ABCFT - Week in Review - November 1, 2018
 |
In case you’ve missed previous Weeks in Review, you can find all of them here: ABCTeachernews To find previous editions, just click on “Blog Archive” which is the menu on the right and click on the specific week.
(ABC Federation of Teachers)
In Unity
ABC Federation of Teachers
For confidential emails - use your non-work email to write us at:
|
SAVE THE DATE - For a Debt Clinic
Tuesday December 4th at the Union Hall 3:30-5:00 p.m.
Got Student Debt? Want to apply for Loan Forgiveness? CFT and AFT are holding a student debt clinic. You’ll learn how to qualify for Loan Forgiveness, how to make your payments manageable, and how we can work together to address the student debt crisis in California. Register now - space is limited .
If Navient is your student loan servicer but you can’t attend the training, please take a moment and fill out this short survey. AFT is exploring legal action on behalf of AFT members who have student debt serviced by Navient. If this may apply t o you, please take this short survey:https://www.
WEAR A UNION BLUE SHIRT DAY NEXT THURSDAY!
Next Thursday (November 8th), we hope you will wear YOUnion blue to show solidarity and your support for public education.
Each month your elected ABCFT Site Representatives wear their union blue shirts and attend a monthly Representative Council meeting at Haskell Middle School. ABCFT would like to begin to spread this tradition of wearing union blue on rep days to the general membership. Each month we will send out a reminder of when to wear your union blue along with the agenda for the ABCFT Rep Council meeting. So what that means is that early next week you will see a reminder about the date of when to wear union blue and the agenda for the November 8th meeting.
YOUnion!!
MEET A MEMBER
Here you will have an opportunity to meet fellow ABCFT union members from across the district. So often, we work within our own bubble be it in our grade level, work site, or program so now you’ll get a chance to learn more about other hard working educators that make ABC a nationally recognized district as well as ABCFT known as a strong and innovative union.
Meet Connie Nam in her 24th year as an upper grade teacher at Carver Elementary.
If you could give ”first year teacher you” advice what would it be?
Track what your students are gaining and able to produce on their own. The focus on formative assessment and self reflection is a powerful way of encouraging growth. You don’t have to be fancy, but focus on repeated practice and built in redundancy to drive in the learning.
Why did you get involved in the Union?
My union helped me find my voice and opened my eyes to what was happening with my school and with our district. It has empowered me to get more involved. I feel that the union is the backbone of my career as a teacher. Without the protections afforded by my union, without the benefits that my union negotiates for me, I don’t think I would stay in teaching.
Describe a day in the life of being a Rep at your site.
Although I am not a Rep, when there are issue to resolve, I feel empowered to urge my union Rep to action and to organize the staff to get things done. Last year, Connie was a part of the inaugural Teacher Leaders Program at ABCFT. Along with 14 other educators from across the district, Connie learned about the inner workings of the union, statewide educational issues, understanding the contract as well as conducting action research to create policy change. Many of our TLP’s have become more involved in the union.
What is your favorite movie/show, song, or book?
Favorite movie is “Babette’s Feast”.
Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter...MySpace?
I have a twitter account that I need to update. Thinking most people with a social media account could say the same.
What do you do for fun?
I like to read newspapers and the opinion sections.
Do you have a bucket list?
I’d like to see Machu Picchu. I’d like to visit Europe with my family. I want to lose weight and keep it off.
If you could have a superpower what would it be?
I’d like to be invisible. Are you curious as to how she will use that super power too?
Thank you Conniel for sharing your story with the ABCFT community. If you’d like to be featured in the Meet a Member Click this link here.
This Saturday
Join us in Support of Measure BB:
TEACHERS AND MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS COME OUT FOR THE LAST PUSH FOR MEASURE BB ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 3RD FROM 10-1PM. FOOD AND DRINKS WILL BE PROVIDED.
13737 Artesia Blvd. Suite 108 Cerritos 90703
Hashtags #yesonbb #yesonmeasurebb #artesia #cerritos #hawaiiangardens #lakewood #longbeach #norwalk
Facebook @ Yesonmeasurebb2018
RESEARCH FOR YOUR CLASSROOMS
Sharemylesson.com is a FREE website for teachers to share and distribute lesson plans. There are no fees and if you would like to share your content there are opportunities to grow your own learning community in you grade level or subject area. Simply log into https://sharemylesson.com/
ANTI-SEMITISM AND ADDRESSING HATE
Our hearts break for the families impacted by the tragic shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. These senseless acts of anti-semitism, hate, racism, and bigotry happen way too often in the United States. In its annual 2017 audit of anti-semitic incidents in the United States, the Anti-Defamation League found that 2017 was a record year of anti-semitic incidents in the United States, rising 57 percent. 2017 was "the largest single-year increase on record and the second highest number reported since ADL started tracking such data in 1979."
