Tag Archives: Teacher

WARNING: From NH Teacher/Mother on Common Core

We received a letter from a parent/teacher in New Hampshire. She asked that her name be removed. Parents are removing their kids from the public schools but it’s even more telling that this one is a teacher too.
We hear from many parents and teachers and we thought this was one that needs to be read by as many people as possible.

Hi there –

Thanks for all you do on behalf of our children who are apart of the New Hampshire public school system. I’m a former teacher. I have a M.Ed from **** College. I used to teach elementary school but have been a stay at home mom for many years now while still keeping my certification valid.

I’m writing to let you know how Common Core, and other educational reforms, have impacted my children’s lives in the public school system. I have three children.

My two older kids had a great experience going through our public school system in elementary school. They are now in high school. Common Core started in our school system when they were in middle school. The way it has impacted them is the push we’re seeing to bring down the top kids and bring up the lower level learners. Both my older children are higher level learners. One qualified for a higher level math class in 6th grade. Instead of being encourage to pursue this great opportunity, we were being persuaded to keep him in a lower class so he could feel more apart of his peers. We put him in the higher level class anyway. We see similar things in high school. There seems to be a push to keep the higher level learners from being challenged.

My youngest is in second grade and I pulled her from school this year to homeschool. I pulled her also for the lack of being challenged. She is a higher level learner like her older siblings. At her elementary school there was plenty of extra help for the lower achievers. The teachers teach, using the standards, to the rest of the class. The higher level learners are left to be bored. When I asked the principal if there was a way to challenge her in math, I was told to challenge her in other areas of her life like extra curricular. When asked her teacher to challenge her, I was continually dismissed and told she needs to go “wider and deeper” and not higher. In kindergarten, when asked if she could move on to more advanced topics, she was instead given frustrating maze like math challenges to “improve her perseverance”. In 1st grade, my goals for her to be challenged in math were ignored. She cruised through all the math lessons not learning or being challenged.

I feel as though Common Core keeps kids in a box. There isn’t a way to move ahead if you are in first grade and on a third grade math level. When you get to 4th and 5th grade, I’ve heard repeatedly from parents over and over that the way math is taught is confusing for both students and parents and does not make sense. That is not incentive to put my daughter back into public school.

Our elementary school is a great elementary school with super teachers. We moved to this town because of our wonderful school. I would like to see our teachers free to collaborate and create their own standards within our school. The teachers in a school know their community of students best.

In addition, I do not like the Smarter Balanced. I have respectfully refused all standardized testing for all of my children in the past. I don’t like that the test not only tests for academics but also for dispositions and beliefs. I don’t like data being collected about my children. The countries top private schools do not use the Common Core and do not use the Smarter Balanced. We should use these top school as models.

A great number of parents in our school system also do not like the shift to Competency Based Assessments either. Our schools are slowly changing over. Again it’s the parents of the higher level learners that seem to prefer traditional grading. We had a petition in our school system going around on change.org to keep traditional grading. Many parents and students signed it with numerous comments and reasons to keep traditional grading.

We are much happier out of the public school system and not having to deal with all these educational reforms like Common Core, Smarter Balanced and Competency Based Assessments. With homeschooling I can tailor my youngest child’s education to her individual needs. Public school can’t do that at this point in time with the restraints and expectations of Common Core. As I’ve personally seen at various grade levels, there seems to be a push to keep the higher level learners from being challenged. Many other parents I have talked to feel he same way.

I would love to turn back the clock when school was fun and teachers had the autonomy in the classroom to teach towards each childs individual needs and challenge them and take them as far as they can go.

Kindly,
Parent from SAU16

ESSA benefits Goldman Sachs? But hurts SPED kids?

