Schools Know About Trans Teachers - Why Not Parents?

"Mary" at V1SUT Vantage talks to us about a woman who biologically transitioned to a man and is teaching at Western Heights Public Schools - where trans activist and drag queen Shawn Murnan (the Drag Queen Principal) and a Chinese immigrant who was caught soliciting 15-year-old boys - used to work. Administration must have known about this teacher, why were parents not told? Is it right for parents not to know this information? Shouldn't ALL tax payers be concerned about the people working with Oklahoma's children? Why is it so hard to find out this kind of information?

Mary also spoke with us about a teacher who had been born a female, but medically transitioned to a male. was a teacher at Western Heights Public Schools in Oklahoma. Because records are held independently - one record for the female name, one record for the male name - it was very hard to find a connecting paper trail to connect the female to the teacher in the classroom who presented as a male to the class, parents and administration. Don't parents have a right to know if their child's teacher is not presenting as their birth sex? What about another male using the bathroom with a woman presenting as a man? What about male students in the bathroom with this teacher presenting as a male, but who is biologically female? ANY public school should be transparent about who is working with the children attending that school, yet they are not.

In the end, Mary reached out to Ryan Walters and other Oklahoma public education officials - including the teacher herself - to ask how this situation of a trans teacher would be addressed under current law.

She received absolutely no comment back from anyone to whom she reached out. Whether people want to talk about this situation or not, parents have the right to know if a person teaching their child is not presenting as their biological sex. Why is this being dealt with silently? How can parents find out whether their child's teacher is not what they portray publicly?

All these questions need answers...

Find the V1SUT Vantage substack here and the full LIVE video on YouTube and Rumble.

To Protect Oklahoma Kids Statute Of Limitation Laws Must Be Changed - V1SUT Vantage; ROPE Report Live

During our regular third Wednesday podcast with our friend and V1SUT Vantage blogger, 'Mary', we talked about how Oklahoma can't protect its students until we change the Statute of Limitations on sex crimes. Watch the short video to see how and why these need to be changed to protect Oklahoma kids.

Public School Technology Costs Are Measured In More Than Millions Of Dollars

This morning I read an Op-Ed in the Norman Transcript written by several parents of Norman High School students - anonymously.

 

I want you to read the letter, but I want to make several points about this letter:

Dirty Little Education Secrets Part 5: Teacher and Administrators Engage In Politics Using Taxpayer Funds

 

Dirty Little Education Secrets Part 2: Teachers Are NOT All Leaving The Profession Over Pay



This morning I read an awesome article by a long time teacher from Pennsylvania was explaining why teachers are leaving the profession. Never once in his treatise did he mention money. Here was one of his closing paragraphs:

How Do We Know Teachers Need A Raise If We Don't Do Our Homework?

In case you've been under a rock and haven't learned about the West Virginia teachers who have apparently inspired teacher walkouts in Arizona, Kentucky and Oklahoma, I thought it important to make sure anyone who wanted to do more than hear talking points and rhetoric have direct access to OSDE data.

In my next few blogs, I'm going to try and hit some of the talking points pushed by OEA (Oklahoma Education Association - the state arm of the National Teachers Association (NEA) - the UNION pushing the walkout), doing the calculations right in front of you and providing links to check my figures. I want to make sure readers have direct access to some of the more important links I'll be using for fact checking, however, so all this is public.

ESA's And Dissenting Public Educators - Do You Talk To Your Students With That Mouth?

By Jenni White, Education Director, ROPE2.0

Though we've not spent time addressing it yet this session, the Education Savings Account bill (HB2949) authored by Nelson (et. al) has already made it's way through the House Education Committee where it passed by one single vote.

ROPE has always supported ESA's. We simply believe in the ability of parents to direct the education of their children and we'll continue to maintain that stance in the face of all the vitriolic nonsense public school proponents will dish out (I'll get to that in a second).

Rudderless Teachers?

I read an article recently in EdWeek by an Oklahoma teacher, "Without The Common Core in Oklahoma". Obviously, as someone who fought to repeal the standards, I feel sad that without Common Core, this teacher feels "rudderless". 

The teacher explains:

The thought of moving backward to PASS (or worse) fills me and thousands of other Oklahoma teachers and administrators with mind-numbing angst. The state has invested countless hours and a great deal of professional-development money so that educators, curriculum specialists, and districts would be in a strong position to put the standards in place. To this end, my own district implemented new standards-aligned academic vocabulary, which mandates a grade-level list of words for K-5 students. We purchased many standards-aligned professional materials for teachers to help them in the implementation of instructional units. While those materials and new word lists can be tweaked to reflect whatever might replace the common core, many of my colleagues are shaking their heads in disbelief at the complete waste of time and resources that has resulted from this turn in state politics.

