The White-and-Gold or Is It Blue-and-Black Dress of Ed. "Reform"

In the picture below, your eyes may play tricks upon you.  Take a closer look at the picture.  What do you see?  Don't worry.  Responses have been known to vary greatly!

If you are not among the current class of ed. "reformers," doubtless, the room may look overcrowded to you.  You probably view close to sixty children.  You say to yourself, "too much!"  Your mind's eye reaches past the far left of the picture.  You imagine possibly more children out of the camera's range.  You might notice the students by the window have no desks.  

You may note an apparent lack of diversity.  You wonder if this is a  sign of pernicious segregation.  

You may note that children look at different books and papers.  Only one child appears to look at the camera.  You might wonder why the children do not smile for the camera.  Surely, they must know it is there.  You might wonder if they have been told, instead, to busy themselves because pictures are all about appearances.  You might wonder how much is reality.

You may note there is no teacher in the picture.  This may give you an unsettled feeling.  Is the teacher behind the camera?  Is there only one teacher for sixty students?  You might wonder what happens when the inquiring young minds have questions.  Can one teacher service them all?  Are students discouraged from asking questions?

If you are among the current class of ed. "reformers," doubtless, you may look at the picture and feel a great sense of calm.  You may ask yourself why NYC public-school teachers only have 34 in a room when double that number appears to work exceptionally well.  

You might see that students are at different places in their books.  Some of the books are different.  Some students are engaged in writing.  You might assume they are all being challenged at the appropriate level.  You might appreciate all this diversity.  

You may appreciate as well that the students are too busy to smile for the camera.  They are absorbed in their work.

You might pat yourself on the back that students can learn so well without any teacher present.  You always told yourself this same thing.  This looks like the highest level of Danielson.  The teacher has been so effective, she is no longer necessary.  The children know how to run the class themselves.  You might think sixty children with one good set of questions on the board, or Microsoft-loaded computers at the ready, could replace a living, breathing educator.  

So, which is it?  Who is right?  

You tell me...and it tells me a lot about you!

When Class Size is Allowed to Go Through the Roof

No Longer With a Circular 6 Assignment, the Rabbit Need Not Scurry So Fast--While Alice Looks On...

A Queens arbitrator recently ruled against high schools with classes in excess of thirty-four students.  One would naturally assume that given the ruling class sizes would be reduced as speedily as possible.  One might guess the problem would not recur.  It seems, however, that instead of prioritizing the reduction in class size, the parties involved agreed to allow teachers of over-sized classes to bow out of their Circular 6 assignments (hall duties, club sponsorship, tutoring, grant-writing, etc).  Some teachers are satisfied with the remedy.  Granted that reducing class size is difficult (it would be easier to prevent the growth of an over-sized class), I object in principle to the remedy.

Imagine if I were a parent.   Would I want my kid in a class with forty students--even if the teacher has an extra free period every day to grade two more papers?  Probably not.  How much attention will my child receive during his forty minute period?  Will there even be a minute per child?  Will there be enough seats for all the students?  Will everyone's voice be heard?

Suppose I was a new teacher, I might not mind the additional students; but then again, I might.  Would I tell anyone?  Without tenure, I would have to suck it up, lest I lose my job.  Can you imagine life in a world without tenure?  It rots for teachers.  It rots for students.  If I have fifteen extra students in three classes, shouldn't I receive more remuneration than the teacher with one extra student in one class?  How fair is this system to anyone?  The more teachers who teach over-sized classes, the fewer teachers are needed.  Someone has lost a job.  When teachers lose their Circular 6 assignments, the remainder of the teaching body may be asked to take up the slack or the whole school may suffer.  There is a potential for far more stress in the system.  

Has a dangerous precedent been set?  Will the class sizes ever be reduced?  Are we reneging on our basic rights and the quality education we owe our students?  Will schools have any incentive to downsize classes in the future if the worst punishment for violations is a few teachers lose their C6 and can no longer tutor students or perform other professional activities?  Is there any hope that class sizes will be reduced further in the future when they are creeping up in violation of current agreements?  Who are the real losers?  Will more over-sized classes be coming at us all down the road?  Where is our sense that education is for the students and students deserve individual attention?  These decisions are not in the best interest of students and, ultimately, I feel they will not be in the best interest of teachers.    

