Teaching

Teaching in NYC is one of the most difficult and rewarding things that you will ever do. I teach seventh grade Social Studies in a under performing school at the northern tip of Manhattan. The school has 97% free lunch and is primarily made up of Dominican immigrants. My students are all bi-lingual but speak English exceptionally well. I love my students, even though I want to strangle them on some days. J I attend Fordham University, which is exceptional. You do not get to choose your university and I hear that the experiences vary widely.



The application process was pretty basic. You had to do a 5 minute lesson (keep it very simple). I did Haiku poetry. Other people did introduction to fractions using 10 M&Ms. Then you are given a scenario that the school is failing and parents want answers on how you will fix it. You discuss solutions in a group and decide on the top three solutions. Then everyone must write a letter to the parents. I found this to be the worst part because there are no word processors. Think about your organization first and then write as fast as you can, there isn’t much time. The last part is an individual interview. They are looking for people who don’t quit easily and believe that all students can learn. I hear the applications are down this year, so if you don’t stick your foot in your mouth you are in.



The Fellows program and the NYC Department of Education are Extremely disorganized. I did get paid but my husband hasn’t been paid yet (he started in December). It took them four months to get me health insurance and I am still not on direct deposit. They change their mind all the time. At the beginning of the year, they informed me that I had to teach in the workshop model twice a week and last week they decided that I didn’t have to. The Board of Ed came to visit and cared more about my bulletin boards than my teaching. It is a crazy system and you just have to not get too worked up about it. Focus on your students and you will be fine.



The summer program is very intensive and only prepares you minimally for the real experience. Then they kind of desert you. The most important determinant of your experience will be the actual school in which you teach. You do have some choice in that. Make sure that you have a supportive administration. Also, you need to realize that you will not be teaching middle-class suburban kids. Your classes will never be perfectly quiet with students raising their hands and doing all of their work. They may truly want to learn but many have such horrible things going on outside. One of my students lives in a shelter in Queens and commutes almost two hours each way. Others have parents who are drug users or just don’t give a damn. You can become a surrogate parent to them. You just have to be consistent, firm and committed. Don’t make excuses for them and demand quality work. Most will come around and the rest will at least try more. On most days, I really feel that I have found my calling. On others, I just try to regroup and attack it from a different angle. My students are learning a lot. My husband has had a similar experience. He teaches eighth grade math in Washington Heights. His students are a little rougher and older than they should be (literally and figuratively). The hardest part is realizing just how little they actually know. The system has really let them down. That is where you come in…



Just know that it is probably one of the toughest jobs you will ever do. Also, learning to teach is a process and you will not be super teacher on your first day. Though, you can do a pretty good job. Just keep working and it will all start to fall into place. My husband got an email from one of his students thanking him for being such a great teacher and for caring so much. It came on a day in which he had felt like a failure. My mentor came to watch me teach and several students shouted “You’re a great teacher Mrs. Pecunia! You don’t need a mentor”. It felt good to hear but I was also grateful to have a mentor to help me improve even more.



Understand that the job of teaching continues long after the last bell rings. Lesson planning, phone calls and grading take a couple of hours a night. You will find your free time significantly limited. The next time someone mentions all the time I get off, I swear I will smack them! The graduate coursework isn’t overly strenuous. I already have a Master in Policy Analysis and found the coursework to be a lot easier. However, it can be difficult to juggle everything. Just be organized.

Tribnet.com - News

Tribnet.com - News

So this is good!. Just how we can justify all of the job losses and outsourcing as good is just insane. Can anyone please explain to me what the heck George is thinking!

Conservative Republicans Push for Slowdown in U.S. Spending

Conservative Republicans Push for Slowdown in U.S. Spending

Thank god someone is starting to notice our huge budget deficit. Perhaps while we are at it we can talk about the hige trade deficit as well. A study yesterday revelead that the jobs that are starting to be replaced in New York pay about 30% less than the old jobs we lost in the factory shut downs and outsourcing. If this process continues over the next decase it could effectively eliminate the bulk of the "middle class" in New York.

Perhaps it is time for a change in leadership--are you listening Mr. Bush?

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

When it comes to educating our children, George W. Bush says one thing and does another. Every budget he has proposed since signing the Act has undercut the goals and implementation of the law.

Every Child Left Behind: Three Years of Unfunded Mandates
The President Has Repeatedly Broken His Promise to Provide Federal Support for Education. In the two years since the President signed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, none of his budgets have come close to meeting the level of funding authorized in the Act. The FY 2004 budget submitted by President Bush fell $9 billion short of the amount authorized for 2004 and his FY 2003 budget fell $7.2 billion short of approved funding. [Office of Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, 6/9/03; Associated Press, 2/24/03]


Federal Education Reform Taxes State and Local Governments With Unfunded Mandates. In February 2003, the bipartisan National Governors Association voted unanimously to label Bush's No Child Left Behind Act an unfunded mandate, along with special education, homeland security and Medicaid. A November 2003 survey of nearly 2,000 superintendents and principals found that 9 in 10 viewed No Child Left Behind as an unfunded mandate. States and localities have struggled to keep up with the new requirements. Between fiscal years 2002 and 2004, education spending in 35 states was unable to keep pace with increases in inflation and enrollment. [The Wallace Foundation, www.wallacefoundation.org; Education Week, 1/7/04]

