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Re: Concerns about Source4Teachers Privacy And Data Collection for Jersey City students and teachers
#1
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


From one of our teacher facebook pages a list of things we witnessed the Source4Teachers substitutes doing this year. We are giving this company millions of dollars to sell us substitutes that can't get jobs anywhere else.

Took my lesson plan book with all my resources

in class on their cell phone the entire period, never spoke to the students then went to lunch and never came back

Sit in the teacher's room for 3 lunch periods, talk and text on their cell phone, oh and did I mention sit in the teacher's room for 3 lunch periods?!?!

The best I saw was one studying for the praxis all day. In spec ed rooms they sit there and do nothing while the aides run the room.

Let half the kids not take out laptops to do the assignment.
Dress like they work at a factory, not on a school.
Not speak English.
Tell the kids not to do what the lesson plans say and what they were instructed to do by their teacher.

drunk and smell like beet.

Showed a video off you tube that was not part of the plan, then sent me a crazy letter when I blew the whistle on him lol

I had one cover for a special. When I asked her if she had something for them to work on, she told me of course...a Netflix account!

Doodle on a teacher's desk calendar. Sitting at the desk on their laptop.

How about a cigarette in the student's restroom?

Also saw a sub with earphones in whiles aides and assistants worked with the students

I haven't seen them do much of anything besides sleep and talk on their cell phones

One asked if she could give the kids $1 for helping her & behaving. Another didn't follow very specific plans & did grade work for another level.

The sub for World Language class that was held in my room stole the picture and Scholastic Book order envelopes filled with my students money ... Also took my mini speakers from my laptop... Another time sub couldn't read the vocabulary words from the list... Had to have 1 of my students help him... Very sad!!!

I had a sub cover a special in my room. I didn't notice her odor when I left. However when I came back 10 minutes later I was overcome by her body odor and became nauseated. She smelled so badly that every student in my class had their shirt up covering their nose and mouth. When they saw the disturbed look on my face they all pointed at her. I was mortified, I cut my prep short, opened every window and took my students on a walk through the building until the classroom aired out! I promise I'm not exaggerating lol

I had an in building workshop for 1.5 hrs. He was going to cover my class ( a rough class I admit) so I left a movie and a ton of work. Within 2 minutes of me exiting the room 3 of my students were "going to the bathroom" I saw them and sent them back and explained the class went with me prior to him coming so no one needed to leave. 20 min later I returned to grab a TE for the workshop. There was chaos on my room and he was sitting at my desk eating! I calmed them down, got them back in their seats and left. 15 min later ( while I was in the workshop right down the hall) I saw students of mine running through the halls fighting.... Uggggh
I once had another SFT sub knock on my door to ask to borrow a thumb drive so she could save her class work ( college I assume) and then could I print it for her.....BTW I teach first grade....

Yes I have had lesson plans ignored. And also see subs sleeping in teacher's room.

I had a sub leave for lunch and never come back. Spent the rest of the day in the teacher's room on another floor in my building!!! I had to cover the rest of my co-teacher's classes because we had no idea where the sub went!!!

During a fire drill, she left half the class behind in the stairwell.

Hit the principal's car and leave the scene of an accident.

Posted on: 2014/7/1 13:25
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Re: Marcia Lyles: Please make student safety your first priority. STOP THE VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS.
#2
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


How long is left on MArcia Lyles contract with the district? Anyone know? I am sure we can expect her to continue her musical chairs game from district to district.

I wonder if we will get the brown-nosing lap dog Ellen Ruane who has been drooling over the spot in her place as acting super.

The good news is I wouldn't be surprised if Fulop actually learned his lesson on the Broad Academy types.

During the last couple weeks of school I saw Marcia Lyles in one of her rare interactions with students. She does not seem comfortable interacting with children at all. It was a very enlightening experience.

Posted on: 2014/6/30 13:39
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Re: Disruption Theory in Education
#3
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


That is an interesting article thanks for sharing.

I feel it is important to differentiate "disruption" and "disruptive theory" here though.

Education has it's disruptive influences the same as other industries. Adaptive learning software, moocs, etc. While I agree with some of the nuance the article exposes regarding this it isn't my issue here.

My issue is that this is politically motivated "disruption" disseminated by billionaires like Eli Broad fulfilling some conservatives wet dreams of spanking teachers.

The worst thing about it is that it is clearly hurting students. It is no rocket science to understand disruption in the classroom is bad for learning whether it comes from little johnny in the back or a billionaire-brow-nosing superintendent.

Also, as I said before, good teachers, the ones who have options, are leaving. The bad ones, who can't and don't give a sh** anyway are still there.

Let us all give them a taste of their own medicine.

