Parenting Skills 101

Okay, so I am walking in my neighborhood and as I approach a house I hear a very angry youngin holler "I want to go outside! Why can't I play? Let me go outside!" Dad's response? "Well you can't, so just shut your mouth!" AHHHHHHH! Do not tell your child to shut his mouth!!!!! This is very bad parenting. This is not excusable. This is just simply wrong. Dad could have said, "Hmmm, where did my little boy go? My little guy would never scream at me like that." Or maybe, "I can tell you're upset but until you can speak to me appropriately I can't answer you." Another response might have been, "Well I know you want to go outside, but it is time for a bath now, so you can play more tomorrow if you can behave tonight." Dad even could have said, "You are making me very mad right now and I have no patience left, so I'll just go in the other room while you finish your tantrum." But the very worst thing he could say, he said. Poor little boy.

Shirts for sale! Shirts for sale! T-shirts come in Men's and Women's S M L for $12.00. XL and XXL for $14.00. Youth S M L and Toddler sizes are $10.00. Pick your size and color. Shipping is extra and I encourage group orders to lower that cost! Pick up and local delivery is also available for free! If you think all the testing that the reformers are advocating that does nothing to improve education, but will put money in the pockets of those involved in the testing industry is assinine, then wear a shirt that says so. If you are a public school employee or student who is proud of what we stand for, then wear a shirt that says so. If you are a survivor of any trial, then wear a shirt that says so. If you are simply fabulous, then wear a shirt that says so! This is a start up business, I don't have a business website or a way to collect payment other than the old fashioned way, you send me a check, I get you a shirt! You can order by calling me if you are friend and know my number, by responding to this posting, private message me on facebook, or email me at rose42benn@comcast.net. Phone numbers and addresses can be exchanged and your shirt(s)will be on the way! If you are interested, then please spread the word!

I am tired. I am as tired as anyone else who is sick of hearing about educational reform. I am tired of preaching to the choir. I am tired of trying to get new songsters to realize they are in danger. I am tired of trying to convince my well intentioned friends that the rich business people and the politicians do not know more than I do about the field of education. I am tired of hearing busy parents tell me how unfair they think the treatment of teachers is, but they don’t know what to do about it. I am tired of busy parents blaming teachers and agreeing with the politicians while ignoring the fact that their student has a role to play in his or her own education. I am tired of being tried in the media, being reviled by the media, being made to look downright stupid by the media and not once being given a platform by the media. I am tired. Here are some points to ponder as they relate to the widening topic of educational reform.  Teachers studied to be teachers and while they do benefit from mentoring and guidance they do not need expensive packaged programs that direct how they teach.  Teachers are people first, not insensitive automatons. They actually care about their students.  Teachers are not overpaid.  The Peter Principle is alive and well in education as it is in politics.  Parents do need to hold themselves accountable for their children’s education.  Students do need to do their homework.  Students do need to actually learn the lessons being taught and not just passively take in information. This requires independent study.  Teachers do need to realize that just presenting information is not teaching; truly a college educated person is not needed to tell students what it is they need to learn.  Teachers need to demand that students think, this is much more difficult than giving a lecture or assigning an assignment.  Parents need to allow teachers to demand that their students think.  Students need to demand that their teachers make them think.  Grades should not be that important as they reflect not what a student actually knows but only what the student has been able to demonstrate that he or she knows.  Test scores should be used to provide information on what was intended by the assessment, and not be the instrument that decides that anyone is a success or a failure. A test shows a moment in time, not a lifetime of learning or achievement.  A test score cannot define a student, a teacher, a school, a district, a community, a city or a state; none of these can be summed up by multiple choice questions.  A multiple choice question does not account for a difference of opinion nor provide the platform to engage in discourse to explain one’s rational for their opinion.  In the classroom, in education, being wrong should be okay. Learning only happens when mistakes are made. If I know it; I do it right. If I am learning it, I need to try. Trying means that mistakes will be made. With the way education is being approached, is it any wonder students just stop trying?  What happens when students stop trying? We all fail.  Let teachers teach.

