Political Correctness run amok

[BLUEHAWK]

Thanks Scout - I was just wondering about that little detail... it's kinda been bothering me, for the Buffalo Soldier who had just come into full rights and got a s--t detail in the western plains, and for the US Army who sent the hapless buggers there in the first friggin' place. It'd be interesting to know factually how many units of 'em got that duty... and how they felt about it considering what their folks had just been through.

I know the Garry Owen cavalry was involved of course, and I've been all over Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas.. I need to get informed about that erea some more.

[SuperScout]

[From our dear friends in Taxachusetts - and we wonder why little Johnny can't read!!]

Schools chief fails must-pass test By Associated Press, 8/3/2003 20:01
LAWRENCE, Mass. (AP) Superintendent of Schools Wilfredo T. Laboy, who recently put two dozen teachers on unpaid leave for failing a basic English proficiency test, has himself flunked a required literacy test three times, The Eagle-Tribune reported Sunday. Laboy, who called his failing scores ''frustrating'' and ''emotional,'' blamed a lack of preparation and concentration, and his lack of English skills. Spanish is his first language.

''It bothers me because I'm trying to understand the congruence of what I do here every day and this stupid test,'' said Laboy. ''That's what, emotionally, I'm so upset about.''

State Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll said he is aware of Laboy's troubles with the test, but would not say how many chances Laboy would be given to pass or what the consequences of another failure could be. He commended Laboy on an ''excellent job'' leading the district, but said ''he's going to have to pass. He told me he needs more time to prepare for the test. I told him, 'Fine.' ... The situation will only get serious if he goes much longer without passing,'' Driscoll said.

Since 1998, all educators from teachers to superintendents have had to pass the Communications and Literacy Skills Test, which measures basic reading and writing skills, including vocabulary, punctuation, grammar, spelling and capitalization.

Laboy barely passed the reading section on his second attempt, scoring the minimum required grade, he said this week. He also failed the writing portion three times, and a section requiring test-takers to transcribe a passage read over an audiotape, using proper punctuation and spelling. Candidates must pass all sections of the test in a single sitting, and may not appeal their scores, according to the state education department Web site.

''What brought me down was the rules of grammar and punctuation,'' Laboy said. ''English being a second language for me, I didn't do well in writing. If you're not an English teacher, you don't look at the rules on a regular basis.'' [Is there any requirement that he communicate in writing with his subordinates? Kinda think there is, so it makes one wonder how he was able, if he was able, to accomplish this?]

Laboy, who receives a 3 percent pay hike this month that will raise his salary to $156,560, recently put 24 teachers on unpaid administrative leave because they failed a basic English test, which has been required since voters passed a law last fall requiring English-only classrooms. Driscoll said he is willing to give Laboy more time to prepare for another retest. [But Driscoll didn't put Laboy on unpaid administrative leave, thus creating a double standard.]

''He's not a native language speaker, so a formal test is something he needs to prepare for,'' Driscoll said. ''It doesn't mean anything now. It will mean more as time goes on because there's an expectation that he'll pass.''

[This begs the question: how did this guy get his job in the first place? Could it have been political pressure or union pressure, say from the NEA? And perhaps this failure is why the NEA is against testing of teachers!!]

[BLUEHAWK]

Wouldn't it work much better if we just quit sending money to Washington for education purposes and return control of our schools to parents and States, fer crissake!!!

Scout, that news is horrible, and would be funny if it weren't so sick. Betcha there's a WHOLE bunch of similar stories out there.

I've been a public school teacher (a sub only though), and can tell you that the pro teachers are REAL fed up with Teaching The Tests, and every kid going through that system knows damn well how it works. They get precious little education unless the kid is already smarter than average, in which case they receive advanced placement where learning is real.

[SuperScout]

If the news coming out of Taxachusetts wasn't so pathetic, it would be funny; it is another example of the inmates running the asylum. And yessir indeedy, funneling money to Washington, only to have some it funneled back to the staes in the fomr of educatin grants is pure, unwashed, unmitigated stupidity. I have never - make that NEVER - been in favor of the so-called Dept. of Education. It is nothing more than a colosal waste of taxpayer money and generator of usless forms.

