Saturday, May 18, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Retired Teacher from the Hood, Matt Scanlon Responds to LAUSD Apartheid
1. Though it is a well-written, well-documented article, the race card it plays avoids some of the realistic classroom experiences that I was privy to while teaching at Jordan High, Gardena High and Banning High in LAUSD for over 27 years.
Within a very small percentage of African American families, I discovered that whatever aberrant behavior was committted
by the child, the child was not held at all responsible. Instead I was accused, by the parent, that I had to be the cause, because their child could do no wrong. It does not matter about the skin color or socio-economic class, whenever a child is NEVER held accountable for her or his actions by the parent, that speels trouble for whoever is teaching in a class with said child. NOT EVERY TEACHER in schools dominated by student bodies made up of people of color is prejudice against any particular racial group!
2. I suggest that that the author reads John McWhorter's controversial book LOSING THE RACE: SELF-SABOTAGE IN
BLACK AMERICA. His three themes regardng how a number of urban African American families maintain a life philosophy
that includes the cult of victimology, separatism and anti-intellectualism have more than just one grain of truth to them. I
would not ever have agreed to such scary themes if I had not experienced such examples at various times in my career.
Believe me, I do NOT see those themes as being the biggest problem with most of the students I have ever taught. No matter what shade of skin color, it has been my honest opinion that the majority of students whom I ever had the pleasure of working with were suffering from a far greater academic disability -- APATHY! All three schools had classes filled with wonderful, sweet kids. They all had some great individual qualities. Even my gang bangers were loveable, if you just took the time to get to know them a little. But being sweet, kind and well-bahaved is NOT enough! Students have to care about their education and be willing to WORK to improve their skills and knowledge level in any subject.
LAUSD is predominately an urban, Latin district whereby most of the kids tried quite a bit in elementary school, shut down in middle school and chose NOT to get their academic drive up to a sufficient level in order to graduate. The high school graduation rates in most urban schools in LAUSD are at about 50% and even worse in the inner city schools. I see the socio-economic and then cultural causes being the most obvious. It is sad, but let us be honest, middle class students tend to have parents who emphasize the importance of education MORE throughout their child's k-12 years and beyond. Urban, blue collar, less-educated parents (for a myriad of reasons) tend to emphasize the importance of education less, ESPECIALLY after the students matriculate out of the elementary level. Then you throw in the second language immigrant issue into the mix AND yeah, you are going to see a growing disparity in the state test scores and graduation rates.
Playing the race card does NOT work with me. ANY child can do well if they choose to which comes down to simply following most of the classroom rules, getting along with your peers and taking your school work seriously at school and at home. Most of the A students I ever taught were rarely the brightest kids in the class. Hell no! The top kids just cared more and worked more and thus received better grades! As for anyone playing the race card with me, yeah, I'm white, but anyone who knows me at all knows how much I loved my kids. And in 27 plus years of teaching at three LAUSD high schools, I bet that I had less than 20 white students. And for the record, I had a ton of African American kids who got As and Bs with me, especially at Jordan High.
I am ready to take on the Hall of Shame author and anyone else who wants to debate with me regarding what I have stated above. Statistics can be a great measurement to point out trends, etc. but they do NOT explain everything involved in her
"APARTHEID" skewed philosophy. I taught at Gardena High for two years and the school culture there was quite different than at Jordan or Banning High. From my experiences there I can state that there is definitely more than one cultural variable that was omitted that might also explain why the demographics at that honor assembly was not up to her liking. Reality can be a scary thing to face, but as academics we must be willing to challenge our own positions on any issue in order to grow.
PLEASE NOTE THAT I WELCOME ANY AND ALL VOICES TO WEIGH IN ON THE MATTER OF PUBLIC EDUCATION. WE NEED TO DISCUSS WHAT WE WILL DI WHEN THE PRIVATIZERS DRAIN THE LAST BIT OF BLOOD FROM THE CARCAS OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. AS MATT NOTES, RACE IS AT ISSUE AND WE NEED PARENTS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR SOME OF OUR COLLECTIVE FAILURE. FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME AT DAUGHTERSOFBUKOWSKI@gmail.com with ideas, drafts, concerns, and questions.
