Slow Down
For my colleagues. For teachers in NYC, and everywhere. Maybe for my students, and other students. Actually, whoever you are, if you are reading these words, they might be for you.
Slow down
Slow down and wash your hands.
Slow down. Take your time planning that lesson. Plan three instead of five. Or one instead of three.
Slow down. Don’t say
“How are you”
– ask
“How are you?” And slow down and wait for the answer,
and slow down and listen to the answer.
Slow down. Don’t drive yourself insane.
Slow down and teach less, and teach more carefully.
Slow down. Where are your hands?
Slow down. Remember your mask.
Slow down and explain. Slow down and listen.
Slow down. Don’t overwork and exhaust yourself.
Slow down and let someone catch up.
Slow down. Remember those who we have lost.
Slow down. Remember one someone we lost. Remember their words and their voice and their face.
Slow down, and let those around you slow down.
Slow down. Wash your hands once more.
Slow down,
slow down
slow
down
– – — — —– ——– ————- ——– —– — — – –
There was a world not so long ago where we never slowed down where there was not time where there was too much to do where there was too much too cover. That world was thrilling but brutal and fast and if you fell behind too bad and when your students fell
That world was shattered by this pandemic. Ugly. Frightening.
Now we teach from our apartments and houses and you learn in your rooms and when I tried to go fast I failed. I am learning to go slow. We are learning to go slow.
When this is over. When we defeat this horrible thing. When we go back to how we were, if we can even go back to how we were. When we go back, let’s do it slower.
In a brighter, less scary future, let’s remember how to
slow down and
wash our hands
and
slow
down.
– jd, 4.10.20
So, I can’t write poetry, even though I tried. But here’s the point. When we slow down, we allow kids more time to think and process. We may “cover” less, but if full classes internalize the material, if they grasp it, master it, then we’ve gained. And the children have gained.
By being forced to go slow we can smell the metaphorical roses, and give those around us, and those we are charged with educating the same metaphorical chances.
When we go slower, and are more careful with questions, we display empathy. We model empathy. We teach children something “outside of our content area.” When I’m slower, I’m warmer. Maybe that’s not true of every teacher, but it’s true of this one.
But roll all or some of these together, and I think there’s an argument to be made, when we return to “normal” teaching, doing a little less, doing it more carefully – and slowly – would be a good thing.
In Memory
We are living through a crisis, a pandemic. We know because our lives are changed. We see the press conferences, the charts, the graphs. Flatten the curve!
But those charts, graphs, and curves, they are numeric representations. They tell us about the crisis. But they are composed
of people. People who got sick. People who we have lost. Focus on the curve, we need to flatten it. But do not forget what that curve is: People. People from China, or Japan, or Iran, or Italy, or Spain, or Washington, or our next door neighbors. And sometimes closer than that.
The tragedy is social. It hits all of us. But each loss is personal. And as we must slow down to preserve our physical and mental health, we must also slow down to recognize our loss, to remember, to celebrate each life.
My small school has lost two of our number in the last two weeks.
Denis Murphy taught English in our school, from the day it opened in 2002. There were six of us, founding teachers. I think of him teaching writing, getting more out of some kids than I would have expected. In reaction to the news, many alumni talked about learning from Murphy how to write. He ran the soccer club, served on the UFT consultation committee for many years. Denis was from Ireland (Kilkenny? or nearby?) and I occasionally got him to discuss the political situation in the south. The last few years he had some of his creative writing students write short plays. The kids would create a make-shift set in the lobby, and perform, to an audience that usually started small and grew. Denis would stand to the side, watching, with an obvious sense of pride in what they had accomplished. I’m going to sit quietly tomorrow, push my thoughts far away, and hold onto that image as I recall our 18 years working together.
Ulices Castro was a Lehman College Peace Officer. He was assigned to our school for most of his 16 year career at Lehman. Castro had a quick laugh and quick wit and a quick way of moving kids to class. And sometimes when a kid was drifting, Castro tried to push them in the right direction. I remember the exasperated sound of “Castro” or “come on Castro” from seniors who knew he was right. He cared about them. He cared about our school. He was protective of the building, of the students, of us, the faculty. And we knew it. “A pillar of strength” a retired math teacher wrote on learning the sad news “I loved him.” Castro always had the late shift, and was often there when I was settling in to program. Those late afternoons and early evenings we talked. We talked about labor. We talked about sports. We talked about policing. We talked about politics. We gossiped. Castro often took a psychological approach – he delved into the motivation of individuals, what made them do the things, good or bad, that they did. I want more time to think about Ulices, about the hours we spent talking, about what he meant to our small school’s community. I will miss him.
Plans
Over the last four weeks, New York City teachers have been asked to plan a lot.
Extraordinary Planning I
March 17 – 19 we were supposed to plan for “remote learning” or “remote teaching.” Moving our existing curricula onto remote platforms really made this curriculum replanning. And most of us had to learn something about the software as well. Even those who had some knowledge were going to be using the software in new ways. At least we, in theory, had time to plan.
On the other hand, buildings where people tested positive were not being closed and cleaned. And we did not necessarily know which buildings they were. And we didn’t know who had the virus, but no symptoms. Kind of like planning on a paint ball course, but instead of dodging paint balls, we may or may not have been dodging a deadly virus. Doesn’t help focus.
People actually got sick over those days. I think, when this is done, there should be an inquiry into de Blasio’s behavior, including this decision. It may be criminal. People died as a result. I’m also disappointed that the UFT did not stop us from going in. It would have been a Taylor Law violation, maybe? probably?, but lives were literally at stake.
Many people sensibly stayed home for all or some of those days. Separate issue: they should not have to use their CAR days to protect themselves from the Corona Virus when our employer intentionally put us at risk. We should get those back.
Extraordinary Planning II
March 23 – 27 (and onward). Turned out that during the planning the previous week, some principals asked us to do too much. Not as in, “let’s be reasonable, that seems like an awful lot.” No, as in, Carranza put out guidelines, summarized here, that said sensible things like “Schools should not try to replicate a regular school day schedule in a virtual environment” or faculty and departments should meet “maximum of once per week.” A previous document had indicated that live teaching was not required. None of this would not have been necessary if all the principals in NYC were sane.
But that did lead, one at a time, to schools being forced to replan. And by schools? I mean individual teachers. Fortunately, planning to reduce may be stressful, but it’s not as stressful as planning from scratch. But moving from a 45 minute lesson to a 25 minute lesson – yup, real replanning. In any case, and unfortunately, not all schools got the message. We have teachers out there still adhering to inhuman (and officially proscribed) schedules. Someone should be taking a look.
Extraordinary Planning III
March 23 – April 3. Many of us, possibly most of us, learned after a few days that the planning we had done was too much, that we were working at an unsustainable level. That was my case – I thought I had set a reasonable work level for the kiddies and for me. I might have been ok with the students, maybe I was a bit over – but I was wildly over for me. Planning was hard. Grading online was hard. In a lesson plan, I often jot a word or a formula with one example, and I know what to say to flesh it out and develop it in class. Here, I needed to translate every thought to written words and symbols. I can read a kid, see where they are stuck, but in person. Now the back and forths to give feedback were long, over multiple messages and emails. What in the classroom can take 20 seconds was taking 20 minutes. That’s kind of my story. Other teachers found ways to post that wasn’t such a drag – on them – but was burying students. Some classwork (done at home) + some homework (done at home) feels like an awful lot of work done at home, and 100% on screen.
So in both instances above, and myriad others, teachers were faced to replan – not just content – but mode, pace, expectations. That’s big planning! Fortunately, we had a week and two days coming up… Spring Break.
Well, um, that turned into two days, without the week. And then into no days. And trying to replan while you are too busy to get your daily work done….
Extraordinary Planning IV
Friday April 3, as we were reeling from the realization that all of our time to regroup had just been stolen by Cuomo and de Blasio, the DoE posted new guidance to the principal’s portal – the two most popular live audio and video tools for NYC teachers – Zoom and Google Meet Up – were banned immediately. Actually, let’s look at the language, perhaps it was ambiguous: “the DOE will no longer permit the use of Zoom at this time.” Nope, not ambiguous. How about Google? “Please note that Google Classroom” yay? “with the exception of video and voice conferencing” what??? “is also currently permitted for use.” They wanted us to migrate to another platform (the DoE’s preferred platform is Microsoft Teams, probably the last choice for many teachers). All of the planning we had done to learn Zoom, to teach our kids how to use it – out the window. Where was the Chancellor March 17 while teachers were learning Zoom? Why not speak up then?
But this post is about planning. Teachers were being asked to plan again. This time we needed to learn a new system. We may have needed to transport existing files. We were going to have to teach students to access a new platform, which required the use of specific DoE e-mail accounts, that at least in my school, our kids had not previously used. And we no longer had days off to accomplish this.
Most of us caught a break when Carranza tweeted (really, he tweeted a policy correction!) Sunday afternoon “we can now confirm their [Google’s] Meet tool is a safe, secure…” and “We know the transition away from Zoom will take time for many teachers… it will not happen overnight.” Because Zoom was clearly the most popular platform, this still entails serious replanning for many NYC teachers (why did they let us plan with it in March???) but far better to have a transition than an immediate change, and keeping Google Meet Up as a back up is important.
Not that I’m looking for one, but just wanted to note that there was no apology for the revised post to the principal’s portal that panicked many of us.
Extraordinary Planning V
March 31 – April 8
Even for those of us who now have a much better idea of what we are doing (I am getting there, not quite there yet), we now face a new challenge: we need to plan for break. Our regular planning, the routines we are just starting to develop and implement? Nope.
Kids were expecting break, families were expecting break, some kids and families are involved with religious observances April 9 or April 10. It is not fair to pile on school work. So reduce the lessons? Just what we’ve been doing, but a little less? Or a lot less? Nope.
Schools are expected to plan for “a series of themed days of activities that focus on family, community service and social emotional learning” with a list of themes. They were developed by the DoE working with the UFT. And with all due respect for the suggested lessons – those are not lessons (here’s the world language day suggestions). And for all due respect to the educators who compiled resources – amazing lists, I’m sure – those are lists of links, not plans.