New Year

I believe it is better to be rich than to be poor. I believe that those who are rich, and I mean really, really rich, don't care at all about the poor. I believe that we are being trampled on by leaders who grew up not wanting, not needing, and not being taught to care at all about the plight of so many. I believe that to be really, really rich means that you are completely out of touch with the reality of the majority of citizens who are in need of so very, very much. I believe that we are never going to be a country of equality because greed has become the ominous sound of love for those who would be in control and are in control. How did we get to this? How did we go from President George Washington who was a farmer who went back to his fields when his term was done, to career politicians who live to preside and preside to control? I don't know. But, I know it is better to be rich than to be poor. I know this because even though the rich are mean and ugly inside, and selfish, and godless, they decide. I believe that those of us who sit somewhere in the middle are going to continue to be steered toward the precipice of poverty and will indeed be struggling always. I believe that the American Dream is just that, a dream that can no longer be achieved. There surely was a time in this country of ours when those at the bottom could aspire to and climb their way to the top, but unfortunately those who have always been at the top have decided that there is no room, and they have crushed the dream and stomped on it like a burning cigarette that threatened to burn the tip of their precious little finger. So, I believe it is better to be rich than to be poor. I believe that those who are born into wealth will always be better readers, better students, get better jobs, have more opportunities, get into better colleges, have better self esteem, will be more stylish, will be the stars of the teams, will not be sick as often and when they are will get better care so they will also live longer. They will continue to be in control because they can afford to buy their seats at every level of government, because that is what government has become, a buy your seat at the table of "Yes I've arrived, what the hell do I do now?" If you are comfortable financially, with your personal relationships and or with you own self then it is easy to be complacent and think that you will continue to have a "nice life." You may think my belief that it is better to be rich than to be poor is either completely obvious or ridiculous, and either way, not how you want to greet the new year. Well I can't greet the new year with all that fabricated hope that we will all be better off somehow because well, it's a new year! I can't usher in 2014 with the idea the we as Americans are going to be okay because well, it's a new year! I believe it is better to be rich than to be poor. There are so many more poor, very poor, and utterly without, than there are those who are comfortable, and those who are well off, and those who are rich, and those who are very, very rich. And those who decide have decided not to try and change that. The one for sure thing I can say about what is in store for 2014 is that it is better to be rich than to be poor. Welcome 2014, and to end with a positive, may those who need be given. Rosemary

I came up with an idea quite a while ago to develop products around the concept of Yes I am... With the educational climate being what it is, and being an educator, I decided I wanted to make a statement. I came up with a T-Shirt that says Yes I am... on the front, and more than a test score! on the back. I have been wearing mine proudly to school and will continue to, everyday. I seriously plan to wear my shirt EVERYDAY. I am mad as hell, I am not going to take it anymore, and I am more than a test score, and this is my way of shouting it! I believe teachers need to wear this shirt, and students of all ages need to wear this shirt until those mandating that testing define us get that it doesn't! I am so much more than a test score! Every student is so much more that a test score! We need to stop the nonsense that is going on in Lansing and in Washington. We need to stop this madness, and that is what it is. I used to think that it was just ridiculous, the idea that a test score, a number that tells nothing about what a student actually understands or what he or she doesn't, was causing so much havoc in the world of education, but it has gone beyond being just ridiculous, it has become damaging. The idea that a test score, a number, that gives no information concerning what an individual student really understands or doesn't understand, has become the way we decide which teachers are good and which teachers are not, has become the way we determine which students are "college and career" ready and which are not, is unconscionable. What does an ACT score of 16 tell you? What does an ACT score of 24 tell you? It tells me that overall, the student with the 16 tested less well than the student who scored 24, but it doesn't tell me why. It gives me no indication of how "ready" the student is for life after high school. I know students who scored quite high on the ACT and I know students who scored low, I also know which of these students are more prepared to be successful after high school based on many factors that have nothing to do with their test score, but you can't put that information into any data machine. So if you agree that a test score does not define you, does not define any student, than order one of my shirts. The cost of the shirt is $13.00 which includes tax. I am only just beginning this start-up so I will need you to leave me contact info at rose42benn@comcast.net You can order most any color, sizes are small, med. lrg, & XL, men's or women's. Shipping charges for orders of 10 or more - free, so get with your colleagues, otherwise shipping in the U.S. is $3.00. Yes I am... more than a test score!

