My Beauty Best Teacher

George Ayittey recently reissued a call for a Radio Free Africa Wikipedia describes a related effort SW Radio Africa as:

...an independent Zimbabwe radio station broadcasting from London in the United Kingdom. With the government of Robert Mugabe keeping a tight reign on the airwaves, the station produces and presents news and current affairs programmes for broadcast in Zimbabwe on short wave and medium wave. Staffed and run by Zimbabweans in exile it aims to promote democracy and free speech and to counter the mis-information and hate speech broadcast by the state media

George Ayittey recently reissued a call for a Radio Free Africa Wikipedia describes a related effort SW Radio Africa as:

...an independent Zimbabwe radio station broadcasting from London in the United Kingdom. With the government of Robert Mugabe keeping a tight reign on the airwaves, the station produces and presents news and current affairs programmes for broadcast in Zimbabwe on short wave and medium wave. Staffed and run by Zimbabweans in exile it aims to promote democracy and free speech and to counter the mis-information and hate speech broadcast by the state media

All these options are subject to government approval and could be the new reality for DC teachers' futures, that is if we get to vote on a proposed WTU contract (excerpts listed below). Oh by the way, DC probationary teachers seems you've been left out in the cold again by Chancellor Rhee, WTU President George Parker and AFT President Randi Weingarten. I don't know about you but I think we should all throw out those 'STUPID buttons' that AFT mass-produced which state we want "a contract that is good for students and fair to teachers." Oh really ?

I am sure that you have been anxiously awaiting the inside details of the status of our DC Teacher contract proposal as I have. On this past Saturday at the WTU Building Representative training at the AFT office- WTU president George Parker stated he still does not have a contract proposal to deliver to DC teachers despite his letter to union members that we were awaiting a feasibility study by the Rhee administration. So it seems according to Parker that now there are sticking points which in his words could lead to an impasse. I think we have heard this before and it is unclear what games Parker and Rhee are really playing. I thought the issue was determining whether there was the money to fund the most recent contract proposal. Now Parker states that it's more than that.

My inside source has provided me with a look-see at various sections of the DC teacher contract proposal. Despite earlier claims from my informant that there would be a 20 year retirement offered to DC teachers, so it seems based on this written proposal that teachers would only be given this option at the government's discretion. The bad news is that teachers could be subjected to performance based excessing. Even if teachers perform well on their annual performance appraisal- this does not guarentee them a job. They could be terminated if they are unable to get hired by another school and may be subjected to being a long term sub at various schools or other designated jobs even within the central office.

It sounds exactly like what Rhee proposed in her five year educational plan to rid our school system of a significant share of her teacher and related school personnel work force. Read this section which appears in Article 2. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on the impact of performance based-excessing.

Article 2 - Performance Based Excessing Policy. This section states:

2.1.1 An excess is an elimination of a Member's position at a particular school due to a decline in student enrollment, a reduction in the local school budget, a closing or consolidation, a restructuring, a change in the local school program, or a reduction in force.

2.1.1 A Member of a particular school shall not be excessed when a change in that school creates a position in that school for which the current staff Member is certified.

2.2.2 When the competitive area (determined in accordance with Title 5 of the DCMR) is the School, the Local School Restructuring Team (LSRT) shall make a recommendation as to the area(s) of certification to be affected and the Personnel Committee shall make a recommendation as to the individual(s) to be affected.

2.2.3 DCPS shall retain the right to make the final excessing decision according to the following rubric:

1) previous year's final evaluation (highest earns 70 points, second highest earns 60 points, third highest earns 50 points, fourth highest earns 0 points and lowest earns 0 points.

2). unique skills and qualifications (high earns 10 points, medium earns 5 points and low earns 0 points.

3). other contributions to the local education program (high earns 10 points, medium earns 5 points and low earns 0 points.

4. length of service (20 plus years earns 10 points, 10-19 years earns 5 points and 1-9 years earns 1 point. *Individuals with DC residency at the time of excessing shall receive a 5 year serice credit. Individuals with a veteran preference at the time of excessing shall also receive a 5 year service credit.

2.2.5 The Member in the competitive area with the lowest point value overall according to the rubric shall be the first Member to be excessed. The Member with the second lowest point value shall be the second Member to be excessed, and so on.