Posted on: 2014/6/30 13:29
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Re: Fulop sides with Jersey City teachers union in contract dispute
#4
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


I am not for Fulop. He knew what he was getting into when he had those secret meetings with Christie's boy to get the Broad Academy disruptor Marcia Lyles as our Super.

It is all political theater. Meanwhile our kids suffer.

Posted on: 2014/6/27 15:47
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Re: Star Ledger: Greedy NJ Unions Responsible for Pension Mess
#5
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


I love the "E" word.

YOU KNOW WHO ACTS MORE ENTITLED THAN EVERYONE ELSE?

RICH PEOPLE!

I am in the airport right now and there is a a rich lady berating a worker because she can't get upgraded from business class to 1st. Now she is saying she "will have your job!"

Greed is good for rich people that is how they got that way. But for the rest of us if we are greedy it is a travesty. Of course their wealth depends on us being happy with our ever decreasing lot and not feeling "entitled" to a comfortable living.

They managed to get the "private sector" to accept it now they are working on us.

Posted on: 2014/6/27 15:42
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Disruption Theory in Education
#6
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


This article states explicitly what we can deduce at this point is all that the Broad Academy (where both our superintendent and Newark's Cami Anderson learned their craft) stands for.

http://bobbraunsledger.com/cami-insul ... nd-he-says-he-is-leaving/

Disruption Theory!

Yes "disruption" as a natural consequence has changed many industries. Education is different. They are trying to disrupt it in their own image and through secret political tactics.

Here is a thought. FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE! DISRUPT THEIR DISRUPTION! ANY INITIATIVE COMING FROM CHRISTIE OR LYLES SHOULD BE DISRUPTED HOWEVER POSSIBLE. GET CREATIVE! MAKE "MISTAKES". CAUSE COMPUTER CRASHES AT THE TIME OF STANDARDIZED TESTS. I BET YOU FEEL SICK AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME.

They need our co-operation for their madness. Disrupt it.


Posted on: 2014/6/27 13:59
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Re: Marcia Lyles: Please make student safety your first priority. STOP THE VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS.
#7
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Apparently, contrary to what Dolomitti said this is an effective forum as they have turned off every student accessible water fountain in our school in the past week. Kids are wandering around dehydrated (one passed out) because of course the year supply of water has run out.

As the year winds down a consensus among my peers is that it was a particularly violent spring. It seems teachers are way to busy trying to make up data points that pretend to show student growth and they are leaving the discipline to security with disastrous results.

Posted on: 2014/6/25 14:32
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Re: Marcia Lyles: Please make student safety your first priority. STOP THE VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS.
#8
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Marcia Lyles thinks Charter Schools are the way to go to improve education here in Jersey City.

How could she not when M.E.T.S. Charter School is doing so great!

First of all . . . the place has almost daily fights which has evolved into a firearm threat of shooting up the school.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... _city_charter_school.html

And . . . they are allowing outsiders to have students precious personal data (you may recall I brought this to the boards attention last fall with SOurce4Teachers who have since been fired in a huge waste of tax payer treasure)

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... html#incart_river_default

But yeah Marcia Lyles is doing a great job fixing this school system up. I can see why Fulop buddied up with Republicans in Secret meetings to get her in.

Posted on: 2014/6/13 18:01
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Re: Marcia Lyles: Please make student safety your first priority. STOP THE VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS.
#9
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Chemical weapons attacks, machetes, poison in the water, security dropping like flies and a teaching staff feeling less and less like protecting students safety is an important part of the job.

nothing to see here

dtjcview wrote:
http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... l_spray.html#incart_river



Let's see what kind of punishment is meted out to the criminals who hosed the school with pepper spray/Mace, and how the parents will be accountable for their action.

Posted on: 2014/6/10 13:23
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Re: Marcia Lyles: Please make student safety your first priority. STOP THE VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS.
#10
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


I am surprised I am agreeing with Monroe here but I am wondering how often you put yourself in danger of personal physical harm for the benefit of other peoples' children.

But of course you are also illustrating my point that there is nothing substantial in place to protect the children in the schools.

Marcia Lyles cares more about politics than the safety and well being of children.

Quote:

Monroe wrote:
Quote:

tern wrote:
The two injured security guards sound like Laurel and Hardy.
They see a fight between 8 yeard olds, one security guard twists his ankle running over there, the other trips and hurts his knee.

God forbid these clowns had to deal with something serious like a forced entry to the school.

Robin.


And I'll bet you'd be the first to shout 'brutality' if they'd used more force to subdue the little animals.