This is an open letter to Governor Rick Snyder and the Michigan Legislature. I am a public school teacher, and when I walked out of my building at the end of the 2011-2012 school year I felt battered, abused, confused and angry. I knew that myself and my peers were professional, resourceful, hard working, diligent, knowledgeable, caring, and committed yet we had just spent a year trying to do our jobs while the educational system was in complete disarray thanks to your work at “reforming” and “reinventing,“ and we were being told that it was all our fault. I hoped that over the summer sanity would return to Lansing and those making the decisions as to how public education should be reformed would see the mess they were creating and stop the nonsense. Alas, no sane person materialized and things only got worse. I spent the 2012-2013 school year trying to make sense out of a complete breakdown of this glorious institution that was created to form a knowledgeable citizenry able to benefit from the right to pursue happiness. I know what you are doing. I know that you do not care about the children of this state, so when you utter the words “it’s all about the children” you make me want to throw up. When you say that giving more money to the schools is not the answer I want to slap you up side the head and yell “You lying sack of doo doo, of course you know that adequately funding school districts will improve them and make it possible for all students to have the opportunity to achieve!” How do I know this? Well first of all, and probably the most in your face example is the fact that Governor Snyder, your children attended Greenhills, a private school in Ann Arbor that cost 18,000 dollars a year. It was acknowledged that that amount was not enough to provide the education that your children and their classmates deserve so fundraising takes place to get the additional money necessary to educate them in the way you, and the parents of their peers, want them to be educated. How can you tell the people of Michigan, with a straight face, that its not about the money? Glad I could work that in, now to continue with how I know that you all don’t give a damn about the kids you profess in your speeches to be working for. If you cared about the children of this state you would not be cutting the programs that directly aid the ones whose parents need assistance. If you cared about the children of this state you would be acknowledging that there is a crisis in mental health care and much needed facilities to help those suffering from problems that the schools are not equipped to fix. If you cared about the children of this state you would care about their mothers and not be circumventing their ability to get the medical care they need. If you cared about the children of this state they would not be considered “human capital” and therefore just another cog in the wheel of capitalism. If you cared about the children of this state you would be consulting those who are educated in child and adolescent development as well as those of us who teach these children everyday, as you seek to improve the educational system and not those who will profit from the additional testing you advocate for and the increased reliance on technology in schools that will also bring profits to those in that industry. If you cared one bit about the children of this state you would be doing everything in your power, and boy do you have power, to eradicate the villain that is the root of all of the educational problems, POVERTY. But you don’t care, not about the children of this state. I feel it is important to point out that with all of the quick changes, the lives of teachers have been greatly impacted. I am trying to remain articulate here, but my inner voice is demanding to be heard and is screaming “You are decimating people’s lives and you do not give a damn! How do I know you don’t give a damn? Because you keep passing laws that wipe out teachers’ jobs and put them in the unemployment lines creating stress that transfers to their children who now will have their ability to learn impacted and their tests scores will go down and it will be the teachers’ fault so you will have more reasons to point your fingers, close more schools and put more money in the pockets of the vultures waiting to pounce and reform their way to prosperity. So I am about to begin a new school year, I know that it will not be better than the last school year, it will in fact most likely be far worse. It will be worse because we are again faced with legislation that will demand things of us that we cannot produce because it is all happening too fast, and those at the top are more confused than those of us in the trenches. Those of you who are legislating know nothing about the daily job of educating the children you profess to care so deeply about, so you cannot begin to comprehend how your laws will impact their educational future, but then you just don’t care either. You are on a mission to make public education obsolete, to further divide students economically, to create opportunities for those with money to profit in the arena of education, and because your children will find success because money produces opportunity, you simply do not care about the rest of the children of this state.

Okay, I tried to have this make sense but it is all backwards. I believe it is worth the effort of reading backwards though. The post that follows this is Stephen Henderson's reply to the post about my granddaughter. Next is my reply to him and the one after that is what started it all! So, scroll down to the post about my granddaughter if you haven't read it yet, then Henderson's reply, then mine. I promise you it's worth it. Your comments are welcome and appreciated. Having fun again!

Stephen Henderson, Free Press Editor, responds to my communication to him.

Good grief. What a ramble. I’ve covered schools, and reform, for 20 years – in Kentucky, Detroit, Chicago and Baltimore. I’ve spent more time writing about education than anything else, that’s for sure. The most pernicious untruth I’ve ever come across is the idea that “poor kids can’t learn,” or kids without stable parents can’t learn. The second most pernicious untruth is that test scores don’t matter. Or that they matter less than other measures of learning. Bubkus. And if you believe that, then you ought to believe that we should get rid of public schools altogether. I do have kids, and I expect the schools they attend to teach them whether I’m rich or poor, whether I read to them or not. That’s the point – public schools were invented as a great equalizer in this society. I agree we don’t fund them properly to achieve that, and they aren’t structured the right way, either. But the idea that we expect too much of schools is infuriating. The idea that we expect too much of teachers is infuriating. We expect too little – of everyone..

