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.
Life without Alarms
Thursday morning. Friday morning. Saturday morning. Scores of thousands of New York City teachers have enjoyed them, waking and opening their eyes, without being jolted awake by an alarm.
The only sour note? Knowing that, come September, sleep will again daily crash to a halt with the jarring ring, clang, chirp or loud nuisance song that we set for our alarms.
But does it have to?
(Worst alarm ever? A very loud mosquito buzz.)
Five years ago, on sabbatical, my early class was 10 AM. There was no need for an alarm. Peace!
(you are generally eligible for a full-year sabbatical in the New York City Department of Education after 14 years of service. They are absolutely wonderful. If you are getting close, start looking into it.)
So I stopped setting an alarm. And something interesting happened. I liked getting up at 6:30. Solving the morning Kenkens. Making coffee. Reading a bit. And know what? Every morning I got up between 6:10 and 6:40. No alarm. My body did just did it.
Sometimes I needed to wake earlier (for a meeting, or an event, or a morning meet-up for a hike). I experimented. My body got me up at the right time.
Did I make exceptions? A couple of times, for flights. I might have set 5 alarms all year. And, by the way, I usually woke up before the alarm sounded, and successfully disarmed it.
All good things come to an end, as did my sabbatical. September came, but the alarm stayed off. I was fine.
Now, I can be late places, but that is because I dawdle. I don’t oversleep.
Would this work for you? Maybe, maybe not. I have some advantage (man, of a certain age, I do wake up more frequently than you do). But how can you know for sure, unless you try?
Set yourself a wake-up time. Remind yourself of it before you go to sleep. Don’t set an alarm. And see what happens. Repeat. And repeat. And repeat. Until you trust yourself.
I haven’t routinely set an alarm since June 2013. I can’t tell you how amazing that is.
Problem Solving: Last school day – jury service?
Solution! – I requested a postponement to December 23.
UFT Elections – Retirees
I might follow this post with a little analysis.
I’ve delayed reporting the retiree numbers, because I have problems with the historic numbers. Retiree votes are constitutionally capped. The cap used to be 18,000. Now it’s more. My variety of sources include:
- Capped numbers (official and unofficial)
- Raw numbers (official and unofficial)
- Back-calculated numbers
The totals I am reporting are inconsistently calculated. I don’t know if there’s any sense using them to compare year to year, except as percentages between caucuses. If anyone can help me puzzle this out, I would work with you.
Anyway, imperfect as they are, here are my numbers.
UFT Elections – Functionals
“Functional” as a division requires some explanation. I’ll get some of it right, but I find it complicated. Functional Chapters are organized across schools, by members’ function – or job. Guidance Counselors, Paraprofessionals, Secretaries, Speech Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Nurses, etc.
Are non-DoE chapters “functional chapters”? I don’t know. I do know that when I say “our contract” I am excluding functional chapters – there are separate contracts for other titles.
In any case, since “functional” actually covers a range of titles and locations, lumped together, the votes there are more of a composite, giving guesswork a larger role in analysis.
These numbers look different from the teacher divisions. The total number of votes has not consistently declined. Unity’s totals have not consistently declined. There’s a significant unexplained blip from 2007 to 2010 in raw opposition vote.
UFT Elections – Middle Schools and Elementary Schools
New Action for over a decade won the High School Division in UFT elections. Since 2000 that has changed, with ICE/TJC winning once, New Action winning in coalition with Unity, then in coalition with MORE, and this election Unity winning the seats outright (though running with two independents).
No other division has been in play – except for the Middle Schools. New Action won them once, long ago. But after the last election some thought it might be possible to put the Middle Schools into play.
Elementary schools have been a Unity stronghold. No one expected anything different this time.
I don’t have actual results, but backed into the numbers by looking at minimum vote by caucus by division in Exec Board At Large voting, In other words, I am confident that the following numbers are at least partially wrong, but definitely close. With that caveat, the results in these two divisions:
UFT Elections – Totals
It was a bad election for the UFT. Vote totals were down across the board. My caucus, New Action, did particularly poorly
Unity did sweep the seats. But the group that has a monopoly on power has a growing inability to turn out votes, even after turning a popular chapter leader of a huge school, and a prominent Bernie Sanders supporter, with following.