Even with some ideas out there and resources to dig through, schools are going to need to plan. And by schools, I mean teachers.
Enough
I am getting tired of doing the work that the school system fails to plan for. This is curriculum writing, and curriculum mapping. This is work that is normally paid outside the school day, and voluntary. Honestly, I am far more interested in being allowed time to do this work properly than in being compensated. I believe I speak for many when I say I am working harder now than at any time in my career – except perhaps my first few months as a first year teacher. Please, stop stealing my time. Please let me do my job properly.
A question – de Blasio or Cuomo?
Who took away Pesach and Good Friday – de Blasio or Cuomo?
There were reports that some districts were off for Good Friday. Turns out, untrue.
I have heard it said that, in court, lawyers should not ask a question unless they know the answer. Those kinds of questions elicit testimony, not information.
This is different. I don’t know the answer. I am asking a question to learn something.
Before I continue, I do not support Bill de Blasio. Once I defended him, but those days are past. I believe that when this crisis is over, his conduct should be examined, not because I dislike him, but because I believe his decisions showed callous disregard for life, and caused the deaths of New Yorkers. I think his behavior may have been criminal, and that he should be held to account for his crimes.
How did we lose the first two days of break?
Version I (UFT Leadership)
Andrew Cuomo signed an Executive Order on Friday, March 27. The order involved State funding for school districts, and the 180 day requirement – but the import was that public schools in NY State would have to stay open for remote learning from April 1 – April 15, even if they had scheduled breaks.
Monday the UFT leadership seemed ready to fight, but Tuesday March 31 announced that we are supporting the Governor’s order, and that we would be open for “family service and support” April 13 – 17. The same e-mail, over Mulgrew’s signature, also said “Therefore, UFT members will be off from Thursday, April 9, to Sunday, April 12, for the religious holidays.” Sounds like 4 days, actually 2, but “off” is “off.”
The leadership had trouble with its messaging, moving from rah-rah to we-did-not-want-this – but the content (open April 13 – 17, closed April 9 and April 10) was consistent.
Friday, April 3, just after 9PM, I got an e-mail over Mulgrew’s signature that began: “The schools chancellor has informed me that Mayor Bill de Blasio has decided to keep New York City public schools open on Thursday, April 9, and Friday, April 10, even though those days are major religious holidays. I told him flat out that I disagreed with that decision, but the city is going ahead with it anyway. Under the state of emergency he declared in New York City, the mayor has the authority to do that.”
The leadership encouraged and amplified a tweet and facebook storm of indignation. I participated (including this blog post).
Saturday AM, with teachers already enraged, Carranza e-mailed us: “As the coronavirus pandemic persists in New York City, and social distancing remains an imperative for all New Yorkers, we must take a new approach to Spring Recess, originally scheduled for Thursday, April 9 through Friday, April 17, 2020. For the health and wellbeing of all New Yorkers, the City and the State are in agreement that schools must continue to offer remote learning, including during days that were previously scheduled as breaks. As a result, our schools will continue with remote learning through the time originally scheduled for Spring Recess.”
Version II (Cynical)
Andrew Cuomo signed an Executive Order on Friday, March 27. The order involved State funding for school districts, and the 180 day requirement – but the import was that public schools in NY State would have to stay open for remote learning from April 1 – April 15, even if they had scheduled breaks.
Monday the UFT leadership seemed ready to fight, but Tuesday March 31 announced that we are supporting the Governor’s order, and that we would be open for “family service and support” April 13 – 17.
The UFT leadership spent a day going after members who challenged Cuomo’s decision on social media. They were avoiding conflict with a Governor with a 70% approval rating.
The same e-mail, over Mulgrew’s signature, also said “Therefore, UFT members will be off from Thursday, April 9, to Sunday, April 12, for the religious holidays.”
But Cuomo’s order had already taken away Pesach and Good Friday. There was no distinction between break and holidays.
Friday, April 3, just after 9PM, I got an e-mail over Mulgrew’s signature that began: “The schools chancellor has informed me that Mayor Bill de Blasio has decided to keep New York City public schools open on Thursday, April 9, and Friday, April 10,…”
The leadership encouraged and amplified a tweet and facebook storm of indignation at de Blasio, even though this had been Cuomo. They directed it at de Blasio, whose incompetence and unpopularity make him an easy target.
Problems with Version I (UFT Leadership)
Every district* is closed.
The political convenience of attacking an unpopular mayor but praising a popular governor is obvious.
No one (including Cuomo and de Blasio and Carranza) has made a distinction between April 9/10 on the one hand, and April 13-17 on the other, except for Mulgrew. The Executive Order covers all days. Here’s NYS Education Department’s clarification:
Problems with Version II (Cynical)
If this were true, why hasn’t Carranza or de Blasio blamed Cuomo? Why did they wait until this Friday, over a week and a few hours after the Executive Order, to make a public announcement? They seem shifty and sneaky.
And de Blasio’s behavior HAS been abysmal. This would not have been out of character.
Discussion/What would be helpful
The UFT leadership had discussions with Cuomo. I wrote “negotiation”, but in a lawyerly trick an officer called that a lie (withholding that conversations, but not negotiations, had occurred). Knowing the content of those “conversations” would be helpful for understanding what had happened.
*Other districts. There are many districts in the state, and between direct contact, and surveying a representative sample on-line, all seem to be working the holidays. But a district that is closing for the holiday, even one, would be strong evidence that Version I/UFT Leadership is correct.
Anything in writing from the State, saying they were considering appeals or case-by-case exemptions to the Executive Order.
Anything in writing between the UFT and the DoE discussing/arguing/negotiating the 9th and the 10th.
de Blasio’s Friday Night Massacre
I used to preface my criticism for Mayor de Blasio, but why?
Today we learned that his Department of Education is banning Zoom, that many of us have spent 3 weeks learning to rely on. (And called into doubt our ability to use Google Meet Up, which others of us used, and which yours truly had learned as a back up). Instead we are supposed to use a Microsoft product with no training, but with the e-mail address of some schlub who I already know won’t answer beyond sending us to a help page, where we can spend more hours learning on line. I could rant for a full post. But no.
Tonight we learned that the Mayor has decided to open schools (well, remote learning) for the last two days we have off, for Passover and Good Friday. We got a very strongly worded e-mail from Mulgrew. We, the whole UFT, are furious.
I am glad that Mulgrew expressed outrage over de Blasio’s move. And I am glad that we will continue to fight for compensation.
But honestly, I’m not the hardest working out there (not that I’m a slouch) and I am exhausted, physically, intellectually, emotionally.
I need, not just want, but need, time to breathe, recover, catch up, figure out adjustments, and replan my expectations and daily work, and replan my scope and sequence for the rest of the year.
And Zoom is out. Google Meet Up probably, too. So I real need some time to figure things out, including technology I’ve never used before.
And then the Mayor takes the last two days?
I am glad that Mulgrew expressed outrage over de Blasio’s move.
But I want to know how we will stop him.
Lost Spring Break – Here’s What Might Have Happened
We’ve lost Spring Break. Schools in NYC will be open remotely for the week of April 12 – 18 (April 9 and 10 we are “closed” for religious observance.) I’m not happy, but that fight, if there was a fight, is done.
Those of you at a loss, who needed time to catch up, to breathe, to reflect on what’s happened, to make adjustments: We have been, collectively, trying to do too much. Online teaching has a completely different time-profile from classroom teaching. Ask yourself this: How many evenings, considering our first 9 days, have you been exhausted? How hard is your planning? How far have you fallen behind? Use those questions, perhaps this weekend, to estimate how much you need to reduce your current work. The actual planning can come a little later, but at least set a goal. Mine? I need to reduce 30-50%. I’m not lazy. I can’t believe I’m writing that. But I did. It would have been better if I could have reset my classes over break, but that’s not going to happen.
My last thoughts are to piece together what happened.
Friday Cuomo announces that schools across the state will be closed through April 15, but ““must continue to provide remote instruction for students, meals for students, and child care for essential workers every weekday between April 1, 2020 and April 14, 2020, even if the district is scheduled to be on spring break during that time,”
By Monday it is clear that he is requiring “remote learning” to continue straight through break.
Monday UFT leadership fumes, is ready to fight
Tuesday UFT leadership decides only possible fight is to sue Cuomo
Tuesday UFT leadership decides the optics of suing Cuomo now would suck
Tuesday UFT leadership decides to cooperate
Tuesday evening UFT leadership proclaims that the UFT is doing a Great Thing and supports Cuomo. Well, I exaggerate. But not by much:
we are supporting the Governor’s decision to continuing teaching during the Spring Break as the right decision for this moment in our history. We are just doing what we always do. Being on the side of unity, compassion and solidarity.
Tuesday UFT leadership gets a shit storm of member complaints
Tuesday UFT/Unity leadership puts out a call to their faithful to trash anyone who is objecting on social media
Wednesday UFT leadership shifts the messaging (executive order, we had no choice, we know you really needed the break, but what could we do)
I’m not sure when the UFT leadership tried to talk to Cuomo, but it was seemingly rebuffed. It is disingenuous (and lawyerly) to loudly proclaim that there were no negotiations, when there was at least an attempt at a conversation.
The right message: “we needed this break, all of us, badly. Cuomo’s executive order blind-sided us. We wanted to fight it, but suing the governor right now would have made teachers look like assholes. So we have to suck this up, and we will try to negotiate compensation.”
– the right message would have saved a lot of people a lot of angst. It would have saved the leadership the embarrassment of shifting their messaging. It would have saved me from getting called names for expressing the frustrations that many teachers felt. The truth is easier. But the truth would have included admitting that the leadership couldn’t get what the members wanted this time. I guess that’s too hard.
We fought the governor; We lost; We will try to get the vacation back, later in the year
April Fools?
We fought the governor; We lost; We will try to get the vacation back, later in the year
April Fools!
Teachers (and parents and students) would have been unhappy about that message. But many of us would have understood.
But that is not the message the UFT shared with members last night.
