It used to be that on my way home I would turn on WFAN and listen to the bloviating of His
Popeness, Mike Francesa. Hasn't been that way for a few months now.

I have found a new voice to listen to, that of Michelangelo Signorile on SiriusXM Progressive Channel 127. I have to tell you, I am hooked. Heck, I don't even listen to Sternthology in the afternoon.

Michelangelo has had me mesmerized with his take on the entire 2016 election and it's aftermath. The way he has deconstructed Trump's petty excuse of living has me on the edge of my seat as I drive up the Major Deegan in the afternoon. His progressive agenda, his realistic look at the world has let know that I, and others who feel the same, or not alone in the screwed up, messed up, crazy country we live in nowadays.

Michelangelo is a true defender of those who need defending. Whether they be of the LGBTQ community, African-American, Hispanic, Asian-Americans, Jews, women, or just anyone in need, and anyone being shat upon by those with the privilege to be in power. Death

Listening to him mock Steve Bannon, the Alt-Right, Trump, Christie, Palin, Guiliani, and all the other Trump hangers on and sycophants have left me in stitches so often I have almost driven off the Sprain!

But, and I say this with a heavy heart, Michelangelo has disappointed me in one regard. His silence and lack of understanding on Herr Trump's stance on education.

Right after the election I got a phone call from a friend of The Crack Team who happened to be in a panic. She was convinced that Reichsführer Trump will annihilate education in this country, sending billions of dollars away from public education and in the process putting the final nail in the coffin of teachers unions and urban education.

I did my best to reassure her that it won't happen, that Trump is all talk and he will never shut down the Department of Education and besides she, as well as myself, have just over 4 years till retirement and hopefully we'll be out before the proverbial doody hits the proverbial fan.

So back on November 10 I decided to call into Michelangelo's show and share with him what teachers are thinking and how horrible a Trump presidency will be to education in this country. I felt the need to do this due to the fact that of all the things that Trump is for not once had I heard Michelangelo bring up Trump's threat to education.

So Mike, I hope you are reading this. You took my call during the 5 o'clock hour. I told you I was Pete from White Plains and that I am a NYC teacher. I told you about Trump's plan and how teachers are scared. I told you how he will be wanting to take monies away from public education and put those monies into charter schools and vouchers for parochial and private schools as well as into homeschooling. Oh, and I shared how with being able to fill Scalia's seat teachers run the risk of Friedrich's being reheard and losing our right to organize. I will give you credit. You heard me. But you did not listen.

All I got from you Mike was, and I am paraphrasing, "Don't worry, your unions are too strong to allow this to happen." Say what? I tried to get in a word but you just kept talking over me.

Guess what? Our unions are not strong enough to fight back. Have you seen what has happened alone in New York State with education? With the testing, the BS evaluations, junk science, etc...? Who do we have to thank for this? The United Federation of Teachers. OUR UNION!!! That of course acts this way due to the directing of the AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS!!!

Have you noticed a trend across the country? In Wisconsin, North Carolina, California? Where have you been?

Where were you when Eva Moskowitz's name was being floated as Education Secretary? Do you know about Eva? Just in case you don't, check this out! Were you appalled that Princess Trump visited her Success Academy 1 School to tout her as an innovative educator  whilst ignoring the GREAT WORK of the teachers in the same building who teach our most needy students?

Where were you when Michelle Rhee was floated as Education Secretary? Yeah, that Michelle Rhee who I wrote about on the Huff Post in 2010, you know, about duct taping her student's mouths shut.

And guess who enabled the Moskowitz's, the Rhees, and the countless education deformers of the world? The DEMOCRATS! Yeah, without the Democrats, we never get NCLB and Race to the Top. If Democrats can't stop Republicans, or at the very least roll over for the Republicans, how can Trump be stopped?

How can Trump and the Republican controlled Congress be stopped when our unions have been rolling over, throwing teachers under the bus for 15 years?

Hey Mike, how about putting up that same fight for our children, the communities, our unions, and teachers that you put up for everyone else?

I know you can, and I know you are a good person that can make a change.

Earlier in the week when I heard that Campbell Brown was to appear on The Colbert Report I kind of cringed.

I am not a fan of Stephen Colbert's schtick on the show (Though there are some bits I have enjoyed), though I do like him, and more of a fan of The Daily Show. But two things had be concerned.

One was how would Colbert's schtick work with a topic like tenure and education in general, and would real questions be asked. I liked what I watched. A few moments really stood out for me.

When asked by Colbert about  Campbell why she has her guns out for unions and why Partnership for Education Justice has filed it's lawsuit, Brown said; "First let me correct something you said, we are not filing the lawsuit, it is 7 parents in New York State that have kids in public schools are filing the law suit. We are helping them and supporting them. We are finding them law firms." 

That PEJ and herself are not giving any monies but rather, assisting.

Of course there is no money changing hands. But a query Are the parents being paid or reimbursed any expenses incurred while in the midst of this lawsuit? Are food and hotels and travel being reimbursed by the law firm, Campbell Brown, or PEJ? These questions are important. Did these parents seek out PEJ on their own, or were they sought out. If they were sought out how many have volunteered and/or have been employed by Students First? We do know that the lead plaintiff, Keoni Wright was employed by SF at one time.

Campbell even shares that the law firm, Kirkland Ellis, is representing the parents pro bono, but how did these parents know to seek out this particular law firm?

But as I am watching this I am wondering to myself why is Campbell the one being interviewed? Why not the parents from Rochester who "handled" themselves so well with Glen Beck? In fact how did two families from Rochester know to seek out the above NYC law firm?

The best was when Colbert shared that protestors were outside the studios, something which he said has been quite rare. Campbell must have been upset that the spotlight was being taken away from her. The protestors are, according to Campbell; ..."trying to silence a debate. A debate we should be having. I want these parents to have a voice in this debate too."

We are trying to silence debate? How many people has Campbell blocked (#blockedbycampbellbrown )on Twitter? Blocked from multiple Facebook pages? 

But if the parents should have a role in this debate, and no one is denying that, then why then is Campbell the face and voice of the parents? Why not let the parents speak freely? 

"What they are trying to do is to change a public education system in this country that people across the political spectrum believes his in crisis." 

No, it never was in crisis, the crisis was related. See The Shock Doctrine. Campbell and her lackies do not represent my views nor anyone else that I know. Want to see a crisis? We have it in underfunded schools districts, corrupt school districts, and pure incompetency in Albany.

