HOORAY FOR JOE

We support where you stand!

Whatcha doing?

Hey Joe


A middle school teacher can not teach at a high school unless certified and yet that same non-certified teacher can go into a high school class and EVALUATE the high school teacher? And vice-versa.

There's a reason professional football TV analyst/commentators don't work NASCAR races.

We are sewing the parachute during free fall.

see comment 3

The BUS To CHARTER

Did you know that according to a recent report from the US Dept. of Agriculture it cost a total of almost $227,000 (not including college) to raise a child born in 2010 through the age of 17?
That's an average of $13,352.94 a year!
A beginning teacher making $33,000.00 a year brings home at least $26,400.00
Hillsborough teachers, under the Gates grant dictates have a moving salary. Steps, raises, employment is questionable from year to year.

Teaching: becoming another form of birth control - something that could have prevented the birth of crack, meth, and oxycontin addicted babies entering our schools.

CAN'T FORGET CAN'T FORGIVE

You may have to tolerate an ad.

Link to video on Neil Young's site


Neil Young - Let's Roll by LeBalayeur

GAMING THE SYSTEM

It turns out that the only way to figure out what skills teachers are learning from video games is to trick them -- at least, that's what this author theorizes.

I need $6,000,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to work on "stealth" assessments embedded in video games that will measure teacher's persistence, problem solving, conceptual physics, patience, texting-spelling-math abilities and credit score while they play. The grant will help me find ways to extract that data from the teacher-player files to study it.

Game designers from Champagne, IL are currently considering a game loosely based on Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Grand Theft Auto. It may display icons of politicians, administrators and stereotypical faculty, staff and students. Reek Scott, Charlatan Daniels, Gunner Dockerty?

Teachers wishing to participate should check back for an application. This application will require you to name a student who really needs to be left behind - far, far behind. Those applicants who name the same student will receive bonus points.

Click here.

WANT FLIES WITH THAT?

Governor Scott,

You really screwed a large portion of your state economy.

Our disposable income has been cut by 3%.
Our health-care contributions and deductibles have increased.
Our future retirement has been reduced.
Our property taxes have gone up to pay for the reduced state contributions.
Our property insurance has increased - substantially - and we are playing provider roulette.
Our fuel costs to "get to work" have steadily risen.
Our licensing fees have increased by more than I like to think.
Our property values have fallen - but the taxes haven't.
Some of us have our job security resting on the performance of crack-babies, social-mals, resistant illegals, dysfunctional borderlines, and the new ab-normals - all measured by a questionable test.

We must find additional sources of income and hope the extra money doesn't push us into another bracket. Its gonna be a hot summer when the teen jobs are taken by your public employees.

We will cut corners and get back to basics - shop during tax-free days or go out of state where clothing isn't taxed and the kids can look good for less. Pay/take cash under the table when we can.

Some of us will shop and buy stuff on-line. Troll for sales, no taxes, free shipping, no gas.

New car? Are you kidding?

Buy a house? Maybe in another state.

New career? Maybe in another state that doesn't mock our teacher experience as "edu-clerks".

I know its hard trying to understand us regular folks - kinda like Mick Jagger trying to remember what it was really like "practicing in the garage" and playin' in the pubs - but there is only one way we balance our checkbook. My family requires my efforts first.

See ya at the drive-thru - then the voting booth (if I last that long).

Sincerely,

Suzie

GET THIS SHIRT - YOU WEAR IT WELL

Buy this shirt.

For all I bring to the classroom day after day this taps into my gut feelings. It says it all. Maybe we could use this design and post signs in the median of ALL highways leading INTO Florida and ALL roads leading OUT of airports. It's a sentiment that crosses political boundaries and philosophies.

Google "Kilroy was here", wear this shirt and get the message out!

Extra Credit to "Midnite Moose"!

IF 6 WAS 9 vol. 2

Look at the last check you got in 2010. How much was taken out for FRS?

On mine the total was about 10% of my gross salary.

Somebody please tell me:

Does the governor want me to pay 5% of what was taken out? About $220.00

OR

Does the governor want me to pay 5% of my gross salary? About $ 2200.00

Which is 50 freakin' percent of the contribution!

WE ALREADY CONTRIBUTE 5% GOVERNOR

Our Florida Retirement System contribution is already taken out of our salary. Look at your pay stub and your will see it listed on the bottom. It was explained to me that the FRS contribution is included in the state's salary cost and therefore included the money package that Florida feeds the district. The district then sends the state the FRS contribution in our name.

If we are required to pay the 5% from our gross pay WITHOUT being given the 5% upfront that is included in the salary calculation - then we are really losing 10%!!! Plus are we taxed on the money? If so then how can we be taxed when we "redeem" it?

If they slide the money from the state to us ( as a raise?) and we are forced to give it back to the state then all that has happened is a slick-rick shell game!

Since we are then sending money in our name, don't we have the expectation that all money contributed by us will revert to our heirs if we die before collecting? Now the state just keeps it! Which perversly make some sense.

This is nuts!

Time to make ourselves REALLY HEARD.

We must join the cops and firefighters in this and be ready to take a stand.

We must remember that gambling proceeds will never find their way to their target. Need I remind you of the lottery-education connection? Some promise, huh?

NO TEACHER LEFT STANDING

Teacher Training Video - required watching for all U.S.F. ed majors?

Differentiated Instruction extra credit.