. But Math, please – once you understand the basic concept – all else follows. It was not rocket science, or at least, not yet (at which point I would probably be lost).

As an aside, I was always a “good kid”, “teachers pet” – heck I lived three homes down from my grade school on 11th Street (Price Elementary, at the time, and I could walk to my middle school, Coleman, if necessary) and I literately pounded erasers for my teachers during the summer months.

This conference was, at the time, a traumatic experience for me – I had never been “called on the carpet by a teacher” much less anything else. This was a first for me – and I loathed questioning my teacher, that, in my world, was not to be done. But still, for some reason, I felt justified in doing what I was doing, I felt my explanation was understandable (based upon the teachers I had had before)…and still do. But all the same, I was terrified about what my Mother might think – I had deviated from the “lesson plan” (which in all honesty I always did – first grade on), I was slacking off, etc. But this teacher was offended by my malfeasance, taken aback by my explanation – and it was the first time in my life I stood up to “authority” – shaking in my shoes. My Mother saved me that day for I didn’t get a coherent response (at least to my young ears) from my teacher.

I was fortunate enough to have teachers that pushed me but as time went on they became less and less involved – not only with me, but with all students. And during those years, I could care less.

The lesson: Family is the first school. Family teaches values.

[SubGod22]

...but as time went on they became less and less involved – not only with me, but with all students. And during those years, I could care less.

And that is the problem we need to find a way to address. I had plenty of teachers that cared and were good teachers. But more can be done. And not just for those like you and I were.

I also had some horrid teachers that couldn't teach a thing. One of them quit, the others hung around and continued to be bad and not teach anybody.

I wish I were more familiar with the education aspect of things and could offer more to that aspect of the discussion. I have plenty of friends and family in the business of educating the young minds in the area. Maybe I should bring some of this up to my sister-in-law and see what kind of verbal spat we get ourselves into. :)

[ShockBand]

I'd be finding you a project of some kind to put the material into context - its a great way to extend learning for the ones who get the fundamentals more easily. When I've done that with kids I actually smile when the project frustrates them a bit, as that indicates they are more likely to grow as they rise to meet the challenge.

Pushing students is hard work and not for the timid.