Creating the World We Would Wish to Have--For a Photo-Op Only

  

I found all of the pictures on this post at schools.nyc.gov, the website for the N.Y.C. D.o.E.  If you look carefully, you will see that the teacher-student ratio appears in most cases to be five or fewer students per teacher.  That's pretty awesome, if you ask me.  Who wouldn't want to work under those conditions?  The neediest kids could really be helped.  But, alas, it is only an image of the world as we would like it to be.

With ratios like that, NYC teachers would have a much better shot at more effectively helping students.  It's common sense.  Kids would have a much better chance at succeeding in life.  We don't need small schools as much as small class sizes.  Small class size would be an investment in the future that could offer a great return for the kids who demand and merit more attention.  Unfortunately, ed. "reformers" have decided that privatization, one common curriculum, harder tests and stripping teacher of their dignity are better solutions than smaller class size.  

So, for the time being, I must live with the overcrowded realities of NYC classrooms, only vicariously experiencing a soothing and beneficial class size in the publicity snapshots at the D.o.E. website.   But imagine for a moment if we could create the world we would wish to see...and imagine if it was for more than just a photo-op!  

The Truly Twisted Life of Educational Deformity

There was an article in the NY Daily News yesterday entitled, "Homeless student numbers leap during 2012-2013 school year:  report."  There are close to 77,000 school children living in temporary housing.  This represents a 16% increase from the 2010-2011 school year.  The article points to several possible explanations, including the economy, increasing rents, better record keeping and Hurricane Sandy.  Happily, "grossly ineffective" teachers did not make the list.  

The New York Times also elaborates on the situation in "Public Schools in New York City are Poorer and More Crowded, Budget Agency Finds."  At the same time as the poverty is on the rise, 450,000 students find themselves enrolled in overcrowded buildings.  Class size has been increasing.

The self-anointed, so-called educational "reformers" have been so off the mark.  Michelle Rhee argued that if students could only have three good teachers in a row they could free themselves from a cycle of poverty.  I suppose there's beauty in simplicity, but one would have to be a simpleton to accept that argument.  It also has convenience, I suppose.  By targeting teachers as scapegoats, other segments of society are shielded from potential blame.  Teachers make an easy target, especially if they can be caught off guard by such stupidity.  Teachers are used to helping other people, not defending themselves.     

The Ed. reformers have tried so many ideas and failed.  Small school sizes did not work.  Charter schools, so far, only seem to succeed to the extent that they are not truly public: they exclude some students and kick out others.  But while there's profits and whopping salaries to be made, some charter operatives will pour their millions into false advertising and paint themselves as Mother Teresas.  

One might as well put a clock on each and every far-fetched "brainy" idea of the educational "reformers," and see how long it takes before it fails.  Common Core will not shock students into meeting higher standards when many still struggle with the current standards.  Over-evaluating me will not help either.  If I am truly ineffective, one doesn't need six observations to conclude that.  Just open your eyes and ears to the line of students with complaints and parental phone calls.  If I am effective, let me teach in peace as a trusted professional.

Schools reflect society's problems.  They do not cause them.  If students' basic needs are not being met outside of school, learning becomes very difficult.  More than at other times, students need to feel secure in classrooms of a smaller size.  They need more individual attention, care and comfort alongside the academia.  All of this seems like common sense to me, but, then, in these days of educational deformity, I often find myself falling back on the words of Voltaire:  "Common sense is not so common."

Stop! We're Not McKinney!

I've read enough about the deals worked out in Albany to give charter schools a free ride in the City.  It is sickening to the soul. Charters are supposed to move into underutilized schools, rent-free, or receive alternative space at the taxpayer's expense.  

