How did you survive swimming in the pool?

The pool is over now and I want to hear from everyone. How were you treated? Did you get a good placement? Are you teaching out of field? Are you happy with the overall experience (or as happy as you could be)?

What do teachers think of these results?

The Florida Department of Education recently released a survey from teachers called the Teacher Experiences Survey Analysis. An overview of the the analysis covers the following areas.

Explore teacher responses relating to the following areas:

• Performance pay
• Reasons for leaving in the teaching profession
• Reasons for staying in the teaching profession
• What factors matter most to keep teachers in the profession

Explore teacher responses on the following dimensions:

• By attitudes regarding their role in student learning
• By years of experience
• By likelihood of leaving the teaching profession

Click here to read the whole survey http://www.fldoe.org/meetings/2007_03_20/TeacherExpSurveySlides.pdf

What do you think?

Can you see the irony?

While local governments are considering cutting funding for school resource officers (SROs) in public schools, state legislators are considering increases in funding for security at universities. Can any one say "knee jerk"?

Year after year 'safe school' funding has decreased and with all of the property tax cuts being proposed, local governments are talking about cutting funding for school resource officers in public schools. Currently in Hillsborough County local law enforcement agencies are funding half of the cost and the school district funds the other half. If the funding is cut we will have to consider having our own police force.

Read related articles below.

School days numbered?

By MIKE DONILAPublished May 23, 2007

For weeks, local officials have pledged that police and fire would be the last things cut if state lawmakers slash property tax revenue.

Click here to read full text
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/23/Hillsborough/School_days_numbered.shtml


Task force to give Crist recommendations for campus safety

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON Associated Press Writer TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A university safety task force formed after the Virginia Tech shootings is making a broad range of recommendations, including a focus on mental health issues that goes way beyond simply helping college students.


Click here to read full text at channel 13 http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=3297656&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1

Graduations

Everyone in the district is exceedingly busy right now with all of the end of year activities for all students and graduations for seniors.

I have enjoyed all the graduations I have participated in thus far and I am not even tired of hearing 'Pomp and Circumstance'.

Today is a special day for me...my niece Jessica is graduating from Blake High School and going on to college. Jessie was the first child born to our generation of the family and the reason I wanted to have children in the first place. I am so proud of her.

I am going to be overwhelmed with joy today, as I am the school board member conferring Blake graduates. What an honor for me!

Congratulations to all the graduates, parents and guardians, teachers and mentors of our graduates. You did it!

Merits Of Certification

Regarding "Voters Provide Elected Officials The Only Certification They Need" (Our Opinion, May 13):

Is the Tribune actually arguing that a continuing education program for elected officials is a bad thing?

Nearly every profession, from soldiers to nurses to accountants, has continuing education requirements as well as certification. Why shouldn't we expect as much from our elected representatives?...Click here to see full text http://www.tbo.com/news/opinion/lettertotheeditor/MGBWW0WGZ1F.html

Why We Should Blog in Education, Part II

Published by Matthew May 9th, 2007 in Education News / Issues, Upstate NY Education

I wrote last week about the use of blog-style websites as an effective tool for educators to communicate with parents, students, the broader communities we serve, and to network with professionals across the country. Today, Letitia Stein of The Gradebook highlights a blog used by Hillsborough County, Florida School Board member April Griffin for exactly that purpose:

Click here to read full text http://matthewktabor.com/2007/05/09/why-we-should-blog-in-education-part-ii/

Certification Serves Taxpayers, Schools

School Board response to Tribune editorial

Click here http://www.tbo.com/news/opinion/commentary/MGB59Q6RT1F.html

Health Education or in other words "Sex Education"

See St. Pete Times article here http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/18/Brandontimes/Sex_education_reform_.shtml

Any thoughts?

I want to hear from ESE teachers

Elementary, middle, and secondary. What are the biggest challenges you currently face and expect to face in the coming 2007-2008 school year? What are some positive aspects of the ESE program. Remember to be productive.

