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Post by berty on Feb 8, 2017 1:13:22 GMT
Atrocities for American Children. We now have 100% proof that it literally pays to buy off congress. And you know what really ticks me off? Pat Toomey's phones have been turned off for days. On his facebook page, he claims it is because he was getting too many calls from out of state people and he only wants to hear from his constituents. Really? But you can accept $60K in donations from an out-of-state donor and then vote for her for a Cabinet position which she is highly unqualified for. And IRL, I do not know a single Republican who was in support of her. My Republican DH is losing all faith in his party. He could have used some of that money to hire more people to answer his phones.
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Post by mollycoddle on Feb 8, 2017 1:21:32 GMT
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Post by freecharlie on Feb 8, 2017 1:22:15 GMT
I only have one word to express how I feel: FUCK! I will do what I can to help get rid of our Senator Deb Fischer in 2018. I will do the with Cory Gardner and I emailed and told him so. I also emailed Bennett and thanked him
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Post by freecharlie on Feb 8, 2017 1:26:36 GMT
EXACTLY! Being able to home school is a privilege a great many people just don't have! Plus, to be perfectly honest, it's something that a great many people are not equipped to do. If you're struggling with they're/their/there and you're/your - and a quick glance through the comments section of any news site shows that many people are - please leave teaching to the professionals. I am a professional and I am highly qualified and I have ever absolutely no desire to homeschool my own children. First, I believe in the social aspect of school. I believe it helps in creating well rounded adults. I believe that learning things from people other than family allows for a wider view of the world. I also believe that I would strangle my own kids if I homeschooled them. Give me a classroom full of kids any day.
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Post by mrgiedrnkr on Feb 8, 2017 1:41:16 GMT
Come on guys she can't be all that bad (ha).... our Senator was supposedly the swing vote (Nebraska - Deb Fischer) and despite all of us contacting her she voted yes because Devos assured her in writing that she was going to continue to look out for special needs children & is not enforcing vouchers. (eye roll) I would love to see those letters in writing but I doubt we ever will and you can guarantee my representatives won't get my vote next time. I find it appalling.
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Post by christine58 on Feb 8, 2017 1:57:27 GMT
melissa - trust me - in my district we were paying 6 figures for an art teacher. A high school art teacher. You are correct about regional pay differences, but this is a first ring suburb to one of the poorest cities in the nation. Sorry, I'm "trust but verify". Do you have a link for that? @anmore You are outside Buffalo correct??? I am thinking this is Williamsville right??
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Post by Merge on Feb 8, 2017 1:58:57 GMT
The whole thing about vouchers and charters that really ticks me off is that a system that assumes that a private or charter school will be better is a system that is placing the blame for students' failure solely and squarely at the feet of teachers. Again.
The single biggest predictor of success in school is family income. Second place isn't even close - and BTW, second place isn't teacher quality, it's parental education level, and third is parental involvement. We don't have an education problem; we have a poverty problem and a disengagement problem. You could take every child out of every "failing" public school in this country tomorrow and put them in a charter or private school and very little would change. Charter school teachers do not have some magic wand to wave that suddenly makes a kid with dirty clothes, and not enough to eat, and no books in his home, and no one to read them to him if he had them, vault over the three grade levels he's behind.
Address the root causes of poverty and you'll fix a lot of the problems in education. BUT depriving us of funding isn't helping, either. A good teacher can do a lot but she can't do it very well with 28 kids in a first grade classroom, no materials, a leaky roof, not enough desks, etc. And those problems will only get worse if we start siphoning money to charter and private schools under the misguided assumption that those teachers have some kind of magic that the public school teachers do not.
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likescarrots
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,879
Aug 16, 2014 17:52:53 GMT
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Post by likescarrots on Feb 8, 2017 2:00:02 GMT
Come on guys she can't be all that bad (ha).... our Senator was supposedly the swing vote (Nebraska - Deb Fischer) and despite all of us contacting her she voted yes because Devos assured her in writing that she was going to continue to look out for special needs children & is not enforcing vouchers. (eye roll) I would love to see those letters in writing but I doubt we ever will and you can guarantee my representatives won't get my vote next time. I find it appalling. I hope this woman's daughter never speaks to her again.