So when asked what is the problem in New York, Campbell replies to Colbert; "If you look at the student outcomes in New York, 91% of the teachers around the State of New York are rated either effective or highly effective. Yet 31% of our kids are reading, writing and doing, math at grade level."

There is a difference between being proficient and being at grade level. How dare she judge by test scores, how dare she base her lawsuit on flawed exams. Exams with a cut score picked at random. 

She is insulting me as a parent and my son as a student. As I have said on these pages in the past he got high 2's in 2013 after years of getting 3's and 4. He, and many others in his grade, were not able to finish 2 days the ELA exam in 2013. My son and plenty like him are at or above grade level. He is entering 8th grade at above grade level in both ELA and Math. Campbell needs to get her facts straight very quickly. 

"I'm blaming the teachers union. Because they are fighting attempts to change laws that are anachronistic."

There we have it. This fight is about unions and to destroy unions, to destroy teaching as a career, and to be rid of pensions.

But Colbert comes back and asks her if all should be equal, shouldn't each child have the same amount of money spent on them? She blabbers; "You're suggesting it's all about the money," when Colbert says, "You're saying it's all about it's equality and money is one of the equations in equality."

SNAP! PW3NED! But she turns it into this, "We should pay teachers more and treat teachers like professionals" Yeah, right.She did not want to talk about money. Why should she. Her boys, Clifford and Harvey go to a school in which their milk is served to them in chilled milk glasses and lunch time is accompanied by a pianist.

When asked about who gets to evaluate teachers she says principals, and parents, especially if they are complaining there must be something to that.

But parents and others are complaining about what Campbell is doing right now and she is not listening. Mustn't there be something to this? 

Lastly when Colbert asks where the money comes from Campbell says that to share that would keep that secret because of the people protesting are "going to go after people who are trying to fund."

The Walton Family, Students First, The Gates Foundation, et. al. are afraid of a bunch of teachers? I can understand if a little old Jewish lady who lives on Sadore Lane in Yonkers and gave $18 a month would be afraid, but the elite of American largess being afraid? Surely Campbell jests. 

Or is possible this blogger found out where the money comes from? 

This thing happening in New York is a last gasp effort for the deformers to get their way. A first year, pre-law, high school student should be able to expose and poke holes in both the Mona Davids' case and Campbell's as well.

I see now why Campbell is leading this and not Michelle Rhee. Campbell comes off as much more likeable than Rhee and does not have all the skeletons that Rhee had in her closet. We must not relent with Campbell Brown. We must stand firm, must stand strong. Campbell is much more media savvy and much more cunning. But she can, and must, be defeated.

Bear with me here as I put into context the audacity, the hubris, the obfuscation I witnessed today of hacks representing Students First.

As many of you know, I am incarcerated at 4360 Broadway which happens to be PS 48 in Manhattan. Coming in this morning there were a phalanx of talking head media congregated outside the school yard at 8 AM this morning. Curious as to what was happening, I asked a camera man from Time Warner Cable News (The new name for NY1) to fill me in. He told me that the the two trailers for Kindergarten students were full of mold and the parents of the community had had enough.

Parents and community members were being interviewed through the morning by all the big stations of NYC. There even were a smattering of print journalists. Some of the trucks and reporters stayed throughout the morning to go live on their respective noon broadcasts. But it didn't end there.

I guess when news hits like this the cockroaches come out of the woodwork and feel that this is an opportunity not to miss an opportunity to take advantage of those that are day in and day out being taken advantage of by the DOE. An opportunity to put themselves front and center and wrap themselves up in the guise of altruism when all they think about is how can they get over and further their cause.

As I was leaving today and walking south on Broadway past the school yard I saw several women outside the gate with clipboards and having parents sign a piece of paper. At first I thought that this was a drive to register voters (Which I see quite often in the neighborhood) or having parents signing petitions to rid the school of trailers. I was wrong.

As I walked by I looked down on the clipboard and saw in bold capital letters, "STUDENTS FIRSTNY." I did a double take. What a coincidence that Students First will descend upon a school on the very same day it makes news. And who comes with Students First to rouse the parents, the contract mercenaries of the "grassroots" group, Families For Excellent Schools. In fact one woman, I could have sworn I had seen here on the FES page before, but I just could not prove it. But when I asked if they were with FES, all I heard is, "What is Families for Excellent Schools?"

What were they having the parents sign? It seems these four women were telling the parents that SFNY wished to start an after school program for the students at PS 48 and if they can sign and provide contact information. Those that are interested will be asked to attend a meeting of at a ___location and time to be known later and all paperwork as to this supposed "after school program" will be shared at that time.

Excuse me, but this seems as this is the way cults recruit their prey. Like the Moonies. Ooops! Sorry Michelle, politically incorrect pun intended.

I engaged in conversation with one of the ladies to whom I shall refer to as Laverne. I asked Laverne how one can determine a good teacher. Laverne was quite forthcoming with me.

"A good teacher is someone that knows when a student is struggling in class and will give that extra help to her. A good teacher is someone that will call home when it is necessary."

Quite informative Laverne!

I shared with Laverne and her friend the history of Students First and where and from whom finances Students First. They were shocked. I also asked them what would they think of Michelle Rhee if they heard that she has physically abused children in the past. For two ladies that had no idea what FES is they sure knew who Michelle is. But I digress. Laverne's friend said that it is impossible that Michelle would abuse children. I said, wrong, that it happened, that Rhee duct taped 1st graders mouths and made them bleed. I even showed her my blog post of 4 years ago. The friend still said it can't be true. I said yes it can and it is and Rhee so much as admitted it (Which should be here but it looks as if the Washington Post deleted it) but I found it here.

But her friend at least seemed open minded. Laverne still was buying the company line.

Laverne shared with me that unions protect teachers that sexually abuse students. I asked Laverne to give me an example. She told of Bronx Aerospace High School on Gun Hill Rd in the Bronx. She told me of a teacher at Bronx Aerospace that sexually abused a student, was found guilty of a felony in criminal court and was allowed back to teach in that school. When I asked her the name of the teacher she had no idea and suggested that I look on Inside Schools to find out.

Of course, it never happened. I gave Laverne another chance to name another incident. She couldn't. Just as she couldn't respond when gushing how Common Core™© is important to get children college and career ready she was unable to explain why a 8 year old must be college and career ready.