Within a very small percentage of African American families, I discovered that whatever aberrant behavior was committted
by the child, the child was not held at all responsible. Instead I was accused, by the parent, that I had to be the cause, because their child could do no wrong. It does not matter about the skin color or socio-economic class, whenever a child is NEVER held accountable for her or his actions by the parent, that speels trouble for whoever is teaching in a class with said child. NOT EVERY TEACHER in schools dominated by student bodies made up of people of color is prejudice against any particular racial group!
2. I suggest that that the author reads John McWhorter's controversial book LOSING THE RACE: SELF-SABOTAGE IN
BLACK AMERICA. His three themes regardng how a number of urban African American families maintain a life philosophy
that includes the cult of victimology, separatism and anti-intellectualism have more than just one grain of truth to them. I
would not ever have agreed to such scary themes if I had not experienced such examples at various times in my career.
Believe me, I do NOT see those themes as being the biggest problem with most of the students I have ever taught. No matter what shade of skin color, it has been my honest opinion that the majority of students whom I ever had the pleasure of working with were suffering from a far greater academic disability -- APATHY! All three schools had classes filled with wonderful, sweet kids. They all had some great individual qualities. Even my gang bangers were loveable, if you just took the time to get to know them a little. But being sweet, kind and well-bahaved is NOT enough! Students have to care about their education and be willing to WORK to improve their skills and knowledge level in any subject.
LAUSD is predominately an urban, Latin district whereby most of the kids tried quite a bit in elementary school, shut down in middle school and chose NOT to get their academic drive up to a sufficient level in order to graduate. The high school graduation rates in most urban schools in LAUSD are at about 50% and even worse in the inner city schools. I see the socio-economic and then cultural causes being the most obvious. It is sad, but let us be honest, middle class students tend to have parents who emphasize the importance of education MORE throughout their child's k-12 years and beyond. Urban, blue collar, less-educated parents (for a myriad of reasons) tend to emphasize the importance of education less, ESPECIALLY after the students matriculate out of the elementary level. Then you throw in the second language immigrant issue into the mix AND yeah, you are going to see a growing disparity in the state test scores and graduation rates.
Playing the race card does NOT work with me. ANY child can do well if they choose to which comes down to simply following most of the classroom rules, getting along with your peers and taking your school work seriously at school and at home. Most of the A students I ever taught were rarely the brightest kids in the class. Hell no! The top kids just cared more and worked more and thus received better grades! As for anyone playing the race card with me, yeah, I'm white, but anyone who knows me at all knows how much I loved my kids. And in 27 plus years of teaching at three LAUSD high schools, I bet that I had less than 20 white students. And for the record, I had a ton of African American kids who got As and Bs with me, especially at Jordan High.
I am ready to take on the Hall of Shame author and anyone else who wants to debate with me regarding what I have stated above. Statistics can be a great measurement to point out trends, etc. but they do NOT explain everything involved in her
"APARTHEID" skewed philosophy. I taught at Gardena High for two years and the school culture there was quite different than at Jordan or Banning High. From my experiences there I can state that there is definitely more than one cultural variable that was omitted that might also explain why the demographics at that honor assembly was not up to her liking. Reality can be a scary thing to face, but as academics we must be willing to challenge our own positions on any issue in order to grow.
LAUSD’s Apartheid Hall of Shame (Part One) (via www.laprogressive.com)Substitute teacher’s lesson plan found at King-Drew Medical Magnet in South Los Angeles (U.S. News & World Report, Silver Medal Winner for 2009): 1. Vocabulary 2. Rap to kill time Sitting in the sparsely filled auditorium of Gardena High School in Los Angeles at the beginning of an annual senior…
Thursday, May 9, 2013
A Response to Forrester Comment Worthy of Consideration
A response to the "Anonymous Teacher" aka Betty Forrester?