Bubkus? I can only guess the meaning of the word. Where do I begin? Well, first what I wrote may have been lengthy, but it was not a ramble. I did not digress but stayed on point. Secondly, writing about education is not the same as being an educator, so please do not confuse the two. I can write about doctoring until the cows come home, but you wouldn't want me prescribing for your ills. Thirdly, where did I write or even insinuate that poor kids or kids without stable parents can't learn? I wrote no such thing. I made the point that children enter school with different backgrounds and some beginnings are more advantageous to learning than others and this fact needs to be recognized and accounted for. Those who would dismiss this reality are the ones who embrace pernicious untruths. Fourth, I never said that test scores don't matter. I wrote that legislating that teachers be evaluated as being effective or not based on standardized test scores will not "reform" education. Give me meaningful test data that actually tells me what a student can or cannot do and I will run with it! And yes, standardized test scores do matter less than other measures of learning. It would be like a doctor (to go back to my previous analogy), looking at the weight of a patient and declaring him or her to be unhealthy and in danger of expiring without the additional data of the previous weight of the patient, the cultural expectations of weight for the patient, the current life situation of the patient, or the overall health of the patient. Fifth, I am totally lost when you state "And if you believe that, then you ought to believe that we should get rid of public schools altogether." What is the 'that' you are referring to? Sixth, I too expect schools to teach kids whether they are rich or poor. I am not sure what in my writing gave you the idea that I didn't believe this, please do me the courtesy of pointing it out. Seventh, children who are read to will (and statistics backs this up), have an edge up on children who are not read to. The Free Press I believe, does a book drive for children who have little access to books and for good reason. And teachers do endeavor to teach all children in their class. I have never seen a teacher tell a child, who appeared to be unread to, to leave the room. Eighth, yes public schools were created, not invented, to be the great equalizer of society. Created means to cause to exist, to bring into being, to originate. The purpose of public schools when they originated was to produce knowledgeable citizens of good character with leadership abilities. Today's politicians would invent, which can mean to fabricate or make up, schools that do no such thing. Ninth, we agree! You say that schools are not funded properly to achieve all that needs to be achieved. So why don't you take our elected officials to task for that? Hasn't Governor Snyder cut funding to public education drastically? You go on to say that public schools aren't structured the right way either, meaning I think, structured to be an equalizer. How are all of the "reforms" being pushed on public schools equalizing anything? Asking all children to do the same thing on the same day and get the same results or be deemed a failure, is I think, asinine. Finally, you say that the idea that we expect too much of schools and teachers to be infuriating, well I find that infuriating! I will tell you that everyday I witness teachers who give all they have to help their students succeed. I have held crying teachers in my arms as they wonder how they have been unable to help some of "their kids." I have stopped by teacher's rooms long after the day has ended and said "go home, you have a family." I have watched teachers collaborate on lessons in order to make sure they are reaching all kids and giving all kids a chance to be successful. I have prayed for teachers whose health has suffered due to the pressure they find themselves under. And the idea that you find that we should expect too much from our schools to be infuriating, I will go on record to say that a public school is only as good as the community it supports and is supported by. You want a good neighborhood public school, then be an advocate for what it wants to achieve and make your children measure up to its expectations. Now to end this, let me post a link to a very interesting article that will be well worth your time. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/05/15/what-if-finlands-great-teachers-taught-in-u-s-schools-not-what-you-think/

My Granddaughter and Educational Reform

My granddaughter is really smart. I am not saying this to brag, but I repeat, my granddaughter is really smart. I am saying this to try and make the point that what matters when it comes to how well a child will do in school has everything to do with how that child approaches the task of learning. Children who have been born to mothers who were able to provide them with nine months of nourishment, protection and a sense of comfort, will undoubtedly enter the world better equipped than children who lack this while in the womb. Children born to parents equipped intellectually, emotionally and financially to care for them will be kept from physical and emotional harm, and will have the provisions necessary for physical and mental growth. Children who have been given the opportunity to explore their world, to have their natural thirst for knowledge quenched and to therefore seek more learning, to have felt safe on this journey, will upon entering school have a greater chance of finding immediate academic success then children who have not been so lucky. To have immediate success fosters the desire for more success, and this transfers to a feeling of accomplishment that enhances self-esteem. Having a good feeling about yourself allows you to take risks, taking risks results in learning. So why is my granddaughter really smart? Well she definitely was well taken care of while she developed beneath her mother’s heart. She came out healthy and strong. Her parents are educated, mature, and have enough financial security to provide her with the necessities of life; food, shelter and clothing. Her parents and her extended family also know the importance of books, music, talking, playing, hugs, kisses, questions, answers, seeking, finding, laughter, comfort, boundaries, feelings, caring, and literally can’t get enough of her and she us. At five, she has a sense of self that is allowing her to soar as she enters the world of school. She had her Kindergarten screening the other day and yes siree, she is ready to begin. Her status at this point has everything to do with the fact that she was born into a family with the means to foster her development. She is ahead of the game, ahead of her same age peers who haven’t been as fortunate. I am not bragging. I am trying to make the point that our government refuses to recognize the fact that a child’s beginnings plays a vital role in how well that child will perform academically in Kindergarten, and if nothing damages them, all through school. Perhaps I should say that our government refuses to legislate so that all children will have the beginnings that my granddaughter has had. It is far easier for them to sell our children and grandchildren to the highest bidder and let special interest groups who will then finance the campaigns of the current officials who would let our children and grandchildren be sold down the river, make a profit than it is to do the right thing. It is always harder to do the right thing. When you hear those in power say that our children come first, don’t you believe them because if they did, all of the children of this state, of this country, would have their Kindergarten screenings show them ready to begin. Instead, our state and our country, have more and more children not ready to begin and if their circumstances don’t change they will most like always struggle to just catch up. Our legislators would have you believe that if they just mandate a more “rigorous curriculum” (which by the way is creating a profit for numerous business people), and give parents more choices for their children’s educational experiences (like charter schools that make money for numerous business people and on-line opportunities which again are providing a profit to numerous business people), and evaluate teachers based on their students’ tests scores (which provides a profit to testing companies, evaluation consulting firms, and software moguls while it decimates careers and wrecks havoc in schools on a daily basis), that the achievement gap will close and all children will graduate high school college or career ready. None of these “reforms” will make up for poverty, a lack of parenting skills, basic needs not being met, or living in an environment that is unable to stimulate a child’s natural curiosity and enable the child to gain the sense of self needed to soar. Now here is the real frightening part about the changes taking place in education today that those in power would have you believe are in the best interest of our children, they will, in my opinion, do the greatest harm to those children ready to begin! How? By making school not a place of discovery and exploration on a path to formulating thinking skills but factories whose only goal is to turn out “human capital,” thus taking the brightest of our children and reducing them to automatons. This is how I perceive so many of the reforms being pushed on today’s students, I see George Orwell’s 1984 happening fast in 2013. It scares me to death and it should scare you. I am not going to let some politician, who has come to like his job too much, sell my granddaughter down the river. If you have children or grandchildren, I hope you will really educate yourself and not be blindly led down the reformers’ path. Rosemary

