Fourth Grade

My son is emotional, strung out and stressed, and so are his classmates. They are being overloaded with to much information in such a short amount of time, it is data overload.
I don't remember the other two being so stressed and this one the youngest is clever, very smart, street wise and book wise. It makes him mad scientist smart. He surprises me sometimes how he puts things together. Last night doing his homework assignment which should have taken a half hour took an hour and a half because I had to sit there with him and re-teach him the assignment. I gave him a break after the first melt down and we were looking at a magazine. I told him that I liked the desk in the picture, but not the chair. He told me matter of fact that he felt the same way, and that it made sense because we share genes which makes us alike and it is true because he learned it in school today. They way he said it was that there was no arguing the fact that we are related, which relieved his stress and we could get back to the lesson.
So now while I am teaching him the lesson again, I wondered truly who has time in their busy schedules to sit down with their kids and read a chapter to them and explain it so they comprehend what was just taught. The teacher right, not the parent. No wonder we are in this mess. Add a few more tests to the already over saturated testing time Mikey. I understand the testing companies need more influx of cash

Whats new pussycat?

I said it before but you might need some reminding. I don't like my children to be taken advantage of in their endeavors in to receive a better than State Mandated Education. I have been through budget cuts with my middle son and have seen first hand what an overcrowded classroom can do for a child and a teacher. I hoped that more than 10 years after the first fight that this would not occur again, after the state mandated what class size should be. I know I am naive. What it really is I have hope. Silly of me isn't it?
So once again more children have to suffer. Each year wee ones class roster increases he is now in a class of 28, oh please stop the eye roll already I know its a futile complaint. 28 Fourth graders made up mostly of pre-pubescent boys who are just darlings, (can you see the sly smile on my face), is not an easy task for any teacher. Especially when she is trying to get them all ready for all those pesky state tests. So this year he has 28 next year he has 35. Middle School 40 and so forth. It is okay the class size, really it is because we all know it is the Principals fault for not taking that class size reduction money. It is offered to them but they don't take it so it is there fault. Not that there is no room in the school, unless we want to teach them in the hall, what? oh they already teach in the hall. I was not aware of that. Were you?
Our Kindergarten classes have 50 children. Not like I did not see that happen, great economy, high cost of private school versus public. Lets see what would you do?
I am sure the DOE is not breaking any fire codes by cramming to many children in a class, or any health code violations. Not the DOE they do everything on the up and up don't they?

Good thing

This could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you might ask. Last Wednesday was my last full day of work at my paying job. I have time on my hands, and while I was home yesterday all alone I had time to reflect on what is important to me and what I might want to do with my new founded spare time. I decided that I was going to address wee one's journey through public school, the reason I started this blog in the first place. You know the parents view on the process. I have been around so long and have seen so many things but it is all the same. No improvement no matter what the spin control cram down our so called ignorant throats.
At this point I don't give a crap anymore of towing the line. My kid can't tow the line he is living it, and I am his only voice. Well the voice that supports him 24/7. Not the ones that only care about his ARIS stats. I am so sick of Bloomberg/Klein/Tweed and the incompetence called OFEA, Family disengagement is more like it. You try getting a straight answer out of them, and while we are at it why on the letterhead is there not one phone number to call those dolts. What is it a matter of Natural Security and I don't have the clearance?
I am also tired to the DOE making all these rules for CEC's but don't follow rules themselves.
Telling CEC's members that they must fill out oaths over and over again, asking for financial disclosure forms for a FREE FREAKING JOB, where they have no say. We can't trust those CEC people. Isn't that like blaming the hen for the fox eating it.
I am not hating on the CEC's and the dedication of the parents who serve, because truly it is the only way most parents do have a say, despite all the grief they take.
I say parents unionize already. What are we waiting for? What else can they do to our children?
Oh yeah eliminate the schools and replace them with charters. I hear Eva Moskowitz is not making enough money off the ones she already is in charge of.
Oh and by the way I am back.

Cell Phones

I understand that today there were metal detectors at Cardozo High School. The children were to walk through them, backpacks searched. Cellphones and electronic equipment were confiscated.
Great learning environment you set up there Mikey. So bleeping glad we have 4 more years of your shit.

The truth is out there

WHAT IS THE TRUTH
ABOUT BLOOMBERG’S
EDUCATION RECORD?

NO PROGRESS IN MATH. READING DOWN.
By the most reliable measure—the NAEP (national) test scores. Out of 10 urban districts, NYC dropped from 2nd place in eighth grade reading to 6th place; Bloomberg’s misleading claims are based on inflated New York State test scores.

RACIAL DISPARITY INCREASED.
By the most comprehensive measure—average scale scores; Bloomberg’s misleading claims are based on proficiency rates, which only measure improvements by the few students just below the cutoff score.

CLASS SIZES TOO HIGH.
Despite declining enrollment and $400 million from New York State to reduce class sizes, Bloomberg increased class sizes in 2008.

