Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Happy Summer

A few things I love about summer, not having to wake the children to get them off to school, no screaming about getting homework, and assignments done, and being out of the house on a continual basis.
A few weeks ago I went shopping to get my middle one off for his annual Florida trip with my sister in law. Everyone should have a sister in law that takes one of sometimes two of your children off to Florida for two weeks.
I am in line to pay for my purchases for middle one and the bill came out to an astronomical number (you purchase clothes for a boy who is 6'5" tall and the same around and see how much it costs) and 32 cents. So I hand the boy, (I call him a boy because he was the most 20), the money and he inputs the amount in the cash register while I was looking for the 32 cents, I hand it to him and he says to late. I said excuse me?, he says, to late I already entered the amount. I said okay, that is nice but look at the receipt I am giving you the 32 cents and you hand me back an additional dollar He said no it is to late, and I say apparently so.

Friday, July 20, 2007

You can put lipstick on the pig but after all.....

it is still just a pig.
A few days ago I read Norm's report of the PEP meeting which I wanted to attend but being that I am a working woman, umm a working mom, wait still does not sound good, okay I have a job, in Queens getting to the meeting on time was not happening for me.
I read it then looked at the video of Joel playing with his blackberry, way to pay attention Joel.
But when Joel told Norm that he just does not get it, I wish I was there. Maybe I don't get it, being educated in the Public System I might be a wee daft. Just kidding I am not daft, a little nutty maybe but not daft.
But this is what I want to say. The Board of Education was changed to the Department of Education, they got rid of 110 Livingston Street and moved to Tweed Courthouse (enough said a place known for corruption), but......it is still the same bloated bureaucracy.
They got rid of School Boards, and started CEC's, the got rid of the districts made regions, went back to districts.
They decided to give the Principals autonomy of their schools and created a new plan called Children First, then there is the Contract for Excellence and the budget and the Held Harmless monies. For goodness sakes that is a lot of bull to remember. A way to confuse maybe, so maybe I don't get it, because there is a lot of bureaucracy to get through.
Then there is the new small class size initiative the one where the state mandated that has to be implemented in 5 years. It is never going to happen, Kleinberg does not want it. If they did want it they would start working on it.
Not some half baked plan that they have come up with, Norm has outlined the plan here.
If anyone does not get it, it is Kleinberg, the non educators, the people who had children in fancy private schools. Stop telling us the people who are in the system that we don't get it and ask us how we think it should be changed, maybe you will learn something.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

The DOE Announces new Small Class Size!!

Yes, we can finally get excited, the DOE has announced that they will reduce class size!. I have only been waiting since my 16 year old was in the second grade to for this to finally come to fruition. Then I woke up from my dream state, and found out that yes indeed, Mrs. Pissed Off, the DOE has once again blown smoke up my ample arse. By now I am sure you all know the facts that the Class Size will be reduced by 1/3 of a child.
Which I guess is good for me, because I have 3 children and well 1/3 of my children will get a small class. What, I am wrong, not savy with the math, it is not if you have 3 children, oh I see, it is if we slice the children. No not that either, well then.............
Read here to see what Leonie Haimson has reported and don't forget to check to see when the Town Hall in your borough occurs so you can boo down this proposal. You can boo it down, but it is not like the DOE will listen. You know what they will listen too? Do you, do you? No, well I will tell you. A BIG GIGANTIC RALLY. That is right folks a rally, I have been calling for one since the aborted May 9th Rally. The one that was cancelled because we supposedly got what we wanted. I am not sure I know what it was that we got, but we got it. Oh I know what we got, a swift kick in the head.
The DOE constantly kicks us, puts teachers in the rubber room without being charged, now they have our High School students in a Prison with guards. No not a Prison, but with Police Officers that will arrest them for farting.
The play with the numbers to make sure things look favorable for them. Like did you know, were you aware, because I am now that the ratio from teacher to child in the High Schools are 25:1. Wow isn't that great, the ratio has been reduced. Maybe Pissed Off (teacher) or NYC Educator can tell me how happy they are to find out that they will have 25 students per class. Oh wait it is another smoke and mirror by the DOE. They averaged how many students are in the school and how many teachers are in the facility and came up with that outstanding number, so NY State schools pale in comparison. L O S E R S.
So I say, no I chant. Rally, Rally, Rally, protest outside the Town Hall meetings with big signs before the Chancellor and his minions arrive, have your talking points ready, and hopefully you can get your point across in a millisecond.
I am planning on a tag team of questions with myself and my hubby, and maybe my incoming Senior to his High School. Who by the way abhors his high school, something about it being overcrowded and it is hard to walk down the halls, his friends echo the same sentiment.
Which a quick observation, last year I ran into a girl that middle one went to elementary school with. I asked her what high school she attended and she told me that it was the same one middle one attended. I said have you ever seen middle one? She replied, if we are not in the same classes we never see each other the halls are to crowded. Wow but the ratio is 25:1.

Also make sure you read Norm at EdNotes, he also has an interesting take on this, and he also believes we need a rally.

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Once again BloomKlein show they just don't get it

Why is it that a Jolanta Rohloff still be allowed to apply to be a Principal in any school in NYC after a track record of not allowing students to have text books (they might lose them). Is allowed to verbally harass special ed students until they cry. Yes that must have made her feel like a very big woman. Played favorites with staff, and brought a school to being closed. Is it because she is part of your elite Leadership Academy? Can you just chalk her up to a big mistake on your part and just blacklist her.
If it can be done to teachers who are stuck in the rubber room with out due cause, why is a leader allowed to just be moved into another school WITHOUT letting those in C-30 committee be given any background on said person?
Why was Ms. Rohloff given a performance bonus of $15,000 after closing a school?
The C-30 Committee of the East Harlem's Manhattan Center for Science and Math found out about Ms. Rohloff's background they were besides themselves. They said they felt hoodwinked by the DOE. That they were not given any background on the candidates. The story hit the newspapers, but so did other stories about Ms. Rohloff. To which two of the candidates where taken off the ballot, one found another job and another one did not pass the reference check.
So Miss Rohloff is no longer interested in the position. I wonder why? Would it be because the parents and the teachers and the students do not want someone who is unstable running the education system of their school? I know I would not want her in charge of any school I send my child to.
So what do the Powers behind our schools do? They give Ms. Rohloff her very own school at a salary of $130,000 a year.

In her new $130,000 a year job, Rohloff will be developing a new high school that she will run when it opens in 2008 a job specially created for her, said schools spokeswoman Melody Meyer. (these words were taken out of the Daily News article dated 6-4-2007).

It will open in 2008 because they are hoping that everyone forgets who Ms. Rohloff is and maybe some staff will go there, no wait they are waiting for teachers who are from another country who do not know our education system to apply yeah that's it.

As I am typing this I told my husband what I am writing about and he just shook his head. Shook his head that Ms. Rohloff is still allowed to be in charge of a building. Remember we have been around the block once or twice.

Makes me just want to abandon the Public Education system before it is to late for another one of my children.

I said makes me want to not that I am going to. I still have a big mouth and I know how to use it.