TeacherKen reports that the Badass Teachers Association has enrolled more than 20,000 members in only two weeks.
It has a new website, so you can join without going to Facebook. TeacherKen has the link. That’s great news for those of us who are not on FB.
Keep it going.
You don’t have to be a teacher to join. You have to be mad as hell at the mess the corporations, the foundations, and the federal government have made of education and what they are doing to our kids.
We can take back our schools and our profession.
Yes, we can.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
…and mad at our own NEA , apparently they’re requesting their members fund Common Core?? Unconscionable.
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Source for the NEA request?? Please!
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From NEA members attending conference this week:
‘m here in Atlanta for the NEA RA, from Oregon, and wonder how many of you have read about the new special assessment ($3 per member) that NEA leadership wants us to pass? It’s NOT for fighting the loss of collective bargaining rights. It’s NOT for fighting against test scores being used in teacher’s evaluations. Nope. It’s for “Key education profession levers that can serve as fundamental change catalysts in educators’ career practice, and the role of the union/educators in leadership.” And what is the example cited? “”such as successful implementation of the Common Core State Standards”! They are asking for us to raise $6 million from our members… to help them implement standards that they may or may not support and certainly shouldn’t need $6 million to implement! For goodness sakes, standards are nothing new (been around for decades) and are nothing proven to effect student achievement – at all!!! I’m disgusted and fired up to defeat this!
Andrew Murphy, Michelle Pfeffer Enser,Michelle Strater Gunderson,Chris Cerrone,Tara Molloy-Grocki,Michael
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Thanks for the info!
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…and this is why I refused to join this past school year. NEA has a section on its website: “Why the Common Core is Good for Students.” My fellow bloggers, please read this for yourselves. The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) also has a section entitled What NCAE would like you to know about the CCSS: Top 10 CC facts. There has been much discussion about #9 because teachers are being told how to teach. Please visit http://www.ncae.org and read this for yourselves. There is no way I am sending money to NEA to successfully implement the CCSS. NEA members, WAKE UP!
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I just read this! DVR is CRAZY! How much $$$$$ if he making to do this? I am shocked!
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I really hope this will be read and spread! Please tell me what has happened to our union leadership. Have they sold their souls in the name of education reform?
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TeacherKen,
If I am not mistaken (disregard this if I am wrong), I thought you had indicated that you have a “Quaker” belief system. If so, how does that comport with a “badass” attitude?
Duane
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See: Susan B. Anthony.
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: )
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Also see Bayard Rustin, Jane Addams, Lucretia Mott, and Honey Knopp.
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Gandhi kicked some ass, if I recall.
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Thank you, teacherken, for putting some Sprinkles on our professions. 😉
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And please, if you haven’t signed this yet, let’s add more signatures. 1500 is far FAR too few! https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/remove-arne-duncan-secretary-education-and-replace-him-lifetime-educator/Nwqh4FWW
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crunchy–I believe that the reason there are so few signatures is that signing petitions on the White House petition site is a pain in the butt–aside from the fact that the White House (aka POTUS) could care less what we think or say. I have signed Robert Valiant’s
“Dump Duncan” petition a looong time ago.I have signed the Resolution to End High Stakes Testing, and have also signed for several organizations to which I belong (after board approval & membership vote–I was the one appointed to actually sign the petition, as I was the one who brought it up!)
Last week–as asked–I called the White House to request that POTUS replace Arne Duncan. I’m sure MANY people who also did not sign the White House petition did those two things. I have signed MANY petitions
but–sorry to be repetitive–will not sign a White House petition.
(I also will not sign any more Change.org petitions–I STILL don’t trust them after their Students First scam!)
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If you want people to join put in large type on the front page “To Join.” You have to make it easy. It has to be on the front page. We are with you. Just do not let yourselves be bought off as is the custom now.
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TeacherKen, I read one of your comments yesterday about starting a vocational charter in Arkansas. I have to say it is probably a good idea. The charters I have seen are often “preparatory” yet have a student body that is nowhere near college ready. I’ve seen many students who desperately were in need of learning a trade or something. I would see students and think, “What on earth is this poor soul going to do when they graduate high school?”
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