But this is how MichelleRheeFirst operates. Obfuscation and subterfuge. Even had a prominent parent of the school bought into the ruse and was directing other parents to sign the paperwork for the after school program. When it was explained to this parent what was really happening she felt horrible. I can't blame her. This is what Students First does. It preys on those not fully informed.

But why was Students First so easy to mobilize? Where was the UFT? Yeah, this was breaking news, but isn't there a rapid response information squad that can quickly come to schools such as PS 48 when they are in the news and show support for the community. Wouldn't this at the very least pull back a layer of distrust that communities have for teachers unions? Wouldn't making an appearance, passing out flyers, etc... show the UFT in solidarity with the community. Without a UFT presence today there was a vacuum that was all too easily filled by interlopers.

But the lack of a UFT presence is nothing compared to the abhorrent, callous, opportunistic, parasitic leaching onto the parents of Students First. At a time when the parents needed support to rid the school of 20 year old trailers Students First could have came and advocated for and with the parents on what was important to them today. The removal of the trailers. Instead,  Students First decided to take advantage of parents, to scare parents, to lie, to deceive, and to act like a pal. Students First is nobody's pal. Their only pals are the monied interests of Wall St and Washington DC.

There must be a way to ensure that this will not happen again.

Even though this is addressed to the parents of Harrison, NY and NYC, it is for all the parents of New York State and the USA.

Lexington and Concord. The first battle in the American Revolution in 1775, almost 240 years ago.

The Journal News. Saturday, September 28, 2013, the first battle in the Revolution to Take Control
Back of Our Children's Education. All led by a humble reporter, Gary Stern.

I predicted this revolution back in June of last year.

I walked into Vassi's Deli on Underhill Ave in West Harrison this morning to get my breakfast and coffee. My son just had a hitting lesson and we were looking forward to spending some time together. I grabbed my copy of the Journal News and on the front page saw the headline. "Critics: Test Scores Failing, Not Students," by Gary Stern.

What a joy it was to read an honest and thought provoking education article by a reporter that has not been tainted by the poison of Uncle Mike Bloomberg;

Is it possible that 56 percent of sixth-graders in Bedford are not proficient in math? How about 70 percent of eighth-graders in Dobbs Ferry? Or 75 percent of seventh-graders in Nyack? 

Could 50 percent of seventh-graders in Irvington not be meeting expectations in English/language arts? What about 58 percent of eighth-graders in Ramapo Central? Or 80 percent of sixth-graders in Port Chester?

 
This, parents of Harrison is our reality. Not just yours, but mine, your neighbor's, your friend's, and your enemy's. Wake up, this is what has become of education in New York State thanks to the millions our elected officials in Albany have collected from such organizations as DFER and Students (oops!) MichelleRheeFirst.

My son got 2's on both ELA and Math. This after receiving 3's in ELA and 4's in Math from grades 3-5. Some putz who decides what goes on the tests, how to score it, how to take it is telling me my son is not proficient in Math or ELA?

At this past Thursday's parent-teacher meetings I handed out hundreds of fliers sharing with parents of Harrison the dangers and evils of the Common Core Standards from a fantastic organization, Stop Common Core in New York State. I could not believe how, UNINFORMED the parents of Harrison NY are. One parent actually believed that Bill Gates is a great person!

But then again, Governor Andy, Uncle Mike, NYSED, and John King (No link to who John King is. You have a child in school, then you should know. GOOGLE HIM!) all want you uninformed. They want ignorance, they want compliance, they want servitude. This is what is happening in NYC right now and across all urban school districts nation wide. You probably heard about it in passing, saying to yourself, "Well, why should I care, it doesn't effect me or my children."

But guess what? NOW IT DOES!!! It's time to wake up and see the corporate and Federal takeover of education is now in your backyard.

Bill Gates, the Lord and Savior who blessed us with the Common Core, let's see what he said the other day; 

“It would be great if our education stuff worked, but that we won’t know for probably a decade.”

What you talking about, Willis, I mean Bill?

He does not know if it will work? Bill Gates feels it is OK to experiment on THE CHILDREN OF HARRISON? Why didn't Bill test it out on his kids?

Know that teacher you love at your child's school? Well, thanks to Bill Gates and Governor Andy, 40% of their evaluation is based on assessment (TESTS)! Two years without growth, that teacher is rated ineffective and you can say goodbye.  Opt your child out of the NYS tests! You can and it is time!

Parents of Harrison, did you know that EngageNY (No link to EngageNY. You have a child in school, then you should know. GOOGLE IT!), a subsidiary of NYSED is not only in control of your child's school data, but personal information as well and plans on selling it to InBloom (No link to EngageNY. You have a child in school, then you should know. GOOGLE IT!)? What you don't know this? Well, you need to now.

Fight back. You are your child's best advocate for his or her education. Not a politician, not someone who works on Wall Street, not a hedge fund hack, YOU ARE.

And while you are at it, by Diane Ravitch's new book, "Reign of Error," and see how education is being taken over in this country by those who only wish to enrich their wallets.

And please sign this petition  to Assemblyman Al Graf.

I leave you with a clip of George Carlin's take on education today.

It was good to see Mike Mulgrew totally p3wn Campbell the other day. Sadly, this is the one true time that I actually wither saw Mike truly outraged. Who knows how things would be if he actually acted like this other times. But enough about Mike.

So Campbell (should I just refer to her as the "Shicksa From The Bayou"?) is outraged that out of 128 school employees over the last year that were accused of sexual dalliances with students, only 33 were fired. To Campbell Brown, all 128 should have been fired even if the charges against them were, how shall we say, false.

She did ask Mike to make a pledge to her that he will seek to fire all teachers that engage in sexual misconduct. Mike p3wned her again by telling her that he will not make any pledges to her at all. That the system in place works, and that is the system that we will live by.

What Campbell fails to realize is we live in a country of laws and one of the laws of the land are due process. That whether or not you are a private citizen or a government employee, you are entitled to due process when an accusation is made against you. As a government employee you are entitled to a hearing by an impartial arbitrator, which both the DOE and the UFT have agreed upon. The arbitrator makes the decision on culpability, not the UFT. Just because you don't like the verdict, does not mean that you can reverse it.

We don't see Campbell down in Sanford, FL trying to change the verdict, we don't see her attempting to complain about Jerry Remy's son. But just teachers, why?

