Momma Bears
  • Blog
  • CHOOSE to REFUSE TESTING (OPT OUT)
    • #ChooseToRefuse
    • How to Refuse
    • Resources
    • For Students
    • Advocate!
    • Memes & Graphics
    • FAQ

Momma Bears go to Nashville

9/22/2013

 
Picture
On Thursday, some Momma Bears left our husbands and children, and we drove several hours to Nashville for the Common Core hearings.  We found an overpriced parking garage a few blocks away, figured out how on earth to get into Legislative Plaza (the entrance is underground), and finally found room #12.  An hour before the hearings were set to begin, room #12 was crowded with people in suits wearing glossy stickers that said, "Expect more, achieve more."  There were no seats left.  So, we sat on a bench in the hallway and tried to watch the proceedings on the TV mounted on the wall.  It was difficult to hear with all the hallway commotion.  The legal terms and lawyer-talk both confused and bored us.  We left that day with an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness.
 
We considered not even returning on Friday for the hearings.  Was it even worth the cost to park our car again? Plus, it was supposed to be pouring rain that afternoon.  We decided to give it a try for our children, and were determined to get a seat in the room this time.  Since we were staying with a friend who lived 40 minutes away from the capitol, we left at 6am thinking we would make the commute in plenty of time.  An hour and a half later (Nashville's rush hour traffic is crazy!), we were positive that we would not get seats in the room.  We almost went straight back to our homes.  But we didn't.  We parked our car like a pro, dashed to room #12, and found lots of empty seats all being reserved by those glossy-sticker folks.  But wait, there were 3 seats on the very last row!  We sat down feeling triumphant and exhausted, and waited another hour for the hearings to begin.  I wish the Senators had been able to walk out into the hallways during the hearings to see the many Momma Bears and Daddy Bears and their children who were watching the hearings in 2 different areas of Legislative Plaza.  They would have certainly been in the room if there had been enough seats.  There sure were a lot of people there concerned about education.
 
After listening to Kevin Huffman for talk well past his 20 minutes, we realized we'd never even had any breakfast.  Dare we leave and give up our seats?  We decided to stay to hear some of the speakers, but were sure that it would be more of the same discouraging stuff we'd heard the day before.  Then, the Senators began asking questions... Oh, my gosh!  The Senator's questions were excellent!!! 
 
Next, Jane Robbins spoke.  We literally had tears in our eyes because she was saying what we, as Moms, had been fearing about our children's privacy!  And the Senators were listening up there!  Not only that, they were asking lots of fantastic, in-depth questions!!  As the glossy-stickered people played on their ipads, and snickered under their breath at the speakers opposed to common core, we did not sense any disrespect from the Senators.  They listened attentively to every speaker and asked relevant questions all day long!  The hearings lasted all day from 9am until after 4pm, with no lunch or breaks.  Senators would quietly go to a back room to get food, but apparently there is a TV back there and they were watching the whole hearing the entire time.  (Click HERE for the video archive of the Hearing.  It is over 7 hours long, but you'll learn a LOT.)  Joy Pullman's testimony was amazing (it starts at 3:27)  She nailed it.  Joy Pullman is a powerful Momma Bear!  Senator Ligon from Georgia was also quite compelling (starting at 4:14).  Georgia is in the midst of battling common core, and has already decided not to give students the PARCC test.  The option of TN collaborating with GA on testing looks like a possibility.  Dr. Peg Luksik was fantastically articulate as a teacher, especially regarding testing (starts at 5:08).  She knows her stuff!  Ms. Audrey Buffington was feisty and shook her finger at the Senators like they were school-children.  We bet she has eyes in the back of her head, as most teachers do.  