A teacher has been filtering through the 1061 pages of ESSA (reauthorization of No Child Left Behind) in order to point out troubling issues with the legislation signed into law yesterday by President Obama:

1. Pay For Success – “Investors” like Goldman Sachs come into a school district to evaluate SPED kids. Goldman Sachs gets a kickback or “return on their investment” for every student NOT enrolled in Special Ed. In Utah, Golman Sachs determined that 99% of SPED kids were not SPED – miraculously cured! They also received a first payment of $250K! Stealing scarce resources from the kids that need it the most and lining the pockets of billion dollar corps.
2. No parent opt out provision. Leaves it up to states to work out how to deal with opt outs.
3. Still has the 95% participation testing requirement.
4. Still allows Secretary of Ed to take over state and LEA’s.
5. Big swath of funding to the expansion of charter schools.

So why did Senators Ayotte, Shaheen and Congresswoman Kuster ALL vote for this?
Why did Governor Hassan, the AFT and NEA in NH all praise this?

NH parents need to think about who is serving the interests of children and who is serving the interest of Goldman Sachs the next time they vote.

Teacher Accountability but NO Accountability on VA or Benghazi scandals

Teachers have been stripped of their autonomy in the classroom over the years due to federal education reforms. From Goals 2000, to No Child Left Behind and now to Common Core, the federal reforms have slowly stripped teachers of their autonomy.

The bureaucrats tell us, we need ACCOUNTABILITY in education. We would agree. Why haven’t they been held accountable for their failed policies?

The bureaucrats tell us, we need ACCOUNTABILITY by tying a teacher’s evaluation to flawed Common Core assessments. The tool that drives the curriculum.

We believe schools should be accountable, to PARENTS and to those live in their community. LOCAL CONTROL.

Isn’t it interesting that the SAME people who call for accountability in schools never hold themselves accountable?

After the Veterans Administration scandal, who lost their job? NO ONE.
After the Benghazi scandal, who lost their job? NO ONE.

Who’s losing their jobs due to the Common Core failures? Teachers.

David “White Privilege” Pook: Profiting Off Common Core

For those of you who’ve researched Common Core know this is a money maker for companies and vendors who are cashing in on the dumbed down education reform.

David “White Privilege” Pook is holding a workshop on CC$$ writing.

CCSS Writing with David Pook
This workshop offers teachers and administrators alike insights into how the Common Core Writing Standards were designed and how to make them come alive in K-12 classrooms. The morning will concentrate on the close connection between the reading and writing standards, and how to generate text dependent writing tasks based on the standards. The afternoon session will delve more deeply into the different types of writing called for by the standards to grasp their similarities and differences, and learn more about how to assess writing using the standards—and how writing will be assessed on Next Generation assessments like Smarter Balanced. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in best practices around generating CCSS aligned writing instruction and assessment, and attendees will receive timely constructive feedback about how to proceed with the opportunities and challenges that stem from adopting and implementing the Common Core Writing Standards. It will take p lace June 5, 2015 from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at North Country Education Services. Register online at www.ncedservices.org/pook-writing or call (603) 466-5437 (between 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) or e-mail lisa@ncedservices.org.

Cost
Staff from full member schools $125
Associate member schools $145
All others $175

Now we have to ask David “White Privilege” Pook, did you really write the dumbed down Common Core English Standards to end white privilege OR to make $$$ off of the dumbed down reform?
Mr. David “White Privilege” Pook… profiting off “professional development”.

Parental RIGHTS Under Attack By Nashua Teacher

A Nashua teacher wants to undermine PARENTAL RIGHTS and eliminate the OPT OUT of objectionable materials in public school law. She’s working with the AFT union to ELIMINATE a law which protects parental rights.

Ultimately, these decisions should come from the parents. We’ve seen enough examples where teachers and schools exchange real science instruction for political indoctrination.

We encourage parents to engage their school administrators and teachers in an honest discussion on all subject material, however the decision still needs to be made by the parents.

In this case, the student remained in the class but the teacher still wants to remove the rights of the parents to be the one who makes this decision. That’s WRONG.