Mind-numbing angst?  I find this peculiar, I really do.  I truly cannot understand why any teacher would be filled with “mind-numbing angst” by the removal of a set of standards – especially when the testing portion of the standards will be more general knowledge in nature and not truly ‘high stakes’ for this next two years (and hopefully long term).

In my opinion, really great teachers are those that simply need to know the developmental age of their children.  Once they are very familiar with that, they can pull information from across the World Wide Web, the library, older text books – it matters not.  Information to impart to children of all ages is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week anymore. 

When I taught - and it’s not much different today, according to my discussions with teacher friends - Professional Development was/is something you did/do to keep your teacher’s certification.  In the 6 years I taught public school, never one time did I learn something I felt I would feel comfortable using, or desire to use, in my classroom from teacher ‘training’.  One teacher friend I have known for years, just told me about a teacher training event she went to that so upset her conservative views she felt robbed of the time she had to travel to and from and stay.  That simply isn’t right in my view.

Maybe I’m just way too independent (and conservative) for my own good – I’m happy to acknowledge that – but I’m concerned that this ‘angst’ has to do with the way teachers are taught today, from the classroom through teacher training.

I achieved a Master’s Degree in Biology and became Alternatively Certified.  I must say, the three classes I had to take in order to become certified to teach in Oklahoma made me shake my head.  The course on testing frustrated me so badly I felt it necessary to argue (respectfully) with my instructor frequently about her very liberal philosophy which she would insert into class discussions dealing with everything from teaching to breathing. 

While studying for both my Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees, everyone in the College of Math and Science receiving science degrees knew the students who were getting teaching degrees.  They took a very small fraction of the coursework we took, but yet, were expected to teach others science.  That frustrated me.  Why would those teaching others about science need to have so many fewer hours LEARNING science than I as a scientist?  It’s still a conundrum to me.

I have many wonderful teacher friends and I know many wonderful teachers.  I KNOW these teachers can succeed teaching anything to anyone no matter what their administrations – or the state – throws at them.  It’s more than just a job – it’s a VOCATION – a way of life.

Is it possible that teachers who find themselves ‘rudderless’ following this last in a long line of changes created by the state meddling in local education*, might want to find a profession less frustrating?  I wonder.

In closing, here is a thought I added to our ROPE Facebook page a few days ago about teaching.  You may not agree, and I can appreciate that, but I would hope it’s always good to see another’s perspective:

Once upon a time, when I was a teacher, in the days before high stakes testing, I managed my own classroom. That meant, I looked at the PASS standards, aligned my lesson plans to what the kids were expected to know, and I taught them the best way I knew how. I had a ton of animals in my classroom, I did as many labs as I could with limited resources, used videos, computer programs and simple note taking to impart the information I felt it was important for them to know as individuals living in the world. I didn't teach because it would be on the test, I taught because I thought it was important for them to know - the information would help them make sense of the world around them. Why we've turned the process of educating children into a game of who's spending money more accountably, instead of who's teaching kids what they need to know to be well rounded individuals who can be anything they want, I don't know, but it's frustrating to both students and teachers and is leading to education that is anything but educating. We must make high stakes testing stop. We have no choice.

*Does anyone realize that if the money for public education was provided locally for schools and not by the state, local control would take on a greater meaning and schools would finally be accountable to the community they serve – not the larger entity of the state?  Think about it; schools managed by the communities they serve under the guidelines of rules provided by parents via the school board, executed by the administration (not the state).  It sounds like a 'charter' school - with the accountability to taxpayers they don't have. THAT sounds like real school choice. Don't you think that sound like the way it was supposed to be in the first place?  I do!

Teachers, Parents Boot Barresi

There are several sayings that come to mind tonight..."When Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy", and "You can't win 'em all".  Actually, I think the latter is because of the former.  As Dr. Barresi found out, you simply can't win an election as State Superintendent of Public Instruction if you don't have the support of parents - and most of all - YOUR teachers.

My dad has been in advertising - except for a tour in the Navy after college - his whole adult life.  I remember him telling me early on, that you could get people to buy even the most repugnant stuff if you just sold it right.  Well, Dr. Barresi couldn't have sold hand warmers to Eskimos. 

