Carnival Time!

The 125th edition of The Carnival of Education (hosted this week by Education in Texas) has opened-up the the midway for your reading pleasure.

Round-out your Educational Experience by seeing what the homies are up to over at the Carnival of Homeschooling.
--------------------------See our latest EduPosts.

The NEA: Boondoggle Or Money Well Spent?

Remember the National Endowment for the Arts?

Those are the folks who spent taxpayer money on "artwork" by Andre Serrano ("Piss Christ") and the late Robert Mapplethorpe's homoerotic photography.

Now the NEA is back in a big way with $124 million earmarked for this year and $128 million for next year:

An all-night reading at a local Krispy Kreme of American author John Steinbeck's 1939 classic "The Grapes of Wrath" -- literature amid chocolate iced glazed crullers -- may not rival an afternoon at your local library for quiet.

But even as Dana Gioia, the National Endowment for the Arts' chairman, announces 117 new cities chosen to participate in the agency's "Big Read" program this year, that's what you hear: Quiet.

In fact, Dana Gioia promises the Big Read will be in 400 U.S. cities next year, meaning town-wide celebrations of works by American writers Zora Neale Hurston, Ernest Hemingway, Harper Lee, Ray Bradbury, Amy Tan and others will be in all 50 states and in every congressional district.

Four international Big Read programs are coming online next year in Mexico, Russia, Egypt and China.

There's much more to read in the whole thing.

While I like the idea of promoting community-wide reading efforts and the fine and performing arts as much as the next person, I'm just not sure that in this time or war and record deficit spending if this is really the best expenditure of such a large amount taxpayers' money.

So.... is the "bigger and better" National Endowment for the Arts simply a never-ending boondoggle or a wise investment in our nation's cultural heritage?

You make the call. --------------------------------See our latest entries.

Carnival Entries Are Due!

Entries for the 125th edition of The Carnival Of Education (hosted this week by Mike over at Education In Texas) are due. Please email them to: mikea3_98[at]yahoo[dot]com . (Or, easier yet, use this handy submission form.) Submissions should be received no later than 11:00 PM (Eastern) 3:00 PM (Pacific) today. Contributions should include your site's name, the title of the post, and the post's URL if possible.

Visit last week's midway, hosted by What It Like on the Inside, right here.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the exhibits should open Wednesday.
------------------------------See our latest EduPosts.

The Traveling Wonks

The Wonk Family is in transit to our summer place in the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina. The roadtrip itself is 2,164 miles and given good weather and no surprises, we should arrive late Monday evening or early Tuesday.

Stopping only for fuel and food-to-go, the trip takes about 36 hours.

We should resume posting this Tuesday.

Among other communities, we should be passing through: Yuma, Tucson, Las Cruces, El Paso, Odessa, Abilene, Dallas, Shreveport, Jackson, Birmingham, and Atlanta.

They'll be a lot of bad food but we'll get to see many beautiful places along the way.
------------------------------See our latest entries.

Let's Carnival!

The 124th edition of The Carnival of Education (hosted this week by What It's Like on the Inside) has opened-up the midway for your EduEnjoyment.

Round-out your Educational Experience by seeing what the homies are up to over at this week's edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling.
--------------------------See our latest EduPosts.

The Wanker Of The Day: Principal Crackjob

Florida middle school principal Anthony Giancola's career went up in smoke after he became hooked on smoking crack cocaine and marijuana:

TAMPA - Anthony Giancola, the former principal of Van Buren Middle School, first tasted crack cocaine sometime before the school's Christmas break. Just like that, he was hooked.

He told police in an interview released Wednesday that he easily spent $400 to $600 a day to keep his crack cocaine habit going. It was the stress over his marriage and finances that led him to do the drug, Giancola, 40, told police.

"I liked the fact it didn't make me worry about all the stuff that I was worried about," Giancola told police. "Actually, it kept me up and it was not a bad up. And then it just got worse and worse and worse."

The Feb. 22 interview gives insight into how Giancola's drug abuse spiraled out of control, culminating in a drug deal inside the Van Buren principal's office.

He told police he first tried crack cocaine in December when a person he had just met asked him if he wanted to freebase. He told police he got hooked immediately.

That was when he started buying large amounts to use and share with friends, he said in a separate interview Wednesday with News Channel 8.

Giancola was arrested in February minutes after buying a $20 crack rock from an undercover Tampa police officer.

