Really???

I don't usually engage online regarding politics but when Portland's former police chief issues a scare tactic type statement by saying "...criminals who wanted guns could find them on line and avoid background checks" it draws me out. 

This infers that you can buy a gun online without a background check. You cannot buy a gun online without that weapon being shipped to an FFL (federal firearm licensed) dealer who then, will conduct a background check before releasing the weapon. This has been in place for quite a while.

Yes you can/could connect with sellers online and meet face to face for the transaction (if this is what he's refering to) but I don't know any responsible (legal) gun seller who would not require a bill of sale and a drivers license and/or a Concealed Carry Permit showing the buyer may legally own the weapon. And this process has been in place for a long time as well.

So again...How does this law stop the bad guy or change the bad guys's behavior??? Is there any research in which this type of rule/law has given the desired results? Do people really feel that the bad guys can't get guns now? Who is actually affected by this (besides the legal gun owner)? 

Read that quote again. Apparently even Portland's former Police Chief feels that this solves the problem so it must be solved.....right......??????


The bad guys always follow the  rules .....don't they...????

Professional vs. necessary

I'm a teacher.  My profession and my families income base is gained from this job.  I enjoy going to work and feel I have found a fulfilling and I love hearing from former students  who are accomplishing their dreams  and giving back to their community as well as those who did not find their path smooth.

I had a conversation recently that made me think about some of students who have come through my classroom over the years whose path was very challenging.  I was asked the whether it was part of my professional requirement as a teacher to care or worry about their life and situation outside of their day at school.

My short answer is:  How can I not care and worry?

I began to think about the job description and I wondered if the job could even be done if a teacher's performance was limited to the presentation of objectives, SLT targets and the collection of assessment data as well as the growth of the measured goals, performance tasks and objectives?  Yes there are requirements for management, safety and "best practices" but a requirement to care?

While it may not be mandated, how can I teach when some come in the door with anger, growling stomachs or just the need to know someone values them (do I matter?).

It is necessary?  What happens away from school is a part of who they are and what they experience in this life.  Therefore it has to matter.  Am I required by contract or professional job description to listen to a students who is hurting over the loss of a pet or and impending move?  I don't see it in the contract.  Is it necessary?  Absolutely.

The Gap

It's been a while.  I have had a number of ideas but life has had other priorities.

I found this letter that describes my feeling better than my own words.  You can see the source here

I think the achievement gap is not the only gap that needs attention.

Seven New York State Teachers of the Year have written an open letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, blasting his new proposed education reforms

Dear Governor Cuomo:

We are teachers. We have given our hearts and souls to this noble profession. We have pursued intellectual rigor. We have fed students who were hungry. We have celebrated at student weddings and wept at student funerals. Education is our life. For this, you have made us the enemy. This is personal.

Under your leadership, schools have endured the Gap Elimination Adjustment and the tax cap, which have caused layoffs and draconian budget cuts across the state. Classes are larger and support services are fewer, particularly for our neediest students.

We have also endured a difficult rollout of the Common Core Standards. A reasonable implementation would have started the new standards in kindergarten and advanced those standards one grade at a time. Instead, the new standards were rushed into all grades at once, without any time to see if they were developmentally appropriate or useful.

Then our students were given new tests—of questionable validity—before they had a chance to develop the skills necessary to be successful. These flawed tests reinforced the false narrative that all public schools—and therefore all teachers—are in drastic need of reform. In our many years of teaching, we’ve never found that denigrating others is a useful strategy for improvement.

Now you are doubling down on test scores as a proxy for teacher effectiveness. The state has focused on test scores for years and this approach has proven to be fraught with peril. Testing scandals erupted. Teachers who questioned the validity of tests were given gag orders. Parents in wealthier districts hired test-prep tutors, which exacerbated the achievement gap between rich and poor.

Beyond those concerns, if the state places this much emphasis on test scores who will want to teach our neediest students? Will you assume that the teachers in wealthier districts are highly effective and the teachers in poorer districts are ineffective, simply based on test scores?

Most of us have failed an exam or two along life’s path. From those results, can we conclude that our teachers were ineffective? We understand the value of collecting data, but it must be interpreted wisely. Using test scores as 50 percent of a teacher’s evaluation does not meet this criterion.

Your other proposals are also unlikely to succeed. Merit pay, charter schools and increased scrutiny of teachers won’t work because they fundamentally misdiagnose the problem. It’s not that teachers or schools are horrible. Rather, the problem is that students with an achievement gap also have an income gap, a health-care gap, a housing gap, a family gap and a safety gap, just to name a few. If we truly want to improve educational outcomes, these are the real issues that must be addressed.

Much is right in public education today. We invite you to visit our classrooms and see for yourself. Most teachers, administrators and school board members are doing quality work. Our students and alumni have accomplished great things. Let’s stop the narrative of systemic failure.

Instead, let’s talk about ways to help the kids who are struggling. Let’s talk about addressing the concentration of poverty in our cities. Let’s talk about creating a culture of family so that our weakest students feel emotionally connected to their schools. Let’s talk about fostering collaboration between teachers, administrators and elected officials; it is by working together, not competing for test scores, that we will advance our cause.

None of these suggestions are easily measured with a No. 2 pencil, but they would work. On behalf of teachers across the state we say, these are our kids, we love them, and this is personal.

Ashli Dreher 2014 New York State Teacher of the Year

Katie Ferguson 2012 New York State Teacher of the Year

Jeff Peneston 2011 New York State Teacher of the Year

Rich Ognibene 2008 New York State Teacher of the Year

Marguerite Izzo 2007 New York State Teacher of the Year

Steve Bongiovi 2006 New York State Teacher of the Year

Liz Day 2005 New York State Teacher of the Year