And speaking of teaching, I was asked to participate in the "Troops to Teachers" program, with an offer to pay for the "education" classes I needed to get certified (no snide remarks, please!), and a $5,000 bonus, just to get certified and teach a couple of years. Then a call came, offering me a "permanent substitutue" job in a little town up the road, teaching a 6th grade class for the remainder of the school year. After 6 weeks of this, I realized that the school district had no real system of dealing with disciplinary problems, and wouldn't let me beat the little miscreants, so I told them they could have their corrupt system, their $5,000, and all the junvenile delinquents they could produce. It is no wonder that the majority of winners in national spelling bees and other similar tests are home-schooled children. Most government schools are intellectually, morally, and financially bankrupt.

BOTTOM LINE: disband the Dept of Education, since education is not a federal responsibility. Teaching to testing standards is the same as screwing for virginity, but not nearly as much fun!

[BLUEHAWK]

Scout -
I had the identical experience with both "Troops to Teachers" and substitute teaching, in every sense... and am equally convinced it is past time to eliminate federal control of funds and education policy.

On Tulsa this past year, due to budgetary shortfalls, the city became unable to pay subs... and had the nerve to ask us to volunteer for that hazardous duty. I don't think so.

[SuperScout]

What's perceived as a face-saving proposal by a superintendent of schools who flunked an English literacy exam was soundly rejected by district officials, who decided not to offer new jobs to 17 bilingual teachers on unpaid leave for failing a similar test.

As WorldNetDaily reported, Superintendent Wilfredo T. Laboy of the Lawrence, Mass., school district admitted flunking the Communications and Literacy Skills Test ? not once, but three times. The stunning admission follows his June suspension of the teachers who failed a state-required oral English fluency test. The educators are not allowed back in the classroom until they pass.

Amid the furor ignited by the apparent hypocrisy, Laboy proposed rehiring the teachers to alternative jobs like substitutes or teachers aides, reports the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune. Several school leaders accused Laboy of trying to cover for his own failings. Following a two-hour secret meeting last night, the district's school committee opted against Laboy's plan, reports the Lawrence paper.

"I think at this point we'll renew our offer of unpaid leave," school attorney Naomi Stonberg told the Eagle-Tribune. "If they don't take it, we will probably have to institute dismissal proceedings."
Gov. Mitt Romney has given Laboy, who is a native Puerto Rican, one more chance to pass the test by December before taking action, via the state Board of Education, to remove him.

The written exam Laboy failed assesses fundamental reading and writing skills expected of all entry-level teachers, including vocabulary, punctuation, grammar, spelling and capitalization.
According to the paper, Laboy blames his failures on a deficiency in grammar and punctuation. "If you're not an English teacher, you don't look at the rules on a regular basis," Laboy said. ''It bothers me because I'm trying to understand the congruence of what I do here every day and this stupid test. That's what, emotionally, I'm so upset about.''

Laboy is the highest-paid city employee, taking in $156,560 a year, according to the Eagle-Tribune. Fearing a lawsuit, school committee members won't divulge the details of Laboy's rehiring proposal. The lawyer representing the teachers on leave has pledged to take the matter to court.

[BLUEHAWK]

Scout -

Yer probably gonna yell like hell at me... however, I've taught as a sub in public schools since 1996.

I can tell you that the whole emphasis on testing every damn dust ball is driving experienced teachers form the profession, and is keeping potentially good ones from entering it. They would rather not "teach the test" Scout, they prefer to treat people and subjects as individuals. You remember Orwell's "1984" don't ya?

Mr. Laboy suspended teachers because he was carrying out the duties of his office, not because he is some kind of hypocrite. Government has a way of making criminals and hypocrites out of perfectly decent human beings, in the name of America Uber Alles.

Have you yourself taken the English Language Fluency test? I haven't either.

Like you once said, we are not a huge homogeneous lump...

Seems odd that a guy in that position would be unable to pass a simple test, but who gives a damn if he runs the shop efficiently. All the experienced pros in politics...well, that's why Arnie is getting so much support from Callifornia voters of every description.

