The General Assembly in North Carolina has members with nothing to do except harass teachers and attack public schools. The Republicans who control the legislature should be a national laughing stock. This is the same legislature that rushed through the state budget without allowing time for debate or discussion.
In the latest idiotic move, Rep. Justin Burr proposed legislation that would require teachers to compile careful records about which movies they show in class and report to the Legislature.
“House Bill 1079 would require all North Carolina school districts and charter schools to report to the state which movies were shown during instructional time this school year from November through January and from April through June. Schools would also be required to say when the movies were shown, the amount of time they were shown and the instructional purpose for viewing them.
“Monthly totals would also be required on the number and percentage of classrooms viewing a movie and the number and percentage of instructional hours spent viewing movies. The bill would provide the state Department of Public Instruction with $100,000 to compile the information and present it to state lawmakers by Nov. 15.”
Teachers were of course insulted.
But there was a bright side. Rep. Burr lost his primary last month.
“John DeVille, a social studies teacher at Franklin High School in Macon County, noted in a tweet that Burr lost his re-election bid in the Republican primary in May.
“The NC teacher corps is pleased with your newfound interest in quality instructional time as you prepare to clean out your desk,” DeVille tweeted to Burr on Saturday. “If you have a moment to file a slightly more constructive bill, we would appreciate one which cut required time to facilitate state-mandated testing cut in half AND one which would restore school year and testing calendar flexibility to the LEAs.”
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/latest-news/article212485969.html#storylink=cpy
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Why stop there? Why not station an armed, uniformed guard in every classroom, as the East Germans, Soviets, and Nazis did to make sure what students “learn” is acceptable to the regime? And put CCTV cameras in the classrooms and teachers’ workrooms and lunchrooms as well. Can’t be too secure, can we?
LikeLike
Do they take their lead from Congressional Republicans or the other way around?
>
LikeLike
Stupid and corrupt people are in charge.
LikeLike
Oh my goodness! Stop the madness and let teachers—teach! Unbelievable. Stop treating teachers like they need babysitting. We are educated professionals.
LikeLike
I do not understand the ruckus. The public school system in North Carolina, is a public enterprise. The public pays the costs, through a combination of state and municipal taxes, with the feds kicking in about 10%. The state legislature sets up the school systems, under the mandate in their state constitution.
Here is the excerpt from the NC state constitution: (Article IX, Sec 5)
Sec. 5. Powers and duties of Board.
The State Board of Education shall supervise and administer the free public school system and the educational funds provided for its support, except the funds mentioned in Section 7 of this Article, and shall make all needed rules and regulations in relation thereto, subject to laws enacted by the General Assembly.
The constitution of the state of North Carolina clearly mandates that the STATE board of education shall supervise and administer the free public school system.
Pursuant to that mandate, it is not only legal, but necessary that the STATE shall monitor and control the content of the instructional material (including films, and video,etc) that is being presented to the students.
He who pays the piper, calls the tune.
Again, what is the ruckus? Why are the school teachers in N.C, which are paid by and controlled by the state board of education, upset about this proposal?
Public school advocates love to wrap up their support in the “democratic” nature of public schools, and how the “people” hold them accountable.
Is not this proposal, exactly that?
LikeLike
So the state legislature should tell surgeons at public hospitals how to operate?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your analogy is false and pejorative. If the state runs the hospital, then the state is entitled to reasonable control over the hospital. Would you like to see another “Tuskeegee study”, where men were deliberately not treated for syphilis? The state has the responsibility to control its own operations.
https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm
LikeLike
You do hate the government, don’t you, Charles.
LikeLike
I do not hate government. I hate some (not all) government policies, when they are wrong. I hate a government that permits human slavery. I hate a government that practices the systematic slaughter of its native population. I hate a government that throws innocent American citizens of Japanese descent into concentration camps. I hate a government that ruined careers and reputations, solely because people associated with alleged communists. I hate a government that cannot protect its own citizens from opioids.
I hate a government that has destroyed the black family, where now ~78% of all black children are born to unmarried females. I hate a government that has more black men in prison than in college.