RSA 186-11 IX-c. Requires school districts to adopt a policy allowing an exception to specific course material based on a parent’s or legal guardian’s determination that the MATERIAL is OBJECTIONABLE. Such policy shall include a provision requiring the parent or legal guardian to notify the school principal or designee in writing of the specific material to which they object and a provision requiring an alternative agreed upon by the school district and the parent, at the parent’s expense, sufficient to enable the child to meet state requirements for education in the particular subject area. The name of the parent or legal guardian and ANY SPECIFIC REASONS disclosed to school officials for the objection to the material SHALL NOT BE PUBLIC INFORMATION and shall be excluded from access under RSA 91-A.

Maybe it’s time for a PARENTS UNION? Please reach out Ms. Miller and tell her parents rights trump hers. millera@nashua.edu

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1061171-469/focus-on-evolution-climate-change-earn-nashua.html

Focus on evolution, climate change earn Nashua teacher adventure trip through Grand Canyon

By TINA FORBES

Staff Writer

NASHUA – A focus on teaching evolution helped a Nashua High School North science teacher win one of two scholarships in the country for an eight-day rafting trip through the Grand Canyon.

Alyson Miller was awarded the scholarship by the National Center for Science Education along with a teacher in Fresno, Calif.

Miller said she was motivated last year after she had a student whose parents wanted her to opt out of learning about evolution in a high school biology class.

“Taking out evolution is like taking the tree trunk out of a tree,” Miller said. “You’re just left with a pile of leaves.”

Although the student ultimately didn’t leave her class, the policy allowing parents to opt students out of lessons they deem objectionable is state law: Chapter 186:11 IX-C.

“I couldn’t believe this law existed,” said Miller, who said she started looking into the law. She said although it appeared to be prompted by parental objection to sex education in health class, the language allows it to be applied to any course material if parents consider it objectionable.

This year, Miller secured the American Federation of Teacher-Leader grant designed to help teachers make policy changes and began working on finding a way to repeal the law. She’s working with an AFT lawyer to explore how to amend the law now.

“I’m looking to see if the policy has been used, how many times and if it’s been used in a science classroom,” she said.

Miller connected with the NCSE while researching the opt-out policy.

“The National Center for Science Education is kind of a ‘go to’ place for science leaders when you have a question on evolution or climate change,” Miller said. “They were so helpful. They sent back a whole lot of information.”

Miller noticed a posting for the Grand Canyon scholarship.

“I thought that would be really motivating, and a win-win. If I didn’t win the trip, I’d have a lesson plan really finely tuned,” she said, referring to the lesson plan she developed for the application.

Miller has been brushing up on geology in preparation for the trip, although she said experiencing science through nature is the best lesson.

“I’m thrilled to be learning about it,” she said. “I just really would like to bring back to my students something interesting.”

Read the rest of the article by clicking here

New Hampshire Teacher Speaks Up: Is Anyone Listening?

We recently came across this post from a New Hampshire teacher who was courageous enough to speak up. The question now; is anyone listening?

April 6, 2015

A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

A recent article in the Londonderry Times regarding concerns about the new, Common Core aligned SBAC test contained statements made by Heather Gage, Director of Educational Improvement for the New Hampshire Department of Education. Ms. Gage asserted, “Somehow there’s misinformation about us asking questions regarding social issues, such as gun control and sexual orientation. There’s nothing in the assessment like that”. I agree, these exact questions are probably not part of the test. However, what Heather neglected to mention is the fact that, in The US Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology Draft, “ Promoting Grit Tenacity and Perseverance” it is clearly stated that, “ noncognitive factors—and particularly grit, tenacity, and perseverance—should play an essential role in evolving educational priorities.” It also states, “we found common operating principles for designing supportive contexts and evidence that contributing psychological resources can, to a large extent, be taught and cultivated.” I’m not clear on exactly what the intent is here or how it will be implemented. However, if you couple this with the fact that FERPA laws have been weakened and the fact that there has been a shocking lack of transparency regarding Common Core and its associated data collection through SBAC and other means from both the state and federal government, this becomes greatly concerning.

