Saturday, November 26, 2011

Who IS "Kristi, High School Teacher" in those Walker Ads?

 Unless you've been in a coma for the past week or so, you MUST have seen those pro-Walker ads.  They only air them like every 15 minutes...wonder what THAT is costing!
Many of us share the same instant questions:  Is she really a teacher?  Which district does she work for?  Is she really "just" a teacher?  What's her story?

A little detective work was in order, starting with the DPI's list of all Wisconsin teaching staff.  There were a ton of "Kristi"s.  So then we narrowed it down to those that only taught high school.  Finally, we figured she's early to mid 30's but to be safe, pared it down to those high school teachers named Kristi between ages 30 and 50.  That whittled the list down to 18.  Finally, we started focusing on those who teach in the Milwaukee area.

From there, we focused on a couple of individuals and then did a little 'net sleuthing to find a picture and documentation that matched up with our quarry.  Think about it....if she's a teacher, surely the people she teaches with know who she is.  Once one knows, many know.  What we found interesting is most news sites seemed to be as clueless to her identity as the rest of us.

After narrowing it down, all signs point to our "Kristi" as one Kristi Lacroix, a teacher in the Kenosha Unified school district, specifically at the "Lakeview Technology Academy", a specialty high school preparing students to enter the field of engineering or higher level technology.  This public high school has 375 students in grades 9-12.   DPI salary data for 2010-11 indicate that she is 37, with 34.9 years of teaching experience.  Huh???  Something's not right there.  Other sites we find indicate she has 13.5 years experience.  That seems about right.   Her salary is $60,377.00 with fringe benefits totaling $32,840.00. Not bad for 13.5 years experience!!!

Kristi has been very busy of late...


National Institute for Labor Relations Research, July 2011

So there it is, people.  For those that were curious, "Kristi" is indeed a high school teacher, perhaps one of a very small number that support the Governor and his initiatives.  It seems only fair that people have all the facts, regarding the barrage of advertisements we are seeing now and will for the next 6 months.  In this case, based on our fact-checking, we believe "Kristi" is Kristi Lacroix, a teacher in the KUSD.  While we believe that we should have all the facts, we also believe that her privacy and the right to her opinions should be respected.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

December 1 means School Board Nomination Paper Time!

It's that time again!
December 1 marks the date on which those interested in running for the Sun Prairie School Board can start circulating nomination papers.   All it requires is a cakewalk 100 signatures.
We've already heard rumors of several potential candidates...possibly enough to require a primary!

The seats available this year are (at least currently occupied by) John Whalen and Terry Shimek.
Will they even run for re-election????

Whalen hasn't been looking so hot lately...with all the squirmingly unprofessional body language he's shown at the board table.  Shimek is well....the King of all Flip Flops and a Teller of Tall Tales.  Neither is serving the taxpayers of this community, particularly senior citizens.

Who's that in the back of the room at recent school board meetings?
Some folks have identified an individual seen at the back of the room at recent school board meetings as Missy Vervoort-Landsness.   A member of the Eastside parent group, could she be on an advance scouting mission in anticipation of a run for the board?  Word has it she's precisely what Culver is looking for as one of his "bosses".

Stay tuned

This Cat's Outta The Bag


Those listening carefully at the Monday Nov. 14th school board meeting would have learned all they needed to know about the district's push for Mandarin Chinese.

The good Dr. Culver reported that he had a magnificent time in China and noted that other school istracts brought a large contingent with them--including...wait for it.....SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS!

Dr. Culver then suggested that "next year" we should bring a group of people.  Hmmm....does the "we" include a return engagement for him?  We're wondering how long it took Jim McCourt to ponder whether he could postpone his big business deal for at least another year so that he could be one of those school board members to get a trip to China for peanuts.
"Other school districts brought a whole contingent, including school board members [to China]."
--SPASD District Administrator Tim Culver
Clearly, there's much more to this China deal than just adding Chinese I.

WHO's Not Listening, Jimbo?

Hey Jim...did you have
YOUR listening cap on? 
Leave it to good old SeaBass Jim McCourt to pounce from his podium on a resident who refuses to drink from the district Kool-Aid tap.  After questioning the value added by introducing Mandarin Chinese to the district language program, McCourt could barely contain himself and immediately shouted, "That last presenter obviously wasn't listening.  We're adding Chinese because that's what the students have requested."

 "That last presenter obviously wasn't listening.  We're adding Chinese because that's what the students have requested."
--Sun Prairie School Board Treasurer Jim "SeaBass" McCourt
So...we do what the students want...is that right, Jim?
Does that mean we should just give 'em Pepsi and Skittles, Jim?  The students wanted an open campus...and they didn't get that.  So...Jim...it's clearly not "whatever the students want."  The question is:  what exactly is the driving force here?

