Obama Knockout at Central Falls High School

by Nicole on March 10, 2010

I’m not a huge fan of boxing because there doesn’t seem to be a sport involved. Just rounds and rounds of bloody punches while the spectators flinch and applaud at the same time.

And here I find myself watching a nasty boxing match between two heavy weights. Only now, thanks to Obama, this boxing match has turned into some sort of WWF Wrestling Smack-Down.

In one corner: Central Falls High School in Rhode Island. This school offers grades 10-12 and has been one of the lowest-achieving schools in the state according to the Providence Journal. There are 808 students attending Central Falls High School with 96% of those students living in poverty. There are 74 teachers.

In the other corner: Frances Gallo, the school’s superintendent. Gallo announced on January 11, that she wanted to “replace the principal, implement school-wide reforms, including longer school days and more flexible school schedules”. Gallo is supported by State Commissioner, Deborah A. Gist, who gave the order to reform 6 schools in Providence. Read the Commissioner’s 16 page protocol for intervention in low-performing schools here.

Round one: Negotiations. Gallo met with teachers’ union officials to make her demands. Union official James Parisi said that Gallo had made a lot of demands on teachers that include longer working hours and shorter vacation time in the summer, but was not willing to pay teachers enough for the additional time and workload demanded.

Round two: After failed negotiations, the Rhode Island School Board voted to fire all teachers at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island. The firings of the teachers, as well as administrators and other personnel, will be effective at the end of this school year.

Knock out!: Obama, dressed as Hulk Hogan, storms down the aisle, head butts a few teachers on his way to the ring, rips off his already ripped shirt, hops in the ring, and tag teams Frances Gallo. And in one punch:

KNOCKOUT!! KNOCKOUT!! RHODE ISLAND TEACHERS ON THE MAT!!!

I predict we’ll be seeing another “Beer Summit” with the teachers and Gallo at the White House anyday now.

Check out these resources to get some more perspective on the matter:

The Ugliest Word

by Nicole on March 9, 2010

What is the ugliest word in the English vocabulary?

Way back in 1946, The National Association of Teachers of Speech compiled a list of the ten ugliest words in the English language. Those words were:

  • Cacophony
  • Crunch
  • Flatulent
  • Gripe
  • Jazz
  • Phlegmatic
  • Plump
  • Plutocrat
  • Sap
  • Treachery

Back in the 1990’s, the Book of Lists cited these words as the ten ugliest English words:

  • Aasvogel
  • Brobdingnagian
  • Cacophonous
  • Crepuscular
  • Fructify
  • Gargoyle
  • Jukebox
  • Kakkak
  • Kumquat
  • Quahog

So let’s take a vote..what is the ugliest word in the year 2010?

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Best Blogs for Teachers

March 4, 2010

Ok…want to get updates about the latest education news? Want to learn how to be a better teacher? Or do you really just want to read about the frustrations of other teachers that can relate to your pain? I mean, er, life?
Top education blogs for you to read and to love:

Its not all Flowers and [...]

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100 Free Online Lectures that Will Make You a Better Teacher

March 2, 2010

Came across this list today and I thought, “well, this can’t be useful.” But I stand corrected. This is a great list of online lectures for all teachers of all ages and all subjects. Something for everyone- special needs teachers, arts, physical education, technology, etc.
Take a gander here.

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My last post was “I love this”. This post is called “I hate this”.

February 24, 2010

Wednesday morning goes a little like this:
Get to work.
Check email.
Check headlines.
See front page of NY times.
Want to puke.
Why?
Because I see this headline:
“Washington Sends Delegation to Moscow, via Silicon Valley”. Ok..not too bad.
But then I see the photo:

Then I start to read the article and it goes something like this:
-blah blah blah “dreamboats”.
I stop reading at [...]

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I love this.

February 17, 2010

Thank you to the Huffington Post.

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The best sites for “I hate my life today” teacher days…

February 16, 2010

Ok-teachers..I feel your pain. Seriously..sometimes teaching is….sucky. We can be honest here, right?
So today I was on a teacher forum reading this post
I can’t believe some teachers still only have one or two hours a week to plan! It’s ridiculous!
So here are what I am going to call…”Give me something to use in class or [...]

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Major in weed studies?

February 9, 2010

Tuesday’s Teaching Tip:
What do you do if your students come to you today and say “hey teach- I want to major in weed”?
Don’t call the police just yet- You have two options:
A)You can refer them to go to medical school to study about medical marijuana.
B) You can just refer them to one of the many [...]

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Daily Teacher Tips

February 8, 2010

Today is the first day of Daily Teacher Tips! I know..we have been waiting for this for some time now…
Here is the Teacher Tip of the Day:

I kid…
Here is the true Teacher Tip of the Day:
Twitter!
That’s right- Twitter for Teachers! If you don’t have a twitter account, get one!
And here’s why:
1) Together is better.Teaching is [...]

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Teacher Interview Tips 101

February 5, 2010

Imagine this scenario:
You are in a job interview for a great teaching gig at a well-respected school and the interviewer’s first question is:
“How do you handle classroom discipline?”
Do you say:
A) I normally cry at the first sight of crying or screaming children.
B) I encourage the students to take it to the mats!
C) I´m great at [...]

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