Ann Wilkins is owned 100% by Eugene White. When was the last time you heard from her? When was the last time that the IEA spoke at a board meeting? When was the last time IEA had a press conference? When was the last time IEA had a membership meeting? Whatever Eugene wants, Eugene gets. When Wilkins leaves as president, she will get a big time Ed. Center Job. Previous IEA presidents must be sick or rolling over in their graves at the lapdog that Wilkins has allowed the organization to become.
It's not Mary. It's just a taxpayer who thought it was disgusting that you were leaving that comment in the other thread up, and finds the venom of the blogmaster tiresome and disturbing. I do appreciate you deleting the comment in the other thread though. We should be able to vent about IPS without publicly insulting or embarrassing specific people.
This thread is about IEA and how pathetic and useless it is now. Not about the blogmaster. If you don't like it, don't read it. That said
IEA has become a figurehead. No effort at improving anything. Principals turn the schools into their own little petty tyranny and no one helps the teachers who are being treated poorly.
Our building rep is fantastic! The IEA got all the teachers whose checks were late at the start of last year big bonus checks (interest) in May. The issue was IPS couldn't find a lot of teachers who had transferred to other schools. My check was $347.99. I hear that Ann Wilkins goes to a lot of meeting when individual teachers are having problems. SO unlike some of you, I am not going to knock her.
IEA is essental, however, there may be a need in leadership. Principals are bragging that the superintendent and the IEA president work well together and that Wilkins supports the efforts of the administration. If this is true, it is terribly wrong. My membership in IEA goes back a number of decades. I hope there is a display of better leadership in IEA during the next few months. I like Ann Wilkins and she has been effective as an IEA leader in past positions. Time will tell whether her tenure as president is a success.
IEA, when I first started they worked together with down town, if they had a teacher who was chronically late to school, they would find a principal who didn't care...if they had someone who was not strong on discipline they would find a match for that person. It didn't benefit kids, but it did benefit teachers (or did it?) When Dean left that stopped, and Gretchen and Deborah came, they were concerned about equity, fairness, and quality programs, and worked with IEA elected leadership to try and achieve this state of balance. I always wondered why IEA signed off on "small schools" but when I asked I was told that if they hadn't it would of looked like they opposed improvements. (Isn't there a simple answer to that, we don't oppose improvement, we simply want to use research based strategies, and there was no research on small schools) After Gretchen and Deborah left Casey Patterson came, and by the time she had started to figure things out (who is crazy, who is vindictive, who is just plain mean) they shipped her up north, and since then they have had two men in one year, I have met with both of these men and found neither to be very teacher focused or knowledgeable about the who's who of IPS.
As far as the elected leadership of IEA, Ann is by far the worst, last summer I asked her about this blog and her response was she wasn't reading it. Well if she wants the pulse of the membership, and an insight into members concerns she should be reading it daily. She just seems to go along with what ever happens...but I could be wrong. Since IEA has gone "paperless" the flow of informatin has really dried up...it is on line but most people are busy and seldom read what is there.
My question is about the "turn around schools", according to the information I read IEA had to be on board to even get this money, did she sign a Memo of Understanding (MOU) giving away members rights under the contract? or did the leadership of IPS commit fraud to obtain these funds? People may lose jobs with out due process and the agreed upon timeline at these sites, is this another unfair labor practice?
To the person posting several posts up posing as a parent. I have a suggestion. If you find blog disgusting, mean and insulting, DONT READ IT. Nothing forces you to log on to this site. I am sure that there are plenty of sites on the internet that I don't like. I simply dont bother to read them.
Conversely, if you only want people to come to this blog who share your fucked up view of "venting" and your passion for gossip and name-calling, then don't start an open forum on the Internet where you'll likely get opinions from people who think you're not only wrong, but pathological.
I understand that the membership in IEA has dropped dramatically since Wilkins took over. Has this happened and why? Is it because of attrition and lack of recruiting new members? What are the numbers since Wilkins has taken over? I only wish the best of success for Ann because it would be good for our association. ISTA needs to tell its story of successes. I do not believe the past two years have been good for either IEA or ISTA. Hopefully things will come together. We need a strong association!!!
@conversely, I think most here welcome differing views. We have many different experiences and situations in IPS and it helps to hear those. However, when you have someone complaining about the blog and using words like "whore", "fucking" and calling the blog disgusting, mean and insulting then your lowlife way of expressing yourself is not welcome. Go cuss and complaing with others but leave this blog to serious people who have ideas or need to vent.
IEA membership is down because teachers are looking for ways to cut costs..paying dues is one way. They see union and non-union teachers treated the same. Teachers had better wake up and get organized. If Mitch and the right wing- teacher-haters get their way teachers will become MORE overworked and less paid as Mitch's state employees who loathe they day he took office. Unions are only as powerful as the policymakers want them to be. They exist only as a scapegoat for poor managerial decisions.
I'm not "conversely", but I don't find the cursing any more offensive than the gossip and name-calling that many of us have been objecting to since this blog started. At least the blogmaster gets to remain anonymous. Others who are targeted on this blog have their names posted along with whatever vile accusation, malicious gossip, and even curse words anyone wants to post. It's hard to conjure up sympathy for the blogmaster, don't you think?
No offense to you all, but I think the unions are kind of a passing 20th century institution. They've served their purpose, but I think they'll die out in the next decade or so. Now that the education system is becoming less centralized, I think the unions are less powerful and less relevant. And I don't think Mitch has anything to do with it. It's happening all over the country.
If you believe this it is going to be a sorry state for education in Indiana, especially for poor children. In the wealthy suburbs they will be able to keep their experienced teachers, but in IPS they will get rid of anyone who is expensive. Despite the belief that older teachers are a drag on the system research has proven it takes ten years to develop expertise, read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell....
In addition to relating to teacher expertise the first chapter deals with Canadian Junior Hockey, and why a vast statistical majority of the players who are top flight are born in the first three months of the year. It turns out these players who start at the same time as other 5 year olds, but are bigger and more mature then the poor kids born in September, October, November and December, then are seen as more talented, and get more playing time and better coaching. More playing time and better coaching ends up making better players, and the cycle continues. How does this apply to schools, well here is the salient line "It's just like sports, we do ability grouping early on in childhood. We have advanced reading groups and advanced math groups. So early on, if we look at young kids in kindergarten and first grade, the teachers are confusing maturity and ability. And they put the older kids in the advanced stream, where they learn better skills and the next year because they are in the higher group they do even better, and the next year , the same thing happens again" Elizabeth Dhuey
I'm an IPS teacher, but not a union member. I know this isn't a popular position among union members, but IPS has some of the best and some of the worst teachers in the state. Without the union, they could pay the above-average teachers above average and not give raises to the below-average teachers. Or recruit top teachers for mediocre money by enticing them with more prep time, less lunch and bus duty, etc. or other variables. The union prevents things like that. Many teachers get their experience at IPS, keep track of their numbers, and then use them to get jobs for more money and/or better conditions in private, charter, and wealthy township schools. So what we are left with is a) the most dedicated, professional, and selfless teachers in the industry and b) the least effective, professional, and marketable teachers in the industry. All on the same pay scale.