First, a word about remote teaching. We started in New York City a week and a day ago. At my school, at many schools, we jumped in, with three days’ worth of confidence and trepidation. “Let’s get to break,” we said, “and evaluate from there.”
Turns out, we were trying to do too much. Way too much. Our kids are exhausted. And we are exhausted. I wrote about that yesterday. We were doing a lot of other things wrong, too. We are learning as we go. How do we assign things, when do we assign things, how we present lessons, how we answer questions, time we go live, time we answer e-mails – you’d think this was easy – but if you think about the importance of classroom procedures – that’s what these are – in a land where all our procedures just went out the window.
So we needed break. To catch our individual and collective breath. To catch up on grading (actually, yes). To reexamine what we were doing, to adjust, to correct.
So the news that Cuomo was demanding we cancel Spring Break was, mm, unwelcome.
How we got that news was another thing altogether. You’d think the UFT would resist. You’d have thought wrong.
I got a text from my District Rep at 8 yesterday night:
DR’s just finished a meeting with President Mulgrew and he just confirmed to us that we are supporting the Governor’s decision to continuing teaching during the Spring Break as the right decision for this moment in our history.
We are just doing what we always do. Being on the side of unity, compassion and solidarity. Please help us to inform our members that this is an act of community and not just for our City, our State, but also for our Nation.
Thanks for your understanding and do not hesitate to contact if any questions and/concerns.
Notice “… we are supporting the Governor’s decision…” And no where any indication that the UFT resisted. I was not happy.
Next, 15 minutes later, the letter from Mulgrew:
I know it’s not fair, but it’s not fair for a lot of people right now. State health experts say the next two weeks will be critical in determining whether this public health crisis lasts for another six weeks or another six months.
Governor Cuomo believes public schools can play a critical role in keeping kids engaged in learning at home during this pivotal period so the virus does not have the opportunity to spread more widely in our communities. That is why he is using the emergency powers that he legally has to keep schools open during spring breaks throughout the state.
Therefore, UFT members will be off from Thursday, April 9, to Sunday, April 12, for the religious holidays, but starting on Monday, April 13, we will be working with the DOE to create a special week of family service and support. We are working now with the DOE to develop plans for that week, and we will communicate them to you as we finalize them.
Not a word about the UFT resisting. Not a word that recognizes why the break was important, and why losing it was painful. And not a word about fighting to get time back.
I wrote immediately. I took to Twitter, which I normally skip:
And I got push back from a UFT officer (who I have to say, is generally supportive and knowledgeable. I am angry at what they wrote, angry that they seemed angrier at me, just having been blindsided, than at Cuomo, who had just screwed us over, but not angry enough to denounce someone whose work I otherwise respect, and have relied on)
It looked like Unity Caucus sent out an e-mail asking their members to push in defense of losing Spring Break on social media. I saw it on FaceBook. I saw it on Twitter. I saw them hitting “likes” on posts that said that teachers were whiny. There were also Unity members who were clearly uncomfortable, and posted weaker statements about how this was important, without actually saying “we support the Governor’s decision”
But most teachers were horrified. Some understood that there was some logic to the governor’s order (keep kids inside), but that it was wrong-headed to think that keeping teachers on the job would accomplish that.
The messaging started shifting. This is softer:
At 11PM an Officer laid out the story very differently than my DR and Mulgrew had:
This acknowledges my frustration. I’m still would not have been happy, and would have liked to hear about UFT resistance to Cuomo – but I would not have lost it.
So what next? We have lost this fight. I’m not sure the UFT engaged in any fight, but perhaps they did.
- We need to press leadership to monitor the week, and to actively intervene to stop creep principals from making this full instruction.
- I can’t believe I need to write this today, but we need to press leadership to actively check that schools are not running regular schedules. It is inhuman. And the members are often totally cowed.
- We need to press leadership to get us something in exchange for these lost days – the best would be five consecutive days at the earliest possible date. (There’s talk about $$ compensation. 1) I think we need the time, not the $$, and 2) the $$ may be short.)
- And we need to press the leadership to watch its tone when it addresses members. Someone wrote “we are supporting the Governor’s decision to continuing teaching during the Spring Break” and “help us to inform our members that this is an act of community” – that person should be retrained before writing messages to members again. Everyone who approved that should go through a mandatory communication workshop.
I wanted to write about something else. This should not have been necessary.
What do we need? Time! When do we need it? Um, lemme check planner… Thursday 11:15?
I am now a remote teaching veteran. One week and one day. If I’m not going to work, how come I’m exhausted?
So here’s what I normally teach:
- 4 sections of precalculus, each meets 4 times a week (normal, in my school). I give lots of quizzes, (no tests) and I assign a lot of homework, and check it for completeness, not correctness (we can correct each other’s homework, and they are responsible for asking for help). And I give the occasional more-involved project.
- I am down one class for comp time (I’m back to programming).
- But I picked up voluntarily, one period a week, kids’ lunch period, where I do a reading seminar in Set Theory for a small group of highly motivated kids.
- And I picked up one more period, same idea, we call it Axiomatic Arithmetic, we are nibbling around the theoretical edges of the construction of the real number system.
And here’s what I remotely teach. Once a week I Zoom Set Theory for an hour. We did that today. Once a week I Zoom Axiomatic Arithmetic for an hour. I do that tomorrow. I prepare for both classes. I’ll have a worksheet for Arithmetic tomorrow. I practice with Zoom for both of them. I bought extra equipment today to make it easier. I’m spending about twice the time for these classes as before, while the actual instruction part takes literally the exact same time (they even meet on the same days as before, at the same times).
For precalculus, I used to teach 16 hours a week. Now I’m teaching 10 – but it’s not teaching – it’s live office hours (on Google Meet Up, which most of my school uses for most of our core classes) with questions and answers. Actually, quite a bit of time has been taken up just checking in on the kids, making sure they are ok. This was complicated by the death of a teacher in my school last Wednesday (not COVID-19 related). Everyone was edgy. Then they were edgier. I’m trying to keep my lessons aligned with what I did before the crisis. The homework, that’s easy. But the lessons. I have been writing up notes, in my style, in my voice, that accompany the text, that explain the text, that focus on what is most important, that warn about easy traps to fall into. Those notes, they take a long time to write, far longer than a lesson. And there is no “easy” way to type math into documents. On the blackboard, I had chalk. COVID-19 stole my chalk! And the quizzes? Not a clue. So let’s go back to the homework. I am now grading selected problems (because I have nothing else to grade). I decided to assign homework each day, but collect selected exercises from the week on Friday. Easier that way, right? Except I got piles of homework – and grading on line is hard. You have to click open each page, leave comments on the page (because that’s what I do), and assign a numeric grade. I’m a fast grader. This process is SLOW. And oh yeah, I’m also dealing with a project. I have been giving intermediate deadlines (one was last Tuesday, next is tomorrow). And that involves checking sketches submitted on line. Sorting projects into Google Classroom categories. Creating new assignments (not so bad, but ti takes time). But there’s lots of questions. Did I tell you about Office Hours? I didn’t mention that I am getting a ton of e-mailed questions as well. It feels like 20 screen hours a week for precalculus – and I’m leaving stuff out.
Everything is new. Everything is foreign. But I’m getting it! I now know how to use the whiteboard in zoom, and how to comment on kids’ work in Google Classroom without assigning a grade.
But get this. It takes time to set up. It’s on a computer, so it’s fast, right? Nope. If I’m going to use a virtual whiteboard, I need to plan its use. I put a lot of planning into how I use Google classroom. And even when I know how, it’s slow. And that’s on top of my regular lesson planning.
And how about this: if I needed a better intro to say, my logarithmic change of base lesson – sounds scary – right? Well I can start with my textbook, or I can look at a different textbook, I’ve got them all over the place. If I’m not happy with that, ask a colleague in my school, or in a bunch of other schools who I know, I can post a question on line, I can google it (try it now – google logarithmic change of base lesson – what comes up?
But every new question with Jupiter or Zoom or Stars, getting each answer is a project.
Not every teacher is having the same experiences as me. Some already kind of did this stuff. They are good. Some teachers are super-tech savvy. But maybe not as many as you think. And a lot of teachers know less than me. They are trying to work with the one tool they were handed, and may be copying the colleague in the next classroom, hoping that they know more.
Frankly, in many cases this has become another excuse to curtail our professional autonomy (glad that’s not the case in my school).
Look, I’m not saying this can’t work. Though I do have my doubts. And I’m pretty sure this is nowhere as good, even at its best, as good teaching, face-to-face teaching, teaching with students in the same room, interacting with each other, and with the teacher. But as good as this is ever going to get, it’s not going to get there the way we are going now.
For teachers to switch to remote, we need more time to plan and prepare. Much more. I’d say we need roughly one hour preparation time for each hour teaching. Maybe more. Not less. Not meeting time. Not team planning time. For our own planning and preparation to happen – we need more time that we can use, ourselves.
SInce that can’t mean fewer classes, it probably means reduced contact hours. And stop wasting our time with useless meetings. (again, my school has not wasted our time, not yet, and maybe not ever – but it is happening throughout the city.
Give us a chance. Give us the time. But, please, get us back into the classroom as soon as its safe.
Week 2 – Teaching Remotely – NYC in Pandemic
There’s a lot to worry about today. Medical supplies, and infection rates. Emergency rooms. Goods in stores. Mortgage. Rent. Politics. Am I going to get it?
In the midst of all this, tens of thousands (how many are we? sixty-thousand? seventy-thousand?) New York City teachers, and thousands more counselors, therapists, paraprofessionals – we’ve reached your kids – set up something like classes – made an attempt to teach. (Also supporting – parent coordinators, school secretaries. Administrators and central staff are also involved, most support us, though some have gotten in our way, that’s a different post).
What we are doing is strange. There are elements of classes, but your kids are home. Watch a video? That’s homework. Answer questions? That’s homework. Interact with a teacher live on one of many platforms (I use Zoom and Google Meetup)? That’s homework. It’s an all-homework, all-the-time model of schooling.