We know that your students will have questions about this incident, and that you will be looking for resources to support and discuss this tragedy. This collection has resources on the rise of anti-semitism and addressing racism, with additional collections on helping children cope with traumatic events, gun violence, mental health and why remembering and teaching about the Holocaust is imperative.
______________________________
KEEPING YOU INFORMED - repeat
When to bring a union representative
You have the right to have a union representative at any meeting or investigatory interview with a supervisor or administrator that you reasonably believe might lead to discipline. These are called your Weingarten Rights, named after a 1975 U.S. Supreme Court decision. Your supervisor does not have to notify you of your right to union representation — you must assert your Weingarten Rights. This applies to everyone who works in a unionized child care center, school, college or university, whether public or private.
To assert your Weingarten Rights, say:
“If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined, terminated, or could affect my personal working conditions, I respectfully request that my union representative be present.”
> If you have a problem on the job or you see a violation of your union contract, contact your site representative or local grievance officer. If you think you have a legal problem, contact ABCFT at Ext. 21500 or ABCFT@ABCUSD.us or ABCFT2317@gmail.com immediately.
Each week I work with unit members in representations, contract resolutions, email/text/phone call questions, site concerns, site visits, presentations, state/national representations and mediations. Here are some of the highlights of interest.
Well, we all survived Halloween mid-week and I again want to thank all of those of you that sent in your pictures. We had a great time looking at them and it was fun to share them with everyone in the district. It’s great to see everyone enjoying themselves during this busy time of the year.
Last week was the annual West Coast Institute and PAL Retreat and we will have a special email out to recap those days sometime next week. We are still gathering pictures, powerpoints, handouts, and agendas to share with everyone so that you get a good idea about the information that was shared at this years event.
Past ABCFT President Laura Rico and past ABC Superintendent Dr. Ron Barnes started the tradition of having a book that tied into the theme for the conference and this year was no exception. Here is a small summary of what you can expect from this excellent book.
The young brain is different and highly influenced by environment; therefore, student success is not by chance, but by design. Julie Adams, PJ Caposey, and Rosa Isiah share the neuroscientific recipe to design a powerful educational system that supports our Student/Parent/Staff Maslow and Bloom needs that increases our capacity for greatness. Are you ready to be #FULLYCHARGED?
Now that ABCFT has completed our yearly conference, Tanya Golden and I now trying to visit as many schools as possible over the next month. As we visit staffs across the district we get to hear your thoughts and concerns and we get to report on some of the latest event that are happening. Next week we will be addressing some of the rumors or new changes we are hearing on the horizon such as safety cameras, IDs for all employees, online classrooms, and hopefully the next steps after the passing of Measure BB.
A special thanks to Cerritos Elementary and Stowers Elementary teachers/nurse/staff welcomed us to their campus to discuss hot topics and union updates. We always appreciate the time you take to speak with us as we learn about the things we can work on to help support your work in the classroom. We look forward to visiting more schools next week. Have a great weekend!
In Unity,
Ray Gaer
President, ABCFT
CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
Click the Educators Choice picture to go to the CFT Voter Guide
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
10/30/2018
AFT members defend democracy in Georgia: ‘Everyone should have the opportunity to vote’
Sharon DeSilva is terrified of flying. But she is boarding a plane this week to travel from New York to Georgia, to protect citizens’ constitutional right to cast a ballot in this year’s election. “Martin Luther King Jr. died fighting for our rights,” she says. “When I think of someone like him, I can definitely overcome my fear in order to help make a change in this world.”
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten
----- NATIONAL NEWS -----
SAT now most widely-used admission test
The SAT has overtaken the ACT as the nation’s most widely-used college admission test, according to fresh data, with almost 2m U.S. students in 2018 taking the SAT, compared with 1.91m taking the ACT. Increased delivery of the SAT on school days has helped fuel the switch - the ACT had been the more popular route since 2012.
Math test scores a 'red flag'
Just 49% of students who took the SAT college admission test this year received a math score indicating that they had a strong chance of earning at least a C in a college-level math class - the lowest performance level in 14 years. Math readiness among some groups was far lower than the average, data revealed, 23% for African Americans and 33% for Latino students. Marten Roorda, chief executive of Iowa-based nonprofit ACT, said the negative trend in math readiness is a "red flag" for the country: “It is vital that we turn this trend around for the next generation and make sure students are learning the math skills they need for success in college and career,” he added. As a comparison, 70% of SAT-takers reached a similar benchmark in reading and writing.
