Students warned to prove Texas residence or leave

I live and work in New York State. In order to attend public school a student must reside within the boundaries of the school district. If a student wants to attend a different public school the must pay tuition for that school. In my district the tuition for students grades k through 8 must pay 15 thousand dollars. For students grades 9 through 12 the price is around 22 thousand per school year. These rules are in place to protect the residents or school district from being taken advantage of. For lack of a better way to say it no district want a bunch of free loaders. I don't feel that this is the best way of doing things but this the way things work. Unfortunately the quality of a kids education is linked to how rich the town is they live in.

I came across an article about a border town school district with a problem. Every day van loads of kids would cross the U.S. Mexico border and drop them off at a U.S. public school. http://www.newstimes.com/national/ci_13387165

In resent days the school district in question has been putting a stop to this...

Untenured ... What to do?

I have found myself in a bit of a situation. I am starting my second year in my district as an untenured teacher. I will be up for tenure next year and even if I get tenure it will not be in effect until the following school year. My union is gearing up to make a showing at the next few board meetings due to budget issues. I don’t know if I should go.
Ever since I was in my under grad I remember people telling me to lay low until I get tenure. Or don’t piss anyone off until you get tenure. I feel like these opinions cause people to fear for their job. Not to sound cocky or anything but I really don’t fear for my job because I am confident that I am doing the best job possible.
Should untenured teachers lay low, play nice and not get involved in union happenings until tenure roles around?

I found some fun rantings on this blog
http://untenured.blogspot.com/

People that change your ways

The most recent assignment for grad school had me viewing a video on Randy Pausch … His last lecture to be specific. It got me thinking of all the people in my life that said or did something that resonated with me long after it happened.

For instance Professor John Belt told me “you want a new job … quit or get fired … one of them is on your time.”

Professor Dan Tryon told me that a group has three types of people the first one Makes things happen, The second Watch what is happening, and the third is Wondering “That the hell just happened?”

I worked summer labor with the city of Peekskill for two summers during the community college days and some guy I worked with said “they all worked that crap job because they Didn’t go to college and don’t you dare go full time on this job.” “Find something better to do.”

The one that I stumbled upon myself was that people value honesty… Honesty was how I gained respect from myself and the people around me.

I have a fragmented collection of quotes and events that helped shape who I am. One day I would like to write them down (before I forget the good stuff)

The really great thing about looking at a video like Randy’s last lecture is that it makes me think about my life and my contributions to the people around me in the most honest way possible. I just wonder if I have done the same for someone ells.

What’s your take?

http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/

Requisitions

As I plug along creating the Technology curriculum I am constantly on the lookout for the best vendor with the best price. As a one man department I am the guy that sends the requisitions on over to the business office. I have encountered suppliers that do not take purchase orders. I have had to pay more for products in these cases because I was unable to do business with the cheapest supplier. Does anyone know a way to get around this problem. I can't blame suppliers for doing this. I for one would not let any product leave the door without first being payed for. So does anyone think that the purchase order system as schools use it should be changed. If the day ever comes that I can have a debit card hooked up to my budget would be the greatest day ever. So this week I have two questions that I am fighting with. Does anyone know a way to get supplies from companies that do not use purchase orders? (without using my own money) Should the schools change the purchasing system or should the suppliers change?

Thoughts on teaching hours and dedication.

I have friends that arrive to school hours before they need no and stay much latter than they are required as well. This seems to be something that teachers have done for years and sounds like a real good trait of dedication. My teachers contract states that I need to be on school grounds from 7:45 am until 3:00 pm. anything i do beyond that I do free of charge. Am I any less of a dedicated teacher if i do not arrive early and or stay late? I have all materials prepared for class ahead of time and i feel as though I teach every class with a high level of enthusiasm. I love teaching and I would not want to do anything ells at this point in my life. So this is the dilemma... Do I stick to the contract and only work within the hours I am required like any other profession or do I stick around and make more work for myself? The hard thing is that I come from a wold of punching a clock and not working past 5 pm. you will never find a mechanic that wants to stay late and work on a car for free just because he really wants to please the customer. Or is staying late as a teacher the thing that really sets teaching apart and above other professions. Let me know what you think.

Greg

Technology in the classroom

I was going to blog about the first chapter but then I found this video of Bill Gates on TED.com. It’s a bit boring at first but when he starts talking about education he hit on some points that give some concern. He seems to be a personality that people tend to listen to. Gates feels as though technology is the solution to teaching quality. His proposal is to place cameras in classrooms of in an effort to spread good teaching practices. On the other hand it will weed out ineffective teachers. I feel that cameras in the classroom will produce a debate in education in the very near future. See the link below.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/bill_gates_unplugged.html

Skeptical about blogs

Let me just begin by saying that I am skeptical about bloging. Blogs have a yet to be defined role in society. Blogs are giving news media a run for its money … Literally. According to my many drive to work W.N.Y.C. listening sessions, blogs in conjunction with instant access to the news 24/7 have become the media outlet of choice. One popular thought is that blogs can link up like minded people so a great world of collaboration can happen. OK sure I can buy this idea just so long as those like minded people can find each other. I just took a second from writing this entry to do a search on bing.com. I typed in “Technology education blog” and I didn’t get one hit for technology education. I’m a 28 year old technology teacher and I don’t think I am that far out of touch with what is new and cool in the world. If I of all people am having problems finding what I want on the internet than what good is the information if I can’t find it? I do understand how a blog works and all the great information it can give. I look at treehugger.com several times per day in fact. In the world of education I feel that blogs need a clearly defined role. Is this something that teachers are expected to do during the work day? If so will the union negotiate a time for teachers to write blogs? Is this something done on teacher’s free time? For what ? and for who ? Is this something aimed at better communication with parents? Is it less personal than a phone call home? I feel this is going to be a topic that school unions will be taking on in the coming years.