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Post by christine58 on Feb 8, 2017 2:03:44 GMT
This special education teacher of 36..YES 36 years is DONE in June. I love what I do...hate what is now happening.
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Post by cade387 on Feb 8, 2017 2:14:51 GMT
Maybe you think it is improving education, but I can tell you that many of us in Michigan do not agree with her efforts as improving education. Also, her and her husband also tried to buy their way into the Governor's mansion and it has been pretty ugly with their inability to understand those who don't have money. Not sure where you live, but I can tell you that in my area things are seen a bit differently. Further, "she" and her husband did not try to buy their way into the Governor's mansion, any more than any other candidate does during a contested campaign. The DeVos family employ thousands of people in their various plants and offices - I can assure you that they do indeed have an understanding of life outside the pearly gates. They live comparatively low key lives, certainly don't have the most lavish house in town, their kids played on the local Y soccer leagues right along with my kids. Please - there are so many difficult topics facing us as Americans, can we perhaps address them logically rather than with excessive hyperbole and angst? Wild protestations and extreme emotions have no place right now. Clear thinking is key. SaveSaveI assure you that I am being quite logical. I have lived in Michigan my entire life and "low key" is not a phrase used to describe the DeVos family. To address your other point, they most retain ly did try to buy their way into the governor's mansion. In a spectacular defeat, I might add. I can't quote on my phone but here is a piece of the facts of his run: "DeVos, a multimillionaire, had developed substantial political contacts with the full participation of his wife, former Michigan Republican Party chair Betsy DeVos, despite which, fully 85% of the DeVos campaign's contributions were from DeVos' inheritance.[15] As the 2006 election approached, the DeVos family was listed among the biggest Republican campaign contributors in Michigan.[16] The DeVos campaign spent $42.5 million, at that time the most spent on a gubernatorial campaign in Michigan history. $35.5 million of that total came from DeVos' personal fortune, and was at that time the most spent personally by a Republican candidate running for governor. The Granholm campaign spent $15.7 million. The combined money spent by both campaigns made this election the most expensive gubernatorial election in Michigan history. As DeVos funded his campaign himself, he was not eligible for public funds.[17]" Here is the link (yes it is wiki but the numbers are out there) en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_gubernatorial_election,_2006 Lastly, they have continued to donate a lot of money to Snyder who won't disclose how much.
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Post by cade387 on Feb 8, 2017 2:16:08 GMT
The whole thing about vouchers and charters that really ticks me off is that a system that assumes that a private or charter school will be better is a system that is placing the blame for students' failure solely and squarely at the feet of teachers. Again. The single biggest predictor of success in school is family income. Second place isn't even close - and BTW, second place isn't teacher quality, it's parental education level, and third is parental involvement. We don't have an education problem; we have a poverty problem and a disengagement problem. You could take every child out of every "failing" public school in this country tomorrow and put them in a charter or private school and very little would change. Charter school teachers do not have some magic wand to wave that suddenly makes a kid with dirty clothes, and not enough to eat, and no books in his home, and no one to read them to him if he had them, vault over the three grade levels he's behind. Address the root causes of poverty and you'll fix a lot of the problems in education. BUT depriving us of funding isn't helping, either. A good teacher can do a lot but she can't do it very well with 28 kids in a first grade classroom, no materials, a leaky roof, not enough desks, etc. And those problems will only get worse if we start siphoning money to charter and private schools under the misguided assumption that those teachers have some kind of magic that the public school teachers do not. Wish I could like this a thousand times.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 8, 2017 2:19:17 GMT
The whole thing about vouchers and charters that really ticks me off is that a system that assumes that a private or charter school will be better is a system that is placing the blame for students' failure solely and squarely at the feet of teachers. Again. The single biggest predictor of success in school is family income. Second place isn't even close - and BTW, second place isn't teacher quality, it's parental education level, and third is parental involvement. We don't have an education problem; we have a poverty problem and a disengagement problem. You could take every child out of every "failing" public school in this country tomorrow and put them in a charter or private school and very little would change. Charter school teachers do not have some magic wand to wave that suddenly makes a kid with dirty clothes, and not enough to eat, and no books in his home, and no one to read them to him if he had them, vault over the three grade levels he's behind. Address the root causes of poverty and you'll fix a lot of the problems in education. BUT depriving us of funding isn't helping, either. A good teacher can do a lot but she can't do it very well with 28 kids in a first grade classroom, no materials, a leaky roof, not enough desks, etc. And those problems will only get worse if we start siphoning money to charter and private schools under the misguided assumption that those teachers have some kind of magic that the public school teachers do not. Yes, yes, yes, A THOUSAND TIMES THIS! Vouchers will do absolutely NOTHING to solve any of these problems, which means that nothing will change for these neediest of kids. Only now they're still stuck in failing schools with even less money to help them.