IF SCHOOLS ARE REALLY SAFER, WHY MORE POLICE?
Despite declining enrollment, we now have 5,200 police officers in our schools, more police for New York’s million students than for the entire 2.2 million population of Houston. Bloomberg refuses to discuss alternative approaches to school safety.

WE CAN’T AFFORD ANOTHER FOUR YEARS OF CORPORATE RULE.

ELECT THOMPSON.
www.thompson2009.com
HE’LL PUT REAL EDUCATORS IN CHARGE.

EDUCATORS FOR THOMPSON
For more on Bloomberg’s record and sources of the data cited here, see“Holding Mayor Bloomberg Accountable” at www.brian.bendag.com

Mayor/DOE Bans School Bake Sales as "Wellness Issue"

So I understand trying to abate childhood obesity. I am all for it as wee one's belly grows since he is on a constant diet of high caloric non nutrient enriched chemical tasting food, and that is just the free lunch he received from his said school.

Lets look at the big picture here. Ban Bake sales (and if I remember correctly other Chancellor's tried to do this also)
So we have now banned bake sales.
Mom how come I don't have that aide in my classroom. I can't ask my teacher a question because 40 other students have their hands up.
Well Sally the big bad wolf decided that by schools holding bake sales to raise money was a horrible idea, since you might eat more than one cupcake and grow a belly.

Does the Chancellor and Mayor sit down and say you know we did a good thing taking the Snapple machines out of schools and while we are helping the poor students with their sugar intake how about we just ban all sugar from the schools. No bake sales yeah that's the ticket.

How many hair brained ideas from these asshats are we going to sit down and just take over and over again while our children suffer.

Yeah its not all about the cake, let them have cake. No way they are not good enough for cake.

It is about all the other crap that we as public school parents have to take over and over again and we just sit there and say nothing.
Well some of us do say something but we are laughed at.
You know by the Bloomberg friendly press that constantly tell us that Bill Thompson's Board of Education was evil and the Empire friendly Bloomberg "Department of Education" is great.

Scores are up, violence is down, overcrowding is down blah blah blah.
Bullshit.
It is the same it was when my older two were in the school.
When we had the same issues, the difference we were listened to. Not made to feel like we are "special interests".
I AM A SPECIAL INTEREST! Who is paying for my children's upbringing. Not the Mayor that is for damn sure. You know the Mayor who all of a sudden gives a shit about the middle class.
You know until after the election.

Dear Mayor Bloomberg,

I have a query. Is it only a dysfunctional entity when it is in your favor?
As I see it the newly elected Panel for Education (sans Patrick) is no better than the "evil" (as you label it) old Board of Education.
Have a nice day!

Pissed Off Mom

New School year ahead

Wahoo school has begun. This year it has been announced that their will be deeper cuts. No Art, gym once a week, no library access, that is unless the classroom teacher will do it, and I would not give up a prep period, would you?
So once again we must go and beg for outside monies. Grant monies that are usually not handed out in this District. I yearn for the good old when we had a district days. When the District as a whole applied for a grant and received it.

One another note, wee one has a teacher that is brand new to the school. Looking forward to learning with her. A friend made me laugh when he said it was good for me that she is new to the school. Means she does not know my reputation. I told him oh yee of little faith. Small school=more gossip.

Joel Klein is a big fat liar....

and his pants are on fire.
With the new school year quickly approaching, I would like to reflect on the past year. The Dynamic Duo have been constantly bragging about the stellar education our children receive. They relate to us that our teachers do not teach to the test, and the press just laps it up. Not like the owners (Mikes friends) know any different, their darlings attend private and the costlier the better, plus lets not forget those great class sizes.
So back to last year. Wee one completed the third grade. I have noticed a difference in the older guys third grade curriculum and wee one's curriculum. Now this might just only be wee one's school. Where test scores matter a great deal. People riot, okay not riot over lower scores from the year before., but they do make the Principals life difficult at best over them. Wee one was taught multiplication, he increased his vocabulary and spelling skills. Science was a bit intense this year, but he studied diligently and did fine.
What he did not learn was something the other two did. Cursive handwriting and history. We did have to purchase a map at the beginning of last year. One of the United States and the World as a whole. At the beginning of the school year he did learn the continents and the oceans, hemispheres etc., but that was it. Now I am pretty sure if there was some third grade history statewide test they would learn this crap ummm I mean essential information. I am not suggesting a test, because our children are not lab rats for goodness sakes. And Joel, I swear if there is a test announced I will be in front of Tweed with all my friends and a giant pitchfork. Don't ask me put Pissed, when exactly would you like us to teach all of this, there really isn't enough time in the day. Bull$shit. There used to be time, maybe if the tests were not increased each year our children could get that stellar education.
Now I know the cursive thing can be explained away by telling me people don't write in longhand. When was the last time you sent a letter. Well I do write in long hand and I do send letters. Call me old fashioned.
I would like to know why it is up to me the parent, you know the parent without any say or education experience have to teach him cursive. He asked me to, said he wants to learn. The horror's a child who wants to learn.