teachers Archives – https://ezkool.com/category/teachers/ Sun, 08 Nov 2020 03:12:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://ezkool.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ezkool-logo-75png.png teachers Archives – https://ezkool.com/category/teachers/ 32 32 12773863 Education’s Dirty Little Secret https://ezkool.com/2015/11/educations-dirty-little-secret/ https://ezkool.com/2015/11/educations-dirty-little-secret/#respond Sun, 01 Nov 2015 23:33:54 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=60710 The week began with the president saying that there was too much emphasis on testing in schools.  In the middle of the week, the New York Times published a story about Success Academy Charter Schools that, among other things, noted the following: The network serves mostly black and Hispanic students and is known for exacting […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2015/11/educations-dirty-little-secret/feed/ 0 60710 The Best and Brightest Have Let Us Down https://ezkool.com/2015/02/the-best-and-brightest-have-let-us-down/ https://ezkool.com/2015/02/the-best-and-brightest-have-let-us-down/#respond Sun, 08 Feb 2015 23:38:56 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=57911 I get very tired very quickly when I hear that we need the best and brightest to become classroom teachers in the United States. For one, it’s incredibly insulting because it assumes that the teachers we have now in public schools are somehow subpar, which is not true. Further, it also assumes that the elite […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2015/02/the-best-and-brightest-have-let-us-down/feed/ 0 57911 PARCC Storm II: Sunshine Peeks Through https://ezkool.com/2015/02/parcc-storm-ii-sunshine-peeks-through/ https://ezkool.com/2015/02/parcc-storm-ii-sunshine-peeks-through/#respond Sun, 01 Feb 2015 17:11:00 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=57729 Another week, and more snow is expected in the northeast. There’s more over the PARCC testing storm as well, but this time, there is a ray of sane sunshine. Here in New Jersey, State Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan Jr. (D-Middlesex), chairman of the Assembly’s education committee, has introduced a bill that would detail a procedure for […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2015/02/parcc-storm-ii-sunshine-peeks-through/feed/ 0 57729 The New Smart https://ezkool.com/2014/12/the-new-smart/ https://ezkool.com/2014/12/the-new-smart/#respond Mon, 29 Dec 2014 01:10:31 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=57017 Yes, I know it’s the holiday break and students and teachers across the country are off, but really, this is just the calm before the storm. There are only two more months until the new PARCC tests are administered. Then there’s a 6 to 8 week break. Then more PARCC tests will be administered. These […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2014/12/the-new-smart/feed/ 0 57017 Thirty Years an Educator https://ezkool.com/2014/11/thirty-years-educator/ https://ezkool.com/2014/11/thirty-years-educator/#respond Mon, 24 Nov 2014 11:20:51 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=56288 Thirty years ago today, I walked into York Preparatory School on New York’s Upper East Side for my first day as a high school history teacher. I had no formal training as a teacher except for my degree in History from Syracuse University. I had been working in advertising for a Madison Avenue firm that […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2014/11/thirty-years-educator/feed/ 0 56288 In Education, Teachers Must Lead the Way https://ezkool.com/2014/09/in-education-teachers-must-lead-the-way/ https://ezkool.com/2014/09/in-education-teachers-must-lead-the-way/#respond Tue, 02 Sep 2014 00:10:44 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=54414 Aside from the December holiday season, the back-to-school late August and early September rush has the most profound effects on the United States. Shopping patterns change, traffic gets worse, and the general tenor of every community shifts to accommodate the children and adults who work in education. Welcome to this year’s edition. Some things have […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2014/09/in-education-teachers-must-lead-the-way/feed/ 0 54414 The Test, the Whole Test and Nothing But the Test https://ezkool.com/2014/03/test-the-whole-test-and-nothing-but-the-test/ https://ezkool.com/2014/03/test-the-whole-test-and-nothing-but-the-test/#respond Sun, 09 Mar 2014 22:06:42 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=49012 At some point, I could see teachers having to not only swear allegiance to the United States and the state in which they live, but taking an oath to uphold the testing mania that is now in full swing across the country. This would be the only legitimate way for tests to become an accepted […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2014/03/test-the-whole-test-and-nothing-but-the-test/feed/ 0 49012 Teaching, Unions and Social Justice https://ezkool.com/2013/12/teaching-union-and-social-justice/ https://ezkool.com/2013/12/teaching-union-and-social-justice/#respond Mon, 09 Dec 2013 01:27:39 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=45586 Giving of course my humble opinion, I believe we are at the high water mark of the anti-union, pro-market-force, evaluation-by-testing