Bush Failed to Provide Purchasing Power For His No Child Left Behind Act. The FY 2004 funding failure is $1.4 billion below what would be required to maintain 2003 purchasing power next year. Bush's FY 2003 budget proposal was little better, falling $7.2 billion short of funding approved for FY 2003 in the original legislation. [Office of Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, 6/9/03; National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), 2/03; CongressDaily, 2/3/03; National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), 2/5/03; New York Times, 2/5/03; Washington Post, 4/1/03]

Bush Fails To Support Children From Low-Income Families, the Centerpiece of No Child Left Behind. The President's budgets since the enactment of No Child Left Behind have repeatedly failed to fund Title I funding, the key federal mechanism for educating poor children and encouraging reform at the state and local level. The President's FY 2003 budget was $ 4.6 billion short of that authorized by his own No Child Left Behind Act. Bush's FY 2004 budget called for $6 billion less in Title I funding. The President has already admitted that his new FY2005 budget set to be released shortly will fall $7 billion short of the amount authorized, meaning that 4.6 million children nationwide will not receive the education the President promised them. [Congressional Quarterly Weekly, 12/13/02; House Appropriations Committee Minority Staff "President Bush's FY 2004 Budget, Department of Education, A Preliminary Analysis, 2/3/03; Office of Democratic Senate Leader Tom Daschle, 1/7/04; Associated Press, 1/8/04]

Bush Administration Inaccurately Claimed Budget Increases In Title I Funding. The Washington Post reported that the Education Department distributed a fact sheet that claimed "if President Bush's 2004 proposed education budget is enacted, Title I funding will have increased 41 percent since No Child Left Behind was signed into law." In fact, "when the 'No Child Left Behind' legislation was signed in January 2002, spending on the Title I education program was $10.35 billion (Bush had requested $9.06 billion). The president's proposal for 2004 is $12.35 billion, a 19 percent increase." Even this falls fall short of what Bush's program promised [Washington Post, 4/8/03; www.nclb.gov]

Bush Administration Spends Fifty Times More on Tax Cuts Than Increased Education Spending. Federal tax cuts over the past two fiscal years totaled $478 billion, while Department of Education spending increased $9.4 billion -- a ratio of more than 50 to 1. Overall spending by the Department of Education increased from $56.2 billion in FY 2002 to $60.4 billion in FY 2003 to $61.4 billion in FY 2004 (projected) leaving a total of $9.4 billion in additional spending over the past two fiscal years. During that same period the federal government handed out $186 billion in tax cuts in FY 2003 and $292 billion in FY 2004 for a total of $478 billion in lost tax revenue. [www.ctj.org; www.ed.gov]

Funding Shortfalls Undermine the Goals of No Child Left Behind
Despite A Mandate In "No Child Left Behind" To Qualify All Teachers, Bush's Budget Cut Teacher Quality Programs. Bush's FY 2004 budget proposed $3.1 billion for teacher quality programs, 7.9% ($268 million) below 2003 enacted levels. A year earlier, Bush proposed freezing teacher quality initiatives for the 2003 budget. Yet Bush's own No Child Left Behind Act called for every teacher to be have obtained a state certificate or license to teach by 2005. [House Budget Committee Minority Staff, 3/9/03; House Appropriations Committee Minority Staff "President Bush's FY 2004 Budget, Department of Education, A Preliminary Analysis, 2/3/03; House Democratic Staff of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, 2/5/02]

Important "No Child Left Behind" Programs Were Eliminated In Bush's FY 2004 Budget. Important programs for comprehensive school reform, rural education, dropout prevention, school counseling, training teachers to use technology and a program to provide resources to reduce class size were all eliminated from Bush's FY 2004 budget. Each program was part of Bush's own No Child Left Behind Act. [www.ed.gov; Office of Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, 6/9/03]

Bush Refuses to Fund Vital School Modernization Projects. In 2002, President Bush fought for the repeal of a new federal initiative to modernize America's schools and provide safe, modern places to learn for all children. His budget plan fails to include any dedicated resources to address the $127 billion backlog in school repairs. America's schools are, on average, 42 years old; nearly 25,000 public schools, almost one-third of all public school buildings, are in a serious state of disrepair. As a result, more than 15 million students learn in facilities that have substandard heating, ventilation, plumbing, and roofing systems. [National Center for Education Statistics, How Old Are America's Public Schools?, 1/99, www.nces.ed.gov; GAO Report, School Facilities, 3/00; American Institute of Architects, Good Enough for Congress?; www.e-architect.com; House Democratic Staff of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, 2/5/02]

Bush Turns His Back on Military Families In a Time of Sacrifice
Bush Cited "Obligation" to Children of Military Families. "Our men and women in service put their lives on the line to defend our freedom," Mr. Bush said. "We have a special obligation to rebuild the schools that educate their children. As president, I will ensure that this obligation is met." [New York Times, 8/22/00]

Bush's Budget Would Cut $200 Million From Impact Aid, The Program That Helps Fund Education For Children In Military Families. Bush's 2004 budget cut $200 million from Impact Aid, a program that helps military children receive a quality education. While Bush requested $1.2 billion for the entire Impact Aid program, most of that funding when to non-military groups. The military portion of Impact aid would fall in Bush's budget from $635 to $435 million. These cuts were not the only ones Bush had in store for military families. Bush's latest tax cut failed to extend a child tax credit to 200,000 low-income military families. Military housing programs were cut from $10.7 to $9.2 billion and veterans benefits were cut an astonishing $14.6 billion over ten years. [House Appropriations Committee, Minority Staff, 6/17/03, 6/16/03; Washington Post, 6/17/03]