Dian Ravitch

Well, I made Diane Ravitch's blog, pretty exciting! So I do have a business. I have a T-shirt idea, actually it is more than an idea, it is being made. The front says: Yes I am... and the back says: More Than A Test Score! I figure teachers and students will want to wear it to exclaim our dismay at being reduced to data that doesn't encapsulate us. Let me know if you would want one as I need to order in bulk. I don't have a payment method yet, really a novice here! Rosemary

Postal Worker Analogy

Do me a favor and scroll down to and read the other post first! Thanks. Another whimsical look at stupid legislation regarding how teachers may be paid. The postman walked into his house, dejected, kissed his wife and sat down. “What’s wrong?” his wife asked. “Well, I didn’t get much of a paycheck again this week.” “Oh, no.” his wife lamented. “What went wrong this time?” Now a neighbor was visiting and piped in “Didn’t you deliver the mail? If you delivered the mail then you should get paid.” “Of course I delivered the mail.” the postman answered. “I am very good at my job and deliver the mail through rain, snow, sleet, and even hail, but it isn’t enough to deliver the mail, I only get paid if the people get their mail.” “For crying out loud, what sort of sense does that make?” Of course the people get the mail if you deliver the mail, and your pay should be based on that.” Do your job and the people will get their mail and you will get your pay, for Heaven’s sake.” The postman looked at his wife and they both just shook their heads. What the neighbor said would of course seem to make sense to anyone but a postman, but a postman knows there is a huge difference between delivering the mail, and the people actually getting their mail. The former is completely in the postman’s control, but the latter he can do nothing about. “Tell me what happened.” his wife said as she sat down beside him. “Yes,” the neighbor sneered, “tell me how the people didn’t get the mail that you delivered.” “Well,” began the postman, “On Monday, because of the heavy snowfall, Mrs. Smith couldn’t get from her porch to the mailbox, you see her son was sick and didn’t get our to shovel her drive. Had I known, I would have taken the mail up to her door, but her son is so good about keeping a path to the mailbox shoveled that I didn’t think he wouldn’t get it done.” I did take the mail up to her door on Tuesday, but on Monday, although I delivered her mail, she didn’t get her mail.” “But that’s not your fault” said the neighbor. “You shouldn’t not get paid because the old lady couldn’t get to her mailbox! You delivered the mail to her mailbox for crying out loud!” “Doesn’t matter. The legislature passed a law that says we only get paid if the people get their mail.” “Well that’s just asinine!” “Oh never mind,” the wife stammered, “What else went wrong dear?” The postman looked sadder than ever and continued. “Remember Mr. Jones, the young man who found out he had cancer? Well, he had been in remission, and he seemed to be getting stronger. I was so happy he was doing well. I noticed on Tuesday that the mail hadn’t been picked up since Friday, so I got out of my truck and trudged up to his door. I knocked and knocked but no one answered. Finally the lady next door peeked out and told me that poor Mr. Jones had been taken to the hospital, she was getting his mail, but hadn’t stepped out since Saturday. So even though I delivered Mr. Jones’s mail, he didn’t get his mail. I told his neighbor that as long as the weather was bad, I would bring her mail and Mr. Jones’s mail up to her door. She was very grateful but said that that wouldn’t be necessary as she was leaving for Florida at week’s end and she had put a hold on her mail. She didn’t know what Mr. Brown planned to do about his mail.” The neighbor was incensed. “So you aren’t getting paid because someone you delivered the mail to can’t get his mail because he is in the hospital? And he won’t be able to get his mail for some time, so you won’t get paid for delivering the mail to his house?” What kind of a world are we living in for crying out loud?” The postman and his wife looked at each other and shrugged. “A damn crazy one.” They both uttered, and the postman continued. “On Wednesday I delivered the mail as I always do to the office complex on the corner of 5th and Main. Tuesday’s mail was still in the box and I just hung my head, thinking here’s another one who didn’t get the mail I delivered, why? I felt so inadequate, I didn’t know how else to deliver the mail to this office so they would get it. I looked into the window of one of the rooms in the complex and saw no signs of life. Just then a maintenance person came out of the door and I asked him why the mail hadn’t been picked up. “No one’s here anymore. They’ve all up and left.” And with that he left and so did I. More mail delivered that the people didn’t get because they couldn’t stick around long enough to get it.” “You’re tired.” the postman’s wife said. “I will get you some dinner, just go relax.” “Relax?” the neighbor screamed. “How can he relax? Why are you putting up with this? You’re delivering the mail, it isn’t your fault that some people aren’t getting their mail.” “No, it isn’t his fault, but if he raises a stink he puts himself at risk of getting an even worse evaluation than what he will be getting based on the percentage of people who aren’t getting the mail. It’s bad enough that he loses pay because even though he diligently delivers the mail, some people just can’t get it right now. He needs to keep this job, every post office is the same right now, there is nowhere else for him to go.” The neighbor now was the one shaking his head, “I had no idea. I thought you had such an easy job, just get up, go to work and deliver the mail and if you do it right the people will get it. I didn’t realize there were so many factors involved in people getting what you deliver that you simply can’t control.” The postman hung his head, but then brightened a bit. “It could by worse. He said. “I could be a teacher.