He pleaded guilty to purchasing crack cocaine, possessing crack cocaine and possessing marijuana.

Giancola was sentenced Tuesday to 364 days in jail and three years probation. He must report to jail by June 30. If he completes an in-jail drug treatment program, the remainder of his sentence will be suspended. He also has to forfeit his teaching certificate.

An informant tipped off police about the principal of Van Buren being interested in buying cocaine. In a taped conversation released by police, Giancola and the informant arrange to meet at the principal's office so he could buy $20 worth of crack.

"Just 20, that's all I got," Giancola is heard telling the confidential informant. "I cashed in my change. I'm so [expletive] broke."

Police, in the taped interview, asked Giancola what had brought him to this point and whether he had ever partied or smoked crack in the school. Giancola said he had drugs in his pocket one time, but he never smoked during work.

Giancola did cocaine with prostitutes at local motels, although he never had sex with them, he told police. He declined to comment about it during the interview with News Channel 8.

Giancola told News Channel 8 his biggest regret was letting down his students, teachers, wife and family: "It was very difficult to deal with. They all stood by me."

See a hidden-camera video tape of Giancola's career ending arrest over there.

I saw an interview of Giancola on CNN this morning. He indicated that after he has served his sentence, he would like to return to public education as a public example counselor. ---------------------------------See our latest entries.

Carnival Entries Are Due!

Entries for the 124th edition of The Carnival Of Education (hosted this week by the Science Goddess over at What It's Like on the Inside) are due. Please email them to: the_science_goddess[at]yahoo[dot]com . (Or, easier yet, use this handy submission form.) Submissions should be received no later than 6:00 PM (Eastern) 3:00 PM (Pacific) today. Contributions should include your site's name, the title of the post, and the post's URL if possible.

Visit last week's midway, hosted by us here at 'The Wonks, right here.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the exhibits should open Wednesday. ------------------------------See our latest EduPosts.

Merit Pay Chronicles: The Minneapolis Story

In the latest example of a nationwide trend, The New York Times is reporting that unionized teachers in Minneapolis have overwhelmingly voted for a performance-based compensation plan:

For years, the unionized teaching profession opposed few ideas more vehemently than merit pay, but those objections appear to be eroding as school districts in dozens of states experiment with plans that compensate teachers partly based on classroom performance.

Here in Minneapolis, for instance, the teachers’ union is cooperating with Minnesota’s Republican governor on a plan in which teachers in some schools work with mentors to improve their instruction and get bonuses for raising student achievement. John Roper-Batker, a science teacher here, said his first reaction was dismay when he heard his school was considering participating in the plan in 2004.

“I wanted to get involved just to make sure it wouldn’t happen,” he said.

But after learning more, Mr. Roper-Batker said, “I became a salesman for it.” He and his colleagues have voted in favor of the plan twice by large margins.

Minnesota’s $86 million teacher professionalization and merit pay initiative has spread to dozens of the state’s school districts, and it got a lift this month when teachers voted overwhelmingly to expand it in Minneapolis. A major reason it is prospering, Gov. Tim Pawlenty said in an interview, is that union leaders helped develop and sell it to teachers.

“As a Republican governor, I could say, ‘Thou shalt do this,’ and the unions would say, ‘Thou shalt go jump in the lake,’ ” Mr. Pawlenty said. “But here they partnered with us.”

Scores of similar but mostly smaller teacher-pay experiments are under way nationwide, and union locals are cooperating with some of them, said Allan Odden, a professor at the University of Wisconsin who studies teacher compensation. A consensus is building across the political spectrum that rewarding teachers with bonuses or raises for improving student achievement, working in lower income schools or teaching subjects that are hard to staff can energize veteran teachers and attract bright rookies to the profession.

“It’s looking like there’s a critical mass,” Professor Odden said. The movement to experiment with teacher pay, he added, “is still not ubiquitous, but it’s developing momentum.”

There's much more to read in the whole thing.

The concern that we've always had with proposed merit-based pay schemes is that we have yet to see one that addresses the twin concerns of favoritism (that of some administrators toward teachers with who they have a more than professional relationship) regarding the equitable distribution of capable and motivated students and the objective measurement of pupil progress for the purpose of figuring additional compensation.

Still.... we like the idea of rewarding teachers who work hard, go that extra mile, and achieve results beyond expectations.

But how is that to be done in the Real World?
-----------------------------See our latest entries.