Senator Rusty Crowe and Senator Campfield win gold stars from us for having the BEST questions.  They must have heard from the upset Momma Bears in their districts.  Those Senators were relentless!  We get the sense that they are fed up with what the TN BOE and TN Commissioner have been doing.  It is interesting to note that Senator Gresham asked the Senate Education Committee attorney, Helen James, to speak (starts at 1:46) regarding the authority of the TN BOE and TN Commissioner (they're appointed by the Governor, not elected).  She quoted the law that says the authority of the TN BOE & TN Commish can be changed by the legislature.  If Kevin Huffman isn't gone by the next legislative session in January, we bet our bearskins that the legislature will remove their power.  Kevin Huffman has been brutal against teachers, Superintendents, School Districts, and special needs students with disabilities in TN.  He is a bully... but that's a whole other blog for a different day, perhaps.  Google it if you have all day.  You'll be appalled, too.

There was a table outside the hearing room that had more information about the glossy-sticker organization.  They had coffee, too, but we've been warned not to drink the kool-aid, so we did not try the coffee (that's a joke).  Actually, one Momma Bear did have a cup of that coffee, and she did not get sick. Yet.  Anyway, the glossy-sticker people were handing out glossy pamphlets and thick color packets that had hundreds of businesses and organizations listed on it that belonged to their "Expect more, Achieve more" coalition.  Strangely, we noticed that an Elementary PTA in our district was on their list of members.  Now, the PTA President of that school is a friend of ours, and we know for a fact that she is opposed to common core.  Why on earth would their name be on the list?  We called her and asked.  She had no idea.  She said she had contacted the organization to find out more information, but she had never given them permission to use her PTA's name.  Furthermore, her PTA membership had never voted on joining such a coalition.  

Even stranger, we also talked to someone in the hallway who worked for TEA, which is the TN Education Association union for teachers.  That person was surprised to see their name on the coalition list because their huge organization had voted not to take a side regarding common core.  Hmmmm...

Later that day, one of us got the courage to ask the TN PTA President (who was wearing one of those glossy stickers), "When did the PTA members or state PTA Board vote on being a part of this coalition to support common core?"  She blamed it on a previous PTA President and a previous board 4 years ago.  We Momma Bears are pretty involved in our children's PTA's and know that one year's board cannot obligate future PTA boards to contracts, so we question the legality of the TN PTA involvement in this organization.  It does not represent the "P's" like us who question common core, high-stakes testing, or allowing our children's data to be shared with the government or corporations contracted with the government (the FERPA laws were changed to allow it, as Jane Robbins explained in her testimony at 1:21).  The PTA's motto is "Every Child, One Voice" so we guess that means they get to decide which voice is heard, especially when Bill Gates gives millions of dollars to the National PTA.  His voice gets to be the one.  Despite that, PTA still does great things and we Momma Bears are still involved with our local PTAs.  For now.
 
That glossy-stickered "Expect more, achieve more" coalition is clearly misleading and misrepresenting.  Who doesn't want students to achieve more?  What parent doesn't expect high standards for their child's education?  None, of course!  We all want high standards for students and we all expect great things from our students.  However, we wonder if the organizations listed as a part of this coalition really know what they are agreeing to? or that they are even on the list in the first place?? 
 
A worried mother does better research than the FBI.  In this day and age, it is easy for Momma Bears to find out things online and also network with other concerned parents.  Tax records and campaign contributions are telling, and we can find it with just a few clicks on the internet.  The money funneled from Bill Gates into implementing the common core is huge.  The profits he and his business friends stand to make from it are enormous.  The money trail runs into Tennessee's pockets of organizations such as SCORE, Stand for Children, Students First, PTA, and generously into campaigns for elections, including many TN Senators.  That bothers us as frugal Moms.  We cannot battle their glossy stickers, paid lobbyists, tax lawyers, professional marketing staffs, and deep pockets.  We have children to raise.  We need to be able to trust that our elected officials are not bought and paid for by special interest groups, especially when it comes to our children.   
 
We noticed that many of the pro-common core speakers and advocates have chosen (as is their American freedom to do) to put their own children in private schools that are not adopting common core, not administering any state mandated testing, and not sharing their children's personal data with the government.  As our grandparents would say, "what is good for the goose, is good for the gander."  Thus, if Pitt Hyde truly believed what he said, his own children would be doing what he wants our children in public schools to do.  If Bill Gates, President Obama, Arne Duncan, & Governor Haslam were to do that with their children, perhaps our motherly instincts would not be sending off such blaring warning signals.  The warning signals get louder the more research we do, specifically, in following the money trail and connecting the dots.  We clearly see this:  Those who are the most passionate about forcing our children to do common core are those who receive large monetary donations and/or paychecks from Bill Gates.  That makes the fur of Momma Bear necks stand up.  We sense their true intentions with our children, and we don't like it.
 