More legislation impacting how teachers may get paid.

So there is yet another bill being considered by Michigan's legislatures that will impact how teachers are paid. If passed, new teachers will see their salary based solely, yes solely, on student growth. Nothing else will matter, not how long the teacher has taught, not the advanced degrees the teacher possesses, not the teacher's effectiveness in any other area, only test data will be used to determine pay scale. Pretty damn scary. Thought I would compare this idea to the old doctor analogy, and then after this little post I have compared the situation to another much loved government employee, the postal worker! The doctor told his receptionist that he would no longer see sick people. Astounded, the receptionist asked “Why?” The doctor’s response was short and to the point “Because if I see sick people and they don’t get better, then I won’t get paid.” He continued. “You see our legislatures just passed a law that makes me not only responsible for my treatment of my patients, but holds me accountable for everything they do in life and everything others to do them. So I may diagnose their ailments correctly, and I may implement the proper course of treatment, and they will start to get better, but so many factors that are out of my control could be detrimental to their continued progress. The receptionist couldn’t quite figure out what could possibly stand in the way of a patient’s improvement if indeed the doctor was a highly effective doctor and diagnosed correctly and then put the proper course of treatment in place. The doctor explained. Well, I am highly educated and keep current on all of the research and best practice in my field. I am thorough when I examine my patients and take care in my recommendations for treatment. I engage my patients in their own recovery, and make sure they understand the importance of following through on what I have told them. I even make sure they come back to see me regularly so I can monitor their progress.” The receptionist was more confused than ever by the doctor’s explanation because if he did all of this, how on earth would his sick patients not get well! The doctor continued “Once the patient leaves my office, I have no control over what they do, or what others do to them. If I have an obese patient and his partner likes to cook highly caloric food, I can’t swoop in and throw his plate in the garbage. If I have a patient who needs rest but her children are ill and up all night, I can’t send her a substitute to stay by their side all night. If my patient would benefit from exercise but sees that to mean walking from the couch to the refrigerator, I can’t make him join a gym.” The receptionist was beginning to understand and said “Why would our legislatures pass a law that holds you accountable for what you cannot control?’ The doctor just smiled, shook his head and sadly said “I do not know. I have been trying to make sense of this assault on my profession. I can’t believe that our elected officials, those who have the interest of our public at heart, would want doctors to be no more, to be replaced with imposters who might stay in practice for only a year or so, never becoming seasoned and thus able to diagnose and treat the most difficult cases. But what is really hard for me to understand is that so many people know that what is being done will so harm patients for years and years yet they say and do nothing, perhaps thinking that because they are not sick, none of these laws will have an impact on them. I want to ask them, remember when we had teachers?” Rosemary