In early February of this year, upon approaching the NH Department of Education myself about my concerns regarding Common Core and SBAC, I was given a link that led me to the works of Linda Darling-Hammond, proponent of using psychometric tests and close friend and colleague of the communist and Weather Underground founder, Bill Ayers. When I approached the NH State BOE regarding these same concerns, I was urged by the board’s chair, Tom Raffio, to acquaint myself with the works of Dave Coleman, head of the College Board and responsible for aligning the new SAT to Common Core. Instead of solid academic research, I was instead given biased information supporting Common Core.

Indeed, we need to be concerned about Common Core’s experimental, one-size-fits-all copyrighted curriculum standards, scripted lessons, untested methods of teaching math, corporations making billions by helping to design and implement this, “ transformation”, high-stakes tests, data mining, and emphasizing test scores which will encourage teaching to the test and inevitably narrow the curriculum. However, what we really need to worry about is the underhanded and undemocratic way that all of this has come about, who is in charge of education in this country and exactly what it is that they are doing.

I have yet to hear of a society that collects personal data on its citizens and uses one-size-fits-all instruction to effectively force “equality” on its masses remain democratic or avoid violating the civil liberties of its citizens.

Diane Rose Sekula
Experienced Educator
RPCV, Moldova, Former USSR, ’99-01

New Hampshire Teacher Speaks Out Against High Stakes Testing

This was recently posted on a public face book page.  We wanted to make sure that parents were aware of it and want to thank all teachers who are showing real courage by speaking out against the damage of high-stakes testing in our New Hampshire schools
From a Hooksett teacher: Maryann DeLuca Boucher

Dear Mayor Gatsas!

I am writing to thank you for your ROCK SOLID stand on CCSS and it’s unfriendly cohort- SBAC!

I was extremely disappointed to hear that the Board of School voted against your well informed voice and moved forward with the charge to administer SBAC to the children in the Manchester School District!
I thought of you when I saw this article..

http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150224/NEWS/150229622

It is evident that you remain current on the controversail topics in this educational reform, I thank you for that!
Sadly, the Board of School doesn’t follow your lead. If they did, they wouldn’t be afraid to take a stand on doing what’s best for children.
I stand along side second grade teacher, Kelly Tambouris, and agree wholeheartedly with her position on the over use of assessment- especially High Stakes testing.

Thank you for all that you do for the children of the Manchester School District- you make a difference!

Maryann Boucher
Kindergarten Teacher
Hooksett School District
SAU #15

Common Core in NH: It’s a DISASTER

Below is a link to a Manchester School Board meeting where a teacher is speaking out on the over-testing that is going on in the district.  This again is part of the “redesigning” by President Obama in our local schools.
Common Core supporters in the Legislature were SO happy that the U.S. Department of Education issued NH a waiver from No Child Left Behind, however they didn’t think about how this would impact our local schools.
To many legislators like Governor Hassan, Senator Hosmer, Senator Stiles, Rep. Gile, etc.  this is now the fall out from your support of Obama’s “redesign” in our schools.
Our teachers are starting to speak up, but are you going to listen ? Or continue to ignore the critics?
Common Core is known to many as NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND on STEROIDS.  
Now you will know why…..

MIN 25:00

Manchester Teacher – Sue Hannon says “Teachers are under a tremendous amount of STRESS… When do we actually get to teach students? The past 17 days…12 days were spent doing ASSESSMENTS. They didn’t even TEACH anything”.

http://vimeo.com/channels/659734/109187114

Manchester NH Teacher WARNS Parents / Will They Listen?