(Nothing could make starker the inequities in our system than an “all-homework” school – when 10% of our students do not have a home – but that’s another discussion)
Some teachers are loud – there are things wrong, and they must be addressed. There was evil done by bureaucrats, and there must be a reckoning. Information has to be shared and gotten out there. It is important that we have the vocal few.
But most teachers are slogging away. Planning for lessons when there is no template. Interacting with children in ways they are imagining and reimagining on the spot. Making hundreds of thousands of mistakes every day, and correcting them.
Teaching last Friday was much better than teaching last Monday. But it was still bizarre, and often wrong, and yes we are closer but no, I do not know to what.
There’s an army out there, an army that is used to knowing what we are doing, an army that is suffering, because today we do not know. But working hard all the same, occupying your children’s time. Probably teaching them a little. Probably giving them the sense, or the illusion, that at least something during this crazy time, something, is, if not normal, vaguely familiar.
Tomorrow? We Teach
Hey, a little while ago, or in a little bit, I might write about what’s going wrong – complaints, blaming those in charge, expressing anger at the virus….
But right now – NYC teachers, we are in for tomorrow. Virtual teaching. Day 1. Best of luck!
If you can do well off the start – fantastic! If you don’t get there tomorrow – it might take a few days. But we will get there. Be patient with yourself. This is hard.
Don’t expect to recreate your whole classroom – or to teach as much as you normally teach. You’ll miss some administrative stuff. It’s ok. Things will go wrong – it’ll happen to many of us. You are not alone.
Tomorrow you will think about lessons. You might think about grading. In some schools you might have to worry about attendance (why???) You might have to move a virtual card. You’ll probably have to think about e-mails.
But for a moment tomorrow, think about this instead: a system of over one million children just ground to a halt. Tomorrow you, you personally, are playing a role in restarting it.
And think about this: You are trying to provide a modicum of instruction, of structure, and of personal contact to your students. You will try your best. And even if they don’t say it, your kids will be appreciate it, and will be happy to see you.
NYC Schools Closed – What Happened?
Cuomo announced that all New York State schools will be closed for two weeks. Nassau and Suffolk schools are closed. Sunday late afternoon de Blasio announced that NYC public schools will be closed through April 20… But Sunday morning the landscape looked different.
My late conversion
I understand why people were minimizing things. They were afraid. Or they didn’t understand. Some early articles took an optimistic view of the spread or mortality. Trump’s stuff about the flu, it sounded plausible, especially if you did not want to face what was coming.
A week ago I was still minimizing. Wednesday I coughed. I was in the Staff Room. I covered my cough with my hand. And got scolded and instructed to go wash immediately. I listened. (which I do not always do). And then a former student, Katie, working in Seattle, posted a “here’s why this is serious” article. There’s a few good ones going around. That was one of them. I read it. And read it again. The numbers made sense. And were scary. I felt a low-grade panic…
Wednesday night I starting sharing information with members via email (parent teacher conferences, etc). Thursday night a members texted; “de Blasio is delusional. The Union needs to put pressure on him to close the schools” and Friday morning I asked that member, with another activist, if we should do a petition. And we did. Everyone signed.
Pressure to close schools mounts
Earlier a group had started a petition to Cuomo to close schools (people are still signing – count up to 337,000). And then there were articles, and calls by politicians, and petitions by other teachers, and parents, and medical experts. Other counties closed schools. Parochial schools closed. The CDC stepped up their school closure guidance.
There was pushback. There were concerns about healthcare workers, who we need at work, getting stuck with kids home. There was concern about getting meals to kids who depend on school lunch. There was even concern about kids out of school spreading the virus.
The UFT
The UFT was generally on the right side, but slow to push and surprisingly timid when they did. Each new step the city or state took, the union did its normal job of protecting members’ CAR, right to sick days, etc. But the UFT was not in the forefront, at first, of the advocacy to close schools. They called on members to sign a petition – the UFT started one (people are still signing – count up to 160,000) a few days after the big one – and to call 311, but it took until Friday to see Mulgrew recommend de Blasio to “close the schools.” But even there, a member – pretty regular guy – in my school wrote me to complain “Why ‘recommend’? We should ‘demand!”
Communication was weak – with members learning about the union’s stance in the press, and hours or even a full day before getting direct communication from our union. And even when the UFT sounded like it was roaring, it wasn’t necessarily so – see this story about them suing to close the schools – it turned out that “City teachers to file labor complaint to try to shut schools” only applied to a handful of schools. To be fair, some mid-level leaders were much stronger – but you get judged by the guy at the top…
Sickout?
A number of teachers starting talking about a sickout. I heard rumors about Wednesday. I heard whispers about Monday. Several teachers, not normally involved in union politics, asked me about it. There was an organizing call – they had been invited. I count 14 people altogether, from a variety of schools and political or apolitical backgrounds, who spoke to me. The variety of people made me more interested. The mayor heard. The governor heard. The UFT president heard – and pushed back.
By the time the Sunday evening organizing call rolled around, most of the people I knew who had been interested, but not previously committed, had stepped back. I sensed that the moment had not arrived for such a huge step, and I explained to my members, and then to others, that I did not think we should do it Monday. But the organizers had made a point. Cuomo, de Blasio, and Mulgrew had noticed. The announcement about the UFT’s suit or restraining order or whatever it was, that was pushed by the threatened sickout. Cuomo was pushed by it. And eventually de Blasio got dragged along. But not right away. Even Sunday morning he was clutching onto what was clearly an untenable position. His own aides were threatening to quit. But it took more to move him.
1199 leads, Cuomo follows, de Blasio was last
1199 had opposed closing schools. But with the local politics rapidly unfolding, and more good medical reporting on what was happening elsewhere, and very clear explanations of “flattening the curve”, and discussion of how health care workers’ kids would be cared for, Sunday afternoon 1199’s President, George Gresham, issued a statement calling for the schools to be closed.
Cuomo, who is getting credit for being good on much of this Covid-19 stuff, had been wishy washy on schools. But he quickly followed suit.
And hours after defiantly, stupidly, and pigheadedly insisting schools would stay open, de Blasio folded. Sunday late afternoon it was done.
Let’s move our schools towards closure. Steps teachers can take now
NYC’s Mayor is foot-dragging. Leadership is required, and none is offered.
The Centers for Disease Control revised its guidance. NYC is not complying with CDC guidance.
The CDC recommends a school with a case to be closed 2-5 days for cleaning. We are closing for 1 day. And apparently finding excuses to skip schools which should be cleaned.
The CDC recommends, where community spread is minimal to moderate (NYC may be moderate) to use social distancing strategies, like limiting how many kids are in the hallway at one time. The CDC is national. They don’t offer social distancing recommendations for the subway. How could they? At my school, most kids arrive by subway.
The CDC recommends, where community spread is substantial (we are getting there), closing schools for eight weeks.
This strategy will “flatten the curve” and reduce the amount by which our healthcare system is overloaded.
What can we, teachers, do?
Lobby –
- Petition 1 to Cuomo
- Petition 2 to de Blasio
- Call 311
- Call/write your own reps (City Council, Assembly, Senate, Congress) and ask them to lean on de Blasio.
Plan
- Coordinate with your administration. Create a plan for an orderly shutdown. Choose a date you will be ready. (if it is not Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, try again)
- Make plans to post assignments online. Or make packets.
- Make provisions for kids without computer access, if necessary. Telephone calls? Texting images? Pick up protocol?
- Make plans for homework. Online submission? Other?
- Make plans to suspend in-person tests. Please. Skip testing. Or on-line tests? Or take-home tests?
- Make plans to offer leniency on grades, or to skip reporting for a marking period. Final grades have to be done – but SKIP the MARKING PERIOD GRADE – doesn’t that make sense?
Support your union / ask for your union’s support
- Make the calls they ask you to make. Sign the petitions.
- Tell them we need to force the mayor’s hand.
- Tell your District Rep, your Borough Rep, your VP, the officers that your school is ready to close, or the date your school will be ready to close.
- Tell your reps that the Mayor’s hand must be forced, and that we are willing, standing together, to do so.
Sick out?
- There is discussion and planning swirling about.
- I do not think this is a good idea today.
- It is illegal. Members would face financial penalties.
- We need an orderly shut-down, not an ad hoc one.
- And we need to work with parents/children/community. This could blindside them.
- But a sick out, or other illegal action may be necessary to force the mayor’s hand. I am telling my UFT reps this. If the mayor gives us no choice, I am willing to take whatever steps are necessary to overrule him and correct course.
- Me, my family, my coworkers, my students, their parents, and the entire city deserve nothing less.
Coronavirus and the Campaign to Close Schools – note to members
Some Updates:
this if for UFT members at the HS of American Studies at Lehman College. If you are not a UFT member at HSAS, I am sharing this with you 1) for your information 2) so you can take some of the action steps 3) so you can share this with others. This is especially true if you are a teacher in another school.
Information is in regular type. I’ve bolded action steps.
Mulgrew made a public statement urging de Blasio to close the schools. https://www.uft.org/news/press-releases/statement-uft-president-michael-mulgrew-recommending-school-closure-due-coronavirus
(full text at bottom)
NYSUT made a statement urging Cuomo to close all schools in counties with confirmed cases. https://www.nysut.org/news/2020/march/media-release-coronavirus-03-13?
(full text at bottom)
City Councilman Mark Treyger (former UFT member, think he was a guidance counselor in Brooklyn) has proposed keeping a small number of schools open in each borough as social service centers (A “summer school” model). This is the solution that the City needs, and addresses the real concerns that some people had about school closures. This matches what is being done in other locations where schools are closing (LA, Cleveland, towns in Connecticut) https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/ny-coronavirus-school-closures-summer-20200312-rbapktlrhnbbvopphocdklkrvm-story.html
(full text at bottom)
There is a petition to Cuomo to close schools. Please sign. It takes a few seconds.
There is a UFT petition to de Blasio to close schools. Please sign. It takes a few seconds.
The UFT urges us to call 311. That’s a pretty quick call.