The rest of the story
The presenter WAS listening, Mr. McCourt...and so were we.  The question is:  were you?  High School Principal Heipp clearly stated that "in a survey" students listed Mandarin Chinese as something they had interest in.  But they also listed Arabic...and we don't see that being offered.  What we see is Mandarin Chinese...which seems to dovetail so nicely with our Chinese visitors last spring and Dr. Culver's and Ms. Heipps' trips to China this year.  And, as Dr. Culver was so kind to point out, 80% of his trip was financed by the Chinese government.  So, it would seem to be that we offer what the students want as long as administrators get a nice kickback.

We also heard (did you?) Ms. Heipp's response to Board member Tom Weber's question regarding how student educational needs factor into the equation of deciding new curriculum. Ms. Heipp's response was that if something is deemed critical for students to have, then they make it a mandatory part of the graduation requirements.

AHHHH!  There it is!   The old, "we'll let the students select the course they want unless we decide it's really important and then we'll make them take it" play.  We heard that, loud and clear.

And now, Mr. McCourt, we ask again whether YOU were listening.  Because the presenter listed clear FACTS that Mandarin Chinese is not going to help our students succeed.  If that is our goal, then we should be adding Latin to our curriculum, not Chinese.  Latin would reap immediate benefits in improving Language Arts scores, as well as reading for comprehension.  Count how many students that MIGHT someday be in a career in which they do business in China and need to know Mandarin Chinese.  Then count how many students will be in a field where they need to write clearly and professionally, or be involved with science, medicine, or law.  Now tell us which group you think would be larger.

That is the group on which we need to be focused.  Now.

Oh...and did we mention how poor a form it is to rebut facts offered by a resident just because you support the opposite position?  We hope you don't operate like that in your business dealings.  Or could that have something to do with not having a paycheck?  Points to ponder.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

On Monday's Menu: Mandarin

Not the food.  That would be just fine.  The course is the problem.
It passed the committee level this past Monday and on the 14th it goes to the full board.


Problem #1
Here's our first problem.  This is a major shift; an introduction of a whole new language.  One with a plan to offer II,III, and IV plus AP all in the next several years.  Yet, it's lumped in with 7 other courses within the agenda heading, where you vote Yes/No on the entire suite: 2012-2013 New Courses: AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination); Chinese I; Arts of Industry; African Literature; Native American/Latin American Literature; Science of Motion; Weather and Climate

Solution: It takes a board member motion to pull out the Chinese I for a separate discussion/vote.

Problem #2: It's further lumped within  the class "Consent Items", which itself is a lumping of 12 OTHER agenda items.  Yup...the board is all revved up to rubber stamp all 12, which includes the introduction of Chinese language.

Solution: So now a board member must motion to pull agenda item 6.07 (2012-2013 new course proposals) from "Consent" and further pull Chinese I out separately from that!!!! 

See the concern?  Administration is burying what amounts a potentially very expensive major curriculum move two tiers deep.  Hide much?  And why are we hiding it?  Is it because it's Tim Culver's legacy to be and everyone is bowing to King Culver's wishes?

At issue
Course Title: CHINESE I
Sounds like any other language class, right?  French I.  Spanish I.

E. Course Description: Provide a short but complete descriptive paragraph about this course to be
used in the course catalog. Include a brief outline of learning expectancies, intended content, and plans for assessment, i.e. brief form of a syllabus.
Chinese I is an introductory course in Mandarin Chinese. Students will learn fundamental skills in
listening, speaking, reading and writing. They will also learn about many aspects of Chinese culture from
pop culture to calligraphy, from festivals to how culture is embedded in everyday interactions. Class
activities will include role playing, stories, poetry, songs, recipes for culturally authentic food, student
presentations and more. Resources will include materials from a standards-based textbook and authentic
materials such as music and stories. Students should expect homework every day outside of class.
Does THAT sound like a language course?

List the major learning targets (what you want the students to know and be able to do).
Chinese I is an introductory course in Mandarin Chinese, incorporating listening, speaking, reading and writing skills into a standards-based approach. Students will be able to engage in conversations on topics of everyday interest, successfully engage in targeted listening activities based on textbook and authentic materials, recognize and be able to read and compose texts using at least 100 of the most commonly used Chinese characters. They will be able to identify and discuss various patterns of behavior and interactions typical of Chinese culture and understand underlying cultural perspectives.

