State Testing

It begins for us next week. Pray for us.

Slice and Dice.....California Slashers at work..... District Office Rippers

Read a couple of other teacher blogs....depressing. Sounds like the same story for teachers all throughout what is supposed to be the greatest nation on earth, supposedly blessed by God..... teachers being forced to take furlough days, paying more, much more from their take home pay for health insurance expenses, higher class sizes, fewer administrators to handle discipline, less materials to teach with, no salary raises in many years......California, Nevada, Illinois, Georgia....same story.

As for the Polski3 family, my job is safe. However, Mrs Polski had her math position "eliminated" and she has been pink-slipped. Oh, and she was notified that she is one of our county's "Outstanding Math teachers" and getting an award in the near future. But come June, she's an unemployed teacher. California will have many, many unemployed teachers in June. And unlike in some recent years, no last minute rehiring of many of them because the state got some money from the Chinese or Arabs...oops, I mean the Feds.

At my school, six of our seven Language Arts teachers were pink-slipped. Those who were pink-slipped were hired since 2005. They may be replaced by "multiple subject" teachers who have an ELA (English-Language Arts) endorsement on their credential. This could foul us up because we could have a slew of "new" teachers who haven't taught that curriculum and who are now teaching junior high only because it was "THAT" or unemployment. It could also foul us up with the Feds / NCLB folks because having such an endorsement on one's credential does not mean that teacher is a "highly qualified teacher" under the rules of NCLB. I know.....my California credential also says I can teach science, but I am not "highly qualified" under NCLB unless I get a piece of paper from a university that says "Bachelor of Science degree" or take some tests.....Is there a university that grants a BS in "General Science?" Really bleek times for our Language Arts department.....

We are supposed to lose our assistant principals too.....Our district wants lots from us teachers; furlough days, no state lottery money in our paychecks, changes in contract language about evaluation and non-voluntary transfers and class size increases. Their offer? Nothing. They offer nothing in exchange. Oh, wait, I heard that they have discussed dropping all district contributions towards teacher health insurance. Administration keeps their district paid cell phones, i-pads, gasoline allowance, fully paid health insurance and unlimited supplies. I got to order four cases of photocopy paper for next year. That's it. My stash from previous "flusher" times is dwindling.....Guess I will have to teach without making any copies.

Meanwhile, our elected idiots in Sacramento cannot get over their partisan politics to do what they need to do for this state. Convicted criminals are more important than the children. Ack, I won't go there.....

So, how is life where you are? Thanks for reading this depressing blog posting. Maybe I can get a summer job at Costco or Walmart?