Comments on: In 90 minutes, Tisch took on readiness gap, test objectors, TFA

By: Pjg320

Pjg320 — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 18:18:00 +0000

I totally agree .. The route to teaching is not relevant, the commitment and effectiveness does ..I ‘ve worked w/ many Fellows and have been hugely impressed

By: MC

MC — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:33:00 +0000

I was a teaching fellow. While I am willing to concede that I was young and definitely not ready to teach 16 year old 8th graders in east Harlem, I did well my first year and my students learned a significant amount (by my judgment and by the test scores). Now, several years later, I have learned significantly more and I am a better teacher because of it, but my philosophy hasn’t changed and my commitment is still as strong (despite several career setbacks, including terrible principals, a closed school, and a stint as an A T R).

When I joined teaching Fellows, people were in this as a career. most of the people I went to grad school with are still teachers here in NYC and don’t talk of leaving anytime soon. Teaching Fellows aren’t temps, just people who want to be teachers but didn’t study to be.

By: S. Corbett

S. Corbett — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 16:14:00 +0000

Astounding! More parents should be joining the movement to opt out of these standardized tests! It is OUR system. We are the ones who pay for it and use it! How dare Ms. Tisch talk to anyone about privilege! Standardized tests — not all, but certainly the ones that have proliferated in the past few years — are a waste of children’s and teachers’ time. I would ask Ms. Tisch to show us what standardized tests her own children have been subjected to and whether they were tracked by the Orwellian (and often incorrect and impossible to correct ARIS system). We, the citizens of New York City, are not her lab rats or her subjects. She works for US!

By: Pogue

Pogue — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 09:20:00 +0000

Their thick skulls are lined with money and privilege.

Their policies are style over substance using smoke and mirrors.

By: Guest

Guest — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 07:05:00 +0000

Bloomberg and the corrupt Principals are to blame for the college readiness issues.
I saw my corrupt Principal writing up teachers if they didn’t pass over 80% of all of their classes, so she could artificially raise the graduation rate and keep her job.
These kids weren’t even ready for 12th grade, and we were throwing them out on the street, because Bloomberg and the State were pressuring schools to raise their graduation rates.
I had always noticed that when kids took five years to graduate, they had a more mature attitud, and they were ready for college.
It’s tantamount to a crime to graduate these kids, who aren’t ready to graduate.
Bloomberg and the State can’t get it through their thick heads that inner city schools should not be held to the same standards of the wealthier suburban
schools, for obvious reasons.
Why can’t these idiots get that through their thick skulls?

By: Just a Teacher

Just a Teacher — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 12:29:00 +0000

I am an English teacher in NYC. I will not allow my own children to EVER take a NYS exam. You can shove your elitist comments up your arse Merryl. The only “dangerous precedent” that has been set in the last decade is that the Board of Regents has allowed the testing culture to dominate education. Every member of the board should be ashamed for what they have done to public education.

By: Mr. Flerporillo

Mr. Flerporillo — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 12:20:00 +0000

“As for her thoughts on Opt-Out, how is it a privilege?”

The argument appears to be that the children most likely to opt out come from “middle class” families, who are more apt to know about field tests generally, more likely to do the paperwork to opt out, etc.

By: Mr. Flerporillo

Mr. Flerporillo — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 11:56:00 +0000

“When you choose not to be part of something, you’re sending loads of messages about who can and who can’t opt out,” Tisch said. “And I always think that’s a dangerous precedent.”

I don’t want to wage class warfare or anything, but do I really need a lecture from Merryl Freaking Tisch about privilege? You know what also sends loads of messages about who can and who can’t opt out? Marrying a billionaire when you’re 20 years old.

By: Dreilly

Dreilly — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 03:14:00 +0000

Why does it seem the state is at war with schools? The state says march, and every bit of resistance (some of it quite justified) is met with “Or else we’ll pull funding!” They don’t call New York the Empire State for nothing. No wonder so many of our districts treat our children with the same punitive disdain. Or else. As for her thoughts on Opt-Out, how is it a privilege? Anyone can opt out, and poor, minority and special needs students are hurt more by the tests than anyone and should opt out of state tests until such time as NYSED returns to its bloody senses. Things have gone too far, the testing system is hurting children and has turned the atmosphere of schools into tense stress factories, and severely curtailed the ability of teachers to be creative. It’s sucked the fun out of education. It’s given children anxiety disorders. And Tisch says that not taking part in this great injustice sends a bad message. I guess it does send a bad message for people like her: parents aren’t going to buy the BS that testing is the answer to all our problems any more.

By: Ellen

Ellen — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 03:05:00 +0000

If she was frank and direct I’m Zsa Zsa Gabor.
She was careful to parse her answers so that anyone in the audience could have his/her take away
yes charters, but a better process
yes TFA, but stay for longer periods of time
yes testing, but better tests
etc., etc.
I admired her agility and ability while ducking, bobbing and weaving.
I laughed when she refused to answer the “Are you running for mayor question”
Heavens…..she is a politician!

By: East Sider

East Sider — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 19:01:00 +0000

Chancellor Tisch was frank and direct … on the high charged issue of teacher evaluation she acknowledged the opposition … and said she thinks it will look a lot different in five years … and even agreed that the federal government is too intrusive in education policies in states … watch the video.

By: Jmerrow

Jmerrow — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 18:22:00 +0000

A good summary. Hope you will listen or watch to it all

By: NYCatr

NYCatr — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:52:00 +0000

Teach for America is the figurehead for the destruction of the teaching profession. Send in these immature temps into the inner cities and not only college reddiness is decimated…. but also any semblance of hope.