tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post7440246564381880904..comments2023-08-24T05:24:51.011-04:00Comments on PURE Reform: New teachers' contractQuestionerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04349071186140766778noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-76928881825473248102010-06-17T15:44:51.661-04:002010-06-17T15:44:51.661-04:00Scary and sad times in business and in health care...Scary and sad times in business and in health care as well. What is going on in education (PK-12 and also universities) is only a small taste of the future. People used to take care of each other...now we only take care of the paperwork or the computer file or the press release. Everyone look out for yourself, because its not cost effective to take the time to care.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-84344738756073595922010-06-12T08:44:58.342-04:002010-06-12T08:44:58.342-04:00Those who support performance pay for teachers - l...Those who support performance pay for teachers - like what it in this proposed contract - need to read this article.<br /><br />http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10163/1065247-298.stm<br /><br />Like SO many people, keep saying, this type of contract in schools does not create teamwork and collaboration. It creates panic and seperation. This one of MANY reasons why performance pay does NOT work in education. <br /><br />These are scary and sad times in education. Gone are the days where the people making decisions are actually concerned about the kids. Central Adminstration cares about money and test scores. Look at it this way...the employees who care the most about the kids are the teachers and they are the ones getting blamed for everything that has gone wrong in education.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-44311829455869970992010-06-09T20:18:42.623-04:002010-06-09T20:18:42.623-04:00And to dovetail to my last post, again I have to w...And to dovetail to my last post, again I have to wonder how any teacher in his or her right mind votes for the latest contract proposal. You are being asked to do much more with much less. You are being told that classroom discipline will be something you alone will take care of. You are being told to not stray from a curriculum which simply does not meet the needs of the kids. You are being told to teach without imparting personality--just stick to the script. You are being told that you will be judged by individuals who need to be coached as to what effective teaching is because simply put....they just don't know. And where recompense is concerned, you are being provided a few peanuts and told to like it. You will be asked to deal with a wider range of students than ever before, bringing issues to your classroom like never before, and you will receive no help in helping them to achieve.<br />As a carrot, we will have merit pay dangled in front of us, ironic in that it will be about as attainable as winning the lottery.<br />Administrators will reap the rewards and get the credit. You will remain status quo and get the blame.<br /><br />And some genius wants to call that "jealousy"???Old Timernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-73501132883885059822010-06-09T20:11:18.261-04:002010-06-09T20:11:18.261-04:00To those who are not in the know, those numbers wo...To those who are not in the know, those numbers would indicate an all-is-well, everything is beautiful view of what is going on in Pittsburgh Public Schools. But let's tip our hats yet again to the Roosevelt propaganda machine. He and his cohorts know that the numbers are reviewed and pored over, and as such a number of things happen to keep suspension numbers down:<br /><br />a) creative record keeping. Tell the kids to go home and cool off. Call it an early dismissal, call it anything you want. Just don't call it disciplinary action.<br /><br />b) put the kids in holding tanks called In School Suspension rooms. More often than not, the administrators in charge don't have a plan for this room, so it almost rewards the kids for disrupting classes. Hey, at least it's not technically a suspension<br /><br />c) don't do anything at all. Just send them back to class and write "counseled" or "warned" or "contacted home" on the return slip. We see this more and more.<br /><br />Administrators have been told to keep kids in school at all costs. Heck, many long time VPs will even tell you as much. Special Ed kids have even greater rights. They can only be suspended 15 days during a given school year unless the parent agrees to have them sent home. I've been in schools where VPs simply throw their hands up over these types of kids.<br /><br />In any case, PPS is all about PR. Tighten everything down and only allow nice news bits to filter through. I can just see Roosevelt and his administration cringe when the the truth oozes out---the fights, the disruptions, the true scenarios of psychological impairment that we as teachers see in our bathrooms as noted above.<br /><br />As long as we get all of these kids onto the pathway to the promise, all is well. Never mind the fact that their inflated grades don't jibe with their SAT or PSSA scores. That we can blame on the teachers.<br /><br />Questioner, before you attempt to find some middle ground in all of this, please note: there is none. You and the public are continually being treated to a sham before your very eyes, and it begins in the superintendent's office and filters down to a complicit school board that forgot its duty to taxpayers a long time ago.Old Timernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-64382853066550136452010-06-09T19:31:41.960-04:002010-06-09T19:31:41.960-04:00Students with behavior problems now acting up at C...Students with behavior problems now acting up at Clayton and not getting suspended as opposed to acting up in the schools and getting suspended.