Posted on: 2014/6/6 12:26
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Amplify (FOX NEWS CURRICULUM) for Jersey City Public Schools?
#11
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Because this thread gets so off topic I want to re-iterate my message:

RUPERT MURDOCH THE OWNER OF FOX NEWS ALSO OWNS A EDUCATIONAL TABLET/SOFTWARE COMPANY CALLED AMPLIFY. JCPS HAVE HELPED AMPLIFY BY ALLOWING STUDENTS TO USE THE TABLETS AS PART OF MARKET RESEARCH FOR THE COMPANY. I BELIEVE TABLETS ARE AN EXCELLENT EDUCATIONAL TOOL BUT THAT WE SHOULD NOT USE ONES FROM THIS COMPANY WHICH IS MIRED IN ETHICAL ACCUSATIONS SUCH AS HIRING POLITICIANS TO GAIN MARKET SHARE, TAPPING REPORTERS CELL PHONES, AND BEING A PROPAGANDA MACHINE.

Monroe:

Further research indicates that the tablets Jersey City Public Schools used were not GIVEN FREE but were part of research that served the company. IF ANYTHING THEY SHOULD HAVE PAID THE SCHOOLS FOR THE MARKET RESEARCH (I have a friend who makes a nice living doing this). A conservative such as yourself surely knows there is no free lunch. This is indicative of a terrible trend where our schools have been volunteered countless times over the past two years for "research" that benefits private companies and actually take vaulable time away from our students and teachers.

Additionally, yes "left leaning" groups and people donate free things to schools all the time. The biggest one is teachers who I have witnessed giving very generously of their free time and even own money. That no longer occurs as it once did ever since we got our antagonistic Broad Academy leader who makes us spend all our free time on waste-of-time-nonsense.

Also, you act like conservatives haven't been a part of America. The mess we are in is their fault too . . . Conservatives always whine about accountability but always seem to be the last ones taking it. Just admit it . . . Democrats and Republicans both really suck.

Also, yes, if a liberal news outlet distributes politically motivated talking points from the top down daily (as FOX NEWS has been proven to do even by clowns like John Stewart) then it is also PROPAGANDA

DTJCVIEW:

You are absolutely right about tablets being the future of education. Clearly, Rupert Murdoch knows this too and is trying to use his vast fortune to achieve his dream of propagandizing the youth during school hours when they have no choice in the matter. There are plenty of great tablets out there that can be used besides AMPLIFY but with the chief of NJ education now in charge of the company we can only assume that they will be huge in this market. I am really surprised that more people are not up in arms about the ethics of this.

Posted on: 2014/6/6 12:21
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Re: Marcia Lyles: Please make student safety your first priority. STOP THE VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS.
#12
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


First of all: the fact that you can be so glib about my political efficacy when all I am trying to do is increase student safety makes me feel sorry for you. As an obvious Fulop insider I must ask you.... How much money must I donate and to what campaigns to achieve my goal of making children's safety a priority? We both know that the methods you described aren't as effective as that, most effective method of achieving political action. In fact those methods are what you tell suckers to make them go away.

As you are gloating about this PS34 is a bloodbath. Two guards were hospitalized and this isn't even a high school!

Regarding the lead in the Public School Drinking Water:

From asking around I have been able to surmise with some certainty that the problem of lead in the public school water fountains was more covered up than ever taken care of. You admit that you barely know what happened. I'll tell you what I am being told by multiple sources I consider knowledgeable:

Over the years the water sources have been tested. Different fountains have tested positive different years and no one seems to know why. The same water fountain tests positive or negative different times they test it. They do a trick to make the fountains test negative if they test positive before putting a sign up. They turn a screw and let if run overnight and then test it the next day. This will usually bring the level down enough to pass it. Often times they put a sign up but don't turn it off. Kids don't know why they are told not to drink because the signs aren't descriptive and do anyway. Signs get ripped down and aren't replaced. The water coolers are rarely replaced so thirsty kids who need a drink do so from the fountain or the faucets. Faucets are not turned off when they test positive because it is assumed they are not for drinking like the fountains. Of course, thirsty kids drink from the faucets all the time.

There is a systematic problem. Our kids are being poisoned in a way that damages their brains in the very buildings they are going to so they can fill those brains with knowledge. You, Dolomitti are totally OK with it even though you admit you don't have all the fact. That is what politics and education does.


Quote:

Dolomiti wrote:
The problematic water fountains were shut off immediately after the report. Unless some idiot turned on a contaminated faucet, none of the students are drinking contaminated water.

In fact, it seems like many of them were shut off for years, since Ms Lyles' predecessor knew about the issue, and didn't fix it.

It's not clear how much remediation has taken place, but at least some of the fountains were taken care of in a few weeks after the report. Keep in mind that sometimes it can be a relatively easy process (e.g. replacing a fixture), other times it can be difficult and expensive (replacing pipes in the wall).


