geek.teacher

Students would take new district-wide tests to help evaluate teachers who do not teach grades or subjects tested by the MCAS.

via Mass. board approves new teacher evaluations – Boston.com.

RRRAAAAARRGGGHHGAHAGAHGHGHGHGAAAARRRR!!!!

When adults are the bullies pretty much defines the nightmare scenario for back-stabbing politics in schools. As a new teacher in a building this year, I can see how this sort of thing could have happened to me without a trusting relationship I’ve built with administrators and a core group of teachers in my school.

On the positive side, I already wrote most of this post two years ago. All I need to do is edit it a bit for a new decade and state. Edits in italics.

Word’s breaking out on Twitter that Attorney General Martha Coakley has recently been saying some ignorant things.

Needless to say, I have a problem with this.  First, I will let it be known that my school district has a very progressive view on the use of cell phones in school. At the high school, students are allowed to openly carry cell phones and teachers are encouraged to use them in class. I was just talking to a high school teacher who referred to PollEverywhere as “the best thing ever.” That rule is a decision made on the local level, based on the needs and wishes of the building administrators and the school board.  I have no doubt that the rules could change over time or have some added flexibility for other new tools.  We already provide some of that, as students are now at least free to have their phones and use them after school as needed.  Martha Coakley’s proposed changes to the law would take that flexibility away from us.  According to this proposal, with few notable emergency exceptions, students would not be allowed to ever bring a phone to school for any reason whatsoever.

Five years ago, I wouldn’t have thought this a big deal, but to take away the option of teachers allowing cell phone use in their classrooms to me now seems especially ludicrous.  Right now we are experiencing a major shift in computing resources available to students in their pockets, with phones as powerful as a computer from only a few years ago.  People who want to ban these tools really need to check out Cell Phones in Learning.  Honestly, if you think we really want you to take away more teaching options from us, you’re sorely mistaken.

As a starting point to work to stop this proposal, I recommend contacting your state legislator and the Attorney General’s office.

Here’s something to make you happy:

Full size image is available by clicking through the image to Flickr.

I’m really glad I took that picture four years ago.