tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628172601886929098.post4653015096136046454..comments2024-03-18T18:11:16.829-04:00Comments on Perdido Street School: NYSED Commissioner MaryEllen Elia Threatens Legal Action Against Educators Who Support Opt Outreality-based educatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01712885202661371924noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628172601886929098.post-23845192630197371122015-08-25T20:31:13.823-04:002015-08-25T20:31:13.823-04:00Sign the petition by assemblyman AL Graf for the R...Sign the petition by assemblyman AL Graf for the Regents to fire Elia and reevaluate their stance on CC.<br /><br />http://www.fixnyschools.com<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628172601886929098.post-54293466698746612782015-08-25T20:22:41.079-04:002015-08-25T20:22:41.079-04:00At the risk of repeating myself Elia is John King ...At the risk of repeating myself Elia is John King with an estrogen pump. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08125018774502675730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628172601886929098.post-16713838205812054532015-08-25T16:27:28.623-04:002015-08-25T16:27:28.623-04:00Elia is acting unethically by promoting abusive te...Elia is acting unethically by promoting abusive testing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628172601886929098.post-79951496289005721892015-08-25T11:22:30.379-04:002015-08-25T11:22:30.379-04:00There are quite a few teachers who are parents who...There are quite a few teachers who are parents who are actively promoting opt outs in the districts in which they live by running local opt out FB groups and holding informational meetings, among other things. Is Elia really going to come after us? Are we acting "unethically" because we are encouraging opt out for children other than our own? Elia should put some guideline out there so it can be addressed before she comes after us because the truth that I won't be stopped. That's my hometown, and it's my civic duty to support my schools. It's my right to do whatever I can to ensure that my child and all the children in my district get a great education. Doing nothing would be unethical, in my opinion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628172601886929098.post-65299397925570614502015-08-25T11:07:55.940-04:002015-08-25T11:07:55.940-04:00Gravity: It's the Law!
And following the Law,...Gravity: It's the Law!<br /><br />And following the Law, this vicious, foolish proxy for our Education Overlords is going down...Michael Fiorillohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02120229151713643775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628172601886929098.post-23269253351909896392015-08-25T09:47:08.494-04:002015-08-25T09:47:08.494-04:00We should also, as teachers, refuse to do anything...We should also, as teachers, refuse to do anything at school regarding these tests. Administer, proctor, etc. We should force state ed. and spine-less admin to do it all themselves. Or how about some blue days when these tests are happening....it sucks when we all get sick! We need to start activating and putting up a fight. No need to reinvent the wheel. Just read some labor history.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628172601886929098.post-22056912898228344342015-08-25T09:40:30.438-04:002015-08-25T09:40:30.438-04:00Also...side point. I've said this before but ...Also...side point. I've said this before but it needs repeating: If Opt Out does not grow, if it goes down, or even if the numbers next year remain the same, Elia, etc will claim victory....they'll say, correctly, that they have at least contained the beast. This is critical stuff. <br /><br />Teachers, outside of NYSUT's coat-tail riding, half-assed bullshit, need to help opt out grow. Its that simple. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628172601886929098.post-20092674947944375412015-08-25T09:37:29.657-04:002015-08-25T09:37:29.657-04:00I am actually beginning to see a tremendous opport...I am actually beginning to see a tremendous opportunity here for our side. As I stated last night in another post, NYSED doesn't have the physical ability to do mass 3020A's, nor do they want to step into that shitstorm politically....they also can't afford it. Even in its streamlined state, 3020A's are expensive propositions. So there is that. Now, the opportunity I am starting to see through all the rhetoric, legal maneuvering, and fear mongering:<br /><br />We have the opportunity, right now, with this Opt Out thing, to have a significant win and re-insert ourselves as a voice that can't be ignored. (NYSUT has done very good work at making organized teachers a fully ignorable presence on the battlefield...that is NYSUT's legacy in this battle).<br />If we as teachers, outside of the meaningless and deeply stupid NYSUT organization, band together and loudly say that we support opt out and will exercise all of our civil rights in articulating that, what could NYSED do? They'd attempt to make an example at first, but they'll be damaging people anyway because that is their thing....F'ing with teachers. However, they can't come after all of us or anywhere near it. They'd fail after 2 or 3. <br /><br />Maybe get a petition going around of teachers who will vocally stand for opt out. Get that petition into the deep thousands....deep deep thousands. Maybe do something where we can all contribute a few dollars for a legal defense pot for those few teachers who they try to make an example of, and hire some real solid lawyers (non NYSUT legal people obvi). Make sure the petition gets media attention. NYSED would be powerless, would look impotent and foolish, and we would have done a couple of things: 1) we would have stood up to Elia and the whole thing, which if nothing else we NEED as morale. 2) We would have given a serious finger to NYSUT and showed them that its membership is actually hugely more competent at this whole movement thing than leadership is, so why not do away with leadership. 3) Forcing NYSED to see itself in its proper context...and deflate their balloon a bit. There seems to be alot of aggrandizement at State Ed. of their power. 4) We all need a labor-politics reminder that every day of the week schools across the state function ONLY BECAUSE TEACHERS SHOW UP AND DO THEIR JOB. Reminding everyone, State Ed, the public, and ourselves of that is a smart thing to do. <br />Dont get me wrong, I don't think the folks at NYSED will eat too much humble pie, but we have to start. Perhaps the banner of this should be: "ITS A STUPID LAW"<br /><br />Now I'm not saying the above is free of problems. Its the sloppy thinking of a blown-out, 12 years-at-it teacher who is no great mind. However, I do think we need to start thinking about some of these things at least. Putting up a firewall to fearmongering, bluster, and general bullshit from those who assume they have power has yet to really be seen here in NY and even if we lose (newsflash: we've pretty much lost it all if we let them keep going) we'll gain some experience at really fighting these people...not just in being intellectually right and trying to get a seat at the table. <br /><br />Every move the enemy makes presents a threat and an OPPORTUNITY. They have made a move. Lets think about the opportunity it presents. <br /><br /> And no, I don't think NYSUT will ever see things this way, so its on us or we will get more of the same....which is losing our careers. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1628172601886929098.post-18702350679105085342015-08-25T09:09:10.872-04:002015-08-25T09:09:10.872-04:00What will serve as a benchmark for supporting the ...What will serve as a benchmark for supporting the opt out movement? Will a written statement be required, or will an oral statement suffice? If a teacher says she sympathizes with those who opt out their children, but has not taken any concrete steps is she crossing the unethical threshold? It looks like a slippery slope to me.<br /><br />Abigail ShureAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com