Tuesday, August 20, 2013

No one is "Anti-Teacher"

This is something I've been meaning to get off my chest for a long time.  There's a rhetorical trick employed by people of all political stripes to discredit those with who them disagree, and it really should stop.

Most of us agree that in all ethnic, social, religious and political groups there are good and bad individuals.  There are people who care only about themselves, some that only care about their friends and families and those that only care about people in their "group", whatever that group happens to be.  Since one can't generalize about the behavior of all people in any particular group, those who do generalize are often called prejudiced, bigots, racists, etc.  and their arguments are automatically discredited.

So the trick is to show that a policy that you oppose doesn't merely reflect a different perspective, but that it represents an animosity towards an entire group of people.  That way it is prejudice, bigotry, etc. and you don't even have to argue the merits of the policy because it is discredited at the outset.

Hence, gun enthusiasts will oppose gun restrictions as being "anti-gun owner" rather than simply "anti-gun".  Amsterdam News will label the NYPD's "stop and frisk" program as "racism" (racist in itself, mot merely in the implementation).  The Jewish Voice and Opinion will label opposition to Israel's settlement policy as "anti-semitism."  If you believe that life begins at conception and that therefore abortion should be illegal you must be "sexist."  Opposition to gay marriage must reflect "homophobia."

And if I suggest that schools make up for days lost due to weather in the summer than I am "anti-teacher."  Similarly if I suggest that teachers who don't work in the summers have an easy July and August.

If you believe in any of the above you must hate everyone the respective group.  Even if you are a member of that group.  You must just hate yourself.  And since this is a thought crime there is no way to disprove it.

Of course everyone sees the ridiculousness in other people's hang-ups but not in their own.

Feel free to vent below.  But please don't say "how can you compare x to y?"  I'm comparing your faulty logic, not making any moral comparisons.

Comments (74)

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End Welfare's avatar

End Welfare · 605 weeks ago

And I'm not anti-scholarships. I just don't think you should be asking the community to pay your bills (which is what scholarship really is) when you haven't yet cut ALL the fat out of your budget. The liberties that people on scholarship take with their "discretionary income" troubles me to no end and I'm sure it would trouble "the Rav" as well.
1 reply · active 605 weeks ago
End & HF,

You both make good points about scholarship abuse and the negativity directed at He'atid and Gershon but I think you should adjust your tones a bit. This should not be an US vs THEM type of debate. We are all in this together and we should discuss solutions as a group.
1 reply · active 605 weeks ago
2 local schools just got awarded grants for blended learning. Are you sure they are not open to alternative models or just aren't willing to believe the hype coming out of He'Atid?
2 replies · active 605 weeks ago
Teaneck Shnuk's avatar

Teaneck Shnuk · 605 weeks ago

I heard that an announcement is coming soon ...
Wondering's avatar

Wondering · 605 weeks ago

While YNJ and Moriah won the blended learning grants; I wonder if any of the other schools in the area applied for it?
1 reply · active 605 weeks ago
Teaneck Shnuk's avatar

Teaneck Shnuk · 605 weeks ago

Noam and Yavneh applied too ... didn't get it. He'Atid was waiting to hear who got the grant before they figured out their next step. This grant is giving over $2M to the 2 winning schools.
Keep it Real's avatar

Keep it Real · 605 weeks ago

5 Schools won it; 2 in our area. It is up to $3M for the 5 schools.

No one is merging. HeAtid is full steam ahead.

Can you confirm that Noam and Yavneh applied too; or are you just making that up?
End Welfare's avatar

End Welfare · 605 weeks ago

"This grant is giving over $2M to the 2 winning schools."

If true, can we expect the winning schools to be lowering tuition in a meaningful way? Or, being that money is fungible, are admins going to end up with increases to their salaries?

I have no clue, just asking questions.......
1 reply · active 605 weeks ago
Teaneck Shnuk's avatar

Teaneck Shnuk · 605 weeks ago

Yes, Noam and Yavneh applied too. I have close relations with He'Atid ... let's just wait and see :)
Daniel Rosen's avatar

Daniel Rosen · 605 weeks ago

I wouldn't say that you are anti-teacher, but when you make statements which present a singular opinion of a group, you simply look foolish. If I said "lawyers who aren't in court have it easy" or "tax accountants for aren't in the midst of the January to April tax season have it easy" people might not say I was anti-those professions but simply grossly misinformed about them. So when you say " teachers who don't work in the summers have an easy July and August" you aren't anti-teacher. You are just predicating your judgment on a faulty premise. The level on which this makes sense is the obvious one -- a surgeon who is wandering the beaches of Aruba and is on vacation has it easy also. Does that really need to be pointed out?

Now, sure, you could say, you aren't talking about teachers who do work in July and August, just the ones who don't. How can I claim that someone who doesn't work doesn't have it easy? I can't. But many teachers do work over the summer -- some in the classroom, and some in other milieus. If you want to limit the scope to the very few teachers who don't work at all, feel free. I would suggest that many teachers work fewer hours than in the school year, or work very differently with different (and often lesser) types of stress. So maybe you could be more complete and say "teachers whose classroom responsibilities are replaced with other kinds often have things easier in the summer than in the school year"; that would be fine and just a touch more accurate.