What's suggested here in the comment directed to David Garcia is by nature a sort of fantasy outcome. However, in light of that, let's play the unenthusiastic devil's advocate for a moment. Forrester deserves the assessment given as it applies. But she's no worse than Warren Fletcher, Greg Solkovitz or David Lyell. Fletcher has proved to be an unrepentant and willing failure. Solkovitz is as corrupt as any liar could ever be. Lyell is a check sucking fraud and a weasel of the lowest order. This is your union leadership. In this, Forrester is nothing special. Just another parasite and useless one at that with no symbiotic saving graces. And as for the challenge to Mr. Garcia, I'm quite certain he would be more than willing to accept. How could he or anyone else do worse than Ms.Forrester?
What's suggested here in the comment directed to David Garcia is by nature a sort of fantasy outcome. However, in light of that, let's play the unenthusiastic devil's advocate for a moment. Forrester deserves the assessment given as it applies. But she's no worse than Warren Fletcher, Greg Solkovitz or David Lyell. Fletcher has proved to be an unrepentant and willing failure. Solkovitz is as corrupt as any liar could ever be. Lyell is a check sucking fraud and a weasel of the lowest order. This is your union leadership. In this, Forrester is nothing special. Just another parasite and useless one at that with no symbiotic saving graces. And as for the challenge to Mr. Garcia, I'm quite certain he would be more than willing to accept. How could he or anyone else do worse than Ms.Forrester?
Rene Diedrich adds
I seriously doubt that Betty F. would ever change places with David Garcia, who is a RiFed tenured teacher scrambling to score substitute gigs thanks to the betrayal of his union. His family is no longer covered medically, there is less stability in his children's lives and he, like so many teachers, is under tremendous stress as UTLA colludes with LAUSD to cleanse teachers. Yes, we pay dues but so will all the low paid temps and interns who are being hired to replace us. By subverting the culture and contracts of current teaching profession, the union is dividing and conquering the veteran teachers. What these morons fail to comprehend is that they are disposable too. No teachers will pay for dues when they realize they are used for nothing but highly paid political puppets who could not care less about public education or members' rights. I urge all teachers to STOP paying dues. You have OPTiONS. Use that $57 a month for legal insurance with a reputable law firm. That is not how I'd describe the unethical T,T & S. Right now so many lawyers are being scooped up by LAUSD to pollute the proverbial waters, this may be hard to do, but surely attorneys will present themselves as opportunities do. Teachers are NOT the union and our union is not interested in helping teachers.
Lorna Stremcha Offers Advice about Bullies, Who, Ironically, Run Our Schools
Article
Byline: Lorna Stremcha
Legal briefs & documentation. More than 100,000 pages.
My book is now in the hands of editors and I’m hoping it will be on bookshelves soon. It describes what happens when bureaucratic bullies try to cover up, intimidate and harass a tenured school teacher. Following is an edited excerpt from “Sins of Our Schools: After the Bell Rings” that describes what it sometimes takes to fight bullies in powerful positions.
Looking at all the boxes stacked in my basement, I still wonder how I survived four years of legal wrangling. Many attorneys feel that this part of the law is all a “game”. It wasn’t a game to me. It was a pursuit of justice. Thanks to my family and faith, we survived it all.
My book only described some of the more important events that happened during this four-year period. There is no way I could convey the mind numbing details that dominated every day of my life.
The administration’s response to my complaint before the Montana Human Rights Commission eventually caused me to pursue multiple legal avenues. I had to file specific grievances against the school, additional complaints before the Montana Human Rights Commission, and finally State and Federal law suits. That’s the way the system works. It’s difficult and complicated. When dealing with our public schools, you can’t just file a lawsuit. There is formula for everything.
In today’s world of high self-esteem, it’s sometimes difficult to determine when (and if) you have a case. Many of us don’t take criticism well and are very thin-skinned. The first step I recommend is to take a good look within. Ask yourself if your boss or coworker is truly a bully, or if he/she is offering what they think might be constructive criticism about your work or professional abilities.
Study numerous books and articles concerning bullying behavior. Make some lists and determine if you are truly the target of a bully. If that is the case, your next decision is whether or not it’s worth it to stay in that toxic environment. Would you and your family be better off if you left and found another job? If that’s the case, move on. If you are in a job that you love and want to stay, then it’s time to fight.
Learn about the laws in your state. There are numerous laws on the books about various kinds of harassment. In many states the law hasn’t caught up with the bully. It is critical to build a case by documenting everything.