I hate a government that sat on its hands for years, while AIDS ravaged the nation, as long as it was only killing “queers”.
I hate a Turkish government that drove the Armenian nation into the desert and slaughtered 1.5 million people.
I hate a Nazi government that brought the world to war, and slaughtered millions in the Holocaust. I hate a communist government that set up a Gulag.
There is not enough hate in me, for the evils that governments, including my own, have done, since we first came out of the trees.
I do not buy this “My country right or wrong” nonsense. It is a prescription for disaster.
I do not hate, but I cannot understand, people who naively entrust their government to rule every aspect of their lives.
“Government is like fire, a dangerous servant, and a terrible master” – George Washington.
LikeLike
How is my analogy false? The state does control a public hospital (hint: that’s the definition of “public”). So should the state have direct control over medical decisions, yes or no? Simple question.
LikeLike
Diane – Ironic, innit? Charles is a self-professed gubmint worker. I guess that’s the definition of self-hating, no?
LikeLike
I am NOT a federal civil-service employee. I am a professional telecommunications engineer, working on military projects. I perform unclassified analysis of communications and computer systems. I am damn proud of my work. The people of the USA have set up a “common defense” through their constitution. It is much more cost-effective, to have this type of work done by private contractors, than by civil service employees, or uniform military personnel.
When an enterprise is controlled by the public, like a hospital, the management, whether private sector or government, is the “boss”. The “buck stops” with management.
So the answer to your question posed at 3:23 on 7 June, is a definite “YES”. The state legislature, which pays for, supervises, and runs a public hospital, should and must, oversee the operations of the hospital, and direct the operations.
Can I be more clear, than that?
LikeLike
Ludicrous comparison: refusing to treat men for syphilis vs showing too many/ wrong kind of movies in class.
LikeLike
@Bethree: Is it really? The state of North Carolina, set up the public schools, pay for the public schools, and are charged under the (NC) constitution, with directing the public schools. See
Q The State Board of Education shall supervise and administer the free public school system END Q
The state is now proposing monitoring the films and videos that are being shown in the schools that are set up, run, and paid for by the state. This seems to me, to be not only reasonable, but required under the “shall supervise and administer” language in the state constitution.
The comparison to a state-run hospital is quite appropriate. If the state sets up, runs, and pays for a hospital, is not the state then empowered to supervise the hospital and tell the hospital how to operate? Should a state-run hospital just take the money, and do as they wish, with no oversight? This kind of limitless autonomy, could lead to another “Tuskeegee Study”, or other such abomination.
LikeLike
Charles: “The state is now proposing monitoring the films and videos that are being shown in the schools that are set up, run, and paid for by the state. This seems to me, to be not only reasonable, but required under the “shall supervise and administer” language in the state constitution.”
I totally disagree with you. Legislators who are extremely out of touch with reality will propose anything. They are not qualified to determine what is done inside any classroom. It is up to the people of N. Carolina to get fed up with this nonsense and vote in some decent people.
Apparently it’s okay that teachers don’t get decent salaries, that textbooks are ripped and torn from old age and that schools are crumbling. This doesn’t bother them and they focus on ‘movies in the classroom’. Most of the movies that would be shown probably aren’t ones they have seen…BUT, they’ll be qualified to judge whether or not they’re appropriate.
What are their plans if a teacher shows something they deem ‘inappropriate’? What are their guidelines, or do they use the same ‘great intuition’ that our Orange IDIOT uses to pick someone like Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education?
LikeLike
@Carolmalaysia: As we say here at the Pentagon, I am not “tracking” you. You say
Q Legislators who are extremely out of touch with reality will propose anything. They are not qualified to determine what is done inside any classroom END Q
The legislators in NC are required to be in touch with reality. The people who elect the legislators have entrusted them to be in touch with their will. The constitution of the state of NC specifically empowers the state board of education to “supervise and administer” the free public schools. The verbiage could not be more clear.
Monitoring and reporting the films/videos presented in the classrooms of the public schools, which are set up,operated, and paid for by the people of North Carolina is a perfectly reasonable requirement. The board of education determines the textbooks and curriculum, and no one objects to that. Extending this oversight to media, is perfectly reasonable.
You go on to say Q Apparently it’s okay that teachers don’t get decent salaries, that textbooks are ripped and torn from old age and that schools are crumbling. END Q
What does the low salaries, shredded textbooks, and aging physical plant, have to do with anything? There is no connection with these topics and monitoring the media presented in the derelict classrooms.
Continuing, you say Q Most of the movies that would be shown probably aren’t ones they have seen…BUT, they’ll be qualified to judge whether or not they’re appropriate. END Q
I find myself in concurrence, that the state legislators probably have no first hand knowledge of most of the media presented in the classrooms. The films shown are not generally well-known. As to judging whether the media presented is “appropriate”, that remains to be seen. The state, through the board of education mandate to “supervise and administer” the public schools, has no specific limit. The state board selects textbooks, curriculum, etc. without objection. Adding media to their supervisory mandate is only natural.
Continuing, you say Q What are their plans if a teacher shows something they deem ‘inappropriate’? END Q
I honestly don’t know. I would think that once a database is established, and the state board of education has a valid listing of the films/video/media that is being presented in the classrooms under their jurisdiction, then a determination can be made. Who is to know, what is “inappropriate”?
LikeLike
Charles: You don’t make the slightest impression on me. I totally disagree with what you say.
People too often vote against their own best interests. Legislation like this is a prime example. When people ‘wake up’ to the disasters this conservative/Tea party bunch are putting on people, then things will change. The question is, “How bad does education get before the public can’t stand these people?’
“The bill would provide the state Department of Public Instruction with $100,000 to compile the information and present it to state lawmakers by Nov. 15.” There are many things to do with $100,000 than waste it on one stupid law.
LikeLike
Oh, they’d LOVE to blame doctors for society’s addiction to the pills, junk food and soda that their personal big money investments push
LikeLike
In the meantime, there are areas of the country that can’t even get applicants for positions that offer low pay, poor working conditions, and mind-numbing micromanagement. I wonder why?
So when there are no teachers, a series of substitutes come in and guess what they do? Show movies!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly. Waste of time and money to micromanage like this.
LikeLike
Dear Senator Niemeyer [R-IN] and Representative Slager [-IN],
Thought you’d ‘LIKE’ to read more statistics on how great you are treating teachers in Indiana. Salaries are down, standardized tests are used to evaluate teachers and therefore, there is a shortage of people who want to go into education. This can be changed but it takes a politician with a grasp of reality, not the untruths that you continue to believe about yourselves. Realize that Hoosiers are suffering due to your inept policies. Testing destroys creativity and joy in learning. However, it does bring lots of taxpayer money to testing companies.
Sincerely,
Carol
Schererville, IN
………………………………………….
[NWI Times] Teacher pay in Indiana continues its downward slide
…The teacher shortage in Indiana is real. According to 2015 data from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, enrollment in teaching programs and those graduating with teaching degrees declined 37 percent from 2004 through 2014.
A survey of the past three years by Indiana State University professor Terry McDaniel confirms superintendents across the state are experiencing more difficulty finding teachers.
McDaniel’s survey of 141 school districts in Indiana indicated that 94 percent of school districts experienced a teacher shortage in 2017, compared with 92 percent in 2016, when 164 districts responded.
Solution to lower pay, benefits elusive
“Adjusted for inflation, we have seen educator salaries decrease by 15 percent over the past 15 years,” Indiana Department of Education spokesman Adam Baker said.
“Teachers deserve the best we can give them, and we know it is difficult when we cannot pay them a salary they deserve. As a department, we will continue to pursue any available funding from our legislators to assist districts in boosting teacher pay.
“Working to attract and retain excellent teachers is a commitment of this department.”
Munster’s Ridgley said the reasons young people are not going into education vary, from the state’s now linking students’ standardized test scores to teacher evaluations, to the fact that teachers may never see sustained pay increases as the cost of living continues to increase….