The UFT urges us to tweet @NYCMayor. I don’t know who has a Twitter account, but if you do…
I tweeted and facebook-shared our petition. It was retweeted by a reporter for NY1, and by a reporter from Chalkbeat. A teacher from another school sent it to the NY Times. I don’t expect these news outlets to report on us, but we add backdrop to the ongoing narrative. Bronx Collaborative HS (in Clinton) circulated the petition (school name changed, the rest the same), everyone signed, and they tweeted it. (full text, typos corrected, at bottom)
I wrote to my State Senator (Jamaal Bailey – Nancy Garay is an aide) and to my State Assemblyperson (Nathalia Fernandez, Forhad Rahman is her chief of staff) urging them to lean on de Blasio and Carranza. Letters to representatives are a pain, but if you are at home, with time….
Jonathan
Our Petition
To: Mayor Bill de Blasio
Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza
United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew
We, the undersigned faculty and staff from the High School of American Studies at Lehman College urge you to close New York City public schools as quickly as possible.
Coronavirus is a pandemic. The 195 confirmed cases in New York City – and over 1000 are projected for next week –these are the tip of the iceberg – the actual number is clearly much higher. Large gatherings are being stopped.
But our schools gather hundreds and thousands of children and adults each day. The twice-daily commute involves a million children and over one hundred thousand adults. Each day we hear of another NYC public school reporting a case – but the response – the closure of that school alone – is inadequate.
Schools in less densely populated areas are taking the appropriate step – closure. Districts in Nassau, Westchester, Rockland, all of Bergen County, the state of Maryland. The risk in densely populated New York City is clearly greater.
Schools provide breakfasts and lunches to many kids. The mayor needs to find a way to continue providing meals while the schools are closed.
For the safety of our students, for our safety, for the safety of all residents, commuters and visitors to New York City, our public schools must be closed as quickly as possible.
NYSUT
Union calls for school closures in counties affected by coronavirus
As school districts grapple with the effects of coronavirus statewide, NYSUT on Friday called for the closure of schools in counties with confirmed cases of COVID-19. The union also urged local officials to ensure the needs of students, staff and families are fairly and adequately met in the event of a school closure.
“We all have a role to play in helping to stem the spread of coronavirus and in ensuring that every child is fully supported in the event of school closures,” President Andy Pallotta said. “It’s critical that school administrators and educators are in constant communication about the right ways to keep the school community safe and healthy as we carry out our mission: educating New York’s children.”
NYSUT has published an online coronavirus toolkit that includes guidance from the state health and education departments, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and its AFT and NEA national affiliates.
Mulgrew
“We recommend that New York City follow the example of affected jurisdictions around the region, the nation and even the world and close our public schools.
We don’t suggest this lightly. We understand the immense disruption this will create for our families. But right now more than a million students and staff crisscross the city every day on their way to schools, putting themselves and others at risk of exposure and increasing the likelihood of bringing exposure into their homes and communities.
Many local area schools, religious and public, have already closed, as have schools in Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest school system, as well as the District of Columbia, and the entire states of Michigan, Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and Oregon. The schools of entire countries have been closed to help contain the spread of the virus.
We must find ways to keep our children safe and to see that they are fed. We must do all we can to help ensure that our students can continue to learn. But we have reached the point where continuing to keep our classrooms open poses a greater lasting threat than the disruption that will result from school closings.
I have met with the Mayor and outlined our reasons for urging a shutdown. He believes the schools should stay open, though he has agreed to a number of additional safeguards and accommodations. In the end, we have decided to respectfully disagree.”
Treyger
NYC Council member proposes a ‘summer school’ approach to coronavirus school closures
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
MAR 12, 2020 5:56 PM
Closing most public schools and using the rest to serve at-risk students and families who rely on them to meet basic health needs would be a good way for the Education Department to handle the coronavirus crisis, the chairman of City Council’s Education Committee said Thursday.
Councilman Mark Treyger (D-Brooklyn) wrote on Twitter that a “summer school” approach “could work in terms of a limited system shutdown while servicing the most vulnerable.”
I’ve shared with DOE a temporary contingency plan that I believe could work in terms of a limited system shutdown while servicing the most vulnerable. I’m awaiting a response.
Shutting down schools while leaving a few school buildings open in each district would help the city provide essential services for students who need them, Treyger said.
Those services could include medical care for students with severe disabilities, food for families who rely on school meals, and child care for families who have no other option, including parents who are health care workers and are desperately needed at work.
“We should heed the warnings from health experts to create social distancing,” Treyger told the Daily News. “But at the same time we in New York City experience great inequality.”
“While attempting to address this public health emergency, you don’t want to create five more [emergencies],” he said.
Treyger said clustering students in a few schools instead of keeping all schools open for a small number of students and staff would help the city consolidate services and ensure all the open schools are equipped to meet students’ and parents’ needs.
Mayor de Blasio reiterated Thursday that the city “want[s] our schools to remain open. We intend for our schools to remain open.”
School officials announced Thursday that a Bronx student reported a positive test for the coronavirus, triggering the first daylong shutdown of two city public schools. Schools are required to close for at least 24 hours after a confirmed case, according to state guidance.
Education Department contingency plans include remote learning programs and free meals for students who need them, said department spokeswoman Katie O’Hanlon.
“We know the closure of a school can cause disruption and anxiety for parents, students and staff, and it’s a last resort,” O’Hanlon said.
Also – City Council Speaker Corey Johnson:
NEW YORK – “It is time to close our public schools for the safety and wellbeing of the students, teachers, and staff.
This is not an easy decision, but we must take aggressive measures to stop the spread of coronavirus/COVID-19. Teaching and learning cannot take place under these circumstances.
The City must immediately come up with a plan that includes childcare relief for families who need it so that our essential workers, especially healthcare workers, can continue with their duties. We must also ensure meals and medical care are provided for students who rely on schools for these crucial services.
I have repeatedly said it is not time to panic. But it is time to act. We must take bold, decisive measures to do everything we can to limit the spread of coronavirus/COVID-19.
This pandemic presents an enormous challenge for us as a city. But I have complete confidence in our ability to get through this together. The decisions we make will be difficult ones, but we must move forward with the common good in mind. We must limit the spread of this virus while at the same time working to protect our most vulnerable friends, family, and neighbors.
In times of trouble New Yorkers never fail to come together. By doing so, we rise to every occasion. I have no doubt that we will weather this crisis as we have past crises. And in the end we will be stronger. This is the New York way.”
It’s Time to Close New York City’s Schools
Public Safety is at risk – the Time to Act is Now
New York City has scores of confirmed cases –
There has been absolutely minimal testing –
No one has acquired immunity –
There are probably hundreds of actual cases
The NBA, the NHL, the NCAA, MLB
New Rochelle, Yonkers, Bergen County, all of Maryland
Gatherings of 1000
But NYC Public Schools congregate hundreds and thousands of children and adults each day
Keeping NYC schools open sends 1,000,000 children and 100,000 adults into the subway and on to buses twice each day.
Shutting down schools, other forms of social distancing, even lockdown –
these slow the spread
these allow healthcare workers to respond adequately
Why, with only 100 cases in NYC, 300 in NYS?
Because the real number is much higher, and because the numbers are growing rapidly.
Countries that have controlled the virus have done it with lockdowns.
Each day earlier a lockdown starts, with exponential growth, reduces the total number of cases by a lot.
Those places that locked down earlier had better results.
Schools provide meals to kids.
De Blasio has to figure out how to distribute meals with schools closed.
Use the weekend to figure it out. And close schools today!
The safety of eight million New Yorkers is at stake.
On rate of transmission, and lockdown: https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca
On the load on healthcare systems: https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/10/simple-math-alarming-answers-covid-19/
Council Speaker Corey Johnson’s statement: https://council.nyc.gov/press/2020/03/12/1875/?emci=931f8484-a464-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&emdi=a27c2d46-af64-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&ceid=1856030
“Large-scale school closures should be considered, and a decision needs to be made before the end of this week. We must have a plan in place to make sure services continue for families who rely on our schools to provide meals and medical and other crucial services. “
Super Tuesday and 15% and Not Dropping Out
Delegate math is interesting.
Nate Silver at 538 is projecting a high probability of no one walking into the convention with enough delegates. Who knows what’s actually going to happen between now and then, and who knows what outside intervention (I’m thinking Carter/Mondale/Clinton/Gore/Obama) will tip the scales, but…
There’s interesting delegate math for Tuesday.
Polls put Biden up across the south. Toss up in Texas. Sanders ahead everywhere else. Including by a bit over Warren in Massachusetts, and a tiny bit over Klobuchar in Minnesota. We’ll see.
Delegates are awarded proportionately in each state, and in each congressional district, from among the candidates reaching 15%. And that’s where life gets interesting.
Sanders is breaking 15% in every state coming up, and in almost every Congressional District. I haven’t done the counting, but it looks like he is leading in most congressional districts that vote Tuesday.
But “leading a state” doesn’t tell us very much about how the delegates are given out. Consider California, with 144 statewide delegates. The 538 polling average at this moment says:
Sanders 33, Biden 21, Warren 15, Bloomberg 14, Buttagieg 9, Klobuchar 5
If the vote turns out exactly like that, Sanders/Biden/Warren qualify for statewide delegates, and earn 69, 41, and 34 respectively. (Math: Sanders would get 33/(33+21+15) = 33/69 of 144, etc)
If Bloomberg goes up 1%, hits 15, he would also qualify and they would earn 57 for Sanders, 36 for Biden, and 25 each for Bloomberg and Warren.
If instead Warren dropped 1%, to 14%, only Sanders and Biden would qualify, and they would split the delegates 88-56.
That’s a pretty big swing, 30 delegates for Sanders, on whether Bloomberg or Warren or both hit 15%. And similar scenarios will be playing out across states and congressional districts across the country.
Back to the convention – Silver thinks that Sanders will arrive with the most delegates, just not a majority. His average projection has Sanders with 1641 of the 1991 he would need. That’s 350 short, and it makes the math around small delegate swings quite important.