Journals and notebooks are valuable tools. Even events that might seem unimportant now could become critical in a legal action. When keeping records remember who, what, when, where, and how of reporting. Dates are especially important.
Keep all your documentation in a safe place and keep it organized from the start. Never give anyone an original. Make copies and keep originals and copies in separate locations.
Speak out! Tell others what is happening. If you are fortunate enough to have a trusted friend or coworker ask them to write down their impressions. If others have witnessed events that you describe in your journal, ask them to sign and date the documents.
Remember the human resources person has the same employer as you do. It’s only natural that their first loyalty will be to the source of their paycheck. Do not consider them a friend who is there to listen, comfort, and console. In this case try to leave your emotions at the door and discuss only the events in question. Be brief and to the point. Not everyone will believe you. No matter what you say, many will choose to believe those in authority.
Know the contents of your collective bargaining contract. If your employer has a list of employee rights, get and keep a copy. Ask for your personnel file and insist that they provide the entire file, not selected pages. Check the file on a regular basis. Make copies each time.
Even though it seems futile, continue to scrupulously follow company policy. Use the state and federal laws that pertain to employee rights. If you don’t know the laws, find someone that does. Work with them. Obtain legal counsel before filing any complaint.
Before hiring an attorney evaluate your financial situation. Almost every legal battle costs more and takes longer than anticipated. Ask yourself if this case is so important that you are willing to mortgage your house, dip into the children’s college fund, and take every dollar fromthe savings account in order to possibly obtain satisfaction and justice. There are some legal aid organizations that might be willing to help, in certain situations, but the sad financial fact is that you will be on your own.
Once you decide to fight here are some things you need to know:
Know that your battle will be long and arduous.
Know you will have enemies.
Know that some friends will become enemies.
Know you are not crazy.
Know you will feel alone, even when the room is full.
Above all, take comfort in your friends and your family. They will provide security and strength in what will probably be a long journey. It won’t be easy. If you are following the right path, you will hopefully reach a safe end to the journey.
Working with my attorneys I learned there are different components to discrimination, hostile environment, bullying, and sexual harassment cases. The information I provide is based on my experience. Again, I encourage you to seek legal counsel. Find someone experienced in employment law.
In some states there are no laws concerning bullying. You must learn the language of your laws and find the best tools with which to fight your own case. It might be age discrimination, sexual harassment, or a hostile workplace environment. Sadly, just because you have been bullied it might not mean you have a legal case.
Sexual harassment can be the result of a single incident. Individual incidents of bullying tend to be trivial and often are not enough to merit disciplinary or grievance action. Bullying is an accumulation of small incidents which slowly grow over a long period. Bullying occurs usually, but not always, when one person (or many persons) in positions of power or authority feels threatened by another person or subordinate that displays qualities or abilities which the bully believes he/she can never possess.
Workplace Bullying is the repeated mistreatment of one employee targeted by one or more employees with a malicious mix of humiliation, intimidation, and sabotage of performance. Bullying crosses the boundaries of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and age. Anyone can be a bully and anyone can be bullied. Those who are bullied often find themselves with little, if any, support. If it goes on long enough, job performance suffers and that may often lead to job loss.
Bullies prey on those weaker than themselves. Often their targets are employees under their supervision. That makes it easy for them. Their goal is simple: to make everyone around them look bad while they look good.
We can all recognize a bully. I have described several in my book. The Internet is full of discussions concerning this problem. Always remember it is up to you to prove that you are being bullied.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
An Open Letter to Another UTLA Judas: Betty Forrester by David Garcia
THIS LETTER IS AN OPEN RESPONSE TO BETTY FORRESTER
“DOES IT BUILD UNITY? DOES IT MOVE US FORWARD?”
JULY 26, 2012
In the July edition of United Teacher, AFT Vice President Betty Forrester, reflects on her experiences in the past year and considers what she claims, is in the best interest of fellow UTLA members. She proposes asking if one’s leadership and decision making is in the best interest of fellow UTLA members, and that this should be an individual’s main considerations for UTLA advocacy.
Mrs. Forrester, you are absolutely correct! UTLA members and leaders alike have the obligation of considering their actions and motives as, they have repercussions, which can and will impact fellow constituents within UTLA and perhaps the rest of the Nation as well.
