Letter to Gov Christie from NJ Teacher He Screamed At: "We want our schools back-We want to teach"
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2013
Letter to Governor Christie from the New Jersey Teacher He Screamed At
Yesterday I took the opportunity to come hear you speak on your campaign trail. I have never really heard you speak before except for sound bytes that I get on my computer. I don't have cable, I don't read newspapers. I don't have enough time. I am a public school teacher that works an average of 60 hours a week in my building. Yes, you can check with my principal. I run the after-school program along with my my classroom position. I do even more work when I am at home. For verification of this, just ask my children.
I asked you one simple question yesterday. I wanted to know why you portray NJ Public Schools as failure factories. Apparently that question struck a nerve. When you swung around at me and raised your voice, asking me what I wanted, my first response “I want more money for my students.” Notice, I did not ask for more money for me. I did not ask for my health benefits, my pension, a raise, my tenure, or even my contract that I have not had for nearly three years.
We got into a small debate about how much money has been spent on education. Too me, there is never enough money that is spent on education. To invest in education is to invest in our future. We cannot keep short-changing our children and taking away opportunities for them to explore and learn. As more money is required for state-mandated curriculum changes and high-stakes standardized testing, it is our children that are losing. Programs are being cut all over the state as budget changes are forcing districts to cut music, art, after-school transportation, and youth-centered clubs.
But let's put money aside for a moment. What do I want? What do 'we people' want? We want to be allowed to teach. Do you know that the past two months has been spent of our time preparing and completing paperwork for the Student Growth Objectives? Assessments were created and administered to our students on material that we have not even taught yet. Can you imagine how that made us feel? The students felt like they were worthless for not having any clue how to complete the assessments. The teachers felt like horrible monsters for having to make the students endure this. How is that helping the development of a child? How will that help them see the value in their own self-worth. This futile exercise took time away from planning and preparing meaningful lessons as well as the time spent in class actually completing the assessments. The evaluations have no statistical worth and has even been recognized as such by the NJ Department of Education. I am all for evaluation of a teacher. I recognize that I should be held accountable for my job. This does not worry me, as long as I am evaluated on my methods of teaching. I can not be held wholly accountable for the learning growth of a student when I am not accountable for all of the factors that influence this growth. Are you aware that poverty is the biggest determination of a child's educational success. If not, I suggest you read Diane Ravitch's new book Reign of Error. Take a moment and become enlightened.
Getting back to the issue of money. I am fully aware of our educational budget. Where is all of this money? To me it seems like it is being siphoned right off into the hands of private companies as they reap the benefits of the charter schools and voucher programs that you have put into place. It certainly hasn't gone to improve school conditions in urban areas such as Jersey City. The conditions that these students and teachers are forced to be in are horrifying. Yet you are not allowing the funds needed to improve these conditions. Are you hoping that these schools get closed down and more students are forced to go to private charter schools while the districts are being forced to pay their tuition? I know for a fact that this is what has happened in Camden and Newark. Yet these charter schools are not held to the same accountability as our public schools. Why is that? Because deep down you know that you are not really dealing with the issues that influence a child's education. You are simply putting a temporary band-aid into place. Unfortunately that temporary fix is already starting to be exposed as Charter Schools are showing that they actually are not able to do better than public schools.
You are setting up teachers to take the blame for all of this. You have portrayed us as greedy, lazy money-draining public servants that do nothing. I invite you to come do my job for one week Governor Christie. I invite you to come see my students, see how little they really have during the school day as they are being forced to keep learning for a single snapshot of their educational worth. For that one end-all, be-all test, the NJASK. The one that the future of my job and my life is now based upon.
Why do you portray schools as failure factories? What benefit do you reap from this? Have you acquired financial promises for your future campaigns as you eye the presidential nomination? Has there been back-room meetings as you agree to divert public funds to private companies that are seeking to take over our public educational system? This is my theory. To accomplish all of this, you are setting up the teachers to take the blame. Unfortunately, you are not the only governor in our country that has this agenda.
What do “we people' want, Governor Christie? We want our schools back. We want to teach. We want to be allowed to help these children to grow, educationally, socially, and emotionally. We want to be respected as we do this, not bullied.
BadAss Teacher,
Melissa Tomlinson
http://withabrooklynaccent.blogspot.com/2013/11/letter-to-governor-christie-from-new.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
"sheeple" was the correct answer!
-p
First and foremost I want to thank god.
But most importantly I want to thank all the limp minded people who keep voting against their own interest because they believe televisions ads more than their real life situation.
Thank you Thank you all
What do I win???!
Kisses and Hugs!
Ahhhh, the all popular kisses and hugs from a sweet little girl. Congratulations Heather, you've just won the respect and admiration of a second grade little girl for caring about her and all her friends future!
you rock
-p
I will Charish her hugs and kisses always
seemed appropriate at the moment.
-p
Thank you so much for saying this so eloquently! It's as if you are a very well educated and dedicated educator. As an educator myself, your voice speaks for all teachers. Thanks again!
Glad you're here! Wasn't that exceptional? I feel SO bad for the teachers of this country - how THEY are being targeted and blamed, when they're given so few resources. Teaching to the test. Yeah, THAT'S sure gonna make us competitive in and on the world markets. 
Seems to me that's tantamount to approved cheating. It seems no different from that scene in "Animal House" where Bluto and D-Day were dumpster-diving for the carbon paper that had been used to copy the final exams so they could study merely to pass the test. Of course, that's the kind of "educational advancement" of which george w bush was a huge proponent. Figures. Look what a "bright light" he was. 
... SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER 
“New Jersey residents have been hurt by Chris Christie and his policies,” DNC spokesperson Michael Czin said. “He promised a ‘comeback,’ but 400,000 residents remain out of work, the foreclosure rate remains the second highest in the nation and property taxes continue to rise.”
Buono, on the other hand, adds Czin, “has spent her entire career fighting for working families by supporting investments in public education, access to quality health care for those who need it most and has a proven record to strengthen the state’s faltering economy.” Nov 1, 2013: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/11/chris-christies-opponent-barbara-buono-wages-lonely-campaign/
"With Election Day only two days away, voters have the opportunity to change the path we are currently traveling."
"With committed voters, Barbara Buono can win for N.J. governor":
November 03, 2013 at 5:50 AM:
http://www.nj.com/south-jersey-voices/index.ssf/2013/11/letter_with_committed_voters_b.html
Everything you said was spot on! "him standing with Obama after Sandy, where he seemed 'so reasonable'." Yes, that was me. Seeing a Republican 'acting civil toward the President'..
Yeah, that WAS, a big deal! Sort of pathetic, huh?
ill-mannered, and ill-tempered bullying manner in response to her comments. Wonder if these bullying traits would come to the forefront should he ever get mad with his hands on the nuclear button?
writing to fatass governor. 