Could it be that her husband, the man she converted to my religion for, Dan Senor is on the board of MichelleRheeFirst NY? I guess the woman's auxiliary section of MRFNY needs something or someone to rail against.

But come to think about it, I think Campbell might be right. She has a very good point. I will appoint myself a proxy for Mike Mulgrew and I will make that pledge to her that was offered.

But under several conditions.

One, Campbell must advocate for the arrest, prosecution and conviction of her husband Dan Senor for war crimes. Not for all the things that he screwed up (And boy did he!), but for the sexual misconduct of prisoners he allowed in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

What's that you say Campbell, Danny had nothing to do with it? Yes, we know that it was not Dan that was pointing at prisoner's naughty bits and humiliating them with insertions of foreign objects. But Danny did work for the Coalition Provisional Authority, was a Senior Advisor to Pro-Consul Paul Bremer, and.....adviser to the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance. Dan was able to fit all this into his life from the invasion, March 2003, to the summer of 2004.

Wait, what is that Campbell? You are now saying that Danny was not a prison guard at Abu Ghraib? Maybe not, but Danny at the very least was part of what created the atmosphere which enabled such behavior at the prison. Did Danny at anytime try to stop it? Did he arrest anyone before it leaked on 60 minutes? What is that you say, Danny did not know? Ignorance is not an excuse.


Dan Senor was wrong, he was culpable, he was part of the problem and not the solution.

Another condition Campbell is to come out and in the same voice of consternation come out against the pervy administrators that the DOE continually looks the other way from.

DR Mychael Willon who was arrested in the 90's for masturbating in a Wichita KS bookstore, John Chase JR who shared with teachers where he wished to stick he hoo-ha, and Quinton Cedeno amongst others. Do it, I dare you.

One last condition. I truly dare Campbell to put her money where her mouth is. Come up to the South Bronx and truly advocate for the women who are raped, sexually abused and physically abused. Not just by strangers, but by family members. Come fight for these women when they show the courage to take their rapists and abusers to court (criminal or civil) and the justice system truly fails these women.

Come advocate for the children that are raped and abused by family members as well and the justice system fails these children.

Campbell is kvetching (Campbell, you're Jewish now, you should know what this means) about 128 teachers, trust me, there are more on the street of the South Bronx preying over the women and the children of not only the South Bronx, but of all of New York.

But it looks cooler for the Campbell Browns of the world to crap on teachers rather than to roll up their sleeves and  solve the real problems of society.

The news trickled throughout my school yesterday at the horrors that had befallen the students, the teachers, the parents, and the community in Newtown CT. As a father I cannot imagine what the parents of the children who perished are going through.

When I got home I immediately went online to scour the news sites to catch myself up on information that had been lagging. Then the cynical side of me took over.

I wondered to myself which educational deformer would find the need to insert themselves into this tragedy. In my opinion, I find no need to broadcast how I feel, either through Twitter, Facebook, here, on my Star Trek forums, etc... Wait, I mean I do share how I feel. But, to me, I have always find those "My prayers, my thoughts, etc..." stuff like that to be a bit contrived, along with my latest ongoing cynicism with religion, to be meaningless. I think statements like that if they are to be made should be made personally to those effected by the tragedy (by the way, I better never ever hear again from sportscaster that a team having lost is a tragedy!).

So I have digressed. But not really, I needed to explain myself for I am afraid I might take some heat for this blog post. But, that is par for the course with me and and comes with the territory.

So I decided to check out MichelleRheeFirst Facebook page and came across this little ditty;

Following today's tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the entire StudentsFirst family is mourning with the victims, their families, and the entire community of Newtown, Connecticut. We have offered our colleagues in the state any assistance they may need.

There are no adequate words to express the horror and senseless nature of violence in our schools. It happens far too often in our country.  As a mother myself, I understand the hesitation every parent will feel in the coming days when they kiss their children and send them off to school -- to a place of learning and growth that ought to be a safe haven from violence.

Our children are our most valuable assets, and we lost too many of them today. Today's event forces us to ask ourselves: how are we expected to foster an environment in which students can learn, grow, thrive, and set off on positive life-paths when we cannot guarantee basic needs such as their safety?

 But events like these also strengthen our resolve to do exactly that -- improve schools for children and thereby improve entire communities. The entire StudentsFirst organization -- including the members of our team in Connecticut -- recommit ourselves to that mission today, as we pause to send our thoughts and prayers to those affected in Newtown.

 So I read that and then found out about this teacher. I will not name the teacher or link to it. The name is not important and need not be mentioned here;

When the shooting began, XXXX said she quickly got up and closed her classroom door and ushered the children, all aged 6 and 7, into the class bathroom. She helped some climb onto the toilet so they could all fit. XXXX said she then pushed a wheeled storage unit in front of the door.

And this as well;

When she became aware there was a gunman in the school, she hid her first-graders in closets and cabinets, then told the shooter they were in the gym. He turned the gun on XXXX, killing her, but none of her students were harmed.

Bot these teachers are heroes in their own way. Both these teachers did something extraordinary that cannot be measured with a test, with a piece of paper, with an observation. They did something that none of us put in their situation have no idea what we would do.

If their acts (and I am not omitting any other acts of bravery yesterday, just only know of these two thus far), are the ultimate acts, the very definition of effective teachers, what then would have become of them if they were subject to VAM as whether or not they are effective.

 Now, I do not know what the new evaluation system in Connecticut consists of. I can only speak for what is coming or might come in NYC. But what these teachers showed is what happens in schools all over the country in one way or another every day. Intangibles that are so subjective there is no way to measure.

For Rhee and her sycophants to call these teachers in Newtown colleagues is not only laughable, but it is worse. It is vulgar. One of the worst vulgarities I have ever seen. These teachers are career teachers, who went into teaching to have a career, a lifetime of educating children. Rhee and her ilk stand for everything that is opposite of these two teachers belief systems.

But it can't stop there with MichelleRheeFirst. Rhee needs to throw in how improving schools will therefore improve communities. First, Newtown does not need to be improved. Secondly, a severely mentally ill man-child perpetuated this insidious act. Lastly, that statement needs to be reversed. Improve the communities, and the schools will fall into place.

Nice how it was thrown in the MichelleRheeFirst is in Connecticut, that it is ready to lead, ready to show those great unwashed that only MichelleRheeFirst cares.