Mrs. Forrester, you suggest that your work as AFT vice president considers the benefit and well being of fellow union members but you fail to mention that you spearheaded the contract negotiations for the current 2012 tentative agreement, and might I add—you didn’t consult with the UTLA constituency then, even after meeting over 60 times in formal negotiations talks with LAUSD…. SIXTY TIMES, the Continental Congress didn’t meet as many times as you did and they were writing the Constitution…
The 2012 Tentative agreement failed to recognize colleagues who have lost their jobs since 2008-2009, effectively allowing these teachers to lose their seniority and be forced to re-apply to the LAUSD for employment.
Mrs. Forrester, why not ask yourself these two questions next time;
Does my leadership build unity? Does my leadership move us forward?
To answer your consideration, No. Condoning our colleagues to be disregarded by the Los Angeles Unified School District serves no purpose other than condoning such actions to continue.
The Los Angeles Unified School District will never respect the United Teacher Los Angeles because of inept leadership such as this. Your tenure as a UTLA officer has damaged the public education forum and has been a detriment to fellow educators.
Mrs. Forrester, ask yourself, “Does having ‘Betty Forrester’ as an active negotiator for United Teachers Los Angeles move us forward?” “Where are we going when we allow the district to dismiss 12000 honest teachers since 2008-2009”?
Mrs. Forrester, does having you represent members of United Teachers Los Angeles since 2005 build unity?
Having been AFT Vice President (2005-12), CFT Vice-President (2009-11), UTLA Secretary (2008-11)… you have spent more time outside of a classroom being a so called “advocate” than you have being an actual school teacher? Has that “moved us forward”?
Has United Teachers Los Angeles had, even an incremental improvement since that time?
You hasten to call yourself a “Social Justice Educator” but have spent most of your tenure outside of a classroom. Mrs. Forrester, you are not a social justice educator. You are a seasoned, polished, career bureaucrat and opportunist, whose sole motivation for remaining in power is self-serving, consider the dismal decisions and misleadership UTLA has had to endure during your tenure as a UTLA Officer…
Mrs. Forrester, why not reconnect with TEACHING? Does going back to the classroom move us forward…in your case, yes-- it does. You have proven that you are not an honest leader with your misrepresentation and incompetent
negotiating skills.
How fitting that you should consider yourself a “leader” and then quote, of all people “Lucy Van Pelt” of Charlie Brown as an example of what being a “leader” means to you! It should be no small wonder that you have given away teaching positions for three consecutive years.
Please prove that you care about education, consider what’s in the best interest of moving our union forward, and either do not run for re-election or resign from your position as a contract negotiator. You are welcome to consult your inspirations for leaders and intellectual authority for guidance such as Lucy Van Pelt, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Beany and Cecil… or whatever the case may be, but be sure and ask yourself;
Does Having Betty Forrester represent UTLA since 2005 build unity? Does Having Betty Forrester as a contract negotiator who met with LAUSD representative almost 60 times in one academic school year and forfeited any concessions for UTLA members, does this move us forward?
Sunday, April 28, 2013
David Garcia Calls for Realistic Revolution
LAUSD CORRUPTION & UNION COMPLACENCY 101
MADE
BY
DAVID R GARCIA
WHAT’S THE DISTRICT AGENDA??
The United States used to be the number one producer of good and services in the whole world! America was the number one manufacturer of just about everything being made!
Since Richard Nixon, America started to change its economy towards consumerism. Instead of manufacturing, America had a paradigm shift towards consumption and “buying”. One of the consequences of Consumerism is outsourcing jobs and resources in exchange for cheaper labor.
Cheaper labor means more profit for investors. More profit does not necessarily mean better quality however; it only improves financial gain for investors.
Charter schools, privatization, the parent trigger…all of these options amount to the same thing, outsourcing!!
THE HIGHER COST OF PROFESSIONALS…
In order to increase profit in any kind of business model, you need to cut costs, which is why LAUSD has begun targeting older more experienced professional staff…
Older teachers bring a wealth of resources such as their professional experiences and higher education, professional develop, and advanced degrees… liabilities when implementing a for profit business model because, its much more profitable to bring in younger, less experienced workers to do the job of higher costing professionals; they will work for less money, often times are without single and familial commitments such as a spouse and children, and are less likely to call off because of chronic illness. These less experienced workers are less likely to have the chronic health problems older workers experience and therefore, LAUSD must provide health coverage, illness and sick time.