Anyway, here’s the numbers for this time (back-estimated based on minimum vote on Exec Board At-Large, by Division by Slate) and the numbers for the previous five elections.
I’m holding historic retiree numbers until I have a better way of handling the weighting/non-weighting/change in weighting.
UFT Elections – High Schools
It was a bad election for my caucus, New Action. And in the high schools, it was a bad election for the UFT. Vote totals were down across the board.
Unity can claim a victory – they took an absolute majority of the high school votes for the first time since I’ve been a teacher… but with their second lowest vote total in years, perhaps ever.
I’ve seen speculation about who came in second overall. These results make me think Unity came in second – and those with an interest in promoting distance between the members and the union – our enemies – came in first.
And who’s next? High schools are the only (for now) winnable division, and no one was remotely close.
Anyways, here’s the numbers (I used the minimum candidate vote in the division for each slate as the slate vote. I could be off by a dozen or so)
Accountability
Should every school district be measured with the same ruler? Should they be measured at all? Should the measuring be done by state governments and the US government, none of which (except, I guess, the DoD) actually teach kids?
Monticello, in Sullivan County, has a small school district. Bronxville, in Westchester, has a similarly-sized district. But the circumstances of those living in those districts is dissimilar. Education, which in the abstract might equalize, instead is used to threaten one district, while leaving the other alone. (median family income in Bronxville is almost 10 times greater than in Monticello. The Black and Hispanic population makes up over 40% of Monticello, and about 4% of Bronxville.)
Is each district doing a good job educating its children, given its resources and situation? What is the state doing to improve resources in Monticello? That’s a question that deserves a QUALITATIVE answer, followed by a challenge to Cuomo. You know what those questions don’t do? They don’t threaten the people who are educating kids, especially those doing so under difficult circumstances.
In the late 90’s, under the cover of developing state “accountability” systems, the Bronx superintendent moved struggling kids into schools he, Gates, and other conspirators had slated for closure. Graduation numbers, test scores, measures of safety – all plummeted, and THOSE SCHOOLS were held accountable for decisions made by THE SUPERINTENDENT. The schools have been closed; the superintendent continued to work as a consultant.
Fifteen years ago the Department of Education started sending our vocational high schools students who were not interested in the careers those schools prepared young people for. The vocational schools were held accountable – and were broken up or shut down – often replaced by schools with no CTE status.
Today the Office of Student Enrollment sends some high schools too many students, or too few, or students without interest in the school’s “special programs.” Who is held accountable? The schools.
We need a real discussion of special education in high schools, where many schools are too small to realistically provide a full range of services, but OSEPO sends them kids who need a wide range of services, and the DoE staff advise them to alter IEPs to match what services they have available. The petty bureaucrats who are cheating the kids, I pity and abhor them – they are trying to cope with an impossible situation. Hang them all, and what would that accomplish? The accountability system still nails the school, the schools large enough to provide the full range of services still don’t get put back together, and those in charge still walk scot free. More on this another day.
At a minimum, those who supervise a group of schools should be held responsible (I refuse to say “accountable”, see above) for their schools. Schools should not be held “accountable” for intentional mismanagement or plain incompetence of their office-based supervisors. We need a way to ask the question “Is this school doing a good job, in its specific circumstances, with its specific resources, and with its actual population?” that does not generate “accountability reports.”
We need real educators in charge. We need to remove the data people and their punitive tests from our system. Asking, “Is this school doing a good job?” should not carry an implicit threat.
Time to resume blogging
I used to blog a lot.
In 2009 the Department of Education subpoenaed me to testify in a special complaint. When I finally appeared in 2010, the union gave me a strong warning that my blogging might not be protected by the First Amendment.
I thought I ignored the warning, but I became cautious. Too cautious. I wrote less and less. And got used to not writing.