You will change your tune when your principal decides you are below average because he is screwing the pretty new young teacher and wants to rate her above average and give her extra money. You are naive if you don't think this would happen. Look at the inappropriate relationships going on in some of our schools.
That's why it's important to keep track of your own numbers and your own results in the classroom. Just like in the corporate world, if you keep good records, it's really tough for a supervisor to falsely give you a bad review. And there are always going to be people who can sleep their way to the top. The unions don't prevent that. But those numbers are very small compared to the number of teachers in IPS making way below or way above what they are worth.
As an AR, who works hard without any pay to help us keep our benefits and rights that we have earned. IEA is not great, but it's the members that make the union and work at keeping us strong.
If Mitch Daniels has his way, IPS teachers would earn less than a charter school teacher, benefits reduced, horrible medical insurance, and no pay increases, nothing for years of service or degrees. You will make what the administrator at your school feels like they can afford, it's the bottom line mind set with Mitch. If IPS brings in the KIPP Model for the turn around schools: Manual, Arlington, George Washington, Howe, and John Marshall, then you will be working from 7:30 to 4:30 and every other Saturday. Then you are on call 24/7 from parents, and students? Remeber IEA is working to keep our rights, benefits, and contract conditions, let the non-members work out their own salary and benefits.
The current state of bashing teachers is not a Daniels' invention; it is invented daily across the US. It is not a Republican or a Democrat thing; it is bi-partisan. Regarding education, Obama and his administration are aligned with the same ideas as Daniels and Bennett. It's a national bashing, not regional.
If you have: an eight hour workday, a five day work week, paid sick days,vacation days, and holidays, family and medical leave, health, life, and disability insurance, a pension, safe and healthy working conditions,and proper job training, thank a union member. Happy Labor Day!
To everyone who says they are above average and without the union they could make more money: You are only above average if your boss agrees. What do you propose we use to measure just how above average you really are? Test scores, well those are great if you have a good class, but everyone gets the class that is low one year. The class that needs extra help and only 50% pass the test. You can be the greatest teacher ever but you are only as good as the raw material you work with.
And what about special area teachers? They don't have test scores tied to their names so how do you measure them? Or do you just forget about them, eliminate them all and hire non-certified people. After all how hard can it be to teach art? Just give them some crayons and let them draw. Music? Just play the radio. PE, let em run laps. Media? they can just check out books, forget about computer learning.
We are ALL important to the education of the students and test scores don't determine who is good and who is not.
The union helps us all. On whisper added to a thousand others quickly becomes a roar of disconent. There is power in numbers. Be a part of it.
You will change your mind about being outdate when you have your first time of being screwed over by some adminstrator or when some student makes some outrageous false claim about you. Most attorneys want a $5000 retainer to take on the case.
Typical union scare tactics. After 29 years in the classrooms of public education and without being a union member, I've never had a work issue that I could not handle on my own.
I've only been a teacher for 11 years, but I've never had an issue either, or known anyone who had an issue. The only teachers I know who have used the union are the ones who, frankly, I wish the union wouldn't back.
Perhaps you are an enabler which is why you fail to see that in 11 years, there have been issues. I am glad I have never taught with you as children learn better when the faculty works together. I can tell you are all about YOU.
"IEA is all of us....if anyone believes they can do a better job then run for office. Stop the blame game and do something."
This quote sounds like a good idea to me - that other people run for the top job in IEA.
Historically, when union leaders have gotten too "chummy" with business execs (in this case, the IPS administration), it brings about bad results for union membership.
This seems to be the case with the current IEA leader and I am given the impression that it is weakening the union.
Like others have said, this is bigger than Ann Wilkins (or Mitch Daniels or Tony Bennett). Education reform and the decline of union power are national trends, not local ones.
To "perhaps you are an enabler" I personally think the union mentality is far more selfish than the opposing viewpoint. I am more worried about students than I am about covering my ass in case I ever become ineffective or incompetent. It has nothing to do with working with other teachers. I work together very well with my coworkers. Again, the only teachers who don't like me are the ones who don't like any teacher who does well or is recognized in any way as "one of the good ones." They want us all to be seen as exactly the same, like a cog in a wheel, with no expertise and no value apart from the other cogs. I don't see teachers like that. I see us as professionals, like doctors or lawyers, with a very wide spectrum of expertise and value. And I think eventually, the teachers' unions will become more like other professional organizations -- with some power as political lobbies, but not involved in contracts and labor terms. Only 29% of the nation's doctors and lawyers belong to AMA and ABA respectively, and the AMA and ABA don't determine pay or hours or conditions or anything like that.
To the enabler: You still don't get it. The union is not about protecting ineffective or incompetent teachers. It is about all teachers. Assuming you are a good teacher since I don't know you, you could have a student tomorrow who says that you touched him/her inappropriately and you would be suspended pending an investigation. You could be completely innocent. You need protection and representation during that time. It happens frequently. Your smugness about what a wonderful teacher you are and your looking down on your peers won't go far when CPS and the Sex Crimes unit is investigating you and talking to your peers, your students, and your neighbors.
If you want to pay dues out of fear of false accusations, feel free. Like I said, I've never seen a teacher need the union in such a case, but I'm not arguing against your right to protect yourself. Like you said, we don't know each other. I'm not smug. I just don't think I need the union to protect me from the big bad world. I think that's a fearmongering tactic. So is the idea that teachers and principals are just waiting for the right moment to make up false accusations about wonderful teachers. I've never seen either one happen. I'm not saying it can't possibly ever happen. But a meteorite could land on the school tomorrow. You could get run over by a bus. It's silly to revolve your whole life around protecting yourself from every possible horrible thing that could happen. In the instance of inappropriate conduct with a student, that one's easy. Don't be by yourself with a student. Ever. If you need to talk privately with the student outside of class, do it in a hallway where you're in full view. If you're aware of even a single accusation made against a teacher who followed this rule, I would love to hear it.
As a rep for IPS, I have personally witnessed some excellent teachers accused of inappropriate contact, substance abuse or mishandling classroom situations. When the teacher was guilty, that was handled in the appropriate way. Every time the teacher is innocent, the IEA was able to work through the situation and protect the teacher. Many times because of the sensitive nature of these allegations, they are not put on the school P.A. system. It is obvious to me that you are so anti union that I would suggest that you not join IEA and if it happens to you then you can pay thousands of dollars to retain a lawyer. You have no idea how many times that a teacher with your attitude came to me with a dues check in hand begging for representation. You do not wait until your house is on fire before you purchase fire insurance. Spend your thousands on a lawyer who doesn't know the ins and outs of IPS and the personalities involved. Good luck.