Is there anyone who actually believes for a second that the City can spare any "underutilized" space.  De Blasio and, indeed, many who elected him, supported his attempts to expand pre-K. Where will these schools find space?  Currently, there are many overcrowded schools in the City.  We are in a pressure cooker and I shudder to think what will happen in the event of a true emergency.  

At other schools, students are banished from their buildings to the backfields to learn in trailers.  Can you guess what kind of message this sends to public-school students about their place and value in society?     

Last June, the Daily News carried the story about violations of building codes in the City's schools. There were a total of 9,693 violations.  Fifty-seven schools had more than two dozen violations. Ninety percent of buildings had violations.  There were loose wires, jammed doors and inadequate ventilation. Some violations threatened student health.  Union officials pointed out that the 2010-2014 capital budget was $500 million less than the 2005-2009 budget.  Shouldn't we guarantee that all our public-school children have safe, secure and satisfactory learning environments before more public space is deeded over to charter schools?

According to the U.F.T.'s Safety and Health Department, Susan S. McKinney Secondary School of the Arts had insufficient space to pair up with a Success Academy.  Yet, Eva got her way.  She was allowed to commandeer the school's third floor for K-2. Then, of course, she needed more space to expand into a K-4 operation.  Her schools continue to grow like parasites on the public-school system. McKinney lost its string program and computer lab. They lost access to most of the third-floor, including its bathrooms.  McKinney students have become second-class citizens in their own building.

Stop!  We're Not McKinney!

Stop!  We're not McKinney!

Go Back from whence you came.

Stop!  We're not McKinney!

Your school is to blame.

Stop!  We're not McKinney!

We take a favored few.

Stop!  We're not McKinney!

Our door is closed to you.

Stop!  We're not McKinney!

Just more doors in your face.

Stop!  We're not McKinney!

But we'll take all your space.

Stop!  We're not McKinney!

We make Fort Greene greener.

Stop We're not McKinney!

Blessed is our demeanor.

Stop!  We're not McKinney!

Through our door you won't pass.

Stop!  We're not McKinney!

You are the second class!

Stop!  We're not McKinney!

In our uniforms so neat.

Stop!  We're not McKinney!

Our eyes must never meet!

Stop!  We're not McKinney!

But we are what you lost,

Stop We're not McKinney!

We come in free of cost!

Stop!  We're not McKinney!

Your art school needs no strings

Stop!  We're not McKinney!

We really are the kings.

Stop!  We're not McKinney!

We use the royal "We."

Stop!  We're not McKinney!

We just rule by decree.

Stop!  We're not McKinney!

Get your hand off our door.

Stop!  We're not McKinney!

This is charter-school war.

A New Kind of Cramming in Schools

The 1950s had some pretty unusual fads.  People stuffed themselves into phone booths.

Ordinary people, not clowns, stuffed themselves into Volkswagens.

Oddly enough, others crammed themselves into outhouses.  Perhaps the phone booth was not available.

note the old-fashioned toilet paper on the roof.

Today, we face a new fad in NYC, a legacy of the Bloomberg-era D.O.E., cramming children into school buildings.  In the hallways of some schools, students are packed like sardines; some spill over into oversized classes.  Are we cramming our way to a new record in the Guinness Book?  If so, will the photographer be able to fit in the building to snap the photo at the most crowded point of the day? 

Thank goodness, the kids are good.  I'd be hard pressed to think of any I would want to see go, but gradually downsizing incoming classes seems to make more sense than the apparently intended policy of attempting to stuff more students into some already crammed buildings next year.  If you disagree, perhaps you should try to navigate the hallways of an overcrowded building between periods in the middle of the school day.  It might prove a jolt from sitting in a comfortable office and crunching numbers that look good on paper while students must crunch their way into classrooms, or, at some locations, spill out of buildings into trailer parks across frozen tundra in the wintertime. 

A new take on Schoolhouse Rock:  Schoolhouse Trailer.  With some school crammed and some in decay, RTTT and the Common Core seem like grand distractions from the underlying issues of inequality in education.