It’s time to get back to business.
jd
My best photo – Part 1 of 4
My mom came home 3 weeks ago – and so did this photo:
In the course of 54 weeks in hospitals, a nursing home, and an assisted living facility there were various family photos with her at different times. But this one never left her side.
– – — — —– ——– ————- ——– —– — — – –
My mom was, among other things, a rank and file activist.
She worked in a non-union hospital, helped form an organizing committee, met for years, and finally got the union to come in and try to organize (that one didn’t end so well. After getting fired for organizing activity, she won her NLRB case, but lost, on appeal, an unfortunately common outcome).
She worked at Yale, clerical, when clericals and technicals organized. She was an active part of that drive. And they won.
And she came to Harvard after the clerical union was recognized, but before the first contract. Harvard administration was trying to sell the load of bull that a contract would make things worse for the workers. My mom spoke to one department after another, explaining how having the contract had made a difference at Yale. A lot of people worked hard on that vote, and they won. My mom stayed a rank and file activist for the rest of her career, playing a leading role in solidarity campaigns with other unions.
It makes sense that she chose to keep this photo with her during her recovery. It’s a photo of me, speaking about solidarity, at a United Federation of Teachers Delegate Assembly a decade ago.
345 – 328
I beat my mother in Scrabble last night. Game was okay. She took an early lead (opened with JIBES for 46), but a few turns in I played UNAWARES for 61, and a little later FRAT for 34 put me in the lead for good.
When I visit my mom, we play. A quick stop is a game or two. A long weekend could be 4, 5, 7. I win more than I lose, but they are good games.
But we have not played. Not since my visit last September, over a year ago, my last visit before surgery. The surgery went well, but it was followed by a stroke.
Sometime last November I noticed a statin on her meds list. I spoke with the doctor – years ago she took herself off statins. She claimed they made her thinking fuzzy. I told the doctor about Scrabble. I am good for 3 out of 5 or even 3 out of 4 when I’m on a roll. But while she was on statins, I won better than 9 out of 10. And she played super-slowly and made mistakes. He removed them.
In December we were talking about recovery. I had questions about mobility, about memory, about the ability to socialize. And about Scrabble. He was hopeful that she will play scrabble with me, but may not be able to compete. We will see evolution over the next 12-18 months.
But over the next few months, it was not at all clear that the doctor’s assessment would be correct. I cursed that conversation and its false hope.
But turns out, it wasn’t false. I’m sure I’ll win more than I lose. And the margins may be more than 17 points. But I’m thankful we have our Scrabble back.
Experimental Sweetened Yams
I don’t publish recipes because:
- I don’t cook much and
- I don’t use recipes
I mean, I have a sense of what foods / herbs / spices / flavors / textures might work together. It’s not nearly as tricky as picking a good math problem, or as incomprehensible as knowing whether or not clothes match.
Anyway, I don’t do sweetened yams, but Wednesday I planned a root vegetable mash that went sideways. So here goes:
Yams – 4 huge ones.
Carrots – or Other Things that go with yams. I chose carrots. Big old loose ones. 3 or 4 of them. Probably the equivalent of a full cello package. Is that a pound? I think parsnips (justalittle) might have worked, but not sure about the sharpness. Celery root would have been a waste. Squash would have been good. But too much work. Pumpkin would have been perfect.* Might have skipped the yams altogether. But Garden Gourmet’s not selling pumpkins this year. Bastards. So yams it is. Yams they are?
Sweeteners.
Bosc pears. Very ripe. Big ones. 4 of them.
Apples. I think these were Cortlandts. Big.
Honey. That was last minute. I was going to grab maple syrup, but the bottle was old and looked icky. And I have the bottom of a jar of honey that I got gifted a year ago (I use it slowly) by the Actual Beekeeper.
Some milk.
Spices? I was going to skip them. But when the maple syrup didn’t look like a good idea, vanilla.
I guess you could do “pumpkin spices” – cloves, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg.
Boil the yams for a while, until they are almost soft. Then throw in the carrots for a few minutes to soften them, but not as much. Pull out carrots and yams. Peel the yams. Throw them in the pot. Slice the carrots into slices or chunks (depending on diameter). In the pot.