Editors note: this was publicly posted on Manchester Parents Against Common Core on Face book.
We’d also like to make parents aware that with Outcome Based Education (Competency Based Ed in NH) Students take NUMEROUS tests.  Tests before they’ve been taught the material, during instruction and AFTER instruction.  This is a way of ensuring students come out with the RIGHT attitudes, dispositions and yes, sometimes academic knowledge.  KEEP IN MIND, if they do NOT have the right attitudes (example, not having the right attitudes on man made global warming) they will be remediated and remediated until they hold that view. 
That’s an “EXAMPLE” of how OBE works and states/districts who’ve gone that route in the past, have reported the similar problems……

Kelley Tambouris
Does Anybody Hear Me, Will Anybody Listen?
A Second Grade Teacher’s Story from a Manchester Elementary School
By: Kelley Tambouris

Twenty-two years ago I began my teaching career. I have been a Special Educator, a Second Grade Teacher, a Third Grade Teacher, a Writing Teacher, a Literacy Coach, and now I am back in the classroom, again, as a Second Grade Teacher. Why did I become a teacher? I have a deep love of children and just knew my calling was to make a difference in their lives.

As a teacher of 22 beautifully special and unique children, it is my responsibility to do what is best for them each and every day. I can stay quiet no longer. Here is our story:
Today was the 28th day of school and I have already had to give them 8 math assessments and three half-hour to one and a half hour computerized assessments. I have been also told that I will have to continue giving them 3-4 additional math assessments each month. These are not the traditional tests teachers give; our district mandates them.

I have also been recently instructed to give each student a 150-word site word test and individual reading assessments, both have to be done 1 on 1, and both have to be done by the end of November (please keep in mind there is only 1 of me and 22 of them). With each test I have to give to 1 student at a time, that leaves the other 21 on his or her own.

In January, the computerized tests will come back, along with our 3-4 monthly math assessments, and reading tests will have to be administered again to students below grade level. It doesn’t end there either. Again the computerized tests, reading tests, and site word tests will come back around in May, keeping in mind the 3-4 monthly math tests.

Now, not only do the mandated assessments have to be given, they need to be scored, analyzed, and put into the computer. What I really need you to understand is many of these tests are above what the students know because these skills are expected to be mastered by the end of the year. Countless minutes and hours are spent with tummy aches and tears (no, not mine, the children).

I have been given a new set of standards to teach my children, they are called the Manchester Academic Standards. There is, however, a catch. In math, I have been told what standards to teach, but there was no money to buy any teachers in my school a program to use to teach. So, I have to search the Internet and work with my team to come up with papers to do with my children. Although it is a challenge, I have accepted that challenge and have been creating my own work to help the children reach these standards. A wrench has recently been thrown into my plan though. Approximately a week ago, we were sent an email stating we need to minimize run-offs because our paper supply is nearly gone and there is no money in the budget to buy any anytime soon. Our pencil supply is also minimal. Again, it is the 28th day of school.

Let me also mention part of our reading standards is to teach our second graders Fables, Folktales, and Fairytales. Again, when my team asked for books to use to teach Fables, Folktales, and Fairytales we were told these books should be supplied by the district, BUT THEY WEREN’T. How can I teach if I don’t have the materials? I know, they expect me to pay with my money.

In my classroom, most of the bookshelves, some tables, all the decorations, many of my classroom library books, many student supplies etc. were already paid for by me. I spend anywhere between $500 to $1500 a year on my classroom. When does it end?
Now, you may be thinking why don’t you just quit? Well, I go back to the beginning of my story. My calling is to make a difference in my students’ lives.

I have kept quiet and endured the public disrespect with the Union Leader and the many people that think teaching is a piece of cake. We have mandated assessments, daily planning for science, social studies, writing, Fundations, math, and reading, duties, progress reports, report cards, parent communication, sitting on various committees, hours of meetings that pull us out of the classroom, papers to correct, behaviors to deal with, minimal materials supplied to us, and professional development to maintain connected to tons of paperwork. Our workday begins at 8:05 and that is the same moment our students come in. We are given 45-minute prep periods 4 days a week and a 20-minute lunch. Students leave at 2:35 but for late kiddos we stay with them until 2:40 and walk them to the office. Our day is supposed to end at 2:50. Reality is that I am at school by 7:40ish and do not leave until approximately 4:15ish, usually with a bag of work over my shoulder to do at home, with no overtime pay.

I am angry, frustrated, but most of all sad! Sad that the system is so broken and that we are doing more harm than good!