Slick Willy and yer favorite Prez are responsible for screwing up our already screwed up public education system with these meaningless tests.

[Jerry D]

I agree a lot of these test are ridicules and just another way to make money off of tax payer dollars. when I was in school we took the achievement test once a year now days these kids have to study for 4-5 test a year to prove they learned the test, not how much they learned in class their report card shows that. They used to ask why Johnny can't read? well today it's because he has to learn too many test's a year other then the courses. and now they have to have more credits to pass High School then they had in 1980 .When I graduated I had 6 credits more then required to graduate if I was to take the same transcript today to my High School I would have to take another 6 classes probably to graduate to include a foreign language credit.

[SuperScout]

Yell at you....? Maybe a well-placed shot-group, but never yelling - it's so uncivilized....!! And yes, just for the fun of it, I did take an English language proficiency test, found it neither difficult nor confusing, and thanked the dearly sainted Mrs. Ada Collins for having given me the gift of understanding English better. I only hope that others were as blessed by inspiring teachers as I was.

Like you, I have also served as a substitute teacher, but after having experienced the intellectual, moral, and leadership bankrupcy of public schools, I decided to eschew the $5,000 bonus being offered, and seek gainful employment elsewhere.

Unlike many current ills and problems of American culture (or lack of culture, as the case might be), I would not lay all fault at the feet of Der Schlickmeister, tempting though it might be. Public or as some call it, government schooling, has been in serious decline for decades, and is a prime example of liberal problem solving: if we just throw more money at it, it will get better. Bah and humbug: there are legions of examples of schools that spend vastly differing amounts of $$ with widely varying results. My basic problem with the whole process goes all the way back to the foundation of my belief system: is education a legitimate function of the federal government? For me, the answer is a resounding NO, and the Dept. of Education should be abolished, resulting in billions of $$ that could rightfully be spent on constitutionally mandated concerns, like veteran care.

[BLUEHAWK]

- I'm with ya on this one Scout

What I noticed in teaching though is that by far most teachers are great people, individualizing their classroom environment and methods over many years, trying to make their subject matter inspiring or at least informative to kids. Then these damn tests come along, which I can see why someone might think are THE way to assuring quality education, and teachers end up teaching the damn test more of the time than not... except in the "gifted" classes where nobody thinks a test is needed.

In 1960, when I graduated out of 8th grade, we all had to pass one test on the topic of american history and government, or else. No big deal... pay attention, take the test and go on. That was it. Very VERY few people ever failed that test. Not only did we have to pass on details of history, but takiing the test had the effect of also testing for english language proficiency.

This is one area wherein the federal system works like an engine with a thrown rod... i.e. not at all. Abolishing the federal Dept of Education would, I believe too, put an end to a whole lot of waste and would vastly improve educational results locally; because locales are like families, each one is a little different and has special needs of their own. Besides, in my sometimes humble opinion, the 10th amendment infers that stuff like education should be left up to the states (one of the more effective, and most ignored, amendments to our Constitution, I hasten to add.)

In almost all, not all, but almost... I truly despise the federalist system of government Scout.

Coming from a rifleman I'll accept your well-placed shot-group as a gesture of respect.

- Jerry
It has gotten so bad with those damn tests that the kids spend several days each term having to take off class work to do them, and then the whole dang school and school system locally does nothing but fret and report about their scores. I just think it has always been quite possible and preferable to let teachers teach any way they please as long as the job gets done. But another gripe I have, as long as we're listing them, is that the colleges who certify teachers are often OFTEN more interested in putting bucks into the school budget by limiting who can qualify for teaching (i.e. stupidly controlling credentials without good cause and ignoring life experience equivalency completely), making people jump through idiotic hoops to get certified so they'll need more hours to graduate which cost much more. I tried the Troops to Teachers route that Scout did too, with pretty much the same result. I even seriously considered going all the way out to NYC to be part of their big program for getting new teachers... until I decided that I am too damn old to risk the rest of my working life being shot at every day by teenage punks... and not being allowed to fire back in the war for america.