Category Archives: Teacher Evaluations

How to Create a Negative School Climate 101

Posted on September 22, 2013 by

Dear Mr. Gates and Mr. Duncan,               I thought I had better get this to you now while it is still on my mind. At the end of the last school year, I was informed that I would be teaching 7th … Continue reading →

Posted in Teacher Evaluations, Value Added Measures, VAM, War on Teachers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Freedom to Teach, Freedom to Learn: A Year at Mission Hill chapter 6

Posted on August 27, 2013 by

Chapter 6: Like a Family Dear Mr. Gates, Microsoft’s “stack ranking” management practice has been in the news lately, most recently on Valerie Strauss’ blog The Answer Sheet (Microsoft’s lesson on what not to do with teachers, Washington Post, 8/26/13). … Continue reading →

Posted in Bill Gates, Collaboration, Common Core High Stakes Testing, Diane Ravitch, Anthony Cody, Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, Freedom to Learn: A Year At Mission Hill, Freedom to Teach, High Stakes Testing, Junk Science of High Stakes Standardized Testing, Measuring Effective Teaching, Microsoft, Mission Hill school, Stack Ranking, Teacher Evaluations, Testing | 2 Comments

Schooling should help children DISCOVER their own unique talents, not “standardize” them.

Posted on August 3, 2013 by

Dear Bill, Grading teachers based on when their students acquire and master a specific set of skills, is like grading parents based on when their children learn to tie their shoes or ride a bike. While, most people can learn … Continue reading →

Posted in College and Career Ready, Common Core, Common Core State Standards, Teacher Evaluations, Unique Talents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Socrates’ Ghost: “As a teacher, see each child’s mind as a bottle that has traveled across the sea.”

Posted on July 11, 2013 by

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Gates, I am proud to be a teacher. I have taught middle school and high student students for 19 years. I have tutored all ages from early elementary through college. I have degrees in English, education, … Continue reading →

Posted in Assessment, End High Stakes Testing, Measuring Effective Teaching, Teacher Evaluations | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Special Ed Teacher: High stakes testing is not the way to assess student progress or teacher effectiveness.

Posted on July 9, 2013 by

Dear Mr. Gates and the Gates Foundation, High stakes testing is not the way to assess student progress or teacher effectiveness. The tests currently in use – and worse, the ones coming, such as the PARCC test – have little … Continue reading →

Posted in End High Stakes Testing, Junk Science of High Stakes Standardized Testing, Measuring Effective Teaching, Special Education, Teacher Evaluations | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

VAM: “My life’s work will be reduced to one word based on a single test on a single day. We are more than this.” ~ Ohio Teacher

Posted on June 18, 2013 by

Dear Bill and Melinda, A teacher sent us a message about a one of the new systems of reform you have pushed into place: Value Added Measures. There have been many before me who have written about this as “junk … Continue reading →

Posted in Teacher Evaluations, Value Added Measures, VAM | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment