tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post1734501619544852440..comments2022-05-30T03:51:07.594-07:00Comments on Last Stand for Children First: The Save Our Schools March: Why I Won't Be MarchingLast Stand for Childrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18266241688105748545noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-19068180356625631392011-08-01T11:32:18.841-07:002011-08-01T11:32:18.841-07:00What a complete joke. Are you for real? That panel...What a complete joke. Are you for real? That panel is an exercise in complete right-wing pandering for more elitist corporate in-roads to privatizing education. Why don't you people just come out and say it? Why are you hiding behind a smokescreen of how you "think" education "should" be or look like? Have YOU stood in front of a classroom in the inner city and worked daily with children who live in poverty? Yes, I have tutored my kids, and run a homework club, and fed them breakfast, and yes, my hands are dirty and my fingernails are broken. I've driven them home, picked them up, held conferences at their homes. What exactly have you done? Watched a TV program? A movie? People like you who think they know everything about what teachers should think, feel, be paid, teach, say, not say, do, not do, or whatever, BETTER have the experience to back it up. Well, DO YOU?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-68318646162205449762011-08-01T06:46:39.697-07:002011-08-01T06:46:39.697-07:00please point to a single person in your justice le...please point to a single person in your justice league that has EVER been in a classroom. a room full of presidents and CEOs of companies is not going to fix the problems in our schools. the minute someone actually starts listening to teachers is the minute things will start to change for the better. we've had almost 10 years of business reform in schools, and it just keeps getting worse. this is not the change we need.melissa pattersonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-21961837812519125062011-07-30T14:11:57.551-07:002011-07-30T14:11:57.551-07:00Satire isn't on the test, so I get why some fo...Satire isn't on the test, so I get why some folks didn't get it. Great job!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-42724600076177719332011-07-28T07:36:20.691-07:002011-07-28T07:36:20.691-07:00You honestly haven't a clue about what goes on...You honestly haven't a clue about what goes on in education today. Go volunteer in a city school for a month or two. You won't need to watch TV and movies to understand what is happening. Aren't you whining about teachers in your piece? The difference is that your whining comes from an ignorant perspective.<br /><br />The suggestion that a panel of business/political leaders will have a wealth of good ideas about how to improve US education is laughable. That, and people that no idea what they are talking about regarding education having a say in decisions is the source of the problem, not the solution!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-5884370754126764042011-07-27T16:35:07.956-07:002011-07-27T16:35:07.956-07:00This panel is so smart I anticipate a cure from th...This panel is so smart I anticipate a cure from the common cold. I only wish they had included some Republican Congressional leaders in case someone has a question about teaching...or someone needs some coffee. I'd write more, but its evident that people are more interested in talking than reading! Reading should be required for teachers...like during every weekday at 10AM during summer vacation. <br />Keep up the good work and providing the last line of defense for children. Without you, they might have to depend on a teacher! LOLRob -Brownstownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15696353564250339724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-15060684515928362032011-07-27T10:50:51.061-07:002011-07-27T10:50:51.061-07:00Señorita Clegg said...
Are you serious??
Um...Señorita Clegg said...<br /><br /> Are you serious?? <br /><br />Um, no. She's not. Get a clue, people.Jeff Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15895564801086046789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-62894341002356865982011-07-27T10:44:21.787-07:002011-07-27T10:44:21.787-07:00I've been had... For a few minutes, I didn'...I've been had... For a few minutes, I didn't realize this was pure satire! Great work!<br /><br />(And thanks to commenter Nancy Flanagan for breaking my bout of fury.)MisterRogershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02721896921426845544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-65274383426621298682011-07-27T07:43:36.746-07:002011-07-27T07:43:36.746-07:00The people on the round table have no actual educa...The people on the round table have no actual education experience, right? But you think their combined brilliance and success still means they can solve education's problems? In theory, doesn't that mean this round table could solve absolutely any problem, whether with the economy (can this roundtable fix the debt problem?); the military (what's the roundtable's opinion on Don't Ask/Don't Tell?); foreign policy (have they solved the Middle East yet?); health care (how long before their cure for cancer arrives.....????); ad nauseum.....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-42139770066330903962011-07-26T20:32:58.354-07:002011-07-26T20:32:58.354-07:00Do all of you outraged commenters *really* not gra...Do all of you outraged commenters *really* not grasp that this post is pure satire?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-18938012484356971912011-07-26T18:49:20.112-07:002011-07-26T18:49:20.112-07:00There is a group of students who a very lucky to s...There is a group of students who a very lucky to spend their day with such a humorous teacher. Sadly, someone at Stand for Children could have written this piece with a straight face. I know, since I had virtually this exact conversation with a Stand community organizer after her 3 year career in the classroom.stephen millernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-51340492039976669272011-07-26T17:44:36.543-07:002011-07-26T17:44:36.543-07:00Monica:
