Mu-mon-kan

I wrote this in response to an article on Wired’s website.

As with most fields, teaching is beginning to demand more. I believe that NY now requires elementary school teachers to have a Master’s degree and the starting pay hasn’t moved an inch (a friend of mine teaches at an public elementary school in NY and her co-worker is required to have her Master’s by year end, which is why I’m assuming they are now enforcing it.) Personally, I’m of Steve Jobs’ mindset, a complete overhaul of the current system. However, changing it to match a business model might not be an appropriate solution. He should probably defer to the group of people most effected the change: the teachers. Why not bring the most celebrated teachers into the discussion? Why should a businessman(men) decide what’s right or wrong in the schools? The saddest aspect of this whole story is the focus on the teacher. What role does the administrator play? If a school is full of competent teachers, 2 assistant principals, could a principal coast by doing nothing? Just some food for thought, the average salary for a teacher in NY is ~$50,000 (average, not starting). The average starting salary for an assistant principal in NY is ~$85,000. For a principal, ~$100,000+. I feel the balance of power should be pushed into the center. Allow teachers more leverage to oust an incompetant principal/assistant principal either by yearly surveys or some other metric. Not all the blame should be focused on the teachers. As I see it now, the administration has too much power. Sure, prior to being tenured, the administration can remove a poorly performing teacher and, after being tenured, the administration can make their life miserable. What if the teacher is purely victim of a personality clash and is, in fact, an excellent educator? Is a lifetime of misery the ethical way to remove people from a job? I feel these questions and issues need to be addressed before the discussion can move any further. I would love to hear teachers’ perspectives on their administration, especially people in NY/VT (the only 2 systems on which I have any knowledge.)

Really . . . if you have any thoughts, please comment.

This just depresses me.

Others can draw their own conclusions, but it seems to break scientific integrity to have the government so involved. How do they know how to best handle the information? Are they qualified? I’m guessing, no.

Currently Rocking Out To: Ballad of Nice & Easy - Gomez

This quote by The Guardian writer, Jonathan Freedland, exemplifies my thoughts of any war–this one pertaining to the harsh Israel-Lebanon conflict:

The greater legacy is the human one. Every bomb dropped by Israel will have broken hundreds of Lebanese hearts. Some will have lost loved ones; others will have seen bridges, streets and houses that were painstakingly restored after decades of war smashed into the ground. Those who witnessed it will not forget it, and they will carry a bitterness towards Israel for the rest of their lives, passing it on to their children. The bereaved families of Israeli civilians will feel the same way about their enemy. From all the rational, strategic calculations, this is the factor that is so often missing: the hatred sowed in the human heart. Both sides have ensured this dreadful conflict spreads, not just across borders - but down the generations.

If you want to see the rest of this article, go here.

So, network neutrality . . . heard of it? It’s the Internet’s first amendment. The network in question operates under the three principles of neutrality: non-discrimination, interconnection, and access. In short, no website’s traffic has precedence over any other’s. The sad thing is that that may be changing (thank you, AT&T, et al.) My advice to you is to go here. However, I’d understand if you would like to read more about it, first. You could always try Wikipedia (an excellent resource) or just check for it on Google. I’m always curious to hear others thoughts on this issue.

Next up: Who loves nature?