How much are union dues? How much is 11 years (or 29 years for that matter) worth of union dues? I'm guessing the union dues surpass the "possible" attorney fees by a huge amount.
You can also sign up with Indiana Professional Educators' association and get a million dollar protection for much less cost than union dues - also, IPS does carry malpractice insurance amounting to 1 million for the teachers. My gripe with the union is the liberal agenda of the NEA is their stand on so many non-education issues and the fact that they seem to promote an atmosphere of litigation. I would gladly pay a "fair" fair share for contract negotiation but they couldn't justify the amount they spend on negotiating our contract with what the dues are.
O.K. If you don't like the union. Please go to HR and tell them in writing that you want to negotiate your contract and benefits for yourself.
See what they hand you. Remember Mitch wants all public employees on the state plan that is worse than us. Mitch and Bennett have already given those to teach in Institutions pay cuts that amounts to half a first year teacher in IPS is getting paid. Even lower than the charters and parochial (if that was even possible, they proved it can be done).
Tell them you don't want the 1 cent dental, and 1 cent vision that was negotiated. You would rather negotiate a fair price.
That is for starters. Stop riding the backs of those of us who pay. Believe me if the union were there you would be working longer and Saturdays. Asked to do more and we would probably go back to the days of "pregnant=gone", "Oh, you went to a bar on the weekend= gone", "you were at a rally for (name the organization=gone", just to name some reasons. People have long forgotten about these things.
Just waite you think professionals don't need one. You will find out. Probably the hard way if there is no union.
Again, please go downtown and opt out of the union negotiated contract. Negotiate your own. See what you get. Stop riding the backs of others.
@how much are IEA dues.....using your logic[faulty as it is] ..please do not buy car insurance. Instead just save the money for when you have an accident. The only problem is that the accident may happen before you have saved enough to pay for the damage or the damage could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and you will never save enough which could result in the loss of your home etc. The Indianapolis Professional Educators is a fraud. All they are is an answering machine which gets a very delayed response if any at all. Many of their members have been told to contact IEA for representation by IPE as they do not have the legal right to represent a teacher and do not have a legal staff. Their liability policy is filled with loopholes. You get what you pay for.....so if your career is so meaningless then join their group which has nameless leaders, staff etc.....just a lone answering machine and letters to raise money for someone to do something, sometime, somewhere.
If you need insurance, buy insurance. If you need prepaid legal, you can get it for a lot cheaper than union dues. If you want to be politically involved, get involved. You don't need a union for that.
The union was a great thing when so much of the labor force was made up of manual laborers. Individually, they weren't worth much and you could always find someone hungry enough to do the job for cheaper. Collective bargaining gave them the power they didn't have as individuals to negotiate wages, hours, conditions, etc. We're not manual laborers. We're professionals. We have quite a bit of worth as individuals. That wasn't the case when anyone who had passed 8th grade could become a teacher. Now, the union doesn't raise the bar in terms of wages and conditions, it simply redistributes the market value of the profession across the entire spectrum of educators. That's only beneficial for below-average teachers. If you want to contribute to a welfare program for ineffective teachers, then the IEA is definitely the right organization for you!!
Who appointed you high priestess of the ruling class? Please explain to me why manual laborers were worthless. I believe that they are/were the backbone of Amrerica. I feel sorry for you and those who come into contact with you.
Better check out that prepaid legal, the services are very limited, and labor law isn't there bag...you need specialized lawyers for that one.
Yes you can do everything right and still be accused of almost anything...where were you last Tuesday after school, little Susie Jones said you "touched" her...now prove this didn't happen. I personally have no idea where I was last Tuesday after school, and who could vouch for that as fact. This could cost you your reputation, and thousands of dollars. Kids and parents are cunning with lawsuits and if they know they can collect they will sue. Teachers have been accuses, suspended, and then found completely innocent, but when this happens I've seen the suffering these teachers go through, the stress is unbelievable. Years ago a very heavy teacher who had his knees replaced was knocked over in the hallway, on his way down he apparently grabbed a kid (reflex) and was accused of child abuse...the idiot that was the principal said in a faculty meeting "Mr. So and So has a long history of abuse complaints", well he had no history of abuse complaints, and I suspect she manipulated the parents with this same statement into making the accusations. (If she had said this about me, I'd be living in her house today) He spent the better part of the year suspended and aged ten years during this time...and he was a good teacher who really cared about kids and the school.
So go ahead and believe you will never need IEA...and at night pray that time and circumstance don't prove you wrong.
It's troubling how insecure you are with opposing viewpoints. You sound like the blogmaster -- so very, very angry at those who disagree with you. Have you thought about therapy? Or maybe herbal remedies? Anyway, I wish you luck. I have no desire to respond to your insults in kind. I just disagree with you about the value of the teachers' union.
The union head being too cozy with the current IPS administration is not a good thing. The union head is (supposed to be) working for the teachers, not for the IPS administration.
I wonder how you teach children who many have a parent or parents who do manual labor. I am certain that your students detect your attitude that their parents are not "worth much". Poor uppity fool. Most of your manual laboring parents are probably contributing more to society than you are and are probably better humans also. They certainly have better values.
Oh for the love of Pete, I meant wages-wise. I'm FROM a blue collar family and I teach in an urban school. I'm not devaluing manual labor. I was explaining the value of the labor unions. Manual labors were easily replaced by immigrants and minorities who would work for almost nothing. Collective bargaining gave them power in the market they didn't have individually. That isn't snobbery. That is history.
Again, are you capable of disagreeing with someone without personally insulting them? Not just on this topic, but any topic. Frankly, it seems pathological.
Writers' voices are readily identified. The use of key phrases such as, "for the love of Pete" and key words such as "pathological" point to a single contributor on this blog. Be careful when you post and fail to alter your personal writing voice.
The same method can be used to determine that the blogmaster posts most, if not all, of the namedropping, personal insults, racist comments, rumors, etc.
If you're going to quote me, quote me correctly. "Individually, they weren't worth much, and you could always find someone hungry enough to do the job for cheaper."
The other "for the love of Pete" posts may very well be mine, although it's a common enough expression. The use of pathological may or may not indicate a post from me because I saw another post use it to describe the blogmaster in the past, and it struck a chord of agreement with me. I agree with your overall point that people have writing styles that make them identifiable. But I also think when people discuss things in a forum, we often "pick up" words or phrases from other posts and begin using them, so you have to keep that in mind as well.
Technically, the union could be described as the snobs rather than those who oppose it. Like the other poster said, the unions were started to keep immigrants and minorities from "taking" manual labor jobs away from whites. Another poster noted that the manual laborers were the "backbone" of 20th century America. I agree. But again, immigrants and minorities were largely excluded from labor unions. Instead they were used primarily as strike breakers.
