Here’s what the SB 5 proponents want the people to ignore. Public workers make a fair wages and have decent benefits because we bargain for them. Too many private workers don’t have the opportunity to bargain. Collective bargaining in the private sector is at historic lows, far lower than other developed countries. As these rights [...] Continue reading →

One of the things I will miss most about the summer is the time I have to simply sit and read a good book. Sadly, reading for pleasure is just not what it used to be. Last year, as part of our professional development, the Language Arts Department at my middle school decided to explore new ways to promote and encourage reading for fun. After analyzing the results and researching some ideas, here are some of the strategies we chose and implemented. Continue reading →

Yes it’s already that time again. Like it or not, school starts in just a few weeks. Don’t beat yourself up for not opening that book bag all summer. If you are like me, you need the first two months of summer to relax and you deserve it! Besides, teachers work best under pressure! Here are some tips to help you prepare yourself, prepare your students, prepare the parents, and prepare for the first day. Continue reading →

I have been a teacher long enough to remember when the National Commission on Excellence in Education issued 1983’s “A Nation at Risk” report and teachers were informed they were failing their students. For the better part of thirty years, teachers have been prevailed upon to work harder, to get better test results from their students and to restore our country’s health and status by producing shiny widget-like Lake Wobegon students, all college- and career-ready, regardless of the influence of anything outside of our classrooms. Fast-forward to January 2011 when the most vicious attacks on teachers began in earnest in Ohio and in many other states throughout the country. So, why teach? Continue reading →

Just like so many other support staff in the field of teaching, librarians are seen as the fringe elements of the profession, not as important as core instructors, and, in most districts, the first to go when funds get tight. Not many people know all that I contribute or how much I am responsible for, but obviously it is far more than just checking books in or out. Continue reading →

The final meeting (rescheduled after a prior “scheduling snafu”) to discuss a new school funding formula for Ohio was held to a packed room. Those who didn’t get there early enough had to stand or sit on the floor for the entirety of the 90 minute discussion. After Mattei-Smith finished her explanation of the new funding model’s principles, participants voiced their concerns. But keep in mind, the governor’s intended timeline to implement a new funding model for education in Ohio is unbelievably short. Continue reading →

Whereas Strickland immediately unveiled his education reform principles and gave plenty of notice that he would be holding meetings for several months in order to gather citizen and education stakeholder input, the current governor is taking quite a different tack. Barbara Mattei-Smith, from the governor’s office, quickly arranged for meetings to be held over three weeks in July, giving teachers virtually no advanced notice. Citizens’ feedback was not invited and stakeholders were kept separate from one another. Continue reading →

If we don’t get our financial house in order by August 2, the results will be catastrophic. Two competing Congressional plans exist; both will raise the debt ceiling and lower the national deficit, but they differ in how that will be achieved. Boehner’s unfair, unbalanced plan will shield millionaires and billionaires, and make our students the targets of massive budget cuts if we don’t protect them now. Contact your member of Congress and urge them to compromise on a balanced approach that protects the most vulnerable and requires those that can to pay their fair share. Continue reading →