Schools stand on 'frontline' against hate speech
Jessica Campisi examines how educators are determining their roles in approaching anti-Semitism and hate speech. Noting that some districts suggest culturally responsive teacher training and a diversifying curriculum, while others claim simpler anti-bias education will give students the foundation to have difficult but important conversations, she cites a 2017 audit from the Anti-Defamation League which claimed that schools had surpassed public places as the spots with the most anti-Semitic incidents. Ari Bloomekatz, managing editor of Rethinking Schools, a nonprofit that works on anti-racist and social justice education, said: “Our educators, our parents, our teachers, our principals are on the front lines of this fight."
Rising number of ELLs in U.S. schools
About 9.5% of public school students were English language learners (ELLs) in 2015, according to figures from the U.S. Department of Education and the Pew Research Center, around 4.8m students nationwide. Spanish is by far the most common language spoken at home by ELLs, with around 77% of students mainly speaking Spanish at home, Arabic is second, Chinese third and Vietnamese fourth. The state with the highest number of ELL students is California, which is followed by Texas and Nevada.
----- STATE NEWS -----
Tony Thurmond named lawmaker of the year by California school counselors
The California Association of School Counselors, or CASC, named Assemblymember Tony Thurmond its annual Lawmaker of the Year for his advocacy in education. Since becoming a state legislator in 2014, Mr Thurmond - a former social worker - has reallocated millions of dollars of funding from prisons to schools to prevent children from entering the criminal justice system, according to his website. CASC Executive Director Dr. Loretta Whitson said: “It’s his advocacy for children that do not have a voice in California. He’s introduced legislation having to do with foster care youth, LGBTQ, the youth that (have) been disenfranchised in this system - he has championed them for as long as he’s been a state legislator.”
California schools race sets record for most expensive
California is again recording the most expensive state superintendent election in history, with teacher unions being outspent by the wealthy backers of a former charter schools executive. This year’s election for the California State Superintendent of Instruction office is being contested by Marshall Tuck, who previously led the nonprofit Partnership for Los Angeles Schools and the charter network Green Dot Public Schools, and union-backed state Assemblyman Tony Thurmond. While the latter has raised around $12m in independent expenditures, two-thirds of which was contributed by the California Teachers Association, the former has benefited from over $32m, from individuals including Bill Bloomfield, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, and various heirs to the Walmart fortune. CTA president Eric Heins said the union wants to see Thurmond in office because he'll continue to implement the education reforms al ready in place. Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a political analyst and University of Southern California professor, said the support for Tuck is a “show of force” from charter school advocates: “"It prevents them from being totally steamrolled by the teachers union. The message is 'You need to listen to us too," she said.
School-shooting survivors profiled
Jared Soule and Amelia Schonbek interview survivors of school shootings on their experiences. Speaking about the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shootings in Parkland, Florida, Anthony Borges, who was shot aged 15 after barricading a door to a classroom to protect other students, saving as many as 20 lives, says: "I’m doing homeschooling now. I’m not sure when I’ll go back to school. I don’t want to; I don’t feel safe." Speaking about the Santa Fe High School shootings in Texas, Sarah Salazar, who was shot aged 16 by a classmate, says: "The shooting definitely will shape my life." Speaking about the Sal Castro Middle School shooting in Los Angeles, teacher Sherry Zelsdorf, injured when a 12-year-old student came to school with a handgun, says: "I remember kids were afraid to sit in certain seating arrangements. So it was really stressful: How do I put the classroom back together so it doesn’t look the way it was? I came back to work on the 14th of February. The same day as the shooting in Florida."
School officials clash with students over voter education efforts
Students and youth advocates working on an ambitious civic engagement and voter registration effort in schools across California’s Central Valley this year have faced resistance from some school administrators as they’ve tried to get into classrooms to do voter education presentations. Statewide group Power California, formed from the merger of Yvote and Get Out The Immigrant Vote, and NextGen Rising, work to mobilize young people from all backgrounds to vote, and become involved in civic affairs. However, some teachers and administrators see their efforts to be included in classes on government as potentially crossing the line from voter education into partisan advocacy. EdSource’s David Washburn says the debates reflect indecision as to what voter education should consist of: in-class discussions led by teachers, or allowing outside groups to staff registration tables while de lving into issues such as voter suppression.
California PTA launches arts education campaign
The California Parent Teacher Association and Create CA coalition have launched a new campaign to boost arts education in the state, amid reports that 88% of California schools are not providing sufficient creative activity on their curricula. California PTA President Dianna MacDonald said the group was “extremely proud” to back the “important arts equity movement,” which aims to rally parents, teachers and community to call for a “comprehensive, sequential" arts curriculum for K-12 students.