Hard to believe that I haven't written anything since April; that's what happens when the zest you had for life, the contentment you felt for what you have, the security you were enjoying and counting on, just goes down the drain. Things changed. The end of the school year was filled with disillusionment and a feeling of real remorse. I was saddened by the events happening in education and quite bewildered by the attacks on teachers. I was never so glad to have a school year come to an end, and I had high hopes for a summer of relaxation and forgetfulness. I was neither able to relax nor put out of my mind all of the ignorance and injustice that was going on politically. For the first time I had a real understanding and compassion for those who have ADD and ADHD because I was unable to focus for any length of time, to complete a task started, or to take myself through the process of accomplishing the simplest things I set out to accomplish. I tried all summer to just relish in my family and be thankful for my blessings in the hope of rediscovering the feeling of happiness that was just a natural part of my existance not so long ago. Didn't happen. There was always that dark cloud of discontent and confusion keeping me from being able to fully enjoy the many moments spent with family and friends that ordinarily would have been down right blissful. Summer ended; I won't say I entered the new school year with a positive attitude, but I did make the decision to be more compliant. I did not want to leave at the end of the day being frustrated and angry when that which was to blame for those feelings was beyond my control. I needed to feel happy. It's not working. Here's the crux of my problem; there are two major issues being ignored by all of our elected leaders and those who hope to be elected. The first is poverty. It is real, and it is keeping a multitude of children from ever seeing their true potential. I was watching a news show not long ago where a guest said that America is the land of opportunity for those who have money. This statement is true, and it is time everyone acknowledged that money equals power becuase it affords you opportunities. So if politicians really want to reform education and close the achievement gap then they need to address the issue of so many (and it is rising), children living in poverty. We need to take care of those who are needy, and we do that by providing assistance. That assistance does need to be more than a handout. It needs to be long term programs that afford change in communities, and this takes commitment to the ideals of a society that believes in the common good and not just what is good for me. What makes this most difficult is that for some reason we have come to see altruism as a form of volunterism by ordinary citizens instead of the role of those who govern. The second issue is that of accountability. Those who legislate would like the public to believe that teachers are soley to blame for the failure of our students. The general public, which includes students and parents, would like to believe this too. Without meaning to offend, it isn't true. I don't know when we became a society of "it's not my fault" but we did. I do know that in education and parenting circles in decades past we were admonished for destroying the self esteem of our children by expecting them to own their choices. We were basically led to believe that if our students or children failed, we had not prepared them well enough to make decisions that would not result in discomfort. How assinine! We are still paying the price for this ridiculous notion, and it seems to be escalating instead of going away. We live today in a world that would not have even been imagined by our grandparents, and there is no way we can fathom what is ahead for the generation of children that follow us, so we do them no favors by allowing them to believe that the choices they make have no consequences. The more our students, our children, are saved from failure the less they learn, and the less they learn the more vulnerable they are to failure. This reality needs to not only be recognized but embraced. As a teacher, I have not failed my students if they do not pass a test, but I have failed them if they are given to believe that their failure is due to me. To legislate success as deemed by a test score without acknowledging effort and desire minimizes the power of an individual to overcome his circumstances, and leaves way too many behind. This blog posting has been a journey for me and a bit of stream of consciousness writing. I thank those who have seen it to its end! I do feel that I am back, but I am not the same. Change, however, allows for growth and that is a good thing. Rosemary

Okay, a new name for my blog, a new look, and a new direction. Why? Because I am tired of worrying about my financial future. You see, I have been sharing the sacrifice under the current Michigan legislature and I am being targeted to take even deeper cuts to my finanial well being. The federal government majority is also taking aim at me, and they aren't requiring the same amount of sacrifice from those with an income that dwarfs mine. Since as a teacher I can look forward to a continued loss of income, I have decided to find a way to supplement that income. I have decided to start a business. Details to follow. Here is some information you should have in case you didn't see it in the paper. "As Congress was set to reconvene on Monday, House Republicans said Mr. Romney could go his own way on smaller issues that may help define him as separate from his Congressional Republican Counterparts. But, they said, he must understsnd that they are driving the policy agenda for the party now." And there's more! "We're not a cheeleading squad," said Representative Jeff Landry, an outspoken freshman from Louisiana. "We're the conductor. We're supposed to drive the train." And there's more! "Both Mr. Romney and House Republicans plan to increase spending on defense, and both have promised to cut tax rates and slash the deficit. That means sharp cuts to domestic spending. The Ryan plan would cut domestic programs under Congress's discretion, including education, law enforcement, and health research." So the train with all of the Republican conductors is speeding down the track that will put more money into fighting wars with foreign countries while turning our country into a land of ignorance, increased crime, and increased illness! We are no longer the land of opportunity but the land of dismal outlook and despair. Unless, you're super rich! Rosemary

Rosie's Ramblings #4 Another short one

Out with friends this afternoon laughing and catching up so now I am ready to veg on the couch. Laughter really is the best medicine, I feel relaxed and happy. I suppose the beer helped too, and now the wine! Oh, well it's a good night, may I have many many more! You too.

Rosemary

Rosie's Ramblings #3

I am going to try to post something everyday. Two years ago, when I started this blog I was very committed and posted faithfully. Last year, I started out with zest but lost my zeal. This year it is back to commitment and passion. Tonight I must get back to picture ordering so I will just say this; 2011 ended on a good note with family and friends celebrating new beginnings. 2012 will be a good year, I feel it and today I heard it. New grandchild's heart beats strong! Here's to new beginnings!
Rosemary

Rosie's Ramblings #2 Happy New Year.