<br /><br />Students who get arrested and therefore are not suspended because they are locked up so there is no need to suspend them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-31185628132912963432010-06-09T19:29:53.440-04:002010-06-09T19:29:53.440-04:00Anonymous, your interpretation is correct.Anonymous, your interpretation is correct.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-44322525490070773962010-06-09T19:25:29.295-04:002010-06-09T19:25:29.295-04:00I am not clear on what those numbers mean Anon @ 6...I am not clear on what those numbers mean Anon @ 6:56. <br /><br />Does that mean that this is the total number of kids suspended in the district for that amount of days for that particular month?<br /><br />So, this April,80 kids were suspended between 4 & 10 days?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-57885041846098935132010-06-09T19:02:03.424-04:002010-06-09T19:02:03.424-04:00There are many possible interpretations. Disciplin...There are many possible interpretations. Discipline may be more lax, with some behavior that used to result in a suspension no longer doing so- OR schools may be working with kids to solve behavior problems before they lead to suspensions. And, falling enrollment may have a role.Questionerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04349071186140766778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-85201814229692392142010-06-09T18:56:17.517-04:002010-06-09T18:56:17.517-04:00Discipline and order. Safe and welcoming. Can an...Discipline and order. Safe and welcoming. Can anyone in the trenches explain the numnbers below to the uninformed?<br /><br />Just focused on number of students suspended from 4-10 days and got the figures from board minutes. <br /><br /> April 2010 80<br /> April 2009 105<br /> April 2008 106<br /> April 2007 129<br /> April 2006 161Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-45251526902133001132010-06-09T18:19:09.028-04:002010-06-09T18:19:09.028-04:00http://rauterkus.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2...http://rauterkus.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-06-03T09%3A09%3A00-04%3A00Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-36148799248617520632010-06-09T18:16:00.961-04:002010-06-09T18:16:00.961-04:00At the last EFA the superintendent alluded to expa...At the last EFA the superintendent alluded to expanding the duties of our school srcurity staff. I think it is covered in the final segment Mark Ruaterkus filmed and has on his blog. I will look for it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-82944126110179313932010-06-09T17:57:23.122-04:002010-06-09T17:57:23.122-04:00The need for safety is one issue that even the cur...The need for safety is one issue that even the current union leadership supports. So is there any chance of getting the union to require, in return for the changes the administration wants, a serious focus on safety? A good start- more security guards. Just because a school is "underenrolled" doesn't mean it can necessarily get along with just one security guard. In fact, an underenrolled school may actually need more security guards than some fully enrolled schools do.Questionerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04349071186140766778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-17477800650023558512010-06-09T17:40:50.500-04:002010-06-09T17:40:50.500-04:00I forgot to add - these fights all took place in t...I forgot to add - these fights all took place in the hallways and were not the students in my classroom. I needed that P.S. here because I am sure someone out there will reply by blaming me- the teacher - and my classroom management. I didn't know the girls. I had a good relationship with 2 of the boys in the hall which is why I thought they might listen to me when I tried to intervene. <br /><br />And these are only a few examples from one person. The amount stories that could be told about what happens on a daily basis would be staggering.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-82615025609408495932010-06-09T17:35:23.767-04:002010-06-09T17:35:23.767-04:00Lisa - I teach in the city and many of us are not ...Lisa - I teach in the city and many of us are not even allowed to bring our own kids into the buildings because of safety issues. Allowed by who? Allowed by administration. <br /><br />I broke up a fight a few years ago where I literally laid on top of a girl until security could break through the hundreds of kids to get in and help me. When security got to us, I got off of her and she threw the two fists full of hair she ripped from the other girl's scalp on the floor as they took her away (and not weave either-hair ripped out of her head).<br /><br />Same year, I tried to break up a fight that started out as a few boys. I got knocked down on purpose by a kid who was coming to help his friend. It was not accidental - I watched the video. He knocked me down and into the lockers. That fight ended up being 9 boys and the bloodiest fight I have ever seen. Three teachers ended up having to miss an entire day of work to go to court for that. What happened to the boys? Nothing. Slap on the wrist and most of them were back. <br /><br />I was told when I was pregnant by a student that he was going to kick me in my belly and kill my baby. <br /><br />My colleagues and I have been verbally abused and called about just about every name that exists and some that they made up. <br /><br />I worked in a building where a kid wiped his feces all over the walls. It was a mainstream building and he was not "identified" as having any issues or special needs. <br /><br />That is why my kids do not go to PPS. <br /><br />Ask Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. Tarka why they don't address school safety. That would go a long way to improving test scores and the kids' ability to learn!