MichelleRheeFirst is a true sociopath, a true charlatan, a con artist, a grifter, a self-promoter. She is a manipulator and worse, she is a predator. She needs to be stopped.

Oh it is always nice to read the Daily News op-ed page and see some shill for Uncle Mike, or Michelle Rhee, thinking they can speak for education, schools, teachers, their children with a artificial guise of independent thought.

Today we had another on of those type people write an opinionated op-ed in today's Daily News. Keoni Wright penned some gibberish about teacher quality and his twin daughters in the same school, PS 158 in Brooklyn, yet with disparate teachers.

Mr Wright at first glance is a manager (whatever that means) for the NYC Dept of Health & Mental Hygiene. He is also a card carrying member of MichelleRheeFirst. 

While we here at SBSB applaud Mr Wright for taking an interest in his twin daughter's education, we hold our heads in indignation at the words that Mr Wright wrote of his own free mind and will. Words, that were his own. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. 

Mr Wright wrote, I have a unique perspective on this, because I’ve got twin daughters in kindergarten. They go to the same neighborhood elementary school and sit in classrooms right next to each other. It’s clear to me, however, that this year, they are not getting the same high-quality education.

OK. So if the classrooms were further apart they both would be getting the same quality education?

One has a teacher who always seems to go the extra mile. She works hard to understand my daughter as a person and pushes her to learn and grow. My other daughter has a teacher who appears to do the bare minimum.

I feel sorry for Christine Rubino. Not only has she been suspended without pay for two years, financially hanging on by the thinnest of threads, but worse, if she had only been an administrator her mistake of posting a message out of frustration on Facebook concerning her students would have been at best ignored, at worst, a slap on the wrist.

If Christine was a hot shot former superintendent of Washington DC schools like Michelle Rhee, she would be able to get away with duct taping the mouths of 1st grade students then laughing about it years later. Sadly, Christine is just a darn damn fine teacher that truly made a mistake and feel remorse.

Perhaps if Christine was a former principal from Wichita KS, hmm, like Dr Mychael Willon and was caught in some lewd and lascivious act alone in a Wichita KS adult bookstore then went on to get a mail order PhD and eventually get hired by the DOE as a network leader and then promoted to a job within Tweed, Christine would not have to be selling her house to pay for the legal bills and to put food on the table for her children.

How about if Christine was an assistant principal at my school, PS 154 and Christine dragged students down the hall, dragged a student from the yard to inside the school, and dragged and bruised a 9 year old girl like Derrick Townsend did Christine would have no worries now. Like Derrick Townsend, Christine's only penalty would be a desk job in Committee for Special Education 2 in The Bronx. But, right now Christine needs to look to her parents, who are in their golden years, for support.

Maybe if Christine were the principal at Bronxdale High School and she could have bragged, like principal John Chase Jr had, her deviant sexual fantasies with inanimate objects. Of course Christine has no reason to do that, nor would she ever share such  things as the perverted principal had, but Christine would have gotten a slap on the wrist like John Chase Jr did. But sadly, Christine is looking at an uncertain future.

But most disturbing, most curious, is that the person who set this off, Principal Jose Maldanado-Rivera of the Columbia Secondary School, who through his negligence, through his in competence, through sheer stupidity, allowed Nicole Suriel age 12 to die. To die a horrible death, a preventable death, a hollow death. All because this man, Maldanado-Rivera just was too lazy and too stupid to make sure there were permission slips for the students and that all students were capable swimmers.

Christine Rubino never would have done something like putting a child in danger. Christine Rubino is not only too smart, but too caring, too loving, and too much of a human being to ever not be vigilant when it comes to a student's safety.

But, for one mistake, a mistake that Christine has shown true remorse, she not only was fired originally, but upon further review, suspended without pay for two years, but has lost or about to lose everything. This is not only unfair, but an indictment on how screwed up, how pathological the NYC DOE has become.Don't think any of these administrators have shown remorse. Only when caught have they.

It is time to hold the looking glass over administrators everywhere and finally put the onus on them for how dysfunctional education is now in NYC. It is time for administrators to stop being held to such a low standard and start being held accountable. This pogrom on teachers must end now.

Did you hear that? You hear nothing correct? Don't be too sure, for that is the sound of the groundswell of support inviting Michelle Rhee and her minions with Students First as they bogart their way here into NY.

It is true, sad, but it is true. In today's New York Times, MichelleRheeFirst, that grassroots organization heard the imagined pleas of parents all through this great city and state of ours and like Mighty Mouse came to save the day. Funny, I am a parent and I do not recall asking for the Rhee Signal to be turned on.


But seriously, according to the NY Times, The group, called MichelleRheeFirstNY, is an arm of a national advocacy organization that Ms. Rhee founded in 2010. Like the national group, the state branch will promote the expansion of charter schools and the firing of ineffective schoolteachers, while opposing tenure. 

So I guess advocating for proper class size is not a concern to MRFNY? Ok, if not that then advocating that each student has textbooks, access to supplies is a priority. Nope, didn't see that anywhere. OK, I know. MRFNY does not feel that it is important that each child have access to art, music, science, social studies, etc...?


Why advocate for charter schools? Why not be at the forefront of getting not just money, but resources into the traditional public school? Don't the student in traditional public schools come first as well? I guess not in Michelle Rhee's America.


Another question, why does MRFNY have as one of its goals to fire ineffective teachers. Shouldn't it's primary goal to be to support, nurture, and have the proper resources for teachers? I am curious as to why MRFNY won't take this stand. 

Oh this explains a lot; Led by Micah Lasher, who is leaving his job next week as the director of state legislative affairs for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, the campaign is beginning while advocates of reform have an ally in the mayor.

So that is the grassroots movement. Uncle Mike is the grassroots. And his lackey, Micah Lasher, is running it all for him. What is Lasher's qualifications to advocate anything about education?

But what is truly driving this? Why is it that MRFNY wants form a beachhead so badly here in NY? Surely, with Uncle Mike looking after the interests of the students of NYC we have all we can handle. I wonder (as I scratch my chin, mmmm). Wait I got it! MRFNY had their, as well as Uncle Mike, Auntie Em moment; But their eyes are focused on 2014, when a new mayor — most likely one who is more sympathetic to the teachers’ union than Mr. Bloomberg has been — enters office.

