UFT elections – Vote New Action
In 2005 the UFT negotiated a contract – probably the worst contract in our history. Here are some of the reasons why it was so bad. During negotiations we made some noise about a possible strike, but Bloomberg knew we would not. We were too weak. Our chapters were too weak. Bloomberg’s polling was as good as or better than our internal information.
One slate has made reinvigorating our chapters a real priority: New Action
Chapter leaders should have been telling DRs who should have told Central exactly what was going on in the field. This chain was broken in two places: chapters without leaders or with do-nothing leaders, and DRs without strong relationships with their CLs. Our bottom-up communication, which should be one of our strengths, was badly damaged.
(Continues below the fold –>) Read more…
Teacher Pay Scale – Danbury CT
As I find them, I will post teacher pay scales, concentrating on communities not so far from NYC. For the New York City Department of Education salary schedule, click current or future.
In each category, increases of about $2,175 per year, until max
Danbury, Connecticut is a small city (pop 78,000), inland, in the western part of the state, not far from Brewster, New York. It is a majority white city, though in recent years there has been significant immigration from Ecuador and Brazil. The official numbers (76 white, 7 Black, 15 Hispanic, with some more of 2 races or other) probably miss this more recent immigration. Per capita income is about $24,500, and median family income is $62,000.
Danbury’s salary schedule is below the fold ———–> Read more…
Stat inflation, links, and NYC Ed
It is easy, when blogging, to develop an unwarranted sense of self-importance. There are times I am dazzled by the brilliance of my prose: see, I am published! And then there are the stats. I know how many people visit this site. I know what kinds of posts will generate a spike in “hits.” I get giddy when a big blog links to me: my numbers will shoot up.
But I know that it is all fantasy. My valuable work is in the classroom, as a union (UFT) activist, and in the various math committees that I work with. Classroom first. This blog is an outlet, but it is not my primary work, not close to it. But I understand how other people might get confused. Take NYC Educator. Please.
NYC Educator is so enamored with his stats, that he has lost sight of what matters. He got picked up by a hate site. The hate site generated traffic. And NYC Ed likes traffic. He linked back.
Which site?
moc [dot] eradv. I wrote it backwards so that it won’t get picked up by search engines, and ask that you not visit it. Google it, or read the wikipedia article. This is not a conservative or right-wing site: it is a hate site, the real thing, and we don’t need to generate traffic or cookies.
Edit: Update – I e-mailed NYC Ed: “I notice that you have linked a hate site. It is
vvvvvin a 2/26/07 post. I suggest that you remove the link. I have blogged it” and while his initial response was disappointing: “I only linked to acknowledge that it had linked to me. I haven’t blogrolled it and I have no knowledge of what it is” he did decide to remove it (see comments section, below).
(For the link, peek below the fold –> ) Read more…
UFT: Your humble servant
I’ve never ended a letter that way, and I would, because it sounds cool, but I will not, since it also sounds pretentious.
However, the idea is not a bad one. Certainly when I write a Chapter Leader’s letter, that is the position I am in. I serve the chapter and its members. Likewise, our DR’s serve the Chapter Leaders, at least in theory. This is why the CLs should be electing the DRs directly. (Unity’s reasons for ending DR election fall flat. There is a multipartisan (bipartisan if ICE boycotts) committee meeting this month to look at DR selection). And Central should be serving the DRs, the CLs, the Chapters, and all of the members.
UFT Central exists to serve the members and the Chapters, not the other way around. But sometimes Central forgets
I’ve seen three mistakes in this regard in the last week and a half. One was easily corrected, but the other two are symptomatic of change that needs to happen.
The descriptions, two regarding chapter activities, and one regarding the UFT webpage, are below the fold —> Read more…
Carnival of Mathematics – number three
The new Carnival of Mathematics, conveniently divided into five halves, is up at Michi’s blog. Go look. (Yours truly is in the first half).
Random math-y image is “Density of roots of polynomials with coefficients in {-1,1} up to degree 21. The domain extends from -2-2i to 2+2i.” from Terry Ligocki of the Applied Numerical Algorithms Group at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Teacher Pay Scale – Glen Rock NJ
I might come back and pretty up this post later. For now Glen Rock is due south of Ridgewood:
TEACHER SALARY GUIDES
2006-2007
(table is beneath the fold —->) Read more…
New Action website
The New Action website is up, and somewhat updated. Take a look. Use the contact us to make suggestions (both for visuals/layout, and for content) or leave me a message here. (I am not the webadmin, but I will pass on suggestions).