Quote:

teachparentlove wrote:
Still 0-zilch-nada leadership from our Superintendent or Claremont Avenue on how we can decrease violence in our schools.

Didn't I tell you that posting to JCList would be politically ineffective?

Posted on: 2014/6/4 13:11
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Re: Jersey City schools working with company soon to be headed by Cerf
#13
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


I am sure there are quite a few liberals working at FOX NEWS but it still fulfills it's leader's vision of right wing propaganda. It is also of note that this hedge fund mafia education "reform" movement is embraced by plenty of Democrats. We can recall the "secret" meetings between Fulop and Christies' boy Cerf to the purpose of getting our Broad certified superintendent in place. Both Democrats and Republicans are beholden to their monied masters and neither have any shame these days in doing their bidding. Fools like you really think that half of them are better than the others . . . . they both sell out their citizens every day.

You are right though Monroe, all major media in the US is at a very low standard these days.

The bottom line is that we don't need to jump on board and use educational curriculum from a boss who is notoriously biased politically (even is he is right). Jersey City does not need FOX News textbooks even if they are fancy tablets. Students need at least three sides to all political issues and to inform themselves and make their own decisions.

I was able to experiment with the tablets briefly at an educational conference. They are built super shoddy with some ridiculous design features. If I could figure out how to post pics here I'd show you some I snapped. There are other options in the market place but politics means that the best product isn't chosen . . . the product that has a connection that supported the Mayors campaign gets selected.

Quote:

Monroe wrote:
Still waiting to see the right wing propaganda, Fox News driven, Rupert Murdoch controlled content inside the tablets.

Anyone have course outlines yet?

Somehow I don't see Joel Klein, former Chancellor of the largest school system in the country (and a noted lefty) giving carte blanche to creationism, Tea Party Constitutionalism, and pro-Life health class instruction.

But that's just me.


Posted on: 2014/6/4 12:50
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Re: Marcia Lyles: Please make student safety your first priority. STOP THE VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS.
#14
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


The warm weather is here and with it comes a strong uptick in violence amongst young people as the kids come out of their houses and onto the street where friction causes flames and the students love to "settle the beef" in school because they know the fight will be broken up before they can be beat to death. I broke up another fight today. Particularly violent as girl fights can be. I had to pick up a braid with a little chunk of blood and skin on the end.

Still 0-zilch-nada leadership from our Superintendent or Claremont Avenue on how we can decrease violence in our schools.

Another issue which I am calling out in this public forum which I would like to see "reformed" by our Mayor and Superintendent Marcia Lyles is the poison in our buildings and the water we give our students to drink.

Thread on Lead poisoning our students

This is not a new problem but Marcia Lyles has continued ignore the lead in our water and proven carcinogens (such as asbestos) in our buildings. These poisons are well documented and each building has a book in the main office that outlines them. Lyles has continued to ignore these issues and sweep them under the carpet. The watercoolers in schools haven't had water bottles in them for months and the signs on the water fountains are gone (even though the custodian in my building says nothing has been changed). I put up a sign of my own and it was ripped down. I try to keep the kids from drinking the lead tainted water but can only spread the word to my own classes and try to keep them from drinking from the water fountain right outside my classroom (which had the sign but has since been lost).

I will also be calling the EPA this afternoon.

fat-ass-bike thanks for your idea. I just use my iphone though . . . really helps the parents see how Johnny behaves (and I do). I am going to join the leadership institute and use the voice memo feature to record what they are teaching us though...

Posted on: 2014/5/30 16:57
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Re: Nearly 200 water fountains in Jersey City schools contain lead above fed standards
#15
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Over a year later and still nothing done about the lead in the water in our schools. Lead has been shown to have disastrous effects on children and anytime they want a drink of water it is part of the package.

Hurting kids still swept under the rug just like it always was.

Reform this please.

I have a picture of such a water fountain but I can't figure out how to upload.

Posted on: 2014/5/29 16:32
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Re: Billionaires Boost Schools In Jersey City
#16
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Of course there are strings attached. Very successful people have so many charity obligations that they don't give to causes they believe in the give to causes that benefit them to give to.

This is an attempt by Marcia Lyles to make friends and snitches. She is getting a brick wall because everyone knows what she is about and that she will leave this job soon (based on her past history of jumping around). The new school reform is just a merry-go-round no one stays long enough to make real change. If I am here next year I will be attending and recording everything with the "voice memo" feature on my iphone. I suggest others do the same.

Quote:

fat-ass-bike wrote:
So long as there are no strings attached with the donation or as a result of some sort of illegal activity, take all the money on offer ... by the way, how much have you donated score09 with no strings attached ?