Honestly, I think that's the main reason she lost; she has no real leadership abilities.  Oh, yes, she was able to tell people where to go alright, but not in a constructive way.  I remember the first meeting I had with Janet after we had helped her win the general election in 2010.  I met her at her campaign office and I said, "Now that you've been elected, we've got to stop this Common Core nonsense".  She looked right at me, cocked her head in that, "oh never fear little person, I'll handle this" kind of condescending manner and said, "Common Core is just the framework we hang curricula on - it's not that big a thing, we've always had standards."  I think I mumbled something about loss of control and federal involvement, to which she says, "I can control this.  I can control the feds". 

I remember thinking at that moment, "Oh cr*%, can I have my vote back?"  But it was too late - and it only got worse from there.  

Over her very short tenure, I've created a long list of Janet's 'missteps' (to be super charitable) in several of my blogs, so I don't need to beat that dead horse, but I think it's entirely fair game to point out that her loss wasn't just about Common Core.  Dr. Barresi's historic (according to my sources, never in Oklahoma history has an incumbent come in last in a crowded primary) loss to Joy Hofmeister was - just as I've characterized the repeal of Common Core in Oklahoma - a perfect storm.  Barresi

• had a problem telling consistent stories to everyone from teachers to parents
• appeared to have contempt for everyone from lawmakers to teachers to parents
• wasn't interested in consensus of any kind unless it was going to turn out in her favor
• made it clear regularly that it was her way or the highway
• name-called those who weren't 'on her team' - example; you were a liberal if you didn't agree with her positions
• became a Chief for Change and worked with Jeb Bush and his Foundation for Educational Excellence on many education 'reform' plans
• fought for Common Core to the bitter end
• consistent blame shifting/shaming cycle perpetuated on school administrators and teachers

So many teachers left their jobs in the four years she was in office she herself had to call a task force to study how to bring in more teachers to the Sooner state.  In fact, I remember going to the capitol one day and walking upstream to some of the task force participants leaving.  I wanted to rush up to the group of them and scream, "Until you get rid of our Super, you're not going to bring in more teachers."  Between the testing and the Common Core and the IEP silliness and all the paperwork they were being required to fill out in order to satisfy Federal and state mandates, teachers have left the profession in Oklahoma in droves.  It needn't have taken a task force to figure out why.

Hopefully politicians have learned a thing or two from this race;

Common Core + statist overlord masquerading as state superintendent = big, big primary loss

Congratulations Joy Hofmeister and Doug Cox, we look forward to continued work together not as liberals or conservatives, but educators and parents interested in improving public education for our children.

NASBE - Against HB3399 And Parental Control - What About CCOSSA? Who Are Our Friends?

The April newsletter from NASBE was sent to my by a friend who is a seated school board member.  NASBE is the National Association of State Boards of Education.  Please note the following:

SBE 911: That’s what I am calling a new issue that keeps cropping up in state after state: legislators who also want to be state board of education members. The most recent example came in Oklahoma. I wrote to Governor Mary Fallin expressing NASBE’s concern about the policy implications of HB 3399. This past weekend, the Oklahoman, which is the largest newspaper in the state, offered up this advice:

House Bill 3399, the Legislature’s effort to toss Common Core and replace it with other standards, has drawn the attention of the National Association of State Boards of Education. Although Oklahoma isn’t a part of the group, its executive director sent a letter to Gov. Mary Fallin urging her to give the bill a close look. Kristen Amundson says the state constitution specifies that supervision of public school instruction is the duty of the state Board of Education. The constitution also dictates which state officials are ex-officio members of the board, and “the members of the state Legislature are not included in this list.” Amundson says that by mandating legislative review of decisions made by the board under the Administrative Procedures Act, the Legislature has established itself as “a super board.” The Legislature plays an important role in education – approving the common ed budget is one example – but “this provision moves legislative involvement with education policy well beyond those levels.” Fallin should take Amundson’s concerns to heart.

Does this make it sound as though NASBE is for parents? (NASBE - the organization to which local school board members join and from which they must receive regular training in order to stay seated on a state school board)  I don't believe so.  In fact, I question how much they are "for" teachers as well.

NASBE doesn't want the legislature to decide Oklahoma's standards, but instead want this decision to rest on the state school board.  Maybe they should read Oklahoma statute a little more clearly.  State school board members are appointed and serve at the pleasure of the Governor of the state.  Parents have no control in this process.  Any parent who has been to a state school board meeting to speak on a topic finds it abundantly clear how little our voices matter to this body - we are only allowed 3 minutes to speak and then we're told to sit down - period.  In fact, the only way parents - or even teachers - would have a voice in the standards developmemt process would be for the legislature to approve the standards. That way, we could contact our representatives - as we have this year for HB3399 - and plead our case.  At least our representatives are accountable to us via election.