The only thing the teacher's union represents to me is the utter and complete downfall and absolute failure of public education in this country. Most urban school districts these days operate under the asinine principal that those in authority can't really tell the teachers what to do and how to do it because "they have a union and can cause trouble". This has created the pathetic result of turning administrators and superintendents into politicians instead of educators. Private education has far outperformed public for decades but the entitlement mentality of this country makes people keep using public because they think they should get everything for free. There is nothing in our constitution that even authorizes the existence of the department of education. The only public education that should exist in this country should be in prisons, jails and the juvenile system. Beyond that, people should provide for themselves. Human nature generally prevents putting any significant value on something that you supposedly get for free. Our public education system is far from free. In fact it costs entirely more than it should. However, it still has no significant value and never will.
You have my deepest sympathy. If you don't value things that are free, you are really missing the good things in life. This perfect day, didn't cost me a penny. The positive interactions I had with other people didn't either.
What percent of the population in the U.S. goes to private school? Are only private school graduates contributing members of society?
I hope that you find some things in your life to feel good about. If you don't, at least make an attempt to keep your negative feelings to yourself.
Nice try. Keep your sympathy. I don't need it. Your questions are not worth answering because they make it painfully obvious that you missed the entire point. Graduate of public education, huh?
What a shame you feel the need to put down others to make yourself feel good. Are you compensating for something?
Since most of us here are involved in public education, either teaching it or as parents of public school kids, we believe in the power of the public. Go sit on your throne of private education and wallow in your superiorness, we don't need your kind here.
@Human nature generally prevents putting any significant value on something that you supposedly get for free.
I understand what you mean. We tend to place a greater value on the people who provide services or items for which we've had to pay, at least a small amount. It makes us a stakeholder in the transaction.
I learned the value of 'free' (for some people) this summer. I posted a large TV set on CraigsList in the 'Free' category. I received several emails asking for, among other things: 1) a better picture than the one I'd posted, 2) if I would deliver the TV to them, 3) did I have a friend or neighbor who'd deliver the TV, and 4) would I promise to hold the TV for them for a couple of months until they were ready to move to their new place. Because it was Free, I did not feel obligated to accommodate their requests.
OK, I answered my own question. About 10% of the US students attend private school. The rest of us slugs-the 90% majority are lucky just meet our basic needs right? I'm betting that you are tall, really well built, have great hair and your classmates voted you most likely to succeed. You have many close relationships, are happily involved with a life partner and your children are perfect. Right?
"OK, I answered my own question. About 10% of the US students attend private school. The rest of us slugs-the 90% majority are lucky just meet our basic needs right? I'm betting that you are tall, really well built, have great hair and your classmates voted you most likely to succeed. You have many close relationships, are happily involved with a life partner and your children are perfect. Right?" Wow. Have you been stalking me or something?
The sorry ass principal of Tech High School uses the phrase ¨for the love of Pete´ quite often........she is awful......needs to retire 1o years ago....
Mrs. Bogart is not really computer literate, so she is not posting, for the love of Pete, if you know her, you know this.
And while you may not be happy with her you should know she was a dynamo when she did the remodel at BRHS. She is a fabulous manager of assets and works better than any other administrator I have ever seen at making sure "the trains run on time". This is another example of the right person in the wrong job. No one is more dedicated to IPS than Sarah Bogart. And before you say anything, I am not Sylvia.
"Our public education system is far from free. In fact it costs entirely more than it should. However, it still has no significant value and never will."
And the FREE enterprise system isn't FREE either..It's all phony. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. They just fool us all that we are getting a DEAL!!! ha! We educate a greater group of people to a higher degree than anyone. Private schools take the elite and leave the rest to fend for themselves. The same snobs that attend them usually live in gated communities out of touch with the real world.
And yet, we have some of the most opportunities and live with some of the most freedom in the world. The above post (the one labeled "And the FREE enterprise system isn't FREE either..It's all phony.") is indicative of the "victim" mentality of a LOSER! We have to break free of that and become WINNERS!
Before you start going off on me, I do not live in a gated community. However, I attended private school that I paid for including high school and college for bachelor's and graduate degrees.
What I really learned from my education is the higher I set my goals, the higher the level of my successes. So, perhaps it is time to shed the role of the victim and shed the perception that there is no free enterprise system. I am an African man and if you don't think this is freedom, come over to Africa and see what real oppression looks like. You have no clue. Talk about being out of touch with the real world.
Ask the people of The Congo, Sudan, North Korea, China and so many others.
Try going to sleep hungry day after day until you decide to steal melons or potatoes from a field nearby wondering what would happen if caught. Try WALKING, yes actually WALKING everywhere because you not only do not own a car, you had never been in one before coming to the U.S.
You might consider the level of freedom in this wonderful country when you put on your new Jordans to go and drive to work in your Escalade. And you do not consider yourself free? How very sad!
If you are in a turnaround school know that IEA has already planned to file a grievance and an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) regarding evaluating all teachers. We have a master agreement that states that you are in a four year evaluation cycle and the only other way to be evaluated is if there are documented reasons. We are waiting until September 15th, which is the last day to be notified that you will be evaluated for the year before we file. This will be a class action for everyone involved instead of individual grievances and complaints.
Ann Wilkins is owned 100% by Eugene White. When was the last time you heard from her? When was the last time that the IEA spoke at a board meeting? When was the last time IEA had a press conference? When was the last time IEA had a membership meeting? Whatever Eugene wants, Eugene gets. When Wilkins leaves as president, she will get a big time Ed. Center Job. Previous IEA presidents must be sick or rolling over in their graves at the lapdog that Wilkins has allowed the organization to become.
ReplyDeleteThe blogmaster is a whore.
ReplyDeleteThe blogmaster never graduated high school let alone taught.
ReplyDeleteMary, stop saying bad thing about the blogmaster! Your just upset that central office cant find out who started this blog!
ReplyDeleteIt's not Mary. It's just a taxpayer who thought it was disgusting that you were leaving that comment in the other thread up, and finds the venom of the blogmaster tiresome and disturbing. I do appreciate you deleting the comment in the other thread though. We should be able to vent about IPS without publicly insulting or embarrassing specific people.
ReplyDeleteIPS's Association representation? Sucks, but better than nothing.
ReplyDeleteOur building's AR? Fabulous! Young, enthusiastic, not afraid to ask for help, not pushy or militant. Thanks for all your time and effort, J!
FYI, we never did get the dvd working Friday. We used a COW. Sorry I scared you. L.
This thread is about IEA and how pathetic and useless it is now. Not about the blogmaster. If you don't like it, don't read it. That said
ReplyDeleteIEA has become a figurehead. No effort at improving anything. Principals turn the schools into their own little petty tyranny and no one helps the teachers who are being treated poorly.
"Who will guard the guards?"
No one apparently.
Our building rep is fantastic! The IEA got all the teachers whose checks were late at the start of last year big bonus checks (interest) in May. The issue was IPS couldn't find a lot of teachers who had transferred to other schools. My check was $347.99. I hear that Ann Wilkins goes to a lot of meeting when individual teachers are having problems. SO unlike some of you, I am not going to knock her.