mania that’s gripped education. Or I could be seriously deluded and education is going through a profound change that will see radically different protocols for years to come. Monday is the National Day of Action, […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2013/12/teaching-union-and-social-justice/feed/ 0 45586 Uh Oh: Christie Shows His True Color https://ezkool.com/2013/11/christie-show-his-true-color/ https://ezkool.com/2013/11/christie-show-his-true-color/#respond Mon, 04 Nov 2013 00:43:52 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=44495 If you haven’t seen the picture, here it is: This is Governor Christie scolding a teacher on Saturday for questioning his education policies. A full accounting of the event can be found on Jersey Jazzman’s site. But as always with this governor, the picture really tells the story. Here is a man who wants to […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2013/11/christie-show-his-true-color/feed/ 0 44495 But Zero Percent Confidence: Teacher Reform Gets Squishy https://ezkool.com/2013/05/but-zero-percent-confidence-teacher-reform-gets-squishy/ https://ezkool.com/2013/05/but-zero-percent-confidence-teacher-reform-gets-squishy/#respond Sun, 05 May 2013 23:27:10 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=34689 Imagine what would happen if the so-called education reformers knew what they were talking about. Could actually articulate a meaningful program that would improve teaching and learning. Didn’t have an agenda that blamed unions and teachers, and relied on privatizing the public schools. Imagine. Unfortunately, that’s not the kind of reform movement we have in […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2013/05/but-zero-percent-confidence-teacher-reform-gets-squishy/feed/ 0 34689 New Teacher Evaluations, Same Old Issues https://ezkool.com/2012/12/new-teacher-evaluations-same-old-issues5/ https://ezkool.com/2012/12/new-teacher-evaluations-same-old-issues5/#respond Thu, 27 Dec 2012 02:16:34 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=21421 While most of the rest of New Jersey was shopping and celebrating, I immersed myself in an article that shined some light on New Jersey’s new teacher tenure and evaluation law. The lesson? Principals, supervisors and other district evaluators are going to have to be crystal clear, honest and consistent in their written evaluations or […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2012/12/new-teacher-evaluations-same-old-issues5/feed/ 0 21421 Alternate Route to Undermining Teaching https://ezkool.com/2012/12/alternate-route-to-undermining-teaching8/ https://ezkool.com/2012/12/alternate-route-to-undermining-teaching8/#respond Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:34:09 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=21009 It’s not enough that the Christie Administration has bashed teachers as union mules and the source of New Jersey’s fiscal ills. It’s not enough that the governor has promoted private partnerships with public schools to avoid paying the state’s fair share of education aid to school districts in need of money. It’s not enough that […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2012/12/alternate-route-to-undermining-teaching8/feed/ 0 21009 New Jersey’s Teachers: The Envy of the Nation https://ezkool.com/2012/09/jerseys-teachers-the-envy-of-the-nation/ https://ezkool.com/2012/09/jerseys-teachers-the-envy-of-the-nation/#comments Tue, 04 Sep 2012 01:50:57 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=19040 And I ain’t makin’ that up, neither. In honor of back-to-school time here in the Garden State (I know that schools in other states might have started in August), it’s time for us to recognize the unparalleled job that New Jersey’s public school teachers do year in and year out. We consistently rank in the […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2012/09/jerseys-teachers-the-envy-of-the-nation/feed/ 2 19040 President Obama To Congress – Support My Plan To Rehire Teachers https://ezkool.com/2012/08/president-obama-to-congress-support-my-plan-to-rehire-teachers/ https://ezkool.com/2012/08/president-obama-to-congress-support-my-plan-to-rehire-teachers/#respond Sun, 19 Aug 2012 14:16:36 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=18824 How can we truly say we are the greatest nation on earth when we… well, when Republicans… continue firing Teachers – the people who are for the most part, responsible for our nations future. That was the message President Obama delivered in his weekly address, as he called again on Congress to approve one of […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2012/08/president-obama-to-congress-support-my-plan-to-rehire-teachers/feed/ 0 18824 Doubling Down on Stupidity Is The Romney Way https://ezkool.com/2012/06/doubling-down-on-stupidity-is-the-romney-way/ https://ezkool.com/2012/06/doubling-down-on-stupidity-is-the-romney-way/#respond Tue, 12 Jun 2012 23:27:03 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=17754 I have a sinking suspicion that Romney believes voters aren’t terribly bright. The main problem with Romney’s new line is that it doesn’t make any sense. “The federal government doesn’t pay for teachers, firefighters or policemen”? Well, actually, the federal government can provide resources to states and municipalities to either hire new teachers and first responders, or […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2012/06/doubling-down-on-stupidity-is-the-romney-way/feed/ 0 17754 Q. Are We Not Teachers? The Devolution of Education https://ezkool.com/2012/03/are-we-not-teachers/ https://ezkool.com/2012/03/are-we-not-teachers/#comments Mon, 12 Mar 2012 04:15:39 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=16127 We seem to have come to a critical point in the education deform movement. No, that’s not a typo: I don’t mean reform, I mean deform, because the people who want to use unreliable and faulty data to evaluate teachers and deny educators their negotiated due process rights are not reformers and never have been. […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2012/03/are-we-not-teachers/feed/ 1 16127 Education Reform: Baseball Bats to Bad Data https://ezkool.com/2012/01/education-reform-baseball-bats-to-bad-data/ https://ezkool.com/2012/01/education-reform-baseball-bats-to-bad-data/#respond Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:29:53 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=15010 Remember when Joe Clark was the face of educational reform? The former Principal of Eastside High School in Paterson, NJ patrolled the hallways of his out-of-control institution in the 1980s with only a bullhorn and a baseball bat, fighting poverty, gangs, crime and under-performing students as the face of urban education. His tactics were crude […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2012/01/education-reform-baseball-bats-to-bad-data/feed/ 0 15010 We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Teachers https://ezkool.com/2012/01/we-dont-need-no-stinkin-teachers/ https://ezkool.com/2012/01/we-dont-need-no-stinkin-teachers/#comments Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:57:18 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=14749 It’s simply amazing what happens when people get elected to statewide office. They seem to become experts on everything. Today’s Exhibit A is education, specifically in Idaho and New Hampshire, where the legislatures have passed legislation that not only threatens the role of teachers in their classrooms, but also undermines their expertise and reduces them […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2012/01/we-dont-need-no-stinkin-teachers/feed/ 1 14749 Class And The Classroom https://ezkool.com/2011/12/class-and-the-classroom/ https://ezkool.com/2011/12/class-and-the-classroom/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:22:39 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=14111 Why does it seem that money matters everywhere but in public education? Corporations spend lavishly to recruit the best workers and provide the most luxurious perks. The best places to live are in the wealthier suburbs that can pay for clean, safe streets. High end cars have the latest gadgetry and safety features. But public […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2011/12/class-and-the-classroom/feed/ 2 14111 Report – 400,000 Education Jobs Will Be Created If Republicans Agree To Jobs Bill https://ezkool.com/2011/10/education-jobs-will-be-created-if-republicans-agree-to-jobs-bill/ https://ezkool.com/2011/10/education-jobs-will-be-created-if-republicans-agree-to-jobs-bill/#respond Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:59:00 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=12354 If Republicans do the right thing and work with the President to get the economy going again through job creation, expect to see at least 400,000 education jobs saved or created because of the President’s $447 billion jobs bill. According to a report from Reuters, the bill contains “$30 billion for state and local efforts […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2011/10/education-jobs-will-be-created-if-republicans-agree-to-jobs-bill/feed/ 0 12354 President Obama – States Will Have More Flexibility In Fixing Education https://ezkool.com/2011/09/states-and-education2/ https://ezkool.com/2011/09/states-and-education2/#respond Sat, 24 Sep 2011 17:24:49 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=12076 In his weekly address, President Obama stressed the need for Education as it relates to job creating and maintaining oureconomic edge in the world. The President also spoke of the failures of No Child Left Behind, and detailed his Administration’s efforts to make sure education is a priority for students, and the American people. While […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2011/09/states-and-education2/feed/ 0 12076 Wisconsin Loses More Workers Because Of Scott Walker’s Policies https://ezkool.com/2011/08/wisconsin-lose-more-workers-because-of-scott-walkers-policies/ https://ezkool.com/2011/08/wisconsin-lose-more-workers-because-of-scott-walkers-policies/#respond Mon, 15 Aug 2011 23:35:28 +0000 http://ezkool.com/?p=10889 Remember when Scott Walker promised that the only way to get Wisconsin working again was to take collective bargaining away from public employees? Well apparently, even that was a lie, as Wisconsin isn’t working, they’re loosing jobs and Walker’s policies are to blame. The Associated Press reports; MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s statewide teachers union is […]

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]]> https://ezkool.com/2011/08/wisconsin-lose-more-workers-because-of-scott-walkers-policies/feed/ 0 10889