tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628172601886929098.post2626836850522253335..comments2024-03-28T08:55:53.818-04:00Comments on Perdido Street School: MaryEllen Elia Left A Financial Mess In Hillsborough School Districtreality-based educatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01712885202661371924noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628172601886929098.post-90593723355750319612015-08-06T10:13:39.105-04:002015-08-06T10:13:39.105-04:00Shhhhhhh. Be calm. Relax. Contain the outrage at...Shhhhhhh. Be calm. Relax. Contain the outrage at why people don't care and that it isn't a front page story. There are reasons. <br />I tried to outline a big reason at 7:33AM above. There are reasons. <br /><br />If we are to be an effective counter to the reform movement/the enablers of reform supposedly on our side, we need to 1) stop being horrified/astonished/jaw-agape, and begin to GET IN FRONT OF these things, ANTICIPATE THEM. All the elements were in place as to why Elia's past hasn't bitten her....they were visible. NYSUT claimed her appointment was a victory right away. Everything was legible early on. No excuse for shock. 2) We need to begin to activate and take smart action against those reasons....for example, NYSUT saying it looks forward to working WITH Elia, rather than mounting a campaign against her immediately based on her past. <br /><br />We can take action against the REASONS why things happen. We just need to focus on that, rather than this chronically being behind the curve and being shocked every time something happens. We need to be sharp, on point, focused, and specific. We have to take these F'ers on one detail at a time. Too many think we can win by having defeating their broad arguments. Nope. We can only win by dismantling them in detail. <br /><br />Its our job to stay way in front of stuff and work towards never being shocked. Staying deeply informed is a political act. People chronically in shock can't win. No excuses for shock and horror anymore. Thats how NYSUT leadership rolls, and if we basically do the opposite as them, we'll be doing better.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628172601886929098.post-42185613615699753752015-08-06T09:57:58.144-04:002015-08-06T09:57:58.144-04:00No one seems to care! Why isn't this a front ...No one seems to care! Why isn't this a front page story? People talk so much about education but no one is doing anything! All gates people in hillsborough are just using this as a way to move up out of the classroom!!! Check out what evaluators do all day....watch and listen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628172601886929098.post-4213632155770790992015-08-06T07:33:51.169-04:002015-08-06T07:33:51.169-04:00The reason nobody knows any of this (except us fol...The reason nobody knows any of this (except us folks...a deep minority) is because NONE of the usual white blood cells whose job it is to know this stuff and make these issues part of the broader dialog DID NOT DO THEIR DUTY. Of course I am talking about the unions, most specifically NYSUT. <br /><br />One of NYSUT's primary roles in the landscape of politics in NY is to do better due diligence on everything related to the working teachers they represent, and scream loudly enough to make issues become part of the political dialog. Unfortunately NYSUT leadership sees their job as simply maintaining a "seat at the table." The leadership actually has a less sophisticated view of their role than most of the membership. <br /><br />With Elia, NYSUT was so quick to say that her appointment was a "victory" for us and that they looked forward to working with her, that there was no room for these real, verifiable, and abundant problems with her to come to light. <br /><br />We have this assumption that the media will somehow do the job of elevating issues for us. They will not. The state of journalism, especially at the state level on down, is abysmal, and even when whopper issues are reported (like Elia's past), we can't assume that the media, politicians, etc. will actually read stuff coming out of another state. ITS ONE OF THE REASONS WE HAVE A UNION!!! TO KNOW THIS STUFF AND BRING IT TO EVERYONE'S ATTENTION IN A LOUD SUSTAINED WAY!! That didn't work here. Its another COLOSSAL FAILURE ON THE PART OF THE PEOPLE WE PAY TO REPRESENT US!<br /><br />It was, in large part, NYSUT's JOB to know this stuff about Elia and make it loudly public. Where were the emails to membership about her past? Where was NYSUT saying that they oppose her for these reasons? Where were the constant letters to editors forcing papers within the state to bring these issues up? Where was the CAMPAIGN against her? NOWHERE. After all, that would look too much like FIGHTING!<br /><br />We need to abandon NYSUT and come up with something else....now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com