Time hit the brakes on this one
The expense for just Level I is over $5000, not including the costs of sending Culver and Heipp to China.  Not only is developing a Mandarin Chinese program Culver's last stand, but this is something driven by the Chinese government.  We didn't want the big corporate spectre of Pepsi of Coke...why do we ant to do something which is the brainchild of the Chinese government?

The studies abound that will tell you that Chinese is THE most difficult language to learn, and has virtually zero value unless one is planning on moving to China or working for a Chinese corporation.  If you want to teach a language that will directly and immediately help kids with their learning TODAY, it's LATIN (yes, Mr. Shimek...Latin.  We heard all about your lack of decorum when Latin was suggested at the committee level.  Seems like you are back to your old unprofessional skills you used to show at Finance Committee meetings, remember Terry?).  Laugh all you want, the number of studies that support learning Latin far outweigh those supporting Mandarin Chinese.
Bad Form (again),
Mr. Shimek!

Board member Terry Shimek got busted
once again for  chuckling when another
'committee member suggested Latin might
be of more value to kids than Mandarin Chinese.


Common Latin phrases used in every day america

Didn't we just cancel the German language program only now to be quietly re-starting it behind the scenes?  Is Chinese going to go away after we've invested precious tax dollars into it?  Heck we don't even have a commitment that students are interested in taking it!

Do we really need to be part of the "cool kids"...you know the 31 WI school districts (out of 424) that offer Mandarin Chinese?  Isn't that small a set kind of like being in a clique?  And aren't "cliques" a big part of bullyism?

A move like this should not be buried two tiers deep within a Consent Agenda.  At the bare minimum it should be its own agenda item.  The school board should take it's time on this one.  This isn't adding "a" course.  It's launching a major initiative.

And what's the real end game here?

Some good (quick read) links


Unlike other languages, Latin isn’t just about conjugating verbs. It includes a crash course in ancient history and cosmology. “Latin is the maths of the Humanities,” says Llewelyn Morgan, “But Latin also has something that mathematics does not and that is the history and mythology of the ancient world. Latin is maths with goddesses, gladiators and flying horses, or flying children.”  

“In 1971, more than 4,000 fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade pupils of all backgrounds and abilities received 15 to 20 minutes of daily Latin instruction. The performance of the fifth-grade Latin pupils on the vocabulary test of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills was one full year higher than the performance of control pupils who had not studied Latin. Both the Latin group and the control group had been matched for similar backgrounds and abilities

Llewelyn Morgan, an Oxford Classicist and co-author of a recent Politeia pamphlet on why Latin should be taught in primary schools. “Those kids are learning through Latin what I did: what verbs and nouns are, how to coordinate ideas in speech and writing, all the varieties of ways of saying the same thing,” he says. “I did not and could not have learned that through English, because English was too familiar to me. It was through Latin that I learned how to express myself fluently in my native language.”

Mark Zuckerberg. The 26-year-old founder of Facebook studied Classics at Phillips Exeter Academy and listed Latin as one of the languages he spoke on his Harvard application. So keen is he on the subject, he once quoted lines from the Aeneid during a Facebook product conference and now regards Latin as one of the keys to his success.

However economically important Chinese may be this ignores the fact that it is incredibly difficult to learn languages which have no vocabulary in common with English, are written in a different script and are tonal to boot - the same word can have completely different meaning depending on whether you use a rising, falling or flat inflection! Its a bit like expecting a student to study calculus without having to learn basic arithmetic!
Spanish will take you as a first or second language from Texas south to Argentina. The only exceptions are 
Portuguese  speaking Brazil, English speaking Belize and Dutch and French speaking Guyanas. In addition Spanish is spoken in Spain. It gets better Spanish and Italian are so close that they are mutually comprehensible. Portuguese, French, Romanian are also closely related languages. Spanish will take you a long way around the world.

So should you teach your kids Chinese? Well, foreign languages are always a good thing to know, and if you really want them to live and work intensively in China, sure. But despite China’s rise, Chinese isn’t the world language of the future; the writing system simply makes it far too hard for the vast majority of the world’s people to use if they care to reach for the widest possible audience. I simply can’t imagine a Dutch physicist in 2110 learning Chinese in order to write up his research, or Finnish musicians recording in Chinese, the language “everybody” knows.
If China switches to an alphabet? That’s a different story

Why Learning Chinese Could Be a Waste of Your Time
1. Many Well Educated Chinese People Would Prefer to Speak to You in English
2. Little Applicable Value Outside of China
3. Possible Negative Market Value 
4. Huge Opportunity Cost 
5.  Non-Negligible Maintenance Costs 
Difficulty, according to Uncle Sam
First, consider some cold facts. The U.S. State Department groups languages for the diplomatic service according to learning difficulty:


Category 1.
 The "easiest" languages for speakers of English, requiring 600 hours of classwork for minimal proficiency: the Latin and Germanic languages. However, German itself requires a bit more time, 750 hours, because of its complex grammar.

