E4E Roundup: Giddey-up Doggie

DFER and Gates and Whitney better ask for their money back as E4E could barely muster much of a group at their first rally. The best line from Evan Stone: we lost a few to lesson planning.

Well how much fun did the crew we helped organize for the E4E rally have yesterday? Given we did this ad hoc in 24 hours our turnout which included such luminaries as Fiorillo, Bloggers Raging Horse and South Bronx School, members of MORE and Change the Stakes, I think we had more real teachers there than E4E.

I went there with the intention (and a leaflet) with the goal of educating some of these people who I felt were duped. But upon short conversations I realized they are not duped. They are people who are out of the classroom or about to be out of the classroom.

One of our guys wrote this:

It is interesting when thinking about the event this afternoon about just how contradictory E4E's messages were. As some of their signage suggests, some of their members are craving meaningful support like the rest of us, while some of them want higher salaries and others just seem to be misguided elitists whose claims of support for unionism is so obviously ridiculous when it becomes clear that they support the erosion of due process protections and seniority rights that are basic principles in unionism.

Below the text are some photos taken by Michael Solo, who teaches photography at John Dewey HS. Michael rode shotgun with me on the way in and back.

As the speeches started with Evan Stone and I was doing some video I basically lost it when he started talking about the sad loss of the $300 million -- "Will you demand the money be used to reduce class size," I screamed, knowing full well the DFER/GATES/Students Last masters will never let E4E talk about class size, a no-no in ed deform. I did have one decent conversation with a guy who seemed like a real teacher, asking him if he felt reducing class size would make a difference. His response was right from the book: studies show that it helps in elementary schools, not as much in middle and high schools. Jeez, all they can do is quote studies or stats -- what about you and kids? If you were a high school teacher do you think it would make a difference if you had 27 instead of 32 in each class? Imagine: in 5 classes a day, 25 less kids, 25 less papers to mark, 25 less parents to be in touch with. Oh, I get it. It is only about student outcomes, not teacher workload and how that affects teaching.

I do have video but as usual am way behind others. Below the links to blogs about yesterday's events are links to videos Pat Dobosz shot. I'm heading over to a MORE meeting and then to my first UFT Exec Bd meeting in years, where I may eat enough to give me more heart burn than I need.

Raginghorseblog

The Ignorant and the Egregious: Educators 4 Excellence Hold a Rally

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South Bronx School

E4E's Eric Cartman Goes Silent on The Crack Team

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Chaz wasn't there but blogged about it.

Chaz's School Daze

The Typical Education4Excellence Member - Clueless

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Neither was RBE but here is the usual good stuff.

Educators4Excellence Group Members Even Dumber In Person

 Here are Pat's videos.

[20121202021513 Dec. 2, 2012] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfnOETdbdnw

[20121202022423 Dec. 2, 2012] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HfAApU0N9M

[20121202022759 Dec.2, 2012] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGFuk-o27V4

[20121202023143 Dec 2, 2012] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY0vjGMMnbo

[20121202030653 Dec. 2, 2012] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqS-LBMF1kw

[20121202030913 Dec. 2, 2012] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgq7LCILjd4

[20121202031401 Dec. 2, 2012] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7jZCKtYVW8

Fiorillo and Walsh tag team

Who's that fat guy? Gloria is behind me.

Poor Evan looks miserable