ReplyDeleteIEA is essental, however, there may be a need in leadership. Principals are bragging that the superintendent and the IEA president work well together and that Wilkins supports the efforts of the administration. If this is true, it is terribly wrong. My membership in IEA goes back a number of decades. I hope there is a display of better leadership in IEA during the next few months. I like Ann Wilkins and she has been effective as an IEA leader in past positions. Time will tell whether her tenure as president is a success.
ReplyDeleteIEA, when I first started they worked together with down town, if they had a teacher who was chronically late to school, they would find a principal who didn't care...if they had someone who was not strong on discipline they would find a match for that person. It didn't benefit kids, but it did benefit teachers (or did it?) When Dean left that stopped, and Gretchen and Deborah came, they were concerned about equity, fairness, and quality programs, and worked with IEA elected leadership to try and achieve this state of balance. I always wondered why IEA signed off on "small schools" but when I asked I was told that if they hadn't it would of looked like they opposed improvements. (Isn't there a simple answer to that, we don't oppose improvement, we simply want to use research based strategies, and there was no research on small schools) After Gretchen and Deborah left Casey Patterson came, and by the time she had started to figure things out (who is crazy, who is vindictive, who is just plain mean) they shipped her up north, and since then they have had two men in one year, I have met with both of these men and found neither to be very teacher focused or knowledgeable about the who's who of IPS.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the elected leadership of IEA, Ann is by far the worst, last summer I asked her about this blog and her response was she wasn't reading it. Well if she wants the pulse of the membership, and an insight into members concerns she should be reading it daily. She just seems to go along with what ever happens...but I could be wrong. Since IEA has gone "paperless" the flow of informatin has really dried up...it is on line but most people are busy and seldom read what is there.
My question is about the "turn around schools", according to the information I read IEA had to be on board to even get this money, did she sign a Memo of Understanding (MOU) giving away members rights under the contract? or did the leadership of IPS commit fraud to obtain these funds? People may lose jobs with out due process and the agreed upon timeline at these sites, is this another unfair labor practice?
To the person posting several posts up posing as a parent. I have a suggestion. If you find blog disgusting, mean and insulting, DONT READ IT. Nothing forces you to log on to this site. I am sure that there are plenty of sites on the internet that I don't like. I simply dont bother to read them.
ReplyDeleteConversely, if you only want people to come to this blog who share your fucked up view of "venting" and your passion for gossip and name-calling, then don't start an open forum on the Internet where you'll likely get opinions from people who think you're not only wrong, but pathological.
ReplyDeleteWell goodness! I hope you all have a safe and happy Labor Day! Take time and enjoy your loved ones!
ReplyDeleteI understand that the membership in IEA has dropped dramatically since Wilkins took over. Has this happened and why? Is it because of attrition and lack of recruiting new members? What are the numbers since Wilkins has taken over? I only wish the best of success for Ann because it would be good for our association. ISTA needs to tell its story of successes. I do not believe the past two years have been good for either IEA or ISTA. Hopefully things will come together. We need a strong association!!!
ReplyDelete@conversely, I think most here welcome differing views. We have many different experiences and situations in IPS and it helps to hear those. However, when you have someone complaining about the blog and using words like "whore", "fucking" and calling the blog disgusting, mean and insulting then your lowlife way of expressing yourself is not welcome. Go cuss and complaing with others but leave this blog to serious people who have ideas or need to vent.
ReplyDeleteIEA membership is down because teachers are looking for ways to cut costs..paying dues is one way. They see union and non-union teachers treated the same. Teachers had better wake up and get organized. If Mitch and the right wing- teacher-haters get their way teachers will become MORE overworked and less paid as Mitch's state employees who loathe they day he took office. Unions are only as powerful as the policymakers want them to be. They exist only as a scapegoat for poor managerial decisions.
ReplyDeleteIEA is all of us....if anyone believes they can do a better job then run for office. Stop the blame game and do something.
ReplyDeleteI'm not "conversely", but I don't find the cursing any more offensive than the gossip and name-calling that many of us have been objecting to since this blog started. At least the blogmaster gets to remain anonymous. Others who are targeted on this blog have their names posted along with whatever vile accusation, malicious gossip, and even curse words anyone wants to post. It's hard to conjure up sympathy for the blogmaster, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteNo offense to you all, but I think the unions are kind of a passing 20th century institution. They've served their purpose, but I think they'll die out in the next decade or so. Now that the education system is becoming less centralized, I think the unions are less powerful and less relevant. And I don't think Mitch has anything to do with it. It's happening all over the country.
ReplyDeleteIf you believe this it is going to be a sorry state for education in Indiana, especially for poor children. In the wealthy suburbs they will be able to keep their experienced teachers, but in IPS they will get rid of anyone who is expensive. Despite the belief that older teachers are a drag on the system research has proven it takes ten years to develop expertise, read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell....
ReplyDeleteIn addition to relating to teacher expertise the first chapter deals with Canadian Junior Hockey, and why a vast statistical majority of the players who are top flight are born in the first three months of the year. It turns out these players who start at the same time as other 5 year olds, but are bigger and more mature then the poor kids born in September, October, November and December, then are seen as more talented, and get more playing time and better coaching. More playing time and better coaching ends up making better players, and the cycle continues. How does this apply to schools, well here is the salient line "It's just like sports, we do ability grouping early on in childhood. We have advanced reading groups and advanced math groups. So early on, if we look at young kids in kindergarten and first grade, the teachers are confusing maturity and ability. And they put the older kids in the advanced stream, where they learn better skills and the next year because they are in the higher group they do even better, and the next year , the same thing happens again" Elizabeth Dhuey
I'm an IPS teacher, but not a union member. I know this isn't a popular position among union members, but IPS has some of the best and some of the worst teachers in the state. Without the union, they could pay the above-average teachers above average and not give raises to the below-average teachers. Or recruit top teachers for mediocre money by enticing them with more prep time, less lunch and bus duty, etc. or other variables. The union prevents things like that. Many teachers get their experience at IPS, keep track of their numbers, and then use them to get jobs for more money and/or better conditions in private, charter, and wealthy township schools. So what we are left with is a) the most dedicated, professional, and selfless teachers in the industry and b) the least effective, professional, and marketable teachers in the industry. All on the same pay scale.
ReplyDeleteYou will change your tune when your principal decides you are below average because he is screwing the pretty new young teacher and wants to rate her above average and give her extra money. You are naive if you don't think this would happen. Look at the inappropriate relationships going on in some of our schools.
ReplyDeleteThat's why it's important to keep track of your own numbers and your own results in the classroom. Just like in the corporate world, if you keep good records, it's really tough for a supervisor to falsely give you a bad review. And there are always going to be people who can sleep their way to the top. The unions don't prevent that. But those numbers are very small compared to the number of teachers in IPS making way below or way above what they are worth.
ReplyDeleteAs an AR, who works hard without any pay to help us keep our benefits and rights that we have earned. IEA is not great, but it's the members that make the union and work at keeping us strong.
ReplyDeleteIf Mitch Daniels has his way, IPS teachers would earn less than a charter school teacher, benefits reduced, horrible medical insurance, and no pay increases, nothing for years of service or degrees. You will make what the administrator at your school feels like they can afford, it's the bottom line mind set with Mitch. If IPS brings in the KIPP Model for the turn around schools: Manual, Arlington, George Washington, Howe, and John Marshall, then you will be working from 7:30 to 4:30 and every other Saturday. Then you are on call 24/7 from parents, and students? Remeber IEA is working to keep our rights, benefits, and contract conditions, let the non-members work out their own salary and benefits.
ReplyDelete@If Mitch Daniels has his way...
ReplyDeleteThe current state of bashing teachers is not a Daniels' invention; it is invented daily across the US. It is not a Republican or a Democrat thing; it is bi-partisan. Regarding education, Obama and his administration are aligned with the same ideas as Daniels and Bennett. It's a national bashing, not regional.
Mitch Daniels and Tony Bennett want to close public schools and then contract them out to friends of theirs as charters or privately operated schools.
ReplyDeleteIf you have: an eight hour workday, a five day work week, paid sick days,vacation days, and holidays, family and medical leave, health, life, and disability insurance, a pension, safe and healthy working conditions,and proper job training, thank a union member. Happy Labor Day!
ReplyDeleteI said they served their purpose. But we needn't feel indebted to outdated institutions simply because they once benefited society.
ReplyDeleteTo everyone who says they are above average and without the union they could make more money: You are only above average if your boss agrees. What do you propose we use to measure just how above average you really are? Test scores, well those are great if you have a good class, but everyone gets the class that is low one year. The class that needs extra help and only 50% pass the test. You can be the greatest teacher ever but you are only as good as the raw material you work with.
ReplyDeleteAnd what about special area teachers? They don't have test scores tied to their names so how do you measure them? Or do you just forget about them, eliminate them all and hire non-certified people. After all how hard can it be to teach art? Just give them some crayons and let them draw. Music? Just play the radio. PE, let em run laps. Media? they can just check out books, forget about computer learning.
We are ALL important to the education of the students and test scores don't determine who is good and who is not.
The union helps us all. On whisper added to a thousand others quickly becomes a roar of disconent. There is power in numbers. Be a part of it.
Whoops, should be ONE whisper. That statement is from the French Revolution, but it's still apropos today.
ReplyDeleteYou will change your mind about being outdate when you have your first time of being screwed over by some adminstrator or when some student makes some outrageous false claim about you. Most attorneys want a $5000 retainer to take on the case.
ReplyDelete@You will change your mind......
ReplyDeleteTypical union scare tactics. After 29 years in the classrooms of public education and without being a union member, I've never had a work issue that I could not handle on my own.
"If you don't have enemies you don't have character"
ReplyDeletePaul Newman
I've only been a teacher for 11 years, but I've never had an issue either, or known anyone who had an issue. The only teachers I know who have used the union are the ones who, frankly, I wish the union wouldn't back.
ReplyDeleteRe: Paul Newman's quote
ReplyDeleteThen, I've got plenty of character.
Perhaps you are an enabler which is why you fail to see that in 11 years, there have been issues. I am glad I have never taught with you as children learn better when the faculty works together. I can tell you are all about YOU.
ReplyDelete"IEA is all of us....if anyone believes they can do a better job then run for office. Stop the blame game and do something."
ReplyDeleteThis quote sounds like a good idea to me - that other people run for the top job in IEA.
Historically, when union leaders have gotten too "chummy" with business execs (in this case, the IPS administration), it brings about bad results for union membership.
This seems to be the case with the current IEA leader and I am given the impression that it is weakening the union.
Ann Wilkins is a sell out of the worst kind. She has no conscience. She needs to resign. She is just another part of the Eugene White administration.
ReplyDeleteLike others have said, this is bigger than Ann Wilkins (or Mitch Daniels or Tony Bennett). Education reform and the decline of union power are national trends, not local ones.
ReplyDeleteTo "perhaps you are an enabler" I personally think the union mentality is far more selfish than the opposing viewpoint. I am more worried about students than I am about covering my ass in case I ever become ineffective or incompetent. It has nothing to do with working with other teachers. I work together very well with my coworkers. Again, the only teachers who don't like me are the ones who don't like any teacher who does well or is recognized in any way as "one of the good ones." They want us all to be seen as exactly the same, like a cog in a wheel, with no expertise and no value apart from the other cogs. I don't see teachers like that. I see us as professionals, like doctors or lawyers, with a very wide spectrum of expertise and value. And I think eventually, the teachers' unions will become more like other professional organizations -- with some power as political lobbies, but not involved in contracts and labor terms. Only 29% of the nation's doctors and lawyers belong to AMA and ABA respectively, and the AMA and ABA don't determine pay or hours or conditions or anything like that.
ReplyDeleteTo the enabler: You still don't get it. The union is not about protecting ineffective or incompetent teachers. It is about all teachers. Assuming you are a good teacher since I don't know you, you could have a student tomorrow who says that you touched him/her inappropriately and you would be suspended pending an investigation. You could be completely innocent. You need protection and representation during that time. It happens frequently. Your smugness about what a wonderful teacher you are and your looking down on your peers won't go far when CPS and the Sex Crimes unit is investigating you and talking to your peers, your students, and your neighbors.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to pay dues out of fear of false accusations, feel free. Like I said, I've never seen a teacher need the union in such a case, but I'm not arguing against your right to protect yourself. Like you said, we don't know each other. I'm not smug. I just don't think I need the union to protect me from the big bad world. I think that's a fearmongering tactic. So is the idea that teachers and principals are just waiting for the right moment to make up false accusations about wonderful teachers. I've never seen either one happen. I'm not saying it can't possibly ever happen. But a meteorite could land on the school tomorrow. You could get run over by a bus. It's silly to revolve your whole life around protecting yourself from every possible horrible thing that could happen. In the instance of inappropriate conduct with a student, that one's easy. Don't be by yourself with a student. Ever. If you need to talk privately with the student outside of class, do it in a hallway where you're in full view. If you're aware of even a single accusation made against a teacher who followed this rule, I would love to hear it.
ReplyDeleteAs a rep for IPS, I have personally witnessed some excellent teachers accused of inappropriate contact, substance abuse or mishandling classroom situations. When the teacher was guilty, that was handled in the appropriate way. Every time the teacher is innocent, the IEA was able to work through the situation and protect the teacher. Many times because of the sensitive nature of these allegations, they are not put on the school P.A. system. It is obvious to me that you are so anti union that I would suggest that you not join IEA and if it happens to you then you can pay thousands of dollars to retain a lawyer. You have no idea how many times that a teacher with your attitude came to me with a dues check in hand begging for representation. You do not wait until your house is on fire before you purchase fire insurance. Spend your thousands on a lawyer who doesn't know the ins and outs of IPS and the personalities involved. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteHow much are union dues? How much is 11 years (or 29 years for that matter) worth of union dues? I'm guessing the union dues surpass the "possible" attorney fees by a huge amount.
ReplyDeleteYou can also sign up with Indiana Professional Educators' association and get a million dollar protection for much less cost than union dues - also, IPS does carry malpractice insurance amounting to 1 million for the teachers. My gripe with the union is the liberal agenda of the NEA is their stand on so many non-education issues and the fact that they seem to promote an atmosphere of litigation. I would gladly pay a "fair" fair share for contract negotiation but they couldn't justify the amount they spend on negotiating our contract with what the dues are.
ReplyDeleteI posted message on here about an hour ago and it has never showed up. Took me about 20 minutes to write it and post it.
ReplyDeleteTechnical problems on the blog.... or censorship? (there was nothing libelous or slanderous in the post).
I hope it was the former, not the latter.
BTW--Someone on here is telling lies. Stephanie Nixon is not switching places with Larry Yarrell.
ReplyDeleteO.K. If you don't like the union. Please go to HR and tell them in writing that you want to negotiate your contract and benefits for yourself.
ReplyDeleteSee what they hand you. Remember Mitch wants all public employees on the state plan that is worse than us. Mitch and Bennett have already given those to teach in Institutions pay cuts that amounts to half a first year teacher in IPS is getting paid. Even lower than the charters and parochial (if that was even possible, they proved it can be done).
Tell them you don't want the 1 cent dental, and 1 cent vision that was negotiated. You would rather negotiate a fair price.
That is for starters. Stop riding the backs of those of us who pay. Believe me if the union were there you would be working longer and Saturdays. Asked to do more and we would probably go back to the days of "pregnant=gone", "Oh, you went to a bar on the weekend= gone", "you were at a rally for (name the organization=gone", just to name some reasons. People have long forgotten about these things.
Just waite you think professionals don't need one. You will find out. Probably the hard way if there is no union.
Again, please go downtown and opt out of the union negotiated contract. Negotiate your own. See what you get. Stop riding the backs of others.
Sorry about the grammar errors and spelling erros am doing this from my cell phone. Not use to typing on this yet.
ReplyDelete@how much are IEA dues.....using your logic[faulty as it is] ..please do not buy car insurance. Instead just save the money for when you have an accident. The only problem is that the accident may happen before you have saved enough to pay for the damage or the damage could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and you will never save enough which could result in the loss of your home etc. The Indianapolis Professional Educators is a fraud. All they are is an answering machine which gets a very delayed response if any at all. Many of their members have been told to contact IEA for representation by IPE as they do not have the legal right to represent a teacher and do not have a legal staff. Their liability policy is filled with loopholes. You get what you pay for.....so if your career is so meaningless then join their group which has nameless leaders, staff etc.....just a lone answering machine and letters to raise money for someone to do something, sometime, somewhere.
ReplyDeleteIf you need insurance, buy insurance. If you need prepaid legal, you can get it for a lot cheaper than union dues. If you want to be politically involved, get involved. You don't need a union for that.
ReplyDeleteThe union was a great thing when so much of the labor force was made up of manual laborers. Individually, they weren't worth much and you could always find someone hungry enough to do the job for cheaper. Collective bargaining gave them the power they didn't have as individuals to negotiate wages, hours, conditions, etc. We're not manual laborers. We're professionals. We have quite a bit of worth as individuals. That wasn't the case when anyone who had passed 8th grade could become a teacher. Now, the union doesn't raise the bar in terms of wages and conditions, it simply redistributes the market value of the profession across the entire spectrum of educators. That's only beneficial for below-average teachers. If you want to contribute to a welfare program for ineffective teachers, then the IEA is definitely the right organization for you!!
Who appointed you high priestess of the ruling class? Please explain to me why manual laborers were worthless. I believe that they are/were the backbone of Amrerica. I feel sorry for you and those who come into contact with you.
ReplyDeleteBetter check out that prepaid legal, the services are very limited, and labor law isn't there bag...you need specialized lawyers for that one.
ReplyDeleteYes you can do everything right and still be accused of almost anything...where were you last Tuesday after school, little Susie Jones said you "touched" her...now prove this didn't happen. I personally have no idea where I was last Tuesday after school, and who could vouch for that as fact.
This could cost you your reputation, and thousands of dollars. Kids and parents are cunning with lawsuits and if they know they can collect they will sue. Teachers have been accuses, suspended, and then found completely innocent, but when this happens I've seen the suffering these teachers go through, the stress is unbelievable. Years ago a very heavy teacher who had his knees replaced was knocked over in the hallway, on his way down he apparently grabbed a kid (reflex) and was accused of child abuse...the idiot that was the principal said in a faculty meeting "Mr. So and So has a long history of abuse complaints", well he had no history of abuse complaints, and I suspect she manipulated the parents with this same statement into making the accusations. (If she had said this about me, I'd be living in her house today) He spent the better part of the year suspended and aged ten years during this time...and he was a good teacher who really cared about kids and the school.
So go ahead and believe you will never need IEA...and at night pray that time and circumstance don't prove you wrong.
It's troubling how insecure you are with opposing viewpoints. You sound like the blogmaster -- so very, very angry at those who disagree with you. Have you thought about therapy? Or maybe herbal remedies? Anyway, I wish you luck. I have no desire to respond to your insults in kind. I just disagree with you about the value of the teachers' union.
ReplyDeleteThe teachers' union is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteThe union head being too cozy with the current IPS administration is not a good thing. The union head is (supposed to be) working for the teachers, not for the IPS administration.
I wonder how you teach children who many have a parent or parents who do manual labor. I am certain that your students detect your attitude that their parents are not "worth much". Poor uppity fool. Most of your manual laboring parents are probably contributing more to society than you are and are probably better humans also. They certainly have better values.
ReplyDeleteOh for the love of Pete, I meant wages-wise. I'm FROM a blue collar family and I teach in an urban school. I'm not devaluing manual labor. I was explaining the value of the labor unions. Manual labors were easily replaced by immigrants and minorities who would work for almost nothing. Collective bargaining gave them power in the market they didn't have individually. That isn't snobbery. That is history.
ReplyDeleteAgain, are you capable of disagreeing with someone without personally insulting them? Not just on this topic, but any topic. Frankly, it seems pathological.
"Individually they weren't worth much" I will let your words speak for themselves. Too late to backtrack. SNOB!!
ReplyDeleteWriters' voices are readily identified. The use of key phrases such as, "for the love of Pete" and key words such as "pathological" point to a single contributor on this blog. Be careful when you post and fail to alter your personal writing voice.
ReplyDeleteAssociation dues, minus PAC, are $770/year. This is cheap insurance.
ReplyDeleteThe same method can be used to determine that the blogmaster posts most, if not all, of the namedropping, personal insults, racist comments, rumors, etc.