Of course, what it has to do with a blog which is ostensibly about day school tuition isn't really clear but that's a separate issue.
2 replies · active 605 weeks ago
HeAtid Fan's avatar

HeAtid Fan · 605 weeks ago

YNJ is really going to do blended learning? I call BS.
End Welfare's avatar

End Welfare · 605 weeks ago

I'm confused. I thought the legacies thought "blended learning" was a crock of you know what and they used this as a talking point to bash Heatid? Hmmmmm. Something doesn't smell right here.
19 replies · active 605 weeks ago
For guys that claim not to be anit-legacy - you sound pretty anti-legacy to me.
The Real Steve's avatar

The Real Steve · 605 weeks ago

Here's the thing you heatid hype artists don't get: Blended learning only works from grade six on. This was proven from heatid's own promotional material. As heatid has no sixth grade (and won't for several years, if ever), its obvious that heatid's method is a complete scam.

If only they would admit that they offer a somewhat inferior product at a lower price, it might work. But the heatid hypesters will never get people that way.
1 reply · active 605 weeks ago
Steve's friend 's avatar

Steve's friend · 605 weeks ago

Steve-- You are not serious are you? 3 of the 5 schools (including Moriah) awarded BOLD grants agreed to execute blended learning in their LOWER/elementary schools.
Math and science everyone. Math and science. Everything else is experimental. Can try all of it across the school but higher likelihood of success with older children. How anyone can claim big savings from a few subjects when 80% of the day is not covered is a mystery. Wish everyone the best of luck. Maybe they will even save some money.
Keep it Real's avatar

Keep it Real · 605 weeks ago

Here is the link from Dr. Scott Goldberg's speech in which he used the word "failing" when referring to our current education system. YU refers to Dr. Goldberg as "an internationally recognized expert in Jewish and general education." In his speech, in discussing the changing trends in today's world, he asks "Does the current education system recogninze these trends or is it failing our students by not preparing them properly with the skills they need in this world."
http://elitalks.org/yeah_but_what_if_future_educa...
He'Atid Ima's avatar

He'Atid Ima · 605 weeks ago

I guess I'm not sure why people think He'Atid is offering an "inferior product at a lower price". It's actually a good school with excellent staff. Have you seen the school? Spoken to parents? Got to know the teachers? They have excellent staff...Just scratching my head on why you think it's "cheap and worse"-- regardless of any model/blended this or that....I was very happy with my kids' teachers and they absolutely adored my kids. The teachers went ABOVE AND BEYOND, emailing, calling, working closely-- and many times one one on one--to ensure my girls got the attention, need, and understanding they needed. I'd love to hear about the teachers- of what you think you know/think you heard (through the grapevine, of course) about the morahs....
2 replies · active 605 weeks ago
He'Atid Ima's avatar

He'Atid Ima · 605 weeks ago

...sorry forgot to add- I think, and I'm sure no matter "side" you're on, that at the end of the day- the teachers MAKE the school. Admins and leadership are important, for sure, but the kids' daily lives are influenced more than anything by their teachers.
Reality check's avatar

Reality check · 605 weeks ago

Reality check. A few good teachers won't make a school successful. Gershon should be praying for a merger.
2 replies · active 605 weeks ago
This topic that is time and time again discussed is a very simple one. Tuition at 18k (after taxes) per kid for a family of 3-4 is simply unsustainable, plain and simple. How do we all, literally all of us not agree on that???

I have no idea what the norm is in terms of salary in Bergen County, but to say that one needs to make 250k to break even is a ridiculous assertion.

This is a problem that is the responsibility of the entire Jewish community, and Heatid, like it or hate it has been a game changer, bottom line.

Everyone needs to acknowledge it and embrace the idea of lower tuition, and not fight it, because otherwise Jewish education in Bergen County will be reserved for those with incomes north of 250k, which would be the end of the community.
Why is it that whenever this subject is discussed, even by those who are its apparent most ardent supporters, it is always with generalities and platitudes but few specifics? The reason is that they are pretending that this addresses an educational needed when it is all about economics and finances. Do a google search and see who is promoting and spearheading "blended learning" initiatives. It's not the major private schools or the most celebrated public schools who are willing to pay for quality education. It is KIPP, Rocketship, Alvo, Christensen and all the others from the business world who think they have the answers for resource strapped school districts.

In other words, blended education is not designed to ameliorate educational deficiencies in a normative school environment. It's purpose is to constrain costs in a distressed environment. To do so effectively, therefore, the considerations are input not output related. There are at least 3 that need attention:

1. Staffing. How will a blended learning model affect student-teacher ratios overall such that teacher expenses can be reduced sufficiently to overcome the costs of implementation and sustainability?

2. Space. Will a blended learning help relieve the costs associated with operating physical space for schools? Some might suggest that effective on line tools could make much physical space unnecessary as the blended learning model moves closer to home schooling methods.

3. Technology. What type of technology is being used? Some technology is very expensive and would not help in lowering costs. So the blended learning model only works if the right technology is used.

The bigger question, of course, is whether our schools are in such distress that they are resorting to the methods of resource strapped school districts? There is a fair amount of money in the community to help maintain our schools on par with good private and public schools. That money could be used to facilitate greater scholarships or graduated tuition mechanisms based on income. Ideologues will object that such an approach is socialist but if we follow only cost cutting, we necessarily change the quality of the product.
16 replies · active 605 weeks ago
Defending Teachers's avatar

Defending Teachers · 605 weeks ago

Wrong, YD. You presume that teachers have a *choice* as to whether they wish to be formally employed over the summer or not. I know plenty of teachers who would gladly work over the summer if they had such an opportunity--but this is the state of education in America, where the two month summer break is compulsory for teachers and students alike. To argue that teacher salary should be affected due to this greater cultural issue is silly.

At our local Jewish day school, teachers are told that their salary is a 10 month salary paid over 12 months--and so their pay is affected over the summer (and reduced) if they are absent due to a maternity leave or other excused absence.
2 replies · active 605 weeks ago
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