Were other Mayor's able to attract these sorts of funds - No doubt these funds will benefit from some sort of tax relief from the IRS for the donor, but that's ok as it will benefit kids of JC now and the future.

Posted on: 2014/5/29 13:37
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Re: Jersey City schools working with company soon to be headed by Cerf
#17
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Since this thread has dissolved into a war about media and politics I feel the need to remind everyone that THIS IS ABOUT AN EDUCATION PRODUCT CALLED ?AMPLIFY? WHICH USES A TABLET COMPUTER AS A TROJAN HORSE TO GET RUPERT MURDOCH (OWNER OF FOX NEWS) DESIGNED CURRICULUM INTO OUR CLASSROOMS. This is highly relevant in Jersey City because they have already run a trial in our district. Also, in the education politics/ed tech company revolving door NJ Ed boss Christopher Cerf just became CEO of Amplify, obviously for the purpose of using his political connections to get Amplify ?deals? in NJ (and as a reward for doing a couple years in NJ State politics and doing the bidding of conservatives.
As if the muck run on Fox News under the guise of journalism wasn?t enough to scare us off this product/curriculum the product launch was delayed because Rupert put Joel Klein (another Amplify CEO/ex-ed-boss) in charge of defending his British company on charges of HACKING INTO JOURNALIST CELLPHONES.

So this product FOR EDUCATING CHILDREN had its launch delayed because the head of the company was defending his boss against charges of HACKING JOURNALIST CELLPHONES. You can?t make this stuff up. If JC buys any AMPLIFY tablets it will eclipse the embarrassment of electing a convicted felon (Gerald McCann) for the school board.

The funny thing about neo libs like Fulop getting these Broadies into positions of power is that they are fulfilling an ultra conservative wet dream.

Monroe:
What Frank M said to infinity (you must teach at McNair Frank M). All of our dominant media outlets are so pathetic to be beyond defense. Interestingly, to a conservative, it is market influence that distorts the news into mere entertainment willing to prostitute itself to the point of humiliation. ?The Market? is claimed by many to be the cure for everything even education. It will of course do to education something similar to what it has done to "journalism" honey.

Posted on: 2014/5/29 13:15
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Re: Jersey City schools working with company soon to be headed by Cerf
#18
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


I totally agree that Higher Ed. is leftist to a fascist level. Or at least it was when I attended. However, as I tell my students "2 wrongs don't make a right". Same goes for the media. Fox is really bad the way they distribute talking points though it really is a propaganda campaign as opposed to most media which just generally attracts left leaning people.

In my classes students are taught about left and right agendas and I tell them they must find their own opinions. I never give them mine without reminding them that they should have their own.

AMPLIFY IS EVIL

Posted on: 2014/5/28 16:02
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Re: Billionaires Boost Schools In Jersey City
#19
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


I really like this idea DTJCVIEW. Too bad you are not a billionaire so no one will implement it. Don't worry though, billionaires are well known as being down to earth and aware of what typical every day joes need.

Quote:

dtjcview wrote:
Quote:

CdeCoincy wrote:
...
Personally, I think we need bolder thinking about solutions to poor school performance and asocial behavior.
...



Why not put 10% of the school budget, say $2k/year, towards a graduation fund for each kid? They can use the fund for college after that, or any purpose after they're 21. I'd bet graduation rates skyrocket.

On the discipline side - court fines, jail costs, etc could be taken out of the individual kids funds. Good kids get $40-50k when they graduate. Bad kids get nothing. And I'd bet parents would start taking a real interest.

Posted on: 2014/5/27 18:05
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Re: Jersey City schools working with company soon to be headed by Cerf
#20
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Monroe:

Are you going to tell me that Fox News is "Fair and Balanced" as they claim in their tag line? Now I have a lot of conservative ideals (as well as liberal ones) and everyone knows Fox News has a political agenda and that they distribute "talking points" to their hosts. It is also documented public knowledge that Rupert Murdoch the owner of News Corp holds the same political beliefs often espoused on his news media.

I don't think it is such a "loony" jump to assume he would do the same for his digital text books. Don't you think our kids deserve at least two sides to the story on things like history and social studies? How is saying I don't want a Fox News style text book paranoid.

Tin Foil hats are as popular on the extreme right as they are on the extreme left.

Posted on: 2014/5/27 15:23
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Re: Billionaires Boost Schools In Jersey City
#21
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


The uber rich already own our politicians so we might as well trust them to educate the kids right? That isn?t tin foil hat stuff that is reality. But of course they should right? They are successful in the perfect meritocracy of high finance. The term of ?pleasing em for the next quarter? so popular on Wall St. shows just how good these types are at long term success and health. So funny, the government might be terrible at a lot of things but it is there for Wall Street when they crash the economy. If you really think about it schools are only as crummy as everything else we have right now in our society, politicians, health care, financial sector, journalism, etc.