ReplyDeleteIf you're going to quote me, quote me correctly. "Individually, they weren't worth much, and you could always find someone hungry enough to do the job for cheaper."
ReplyDeleteThe other "for the love of Pete" posts may very well be mine, although it's a common enough expression. The use of pathological may or may not indicate a post from me because I saw another post use it to describe the blogmaster in the past, and it struck a chord of agreement with me. I agree with your overall point that people have writing styles that make them identifiable. But I also think when people discuss things in a forum, we often "pick up" words or phrases from other posts and begin using them, so you have to keep that in mind as well.
ReplyDeleteTechnically, the union could be described as the snobs rather than those who oppose it. Like the other poster said, the unions were started to keep immigrants and minorities from "taking" manual labor jobs away from whites. Another poster noted that the manual laborers were the "backbone" of 20th century America. I agree. But again, immigrants and minorities were largely excluded from labor unions. Instead they were used primarily as strike breakers.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing the teacher's union represents to me is the utter and complete downfall and absolute failure of public education in this country. Most urban school districts these days operate under the asinine principal that those in authority can't really tell the teachers what to do and how to do it because "they have a union and can cause trouble". This has created the pathetic result of turning administrators and superintendents into politicians instead of educators. Private education has far outperformed public for decades but the entitlement mentality of this country makes people keep using public because they think they should get everything for free. There is nothing in our constitution that even authorizes the existence of the department of education. The only public education that should exist in this country should be in prisons, jails and the juvenile system. Beyond that, people should provide for themselves. Human nature generally prevents putting any significant value on something that you supposedly get for free. Our public education system is far from free. In fact it costs entirely more than it should. However, it still has no significant value and never will.
ReplyDeleteYou have my deepest sympathy. If you don't value things that are free, you are really missing the good things in life. This perfect day, didn't cost me a penny. The positive interactions I had with other people didn't either.
ReplyDeleteWhat percent of the population in the U.S. goes to private school? Are only private school graduates contributing members of society?
I hope that you find some things in your life to feel good about. If you don't, at least make an attempt to keep your negative feelings to yourself.
Nice try. Keep your sympathy. I don't need it. Your questions are not worth answering because they make it painfully obvious that you missed the entire point. Graduate of public education, huh?
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame you feel the need to put down others to make yourself feel good. Are you compensating for something?
ReplyDeleteSince most of us here are involved in public education, either teaching it or as parents of public school kids, we believe in the power of the public. Go sit on your throne of private education and wallow in your superiorness, we don't need your kind here.
@Human nature generally prevents putting any significant value on something that you supposedly get for free.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you mean. We tend to place a greater value on the people who provide services or items for which we've had to pay, at least a small amount. It makes us a stakeholder in the transaction.
I learned the value of 'free' (for some people) this summer. I posted a large TV set on CraigsList in the 'Free' category. I received several emails asking for, among other things: 1) a better picture than the one I'd posted, 2) if I would deliver the TV to them, 3) did I have a friend or neighbor who'd deliver the TV, and 4) would I promise to hold the TV for them for a couple of months until they were ready to move to their new place. Because it was Free, I did not feel obligated to accommodate their requests.
OK, I answered my own question. About 10% of the US students attend private school. The rest of us slugs-the 90% majority are lucky just meet our basic needs right? I'm betting that you are tall, really well built, have great hair and your classmates voted you most likely to succeed. You have many close relationships, are happily involved with a life partner and your children are perfect. Right?
ReplyDelete"OK, I answered my own question. About 10% of the US students attend private school. The rest of us slugs-the 90% majority are lucky just meet our basic needs right? I'm betting that you are tall, really well built, have great hair and your classmates voted you most likely to succeed. You have many close relationships, are happily involved with a life partner and your children are perfect. Right?" Wow. Have you been stalking me or something?
ReplyDeleteLOL! I completely disagree with you about abolishing public education, but your response above was funny!
ReplyDeleteNope, not stalking you. I only go to public places. But I do see your photo on the covers of the tabloids.
ReplyDeleteThe sorry ass principal of Tech High School uses the phrase ¨for the love of Pete´ quite often........she is awful......needs to retire 1o years ago....
ReplyDeleteMrs. Bogart is not really computer literate, so she is not posting, for the love of Pete, if you know her, you know this.
ReplyDeleteAnd while you may not be happy with her you should know she was a dynamo when she did the remodel at BRHS. She is a fabulous manager of assets and works better than any other administrator I have ever seen at making sure "the trains run on time".
This is another example of the right person in the wrong job. No one is more dedicated to IPS than Sarah Bogart. And before you say anything, I am not Sylvia.
I'm the poster who has used "for the love of Pete" here before, and just FYI, I'm not a principal. I'm a middle school teacher.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sylvia!!!
ReplyDelete"Our public education system is far from free. In fact it costs entirely more than it should. However, it still has no significant value and never will."
ReplyDeleteAnd the FREE enterprise system isn't FREE either..It's all phony. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. They just fool us all that we are getting a DEAL!!! ha! We educate a greater group of people to a higher degree than anyone. Private schools take the elite and leave the rest to fend for themselves. The same snobs that attend them usually live in gated communities out of touch with the real world.
And yet, we have some of the most opportunities and live with some of the most freedom in the world. The above post (the one labeled "And the FREE enterprise system isn't FREE either..It's all phony.") is indicative of the "victim" mentality of a LOSER! We have to break free of that and become WINNERS!
ReplyDeleteBefore you start going off on me, I do not live in a gated community. However, I attended private school that I paid for including high school and college for bachelor's and graduate degrees.
What I really learned from my education is the higher I set my goals, the higher the level of my successes. So, perhaps it is time to shed the role of the victim and shed the perception that there is no free enterprise system. I am an African man and if you don't think this is freedom, come over to Africa and see what real oppression looks like. You have no clue. Talk about being out of touch with the real world.
Ask the people of The Congo, Sudan, North Korea, China and so many others.
Try going to sleep hungry day after day until you decide to steal melons or potatoes from a field nearby wondering what would happen if caught. Try WALKING, yes actually WALKING everywhere because you not only do not own a car, you had never been in one before coming to the U.S.
You might consider the level of freedom in this wonderful country when you put on your new Jordans to go and drive to work in your Escalade. And you do not consider yourself free? How very sad!
How do I join the union?
ReplyDeleteCall the office at 1-800-638-7739 or visit the web page at http://www.iea-in.org/
ReplyDeleteAlso there is a link on that page to the "action line" the news letter for the association.
From the Action Line
ReplyDeleteIf you are in a turnaround school know that IEA has already planned to file a grievance and an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) regarding evaluating all teachers. We have a master agreement that states that you are in a four year evaluation cycle and the only other way to be evaluated is if there are documented reasons. We are waiting until September 15th, which is the last day to be notified that you will be evaluated for the year before we file. This will be a class action for everyone involved instead of individual grievances and complaints.