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Post by gardengoddess on Feb 8, 2017 2:25:50 GMT
I am especially heartbroken for the special needs children and their parents, as she and her fellow cabinet member Jeff Sessions are no fans of disabled children's right to an education. What are the reasons of those that support that thinking? What if you had a special needs kids who although may never learn to the capabilities of a non-disabled child, but needs the social interaction of the school environment? What are your options for these families?
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 8, 2017 2:26:36 GMT
Betsy DeVos worked with Jeb Bush for over a decade on Foundation for Excellence in Education a non-profit focused on education reform. She's also been on the board of American Federation for Children - that specifically focuses on school choice. She also affiliated with the Education Freedom Fund that provides scholarships for low income students in Michigan to attend private schools. From what I've read, aren't most/all of these very conservative, religion based organizations advocating for getting more kids into private, religious based schools?
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seaexplore
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,786
Apr 25, 2015 23:57:30 GMT
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Post by seaexplore on Feb 8, 2017 2:43:26 GMT
Plus, to be perfectly honest, it's something that a great many people are not equipped to do. If you're struggling with they're/their/there and you're/your - and a quick glance through the comments section of any news site shows that many people are - please leave teaching to the professionals. I am a professional and I am highly qualified and I have ever absolutely no desire to homeschool my own children. First, I believe in the social aspect of school. I believe it helps in creating well rounded adults. I believe that learning things from people other than family allows for a wider view of the world. I also believe that I would strangle my own kids if I homeschooled them. Give me a classroom full of kids any day. Yes! All of this freecharlie! This is me! I teach junior high math and science all day. I know that I would kill my own kids if I had to teach them!
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seaexplore
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,786
Apr 25, 2015 23:57:30 GMT
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Post by seaexplore on Feb 8, 2017 2:46:08 GMT
This special education teacher of 36..YES 36 years is DONE in June. I love what I do...hate what is now happening. Enjoy your retirement! You have worked hard and deserve it!
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 28, 2024 13:34:44 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2017 3:07:07 GMT
Not sure where you live, but I can tell you that in my area things are seen a bit differently. Further, "she" and her husband did not try to buy their way into the Governor's mansion, any more than any other candidate does during a contested campaign. The DeVos family employ thousands of people in their various plants and offices - I can assure you that they do indeed have an understanding of life outside the pearly gates. They live comparatively low key lives, certainly don't have the most lavish house in town, their kids played on the local Y soccer leagues right along with my kids. Please - there are so many difficult topics facing us as Americans, can we perhaps address them logically rather than with excessive hyperbole and angst? Wild protestations and extreme emotions have no place right now. Clear thinking is key. SaveSaveI assure you that I am being quite logical. I have lived in Michigan my entire life and "low key" is not a phrase used to describe the DeVos family. To address your other point, they most retain ly did try to buy their way into the governor's mansion. In a spectacular defeat, I might add. I can't quote on my phone but here is a piece of the facts of his run: "DeVos, a multimillionaire, had developed substantial political contacts with the full participation of his wife, former Michigan Republican Party chair Betsy DeVos, despite which, fully 85% of the DeVos campaign's contributions were from DeVos' inheritance.[15] As the 2006 election approached, the DeVos family was listed among the biggest Republican campaign contributors in Michigan.[16] The DeVos campaign spent $42.5 million, at that time the most spent on a gubernatorial campaign in Michigan history. $35.5 million of that total came from DeVos' personal fortune, and was at that time the most spent personally by a Republican candidate running for governor. The Granholm campaign spent $15.7 million. The combined money spent by both campaigns made this election the most expensive gubernatorial election in Michigan history. As DeVos funded his campaign himself, he was not eligible for public funds.[17]" Here is the link (yes it is wiki but the numbers are out there) en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_gubernatorial_election,_2006 Lastly, they have continued to donate a lot of money to Snyder who won't disclose how much. I remember that. That was the first time I voted in the governor race (prior to that I was in OK and too ignorant of politics). DeVos and Snyder are Michigan's version of Trump, minus the gold. I'm sad to say Snyder grew up in my childhood neighborhood.