New Action/UFT is the oldest opposition caucus in the United Federation of Teachers, New York City’s teachers’ union.
Do clever leaders make strong unions?
Or do strong unions generate good leadership?
New Action/UFT is the only caucus that is focused on organizing, on reorganizing our union, expressly by organizing our chapters. Our chapters are our natural strength, and it is primarily strong chapters that will earn us a good contract, and good contract enforcement.
Both of the other caucuses concentrate on the personality traits of the candidates: clever, stalwart, honest… This reflects a misunderstanding. A strong union produces strong leaders much more readily than the other way around.
Teaching math – oops!
Sometimes you work off memory, and it is usually just fine.
I am teaching one group of kids for the second year. We did some algebra, a full year of geometry, and now on to Algebra II, but with lots of proof (sort of a hybrdized precalc). And I want to work on the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra, and specifically I want to talk about roots showing up in conjugate and complex conjugate pairs. So I do a one day review of radicals. And the next day a long homework review (since some of the radical equations got messy), and then a complex number review with the remaining half hour.
1) Complex numbers are easy and fun
2) With strong algebraic preparation, there is not really much new in complex topics
I was concerned that the review was going too fast. Did they really retain everything, with no questions? So after about 15 minutes of review, I added a parenthetical, “You remember this well from last year?” “We didn’t do this last year….”
(read on beneath the fold —>) Read more…
Staff development – carnival
This week’s carnival of education
is by the Science Goddess
at “What it’s like on the Inside.”
She’s packaged it as a staff development conversation.
Interesting.
Monkey in the middle
Another book meme. This time it’s the trace that counts. I published this which I took from superfly, who took it from Ms. Whatsit who got it from someone I don’t know.
Now I noticed that it got picked up by Darmok, but also by the calming Mumbling Monkey, whence it got to Gone to the Dogs, and from there to Where the Wind’s Like a Whetted Knife.
And next? Rexton from the windy blog (Newfoundland) has another book meme: science fiction 50. Rules are similar. Bold the ones you’ve read, strike-out the ones you hated, italicize those you started but never finished and put asterisks beside the ones you loved (the more asterisks, the more you liked it).
(Just below the fold –>) Read more…
UFT elections – short version – support New Action
The teachers union in the largest city in the United States is about to have its officer and executive board elections. There are three slates:
Unity. Current leadership. Thinks the current leadership is just fine. Bears some responsibility for the weak current level of internal organization in the UFT. Bears large responsibility for the 2005 contract (worst we’ve ever had), both for negotiating it, and for selling it (telling members that we would have to strike if we voted no). Doesn’t have a good record on internal democracy. In the 18 or so months since the 2005 contract was approved by a surprisingly close margin (60-40 among teachers), has taken steps towards increasing member involvement, towards organizing chapters, towards organizing newer members. Opened up a large negotiating committee which played a role in getting us the 2006 (neither good nor bad) contract. Has been open to suggestions for strengthening the union.
New Action is not locked into an irrevocable position of knee-jerk opposition like ICE-TJC, or total blind-support like members of Unity
New Action. Not currently in the leadership. Sometimes supports, sometimes opposes Unity. Highly committed to organizing (reorganizing) our chapters to better support both new and experienced members. Thinks our weakness comes from weakness at the base. In a deal with Unity, secured jobs for some members – all of these jobs are field organizing jobs. Opposed the 2005 contract. Supported the 2006 contract. Strong supporters of increased member participation and internal democracy. Has cross-endorsed a handful of slots with Unity.
ICE/TJC. Current HS Executive Board members. Very loud, very ineffective.
(Continues below the fold –>) Read more…
Who grades?
A school changes a teachers’ grade. JFK high school in the Bronx faking its stats to graduate extra kids? Nope. A district in California where the teachers were engaged in a job action (work to rule). Teacher was slow marking papers. Borderline failure got an F. And then district changed it to a passing grade.
On the topic of JFK HS in the Bronx, watch this space for a few questions.
Thanks to Dr. Homeslice for the tip.
Puzzle – True/False test
1. The number of correct responses that are “True” is even.
True / False
2. The correct response for #1 is “False”
True / False
3. This statment is “True”
True / False
4. It is false that two consecutive statements have the same correct response
True / False
Post questions in the comments below. Post answers in the answer post comments section.
Or make up your own (easier, harder, impossible).