Sanders needs as many two-way splits as possible. He might in a few districts get a “winner-take-all” situation because the others divide the vote (or he rolls up a massive majority, as he is likely to do in Vermont).
Know what happens if Amy and Pete drop out? California gets split four ways. If Warren drops out? California gets split three ways, with Biden/Bloomberg delegate horse-trading very likely in our future.
In other words, Sanders’ best look on is probably a one-on-one with Biden (maybe?), but his second best is for all of the major candidates to stay in, at least through Tuesday. That’s his best route for getting into two-way splits and pushing his delegate total near or above 50%.
Latest 538 averages – Who is near 15%?
| State | Sanders | Biden | Bloomberg | Warren | Buttagieg | Klobuchar |
| Cali | 33 | 21 | 14 | 15 | 9 | 5 |
| Texas | 28 | 28 | 18 | 12 | 7 | 4 |
| NC | 24 | 32 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 5 |
| Virginia | 26 | 27 | 19 | 11 | 10 | 6 |
| Mass | 27 | 15 | 13 | 22 | 13 | 7 |
| Minn | 25 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 11 | 27 |
| Colorado | 31 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 6 |
| Tennessee | 23 | 31 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 4 |
| Alabama | 20 | 37 | 20 | 8 | 7 | 4 |
| Oklahoma | 21 | 24 | 21 | 11 | 11 | 7 |
| Arkansas | 23 | 24 | 21 | 9 | 14 | 5 |
| Utah | 31 | 10 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 5 |
| Maine | 29 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 5 |
| Vermont | 57 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 5 |
| Am Samoa | 28 | 26 | 20 | 11 | 7 | 4 |
In several states, Klobuchar dropping out could push one or two candidates past the 15% line. Look at California, Massachusetts, Colorado, Arkansas. In several more candidates who are teetering just above the line would become more secure.
If Klobuchar drops out now, that would make it MORE likely, not less likely, that no one will reach a majority.
If Warren drops out, even if most of her votes went to Sanders, which I am not sure would happen, enough would go to the “others” to push some over the 15% line in some states (and in many congressional districts). It would be distinctly bad for Sanders, despite what his supporters are yammering for, for Elizabeth to leave the race now.
Strange race. Strange math.
UFT won’t endorse Bloomberg – that’s not good enough
The United Federation of Teachers has created a convoluted rationale for not making an endorsement at this time in the presidential race. Given their history of endorsements, I am surprised anyone is upset.
In short, the national federation, the American Federation of Teachers, has given the green light to locals to make an endorsement. But the UFT has said they are so influential, that if they made an endorsement it would prejudice the whole open process. Well….
In the meantime, Michael Mulgrew is running to become a Biden delegate. I guess the UFT president plumping for a candidate is not an endorsement. Huh? Can you make sense of that? Not likely. In any case, I guess it seemed a lock that Mulgrew’d be going to the DNC as a Biden delegate when he signed up, but with Joe choking in Iowa and New Hampshire, maybe Mulgrew will lose. It’s harder to run in elections where the outcome is not predetermined.
UFTers for Bernie is pushing for the UFT to endorse Sanders. Unlikely with AFT President Weingarten knocking Bernie on Twitter for having loyal supporters and championing universal healthcare.
In the meantime, the UFT leadership remembers who Bloomberg is, and Mulgrew makes it seem like he won’t endorse Bloomberg. Though, perhaps not strangely, the AFT’s Randi Weingarten seems to take a deferential tack towards Bloomberg. The sliver-tongued billionaire often manipulated Weingarten with flattery when she was UFT president, much to our members’ detriment.
Would it really be so bad if the UFT just sat out the primary? Well, yes. Not endorsing someone seems neutral, but leaving the door open for Bloomberg is not neutral. And the UFT leadership has played this game before.
In 2009 when Bloomberg and his sidekicks changed the law to allow a third term as NYC mayor (which the UFT did not oppose), and with a close race – though with Bloomberg in the lead – going into the final weeks of the campaign, the UFT leadership sat it out. I brought it to the Delegate Assembly, tried to do the right thing, but Mulgrew and Barr wouldn’t have it. Result: a five point win for Bloomberg.
This can’t happen again. The UFT on the sidelines means a tacit ok for voting for Bloomberg – or worse, for supporting Trump. UFT leadership needs to be clear, loud, and strong against both billionaire anti-public education, racist oligarchs running for president. Silence would equal complicity.
NYC Schools are Segregated
New York City schools are segregated. That is context.
I am not writing about how they became segregated, or how segregated they are (very).
I am reminding us, all of us, of the context.
The Chancellor’s proposal to integrate the specialized high schools was rolled out poorly. He caught allies off-guard. He angered opponents. State Senators (including mine) blasted him for not holding hearings before sending the proposal to Albany (where the state government 50 years ago assumed direct control over preventing integration in NYC). But the context? New York City schools are segregated.
The School Diversity Advisory Group’s recommendations were blasted in the media. I read their recommendations, overall a great report. They made 28 recommendations; the media focused on one. The context? New York City’s schools are segregated.
Several Districts have begun discussions about integration. There have been angry conversations. Some parents have said pretty cringe-worthy stuff (the worst, from PS199 in District 3 from two years ago, it looks like the video has been everywhere-deleted). The Chancellor has inflamed the situation. He’s walked out. He’s been abrasive. But the context is not an honest give and take over policy. The context: New York City’s schools are segregated.
The Chancellor and his team have been unresponsive to allies. They have stonewalled. They have failed to share information. In one case I am aware of, they have shut down a promising proposal. I am not pleased with their behavior or performance. But the context? They are fighting (perhaps not very smartly, not very well) segregation. And New York City’s schools are segregated.
Way back when I started this blog, back when I wrote regularly, I contributed to this: (line four is from me) https://thejosevilson.com/howl-the-jose-vilson-version/ and I posted this (enlarge the photo, look at the etching).
And I still believe it. There are two sides in the fight to end segregation. On our side are people who make mistakes, who are rude, clumsy. But also people who are bright, thoughtful, considerate, and passionate. On the other side are clever people and clods, dedicated people, lightweights. Both sides are comprised of many individuals. There is variety on both sides. There are arguments on both sides. We can make things complicated. Or we can understand that fundamentally it is simple.
There are two sides. Those who are opposed to segregation. And those who are for it. If you object, we will all know why.
Goodbye 2019
I could open with a lame resolution to write more. Writing, when you are in the habit, can become predictable. I am not going to pretend that a resolution will make any difference. Instead, I’d like to look back at the year that just passed. I think it marks part of an ongoing transition for me – from something – I could describe that – to something – I’m not sure I know what that will be.
How was 2019 a transition?
It was the first full year in which I gave no tests. I’ll write about that. It’s a big deal. A kid made a documentary film about it (small scale, just in the school).
I spoke about not giving tests at LImaçon in March – and math teachers at two other city schools showed interest. I spoke about it again at New3 (New Cubed) at Siena in July.
It was a big year for union work for me – I lost a seat I had held on the UFT Exec Board for a decade. I’ve freed up some time, and reinvested it in some personal projects, and politics, and in school.
And I am slowly making my way closer to retirement.
In January we wore Red for Ed. I like wearing Red for Ed. But we need to think about doing more.
Hiked in Sterling Forest.
In February I suspended my attendance at caucus meetings. A welcome break. Don’t know when I’ll go back. Hiked Cold Spring.
March was Limaçon. And I put on my third school play. Kind of produced. Really stayed out of the way so that the pros (kids) could do everything. I did book the theater. We went years without theater at my school. Someone had to get it started. Hiked Taurus
.
In April I helped organize my school’s 3rd annual career day. We went years without a career day… Hiked part of Macedonia Brook State Park (Kent CT) Want to go back.
In May I got talked into not only visiting the Adirondacks, but at looking at land. I’ll be spending more time up there, starting soon.
Hiked Schunnemunk.
In June I attended my last UFT Executive Board. I asked one more time about the School Diversity Advisory Group report. And I talked about leaders who only fight for members who are strong enough to fight for themselves. We need to stand up for those who cannot defend themselves. The weird thing was that was it. I sat down, then left. In June I hiked West Mountain, in Harriman. And to Pine Meadow Lake, in Harriman. And back in the Adirondacks I explored more. I went to Clara Hemphill’s retirement. And went to a celebration for one of our Peace Officers (recognized by the UFT). I watched a friend’s kids, and got them to eat sauerkraut, drink the sauce, and ask me to buy them more (Clearwater).
July was the math conference at Siena. And I visited Olanna Historic Site, which was fascinating. Protested ICE in Philly. Hiked Sleeping Giant with my sister. Walked through Mt. Auburn Cemetery.
Marched and shouted for Ricky to resign. Twice. And he did.
Scrambled around Great Barrington and Cornwall CT with my uncle and cousin.
And back to the Adirondacks.
Opened August with beautiful walks in Van Cortlandt, and back to Sleeping Giant with my sister.
And climbed a hill just south of East Rock with my aunt and uncle. And then… Road Trip with Alan! Eastern PA. Antietam. Harpers Ferry WV. The Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. And then Kentucky. Louisville. A distillery. A horse farm. And the Mohammed Ali Center. Drove to a Reds game. Then southeast to the Cumberland Gap. Hike. Then Harlan County and Mingo County and finally east to Beckley (Coal Mine) and the New River Gorge. Last vacation day we caught the Pulaski Yankees of the Appalachian League.
Got back. Hiked West Mountain again. Hiked further northeast in Harriman. Hiked to Pine Meadow Lake from the other side.
September school opened. Our push for Discovery has started to reintegrate our school. Very cool. We want to do more. It’s frustrating to get stonewalled by people who you think are allies. But we will keep going. I was back in Harriman, and back in the Adirondacks.
October brought another hike in Harriman. And another trip north.
And then a 14-hour emergency room visit (unrelated to hiking, and I’m ok). 
And another Red for Ed day. Love those, but…
In November our after school program really got going. We do enrichment and test prep for 7th graders from local middle schools. Our students do the teaching, and with guidance, the planning. This year we more than doubled the program from about 25 to almost 60. (we run classes with 12 – 15 – no shortage of junior and senior volunteers. And yes, I went up to the Adirondacks. And back to Sleeping Giant with my sister and her husband and his bad knees (ouch).