And who else is in on this? The usual cavalcade of stooges, sycophants, lackies, senile old Jewish former mayors, charter school operators who kick kids out and the usual, and as always anonymous hedgefund manager billionaires who think it is hip to help and keep down the boys and girls of color; On the board are some of the most well-known and polarizing figures in public education, including Ms. Rhee; Mr. Klein, now a News Corporation executive; and Eva S. Moskowitz, the former councilwoman who now runs a chain of charter schools. Also on the board are former Mayor Edward I. Koch; Geoffrey Canada, the founder of the Harlem Children’s Zone organization, a network of charter schools; and a number of venture capitalists and hedge fund managers, who have served as the movement’s financial backers. It's a veritable rouge's gallery!

The Times goes on;  The new group is not supporting a particular candidate, nor will it necessarily endorse one, Mr. Lasher said.

Yeah, I say the first one to fold is Christine Quinn like a suit from Moe Ginsburg's. We, the good people, need to do all we can to keep John Liu, Scott Stringer, and Bill de Bliaso from falling into the evil clutches of Michelle Rhee. You know, come to think of it, wouldn't Michelle Rhee have made a great super-criminal on Batman. That does it! We must have Liu and de Blasio watch video of how Batman kept the wily ways of Catwoman away. Run, Forest, run!!!!

Establishing where the next mayor stands on education is crucial for advocates, because a number of unresolved issues will fall to Mr. Bloomberg’s successor.

Obviously, the next mayor must be dealt with properly. Any sign of independent thought must be squashed.

In 2015, mayoral control of schools will come up for renewal in Albany....

Of course, this is all what it is about. Well, one of the things.  But, in 2015 this failure of an experiment must have done what happens to horses. Put it out of our misery.

...reviving questions about checks and balances and parents’ ability to influence school policy. 

Checks and balances? Now there is an idea that we have not heard for some time. Gosh, I harken back to Mr Galanka's 8th grade social studies class in which we learned what a wonderful and necessary thing checks and balances are. Parent involvement? I heard about that, was there really such a thing? 

But the most vile portion of this article came from Harlem Children's Zone leader Geoffrey Canada; "Folks are genuinely looking for opportunities to make peace and not war, and I think that’s terrific. But someone has to make war.” 

Yes Geoffrey, someone does, and someone needs to be there to counter the invaders, to push back the invaders, to expose the invaders for what they truly are.

I rarely comment, in fact I don't believe I have, on any of the so called "unsolicited" blog posts by concerned parents over at MichelleRheeFirst.org, but tonight I feel compelled to.

One reason is to support my pal TFT, and the other is after reading the specious, disingenuous blabbering of the latest "guest blogger," Michael R. Butz (please, no snickering, and I shall refrain from comments).

Mr Butz sees more time added to the school day as a way for teachers to truly show they care about the students, that as Michelle says, or at least claims, "students come first."

Butz starts out my blithering; Children in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) system - the country's third largest - have one of the shortest school days and years in the country.

According to where, to whom? Has Mr Butz picked this quote out of some crack in the moon? The Chicago school day is 6.25 hours a day, less any lunch. Since I don't have all the facts, and am only using this as a reference, I do not wish to comment further for fear out of talking out the side of my butt. But the crack team here at SBSB will like to see more documentation from Mr Butz.

The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is firmly opposed to Mayor Emanuel's Longer School Day Pioneer Program, which offers teachers a $1,250 bonus (equivalent to 2% of the average CPS teacher salary) and $150,000 to the school for any school voting to lengthen the school day this year. That's an additional 250 more hours per student this year alone.

Good! Money doesn't talk. But I know what would. I can guarantee something, one thing that all teachers would accept for the longer school day and it won't cost the CPS, Illinois, or anyone a dime. Simple and plain respect. Guess what Mr Butz? Teachers already work long hours that you never see or ever know about. But of course you are a hypocrite. See Mr Butz is the Director of Compliance and Quality Improvement at Illinois College of Optometry. How would he feel if he was told to add 250 more hours to his already busy schedule? How would he feel that he would be compensated a mere pittance of the time that is added on to his work? Mr Butz would shit.


Why are they denying Chicago kids a comparable education? 

Comparable to whom? Please Mr Butz, cite neighboring communities in the Chicagoland area that have a longer school days and because of that the students perform better.

Butz rolls on; ......the Mayor is trying to destroy collective bargaining and bust the union by urging teachers to seek waivers from the union contract. There is no evidence to support this. This program was designed to be implemented in the most American of ways – by a democratic, majority-wins vote of all union members at a school, held under the conditions of all other union votes.

No evidence? ROTFLMFAO!!!! Oh my God!!! I laughed so hard my sphincter tightened up! You have got to be kidding? Rahm comes from the Obama administration that has given us Arne Duncan and has done everything possible to destroy unions.


The union is intercepting teachers on their way to and from school and providing information that is, in my estimation, misleading and presented in a manner to incite fear.

Mr Butz, I suggest you read the Bill of Rights in which Amendment I states that we as Americans have the freedom of speech. But yet again you offer no proof as to the fear mongering you cite.

I am not go to go on as I usually do Mr Butz and point out to you the dingleberries in your argument. It'll be a waste of my time. But I do have several points to make.

Mr Butz, do you scamper around the Illinois College of Optometry telling the professors and instructors how to conduct their business? I betcha that the professors there teach less hours in a week than CPS teachers do in a day.

As for as adding 250 hours a year or 6 hours a week, just how does that benefit children? Should a six year old be in school until 5 30 or 6 PM? How long do you think their attention span is? If you ask me, this is child abuse. Kids need to be kids. Surely, since you claim you are a great parent you must have many after school programs for your child, like learning proctology, that you feel will make your child a better, more rounded person. Aren't these students in the inner city of Chicago allowed to have extra curricular activities?

Why not be a leader and not a follower and help build ball fields, indoor recreation centers, help build from within the community a sense of togetherness? Surely, this will help the students more so that being in school and being bored shitless by 5 30 PM.

But Mr Butz what you fail to realize is that staying in school leaves the children with the same old curriculum that it is that is truly the most damaging. You fail to realize, or even have the cognitive thinking skills, that it is the ass backwards curriculum that the teachers are FORCED to incorporate that is failing the students. Why is this curriculum allowed? Because of butt buddies such as yours like Rahm Emanuel bid out the contracts for the curricula to their butt buddies.