Core the apples, and peel them. Slice them. Peel (carefully here) the pears, then cut out the bottom little pyramid with the core/seeds. In the pot.
Stir up the stuff in the pot. This was work. let them yams mush as you go. Keep mixing, mushing. Pour in some milk. Pour in some vanilla, if you are going that route. Keep mushing/mixing. I wasn’t sure about sweetness, so I grabbed a super ripe banana and mushed that in, too. Mush mush mush.
I put it in the oven. 350 seemed too high for this one. I tried 320.
After half an hour I looked. It had started to have a nice smell. I pulled it out. Tasted. Mushed mixed a little. The carrots were the firmest thing in there, plus some of the apples. But the apples would cook down. A carrot in yam matrix tasted good, and some of the fruit sweet was in the bite, but not much. I tried another spoon from a different corner of the pot. Same verdict. That’s when I went for the honey and vanilla. I poured a little vanilla. But the honey was my only measured quantity
2 tablespoons of honey
I know that because I poured in one tablespoon. Then I looked, and decided to add another.
Mix mix mush mush. Back in the oven. Maybe another hour. Or a little more.
It was good. The carrots (less sweet) were “floating” in a yam matrix with unidentifiable fruit flavors (apple/pear/banana) and while there was sweetness, it was dinner sweetness, less sweet than the cranberry sauce (but no acid), and far less sweet than the abominable yams with marshmallows on top that my sister asked for (what, no marshmallows?) before declaring mine perfectly good.
*Pumpkin is a good ingredient because the fresh stuff does not show up year round, and it has an interesting texture, and because, if you buy a small to medium sized one it’s pretty easy to get the guts ready for cooking. Take a small-medium pumpkin. It should fit on a plate. Saw it in half along the equator. Yank/scrape out the seeds. Fill the plate with water. put the pumpkin face down in the water. Microwave on high. 5 minutes. Probably not enough. Take it out of the microwave. Is the flesh ready to fall out? Nope? Try another 5 minutes. You might need a third 5 minutes, but that’s the longest it’s ever taken me. And then you can just cook with it.
Does Trump’s Rhetoric make the Atmosphere Toxic?
I apologize in advance for asking such an obvious question; my union’s leaders seem to be getting it wrong.
Last Monday, the day before the midterms, they introduced a “Resolution to Unite with Organizations against the Toxic Political Atmosphere.” at the United Federation of Teachers Executive Board. (I’ve pasted it at the bottom of this post.)
Good and fine, except what they left out – nothing about the hate-mongering coming from the White House. You might think, “minor omission” – except they have a history. They have a history of being afraid of naming Trump.
Right after 2016 election (see the parallel?) they amended a resolution. See if you can guess where Trump’s name had been removed:
WHEREAS, the presidential election targeted communities on the basis of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and religion, and displayed abusive behavior toward women, has threatened the nation’s promise that all people are worthy of respect; and
WHEREAS, the presidential election has outlined an education agenda overtly hostile to public schools and teachers, promising to prioritize vouchers and charter schools at the expense of public schools ; and
They are afraid of naming Trump? Maybe not. Maybe November 2016 they were in a strange panic (many people were). So I raise my hand, and offered to insert the phrase “the provocative rhetoric of President Trump.” We all agree, vote, and go home, right? Not so fast.
The UFT leadership would ultimately vote, in unison, against naming Trump. But they needed to speak against. Normally one of them would rise to explain why they thought this language was a bad idea. But this time? No. They cued a speaker, not an officer, to go up. I was stunned by his words, and did not take notes. But someone did.
“Not the first time these things have happened” – 11 people killed in a synagogue in the United States? Yes, yes it is the first time.
“We don’t want to give him attention” – WTF? He’s got all the attention. He needs to stand accused of fomenting these attacks.
“Happened before and after Trump” – racist hate crimes are on the rise. Willfully ignoring this is offensive.