I am my mother. I never thought that I would be proud to say that, but I am. Here's the thing, my mom was smart. My mom knew more than we gave her credit for, and we should have listened to her more. Now, I know this is the way it always goes, in life the one we find annoying and who makes us crazy becomes this saint who could do no wrong, when gone. That's not quite the case here. I still can recall my mother's every flaw, but now I do realize that I was often wrong in my feelings and my reactions to her. She may have been flawed, but she was not wrong as often as I told myself she was. My mom could definitely make me mad, but I should have been more patient, I should have been kinder. If she were here today would she get on my last nerve? Yes, I suppose she would. Would I resent having to spend time with her because she wanted to be with me? Yes, I suppose I would. It isn't until the person isn't here to get on your last nerve that you are so sorry you didn't always appreciate them or take the time to just enjoy being with them. I am my mother. Happy New Year and may this be the year that you find out who you are.
Rosemary

Rosie's Ramblings # 1 Wedding Reflections

Spectacular, that's what the wedding was. My daughter, Andrea, was the most beautiful bride ever, in a dress that was simply remarkable. It took just shy of one year to put together what was a day and a night to remember. It started with Andrea's hair and makeup, then slipping into pure lacy elagance and becoming truly a vision. Photos at the house, beaming, smiling, full of hope and promise, and looking lovelier than she has ever looked. Off to church, meeting and greeting guests while she stayed cloistered, waiting. So many family members and friends came to witness the nuptials, and I felt blessed by this. The church was full as was my heart. Then the moment, arm in arm Andrea with her dad coming down the aisle, she looking so poised as her father gently led her to her new love, and he then stepped back to let her future husband lead her forward. When a wedding is being planned all the details seem to be about the reception, but the marriage takes place before the party and it is the real celebration. Thanks to Father Ron, and Andrea and Joe wanting a marriage, not just a wedding, the service was fulfilling and meaningful. There was a full Mass, good singing, traditional readings and vows, candle lighting and flowers to Mary, a real wedding, a true marriage and then on to the party! I was anxious to see the room. Andrea knew how she wanted it to look, we had orchestrated her vision with every small detail. We had chosen the venue based on its beauty, we had worked with the florist to create what was in Andrea's mind. She had selected her colors, the chairs and centerpieces to create an ambiance of elegance and grace. I entered the room, not yet opening its arms to people, just being there. It was perfect. It was my daughter's vision. It was absolutely beautiful. I knew she would be enamored by her surroundings and that the night would be exceptional. It was. It started with toasts that bore tribute to a solid union between two very much loved individuals who were now one. When Andrea and Joe took the floor for their first dance as man and wife, all knew this was right. When Andrea danced with her dad, well there is no purer love, no words to describe the feeling of holding on while letting go. And then the party began in earnest, thanks to Andrea's cousins who are just so fabulous! The cousin's dance was the icing on the cake, it just made an already perfect beginning to a memorable evening that much more special. Then the night flew by. We danced, we drank, we laughed, we hugged, we drank, we danced, we laughed. Family and friends together, celebrating a beginning. For Andrea, I believe it was a night that was a dream come true. Her vision of what she wanted her wedding to be became a reality. For me, well, it was just spectacular, like my daughter.

Rosemary

Have you had enough yet?

If you think the country will be a better place for you if those currently trying to rule this country win, you're wrong. If you think the country will be a better place for your children if those currently trying to rule this country win, you're wrong. If you think the country will be a better place for your grandchildren if those currently trying to rule this country win, you're wrong. I am sure you are wrong because everything they do is to benefit only one group, and you are probably not a part of that group, your children are losing opportunities to ever aspire to be part of that group and your grandchildren won't know that opportunities to be part of that group ever existed. It used to be that if you were an honest laborer and you worked very, very hard you had an opportunity to reach a level of great wealth. How often have you heard a very rich person say that they started from nothing? But now, they want to give those who already are rich the power to stay rich and get richer by taking opportunities away from the hard working laborer. Like by taking jobs away, and cutting pay, and asking the hard working people to pay more, and taking health care options away, and asking hard working people to pay more for less, and taking away the freedom to bargain for a decent wage and decent working conditions and basically making us all slaves. Please don't take offence to that, a slave is one forced to work for nothing and treated with disdain, and that's what we are all becoming. Now our children are even worse off because if they are lucky enough to get a job, they sure as hell won't do anything to lose that job, so they will work really, really hard for very little pay and be treated with no respect and thank someone everyday that they are working and won't think at all about the possibility of being rich. And our grandchildern will watch their parents work really, really hard for very little pay and know that they will do the same. OR THEY WILL STAND UP AND SAY NO MORE AND WISH LIKE HELL THEIR PARENTS OR GRANDPARENTS HAD DONE THAT AND FIGHT LIKE HELL TO LIVE THE AMERICAN DREAM WHICH WAS SNATCHED AWAY BY A GROUP OF SELF RIGHTIOUS EGOMANIACS WITH NO CONSCIENCE WHO CARED NOTHING ABOUT THIS COUNTRY BUT CARED A GREAT DEAL ABOUT THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR WHICH THEY HAD PLENTY OF AND COULDN'T STAND THE THOUGHT OF HAVING TO GIVE ANY OF IT UP OR NOT BEING ABLE TO GRAB MORE!!! I will say one thing for those who are trying to rule this country, they are smart enough to know that what they are putting through will take years to undo, and when it is finally undone, because our grandchildren will win, they'll be dead, or dying, or too damn rich to care.
Rosemary