The main problem I have with their muddling around in education is they do it in poverty stricken areas. What do they care about these people that they wouldn?t let at their clubs, or even ride a train with? They care about having a docile and obedient work force. Their track record so far in reforming schools is terrible not surprisingly. In Newark the students are in outright rebellion and the citizens have voted a referendum basically against this type of educational reform. Eli Broad is a notorious narcissist and the content of his ?Academy? (where Marcia Lyles ?graduated? from) is secret. If anyone can show me a legit detailed syllabus from ?The Broad Academy? I?ll shut up for good. But you can?t find out what they are about because it is secret. WHY is it secret? These are the people we are trusting our children with. Even the genesis of bringing a ?Broad Academy Supe? into Jersey CIty was shrouded in secrecy with those secret meetings with Fulop.





Posted on: 2014/5/27 13:47
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Re: Jersey City schools working with company soon to be headed by Cerf
#22
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Rupert Murdoch the genius behind Fox News and their "fair and balanced" reporting is creating tablets and controlling the curriculum for student learning. I am hearing rumors JCPS are adopting these for next year. Anyone else hearing this? It wouldn't surprise me in the least based on Marcia Lyles political circles.

Posted on: 2014/5/26 18:39
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Re: Marcia Lyles: Please make student safety your first priority. STOP THE VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS.
#23
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Thanks for the links Fat-ass-bike. I do appreciate your support of my mission for student safety.

However, it also reveals one of my biggest frustrations in my quest for student safety. After Newton the nation reacted swiftly and schools implemented tons of safety measures to protect against mass shootings. However, we have a slow motion massacre happening in our schools. The box cutters, machetes, kitchen knives, and even pistols are in our schools and used everyday. This we sweep under the rug. Where is the outrage for our children?

Also, regarding the efficacy of my methods (for the Fulop sponsored DOlomiti) On Monday I took a knife off a student. When I followed up with security to try and give my written statement they shrugged me off. I kept pressing them and they told me that they are getting pressure not to put in paper work on weapons from central office. They said it just came down the chain last week. SO I guess my work here is having an effect but the sadly predictable one at that. We should have some nice comforting data for you soon DOlomiti .... It will be BS but who cares if it is politically expedient right? Just kids safety after all.

Posted on: 2014/5/23 12:42
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Re: Marcia Lyles: Please make student safety your first priority. STOP THE VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS.
#24
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


This thread was created to voice concern about student safety in JCPS. It is no secret that our students have to deal with all kinds of crime and violence within our schools. Muggings, getting ?jumped?, fights, large scale ?gang? or ?group? fights, and weapons (with the machete being a particularly popular one for students in the heights). The stakes are very high for our students, one wrong look can land you in the hospital. As a concerned teacher serving the students in this community for nearly 20 years I want Marcia Lyles to place reducing these types of violent incidents at the top of her priorities. We can?t do anything for our students if we can?t keep them safe. Please reply to this thread if you think this should be a top priority. Read on if you want to know what is REALLY going on in JERSEY CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

Dolomitti,

I am really amazed that you would be arguing that violence in schools for our students in Jersey City SHOULD NOT BE a top priority. Although violence against children has almost as many deniers as the holocaust this is a new low. I know that you understand the true uselessness of ?stats? and ?data? and are just using them as a tool of obfuscation in a politically proficient way. Having an up close view of where-the-rubber-hits the road concerning paperwork getting done I assure the readers there are a million things that change the ?reporting? either way. MAYBE if we got a top tier research University in here we could get a hazy picture at best but I think in the interest of time and the children we should all just go with our guts here and say STUDENT SAFETY SHOULD BE A TOP PRIORITY.

As for your critique of my methods: I think this public, permanent, high SEO clout forum is the perfect use of my limited time to achieve my objective of making student safety a top priority in the ?reform? of Jersey City Public Schools. I actually used this site back at the beginning of the year to draw attention to the ineffective and problematic Source 4 Teachers corporation the district decided it was good to spend 10 + MILLION dollar to to staff the substitute pool. Not only did the process not work most of the time it also raised serious privacy concerns for students and teachers. This contract has been terminated for the district. I think this speaks to both my ability to identify real problems with the system as well as this forum as a tool and a method of addressing those concerns. I believe knowing that your grandchildren and every future employer could find evidence of a mistake within the first few returns on a google search is more effective than your dated myths on how to effect political change at a local level.

