Oakland School Closure Plan

Come Protest Randy Ward's Plan! Wednesday, December 15, 4PM at Oakland Tech High School on 43rd and Broadway before the Oakland School Board meeting where Ward's closures will be discussed. We need to turn out BIG numbers to this!
Jonah

Protest all you want. Doesn't and won't make any difference. The utter incompetence of the Oakland School Board is what got the district in to the mess in the first place. They had to borrow $100 million to pay the bills from the giveaways, and the state demands control in return. You have already lost this battle. "Privatization" is your code word for charter schools. Perhaps without the Leftist controlled teachers' union, Oakland kids may have a chance at an education.

Your tired comments are of "no use". You are not a teacher. You don't work with students. You have no idea how hard it is to teach in an overcrowded classroom with no books, no water for the students and no support from the district. The students are the ones who lose and no "Child left Behind" is a joke. Why is it this government can spend billions of dollars on the war in Iraq without a complaint from the "Right-Wingers" like you. But scream and cry you must if teacher makes 28,000 a year, (those greedy bastards). If you feel the teachers can't do their jobs right and are only about union-leftist blubbering became a teacher (non-union), volunteer as a teaching assistant (for no pay). Show us here bleeding heart union lovin' liberals how it's done. Show us how easy it is to teach a class of 40 kids. Keep them interested all day. Oh, and since you will be non-union and teaching in a "privitized school" no health-care for you my friend. No sick days for you buddy. Half hour lunch and that's it. Now shut-up and get back to work!

Wrong you are. I used to teach in Richmond Unified (when it was called that, before Mr Marks bankrupted the district with his great ideas - never mind no one could pay for them). I'm sorry your students are poor. Millions of others before them were poor, as well. That is not an excuse. The No Child Left Behind Act is designed to put teachers and administrators on notice that old, tired excuses will not cut it anymore. Rather than yelling at me you should ask your union, and your administration, and lawyers and judges why you are not allowed to control your classroom anymore. Why are you not allowed to keep order in your class? I'm sure you know that it's a small number of disruptive kids that keep most of the others from learning. These kids should not be allowed to dictate the learning of others. And why is it that years, decades ago, kids learned just fine without the latest stuff? It takes teachers who know what they teach and a classroom that is orderly and focused. Most of today's problems with inner city schools stem from the fact that many of the kids come from chaotic homes. I understand that. I also understand that many, many Asian and other kids come from very poor households, and yet they thrive. There is something to be said about a supportive home environment. There really does come a time when throwing more money at the problem will not fix it. NCLB is designed to shake up districts like Oakland and make them perform. And if that means that a bunch of ineffective administrators and teachers leave to find another line of work, well that's just fine with me.

ok...im not expert, im no teacher, but im fresh out of a highschool thats on the verge of falling down on top of all the crackheads that live next door to it...but for crying out loud we had books and water! maybe the kids are FAILING because of lack of material and nothing but french fries for lunch. you cant expet kids to me motivated in that atmosphere. ...when you get a whole pot of dysfunctional kids, in a dysfunctional school, with non-dysfunctional teachers who may have grown up in a cookie cutter lifestyle, then yes the school is bound to encounter major issues. so educate me. whats going to happen. they close down the schools? knock em down? that aint cheap either. or are they going to push the kids into other schools? i dont quite get it. maybe im ignorant. but i know for a fact, that if dysfunctional kids, are in a non-dysfunctional atmosphere they will be more functional. if they are in a dysfunctional atmosphere where they are comfortable because it feels like home to them, then there is no motive to change no matter how good the teacher is.

if the area around the school is that bad then moving might not be such a bad thing for the students that have to live in that enviornment. in fact it might be a life saving step for them

NCLB is nothing but a front to try to push a back door voucher system. There is BIG $$ in education and the greedy can't wait to privatize our public schools and continue to make Big $$. As a member of the NEA (National Education Association), the largest union in this nation, I know that all of this rhetoric is just another way to bust our unions. You can't offshore teachers, and we tend to be more libreal democrats. We are in every part of this nation representing all ethnicities, teachers, the over worked, under paid and not respected. Can I get a " No Teacher Left Behind" bumper sticker?? I'm mad and don't even know why I chose to go in debt with student loans just to become a fully credentialed, highly qualified teacher. Bush can kiss my Black Ass!

Oh, I forgot to say...Have you ever wondered why the Right was against Affirmative Action?? Now all of a sudden they feel as if they have to save those Black and Latino kids from being trapped in failing schools. It does not take a genius to see that this does not add up. Not only am I an Oakland teacher, I am an Oakland homeowner, and a product of the Oakland Public Schools. I am disguisted that no one addresses the facility issues only in our classrooms, no tiles on the floor, poor ventilation, mold, leaky roofs, poor lighting, a new principal every year while the demographics continue to change to more non-English speaking students. Anyone who wants to hate on teachers nees to "Shut Up!" Never hate on me or call me a failure, for I was a success the day that I graduted from college and didn't become a satistic from the "hood"!

I chose to try to give something back to my community while others just crticize the issues. OH, here's a thought! Point me in the direction of the person who became a teacher for the money, or because it's an easy job where you sit on your behind all day drinking coffee? Oh, I'm sorry I forgot teachers are required to have a certain level of education, Oh yea, what about those summers off- spend your vacation doing required professional development, and you better not switch grades or subjects taught because then you're lesson planning all summer, just trying to be successful.

Here's the answer to those so called failing schools:
1. Actually allow teachers to teach something besides language arts and math (you know maybe a little science, social studies, art, music, physical education, drama, dance that wouldn't be too bad now would it?)
2. Mandatory parental participation. Make parents read to the primary grade children, make them all know English, attend parent conferences, discipline their own child, even ask questions of our law makers, complain about the conditions of our schools.
3. Stop allowing politicians to use school issues as their pawn...either they really address the issue AND do something practical (key word- practical) about it or SHUT UP!!!!!!
4. All schools should look the same in appearance. Why not, the students all take the same standardized tests. Make the facilities standarddized inside and out. While inside a school you will never know where it is located, in the hills, or in the hood.

OKAY THAT'S ENOUGH! RESEARCH SOME THINGS FOR YOURSELF........
Find out who Bush's biggest backers are and how they will gain off of privatizing public education.
What are Dr. Ward's (OUSD State Administrator) ties to the Broad Foundation??
Will "No Child Left Behind" really improve student achievement or just create more teachers teaching to a test???
Why did State Superintendent of School Jack O'Connel choose not to 'opt out' of "NCLB" like other states who know of the money making hidden agenda?

***Feds keep your chump change, we don't want any of our students left behind and you have already done that- leave our public schools alone**

Well, why did California schools go from first to 48th in the nation, while other states remained constant. Are these things he's talking about like control of the classroom only happening in California?

These type of things are happening all over the nation, but CA leads the way! The mistake that politicians have made in CA is upping the standards when the children aren't succedding with the old ones. CA is a big market for curriculum and text book publishers. If CA purchases textbooks from a certain publisher other states will jump on the band wagon. It's all about money these days. Another big error that CA has made is it is more diverse than other states and it does not help its students who are learning English succeed.
Remember that whole movement to do away with bilingual education? Well, I don't know about you but please don't teach me math and language arts in German (a language which I know nothing about). It is dificult for teachers to teach students who do not know English, yet they are supposed to teach them English wothout the use of their native language. What sense does that make??? Then we'll test them in English and again call the school failing..........