Puzzle – True/False test – answers
This is the place to post your answers to the True/False test. For questions, go back to the test.
You can also post easier, harder, or even impossible variations here.
Links – Hellos and Goodbyes
Time to update some links. Pharyngula ran the most amazing offer: give him your link, and he added it to his blogroll (without a promise to keep it more than a few months, but still). Anyway, I am no pharyngula.
Say hello to:
Math Less Traveled. You know how good math teachers can make math fun and interesting and clear, and engineers and other smart non-teachers usually can’t? Well this guy? He’s not a teacher but writes like one of those good teachers. Go. Look. [edit – Maybe he is a teacher after all. Brent?]
dy/dan is a math-focused math teacher. All teaching, no politics.
Ms. Whatsit is a riled up middle school teacher. Quick-witted with a sharp tongue.
And I’ve dropped these links:
Ianqui in the village is a sociologist or anthropologist in New York who at one time caught my interest, but, alas, lost it. I used to know people like that.
Ed Notes online has ratcheted up the nastiness for the election season. It is too unpleasant to keep.
Evolving Education, Naughtmuch, and Syntactic Gymnastics all stopped publishing.
Book meme
Took this from superfly, who took it from Ms. Whatsit……
Look at the list of (100) books below.
Bold the ones you’ve read.
Italicize the ones you want to read.
leave blank the ones that you aren’t interested in.
Movies don’t count.
My rules: If you are reading this, and you like it, take it…)
(list is below the fold —>) Read more…
UFT elections – Support New Action
I will write more later, but for now, the UFT elections for officers and exec board are coming up. You will receive a ballot in the mail. Vote New Action and return it.
New Action stands for organizing chapters, protecting our most vulnerable members, integrating new members into the UFT, and helping them stay in teaching longer. New Action stands for extending union democracy, better working conditions, better pay, and taking on monster administrators.
New Action supporters take responsibility for building this union: as chapter leaders, as consultative committee members, on citywide committees. New Action supporters worked actively on the Negotiating Committee, were on the Action Committee (which is starting back up?), and are tireless members of the Organizing Committee.
I am running as part of the New Action slate. Make this message your message: vote New Action.
Sixth teaching period
Today I found this:
Side Bar Agreement
High School
Sixth Teaching PeriodIf the instructional program at the high school requires the creation of a number of class sections in any subject not divisible by five,
AND, if the additional classes cannot be taught by duly certified teachers in the district or by teachers shared with the middle school,
AND, if the Board is unable to find and employ a part-time teacher in the subject,The superintendent will notify the President of the Association of the condition and need and will confer with representatives of the Association on possible ways to fill the assignment.
If there is no other way to fill the assignment, the Board may assign no more than twelve (12) high school teachers per year to a sixth teaching period at the additional compensation rate of $4,500. Teachers so assigned will not be assigned to either a duty period or a homeroom.
The purpose of this agreement is to meet emergent staffing and program requirements of the Board and it is not intended to be implemented as a means of reducing professional staff.
(keep reading, beneath the fold —–>) Read more…
Puzzle – Fallible friends
So I gave a three digit number to five of my friends and they all told me two facts about it. Unhappily each person gave me one correct fact and one incorrect fact. What was the number?
A challenge for all is in the discussion, below the fold
a1: It is the difference between two squares
a2: It is not the sum of two cubes
b1: It is an even number
b2: It does not have exactly two prime factors (it is semiprime; ie, of the form a*b where a and b are both prime)
c1: It is the sum of two squares
c2: It is both a square and a cube
d1: It has exactly three prime factors
d2: It is prime
e1: It is the sum of a square and a cube
e2: It is the sum of three squares
(read on) —-> Read more…
Fallible Friends Challenge
Post your own Fallible Friends puzzles here.
Fallible Friends Solutions
Answers to Fallible Friends can be posted here.
The quadratic formula
end here:
I’m feeling a little guilty. I have an accelerated class: we are covering the equivalent of Algebra II/Trig and Precalc in 3 terms, which I think is a bit fast, but doable. When these guys were finishing algebra, over a year ago, they watched the derivation of the quadratic formula, memorized the formula (if they hadn’t already) and had to apply it. Now though, second bite of the apple.
I started the derivation, then told them to work on solving for x in groups. Everyone made some progress, though only one group finished. We then slowly worked it out together.
