I must admit that I not only anticipate the rambling writing of Ruben Brosbe at Gotham Schools, but with each new article he writes I need to pull back the sleeve on my arm and see the goosebumps standing at attention.
In Ruben's latest on Gotham, "The Snaux Day," yes, I don't get it either, Ruben shares with us his fascination with snow, idiocy, and as usual by Ruben, a complete contradiction in his thinking and lack of any core values.
But first to the idiocy.
Ruben shared with all of us while we were teetering on the edge of our seats in anticipatory waiting of his magic prose, I got to school in record time, and walked up to my building about 40 minutes earlier than usual. I would have a little time to breathe and settle in for once before picking up the kids, I thought. But inside, it was all hands on deck!
Of course you got to school in record time. It was snowing and that means less people are traveling to work. The buses probably make less stops, the buses spend less time picking up and discharging passengers. It is amazing that you, an Ivy League graduate are able to pick up on what my son, a fourth grader so readily understands. And I commend you for that "all hands on deck" quote. Like Jean-Luc Picard, PS 310 is just waiting for your and your inspired self to be ready.
It’s hard to say with all the absences and chaos that must’ve taken place across the city whether school should have been canceled or not.
Hmmm, it's hard to say? You sir live in the City. You do not have to worry about driving in these conditions. Nor, do you have to make arrangements for a child (hopefully there will never be a day in which you procreate) whose superintendent cares about the safety of the children and the staff in their school districts. But again Ruben you show just how clueless you are when earlier you wrote, "Most of the teachers in my school commute from New Jersey, Long Island, or Westchester County, so we had 36 teachers absent. I wasn’t surprised, but at the same time the number was mind-boggling." Figure it out, take a stand for once. Get off that fence.
And now for something completely different, Ruben's usual contradiction.
My class had 14 of 28 students in attendance, but this was one of the highest in the school. Most of the grades were grouped in one classroom...Meanwhile in the classroom, the kids were ecstatic to have so much extra breathing room and attention. I used the opportunity to focus on some fundamentals that needed review. We practiced summarizing non-fiction texts, writing a paragraph with a topic sentence and supporting details, and using arrays (made of Skittles as a little reward for making it to school) to model division.
Isn't it nice to have just 14 students as compared to 28? Notice a difference? Yes, you sure did. I recall many years ago in similar conditions having only 12 students compared to the usual 26. WOW! It was a difference. Students were able to work much more independently due to the lack of distractions, I was better able to focus on students and their needs, there in general was much less mishegas.
But while you cheer this reduced class size on, and rightfully so, why then are you Michelle Rhee's little slut? Yes, we all know that you appeared in the propaganda video for Students First. We know that you are a card carrying member of Educators4Excellence. Wait, what does Michelle Rhee and E4E have in common? Are not both surely funded, at least in part, by Bill Gates? Has not Bill Gates come out and claimed that class size is irrelevant? And surely Bill Gates is not the only one who has made such a claim. Uncle Mike believes it, Joel Klein believes it, and as far as Cathie Black, she believes it because she is told to believe it. So ipso facto you must believe it as well. Or do you? Or you just can't make up your mind, or you just are clueless.
So Ruben since you had your revelation, I put it to you that it is time for you to repudiate the doctrine that you have been brain washed with, start thinking for yourself, and leave the Dark Side and come join the doers of good and niceness. Because if you don't you will consistently make stupid statements like....
In any case spending a day teaching a group of students who really want to be there is about as good as it gets.
Think. You sure those kids really wanted to be there, or is it just that the parents could not find anyone to take care of them? You know this for sure? No, you do not.
5 comments:
He is just a bunch of contradictions when it comes to class size and motivated students. His ignorance of the problems suburban teachers have in making sure their children are protected doesn't even come to his mind. The 99% of the Superintendents who closed the schools cared more about the children then the Mayor and unqualified Chancellor who forced these kids to walk through ice and snow.
No wonder he is a card-carring member of the E4E..
It was great teaching the kids who showed up. It would be even better to have classes like that all the time, just like you said.
I stopped reading his posts. I thought I was the only one who could see the contradictions in his writing. I could mention other problems with his ideas, but he is entitled to his opinions. Good luck to him.
It is time for all the teachers, who truly care for kids and they are not using their classroom and their studens as a platform to become antagonists of the union, to boycott Ruben.
He is nothing else but a scab!
Over at the NYC Parents Blog, there's a link to Michelle Rhee's new group, which advocates dropping those troublesome class size regulations. Why not pack 'em in like sardines? Probably makes sense to a woman who controls her classes by taping their mouths shut.
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