If the Gates Foundation money-pit were to dry up today, those people would suddenly shut up.  It is a shame that money speaks so loudly and holds such power.  

After hearing the Senators grill the speakers on both sides, we feel more confident that they will make the right decision for TN students.  For now, the Senate Education Committee is compiling a report.  There will most likely be some proposed laws introduced in January, followed by power struggles between parties, heavily infused by lobbyists who are there to influence legislators and remind them of how much money their benefactors donated to their campaigns to get them elected, and the Governor will try to push his voucher/charter bills again because there's lots of money to be made with our tax dollars in education.  Pretty overwhelming, but it is our American system.  For now.  Momma Bears are learning how to advocate for their children's future.  We can change the world.






LD
9/22/2013 09:33:35 pm

OK, this Grand Momma Bear is all in support of y'all and your efforts to 'Keep the Mitts Off Our Kids!' efforts. Just as I suspected, they are selling our children's future for profit but there are good people in Nashville that can - and will - help put an end to this. Thanks, girls, for making the effort to uncork this ugly bottle!

Melody
9/23/2013 12:58:49 am

Thank you for this! Thank you from another parent of kids in public schools, and the wife of an administrator.

TEA may think they voted not to take a side, but the NEA is in full support of Common Core. They, too, have accepted Gates Money, so that my guess as to why they are listed. I follow a couple of blogs who have tracked the money from the Gates foundation and NEA is one of organizations accepting grant money for essentially supporting CC.

I have had a few discussions with some our TEA members, and unfortunately, while they dislike Huffman etc because of the anti-union feel, they do personally support Common Core. When I have asked why, they have given me the kool-aid answers fed to them by the TEA/NEA. When I presented them with several articles presenting all of the educational problems with CC, they were very surprised. BUT, I couldn't get them to criticize their own organization, which was disappointing.

Samuel Adams
9/23/2013 06:35:33 am

As an English and history teacher returning to full time after taking 10 years off to finish raising my children, I am shocked as I learn about Common Core standards and what will be expected of me in the classroom. Mama Bears, I assure you, there are teachers (I am one) who will do what's right for your children REGARDLESS of the Communist Core Curriculum. We are undercover patriots who love America AS SHE WAS MEANT TO BE, USED TO BE, AND WILL BE ONCE AGAIN. Your children are as important to us as our own. I, for one, will not allow your children to be robotized by these covert socialists who seek total control of ALL our lives. WE WILL NOT LET THEM SUCCEED.

Min
9/23/2013 09:04:21 am

Keep fighting the good fight!

susan norwood
9/23/2013 12:45:35 pm

Thank you for your support Momma Bears. I am a public high school teacher. I hate it that we do so much testing. It is boring for both teachers and students. Teachers spend a lot of time on test prep, because we are afraid that we will be fired if students don't score well. It doesn't matter what their home conditions are or if they speak English as their first language. All of this testing is about making money- not assessing student's strengths and weaknesses. I can do that with my own tests. I can do that by reading what they write. I agree that all of this testing is about making already-rich folks even more money. I wish the money spent on testing would be used to hire more teachers. Students learn better in smaller classrooms. I have had over 200 students since the school year began.

Jshouse
9/23/2013 01:49:23 pm

The BATs of TN support you! Be the noise for kids in TN. That will counteract Huffman's " Ignore the Noise" bumper stickers.

bookworm23
10/24/2013 08:43:19 am

Thank you for attending and giving such an informative account of the hearings. I'm an experienced Tennessee teacher, but fairly new to keeping up with what's going on. Until the last few years, I just assumed I could trust folks to be honest and make the best decision for kids.