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pridemom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,843
Jul 12, 2014 21:58:10 GMT
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Post by pridemom on Feb 8, 2017 3:22:07 GMT
We have a teacher shortage in Oklahoma. Our Republican governed state cannot (or will not) afford the pay the neighboring states like Texas offers. Look beyond your own city, your own state, Lauren. Yes, the average salaries for teachers in my county is $44,295 they are all going to other states. That's still $10,000 more than our rural district. It makes me glad DH left the classroom for a testing position.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 8, 2017 3:25:34 GMT
This special education teacher of 36..YES 36 years is DONE in June. I love what I do...hate what is now happening. Thank you for everything you've done for all those kids over the years. One of my good friends is a sped teacher and I know how much of herself she pours into those kids.
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Post by elaine on Feb 8, 2017 3:44:55 GMT
The whole thing about vouchers and charters that really ticks me off is that a system that assumes that a private or charter school will be better is a system that is placing the blame for students' failure solely and squarely at the feet of teachers. Again. The single biggest predictor of success in school is family income. Second place isn't even close - and BTW, second place isn't teacher quality, it's parental education level, and third is parental involvement. We don't have an education problem; we have a poverty problem and a disengagement problem. You could take every child out of every "failing" public school in this country tomorrow and put them in a charter or private school and very little would change. Charter school teachers do not have some magic wand to wave that suddenly makes a kid with dirty clothes, and not enough to eat, and no books in his home, and no one to read them to him if he had them, vault over the three grade levels he's behind. Address the root causes of poverty and you'll fix a lot of the problems in education. BUT depriving us of funding isn't helping, either. A good teacher can do a lot but she can't do it very well with 28 kids in a first grade classroom, no materials, a leaky roof, not enough desks, etc. And those problems will only get worse if we start siphoning money to charter and private schools under the misguided assumption that those teachers have some kind of magic that the public school teachers do not. I love you.
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scorpeao
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,521
Location: NorCal USA
Jun 25, 2014 21:04:54 GMT
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Post by scorpeao on Feb 8, 2017 4:02:03 GMT
The whole thing about vouchers and charters that really ticks me off is that a system that assumes that a private or charter school will be better is a system that is placing the blame for students' failure solely and squarely at the feet of teachers. Again. The single biggest predictor of success in school is family income. Second place isn't even close - and BTW, second place isn't teacher quality, it's parental education level, and third is parental involvement. We don't have an education problem; we have a poverty problem and a disengagement problem. You could take every child out of every "failing" public school in this country tomorrow and put them in a charter or private school and very little would change. Charter school teachers do not have some magic wand to wave that suddenly makes a kid with dirty clothes, and not enough to eat, and no books in his home, and no one to read them to him if he had them, vault over the three grade levels he's behind. Address the root causes of poverty and you'll fix a lot of the problems in education. BUT depriving us of funding isn't helping, either. A good teacher can do a lot but she can't do it very well with 28 kids in a first grade classroom, no materials, a leaky roof, not enough desks, etc. And those problems will only get worse if we start siphoning money to charter and private schools under the misguided assumption that those teachers have some kind of magic that the public school teachers do not. This is what I've been trying to explain to people all day. It's just going to increase the divide between the haves and have nots, further ensuring the have nots will never have. It's sad, and why don't people care? Is it selfishness?
