Full post is at MEAMatters

Because of continuing revenue problems, the nonunion charter school Arts and Technology Academy of Pontiac scheduled a May 2014 fundraiser billed as “Teacher Appreciation Week.”

Parents were expected to come to school to put money in buckets held by the teachers. This humiliation was mandatory.

Staff were expected to dress in drag or hold a sign that read: “Save My Job.”Others would have pies thrown in the faces or have kindergarten students style their hair and apply makeup. And most incredibly, three teachers were expected to dress as babies.
Without a union, the school staff are powerless to resist these orders. They are “at-will employees” and can be terminated without cause. So they keep quiet and do what they are told. Read the entire post

Reblogged from Diane Ravitch’s blog

One of the truly bad ideas that has been adopted in various states is that third graders must pass a reading test or flunk. They can’t advance to fourth grade. This is part of the punitive test-based accountability of our times, which hurts children and trusts standardized tests more than teachers.

“The governor on Tuesday vetoed a bill allowing a student who fails the test to still be promoted if a team of parents and educators approve. Lawmakers applauded and cheered when the veto override passed 79-17 in the House and 45-2 in the Senate. Read the entire blog post

Entire post is on MEAMatters

High school teacher Mark Pontoni takes issue with the Mackinac Center using public school email addresses in a recent issue of the Petoskey News-Review, and concludes that the Center isn’t a real non-profit charitable organization. He suggests we join him in filing a complaint with the IRS questioning their tax exempt status.

“… the Mackinac Center is using tax subsidies and postage subsidies to finance their attack on public education and teaching. Isn’t this the “free market” champion that rejects “freeloaders” in our system? And yet on a mail piece sent to teachers last week, they asked us to help pay the postage by using a nonprofit mailing permit. The U.S. government allows legitimate nonprofits to mail at cheaper rates to aid in their fundraising and other activities, but this privilege is expressly denied for political causes. Now how the Midland Postmaster allowed this mailing to go out is a question he’ll have to answer, but it sure seems to me like the Mackinac Center is not following either the letter or the spirit of the rules governing nonprofit organizations. Read the entire post…

Reblogged from @ The Chalk Face

This type of question is a popular tool in political discussions, and it totally bends the rules of a logical debate.  It’s designed for a specific purpose – to create a situation where the person being questioned can avoid answering, while also putting the burden of solution on an opponent, knowing that the opponent isn’t responsible for that.  Here are some rudimentary examples to illustrate it more clearly:

1. A member of the Senate Energy Committee says, “You don’t like the fact that gas-powered cars are warming the planet? What do you suggest we drive instead?” It’s not an opponent’s responsibility to provide that answer.  Also, the turning question makes the assumption that we must find something new to drive, rather than working on some other solution. Read the rest…

Reblogged from MEAMatters: The Mackinac Center and Why It’s Trying to Destroy the MEA

My letter to the Mackinac Center. Feel free to share/copy, etc. But if you get a postcard, SEND IT BACK!

To the Mackinac Center for Public Policy:
First I just have to say, your name is laughable. From what I can see, you are as concerned about the “public” as the spider is for the welfare of the fly. You see the public—common people—like teachers and their unions, as a nuisance. You represent predatory business and political entities that care little for the general public.

I received your postcard in the mail today and I found myself asking these questions: Why do you care if I am in a union or not? Why would you bother to try and convince me to “opt-out”? Why waste all of that time and money on convincing little old me to opt-out of my union? And these questions led me to the real question: What are you so afraid of??

I must admit (if I were an uneducated moron), the postcard would have been well done. I especially love the condescending manner in which you assume all teachers spend the summer at the “ballpark” or at “the lake.” Yes, because all of us are rolling in wealth and own summer homes on various lakes around the state. I think you have teachers confused with YOUR membership. Read the rest…