The South Bronx blogger is a teacher in one of New York City’s poorest neighborhoods.
He is outraged that StudentsFirst issued a self-aggrandizing statement about the Connecticut massacre that ignored the heroism of the staff (whose tenure and benefits StudentsFirst tried to diminish in the last session of the legislature) and referred to 20 precious and beloved children as “assets.” SF assures the people of Connecticut that it stands ready to reform schools like Sandy Hook.
Need I say that this intrusion of self-interest is contemptible?
Thanks to SF, Connecticut will count student test scores as part of a teacher’s evaluation. The papers say that the killer had high test scores.
The evaluation will not take into account the remarkable courage and integrity, the strength and devotion, the depth of commitment, that caused so many of the teachers at the Sandy Hook school to lay down their lives for their children–not their “assets”–their children.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I sent this message to the Rheeject. I saved her lame self-promoting message as originally sent.
Could you even include one sentence to recognize the educators who died, to recognize their commitment to children, to acknowledge what teachers do everyday…the union, collective bargaining kind?
You include a self promoting statement about your mission, which is nothing more than the destruction of our PUBLIC schools. YOU, Michelle, make this about your pathetic, self promoting, back stabbing, privatizing mission.
P.S. Don’t dare record this message as a supporter of your “grassroots” scheme…we know all about your deceptive tricks.
As has been stated here, the principal at Sandy Hook school was a follower of Diane Ravitch’s Twitter account. She apparently also read this blog. On December 1st she tweeted:
Dawn Hochsprung@DHochsprung
If Arne Becomes Secretary of State, Then… wp.me/p2odLa-38q via @DianeRavitch
from The Answer Sheet at the Washington Post:
“Sandy Hook Elementary principal’s recent tweets”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2012/12/15/sandy-hook-elementary-principals-recent-tweets/
Part of what made those teachers and administrators so special was that they didn’t just care about test scores. It is their humanity that we will remember. Isn’t that what we remember about teachers who were special? Their love for their subject, and their students? Not that they taught us how to predict the best answer on a multiple choice exam.
Jersey Jazzman has a column this morning which expands on your point.
“Do We Remember Heroes For Their Test Scores?”
http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2012/12/do-we-remember-heroes-for-their-test.html
This from a teacher who used duct tape on second graders to keep them quiet, gave up custody of her own children, and married a man who by today’s standards would be called a child predator.
Shameless.
“Students First” is really “Students Last.” They are an Orwellian organization in which everything they say really means the opposite. Did you know that Michelle Rhee gave up custody of her own children? It is a fact in her divorce. Did you know that she only taught for three years and was not very good at it and at least once taped her students mouths? Another fact. How is it that after only three years of being not a very good teacher big money comes in behind her to bash teachers and praise criminal administrators? Something fishy here. Remember, the Fish Rots from the Head. Rhee crashed the finances of Washington, D.C. and they have about $29,000/student in revenue. How do you do that and also have a test cheating scandal. I am what I call a “Real Democrat.” That belief is one in which the general public is #1 not corporations and wealthy individuals who push privatization and the destruction of “Real Public Education.” In the Democratic Party you have the right wing DNC, DFER, Parent Revolution and Students First. What does what they push have to do with most people? Well, absolutely nothing. Actually, they should be in the Republican Party and be Tea Partiers.
Michelle Rhee and her kind need to get out of the way.
They have no understanding, empathy, and gratitude for the difficult work that teachers do every day.
She, especially, is hollow-hearted. Her facebook statement is disingenuous and downright disgusting.
However, it matches her personality exactly. Hollow hearted, manipulative and maybe a sociopath.
Contemptible is the perfect way to describe SF’s actions. An organization portending to have children’s best interests at heart shows its true colors!
You just makes sense. The shooter had high test scores…I can’t think of one teacher who would keep any bonus received based on his academic success. It’s time to focus on social and emotional literacy of students of all ages in addition to test scores.