The Watcher's Council Has Spoken!

Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest among posts from the Conservative side of the 'Sphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 writers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watchers Council."

The Council has met and cast their ballots for last week's submitted posts.

Council Member Entries: Bookworm Room took first place with Judging People By Their Friends and Their Enemies.

Non-Council Entries: Michael Yon garnered the most votes this week with Death or Glory Part II of IV
----------------------------See our latest EduPosts.

The Carnival Of Education: Week 123

Welcome to the midway of the 123rd edition of The Carnival of Education!

Here's this week's roundup of entries from around the EduSphere. Unless clearly labeled otherwise, all entries this week were submitted by the writers themselves, even this school-related limerick.

If you're interested in hosting an edition of The Carnival Of Education, please let us know via this email address: edwonk [at] educationwonks [dot] org.

Thanks to everyone who helped spread the word about last week's midway, which was hosted by I Thought A Think. Visit the C.O.E.'s archives here and see our latest entries there.

Next Week's Carnival midway will be hosted by the Science Goddess over at What It's Like on the Inside. Contributors are invited to send their submissions to: the_science_goddess[at]yahoo[dot]com, or use this handy submission form. Entries should be received no later than 6:00 PM (Eastern) 3:00 PM (Pacific) Tuesday, June 19, 2007. Please include the title of your post, and its URL, if possible. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the midway should open next Wednesday morning.

Let the free exchange of thoughts and ideas begin!

EduPolicy:

La Maestra Chronicles has the scoop on how all children will become proficient in English and Math by 2014. (Of course that depends on just what the meaning of "proficient" is...)

Can schools make progress through fundamental change of the status quo? Dangersously Irrelevant posits that positive change just may not be possible given the present set of circumstances.

Hearthside has some thoughts regarding an interesting question: What does it mean when schools pay their students for higher grades?

Both the title and content of this contribution by The Elementary Educator caused me to do a "double take:" Poor Minority Kids Need Scripted Teaching; Everyone Else Deserves Something Better. (Be sure to read the Whole Thing...)

Submitted for your consideration is our take on the all-girl, "Muslims only" high school prom.

From The Classroom:

In a sadly amusing (but instructive) entry, NYC Educator shows us how one absent-minded teacher left test answers on the board and got away with it!

If you're a teacher who has taught for any number of years, it's always satisfying to finish a school year like this.

Rightwingprof has some sound advice for the prevention of, and treatment for, one of education's more depressing ailments: cheating. Here's a sample:

Teaching And Learning:

Now here's something that I wouldn't have thought possible until I read about it: reading classical literature via email!

A Georgia English teacher is looking for reader feedback regarding her proposed 9th grade English Language Arts curriculum as well as a new idea for "shortish" homework.

Homeschooling mom Cindy has experience teaching the "right-brained creative learner" and would like to share what she has learned.

School Governance:

When is "getting rid" of a teacher justified? IB a Math Teacher makes the case for the dismissal of an incompetent colleague.

What to do about another less-than-adequate teacher is also on the mind of the Science Goddess over at next week's host site, What It's Like on the Inside.

Unions And Collective Bargaining:

Dr. Homeslice offers a pro-union viewpoint regarding a current proposal to do away with the secret ballot in elections that decide whether or not employees will be represented by a union in their negotiations with management. (The union position may not be what many would think...)

International Viewpoints:

Here's a British perspective on the teaching of special needs children.

Inside This Teaching Life:

While comparing older and newer math textbooks, high school math teacher Darren of Right on the Left Coast also gives us a lesson in what many school districts really think about their classroom teaching corps.

In a post that's well worth reading, Andrea dropped in on a young colleague's somewhat unfocused classroom in order to help the teacher understand the necessity of avoiding the perils and pitfalls of being drawn into a teacher vs. student power struggle.

South Carolina teacher BoDog expresses his frustration at being put caught-up in the wheels of a little-known cottage industry that feeds off of public education and educators: the testing of teachers.

What does one tell a kid when he or she confuses graduation with promotion?

Curriculum:

Let's Play Math offers a roundup of online math resources.

Dana of Huffenglish is letting us know about a wiki that she and others have launched in order to collect the thoughts and ideas of those who have read Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe’s Understanding by Design.

EduTechnology:

Dy/Dan has found a sure-fire method of engaging students: show them an example of commercial advertising that they can't stop watching.