“People have spread this talk before” – but not from the White House? That makes a difference. A big difference.
And then they voted, and every officer, members of Unity Caucus all, voted not to mention Trump’s hateful rhetoric. This was a party-line vote, even if one or two broke ranks, and a few more party members remained silent in deep embarrassment
Trump’s incendiary attacks on rivals have created fertile ground for those inclined toward extremism. Why are United Federation of Teachers’ leaders afraid of stating this obvious truth? And they needed to use an intermediary? Why are they afraid of speaking themselves about Trump?
Resolution to Unite with Organizations against the Toxic Political Atmosphere
WHEREAS, three acts of hate-filled violence erupted in the United States in October 2018; and
WHEREAS, mail bombs were sent to more than a dozen public figures critical of President Trump; and
WHEREAS, a man with a history of violence murdered two African-Americans at a Kentucky supermarket following a failed attempt to forcibly enter a black church; and
WHEREAS, a man shouting anti-Semitic slurs killed 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, the UFT stands with organizations from across the political, religious and social spectrum – from the AFT, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Southern Baptist Convention and the Archdiocese of New York, to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Southern Poverty Law Center and Black Lives Matter – in repudiating the rhetoric of hate. The UFT stands with organizations speaking against the toxic political atmosphere that helped give rise to these abhorrent acts. We extend our deepest sympathy to the families who suffered catastrophic loss in these dire events.
Occupational Therapists/Physical Therapists Reject Contract
I have not been actively following the “No” side of the contract ratification vote – I thought this one was worth a yes.
But there are over a dozen actual contracts – I often focus solely on the teachers’ contract – but there are contracts for counselors, paraprofessionals, secretaries, and a bunch more.
Voting down a contract is pretty serious business, especially when the therapists knew that the other units were likely to vote Yes.
It is our obligation, all of us, to stand in solidarity with the OTs and PTs. They will need our support.
It is our obligation to understand the issues that led to such a different result than the other units (teachers voted yes over 80% – lower than I anticipated, but still a large margin. All of the units taken together voted Yes by 87%).
Essentially, OTs and PTs are not paid in line with school workers with comparable professional training. By a lot. They are massively underpaid. And at negotiations de Blasio’s people essentially said “we don’t care; we won’t negotiate a correction to this inequity.” The DoE’s position is utterly unacceptable. The OTs and PTs perform critical work in our schools, often under horrible conditions, often without adequate space. They need to be treated fairly.
We must find a way to engage all of the UFT, including those who just approved a contract for their unit, in solidarity with the OTs and PTs so that they can get a swift and fair settlement.
What for All?
There is an initiative called “AP for All” – it’s packaged as a “leveling the playing field” program. But there’s some issues.
Not every student is ready for an AP-level course. Or perhaps a student is ready, but not for the interesting selection of 2, or 3, or 4 courses offered in their school. Especially in the proliferation of mini-schools in Black and Brown neighborhoods in New York City, required AP with minimal selection can be a problem.
And then there’s the AP itself. Advanced Placement. A course that one day was billed as “college level” – but today is linked to a test. A test owned by The College Board, a kingpin in the US testing industry. The College Board distorts education, forces “teaching to the test,” lives and dies on manipulating students to take one, two, three, many high-stakes, high-cost tests, while picking up none of the cost for the educational and psychological damage they are doing. AP for All? Meh. I’d rather support someone other than a corporate vulture.
I’d rather support, say, math teachers.
What about “Four Years of Math for All Who Want It”? In too many city high schools, kids run out of math. By, say, passing trig. There’s nothing else. What about requiring schools to offer four years to everyone? I don’t care if the “extra” course is calculus, statistics, solid geometry, personal finance, business math, or number theory. No one should “run out of math” in a city high school. (I was thinking about this while listening to a podcast called “Miseducation” put together by NYC high school students. Some of the voices they interview ran out of math, even though they wanted to take more.)
Four Years of Math for All Who Want It would be a better program. It would benefit all kids. And instead of lining the College Board’s silk pockets, we’d be helping a group that’s actually deserving.
JD2718 