Think about it Mr Butz. Get your head out of your...........

Bless you Michelle Rhee for the video on your all about you, Michelle RheeFirst.com website. Thank you very much for taking the time to sift through the all the questions and have a true spontaneous conversation with America's teachers.

One thing that struck us here at SBSB as breaking news was the MichelleRheeFirst moved its headquarters from Washington DC to Sacramento CA. One would assume this was done to keep better tabs on husband and known chaser of 16 year old girls, Kevin Johnson.

We here at SBSB were appalled by the softball questions and the seemingly faux well thought out responses.

Earlier this afternoon the crack team here at SBSB clandestinely gained access to the MichelleRheeFirst mainframe computer and downloaded all the questions and responses to these questions in its original ACS II form. After hours of encrypting, deciphering, and transcribing we present to the readers of SBSB what we consider the best of the best.


Michelle, thank you for your reform initiatives. However, what would you do to reform Judasim?
Shlomo Levine, Williamsburg, NY

Thank you Shlomo for taking the time with that very thought out question. Like Moses Mendelssohn, I too am a reformer, and believe that there have been rabbis that come to shul and don't really work. Many rabbis have been at their shuls for too long, and tend to get lazy. Too many rabbis just come to shul, are seen doing nothing but reading the Torah, leave right after services and don't stay for the sponge cake and grape juice and refuse to mingle with the congregation.

Michelle, you are so wonderful. I am having problems with my 1st grade class. They talk too much when online. I wish to duct tape their mouths, but I am unsure what kind of duct tape I should use. Can you recommend a good duct tape?
Rose Tortelli, Boston MA

Great question Rose! Thank you so much for asking! What you want to do is by 3M brand duct tape. I prefer the 1110-A Morris Costumes Duct Tape. This is absolutely the best and will keep their little mouths from moving. It comes in silver and they kids just love the way it glitters in the light. Remember, leave room for the students to breath through their nose. We don't want any unnecessary deaths!

I just gave a 4th standardized test to my 4th grade students. I am not sure how they will do, but since I live in Florida and up to 50% of my pay is tied to the exams and I have a family to support, I want to go back and erase wrong answers and wish to not leave any obvious erasure marks. What do you suggest?
Maude Findley, Tuckahoe NY

Thank you Maude for a very thoughtful and lucid question. Be sure that when you erase, you erase in a horizontal fashion, but not too hard for you wish not to tear the paper. Remember, then to match the fill in pattern of the answer you replace it with the same as the other questions.


My boyfriend is a former NBA basketball player and currently a mayor of a city. What I want to know is which nights for the next two weeks will you be out of town?
Anonymous 16 year old, Sacramento, CA


Oh let's see. I will be out of town from August 10-15. Good luck to you and your boyfriend!


Michelle, I have been teaching for 5 years. On the side I am a stand up comedian. I wish to imitate the voices and dialects stereotypically of inner city African-Americans as you did. How do you suggest I go about it and be as successful as you were?
Rich Little, Las Vegas, NV

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Thank you for wanting to imitate me as well as your students. I suggest you look at some old Saturday Night Lives with Eddie Murphy. Not only is it funny, but once you get it down, you'll have people laughing just as I did. Let me know when you perform, would love to see it.


Michelle, I have been teaching for 23 years, I am 49 years old, I was wondering.....
Gabe Kotter, Brooklyn NY

Please, stop there. How dare you be in teaching for 23 years? What do you think? Teaching is a lifelong profession? Please, I do not have time for a teacher with the amount of years you have in. Good-day!

And there you have it. Question and responses that Michelle Rhee does not want us to see.

In the last two years I have been to too many funerals of friends and family. Enough is enough. I refuse to allow Stu Schmelz's death be in vain.

I can't get into the cause, the circumstances, or the details of this great man's untimely demise. But what I can share, what I will share, what I do know is who is responsible for his death. Names, I am sure, will be named. The onus of his death shall be on the people who are responsible. But right now the above triumvirate are the main enablers.

Uncle Mike is partly responsible. This little nebbish, dweeb, pathetic being has so perverted the educational process for his own self serving needs that if a grand jury were to hear what he has done, surely he would be indicted. He is a man that only cares about himself and his friends. He clearly showed this when he selected cocktail buddy Cathie Black to be the Chancellor. But worse, he has lied, has refused responsibility for the total destruction that has befallen the school system here in NYC. What is most sad is I believe now in my heart of hearts that this destruction of the NYC schools is deliberate.

Joel Klein is responsible. His tentacles are still sliming the world of education. Along with Uncle Mike, Uncle Joel planned for the destruction of the public schools. What's worse is his complete lack of morals in doing so. He decided that teachers were to be sent to the Rubber Room for farting in the incorrect NYC DOE manner. He closed school without trepidation, not to save the students, but rather to be rid of veteran, "overpaid" teachers. He allowed unqualified, incompetent administrators not only to stay in their jobs, but to flourish and grow within the safety of the DOE. A man like Stu Schmelz was too good, had too much integrity in one hair follicle than the ugly, bald man had in his entire body.

These two con artists are joined by Michelle Rhee and all the supposed "grass roots" education organizations that worship her as some type of deity. The mindless, spineless, and clueless follow her, without a breath of independent thought who pray daily at the promise of false hope and false truths that she propagates.

But, there are more, and the truth always has a way of showing itself.

I will miss not seeing my friend's name on my cell phone when he calls. Stu will never see his grand kids, never enjoy the fruits of a well deserved retirement, never see the Jets win a Super Bowl because of these three evil carbon life forms.

Sorry if I am late for the party. At least here on the blog. I think back in September I posted on Twitter about how Michelle Rhee mimicked and mocked the speech patterns of her African-American students when she was the greatest teacher ever in Baltimore. According to audio made by Rhee at the Columbia Heights Education Campus, and reported by Alexander Russo and the Washington Post, Rhee, "I took little pieces of masking tapes and put them on everybody's lips." At this point in her story the crowd laughs. She goes on to explain that, "their skin is coming off and that they are bleeding," and the crowd still is laughing. This is just demented.

So why after three months or so of this being reported am I finally sharing my two cents? I guess it is seeing the launching of MichelleRheefirst.org. Seeing how Oprah is scheming to replace Gayle with Rhee as her new best friend. Watching someone has intelligent as Steven Colbert inviting having Rhee as his guest. Or just knowing in my heart of hearts that I need to do what is right in my corner of thew world to stop this evil, nasty, mean spirited woman.