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/education/teacher-pay-in-indiana-continues-its-downward-slide/article_6adb505d-9e8c-5e9d-8100-6635c1ce4eec.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share
LikeLike
Reblogged this on What's Gneiss for Education and commented:
It shouldn’t stop there either. We should probably have the legislature vet our lessons, OK our worksheets, and maybe even approve what words are allowable to be spoken in class.
These cretins need to be voted out of office so grownups can serve instead.
LikeLike
Easy to rectify…use only films authorized and supplied by the district. Give the list to the legislature. I think lawmakers simply want to know what is being taught. Admit it…some films are not appropriate as to age and subject matter. Some may not be educational at all but baby sitting..
LikeLike
“Admit it…some films are not appropriate as to age and subject matter.”
And you seriously think lawmakers in a state capital are in a better position to judge that than teachers in classrooms? Do you also think lawmakers are in a better position than doctors to judge which medical techniques are appropriate?
LikeLike
Wouldn’t it be nice if a legislator introduced a bill to ensure that all physical plants are in safe and clean conditions, providing the funding to repair or replace aging buildings? Instead a legislator goes after movies in class?
LikeLike
Ha ha ha! Let’s say I teach history in NC and show a clip of Spielberg’s “Lincoln” while teaching about the 13th Amendment. Let’s say I don’t feel like reporting it. Who’s going to know? Who’s going to adjudicate, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney back from the grave? Ha haha! Let’s say I am a principal who wants to reward students who have perfect attendance with a Pixar and pizza assembly. If I don’t report it, who knows it happened? Who decides if it was justified? Is Lego Batman on the case? Ha ha ha! How is this enforceable? This law is insanely insulting to teachers as professionals, but inanely impractical. It’s a frivolous law. Just dumb. The only thing will bring to light is how insipid the NC General Assembly can be. We live in interesting times.
LikeLike
Like!
What N.C. teachers should do (now, this must be limited to Civics of Social Studies classes, so as to be deemed appropriate) is show 3 Stooges & Marx Bros. films, using them as an example of Rep. Justin Burr (descendant of Aaron, perhaps?) & the N.C. legislators at work
(work being a questionable description, here, of what these legislators actually do; I, myself, have observed floor procedures at the ILL-Annoy G.A.–like a 3-ring circus, I tell ‘ya!).
…& report the viewings to the N.C. General Assembly!
LikeLike
So, what if the teacher is required to use a “personalized” platform that includes movies and YouTubes? Will the state provide computers and programs to make entries for the information required?
The legislation seems to assume that a movie is shown to the whole class and that simple tallies can be made, adding a description of the reason for showing it. I do wonder when the control of content presented to students was put into law and what precipitated that. It sounds like a legacy from the late leader of the Eagle Forum, Phyllis Schlafly. If content is subject to approval, it is usually part of the teachers contract with the district. Here is a new law for Florida, allowing anyone to challenge books, movies and the like in schools.
https://qz.com/1021748/censorship-a-new-law-in-florida-lets-any-resident-try-to-ban-books-in-schools/
LikeLike
Great point.
LikeLike
In our techno-surveillance society, it shouldn’t be too much of a stretch to imagine that our “Smartboards” have already been sharing data on what is observed in the classroom. And that the good former representative’s request was nothing more than a ruse; excepting, of course, those classrooms that have not already been so “equipped”.
LikeLike
I read that my Alexia records conversations in my home and sends them to Amazon!
LikeLike
Yikes! Well, be sure to compliment their products; Big Bezos may be listening!
LikeLike
I think what NC and the rest of the country really need is CCMMS: Common Core Movie and Moral Standards.
These puny little laws don’t do justice to the underlying grand plan to control morals, teachers, individual ideas.
LikeLike
Mate, TAGO! &, BTW, loved your post & the ensuing commentary (esp. from the Ph.D. at the U. of OK, & the comments to her). You are, indeed, what my father (o.b.m.) would call “a gentleman & a scholar.”
LikeLike