You will appreciate my daughter's stor...Monica:<br />You will appreciate my daughter's story. She graduated this year from a prestigious private university here in the California Bay Area, earning a Masters with an elementary teaching credential. She student taught for an entire semester, and was just hired for a job as a Master Educator in Washington D.C. where she will observe teachers in their classrooms and rate them according to an evaluation tool that has been devised there. <br /><br />She is a little concerned about her modest amount of actual classroom experience, but I have assured her that we didn't spend a mint on her "West Coast Ivy" degree to allow her to indulge in any self-doubt. If she can complete a Masters of Teaching in a year-and-a-half, she can certainly learn how to implement a checklist evaluation tool. She has a degree from an institution that will open doors, and allow her to close a few doors on some mediocre public school teachers. From this first job, she's a mere hop and a skip to something in the policy world I'm sure. Anyway, since she is just getting settled in D.C., we have advised her to stay out of the sun and forgo the SOS March. <br />Love your blog...West Coast CFOnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-77770073620819651152011-07-26T15:13:21.350-07:002011-07-26T15:13:21.350-07:00The fact that so many of the comments are from tea...The fact that so many of the comments are from teachers who were unable to detect the satire in this piece, along with the critique of Obama, is really depressing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-19950164213070350082011-07-26T12:38:42.105-07:002011-07-26T12:38:42.105-07:00Seems to me like she's on the right track here...Seems to me like she's on the right track here. I wish I knew more about the solutions she has for the rest of us in the education field.Jose Vilsonhttp://thejosevilson.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-29534307630671924462011-07-26T11:45:01.100-07:002011-07-26T11:45:01.100-07:00I have to say sorry to many of you that have poste...I have to say sorry to many of you that have posted comments so far, but Monica is right! Who knows better what should be happening in education than rich people? They have proved that they are successful and know how things should work. You don't need education experience to be an expert on what should be happening in education. So back off of Monica, she knows what she is saying! <br /><br />Having a good teacher in the classroom can overcome poverty, hunger and all social ills. I cannot think of any examples of that right now, but they must be out there if great people like Michelle Rhee, Bill Gates and and Arne Duncan say there are. I've taught school for 30 years and won awards for my teaching and more importantly my students have won awards too ... I'm just not a great teacher, that is why my students don't score really high on tests. So instead of blasting poor Monica, just help make the Last Stand For Kids! I know I am.<br />Thanks Monica!Stan Forquidshttp://www.learningismessy.com/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-88122291430216274962011-07-26T11:19:12.639-07:002011-07-26T11:19:12.639-07:00Are you serious?? You praise Obama for the members...Are you serious?? You praise Obama for the members of the educational roundtable he collected that include absolutely no one actually IN education? You seriously want to support people who know NOTHING of how kids learn to be making decisions and affecting policy? If that's truly how you feel, then you are among the people of this nation supporting the status quo, making education a business proposal and simply wanting to make students conform, pass a test and be mindless robots. Congratulations.Shannon Clegghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02050732326062044888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-29624299063524771382011-07-26T11:17:44.389-07:002011-07-26T11:17:44.389-07:00Wow. A TV show? That's how we know about good...Wow. A TV show? That's how we know about good teaching?<br /><br />I suppose you judge your doctors by the standards set on General Hospital?<br /><br />You know it all after "almost" one year of teaching? <br /><br />Calling teacher action "whining" as if they're five years old and need a nap? I whole profession?<br /><br />Wow. <br /><br />Really?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-50602740619053495392011-07-26T10:44:52.671-07:002011-07-26T10:44:52.671-07:00You taught for ALMOST ONE YEAR and believe that ex...You taught for ALMOST ONE YEAR and believe that experience allowed you to fully appreciate and understand the challenges that teachers and students confront every day?! You actually typed that and hit enter? As the daughter of two public school teachers I take great offense to this. It’s insulting not only to my parents, but to the outstanding group of public school educators who taught my brothers and me from grades K-12 (by the way, we all went on to graduate from excellent four-year universities.)