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-69410418163823063672010-06-09T17:18:15.207-04:002010-06-09T17:18:15.207-04:00Since the subject is the new teacher contract, I w...Since the subject is the new teacher contract, I will bring this discussion full circle. We are talking about the many things that are out of a teacher's control yet deeply impact a child's education. <br /><br />So, when we are developing programs, such as the new "opportunities" in the proposed contract, why do so many of those positions require more people to work with the teachers. Why not create programs within the schools that address more of the social issues that the students are struggling with? <br /><br />Rather than suspending a kid so they can sit at home and watch tv, sleep, etc, have a room within a building that has professional adults there to deal with the issues at hand. <br /><br />Use that money for mental health therapists, psychologists who provide therapy, counseling services, etc. <br /><br />Not this union, not this central administration...they just put it all back on the teacher. Create a position of "master teacher" to mentor and evaluate the new teachers. Create a position of team leaders who will now be another person to evaluate the teachers. Create a "turn around team" who will go in and work with who? Guess. Come on, you can do it. Yep. The teachers. <br /><br />EVERY teacher I know either comes early or stays late. EVERY teacher I know uses their own money to buy thing for their students - from food to supplies. EVERY teacher I know is in it for more than the money. <br /><br />This contract needs to give the teachers more support. It needs to give the kids more support. It does not need to create programs that are not fully developed yet. It does not need to offer money that some may or may or may not get. It does not need continue this new mind-set of "you are who we pay so you are who we can blame".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-16540478480282102872010-06-09T16:28:46.132-04:002010-06-09T16:28:46.132-04:00I am not suprised at all why teachers in the city ...I am not suprised at all why teachers in the city don't send their kids to PPS. I have never heard a parent say that they don't want their kids to go to PPS because of the teachers. I have however heard them say it's because they don't want their kids around the other kids who are constantly disrupting the quality education that could be provided. Again, it is a home issue that cannot be solved by teachers. I feel bad for the parents who actually care and opt to send their kids to PPS. If most of them knew what went on at the board level and how teachers are treated and what innane things come down the line...I shudder to think of the reaction. But no, let's just keep placing the blame on the teachers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-51355721260465684712010-06-09T16:25:44.090-04:002010-06-09T16:25:44.090-04:00Honestly, I'm sick of providing the handouts f...Honestly, I'm sick of providing the handouts for everyone. How about we just expect people to do what they're supposed to do? It is not the teacher's fault if a parent doesn't care, can't raise their child, does drugs, etc. Maybe that's too conservative, but as a person who came from nothing, I feel that it was my choice to rise up. Fortunately I had people there along the way (especially teachers) I could trust. Those teachers still exist today.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-25670329385396153422010-06-09T16:14:22.627-04:002010-06-09T16:14:22.627-04:00I'm going to stray from the comments of lisa a...I'm going to stray from the comments of lisa and Questioner to relate something I took note of today at my school: fear. It's the great motivator played by both PPS administration and the PFT. As stated previously, I cannot fathom any hard-working teacher of sound mind supporting a contract that does not provide even a cost of living increase. I try to walk a mile in the shoes of anyone who sees merit pay as a realistic alternative. And after going over to the top thread about the PPS student accused in a shooting, I read the last posting from a teacher who--like me--has seen his or her fair share of students killed, injured or incarcerated. The comments that come within that post are spot on: that even before the Roosevelt administration, a great deal of district finance was going to people NOT in the classroom. Now that we have a corporate approach with more administrators than teachers, a huge amount of the district's finances are going to pay individuals who do not even work with kids.<br /><br />Why?<br /><br />In light of this revelation, I have to wonder about fear. Why isn't PPS administration living in fear? Why don't taxpayers call them on careless spending? Why are school board members doing the bidding of their constituents and clamping down on outrageous administrative expenditures?