It is truly amazing how innuendo and opinion have replaced fact our society

I would like to address an editorial that is in today's online edition of the Tampa Tribune and will appear in print in tomorrow's edition . The story was, in my opinion, written by a biased reporter in the editorial department. This reporter clearly had a story in mind before she "researched" and wrote the editorial. This reporters opinion and bias before writing the story can be summed up in the headline 'Voters Provide Elected Officials The Only Certification They Need'.

A couple of other things I find interesting are that the main negative statements in this editorial are written about the only two School Board Members that have never been endorsed by the Tribune Editorial Board. The same writer who endorsed my opposition during my campaign.

Click here to read the full text: http://www.tbo.com/news/opinion/editorials/MGB8GKZ9L1F.html

Also read excerpts below with my response in red and italics:

"Board member April Griffin has only been in office since November, but already she's attended at least 11 "training events" to earn certification from the Florida School Board Association, amounting to more than 50 hours of training and more than $2,200 in expenses. In one workshop, Griffin actually sat through a presentation conducted by Hillsborough's own chief business officer, she recounted." We do not always know who the trainer is before we attend a training. I have not traveled 11 times in relation to certification. Most of the trainings were in town. This was biased reporting meant to imply that I have been traveling excessively for training. In all honesty traveling to Gainseville in my own personal vehicle and and leaving my family is not my idea of a good time, but I did so at the urging of my chair to become a more informed and effective board member.

"Training Could Have Been Free. Yet it didn't occur to Griffin what an incredible waste of money it is to have a board member travel to a workshop and pay tuition to hear a presentation that should have been available back home for free." $2,200 divided by 11 is $200 per training or an average of $44 per training hour (including travel). Is this an ‘incredible waste of money’? It is this reporter’s ‘opinion’ this was an incredible waste of money. I do not agree with that statement. Had this reporter broken it down in the article it would be easy to see that this is clearly not the case. I would also like to note that the training is not only about what we learn from the presenters, but what we learn from board members from other counties. I am of the belief that not all solutions to our problems can be found solely in Hillsborough County. Yet this reporter's myopic view seems to be to the contrary.

"Now, local political activist and newspaper publisher Patrick Manteiga, a personal and political friend of both Griffin and Valdes, has used the certification to bash board member Jennifer Faliero, who sees no urgency in pursuing certification now that she's in a second term and has plenty of on-the-job training." This reporter is making a huge assumption that I am taking on Patrick Manteiga’s issue. This is not the case and I told the reporter this in our interview, yet she neglected to reflect this in her story. Again biased reporting on her part. I also told this reporter that the training was about gaining knowledge, not necessarily the certification. I have had numerous people tell me it seems as if I snapped right into place, as if I have been a board member for a long time. I attribute this to the amount of research, homework, and study I have done both during the campaign and since I have been elected. The training plays a large part in this.

"Lamb says the board is currently working toward its "master board" certification at an additional cost of $3,000 to taxpayers. One of the things it is supposed to teach is teamwork - clearly a lesson that didn't quite stick with all." The statement by this reporter: ‘clearly a lesson that didn’t stick with all’ implies that I had something to do with what Patrick Mantiega wrote. This is not the case and I again told this to the reporter during our interview. I resent the implication that there is an issue between Jennifer Faliero and I. This statement is meant to do nothing but stir the pot with absolutely no proof. Jennifer Faliero and Patrick Mantiega's relationship is their business not mine, and I have said this to both parties.

Please feel free to post your comments...positive or negative.

I must clarify something

I had a meeting yesterday evening with a group of teachers and by this morning at a Sertoma meeting there was a rumor that I had hired an attorney to file a lawsuit about the 6 out of 7 plan. This statement is not accurate. I am not filing a lawsuit. I did state that I have my own attorney that I consult for opinions in regard to my role, responsibilities, and other information I need to do my job as a school board member. I do not get my information from one source, never have, never will.

How can we foster a team environment?

That includes teachers, support staff, and administration?

How can the school district best utilize technology?

How can we use technology to improve student achievement and save money?