You can check the thread for evidence:
Thread about Source4Teachers concern

As for causation: Granted I can?t ?prove? Marcia Lyles is responsible for a growing trend in student violence. I can prove that improving student safety in a real and meaningful way has not been anywhere near the top of Marcia Lyle?s priority list. We have had a slew of new initiatives and none of them to help students and teachers enjoy less violence and crime while attending school. We have had a TON of new initiatives though . . . we now have to have ridiculously detailed lesson plans and we create SGO (student growth objectives) to show your precious ?data? of student learning. Of course teachers research and collect this ?data? individually so we can easily manipulate it for our purposes. All of these initiatives are absurdly time consuming and ridiculous so teachers and administrators have no time for other things such as conflict mediation. Keeping your classroom open during lunch for students used to be common place now it is almost unheard of. Most of the extracurricular things that really made school important and relevant in students lives are gone now. I don?t know what kind of plan it is for a community to unleash a dominatrix like superintendent trained by the best in bureaucratic torture techniques by the ?shrouded in secrecy? Broad Academy. I have been teaching here coming up on two decades and this is the most messed up I have seen the schools. Treating the people you trust to care for your children like the enemy is going to have karmic consequences for the community.

The most talented teachers have options and are leaving in droves. The teachers who don?t care still don?t care and are not being fired. The new blood coming in isn?t being properly mentored. Personally, I have skills and options. My lease is up this summer and my own children and I will be relocating to a place where I can get more space and great schools for the same rent. Most of the extra curricular things around school are not happening this Spring so I am spending my energy I would normally spend on school functions on raising awareness about this vital issue for the children. It is my last ?project? for JCPS.

SO thank you DTJCView for your support on this issue. I still am in disbelief that people could be so opposed to make student safety and decreasing violence in schools a top priority. I hope that Marcia Lyles looks out the window of her tax-payer-paid-for chauffeur driven car and sees what is really important for students, she certainly won?t see it in schools because she rarely comes to visit.

Posted on: 2014/5/14 12:56
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Re: Marcia Lyles: Please make student safety your first priority. STOP THE VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS.
#25
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


How shall I ?attract her attention?? She is more a politician than an educator. Should I make enough campaign contributions to Christie, Fulop and his friends campaigns? Maybe I should get myself on the board of Amplify, Rupert Murdoch?s Ed Tech company where good hatchet men get positions after staying in position just long enough to create churn and disruption but not long enough to actually make any positive changes (see Chris Cerf). I have written two letters already outlining my concerns about violence and discipline. One received a standardized reply (but not until the second time sending it). Marcia Lyles reputation for non-responsiveness to those in the community (at least the ones without political connections) is pretty established.

As far as ?data? ?proving? a trend of increase of violence. I am going to assume you have some basic understanding of what happens at your job everyday and you should assume I do as well. ?Data? is so popular with politicians these days because it is so easily tweaked. But in the interest of data, this year I have been involved in breaking up 9 fights. 7 of them were ?jumps? where 2 or more children were involved in beating a single child. I had one child unconscious in a pool of blood. I have ruined 2 shirts this year because blood got on them. I recognize these are not the sanitary faceless ?data points? so in fashion right now but this is how I see it and this is why I am crusading for this issue. I am not going to pretend to remember the data from last year and the year before to indicate a trend but is this acceptable to you regardless?

Even without a data trail the line of causation is very simple. Administrators don?t have enough time to handle all of the senseless new initiatives such as the ridiculously labor intensive teacher evaluations and the onslaught of standardized tests. They used to have some time to handle discipline. Now it just gets swept under the rug because they are told by leadership that it is not important. Student safety and violence is barely a part of the conversation.

And by the way . . . kids heckling and cursing out Mayor Fulop does count. Especially weeks after a video goes viral of the kids throwing their principal to the ground. It shows a lack of respect for authority and that is a leadership problem. Marcia Lyles is our leader and that is why I am calling her out in this venue of free speech. If she isn?t going to listen to me maybe she will listen to the community. But then again, I doubt it, unless they are on the board of Amplify or a political player.


Quote:

Dolomiti wrote:
Quote:

teachparentlove wrote:
No Dolomiti she did not reply last time.

Then perhaps you should find a different way to attract her attention.


Quote:
I'm also concerned because it seems like it is getting worse...

In what, the last 2 months?

Do you have any data to show the actual trends? Let's not forget that crime has been dropping since the 1990s. While it may be possible, it seems unlikely that crime is rising in the schools while dropping everywhere else.

And no, anecdotes about a kid heckling the Mayor doesn't count.

Posted on: 2014/5/6 16:38
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Re: Chris Christie 'Suspiciously Connected' To Revenge Traffic Jam
#26
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Wow. FatAssBike you just broke down the current political crisis perfectly.