----- DISTRICTS -----
Teachers union rejects new LAUSD offer
The latest contract offer by Los Angeles USD has been rejected by United Teachers Los Angeles, continuing a stalemate that could lead to the first strike by teachers in the nation’s second-largest school district since 1989. The latest offer included a 6% pay raise, as well as pledges to address class sizes. UTLA described it as “insulting,” claiming it will do nothing to improve the district’s schools. Union officials also said the offer fails to address demands such as hiring of more nurses, counselors and librarians; reductions in standardized testing; and accountability measures for charter schools.
Oakland USD proposes to cut central office jobs
Oakland USD has proposed a $16.5m cost-cutting plan that would eliminate at least 53 jobs – far below the 300 that was originally anticipated. The job cuts would save $7m in the district’s central office. An additional $3m could be saved by cutting staff and other costs from the district’s 86 schools. The school-based cuts could include teacher jobs. The district is looking for up to $30m in cuts for the 2019-20 school year to avoid a budget deficit in the future. A committee expects to make more detailed recommendations to the board next month after a district-wide effort to get community feedback on the proposal. The board expects to vote on recommended cuts next February, in time to send out layoff notices in March.
----- CLASSROOM -----
How losing a teacher midyear can affect students
A trio of new studies focusing on schools in North Carolina document the impact on students who see their teachers leave a classroom in the middle of the school year, suggesting that teacher turnover significantly disrupts the continuity of a child’s learning experiences. Gary Henry of Vanderbilt and Christopher Redding of the University of Florida have written three papers, two published earlier this year and one to come in the next few months, showing that elementary and middle school students’ test scores in math and English drop when teachers leave in the middle of the school year, with the decline in math scores almost as large as the difference in performance between an average teacher and an excellent one. Impacts were smaller in English, but also consistently negative. The studies argue that policymakers ought to make extensive efforts to avoid midyear teacher turnover when possible, including making information from teacher evaluation systems available before the school year gets underway.
----- WORKFORCE ----
Teachers' voices...
The New York Times canvasses educators on whether "this generation is misunderstood". Michelle Rooks, an English teacher in Wyoming, says: "School is much harder now than when we were there. Critical thinking is much harder than memorizing facts," while Gini Wozny, an English teacher in Eureka, California, says: "When talking about gender and sexuality, this generation is light-years ahead of us all. They don’t fear “the other” when it comes to race or religion. They also easily accept that mental health issues exist and are common." Shanna Coulter, an art teacher in Canton, Ga, says: "They come from 50% divorced families, multiple home scenarios, parents who have struggled through recession, immigrated, are jailed, absent, both working, drugged, distracted by their own screens, or stressed. Their celebrities and political and religious leaders fall before them, and they observe the environment warming, drying and smoldering. Yet they are still hopeful and full of passion and drive to create a stronger world, albeit in their own way, with their screens on."
----- HEALTH & WELLBEING -----
Trump election ‘traumatized’ college students
According to a new study by researchers at San Francisco State University, University of California, San Francisco and Arizona State University, published in the Journal of American College Health, President Trump's election in 2016 was psychologically traumatic for one in four college students surveyed - who experienced clinically significant short term event-related distress. Lindsay Till Hoyt, an assistant professor of psychology at Fordham University, said: "I think so much of the social media and news about the election really felt personal and aimed at specific groups like Mexican Americans and women." One-fourth of participants in the study showed clinically significant avoidance and intrusion symptoms in response to the election.
----- HIGHER EDUCATION -----
U.S. dominates best global universities rankings
U.S. News & World Report has published its 2019 Best Global Universities rankings, providing the most comprehensive assessment of research universities. Anita Narayan, managing editor of Education at U.S. News, said: "Higher education continues to be more global, meaning that prospective students are looking beyond universities in their country when thinking about where to enrol." With 227 schools ranked, the U.S. has the most institutions on the overall list of 1,250 schools and the U.S. dominates the top ten, with Harvard University in first place, Massachusetts Institute of Technology second,Stanford University third, University of California - Berkeley fourth,California Institute of Technology sixth, Columbia University eighth, Princeton University ninth and University of Washington in tenth place.
----- OTHER -----
School buses 70 times safer than cars
After National Bus Safety Week was observed this month, research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration underlines that school buses are 70 times safer for students than cars as a means of transportation. California Highway Patrol records show no passenger fatalities on a state school bus since 1995, with CHP officer Jake Sanchez explaining that school buses are the most regulates road vehicles and are specially designed to maximize passenger safety.
No comments:
Post a Comment