Higher Education:

Campus Grotto has some common-sense tips for those who are completing the college application process.

Matthew K. Tabor lays the smackdown on Florida's A&M University for its hiring of a professor who is accused of being unable of writing coherent and grammatically-correct English sentences.

Interested in free online courses? Looking for an archive? Then this is where you need to go.

And finally: This, like nearly all of our journeys around the EduSphere, has been both enjoyable and informative. We continue to thank all the contributors whose submissions make the midway's continuing success possible, the folks who give of their time to help spread the word, and the readers who continue to make it A Free Exchange of Thoughts and Ideas.
----------------------------This midway is registered at TTLB's carnival roundup. See our latest EduPosts here, and the (somewhat) complete Carnival archives over there.

Carnival Entries Are Due!

Entries for the 123rd edition of The Carnival Of Education (hosted this week by us here at at The 'Wonks) are due. Please email them to: owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net . (Or, easier yet, use this handy submission form.) Submissions should be received no later than 9:00 PM (Eastern) 6:00 PM (Pacific) today. Contributions should include your site's name, the title of the post, and the post's URL if possible.

Visit last week's midway, hosted by us here at 'The Wonks, right here.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the exhibits should open Wednesday.
------------------------------See our latest EduPosts.

The Watcher's Council Has Spoken!

Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest among posts from the Conservative side of the 'Sphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 writers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watchers Council."

The Council has met and cast their ballots for last week's submitted posts.

Council Member Entries: Soccer Dad has earned first place honors with 3 Spies and Six Days.

Non-Council Entries: Dan Simmons garnered the most votes this week with Four Modest Proposals for Getting Out of Iraq.
----------------------------See our latest EduPosts.

The All-Muslim, All-Girl High School Prom

The University of Minnesota's Al-Madinah Cultural Center is an Islamic student group (website here) that receives much its funding from mandatory student activity fees paid by all students who attend the university.

Al-Madinah's mission is "to create a better understanding and appreciation for the diverse culture of Islam through educational, social and community activities at the University of Minnesota and grooming the leaders from our campus community."

Recently, this group sponsored an all-Muslim all-girl high school prom that was held in the University's student union where non-believers and boys were barred at the door: (emphasis added)

It was a prom for girls only, where more than 100 Muslim teenagers could take off their head scarves, let loose and dance, experiencing an American rite of passage without violating Islamic culture and values.

The Saturday night PROM – Party foR Only Muslimahs, or Muslim girls – at the University of Minnesota’s Coffman Memorial Union provided a chance for the girls to participate in a major high school experience.

Many Muslim girls don’t attend their high school prom because they aren’t allowed to dance with the opposite sex, and prom dresses can be too revealing for some Muslim girls to wear in public.

“I’d hate to miss this,” said Sabrina Wazwaz, 15, a freshman who goes to Twin Cities Academy in St. Paul, Minn. “I think it’s really nice how they thought of the Muslim girls who can’t go to the American prom, so they made this for us.”

“I thought it was an awesome idea,” said Sagirah Shahid, 18, one of the main organizers and president of the Muslim Youth of Minnesota. Shahid is a senior at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis.

The event included dinner, performances by the girls during a talent show, a fashion show of clothing from different cultures, and dancing.

The event was organized by Muslim Youth of Minnesota and co-sponsored by the University of Minnesota’s Al-Madinah Cultural Center.

Personally, we don't have a problem with a group of female students (or anyone else) getting together, renting privately owned facilitates, (with privately raised funds) and having a party.

But we do have a problem with any group that receives publicly-generated monies while sponsoring events that exclude people based upon gender and/or religious beliefs.

Would the University of Minnesota be so open-minded to certain other religious groups having exclusive members-only proms on their publicly-owned and operated premises?

Let's apply a basic test of fairness and see.

What if a group of Wiccans were to ask for University sponsorship of their (Oops! The school would doubtlessly approve them. Sorry about that.... Let's try again and pick another much more often maligned and ridiculed group that's not so politically-korekt.)

What if a group of devout Christians were to ask the university to sponsor their use of school facilites in order to stage their own "Christians Only" prom?

In this era of political korektness, we think that it's safe to say that somebody "in authority" would decline the Christians' request by citing the need to maintain "separation between church and state."

Certainly the mainstream media would howl if Christians were permitted to exclude others from attending a social event held at a publicly-owned facility.