Seriously on the money!

Posted on: 2014/5/6 12:57
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Re: Marcia Lyles: Please make student safety your first priority. STOP THE VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS.
#27
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


No Dolomiti she did not reply last time. There still hasn't been one new initiative, in a deluge of new initiatives (most of which are very difficult to see as anything other than intentional annoyances) that is focused on decreasing violence in our schools. I figure if there is all this change going on at least some of it should be focused on something that everyone should agree is top priority.

I'm also concerned because it seems like it is getting worse. As teachers are forced to spend a ridiculous amount of time juggling arbitrary data they have less time to do the security work that isn't a part of their contract yet they continue to do because 90% of all teachers in the district can't let kids pound on each other for even 30 seconds more than they can prevent. It is bad enough with my middle-schoolers but I have it from two separate reliable sources that when Mayor Fulop visited Dickinson High School to discuss his recreation panacea he got cursed at and criticized by a student in front of an auditorium full of people and told off by teacher. It was so bad he told the cameraman from JC1 to stop filming.

Quote:

Dolomiti wrote:
Did she reply last time?

Posted on: 2014/5/2 11:50
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Marcia Lyles: Please make student safety your first priority. STOP THE VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS.
#28
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


I had high hopes for Marcia Lyles but after two years in position I have to say I am deeply disappointed. She has proven to embrace the status quo when it comes to the most vital (in my humble opinion as a parent and a teacher) and important issue for our children: Safety. She has continued to ignore the violence and weapons in our schools and to sweep significant crimes under the rug. She has continued to pretend that there are not gangs in our schools. Every single day students in our schools are intimidated, beaten, and traumatized. How can we do anything for our students if we can?t even keep them safe from violent assaults? It is still the exception rather than the rule for violent offenders to face any consequences for their actions.

We can?t pretend that these things aren?t happening anymore. In the digital age these fights are documented on video for the world to see and students are forced to watch their most embarrassing moments go viral. Students no longer simply have to worry about being beaten, stabbed, or shot but now they have to worry about watching this happen to them on the web after the fact. Their most painful moments are preserved for ever as entertainment for their peers.

While Marcia Lyles has invested precious time and treasure into the educational issues du jour of teacher evaluations and high stakes testing she has done nothing meaningful to ensure the safety of the children in her charge. In fact, she has created a less safe environment as many teachers no longer feel supported enough to risk everything by breaking up these violent melees. Additionally, Principals and Vice Principals now have zero time for disciplinary duties because they are told that the only thing that is important is evaluating teachers through a system that there is literally not enough time in the day to implement.
Although most of the violent incidents in our schools are not reported (this is one data point suspiciously missing in our data obsessed Superintendent?s spreadsheet) it has been my experience and the experience of all colleagues and parents I have spoken to about this that VIOLENT INCIDENTS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY COMMON IN OUR SCHOOLS.

Marcia Lyles: Please take some time away from your politically prescribed agenda and do something meaningful to ensure the safety of our kids.

IF YOU AGREE THAT CREATING A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR CHILDREN IN OUR SCHOOLS SHOULD BE THE TOP PRIORITY PLEASE REPLY TO THIS THREAD AND GIVE MARCIA LYLES A MANDATE!

Posted on: 2014/4/30 16:50
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Re: Fight at Dickinson HS
#29
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


I am so saddened by this video but I am glad it has finally opened a dialog about violence in our schools. Marcia Lyles has completely ignored this elephant in our classrooms and instead has chosen to focus on the educational issues du jour of high stakes testing, privatization, data collection, etc. What good is raising test scores if kids aren't safe?

Her dedication to children's safety is summed up in the JJ article by the official district spokesperson MaryAnne Dickar "no comment".

On the flip side the teachers and administration who she is demonizing through a thin veil risk their personal safety and jobs by breaking up these fights everyday. Why do they do this when all they are required to do is call security? Because they genuinely care about the kids and can't watch them hurt each other until the cops or enough security guards eventually get there. The student's are much more than data points to them.

That Principal was brave. She did something cops don't even have the guts to do. She got directly in the mix with some violent teens with out any weapon AND she looks skinny as a twig.

How about our new super-duper superintendent Marcia Lyles make children's safety her first priority and try and fix that problem instead of doing the bidding of billionaires like Broad, Gates, and the Koch brothers who are so narcissistic that they think they should be the boss of everything?

Posted on: 2014/4/3 13:33
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Re: Concerns about Source4Teachers Privacy And Data Collection for Jersey City students and teachers
#30
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


JPhurst Please re-read the above posts I don't like repeating myself.

Posted on: 2013/10/2 16:33
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