Could anyone clarify this for me....a local administrator stated that busloads of non-Tennesseans showed up at the hearings to testify that Tennessee should abandon CC, and that Tn teachers, parents, principals, professionals, etc, etc, testified in support of the standards. Was this a misleading statement?

I have found a video of the hearings but have only watched part of it. I specifically went looking for a TN teacher testifying in support of the standards. As I said, I have not watched all of the hearing. However, the teacher I did see is a TN common core coach, which means that in addition to teaching, she receives pay from the state to train TN teachers on implementing the standard.

Momma Bears
10/24/2013 11:42:27 am

Some of the Momma Bears were at the Common Core hearings, and I can tell you that your administrator is grossly misinformed. There was a quote in the newspaper by a representative of SCORE that most of the speakers against common core were from out of state. That seems to be the rumor that SCORE is spreading to discredit those opposed to CC in TN. It is misleading and wrong.

I was there at the hearings, and I can vouch that the people opposed to common core were citizens from TN. I met many of them. They drove their own vehicles to the hearings or carpooled from their districts in TN to save on costs like we did. Some Moms brought their children and packed a picnic to eat in the hallway. Some teachers took a personal day from teaching to be there. I didn't meet a single person in the "audience" from outside of Tennessee. The only out-of-state people at the Hearing were the speakers, both for and against.

It is important to note that the expense of airfare and hotel for the speakers opposed to common core were paid for by TN residents who wanted the best voices they could get to speak at the hearing. They raised the money themselves out of their own pockets and begged these experts to speak at the hearings on their behalf.

It is equally important to note that the speakers who were there in favor of common core were paid to be there by corporations and business philanthropists through "non-profit" organizations.

The teacher who spoke in support of common core was a young charter school teacher from Memphis who was allowed to go well-past her 20 minutes of time. We, too, have noticed that the teachers who most support CC are the CC Coaches and Master Teachers who are paid a generous stipend to support and implement it. Most teachers we've talked to about it find some positive things about common core, but they also have a long laundry list of things they really don't like. Some experienced, seasoned teachers have told me that CC is just a fad that will go away in a few years to be replaced by the next latest & greatest silver bullet fad. We'll see...

Bookworm23
10/25/2013 06:41:35 am

That's just what I suspected. How VERY sad that most teachers and admin are going to take that misleading statement at face-value. I appreciate your response and I appreciate the work you're doing. The fact that there is beginning to be some awareness gives me hope!


Comments are closed.

    Archives

    January 2021
    March 2020
    January 2020
    August 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    November 2017
    September 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013

    Momma Bears

    Just some moms who realize their children's public school systems in TN, as well as public schools across the country, have major threats to their survival.  We research, we write, we share, and we advocate.

    Categories

    All
    ASD
    Barber
    BATs
    Broad
    Candice McQueen
    Chamber Of Commerce
    Charter Corruption Series
    Charter Schools
    Common Core
    Consultants
    Cosmos
    Data
    Data Collection
    Documentary
    Duncan
    Education
    Event
    Faux Parents
    Finland
    Fordham Institute
    Gates
    Governor Haslam
    Governor Haslam
    Grassroots
    Gulen
    Huffman
    Inappropriate-book
    Inappropriate-common-core
    Inc.
    Knox County
    Knoxville
    Legislators
    Legislature
    Liar Liar Pants On Fire Series
    Lobbyists
    Mckinsey
    Nashville
    New Momma Bears
    Opting Out
    Parcc
    Pearson
    Petition
    Poppa Bear
    PR Firm
    Ravitch
    Refusing Tests
    Renaissance Learning
    Rocketship
    RTI2
    School Board
    Score
    SPED
    Student Privacy
    Students
    Studentsfirst
    Survey
    Tcap
    Tea
    Teacher Evaluations
    Teachers
    Teacher Survey
    Tennesseeans For Student Success
    Testing
    Textbooks
    Tndoe
    TNREADY
    TREE
    Treeroots
    Tripod
    TVAAS
    Virus
    Vouchers
    Walton

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photo used under Creative Commons from mrsdkrebs