Failing such a Test of Basic Fairness, how could the MSM continue to remain silent and not hold those at the University of Minnesota accountable? -----------------------------------See our latest entries.

The Coyote School Lunch Program

One youngster in Salem, Massachusetts, (yes, that Salem) gave his opinion about his school's food in no uncertain terms when he said that he would rather "eat his arm" than chow-down on what was being served:

The only certainty about the school lunch program is that almost nobody prefers Preferred Meals, a pilot program at three city schools.

Nearly 60 percent of students dislike the taste of the prepackaged meals provided by Preferred Meal Systems of Illinois, according to a survey of 514 students at Horace Mann and Bates elementary schools and Nathaniel Bowditch School, a K-8 facility. Eleven percent said they like the taste.

"I would rather eat my arm," one student wrote, according to the survey results presented to the School Committee last night.

"I can't get the boxes open," another student said. "I dislike most of the food. Yucky!"

The faculty and staff weren't much kinder. More than 60 percent disliked the taste.

"I think the food is disgusting," one staff member wrote.

After hearing the results, there didn't seem to be much doubt that the School Committee will be dumping Preferred Meals, which provided frozen meals that were heated at the schools. However, no vote was taken last night.

Whatever the fate of the pilot program, serious issues remain for a school breakfast and lunch program that has incurred repeated deficits and for elected officials who have refused to raise the $1.50 price of a lunch, one of the lowest in the state.

It's when I read stories like these that I fondly remember my own primary school's food way back in the early '70s.

When school cafeterias actually cooked what was to be eaten...
---------------------------------See our latest entries.

The Quote Of The Day

A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on a cold iron.

Horace Mann

The Carnival Of Education: Week 122

Welcome to the midway of the 122nd edition of The Carnival of Education!

Here's this week's roundup of entries from around the EduSphere. Unless clearly labeled otherwise, all entries this week were submitted by the writers themselves.

If you're interested in hosting an edition of The Carnival Of Education, please let us know via this email address: edwonk [at] educationwonks [dot] org.

Thanks to everyone who helped spread the word about last week's midway, which was hosted by I Thought A Think. Visit the C.O.E.'s archives here and see our latest entries there.

Next Week's Carnival midway will be hosted by us here at The Education Wonks. Contributors are invited to send their submissions to: owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net , or use this handy submission form. Entries should be received no later than 9:00 PM (Eastern) Tuesday, June 5, 2007. Please include the title of your post, and its URL, if possible. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the midway should open next Wednesday morning.

Let the free exchange of thoughts and ideas begin!

EduPolicy:

The DeHavilland Blog takes a hard look at a recent study which found that, when it came to student achievement, it made little difference whether or not teachers met standards set forth by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Hearthside ponders that question that many have in the EduShere have been pondering recently: do our students learn for life or learn for a test?

One Maryland county has come-up with a novel way to alleviate its teacher shortage: they are growing their own teachers by planting and nurturing a few carefully-selected high school students.

Through the exhaustive use of charts and statistics, the Rightwingprof over at Right Wing Nation has established to our satisfaction that there is indeed a correlation between Sex, Choices, Degrees, And Salaries.

One of the most hotly-debated facets of public education policy is that of tenure for public school teachers. Consider taking a look at Aimlessmiss's common-sense approach to this most controversial of EduTopics.

What actions are needed to curb Calfifornia's high dropout rate? Citing a recent editorial by the Fresno Bee, EduBlogger Dave of Friends of Dave is sounding the clarion call to action that something actually be done about California's large numbers of students who don't graduate.

Included by the Editors: Writer and EduBlogger Joanne Jacobs is on the right track when it comes to what is needed in order for non English-speaking children to succeed in America's schools.

Longshot Republican Presidential candidate John Cox argues his case as to why the federal Department of Education should be abolished.

Teaching And Learning:

Let's Play Math has a very historical mathematical puzzle for students to solve.

Many believe that the longest word in Webster's Dictionary is "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis" and Alone On A Limb teaches us how to spell it as well as what it means!

Connecting the Dots asks an interesting question: is there a place for rote memorization in the effort to teach students higher-order thinking skills?

My goodness: Mamacita of the Scheiss Weekly has a comprehensive list of the 100 words that every high school graduate (plus their parents) should know. (And we agree with her!) Meanwhile, Henry Cate's Why Homeschool has some hints for expanding their vocabulary.