<br /><br />My mother has been a 4th/5th grade teacher for 34 years, while my father has taught at the same high school now for 35 years. They care deeply about their students and take their jobs very seriously. I assure you they are no whiners and certainly not greedy.<br /><br />Over the years I have spent countless hours working with my parents in their classrooms after school and on the weekends and volunteering during class hours and on field trips when time permits. When my mother and father are not in the classroom teaching they are grading papers; preparing lessons; attending professional development conferences; helping out at school dances, bake sales, and other extracurricular activities. For the past 6-7 years, my mother helped organize and run a track team at her school--an activity for which she is not paid but simply enjoys doing and believes is beneficial to the students.<br /><br />My mother has also had to drop off many of her students home after school either because their parents and guardians are working or because they simply "forget." My mother and father may not have cooked dinner for their students, but that's because they had THREE children of their own at home. Imagine THAT—teachers have families too! <br /><br />How dare you denigrate the work that our public school teachers do. Your post was thoughtless, uninformed, and simple.Shirleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-78080394417904261662011-07-26T10:32:55.959-07:002011-07-26T10:32:55.959-07:00Hey! Everybody! Calm down! She was being satirica...Hey! Everybody! Calm down! She was being satirical. I wasn't going to post, but 90% of you didn't catch it!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-59954056368898809192011-07-26T09:45:11.631-07:002011-07-26T09:45:11.631-07:00Holy Batman..... I stand for Children First every...Holy Batman..... I stand for Children First every day I have walked into my classroom for 24 years. I cannot stand for others who have no education experience telling me HOW to do my job. Walk a mile in my shoes baby!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-51604202634603920402011-07-26T09:42:27.486-07:002011-07-26T09:42:27.486-07:00Holy Batman..... I stand for Children First every...Holy Batman..... I stand for Children First every day I have walked into my classroom for 24 years. I cannot stand for others who have no education experience telling me HOW to do my job. Walk a mile in my shoes baby!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-81649640368118566182011-07-26T09:13:53.578-07:002011-07-26T09:13:53.578-07:00I think this is a joke. Just look at the profile p...I think this is a joke. Just look at the profile picture above. No one could be that ugly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-10280647383357090982011-07-26T08:05:37.629-07:002011-07-26T08:05:37.629-07:00Sorry Monica, but let's face it, you were a ne...Sorry Monica, but let's face it, you were a newbie.<br />Not only that but you've drank the kool-aid.<br />All those people you are so impressed with are entrepreneurs, they make money, nothing wrong with that, but it is not teaching.<br />You are a lieutenant, right out of ROTC, talking to combat veterans, you don't have the chops.Greg Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11183967274808166704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-46321389563292332662011-07-26T07:43:56.395-07:002011-07-26T07:43:56.395-07:00Even though I've been a classroom teacher for ...Even though I've been a classroom teacher for 12 years, my sarcasm detector still works. Well done.matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03084770136264584295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-20595296628253380702011-07-26T06:45:24.932-07:002011-07-26T06:45:24.932-07:00I have been in the classroom for 24 years in a rur...I have been in the classroom for 24 years in a rural school and I do stand for children first. When I started teaching, I quickly learned both what a joy it was to work with teenagers and also what a thankless job it was to the rest of the community. I learned how to navigate around clueless administrators, opportunistic politicians, and self-serving district staff members. I learned to deal with parents who complained I gave their students too much homework and I did my best to inspire apathetic high schoolers. It was my dream that teaching would gain respect and teachers would be looked upon as members of a profession, not secular nuns and priests who can be patronized and discounted because they have a "calling" and, bless them, they can do more with less. Now, towards the end of my teaching career a bunch of corporate elitists have started this witch hunt. Well, no more shutting my classroom door and making do. I'm not taking this anymore. And that's why I'm going to march.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4220475602876188146.post-12769989832604781712011-07-26T05:24:07.797-07:002011-07-26T05:24:07.797-07:00Hmm. I guess you can see the comment thread here a...Hmm. I guess you can see the comment thread here as proof that things are so bad, all sense of skepticism and nuance (not to mention satire) has disappeared. Yikes.<br /><br />And The Wire? Seems to be the inspiration du jour for do-gooders everywhere:<br />http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teacher_in_a_strange_land/2011/07/let_them_eat_pie.htmlNancy Flanaganhttp://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teacher_in_a_strange_land/noreply@blogger.com