The fatal mistake in this privatizing/outsourcing business model is it compromises the quality of your product, in this case---your child’s education.
Outsourcing the teaching profession = “McDonaldizing” our public schools.
UNEMPLOYED TEACHERS LOSING AUTONOMY…
UTLA is, in theory, responsible for defending the rights of teachers and the teaching profession. UTLA however is being poisoned by the same “cancer” affecting LAU$D…GREED.
The reason UTLA has been ineffective in defending the teaching profession is because of its corrupt leadership. UTLA leadership, which includes UTLA’s elected officers, board of directors and house of representative members, are tainted with political ambition and the false lure of prosperity.
Each of these individuals envision themselves in higher paying union positions. Because of this, no one within the hierarchy of false leadership will ever make a statement that goes against the district or that is too controversial…these people are seeking union advancement and the lucrative possibility of a gracious salary increase and being exempt from being in a classroom.
UTLA’s inability to represent the rights of teachers and the teaching profession itself both empowers and aligns with the LAUSD outsourcing? Privatization agenda.
Therefore, LAUSD will continue to outsource the teaching profession with privatization, whether its called “charter school” or “parent trigger” unless, UTLA can establish itself with credibility through legitimate leadership that is not self seeking, not interested nor motivated by political advancement or money.
BEWARE THE FALSE PROPHET
As we approach the highly volatile UTLA election season (September 2014 school year) you will begin to see a ground swell of “activism” from UTLA leaders which have been in absentia or dormant for the past two and half years.
False UTLA representatives will begin to condemn many of the LAUSD practices they’ve allowed under their helm. For example, none of the current UTLA leadership has ever once taken the time to condemn the LAUSD practice of “teacher jail” but, as we begin the 2014 election season, you will begin to see many of the UTLA leaders now begin to vocally disapprove of teacher jail, political posturing in an attempt to promote themselves and their re-elections.
Of course, once these false leaders are re-elected, they’ll do nothing to defend the rights of teachers…
This cycle will continue indefinitely until “careerists” are removed from representing UTLA and sent BACK TO THE CLASSROOM.
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING IN LOS ANGELES?
Because the outsourcing model is already a reality in New York and Chicago! While Chicago has tried to fight back against the privatization phenomenon, Los Angeles remains the last bastion of freedom! If Los Angeles falls, the three largest school districts in America would have been successfully privatized and the rest of the country will then follow suit!
Strategically speaking, once L.A. falls, other school district will follow! San Francisco, Riverside, San Diego, Seattle, Wyoming, Miami…the privatization/ “McDonaldized” education paradigm will become the tarnished reality everywhere…
This is why outside forces have invested millions of dollars in support of candidates for LAUSD board members and other such critical elections…these people are the very individuals who stand to benefit from privatizing L.A. schools because, their wealth was made and continues to depend upon consumerism and outsourcing is a vital component in outsourcing.
THE SOLUTION IS A “REVOLUTION”!!
The only realistic way to challenge this corrupt cycle of outsourcing the teaching profession and union ambivalence requires restructuring UTLA through new leadership!
This demands honest leaders who are not “tainted” by already being involved with the current UTLA leadership. Caucuses or faction that have enjoyed even some degree of policy and decision making within United Teachers Los Angeles bare, at the very least some responsibility for the failures within this organization to defend the rights of teachers and the teaching profession.
Any group within the UTLA hierarchy entrenched with the current leadership, such as the PEAC caucus and NEWtla, have already been in positions of power, and therefore, while they will deny culpability, are equally responsible for UTLA’s failure to defend teachers.
A new leadership must emerge from within UTLA’s current rank and file that understands the dynamic of sell out unionism, back door deal making and secret memorandum’s. New leadership will take the necessary steps required to purge UTLA of compromised leadership, and challenge the outsourcing of our public schools…
April 28, 2013; DAVID R GARCIA
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