2.2.6 When the competitive area is the school, and when DCPS's final decision (based on the above rubric) departs from the recommendation of the LSRT or the Personnel Committee, the Supervisor shall prepare a written justification. A copy of the justification shall be provided to the President of the Washington Teachers' Union.

2.5.1 Any permanent status Member who received a rating of effective or higher on the DCPS educator evaluation system and was excessed shall be placed by DCPS in a new position for which they are certified before any new hires in that area of certification. If no position exists, the Member will have a year to secure a new position as outlined in Option3 in section 2.5.1.3.

2.6 Excessed permanent status Members shall have sixty (60) calendar days following the effective date of the excess to secure another placement in DCPS under performance based placement OR select one of the following options:

2.6.1.1. Option 1: BUYOUT

Excessed permanent status Members shall have the option to receive a $25,000 cash buyout resulting in separation from DCPS. This provision shall be the subject to necessary government approvals.

2.6.1.1.2 An excesed permanent status Member who opts for the buyout shall not be eligible for employment with DCPS for a period of three (3) years.

2.6.1.1.3 This option shall only be available to permanent status Members whose most recent evaluation was "Effective" or higher.

2.6.1.2 Option 2: Early Retirement

Excessed permanent status Members with twenty (20) or more years of creditable service shall have the option of retiring with full benefits. This provision shall be subject to necessary government approvals.

2.6.1.2.2 This option shall only be available to Members who have 20 or more years of creditable service.

2.6.1.3 Option 3: A year to Secure a New Position

2.6.1.3.1 Excessed permanent status Members who have been unable to secure a new placement during the sixty (60) days following the effective date of the excess, and who have not selected Option 1 or Option 2 above, shall have the right to select Option 3.

2.6.1.3.2 The year to secure a new position hall begin on the 61st day following the effective date of excess and shall conclude exactly one calendar year thereafter.

2.6.1.3.3 Excessed permanent status Members who opt for a year to secure a new positions shall during the year, be:

2.6.1.3.3.1 provided with full salary and benefits;
2.6.1.3.3.2 provided with multiple hiring opportunities
2.6.1.3.3.3 provided with the opportunity of twelve (12) hours of professional development that shall include instruction or interviewing skills and the creation of professional portfolios; and
2.6.1.3.3.4 assigned by DCPS to serve in one (1) or more instructional support capacities (e.g. one to one tutoring, small group instruction, class coverage, long-term teacher replacement or central office support) that are within the Member's discipline and located at a maximum of two (2) work locations per school year.

2.6.1.3.4 The assignment referenced above shall not be subject to performance based placement.

2.6.1.3.5 DCPS shall have the right, at the conclusion of the year to secure a new position, to terminate all excessed permanent status Members who are unable to secure a new placement within the school system under performance based placement during the year.

2.6.1.3.6 The year to secure a new position option shall only be open to permanent status Members whose most recent evaluation was "Effective" or higher.

Assuming this proposal gets worked out, are you ready to vote this proposal up or down ? You tell me.

Posted by The Washington Teacher

Look at this group- is this an angry mob of hateful racist people, as some liberals liken these groups to be? No- this is America- waving flags, loving liberty and freedom, and opposing Obama's government takeover of healthcare.
I've got more pictures- I will update a little later showing you some of the for and against posters, and also record some of my thoughts and impressions, as I frequently engaged supporters of Obamacare in debate and discussion. Enjoy for now!

UPDATE I: As some of you might have picked up on from my earlier posts about going to protests, I enjoy talking to supporters of Obamacare. My hope is that through discussion and conversation, I can introduce doubt into their belief system and put that little bug of freedom and liberty in their brains and hearts. Some people who support Obama are too far gone to even try- one guy told me to go back to torturing innocent people and invading law-abiding countries- I assume that he was referring to the enhanced interrogation techniques of terrorists and the War on Iraq, but regardless, he is too far gone down the path for me to talk to.

One of the frequent arguments that liberals trotted out was that healthcare was a right. I've already blogged about my thoughts on this, and tried to bring them up to Obamacare supporters- that healthcare is not a right. Several told me that my ideas about rights were outdated and no longer correct- that rights come from government and are the same thing as entitlements. That they believe this makes me sad.

