December 3, 2012 8:28 am
A tweet from Arthur Goldstein, NYC teacher:
Meet Ms. Cook, 2012 teacher of the year, rated unsatisfactory due to VAM scores.
Tweet by Arthur Goldstein @TeacherArthurG
http://on.fb.me/Uk2xkc
Posted by dianeravitch
Categories: Teacher Evaluations
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My Congratulations to Mrs. Cook. Please hold your head up high! The VAM is just DISTURBINGLY WRONG!!!!
Marge
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By Marge Borchert on December 3, 2012 at 8:36 am
There is something wrong with a system when a community of students knows a teacher is outstanding but VAM twists the logic.
I happen to know another Teacher of the Year in a different school district, who is leaving education this year, years before being eligible for retirement. Basically, he’s done with having others micromanage him!
Arne Duncan, President Obama, is this reform?
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By WordsMatter on December 3, 2012 at 8:50 am
I have said it before and I will say it again. There needs to be a revolution on education in this country. People can complain and blog on here all we want, but until we are all brave enough to stand up and say “Enough is enough”, then nothing is going to change.
I hope someone sends this information to Bloomberg, Cuomo, and King, so they can see how flawed this system this. I don’t think they will be able to justify how a teacher of the year was rated “unsatisfactory” by the VAM… Hang in there Ms. Cook!
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By Andy on December 3, 2012 at 9:49 am
They don’t care. They are looking toward the money and donors. Who cares about some lowly teacher. What can she do for them? If she loses her job-so what.
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By DeeDee on December 3, 2012 at 5:35 pm
Thanks WordsMatter, Ms Cook is quick to blame the Florida GOP- But the idea originated with Barrack Obama. I won’t attempt to validate what Tally did, they saw a handful of Obama Dollars and acted like 4 year old in a grocery store candy aisle, but Tally did what Obama wanted..
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By grumpyelder on December 3, 2012 at 9:56 am
Why don’t we simply evaluate teachers using the criteria that is used to choose the teacher of the year?
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By teachingeconomist on December 3, 2012 at 10:16 am
Well, it looks as if VAM is working as designed.
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By Michael Fiorillo on December 3, 2012 at 10:56 am
Exactly. Enough said.
Revolution anyone?
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By henrychale on December 3, 2012 at 11:27 am
Well said, Michael. I’m in, Henry.
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By lohvfl on December 3, 2012 at 1:35 pm
I’m ready!
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?v=CzCjGgrewYY
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By Lehrer on December 9, 2012 at 8:15 pm
It seems like there is a war against superb teachers.
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By Barry Rapoport on December 3, 2012 at 11:59 am
Being named “teacher of the year” is the first step to being terminated.
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By susannunes on December 3, 2012 at 12:04 pm
This just makes me sick. See the special series on Rochester, NY’s series on helping city youth and the most recent installments that show black city boys (and they are just boys) have a 3 C FUTURE: Classroom, Cell or Cemetery. And, the Schott Foundation study that shows (hold on to your hats) only about 9 percent of high school students graduate in our fair city. Value Added? ‘Nuff said.
Nick Clark
Info Science & Learning Technologies teacher
Rochester City School District
Rochester, New York
Producer/Host
That Really Neat Radio Show
http://trnradioshow.podbean.com
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By Nick Clark on December 3, 2012 at 12:10 pm
Typical of this Orwellian sick world we live in. This is counter intuitive at the top of the scale. Wouldn’t it be fun to see the methodology they used on this one? Did she rock someones boat? Is this one of their methods to get rid of her because she has made waves or is too successful and make them look bad?
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By George Buzzetti on December 3, 2012 at 12:54 pm
A friend who is a fifth-grade teacher just told me this horrific story: In her school, there was a kindergarten teacher, nearing retirement, who had for years been the most-requested kindergarten teacher in this school that services several planned communities (where everyone knows everyone and teacher reputations matter). This teacher was given an unsatisfactory rating. She went to her principal and completely broke down, sobbing and crying. She was still crying when she left the school. That night, she had a heart attack in her sleep and died.
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By Robert D. Shepherd on December 3, 2012 at 1:21 pm
They don’t care about teachers. This is all about money and politics.
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By DeeDee on December 3, 2012 at 5:37 pm
Oh my gosh…that is horrible. God bless her and rest her soul. Does anyone even care? Sick evil despicable people!
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By Linda on December 3, 2012 at 5:55 pm
Well, I’ll be in good company when my time comes, as I am sure it will. Not that I don’t think I am a good teacher, but because no teacher can keep jumping through all these hoops and maintain his/her sanity. I do not think there will be any experienced teachers left in the profession in a few years.
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By Lehrer on December 3, 2012 at 7:28 pm
Sad and true, but I wonder if that is what they want…a constant churn of newbies who will never stay long enough to cost too much: salaries, pension, family insurance, etc.
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By Linda on December 3, 2012 at 7:32 pm
That’s the goal. Replace ‘highly’ paid teachers with young, inexperienced TFA’s making less. There is no reason to major in education and/or work on degrees higher than bachelor’s since they are leveling salaries. Pathetic.
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By Deirdre on December 4, 2012 at 12:31 am
Should teachers major in the subjects that teach? Almost all art and music teachers were undergraduate art and music majors, few math teachers majored in mathamatics. Many would argue that we should have teachers that major in content areas, not education.
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By teachingeconomist on December 4, 2012 at 1:27 am
So what are Elementary Education teachers supposed to major in? They teach multiple subjects. OF COURSE all teachers should study educational psychology, the developmental stages of school age children, human growth and development, the relationship between the brain and behavior, education history, theory and practices, methodology, statistics and measurement, etc. Not everyone teaches high school..
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By Deborah Hohn Tonguis on December 4, 2012 at 6:55 pm
I was talking about high school teachers. I should have made that clear.
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By teachingeconomist on December 4, 2012 at 7:19 pm
It is terrible when talented teachers are not recognized, worse if they are actually fired. Michelle Apperson, “Teacher of the Year” for the Sacramento, lost her job in recents layoffs. Megan Sampson was named outstanding first-year teacher by the Wisconsin Council of Teachers of English but also lost her job. We need strong teachers, even if they are young.
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By Teaching Economist on December 3, 2012 at 10:05 pm
And most likely TFA temp scabs stepped right in and they are now “closing the gap” due to their elite status.
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By Linda on December 3, 2012 at 10:07 pm