In December I hiked with microspikes for the first time (Minnewaska).
And for the first time in my career I’m the target of some disciplinary something or other (I don’t know what, yet. I can’t imagine it’s horrible, but it sucks not knowing).
I got back to the Adirondacks.
And just 3 days ago, to close the month, to close the year, I saw my mother walk. Maybe fifty steps. No walker, no wheelchair, no cane. For the first time in over two years.
Your grade is based upon…
What factors into the grades we give students?
I teach mathematics. High School mathematics. So that’s what I’m thinking about first. But it’s a question for all of us. All levels. All subjects.
What do you count? Tests? What else?
Quizzes? Do you grade them like mini-tests? How do they differ from tests?
Participation? Do you try to quantify it? Give points for particular actions? Judge it qualitatively?
Homework? Do you grade the problems? Do you even collect homework? Do you spot check problems? Just check for completeness?
Papers? Do you have kids write any sort of papers? I guess in science classes, there are lab reports. In English, essays. In social studies, essays. Term papers? Research papers? Research papers in math or science? Investigations?
Projects? What sort? In what subjects do we do data collection?
Presentations? From power points, or from posters, or from notes?
I am assuming at this point that most of us do not directly assess attendance – but anyone?
Practical assessments (kid demonstrates that they have the skill) – are these just tests in a different form?
What else am I missing?
Which of these do you do? How?
In praise of Michael Bloomberg
Nah, I’m not nuts. I’m not voting for the guy. Neither should you. I don’t support him. Never have, never will.
The worst thing about him? So many choices. But I focus on education. His legacy in education is disorganisation and destruction, and we are still suffering the consequences.
So, actually, this praise is very short. There’s just two things I will mention.
In 2012, while mayor, Bloomberg came to my high school’s graduation, and delivered an address.
Before I go further, you might be wondering, did I just sit back when Bloomberg invited himself to our graduation? Some days before graduation a Unity stalwart discussed the matter with me, and afraid I might disrupt the ceremony said “But Jonathan, you have to be reasonable” “No,” I replied “no I do not.” And that’s important. But I did not disrupt the ceremony, as good as that might have made me feel, because it would not have made the kids feel very good, and because it would have been an individualistic act. Teachers in my chapter proposed and produced UFT colored lapel stickers saying “Respect Teachers” which most of us wore (I know the two who did not), and which were clearly anti-Bloomberg, and which students and parents remarked on after the ceremony.
Back to Bloomberg’s address. Our valedictorian in 2012 was headed to Johns Hopkins. Bloomberg is an alumnus. He said something nice about our student, and about the institution, and then remarked “I won’t say how I did at Johns Hopkins, beyond mentioning that the top half of the class would not exist without students like me.”
Praise point #1 – Michael Bloomberg told a self-deprecating joke that was genuinely funny.
While mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg presided over a disgusting police program of randomly intimidating youth, especially Black and Hispanic boys. His Stop and Frisk policy targeted others, but the focus was clearly young Black men.
Last Sunday, Bloomberg apologized. The apology, some said, was late. It was almost – almost – beside the point. Maybe five million apologies, personally delivered to each of his victims – maybe that would cut it. But then he wouldn’t have time to run for president, which may be the only reason he apologized at all. Maybe some sort of reparations fund? I like that. He can afford it, and the precedent it would set…
For the last almost three years, racism has been getting worse in America. Trump has fomented it. Republican leaders have supported it, or remained criminally silent. No question.
But where’s Buttagieg’s apology for the events in South Bend? And let me keep going – we have Hillary’s apology for using the term “superpredator” – but how many Democrats have apologized for Clinton crime bill? (1994, that accelerated mass incarceration). Biden helped write the bill, and issued a non-specific semi-apology last January, but still defends the bill. Sanders voted for it, and defended his vote, but I heard that just last week Danny Glover, speaking as Bernie’s surrogate, said that he was ready to apologize for it. Here’s the clip (starts at 4:50) – it doesn’t sound to me like an apology is in the works. And hey, apologies are apologies, but where’s the repeal?
Trump’s presidency has been disastrous for hate crimes. Far right groups have become bolder. Roll back your memory to 2016. The Black Lives Matter movement had momentum. Shouldn’t we expect a leader of BLM on stage during the debates? Instead, I fear, momentum has been lost. The “moderate” candidates side-step the issues. I have been told on several occasions that defeating Trump is so important that race needs to take a back seat – as if they should not be tightly linked. So here goes:
Praise point #2: Vile Michael Bloomberg, whom I would never support, put the mistreatment of young Black men front and center, if only for a moment, which is more than most of the “field” has done.
Just a thought
I avoided watching the impeachment hearings. I’m not a big theater guy, especially boring theater. But I broke down today, sometimes watching, sometimes playing in the background, hearing after hearing. Left me thinking.
Both major US parties, and many individual US politicians have on many occasions bought, threatened, cajoled, broken foreign laws, subverted foreign governments, etc.
That others have committed crimes similar to Donald Trump’s crimes does not unmake his crimes.
If after they get Trump, they want to go after Biden, that’s fine with me.
I know many who react “Corrupt?” “but not illegal” “so let’s move on” rather than “Corrupt?” “but not illegal” “let’s be outraged!”
And what wrong? As a minimum he has traded on an implicit promise of influence with a major US politician to gain positions for which he was otherwise unqualified.
The drive to bring down Trump for corruption is weaker when some of those leading it are ok with other corruption.
Eight years ago
I was a high school representative on the United Federation of Teachers Executive Board from January 2009 to June 2019, just over 10 years.
The first resolution that I wrote, that passed, was “Dignity for All Teachers” – we were concerned that the campaign to marginalize teachers in excess (ATRs) was affecting how our members, CLs, and Reps were handling issues involving ATRs in schools. The resolution was edited down by the leadership, passed by the Exec Board in October 2011, and adopted by the Delegate Assembly that November. Over the years “Dignity for All Teachers” was reduced to “greet the ATRs in your school and make sure they have a bathroom key.” More recently it was removed from the UFT website.
The resolution (the adopted version comes first, followed, if you are interested, by the original) is worth a look, it is officially still UFT policy. If you don’t want to read so much, I like the last “Resolved” from the original version. The leadership did not include it in the final version
This is the version adopted by the UFT Delegate Assembly. It is still UFT Policy:
Dignity for all Teachers Resolution
WHEREAS, the UFT members in the Absent Teacher Reserve have been subject to a campaign of media vilification, falsely claiming or implying that teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve are less able or are bad teachers, and intentionally conflating them with teachers facing disciplinary proceedings; and
WHEREAS, the UFT members in the Absent Teacher Reserve have been targeted for layoff or termination several times over the last several years, including by the Department of Education during contract negotiations; the anti-union group Educators for Excellence in its seniority reform proposal last spring; and the Mayor during his campaign to undo Civil Service law in Albany last spring, thwarted each time by the United Federation of Teachers, and its leadership; and
WHEREAS, the UFT members in the Absent Teacher Reserve often are made to feel like outsiders in the schools where they work; and
WHEREAS, the UFT members in the Absent Teacher Reserve, in too many instances, are forced to perform inappropriate work in the schools where they work; and
WHEREAS, the UFT members in the Absent Teacher Reserve, to the extent they are made to feel like outsiders or feel vulnerable to being moved, are often reluctant to seek appropriate relief; and
WHEREAS, the new budget agreement allows UFT members in the Absent Teacher Reserve to be moved from school to school multiple times each term; and
WHEREAS, the United Federation of Teachers values the dignity of all our members; be it
RESOLVED, that the United Federation of Teachers will direct its chapters and Chapter Leaders to reach out to members of the Absent Teacher Reserve who are assigned to their schools, to welcome them, and to support them; and be it further
RESOLVED, that the UFT demand that the DOE create a protocol for Principals so that UFT members going into a school for the first time will be treated professionally and given the information for that particular school necessary to perform their duties; and be it further
RESOLVED, that the United Federation of Teachers will continue to educate Chapter Leaders about the rights of teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve, and continue to direct its chapters and Chapter Leaders to proactively protect those rights, and to intervene if those rights are being infringed upon by administration, as the ATR may be justifiably reluctant or fearful of speaking up; and be it further
RESOLVED, that the New York Teacher will run an article on teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve, including how teachers became part of the ATR; and be it further
RESOLVED that the United Federation of Teachers has always and will always stand for the dignity of all UFT members.
This was my first draft – it was not adopted in this form:
Dignity for all Teachers – Resolution for the Exec Board
Whereas each year for the last several years a significant number of our members have been assigned to the Absent Teacher Reserve; and
Whereas most teachers who are in the Absent Teacher Reserve arrived there as their schools were shut down; and
Whereas the teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve have been subject to a campaign of media vilification, falsely claiming or implying that teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve are less able or are bad teachers, and intentionally conflating them with teachers facing disciplinary proceedings; and
Whereas the teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve have been targeted for layoff or termination several times over the last several years, including by the Department of Education during contract negotiations; the anti-union group Educators for Excellence in its seniority reform proposal this spring; and the Mayor during his campaign to undo Civil Service law in Albany earlier this spring, thwarted each time by the United Federation of Teachers, and its leadership; and
Whereas teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve often are made to feel like outsiders in the schools where they work; and
Whereas teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve, in too many instances, are forced to perform inappropriate work in the schools where they work; and
Whereas teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve, to the extent they are made to feel like outsiders or feel vulnerable to being moved, are often reluctant to seek appropriate relief; and
Whereas the new budget agreement allows teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve to be moved from school to school multiple times each term; and
Whereas the United Federation of Teachers values the dignity of all our members;
Be it resolved the United Federation of Teachers will direct its chapters and Chapter Leaders to reach out to members of the Absent Teacher Reserve who are assigned to their schools, to welcome them, and to support them; and
Be it further resolved that the United Federation of Teachers will educate Chapter Leaders about the rights of teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve, and direct its chapters and Chapter Leaders to proactively protect those rights, and to intervene if those rights are being infringed upon by administration, as the ATR may be justifiably reluctant or fearful of speaking up; and
Be it further resolved that the United Federation of Teachers will designate a representative or committee Centrally, or will designate a representative in each borough to handle Absent Teacher Reserve issues; and
Be it further resolved that the New York Teacher will run an article on teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve, including how teachers became part of the ATR; and
Be it further resolved that the United Federation of Teachers has always and will always stand for the dignity of all teachers, including our most vulnerable: probationers, teachers under investigation, and teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve.