HUNBlog discusses the nature of Science and wonders if a given student's growth in the subject can ever be effectively measured with a multiple choice test. (Some food for thought there...)

From The Classroom:

La Maestra offers us a glimpse of her fourth grade students' models of Spanish-era California Missions. A traditional classroom activity here in California, but with some unexpected twists.

California elementary teacher Chanman has "one of those classes" that nearly all teachers dread; the situation now has reached its climax.

You're not gonna believe some of the things that high school students wear into New York City Educator's classroom. But what happened when a teen refused to remove a shirt which featured a huge middle finger? You're gonna have to go here to find out.

The Living Classroom reminds us about the value of a box of popsicles on a hot day. (But we're not too sure about that red "community popsicle.)

When (if ever) is the confiscation of student property warranted? Especially when said property is being used for the purpose of disrupting the classroom? See what happened when one teacher took away a student's writing instrument that had been put in a place where the sun didn't shine.

High school substitute teacher Mr. Lawrence has taken note of one of EduLand's Great Unsolved Mysteries: Why does it always seem to be the same students who wonder aimlessly about the hallways day-after-day?

Government-run schools in Britain have been having more than their share of discipline problems recently. The teacher who writes over at British EduBlog Scenes From The Battleground discusses The First Law of Behavior Management. (Some might call it "The First Law of Teacher Survival" instead...)

What's to be done when a high school math student has 20 unexcused absences in 35 days and her father (plus a school administrator) wants to know what can be done to make-up all that missed work? What would you do?

Inside This Teaching Life:

Arizona high school teacher Aquiram is wrapping-up another school year, shares with us her summer plans, and would like to know yours.

Teacher Ryan of I Thought a Think reflects upon a situation that just about all teachers encounter at some time in their career: once the teacher throws a student's paper into the garbage can, both teacher and student will often draw different conclusions from the action.

Homeschooling mom Celeste needed a little technical help with her computer and ended-up getting an informative lesson in International Relations and American Diversity as well.

The always-readable Ms. Cornelius of A Shrewdness of Apes delivers the sad news about a bookstore owner who set fire to his inventory. Here's a sample:

But a story I read today gave me pause. When a used-bookstore owner can't find anyone who wants his books, what should he do?

Should he burn them? That's what Tom Wayne in Kansas City is doing.
Be ready to get depressed, if you're a hardened bibliophile like me. When he couldn't get any libraries to take some of the books in his warehouse, he started setting them aflame...

In his Carnival debut, teacher Mark Pullen reminds everybody that when the Pendulum of Education Reform swings to-and-fro, it's often the kids who get hit over the head.

Mister Teacher shows us that even King Soloman had a solution to a common classroom dilemma.

Humbly submitted for your consideration is our entry about the middle school teacher who sued his students.

School Governance and Leadership:

Would you believe that there is a school administrator out there who withheld several high school students' diplomas because their parents cheered at the graduation ceremony? Believe it!

Teacher Mike in Texas lets us know what School Life is like with an "amateur" principal at the helm. (Mike answers the obvious question right here.) Meanwhile, another Texas teacher has the skinny on what positive attributes the next generation of school principals ought to have.

A district hires a new supervisor for its curriculum department. Subsequently, large numbers of experienced employees start asking for reassignment. The Science Goddess over at What It's Like on the Inside wonders why her district can't seem to grasp the obvious.

Dr. Homeslice posits a conspiracy theory that just might explain why so many teachers who work in a privately-operated Los Angeles area public school have suddenly changed their minds about being run by the for-profit Green Dot organization.

EduHumor:

An assistant principal takes an entertaining and informative look at that nemesis of high school students everywhere: The A.P. Examination.

Higher Education:

When it comes to motivating the unmotivated, it sure was illuminating to learn that college teachers face many of the same issues in their classrooms that those of us who teach in public school must deal with on a daily basis.

EduTechnology:

Dy/Dan has a step-by-step guide for preparing that most crucial of PowerPoint slides in your next classroom presentation: the very first one that hits the screen.

Inside The Blogs:

We agree with The Collegiate Way's viewpoint on what should be the fate of certain examples of so-called "modern architecture."

And finally: This, like nearly all of our journeys around the EduSphere, has been both enjoyable and informative. We continue to thank all the contributors whose submissions make the midway's continuing success possible, the folks who give of their time to help spread the word, and the readers who continue to make it A Free Exchange of Thoughts and Ideas. ----------------------------This midway is registered at TTLB's carnival roundup. See our latest EduPosts here, and the (somewhat) complete Carnival archives over there.