What should you add to each side to complete the square:
So here’s the guilt part: I told them they needed to be able to recreate the derivation. My teacher training says this is not what math is about. My knowledge of calculus tells me they will thank me for the forced work with extended application of ugly algebra. We have completing the square, ok, I know, not so many applications, some, just not so many. But we also get factoring, taking square roots, adding algebraic fractions, simplifying square roots, lots of work with variables.
So what say you: punitive or worthwhile?
start there:
Recent reading
Took a couple of days off blogging. It was nice to spend some extra time reading, and to get to the movies.
I’ve been interested in Greece and Turkey for some time. I’ve been to both countries, including last summer when I crossed the border by railroad. The Ottoman Empire ruled a large area, including both modern countries, and Greece gained independence for the Peleponnesus and the area north of the Gulf of Corinth almost 200 years ago. Yet Greek civilization was spread over a far wider area – in some sense the modern Greek state was begun in the area with the strongest physical connection with the ancient Greek city-states, but with the weakest connection to 19th Century Greek culture. Athens really was rebuilt from a little village.
Last summer I was in Thessaloniki. As Ottoman Salonika, it had had large Turkish, Greek, Jewish (Ladino-speaking) populations (along with Bulgarians, Albanians, Bosnians, Romanians…). Today it is a Greek city, with but a few reminders of its multi-community past. But many other cities had large Greek populations. Some of them are now completely Turkish cities: Istanbul, Izmir, Samsun, Trabzon.
(read on) ——> Read more…
Math geeks in town
Latest carnival of mathematics, here. Markcc of Good Math / Bad Math has done a bang up job of writing an entertaining carnival, and, quite geekily, made a cute little index at the bottom. Typical, huh? Saunter over.
Puzzle: Logic test
- The first question whose answer is (B) is —
(A) 1 — (B) 2 — (C) 3 — (D) 4 — (E) 5 - The only two consecutive questions with identical answers are —
(A) 6 & 7 — (B) 7 & 8 — (C) 8 & 9 — (D) 9 & 10 — (E) 10 & 11 - The number of questions with answer (E) is —
(A) 0 — (B) 1 — (C) 2 — (D) 3 — (E) — 4 - The number of questions with answer (A) is —
(A) 4 — (B) 5 — (C) 6 — (D) 7 — (E) 8 - The answer to this question is the same as the answer to question —
(A) 1 — (B) 2 — (C) 3 — (D) 4 — (E) 5 - The answer to question 17 is —
(A) C — (B) D — (C) E — (D) none of the above — (E) all of the above - Alphabetically, the answer to this question and the answer to the following question are —
(A) 4 apart — (B) 3 apart — (C) 2 apart — (D) 1 apart — (E) the same - The number of questions whose answers are vowels is —
(A) 4 — (B) 5 — (C) 6 — (D) 7 — (E) 8 - The next question with the same answer as this one is question —
(A) 10 — (B) 11 — (C) 12 — (D) 13 — (E) 14 - The answer to question 16 is —
(A) D — (B) A — (C) E — (D) B — (E) C - The number of questions preceding this one with the answer (B) is —
(A) 0 — (B) 1 — (C) 2 — (D) 3 — (E) 4 - The number of questions whose answer is a consonant is —
(A) an even number — (B) an odd number — (C) a perfect square — (D) a prime — (E) divisible by 5 - The only odd numbered problem with answer (A) is —
(A) 9 — (B) 11 — (C) 13 — (D) 15 — (E) 17 - The number of questions with answer (D) is —
(A) 6 — (B) 7 — (C) 8 — (D) 9 — (E) 10 - The answer to question 12 is —
(A) A — (B) B — (C) C — (D) D — (E) E - The answer to question 10 is —
(A) D — (B) C — (C) B — (D) A — (E) E - The answer to question 6 is —
(A) C — (B) D — (C) E — (D) none of the above — (E) all of the above - The number of questions with answer A equals the number of questions with answer —
(A) B — (B) C — (C) D — (D) E — (E) none of the above - The answer to this question is —
(A) A — (B) B — (C) C — (D) D — (E) E - Standardized test : intelligence :: barometer : —
(A) temperature (only) — (B) wind velocity (only) — (C) latitude (only) — (D) longitude (only) — (E) temperature, wind velocity, latitude and longitude
Please click here to submit answers.
edit: Yes, for those of you who may have been wondering, there is a (unique) solution.
Please use the comment form, below, to ask questions, ask for clarifications, share ideas, or comment on this puzzle. —> Read more…
JD2718 
