Daily Kos

Please let teachers go to yKos next year

Sun Jun 11, 2006 at 08:01:56 PM PDT

I know that school scheudes vary, but here in the Northeast, most schools end their years in the last third of June. I'm a math teacher in Newark, NJ's schoold. I'm sure I'm not the only teacher who couldn't got this year because of that. I'm giving finals this coming week, and was leading reviews last week. No way could I take personal days, and even the weekend was needed for end-of-year work.

Tags: YearlyKos 2007 (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions

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  •  Good point. Hope it is heard. n/t (4+ / 0-)

    Recommended by:
    Angie in WA State, sfgb, Caldonia, va dare

    "We are each other's harvest; we are each other's business; we are each other's magnitude and bond." ---Gwendolyn Brooks

    by Fasaha on Sun Jun 11, 2006 at 08:00:18 PM PDT

  •  And parents, too (4+ / 0-)

    Recommended by:
    sfgb, QuickSilver, willers, bartman, va dare

    Among the reasons I didn't go was that the conference conflicted with my daughter's end of the school year schedule.

    Courage has nothing whatever to do with testicles.

    by VetGrl on Sun Jun 11, 2006 at 08:00:52 PM PDT

    •  Same here! (0+ / 0-)

      I was directing my daughter's class play.  I had committed to that last August.  If I went, there would be no class play, and for a school that specializes in performing arts, that's unthinkable.

      Please set something up that doesn't interfere with school schedules.  Some Kossaks are teachers but many of us are parents.  And many of us spend lots of time at the schools making things better.

      Chaos, fear, dread. My work here is done.

      The Music Room - Every weekend. Music & Musicians discussion.

      by madhaus on Sun Jun 11, 2006 at 08:50:32 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Comment duly noted (1+ / 0-)

    And agreed...but you get a C for proofreading.
    Never publish your first draft!
    Lol
    :)

    Blind faith in bad leaders is not patriotism - Rocky Anderson

    by librarianman on Sun Jun 11, 2006 at 08:00:58 PM PDT

  •  I raised this point (7+ / 0-)

    I was lucky to be able to get permission from my principal to miss two days near the end of the year, or there would have been no education panel.

    And remember, it is not just teachers, but there are high school students who are active participants who also might be able to come

    Those who can, do. Those who can do more, TEACH! If impeachment is off the table, so is democracy

    by teacherken on Sun Jun 11, 2006 at 08:04:34 PM PDT

  •  What should probably happen (2+ / 0-)

    Recommended by:
    bustacap, willers

    is, someone who has accepted the unenviable task of starting to coordinate YK 07, should post a series of diaries asking for input on what worked and didn't this year, what places to consider for '07, new topics, etc.

    We should probably hold off a bit and let that process get underway.

  •  Email Gina. n/t (0+ / 0-)

    Will the elite be happy living behind gated communities in the potential meltdown? Peace now. -7.00, -2.92

    by mattes on Sun Jun 11, 2006 at 08:27:44 PM PDT

  •  Scheduling an event like this (0+ / 0-)

    is always complex and can never meet everyone's needs. This diary has good points to add to the mix, but for every teacher on DKos, there will be several parents saying that summer is a really hard time to get away due to extra childcare needs, planned vacations, sports, camps, etc.

    I agree that this particular weekend was an intense one for anyone involved in education (I'm not a teacher but had 2 graduations to attend) and it also conflicted with some state Dem conventions.

    At any rate, the YKos folks worked hard to get input for this convention and I'm sure whomever takes on this huge job for 2007 will be looking for lots of participation in the planning.

  •  missing school (0+ / 0-)

    thank you for this post.  I am a math teacher in NYC and I had to spend this weekend tutoring for regents exams.  

    I wish the conference were also during the summer.

    KEn

  •  Newark? (0+ / 0-)

    What school?

    I teach at Bloomfield College.

    Robyn

    •  Pathways Academy (0+ / 0-)

      It's a very small school in the Alternative Education program, serving kids who've been kicked out of their regualar schools for commiting serious offenses. It's in the old South Ward Boys and Girls Club on Hawthorne Ave.

      Lobbyists are just the piano players in the whorehouse; you could abolish them and the girls upstairs would still be doing business.--al Fubar -6.50 -5.69

      by Dvd Avins on Mon Jun 12, 2006 at 10:27:58 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  From prior experience (1+ / 0-)

    Recommended by:
    SarahLee
    Schools all over are making this more complicated with some starting in mid August and some ending in mid to late June. There is only about a 6-week window that is safely in summer - and guess what, there are a lot of other competitors for convention space.

    I too was unable to attend due to school - we interfered with the last days of school which made it hard to get away. It's probably easier for both teachers and parents to miss days in the middle of the school year than in the first few or last few days.

    There is no time that suits everyone, and the date will depend quite a bit on the city chosen and what dates are available for the venue. Las Vegas again might be easiest for the organizers, since they have figured out some of the local intricacies and know the location. Scouting a totally new location with a year to plan is a big challenge.

    All that said, I hope that we haven't fried our YK organizers, and that they're even still game for another, and that they have some seed capital to get another one rolling. This is so much work, and it's unlikely it be done by volunteers forever.

    Fry, don't be a hero! It's not covered by our health plan!

    by elfling on Sun Jun 11, 2006 at 09:32:29 PM PDT

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