<br /><br />A union can only be strong if it is unified. This contract is beyond horrible. Mr.Tarka should be made to get back to the negotiations table to hammer out an agreement which rewards individuals actually working with kids. He should seek to safeguard the best interests of his members. He should opt to strike if an impasse in negotiations should take place and truthfully, he should remember that his union number 3000 and that the villains here are PPS, not membership.<br /><br />Fear? Of what? Of who?Old Timernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-57405901065073433932010-06-09T13:52:45.401-04:002010-06-09T13:52:45.401-04:00There's a lot of space between just having ser...There's a lot of space between just having services available and FORCING people to attend! <br /><br />For ex, w/ the new science school- at one end would have been just making the school available, putting an announcement in the newspaper, and perhaps sending out a mailing. At the other end would have been requiring some students to attend. The middle ground was that Sam Franklin was in neighborhoods, handing out flyers, knocking on doors, engaging people in conversations, answering questions and encouraging applications.<br /><br />As for CYF- we hear that there are huge caseloads- they only get to the most urgent issues.Questionerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04349071186140766778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-5619804528643014022010-06-09T13:40:31.506-04:002010-06-09T13:40:31.506-04:00Individualized outreach sounds like forcing people...Individualized outreach sounds like forcing people to do something. Offering opportunities is wonderful, but people can still choose not to take advantage of them. <br /><br />We in the school district can not force/demand how people choose to raise their kids. Social services, CYF, etc exists to protect kids ...and they only step in for extreme cases. Mental health issues are the same. People only get attention when there is harm done to other people. Prevention is not much of an issue.lisanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-218377616164842142010-06-09T13:24:23.162-04:002010-06-09T13:24:23.162-04:00The success of Head Start at providing services f...The success of Head Start at providing services for 3-5 year olds needs to be picked up elsewhere for older children.<br /><br />Our libraries have all they can do to stay open- they do not seem to be providing meals, dental services, or extensive recreation. What services are available work best for the person who seeks them out, while what is often needed is individualized outreach.Questionerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04349071186140766778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-67441340304958683222010-06-09T13:18:19.340-04:002010-06-09T13:18:19.340-04:00Head Start programs and most public libraries prov...Head Start programs and most public libraries provide many of the above services already.lisanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-20413657740663192862010-06-09T12:59:37.007-04:002010-06-09T12:59:37.007-04:00Anon 9:47 wrote:
"Maybe Mr. Gates' repre...Anon 9:47 wrote:<br /><br />"Maybe Mr. Gates' representatives should ahve met with the parents having insights to help him develope a plan to improve. I think I might have said, "Hey, Bill if you want to see teachers improve let's help the kids improve by getting Dad a descent job and help him be supportive of his kids and his school."<br /><br />- We didn't get to meet w/ Mr. Gates, but did send a suggestion to the Foundation in October 2009- here it is below- no response.<br /><br />Sent to Gates Foundation in Oct 09:<br /><br />We thank the Gates Foundation for its willingness to invest in education in Pittsburgh.<br /> <br />Before a final decision is made on the form of the investment, we would like to make a suggestion: use a small portion of this investment to make a school in a poor neighborhood into a community center. The October 17, 2009 New York Times includes a letter describing an approach many of us here in Pittsburgh have favored for some time:<br /> <br />"How about turning schools in poor neighborhoods into year-round community centers, with health and dental services, nutritious meals, up-to-date libraries and computer labs, after-hours tutoring and recreation for children, and job training, counseling, recreation and educational classes for adults?"<br /> <br />Directing just a fraction of the investment would fund an exciting pilot project for the community center approach. We know that this is a long shot, but so was Microsoft itself.Annette Wernernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-80752758208711211972010-06-09T11:55:57.545-04:002010-06-09T11:55:57.545-04:00Many PPS teachers I have known through the years h...Many PPS teachers I have known through the years have sent their children to private schools. I have always been disturbed by that fact.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-54033471666116171652010-06-09T11:08:47.919-04:002010-06-09T11:08:47.919-04:00Those who live outside the district may send their...Those who live outside the district may send their kids to the closest school so they can be w/ neighborhood friends. As for PPS teachers living in the district- no big surprises, most likely- Dilworth, CAPA, Allderdice most likely. A lot used to go to Schenley and may now choose Obama. <br /> Schools that are not chosen by board members and their families, community and government leaders, district administrators and most likely teachers are the less diverse schools (even if those schools were planned as "flagships," like Milliones).Questionerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04349071186140766778noreply@blogger.com