Category 2
 Medium, requiring 1100 hours of classwork: Slavic languages, Turkic languages, other Indo-Europeans such as Persian and Hindi, and some non-Indo-Europeans such as Georgian, Hebrew and many African languages. Swahili is ranked easier than the rest, at 900 hours.

Category 3.
 Difficult, requiring 2200 hours of study: Arabic, Japanese, Korean and the Chinese languages.




Sunday, November 6, 2011

博士卡尔弗进入中国

What started as a one-week trip to China will morph into a  2-week vacation for the good doctor.
Nice!


Mandarin Chinese 101 is Here!

Tomorrow night at the school board's Education & Policy Committee meeting, will be the first official foray into Tim Culver's Mandarin Chinese dream.

Read the course proposal and then do some homework on your own.   Don't listen to us.   Make your own assessment.   This course proposal makes the budgetary fluff like like Gilbert Grape's mom's sofa cushion.  Administration has proposed a year-long "Chinese 1" course open to grades 9-12.

The situation report lists the following school districts with Chinese programs:
"The following Wisconsin school districts offer Chinese as a choice of world language: Amery, Argyle, Arrowhead Union High School, Elkhart Lake, Grantsburg, Green Bay Area, Greenwood, Hudson, Janesville, Kenosha, La Crosse, Madison Metropolitan, Marathon City, McFarland, Middleton-Cross Plains Area, Milwaukee, Mosinee, Northern Ozaukee, Oak Creek-Franklin, Oconomowoc Area, Oshkosh Area, Port Edwards, Sheboygan Area, Sheboygan Falls, Shorewood, Somerset, Verona Area, Waukesha, Waunakee, West Bend and Winneconne Community."
That's 31 out of 425 districts. Really? That's worth all the hullaballoo? So that we can become one of the 7%?  Now if we were becoming one of the Seven-Ups?  Different story.

Here's another part of the proposal we find would extend Pinocchio's nose to record lengths:
List the major learning targets (what you want the students to know and be able to do).
Chinese I is an introductory course in Mandarin Chinese, incorporating listening, speaking, reading and writing skills into a standards-based approach. Students will be able to engage in conversations on topics of everyday interest, successfully engage in targeted listening activities based on textbook and authentic materials, recognize and be able to read and compose texts using at least 100 of the most commonly used Chinese characters. They will be able to identify and discuss various patterns of behavior and interactions typical of Chinese culture and understand underlying cultural perspectives.
Really?  exactly what "texts" will they be able to compose using only 100 Chinese characters?  Are we talking "texts" as in text messages?  You know...like CU L8R?  That's like 3% of the number of characters deemed necessary to "get around".  The LOWEST estimate we've seen is that one needs to learn at least 1500 characters.  So now our percentage is up to a whopping 6.7%!!!  Also...learning Chinese characters is a whole lot different than learning words in other languages.  It's all about brush/pen strokes.  And the average character requires about 9 strokes.  And there are 8 different types of strokes.

At what cost?
Initial cost of over $5,200
Textbooks: 48 x $69.95 = $3,357.60
Software- Voice thread: http://voicethread.com/products/k12/school/ Min. price $350 for 1 subscription. Software- Arch Chinese: http://www.archchinese.com/arch_membership.html $89.99 Curriculum Development Cost: 40 hours x $24/hour=: $960 Annual subscriptions to online resources: $450

So many questions
What's the end game here?  4 years of Chinese?  Full-immersion?
Who will teach this and what are their qualifications to teach the course?
How many students will opt for this?  Is there a number below which it wont be offered?
Is this going to become the equivalent of basket-weaving for a small group of students who already have a rudimentary understanding of/experience with Chinese?
FORTY EIGHT textbooks????????
Can't the Sun Prairie Education Foundation at least partially fund this start up?  Doesn't look like we even asked.

Mandarin Chinese?  Is this REALLY helping our students achieve more?

Check these sources out
http://speakingadventure.com/how-many-words-is-fluent

http://www.mcfc.foryousoft.com/writing/memorizingTips.php

http://www.scipress.org/journals/forma/pdf/1504/15040409.pdf

Doesn't look so easy...does it?
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...
这是最好的时代,这是最坏的时代


I do not like green eggs and ham
我不喜欢绿鸡蛋和火腿