Unfair Labor Practice Much?

Y'know, I'll never understand union bashing. When people badmouth teachers unions in particular, it makes me cringe. The bashers only focus on what they perceive to be bad about unions such as the oft complaints of safe-guarding bad teachers, protecting seniority and tenure and the like.

Let me just say this, when you have seen what I've seen this summer, it might change the way you think about unions - at least a little bit.

For instance, California Ed. Code gives rehiring rights to teachers who have been laid off for 39 months. In most cases, the only reason these teachers (mostly young, new teachers, btw) were let go from their teaching positions were due to economic uncertainties, as is the case in many districts in the Golden State. Rehiring rights tell Districts that if positions become open and a laid-off teacher is qualified to teach in that position, then the District must contact the teacher to ask if they want this new position.

In my District, we have almost one hundred teachers who are still without teaching jobs. Many will take part-time positions because as we all know, something is better than nothing. The District has decided to advertise (yet again) for newly created positions that these laid-off teachers are qualified to teach, most of which are part-time. So, this week I had to deliver a cease & desist and demand to bargain letter. As of right this minute, I've heard nothing from HR.

Then, we have the whole issue of health benefits. (Mary Alice wrote an excellent piece on health benefits - you really should go read it after you read what I have to say!) Many teachers opt for a 12 month paycheck. This means that during the 10 months of contractual work, deducations are made so that we can receive our summer pay and benefits. In the past, when teachers have been laid off, they keep their benefits until August 31st. It is benefits that we have already paid out of the deductions for the year. However, my district has chosen this year to make it really interesting. They are stopping coverage on July 31st and refunding money to these laid-off teachers.

The best part? Many teachers have not received any written notice that their coverage is stopping as of today! The District stated that in the final lay-off letter that went out in May, teachers were instructed to contact the Benefits Department to discuss their benefits package. This is what the District is using as their notice! As we all know, most people rely on what has happened in the past and past practice has been that laid-off teachers received benefits until August 31st. I know that more than a few of these teachers probably assumed that they were good to go until August and then they would do what they needed to do in order to maintain their coverage, i.e., paying for the COBRA package.

Of course, I am looking at the legal options to get the District do right by its former employees. It is still appalling to me that they would do this to teachers, many of whom really want to come back to teach in this District despite all the crappy things this District has pulled.

yeah, we don't need unions because we all know how benevolent employers are!

Integrity with a Capital "I"

My parents would expect nothing less. This blog has never been about anything other than an avenue for me to write about my experiences in the classroom. It has been a place for me to vent, to find camaraderie and a place for me to share my triumps along with my sorrows. It has never been about trying to make money (other than the small Google adsense at the top which I think to date has earned me a whopping $40 that I've yet to see because Google doesn't cut the check until you earn $100).

The Cutest Thing Evah

This picture of this little girl from Ghana put a smile on my face. She is absolutely adorable!

The Angry Teen and his Hungry Brother

Somehow yesterday I lost an hour. My original plan for dinner was to order pizza at about five, which would mean that it would probably get here right around the time my husband walked through the door. You know what they say about best laid plans.

Usually at four in the afternoon, I'm watching my favorite, bitchy judge, "Judge Judy." On the station that I watch it on it airs for a full hour. Instead of watching her Honor, I was talking on the phone to a young man who wishes to be on our school board. Every time I would try to hang up the phone, he would start on another topic. When I was finally able to hang up the phone, I looked at the television and noticed that the news was on. So, I ordered the pizza, honestly thinking to myself that it was a little bit after five when I had placed the order.

I get busy clearing all the crap off our kitchen table setting the table, telling Wrestling Fan to grab the Parmesan and the crushed peppers to put on the table. I sit down to watch a little bit a television, upset that overeager young man wanting to run for school board kept me on the phone long enough to make me miss my four o'clock date. I'm flipping through the channels when who do I see? Mrs. Judy Scheindlin herself on the channel I watch her on every day at four.

The doorbell rings. Wrestling Fan answers the door and why yes, it is the pizza man with our pizzas a whole hour earlier than I had planned. Of course, WF wanted to help himself right away, but I told him he had to wait until dad got home before we started eating. It was torture for me him having to smell pizza wafting throughout the house. He Ibroke down, begging me to let him have a piece. By this time, it was almost five, so we both sat at the table and ate some pizza.

Now onto the angry teen, which would be Guitar Teen. He came down at 10:40 last night wanting me to take him across town so that he could hang out at a friend's house. His curfew is midnight, so I told him no because it was too late and he would have to return in an hour. Needless to say he was very angry with me. He went stomping upstairs, came downstairs a few minutes later and went outside to punch "Bob" (one of those exercise dummies) sans gloves.

