The summer of 2011 is our winter at Valley Forge. As the educator-activist division of the Grand Army of the Middle Class emerges from our summer encampment, we must be ready for the Battle of the Bill. We must be ready to discredit all of the pro-SB5 propaganda that will be shoved down Ohioans’ throats. Make no mistake—we will be involved in many skirmishes and battles before our long war is over. Continue reading → Does your school district have a student briefcase policy? That is, something that governs whether or not students can bring briefcases to school, and what they can do with them. More than likely your answer to the question was no, because students don’t bring briefcases to school. A school board that created a briefcase policy [...] Continue reading → It was Sun Tzu in the sixth century B.C. who made famous the proverb, “If you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.” This is still good advice for union members as we work to overturn SB5 and other legislation here in Ohio. While the turn of [...] Continue reading → For Ohio schools, 2010 was a very good year. Education Week ranked Ohio’s education system 5th in the nation and the Education Commission of the States applauded Ohio’s efforts under Governor Strickland to reform its school system. But with “consolidation” on the mind of our governor and several republican legislators, all of that could change [...] Continue reading → The rhetoric is loud and clear. Somehow teacher and public workers unions are responsible for the Great Recession. Led by ranting governors from across the nation, the public actually believes such wise men in their high positions. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney recently stated, “Average government workers are now making $30,000 a year more than [...] Continue reading → If you are reading this blog online, then you probably already believe in the power of technology and not only the possibilities, but also our obligation to bring technology into the classroom on a daily basis. Countless studies and articles support the benefits of integrating technology into classroom instruction; technology promotes interaction and cooperative learning [...] Continue reading → As American schools face the loss of $100 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, including the $4.35 billion from “Race to the Top,” I hope Congress will find the political will and motivation to finally reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 2011, now known as the infamous “No Child Left Behind [...] Continue reading → As Ohio waits for the axe to fall on public education funding, I urge our new state administrators and representatives to think long and hard before they start chopping away at the budget. As baby boomers continue to retire, many teachers being hired are young, inexperienced and cheap. This is not to say that they [...] Continue reading → It’s the Sunday after Thanksgiving and while it’s cold outside, the sun is shining brightly, and my spirits are lifted. It’s been a busy, yet somehow restful, five-day break. I’m thankful for the time I had to visit with friends, feast with my family, decorate for Christmas, and even do a little on-line shopping. However, [...] Continue reading → Last month, a small group of students from our middle school had the privilege of attending the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) National Innovation Summit in Washington, D.C. Ten years ago, PLTW was designed to promote learning in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and was piloted in a dozen schools in [...] Continue reading → 