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Post by Darcy Collins on Feb 8, 2017 4:21:10 GMT
Betsy DeVos worked with Jeb Bush for over a decade on Foundation for Excellence in Education a non-profit focused on education reform. She's also been on the board of American Federation for Children - that specifically focuses on school choice. She also affiliated with the Education Freedom Fund that provides scholarships for low income students in Michigan to attend private schools. From what I've read, aren't most/all of these very conservative, religion based organizations advocating for getting more kids into private, religious based schools? I don't think Foundation for Excellence in Education which is Jeb Bush's fits that description. I think Education Freedom Fund probably does - but keep in mind I'm not from Michigan. I've never heard of Betsy DeVos before her nomination so do not claim to be any kind of expert on her history.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 8, 2017 4:37:14 GMT
From what I've read, aren't most/all of these very conservative, religion based organizations advocating for getting more kids into private, religious based schools? I don't think Foundation for Excellence in Education which is Jeb Bush's fits that description. I think Education Freedom Fund probably does - but keep in mind I'm not from Michigan. I've never heard of Betsy DeVos before her nomination so do not claim to be any kind of expert on her history. It says right on the home page of their website: That sounds pretty churchy to me.
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melissa
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,912
Jun 25, 2014 20:45:00 GMT
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Post by melissa on Feb 8, 2017 5:18:34 GMT
t's weird, she lives in an area with a population of almost 25,000. Nowhere near Yellowstone National Park. It's so odd to see these things called towns. There's even sidewalks, rec centers, and shopping. Well, we actually do have a bear problem here in New Jersey. Perhaps her theme will be "No Bear Left Behind." Though, I am concerned that because she only talked about bears in Wyoming, she is already leaving behind the bears here in NJ. I may have to call her tomorrow.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 28, 2024 13:34:44 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2017 5:57:10 GMT
Here are the Sens voting for Devos who are up in '18.
Get your donations behind their opponents. Call to let them know.
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Jili
Pearl Clutcher
SLPea
Posts: 4,366
Jun 26, 2014 1:26:48 GMT
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Post by Jili on Feb 8, 2017 6:10:29 GMT
The IDEA.gov website is down now. I know there are a million reasons this could be happening, but the timing is just chilling.
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Rainbow
Pearl Clutcher
Where salt is in the air and sand is at my feet...
Posts: 4,103
Jun 26, 2014 5:57:41 GMT
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Post by Rainbow on Feb 8, 2017 8:46:51 GMT
Our district coughed up a HUGE amount of property tax money in recent years specifically for funding our local public schools. It absolutely infuriates me to think that any of that money could possibly be siphoned off and spent on vouchers for religious private schools. It will be no surprise if future referendums for our schools and kids will be voted down based on this one factor, and my kid and her classmates will ultimately be the ones who pay the price. Vouchers are fabulous. Parents can choose the schools they feel are best for their children. You have the same choice. I don't see a problem giving parents more choices.
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Post by pierkiss on Feb 8, 2017 9:26:27 GMT
Our district coughed up a HUGE amount of property tax money in recent years specifically for funding our local public schools. It absolutely infuriates me to think that any of that money could possibly be siphoned off and spent on vouchers for religious private schools. It will be no surprise if future referendums for our schools and kids will be voted down based on this one factor, and my kid and her classmates will ultimately be the ones who pay the price. Vouchers are fabulous. Parents can choose the schools they feel are best for their children. You have the same choice. I don't see a problem giving parents more choices. What happens when the voucher you are given will not cover the full tuition for any of the other schools in the area and you can't make up the difference and the public schools have either folded or are completely shitty due to lack of funds and bad teachers? What then?
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Post by pierkiss on Feb 8, 2017 9:33:51 GMT
Or, let's say your kid has some kind of disability. Public schools all close, and all that's left are private and charter schools. And IDEA is now gone. There is nothing stopping the private and charter schools from refusing to accept that kid with the disability. It's too hard and too much money to educate non-typical kids. Even if you have a voucher that says you can have access to that school. What then? Does that child not also deserve to be educated in this country?
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but your child has vision issues right Rainbow? I would think as someone with a child who has a disability you would be a little bit more concerned about this. Unless you homeschool. In which case it probably won't affect you.
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Post by christine58 on Feb 8, 2017 10:48:09 GMT
This special education teacher of 36..YES 36 years is DONE in June. I love what I do...hate what is now happening. Thank you for everything you've done for all those kids over the years. One of my good friends is a sped teacher and I know how much of herself she pours into those kids. Thanks!!
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