He came in a few minutes later asking for band-aids. I guess that'll show me, eh?

Friday Fill-Ins

1. The last thing I ate was pizza and ice.

2. Toilet paper is something I recently bought.

3. When it rains, it makes me smile.

4. The young woman at my dentist's office was the first person I talked to today.

5. Hugs are can be hard on one who is not touchy-feely.

6. Hot chocolate brings extra comfort.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to nothing much, tomorrow my plans include exercising and maybe going to Kohl's and Sunday, I want to call my cousin!

(Do your Friday Fill-In)

Is this really 2009?

Because after reading this article just a little past 6 months of the historic inauguration of Barack Obama, I really have to wonder.

To complain, contact:

THE VALLEY SWIM CLUB

22 TOMLINSON RD HUNTINGDON VALLEY, PA 19006

(215) 947-0700

h/t to Field Negro and Mirror on America.

Love this!

No Child Left Behind:
The Football Version

Author Unknown*

l. All teams must make the state playoffs, and all will win the championship. If a team does not win the championship, they will be on probation until they are the champions, and coaches will be held accountable.

2. All kids will be expected to have the same football skills at the same time and in the same conditions. No exceptions will be made for interest in football, a desire to perform athletically, or genetic abilities or disabilities. ALL KIDS WILL PLAY FOOTBALL AT A PROFICIENT LEVEL

3. Talented players will be asked to work out on their own without instruction. This is because the coaches will be using all their instructional time with the athletes who aren't interested in football, have limited athletic ability, or whose parents don't like football.

4. Games will be played year round, but statistics will only be kept in the 4th, 8th, and 11th games.

5. This will create a New Age of sports where every school is expected to have the same level of talent and all teams will reach the same minimal goals.

If no child gets ahead, then no child will be left behind.

(Note: I saw this linked on another blog, but do not remember which one. This was found here.)

*As Dr. Bluestein has stated on her blog, the author is unknown, however, if you know who the author is, let us know!

Babysitter

When I was a young girl, I did a lot of babysitting for neighbors (paid) and my parents (unpaid other than the whole meals and roof over my head deal they had going). My mom returned to work full-time when we lived in Butte, Montana. Butte was a small town and most of us kids were often unsupervised from sun up to sun down.

One of the ways I took to entertaining my two younger siblings was to take the city bus to the local mall. I was probably around 12 years old, my younger brother 9 (& special needs) and my baby sister was around 4. We would leave the house, get on the city bus, which made its rounds to uptown Butte and then eventually end up at the mall. There we might see a movie, or eat a hot pretzel, and wander around the mall for a couple of hours. This was before cell phones so my parents really had no way to contact me to check in. They just trusted that we were okay.

That's why this story makes me sad. I understand "why" the authorities did what they did, but I also think back to my own childhood when something like this would not have raised eyebrows or risked threat of arrest for my parents!

Friday Fill-Ins - The Patriotic Edition!

1. When I heard Sarah Palin was resigning I admit I chuckled gleefully.

2. The happiness of my kids is the best medicine.

3. It's late, but I still have cake to frost.

4. My husband loves me always.

5. My eyes have seen many beautiful & wondrous things.

6. I love my family fiercely & strongly.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to playing with my new IPhone, tomorrow my plans include finally meeting up with a long friend and Sunday, I want to Relax!

The Perfect Child

When a child is born, one counts toes and fingers to make sure that the child they hold is perfect. The visual inspection eases doubts that lingered through the nine months of carrying the child. Tests are run throughout the pregnancy. Results come back, once again, reassuring the parents-to-be that everything is normal.

The child is born. One holds the newborn, marveling at its perfection. One is relieved that their child is "perfectly normal."

However, there are no tests that will tell you what might happen in years to come. There are no tests for mental illnesses, which many times do not manifest themselves until the child reaches adolescence. Unlike a physical abnormality or even a mental handicap, there is nothing that prepares one for mental illness. It just all of a sudden appears and even before a bona fide diagnosis, when that "perfectly normal" child starts behaving in ways that are foreign to both the child and the parent, both are left wondering with feelings of uncertainty. The parent wondering where they went wrong and the child questioning what is wrong with me?

The parent slowly starts to realize that the struggle will be life-long. All one can do is reassure the child that they will be there for them.

That is all I can do. My heart aches for Artist Girl who I am slowly beginning to realize will battle her demons for a lifetime. The frustrations that I feel when she makes decisions that I will never understand are probably but a small piece of what she feels as she struggles to feel normal.