But what has gotten me most riled up, gotten my gander up, has bunched up my Froot of the Looms is that a close, close person to me in another state has been reassigned because he dared to joke about taping students mouths. Now don't get me wrong, it was stupid to joke in this way. No doubt about it. But it should not involve a police investigation.

I decided to google past transgressions of teachers taping students mouths and wondered if these teachers were able to skate by as did Michelle Rhee. The names are not meant to "out" these teachers in no shape or form. These names, the accusations are widely available. It is only meant to "out" Michelle Rhee for what she truly is.

In 2008, Pamela Dahnke was terminated for taping a student's mouth shut. She was an eighth-grade health and nutrition teacher at Battle Ground Middle School in West Lafayette, IN. Did she get the same treatment as Michelle Rhee?

In 2009, Laura Gatlin a 1st grade teacher in Cleveland County, Arkansas was accused of taping students mouth and to the chair. Her lawyer's comment is here. Has she been afforded the same accolades and laughter as Michelle Rhee?

In 2006, in Katy, Texas, Jennifer Silva reportedly taped some the mouths of several students. When the superintendent got wind, he notified her he would recommend she was terminated. Why was she recommended for termination yet, Michelle Rhee is seen as the savior of education?

Just earlier this year, a teacher was accused of duct taping a student's mouth in Mishawaka, IN. This student has Asperger's syndrome. The website, care2.com said, "There are certainly many creative things that people do with duct tape. But using it on a child's mouth, and on the mouth of a child on the autism spectrum, is (serious understatement) not one of them." Does this website feel has vehement about what Michelle Rhee did and will care2.com lead the charge to make sure that Michelle Rhee is no longer near students?

And in January 2008, a well-liked Driscoll School, Brookline, MA, science teacher, Christopher Huggins , is out of a job last week after allegedly duct-taping a 12-year-old girl’s mouth during class. Michelle Rhee is not well liked. Why isn't she removed from the entire scene?

In 2009, a first grade teacher at Spaulding Elementary School, Emily Metcalfe, in Townsend, MA, used duct tape on several students' mouths. The principal was quoted as, "The superintendent went on to say that the teacher may have thought at first this was a joke, but that there was a lack of professional judgment." Didn't Michelle Rhee show poor judgment?

I am in no way condoning, nor condemning what these teachers had done. They have every single right to be proven guilty, not to prove their innocence. That is how the American system works. But, does the punishment fit the crime? Especially in light of Michelle Rhee's acknowledgment of what she has done and the education deformers sweeping it under the rug? Do these teachers not deserve the same benefit of the doubt and second chance that Michelle Rhee has received?

Several weeks ago, Michelle Rhee launched her RheeFirst, oops, I mean Studentsfirst website. Like at the end of a long day when I need a good laugh or distraction and listen to Sean Hannity, studentsfirst serves the same purpose.

I came across a propaganda film in which a under thirty somethings (yes, there were a few teachers over forty) espoused how they put students first. Two of the hypnotized that never lies stood out to me. One was Jane, a statistics and economics teacher at some school who said, "So for me it is not about 3 o'clock and the bell rings and it's time to go home. It's about did everyone learn today."

That is really nice. Super. I recall when I was first hired I was asked if I was willing to stay late. I said sure, why not? For a month I stayed late. For the sake of staying late. There were no students to see since they had all left. I was a cluster and did not have a classroom to keep up. It was all appearance and it soon ended.

Then right after Jane there is Steve, a fifth grade teacher. Steve is young, and he has that sexy five day growth type of beard. Steve says, "It's not all about me. It's about all 26 kids, or the year before that, 27. Or the year before that, 28. Whether or not I wasn't feeling well, or wasn't particularly excited about what I needed to teach, it wasn't about me it was about them."

Steve, you make me feel so guilty. When I had strep throat with 104 degree fever I should have come into to work that day. I was so selfish. Even after the fever broke over the weekend and I had an allergic reaction to the Ceftin I still should have come into work. Several years ago my wife made Hamburger Helper for dinner and the next morning I just leaned over the bed and deposited it on the floor, I should have come in to work.

I really hate this students first mantra. Yes, students should come first. But when you are at school. When you are doing school stuff. Please, I want to be spared this liberal, empty catch phrase. It means nothing and when said I do not believe it.

What comes first for me? My son and wife. Plain and simple. I know if given the choice to rescue my wife or my son my wife would insist I rescue my son. I have given up a lot of chances for per session money because I want to be with my son in the afternoon. For many years my wife worked in the city and did not come home until late. Or I coached all his sports teams and that was quite time consuming. Or I just wanted to be with him. My son, my family comes first, yesterday, now and forever.

Second, God. I have a lot of issues with this guy. I wonder if he is there, I wonder if he exists. But God comes in second. The type of person I need to be in his eyes (if he does exist) guides me.

The USA is third. We live in one fucked up country right now, and Obama is a waste as are all politicians, but this is my country and I want to do something to leave it a better place for my son.

The students, my job comes in fourth. Sorry, that is just the way it is. Doesn't mean I don't care about the students, or don't care about my job. It doesn't mean I don't want to try to improve. It just means that I have my priorities straight. I know what I have done for students. I don't have to list them here. I will mention one, **cough cough** Numb Nuts **cough cough**. I know my heart is in the right place everyday I walk into my building. But there is more to staying late, coming in when you are sick, or just too beat to show that you care about your students.

One thing that would have impressed me in that video is if one teacher, just one said that when students are being wronged by higher ups they go and fight for those students to the decision makers. That they will risk their jobs for what should be right and what is right. Unfortunately I doubt either of them have ever done it.

Just stop this students first or children first crap. It is empty and hollow. It like when I ballplayer signs with a team and claims it "isn't about the money." Road apples.

In light of DCPS Michelle Rhees racially insensitive comments during a speech made to KIPP sycophants about her first year teaching, we here are SBSB have again uncovered not only another video how Michelle Rhee solicits money for DCPS but also in the video her first meeting with Kevin Johnson.

Every wonder how Michelle Rhee raises money? Wondering why the money people will leave DC schools if Rhee leaves? We here at SBSB have gained exclusive video of Michelle soliciting funds for the Washington DC schools. We here applaud her for her initiative and taking one, if not many, for the team.