Another argument that was frequently advanced (and the good thing about liberals is that they are all working off of the same playbook and always fall back on the same talking points) was that people accept fire departments, and police, and schools, and libraries, so why not give the government the power over healthcare too? I responded by saying that those were given to local and state government, not national government, and they said that didn't matter, that the federal government now runs everything, as it should- they openly laughed at the principle of federalism. I asked where does it stop then- what do we not give to the government? The supporters of Obamacare said 'somewhere', but I got the feeling that they would be willing to give the government the power over every aspect of your life.

See, this is not a debate about healthcare- this is a debate about the very nature of government- when pressed, liberals fall back on their belief system in government control, and the details no longer matter any more.

UPDATE II: Here are some pictures of some of the posters of those who oppose Obamacare. Notice how almost all are homemade, and they each advance a different and unique argument against national socialized control of healthcare.

The poster in this picture says "Give me Liberty, Not Debt":

The poster in this picture says "Congress is the problem":

This gentleman's sign says "Question Boldly, Demand Answers"- always good advice when the government is trying to nationalized 1/4 of the economy- it's surprising that people were shouting at him and one guy in all black even gave him the finger:


UPDATE III: Anyone who was at this event noticed right away that it was heavily astroturfed by liberal Democrats supporting Obamacare. There were two varieties of posters that they carried. The first that I will show you a picture of was paid for by Health Care for America NOW! This interest group looks like a group that the President of the United States is actively supporting (at least its website claims this), and kind of looks like a Moveon.org/George-Sorus funded clone. Here is the sign they provided for this event- there were about 50 like this- it says "Standing Together for Health Insurance Reform":

The other major variety of sign that was found at this healthcare rally is seen below. There were over 30 of these signs that I counted, and they were all carried by a group standing near the front of the line to get in. They all were on the same posterboard material, the same handwriting in the same colors, and all parroting similar messages. I asked one of the people carrying the sign where he got it- he said he made it himself. I asked if he made all the rest- he said that each one was made my the individual carrying it. I didn't call him a liar then because I wanted to be polite, but I'll say it now- he was an astroturfing liar, as you can see by this picture. No signs were allowed in the townhall, and so here is the pile of them outside. The slogans on these signs say "Equal Care 4 All," "Rich Grannies for Healthcare Reform Now," "Hate Kills and Care Cures," "Republicans Lie," etc.:

Thanks to the Detroit News, I figured out who produced all of these signs. According to the article in the newspaper, these signs were produced by a lady named Karen MacKenzie. According to Open Secrets, she lives in Northville, which is not part of Peter's district. Tsk-tsk- the invite said 'constituents only', Ms. MacKenzie. Oh, I also notice that she is married to an activist judge in Oakland County who is chair of the local Sierra Club. This information was pulled off later versions of the Detroit News story.

Also, speaking about the MSM, they got it all wrong as always. The Detroit News says "about 200 who weren't allowed into the full auditorium milled around outside during the forum"- as you can see from the video and pictures, there was well over 200 people- I estimate that about 800 people didn't get in, and 3 hours after they didn't get in, there was still over 200 people outside. And they weren't 'milling around' any more than our patriot forefathers 'milled around' during their civic protests. Thank you MSM for slighting and miscounting all of those who showed up for this event but couldn't get in.

UPDATE IV: Welcome readers of Pundit & Pundette, Gateway Pundit, Right Michigan, Motor City Times, Vox Popoli, The Other Club, Critical Narrative, and The Blog Prof. This post is simply a journalism-style post- be sure to enjoy while you are here my other posts on education, the environment, and other political issues.

UPDATE V: Here is another picture of an Obamacare supporter. I've talked to this lady previously- see my post The People vs a Person for more on that encounter, but this time I simply took a picture of her with her sign. It reads "Dems Won, GOP Lost, Healthcare NOW." When I asked her what her sign meant, she said that once the Democrats won control of Congress and the President, it gave them the authority to pass any laws that they wanted, without regard to the Constitution or minority rights. I informed her that 'we won and now can do whatever we want to you' is the justification for dictators and bad guys- she said she didn't care, that's the logic she wanted to use. Understand this- the loudest liberal supporters of Obamacare on the front lines of this debate are not really even hiding their support for a fascist dictatorship. Are you hiding your opposition to it? Here is the sign:

In African Arguments Online:

Africa has long been the locus and the focus for the most impassioned and intellectually-informed debates. But for many years, specialist Africa coverage in the world’s media has been in decline, alongside the withering of many African journals and magazines that used to provide a forum for debate and opinion. African news and views have moved to the web... But there has been no comparable Africa-wide site which provides in-depth analysis and debate of the issues and controversies that animate the continent today. With the launch of African Arguments Online we intend to fill this gap.

In African Arguments Online:

Africa has long been the locus and the focus for the most impassioned and intellectually-informed debates. But for many years, specialist Africa coverage in the world’s media has been in decline, alongside the withering of many African journals and magazines that used to provide a forum for debate and opinion. African news and views have moved to the web... But there has been no comparable Africa-wide site which provides in-depth analysis and debate of the issues and controversies that animate the continent today. With the launch of African Arguments Online we intend to fill this gap.

The government takeover of healthcare might be beaten back this time, but there is a strong possibility that there will come a time when the progressives win the battle. The reason why I advance this depressing thought is because the progressives have taken over the public schools, and they are educating your children, not you. Here is an example of what goes on in a typical social studies class, time after time, year after year.

A frequent activity that teachers have students engage in is to have students from social studies to elementary school to high school pretend that they are a government entity or official and give them control over the world to do anything that they want, without any consequences at all.

Now, not every student will grow up to be a government dictator, but what they are actually learning from this activity is that it is okay and normal for the government to just do things, without a thought to the consequences. The students are taught that it is good to tell businesses what to do, that it is the role and job of government to control private citizens and dictate what their rights are, and that is it okay for government to decide how other people should live their lives. Students are taught these things- teachers issue directions to students and actively encourage them to pretend to rule the world.

What did you expect would happen in schools run and staffed by liberals? They think that it is okay for the government to control others and legislate rights, and so the liberal teacher teaches students that this is an okay thing to do.

The worst part is when these liberal teachers get a young student who has either learned about conservative values or instinctively recognizes the human yearning for freedom and liberty. These 'trouble-maker' students question the assignment. They question the authority of the teacher, and question the direction these teachers are taking the class, and openly foment insubordination by simply voicing their recognition of the liberal teacher's attempt to pollute the minds of their students with propaganda and dreams of dictatorship.

I've seen it. Once, when I was doing my state-mandated observation, I saw a a fifth grader slapped down (verbally) by a teacher. He was given an assignment to design laws that protect the sea turtle. While other students were busy writing ways to seize private property, stop economic growth, and limit rights and freedoms of people, this student raised his hand and said he really didn't think that sea turtles needed any more help. This was a good point- something that could be debated for the benefit of the whole class- but instead, the liberal teacher simply told the student to toe the line and submit to authority and pretend to be a dictator like the other young students.

A sixth grade class I observed had students design ways to combat “sprawl," and a seventh grade class spent some time designing schemes to combat “global warming.”

I once observed an eight grade class spend several days discussing how government can combat unemployment. The plans which were analyzed and discussed where chosen by the teacher, and students read news stories and articles about the successes of these various plans. The plans which were discusses were either schemes of wealth redistribution or government-provided jobs. A constant theme of the discussion was that businesses were evil, that earning profits was evil, and that attempts to establish efficiency in business by letting go inefficient or unproductive employees was evil. This teacher believed that the purpose of a business was to provide a job, regardless or production or profit entailed from this.

This is what is going on in education. Think about this when you send your children back to school this week.

UPDATE I: Welcome readers of Pundit & Pundette. If you enjoyed this post, you'll also enjoy Opening Day Message: Viciously Attack Conservatives, Bloomfield Hills Schools Sticking with Leftist Curriculum, Breakroom Conversations with Teachers, Obama Administration to Bribe States to Impose Liberal UN Agenda in Schools, or Students Accept Majority Tyranny. Be sure to check back often for more stories from the battleground of education!