Please remember the blog I wrote recently about CCOSSA:

CCOSSA not only makes their money from membership dues paid by administrators (individually, or collectively out of the school budget?), but they also have corporate sponsorships available.

Who are these corporations?  Many of the same ones benefiting from Common Core and other national school 'reform' measures - CTB/McGraw Hill and Scholastic of course - but also a company called Barlow Education Management Services.  What do they do?  They provide schools with 'expertise' in the area of collective bargaining, teacher/leader effectiveness and federal program management.  So, schools are taking money out of the classroom to pay these consultants for issues that are sucking more money out of the classroom?

Also in the NASBE newsletter it says,

Be sure to sign up for NASBE’s next webinar on April 9. Experts will break down requirements in the new Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act, which gives all students, regardless of income, free school meals in qualifying schools and takes effect next school year.

Isn't it important to ask here - especially in this economy - where is all this FREE money coming from?  Why is NASBE supporting a government program when a community program would be far better - a program through a non-profit or a church?  How many school resources will this divert from the classroom?

Quite apparently, parents and teachers need to start looking into the groups that indicate they support schools. What do they REALLY support?  Not everything is as it appears.  Not every brand name is worth the money.  Not every major news outlet tells the truth - or even the whole story.  We must begin to critically think on MANY things we have taken for granted previously. Until we all decide to come into the light, we will all remain in the dark.

New Pro-Common Core Video Out from Expect More/Stand for Children

http://vimeo.com/88372212

Recently, a Stand for Children-affiliated organization, "Expect More Ok" has put together a rather expensive-looking PRO-COMMON CORE video called, "Teach Me".

I thought it interesting enough to post a 'rebuttle' if you will.

Look at the blackboard.  This child is doing math problems using TRADITIONAL math - NOT the PROGRESSIVE form of math prescribed by the Common Core State Standards where, 

"HOW the mathematics content is approached to engage students in doing mathematics, as articulated in the mathematical practices is as important - if not more important - the WHAT is taught".

From the book, Common Core Mathematics in a PLC at Work

The voice over says that Common Core is "common sense standards for math and English language arts - but other pictures are of a child practicing chemistry.  So now Expect More/Stand For Children are admitting Oklahoma has national (Common Core-like) science standards - which we will if they are approved.  I don't understand what this video is trying to say.

This video seems to indicate a happy classroom where teachers are teaching Traditional math.  The Kids seem to have the answers.  

That's not what's currently happening in classrooms - especially in the younger grades. An excellent example of this phenomenon is seen in this Common Core third grade reading exam where four out of seven questions have NO RIGHT ANSWER.

Many childhood educators (including those in Oklahoma) have told anyone who will listen that Common Core are NOT developmentally appropriate for kids K-5th grade.

Here are a couple of claims made in the video that are easily refuted.

Claim: Voiceover says "Common Core...raises expectations for our kids today."

FACT: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute - an Ohio think-tank that supports the Common Core State Standards, rated Oklahoma's previous standards for ELA as 

"Better organized and more clearly presented than Common Core." 

For Math, Fordham found,

"Standards are briefly stated and frequently include examples, making them easier to read and follow than Common Core." 

Additionally, Fordham found that Oklahoma's previous English/LA standards Math and Common Core's standards were rated  'too close to call' to say if Common Core was any better. 

What was wrong with the standards we had?  Our ELA and Math NAEP scores were not as horrible as Common Core proponents want us to believe.  Was it a problem with the standards or the way the state tests were graded under previous State Superintendent Sandy Garrett, who lowered the cut scores on PASS tests to try and meet NCLB's regulations?  In fact, Common Core Math standards won't even prepare kids for a STEM career.

Claim: Voiceover says, "But right now, self-serving partisan mindsets are tying our teacher's hands from preparing our kids from thinking creatively, to problem solve, to be competitive in a global economy."

FACTS: Common Core was passed into law in 2010 as one paragraph in a 34 page bill under a working title describing teacher incentive pay. The Common Core State Standards weren't even finalized for English/LA until June of that year - after session was over. 

How is there any creativity or problem solving in a classroom there there is no more than 15% of any information allowed over and above what is in the actual standards themselves?  