Triple Digit Copay
I’m ok. But I wasn’t sure this past Saturday.
I hadn’t eaten much, just snacked. Walked to a grocery store – long walk, 2 miles each way, for some exercise. When I got there, I felt a twinge. Figured it was from not eating. Went away. I shopped. And going home the twinge was back, a bit more insistent.
Got home about 7:30. It was hurting. I ate, thinking it would clear itself up. But no. Badly upset stomach? But aside from the food I just had, my stomach was empty. I tried watching some tv to take my mind off. Couldn’t focus. Tried the bathroom – nothing was helping. Hospital? That’ll be $150, could be for nothing. I’ll wait an hour, I told myself, and if it doesn’t clear up – the hospital. Five minutes later I couldn’t wait, and walked up the street.
As I walked I made a mental note of all the extra steps that were being counted. The pain surged and ebbed. But now, at the low end, it was still a “5” on the 0 – 10 scale. And the high end was getting worse. Had I waited another half hour, I don’t think I could have made the walk.
The wait wasn’t too bad. There’s a process that kept engaging me with a new person every few minutes. Registration. Then a little wait. I couldn’t sit still. But my pacing was making people nervous. I stepped outside. Then I got called to triage (it had a different name). That was before going to the Emergency Room. Then another quick interview to put me in a category. I think mine was “abdominal pain.” Then a clerk with waivers. Four signatures. I had trouble signing.
And then the Nurse Practitioner, who was patient and kind. In the exam area she asked questions. I asked something I’ve never asked before – can I have something for the pain? It was spiking near a 9. I was nauseated. I almost passed out. I was breaking cold sweats. She put an IV in my arm, without drugs, so that it would be ready when they decided which pain med to give me. She also pretty quickly determined that I probably had a kidney stone.
The IV drip changed the night. It took only a few seconds to drop the pain, a few more to bring it to a 1, and then 0, and I was pain-free for the rest of my almost 14 hours in the ER. I waited patiently for a CAT scan. There was extra waiting, because they had scheduled “downtime” for their on-line system – somehow that makes sense to do, but I can’t see how.
And then it was 1:30. And I sat in the Emergency Room, and waited for results. I tried to drift off. But ER. Beeping. Noise. And now the guy who was moaning and screaming before (I was in too much pain in the previous paragraph to make a note) was playing music, loud music. I asked, not trying to look sad, but succeeding all the same, if there were somewhere, anywhere… And someone took pity (maybe the NP) and sent me to the exam area, where a curtain provided a modicum of a barrier but not much. But the exam table leaned back, and I used my jacket as a hood and a pillow, and got almost coach class quality sleep – maybe an hour and a half over the course of the next 2 and a half.
I came out. A nurse brought me two pills. I was confused. One was for prostate function, the other an anti-biotic. I took them, and was ready to look for the NP, when she found me first. The kidney stone was on the CAT, and small enough to pass, but was obstructing something, it looked like I had an infection. The “prostate” med was actually to flush the stone, and the antibiotic for the infection, but the stone might need to removed. That day. She took my weight, and asked about the last time I had eaten. This was for the anesthesiologist. They were serious.
Urology had some concerns. They were not positive. And they ordered more blood work (one number was way off when I came in). A urologist came down. She said it might be surgery, it might be another one of two uncomfortable sounding procedures. She was waiting for blood work. And she noted that I had not had a fever, and asked me to go back through some details. She noted that my pain had not returned. And then she left. I alerted some friends and relatives and work about what might be in the cards.
And I waited. The shift changed. I got on a stretcher, and got wheeled into a curtained bay. I saw a doctor. I told him what I was waiting for, but he already knew. And then he came back. The white blood cell count was better. He hadn’t seen the number. Urology was considering the non-surgical interventions. And maybe 45 minutes later he came back. The number was way down. Well within the normal range. I should take ibuprofen and lots of water and the two drugs I’d already started, and I could go. Home.
So it’s not done. I have to get rid of this stone. But I was being set free. Wait – ibuprofen? Will that do it? Whatever was in the drip last night, that was great stuff, brought the pain from 9 to 0 in no time. Turns out, it was a close relative of ibuprofen. No more questions. I was ready to go.
Last stop, Discharge. Turns out, I have a copay. I knew it. If they admit you, the copay is waived. If they don’t, the copay’s a buck fifty. Why should NOT having surgery cost over one hundred dollars?
This is a “health care cost savings” agreed to by my union. The high ER copay supposedly is to discourage frivolous use. But you read my story. What was frivolous? Could TelMed have visualized the stone, or the build-up in the kidney? Where else could I have gone to get my abdomen examined? To rule out appendicitis? Should I have gone to Urgent Care (only $50, I think) to have my vitals taken? I almost passed out from pain. Saturday night. Could I have waited until Monday to call my regular doctor?
I only thought for one second about the copay. How about a beginning teacher, with debt? Is the copay high enough to discourage someone at the bottom of our pay scale from making a medically necessary trip to the Emergency Room?
How about we stop calling health care concessions “cost saving changes” and start calling them “life threatening changes”? And then how about we stop making them.
How many factor triples?
At the New Cubed (NY, NJ, New England) math teachers summer conference that was held at Siena in July, a presenter posed a problem that required finding three numbers that multiplied to make 72. The list included 1, 8, 9 and 2, 2, 18 and 3, 4, 6 and several other triples (groups of three numbers).
So I wondered, could we look at 72 and see how many factor triples it has? In general, how many factor triples does a number have?
“How many factors” – I know that answer. Take the prime factorization, and increase each exponent by 1, and add them. I can explain.
- If the number is prime, there are two factors, the number and itself. If the number is the square of a prime (eg 49), there are three factors, 1, 7, and 49. But after some fussing, we realize that
, and that our 3 factors are
– and extending that, if we have a prime to a power, n, that we have from 0 to n possibilities… which comes out to 0, 1, 2,… , n so n+1 in total.
- If the number has several prime factors, such as 66, we get more factors. For 66, 1, 2, 3, 6, 11, 22, 33, 66, or a total of 8 factors. By examining the prime factorization – 2 x 3 x 11 – we might observe that there are 2 choices for how many 2s (0 or 1), 2 choices for how many 3s (0 or 1), and 2 choices for how many 11s (0 or 1). And 2x2x2 = 8. Makes sense.
- For numbers with more complicated prime factorizations, we combine these rules.
, so we can include 0, 1, 2, or 3 factors of 2 (4 choices), times 3 choices for how many 3s, and two choices for how many fives. 4x3x2 = 24. Are there 24? 1, 2, 4, 8, 3, 6, 12, 24, 9, 18, 36, 72, 5, 10, 20, 40, 15, 30, 60, 120, 45, 90, 180, 360. Yup.
But how many factor triples? That’s a new question for me. If I try a prime, such as 2, there is only one: 1 x 1 x 2. A square of a prime gives two: 1 x 1 x 49, 1x7x7. A cube gives three: 1 x 1 x 1331, 1 x 11 x 121, 11 x 11 x 11. Pattern? Maybe. A prime to the fourth gives four: 1 x 1 x 16, 1 x 2 x 8, 1 x 4 x 4, 2 x 2 x 4. A prime to the fifth: 1 x 1 x 243, 1 x 3 x 81, 1 x 9 x 27, 3 x 3 x 27, 3 x 9 x 9. And a prime to the 6th: 1 x 1 x 15,625, 1 x 5 x 3125, 1 x 25 x 625, 1 x 125 x 125, 5 x 5 x 625, 5 x 25 x 125, 25 x 25 x 25. Looks good! Let’s generalize. 
And there I leave you, with a bit of an exploration, and a false start.
Our Chancellor
If you were reading the newspapers this spring, you read a lot of horrible things about our chancellor, RIchard Carranza. It was a constant drumbeat. He hired friends. He demoted white women. He flip-flopped on math. He is responsible for schools doing poorly. He is anti-white. And there are teachers joining the chorus. Amazing, Joel Klein was never treated so harshly.
What’s going on? This is a reaction to Carranza’s proposals on diversity, and the introduction of implicit bias training. This is about race.
I didn’t love the implicit bias training, but it was ok. It certainly was not the horrible anti-white caricature portrayed on the blogs.
The diversity initiatives? Man, there are guys who teach “separate but equal is inherently unequal” about the South, but are cool with segregated schools up here. Not cool. Don’t like the Chancellor’s plans (and some of them aren’t the Chancellor’s)? Where’s yours?
Instead of attacking Brown v Board, the critics attack the chancellor’s mistakes – and many of them are real mistakes. But it’s in the context of going after him on race.
Let me end this note with something I put on a listserve this spring:
I have no interest in defending this Chancellor in general. However, there are two specific exceptions:1. when Bloomberg supporters criticize him, especially for problems that were caused or exacerbated by Bloomberg/Klein – in those cases the critics need to be called out for hypocrisy, and I do call them out2. Criticism of implicit bias training. This is strange place for me – I’m not a big fan of this training, but I recognize that the current public critique, clearly from the Post and more politely from others, is hostile to public education and even more so to integration, and I feel a strong need to differentiate myself from those critiques, especially when I criticize the chancellor..The loudest critics of the chancellor today are those attacking implicit bias training. I do not stand with them. When I criticize him (as I have done over the last year for Regent’s grading policies, class size, keeping too many lawyers, poor communication with schools, empowering lousy principals, etc, etc) I make clear that I am not adding my voice to those who criticized him on race.
JD2718 