Carnival Entries Are Due!

Entries for the 122nd edition of The Carnival Of Education (hosted this week by us here at at The 'Wonks) are due. Please email them to: owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net . (Or, easier yet, use this handy submission form.) Submissions should be received no later than 9:00 PM (Eastern) 6:00 PM (Pacific) today. Contributions should include your site's name, the title of the post, and the post's URL if possible.

Visit last week's midway, hosted by us here at 'The Wonks, right here.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the exhibits should open Wednesday.
------------------------------See our latest EduPosts.

The Watcher's Council Has Spoken!

Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest among posts from the Conservative side of the 'Sphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 writers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watchers Council."

The Council has met and cast their ballots for last week's submitted posts.

Council Member Entries: For the third week in a row, Joshuapundit took first place with this week's entry, A Cure for “Anti-Zionism”.

Non-Council Entries: Former Council Member Dr. Sanity garnered the most votes with Sticking To What I Know Best.

The Council is welcoming its newest Member, ‘Okie’ on the Lam. ----------------------------See our latest EduPosts.

Middle School Teacher Sues Students!

I'm so used to seeing stories about parents and students suing their teachers that I was taken aback when I read this story about a middle school math teacher suing students:

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (AP) -- A math teacher whose name is used in a student film featuring an evil teddy bear that orders other stuffed animals to kill a teacher is suing the four children who made it, alleging it defamed him.

Daniel Clevenger's lawsuit, filed May 16 in Henry Superior Court, is the second round of legal action related to the 78-minute film "The Teddy Bear Master." Two months ago, school officials settled a federal lawsuit filed by three of the students to fight their expulsion from Knightstown Intermediate School.

The lawsuit claims the film mocked the teacher's appearance and mannerisms by portraying a math instructor named "Mr. Clevenger." It also contains "graphic depictions of violence" and the eventual murder of Clevenger and his wife, Christine, the lawsuit said.

"The defendants intentionally created the 'Teddy Bear Master' and intentionally used the plaintiff's name in such a way that would provoke a reasonably foreseeable emotional disturbance or trauma," the lawsuit states.

The boys worked on the movie from fall 2005 through summer 2006. A description of the film in previous documents said that the teddy bear ordered the stuffed animals to kill the teacher because he had embarrassed him, but that students battled the toy beasts.

Jackie Suess, an attorney for the ACLU of Indiana who represented one of the students during their federal lawsuit against the school, said the group would be representing at least one of the students again. Suess called the lawsuit's allegations misleading.

"It's not true that they were murdered in the movie," she said. "It was literally stuffed animals being manipulated by the boys, walking around going 'yeoowww' and talking in funny voices, very juvenile."

Christine Clevenger said the movie deeply upset her.

"The only thing I can say is they have wronged my husband. He's a very good person, he is a wonderful teacher, he's a wonderful father and he's a wonderful husband," she said.

The lawsuit names students Isaac Imel, Harrison Null, Charlie Ours and Cody Overbay and their parents as defendants, and seeks unspecified punitive damages.

Last fall, Imel and Overbay sued the Charles A. Beard Memorial School Corporation on the grounds that the district, about 35 miles east of Indianapolis, had violated their First Amendment rights by expelling them. Ours later joined that federal lawsuit.

In March, school officials reached a settlement with Imel, Overbay and Ours that included a $69,000 settlement and required the students' suspensions and expulsions be expunged.

While I can certainly sympathize with Clevenger's situation, I'm not sure that filing a lawsuit is the solution.

After being expelled, the court ordered the students to re-admitted and records to be expunged. So the courts aren't apt to look favorably upon Clevenger's attempt to recover punitive damages from the four little delinquents students and their parents.

It might be best if Clevenger moved on and got on with his life.

As for the ACLU, those were the jerks folks who defended a high school student's so-called "right" to wear a T-shirt to class that proclaimed President Bush as an "International Terrorist."

And since we're talkin about an extortion racket organization that supposedly champions civil "rights," does anyone out there know of a single instance in which the ACLU has EVER defended a peacefully law-abiding citizen's right to keep and bear arms?

Come to think of it, when has the so-called ACLU ever defended a peacefully law-abiding student's right to learn in an atmosphere that is free from defiant, disruptive, and bullying classmates?------------------------------See our latest entries.