Teacher's hands are being tied by the implementation of Common Core.  How do we know?  We have information from over 60 Oklahoma teachers in a survey done last year who say exactly that.  Here is a video from a teacher who is quitting teaching because she isn't able to teach anymore the way she would like - and this is only one of MANY we've encountered that say the exact same thing.  Gosh, I wonder why there is a teacher shortage?

Who exactly are the PARTISANS protesting here?  Parents?  Teachers?  Kids for Pete sake?  I guess we should be glad Stand/Expect used this term and not the emotion-evoking words of the Oklahoma Chamber who called dissenters fear mongers and liars.

No wonder kids in the commercial are begging their teacher's to "Teach Me" - that can only be done when teacher's hands are UNTIED by UNRAVELING Common Core.

PTA - Friend or Foe?

For years, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) has placed themselves as the ultimate source for coordination between parents and teachers, ostensibly providing numerous ways in which to help engage parents in their child's education.  Most parents don't think twice about joining the PTA - after all, it's all about the kids.  Or is it?

Initially started as the National Congress of Mothers in 1897 in order to unite parents and educators in efforts that would promote the well being of children, the name was changed to the PTA in 1908.  In 1927, PTA began working with the International Bureau of Education and in 1946 they began membership on the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO. Though hitting a high of 12.1 million members in 1963, PTA's national membership has declined steadily since, falling to under 5 million.

Most parents join PTA to help their child's school, yet what most parents don't seem to be aware of, is PTA's association with the National Education Association.  This goes back to the 1920's when the PTA was actually headquartered in the NEA building in Chicago, Illinois.  Not merely a tenant, PTA actually had its own department within the NEA.  Though originally a professional organization run by school administrators, NEA became a union for teachers in 1960, shortly after PTA moved out and into a building of their own.

Charlene K. Haar, author of the book, "The Politics of the PTA" explains:

...in 1968, the PTA Board of Directors--not the membership--set a policy declaring that, in teacher strikes, the PTA would not oppose the teachers and the teachers’ union.  This eliminated parental support for the administration....Parents still are interested in these other issues, but local PTAs can no longer provide any support to parents who wish to challenge union positions. In fact, a few years ago at the NEA convention, NEA President Keith Geiger reminded the PTA that its locals were bound by PTA policy not to challenge the teacher union positions in collective bargaining.

PTA began collecting dues in 1901 at a rate of $.05 per person.  Today, national dues are $25.00 and per person dues to each school PTA chapter are approximately $6.00.  Schools collect a small portion of those dues.  The larger portion is sent on to state and national PTA where dues are used mainly for 'advocacy' programs - lobbying.  In addition to dues, PTA collects funds via a number of advertisers, contributors and partners.

The money that pours into the national PTA has allowed it to evolve into a political animal and arm of NEA policy rather than a parent-driven, classroom-oriented, organic, association.  Even the Oklahoma PTA website has a direct link to our NEA affiliate, the Oklahoma Education Association (OEA), indicating these two organizations are never more than a mouse click away.

This should be particularly upsetting to Christians.  Over the years, the NEA has embraced an increasingly social liberal agenda that includes such things as the NEA Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, Transgender Caucus which sponsored:

The NEA-Drag Queen Caucus (NEA-DQ) a national LGBT scholarship caucus fundraiser held in New Orleans summer 2010 for the NEA-RA...

In addition, the national PTA advocates against homeschooling and

...opposes mandatory or organized prayer or religious worship at official public school functions, whether led by a school official or student.

The National PTA also supports the Obama Administration view of education reform, including:

* Improve state longitudinal data systems and sharing of student data.
* Reject any proposal to divert public funding from public schools.

It's no surprise then to find that the National PTA (as well as the Oklahoma PTA) advocate for the Common Core State Standards to the point of advocating AGAINST those bills in the House to repeal the Standards.

Maybe the advocacy against Common Core (other than aligning with the desire of the Obama Administration to create national standards, testing and data bases) on the part of the PTA has to do with the very large grant given them by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to advocate FOR the Common Core.

In closing, it's easy to see that the national (top down) Parent Teacher Association has become like so many other iconic American starters - progressively liberal - too liberal for conservatives, and too anti-Christian world view to be palatable to Christians.

Parent Teacher Organizations are a far better choice by which to create communication and teamwork among parents and teachers.  PTO's are local associations run by parents and teachers inside individual schools (from the bottom up).  They keep the money they raise for their school and their autonomy over projects and fund raising.  Unfortunately, for Bill Gates, these are much harder to be bought off.