"Any senator who votes no should have to look you in the eye and tell you what exactly they're opposed to," Obama said to a union audience in Pittsburgh. "I think they'll have a hard time explaining why they voted no on this bill — other than the fact that I proposed it."
Incoming! gop tool, I mean, pResidential candidate Herman Cain is coming to sweet home Alabama. Instead of doing anything short of shooting so called illegal immigrants he wants to electrocute them, nod, nod, wink, wink.
GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain came down hard on immigration Saturday on the campaign trail, telling crowds in Tennessee that part of his policy would be to build an electrified fence on the Mexican border that could potentially kill anyone trying to enter the country illegally.
He backed away from that proposal Sunday morning, however, saying he wasn't serious about the idea.
So what's up with these pro-life republicans always talking about killing people? I mean, really?
Memo to Herman Cain, black folks are not going to be proud to have one of their own running for President and vote for you out of racial pride. Ask Alan Keys, Michael Steele and Artur Davis how that worked out for them. OK?
Teach for America coming to Huntsville City Schools???? Oh crap.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The Huntsville school system could have its pick from up to 110 of the "best and brightest" new teachers in the U.S. if the board approves the superintendent's latest staffing plan.
The board last week began considering a three-year, $550,000 contract with Teach for America, a non-profit organization that recruits recent college graduates from all backgrounds to teach for two years in schools in poor neighborhoods. The goal of the program is to close student achievement gaps.
This is not about closing the achievement gap This is taxpayer supported UNION BUSTING. How in the world are "recent college graduates from all backgrounds" going to close the achievement gap? What are they going to do that a certified experienced teacher didn't do? Wake up people! I guess this is why Alabama's two Senators voted against the Jobs Bill which would put teachers back work.
Left in Alabama Blogger archangelsk expressed real concerns about the program when it was announced Teach for America was coming to Alabama's Black Belt.
I am all for bringing in the best and brightest, but as an unemployed teacher, one who is victim of last years proration of the school budget, I am kind of concerned how this would affect my wife's and my own job prospects for the next school year. I also think that its weird how the Teach for America jobs only run two years, one year short of a tenure year. It sort of amounts to having scab workers come on to a work site.
These thirty teachers, will I have lost out on a possible teaching position because TfA can offer their candidates as a cheaper alternative to myself? I have my Masters Degree and two years experience, I know I would be starting a couple rungs ahead of these folks, is that fair to other prospective teachers in the districts?
A lot of these school districts are losing teaching units, meaning their enrollments are down. At my wife's school, her principal has already been told she will have one less 3rd Grade teacher next year. Out of the 5 there now, 3 are tenured and guaranteed positions, leaving my wife and the other teacher to vie for the last position. But what if the school district springs a TfA candidate on my wife's principal?
I'm sure the group is well intentioned, I wonder if there is anyone with TfA or the area LEA's who could answer some of my questions.
LiA Blogger bluebearcat said TFA is not the cure
Teach for America has very noble intentions - and hopefully this will bring some much needed publicity and relief to the ongoing problems of the Black Belt - but TfA has been far from an unqualified success in the areas it already operates. It is one of those programs that appears brilliant at first glance, but upon a closer look there are some problems.
First, the premise behind the program is fundamentally condescending towards teachers and students already in the schools. Basically, it's "(Mostly rich) kids from 'good' colleges can step in with barely any training and outperform the school's teachers who have both training and experience in the area." TFA participants I have known have been in universal agreement that the "training" the program provides is woefully inadequate to actually managing a classroom, especially in environments that would seriously test an experienced teacher unused to the unique socio-economic problems these schools are often dealing with.
Second, as the program has expanded, their selection process has become increasingly inconsistent. No, I was never rejected by their program but I did have one brilliant friend who was a UAB history major with a 3.9 GPA, mock trial law champion, great people person, etc. who was never even given an interview while another friend from Samford got in despite a much lower GPA and much less impressive social skills. She quit after a few weeks in the classroom.
Third, there are some serious questions about some of the data that TFA reports. TFA requires all applicants to sign a contract agreeing not to publish anything negative about their TFA experience until their two year commitment is completed.
Finally, archangel's concerns are legitimate as well. A school system in North Carolina hired 100 TFA participants after laying off hundreds of traditionally certified teachers.
Union Busting, Privatization coming right up. And who benefits? Not we the little people, that's for sure.
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