Teachers Unite Newsletter, March 2006

Christopher Columbus on Trial!

"When my students and I recently conducted a mock trial of Columbus and the Europeans, who were charged with the theft of lands as well as enslavement, torture, and murder of countless Native Americans, some of my colleagues questioned whether or not my students were capable of understanding, or equipped to deal with the brutal facts of European conquest."

by Lisa Mayer

I teach fourth grade in a school surrounded by project housing and all that it implies. More than 90% of the students in this school receive free lunch, 95% are Hispanic or Black. The majority of the students in my classroom are boys and many are being raised by a single guardian and older siblings. I learned early in the year that most of my students have endured hardships ranging from hunger and homelessness to serious abuse; some have witnessed homicides and brutal beatings, many have lost parents, siblings or friends to violent deaths. My students speak of violence, gangs, drugs, and abuse as first hand witnesses, not as children exposed to outrageous media or video games.

This is a bleak and incomplete picture of the people with whom I spend my day, however, it is a picture worth keeping in mind when one considers simplifying curriculum because it is being taught to ‘children.’ When my students and I recently conducted a mock trial of Columbus and the Europeans, who were charged with the theft of lands as well as enslavement, torture, and murder of countless Native Americans, some of my colleagues questioned whether or not my students were capable of understanding, or equipped to deal with the brutal facts of European conquest. My peers thought the trial would simply turn into a fight and questioned how I planned to control the classroom, much less ensure that substantial social studies learning occurred during this activity. Knowing the lived realities of my students has taught me that doubting whether or not children are emotionally capable of dealing with controversial topics in any curricular area is not only an underestimation of their cognitive skills, it is simple ignorance of all that they already understand.

The trial of Columbus was a single period on a Wednesday morning, and yet, by many standards it was a profound moment in the classroom. Based on previous class discussions, assessments and student requests, I selected students to act as prosecution and defense lawyers, Native American witnesses, jurors, court reporters, Columbus himself, a European soldier, a European against the treatment of the Native Americans and of course, a judge.

While the roles varied, each student was an active participant and was required to take notes, listen, and speak during the trial as well as write reflections on the event. Lawyers had opening and closing statements and, along with fellow classmates, questioned each witness. The jurors took notes during the questioning and while they deliberated a verdict at the close of the trial, court reporters interviewed the nervous witnesses and defendants. The trial concluded with a class discussion and a unanimous determination that the Europeans and Columbus were guilty and should be sentenced to jail time, understanding their crimes, and perhaps most importantly, therapy.

It is worth pointing out that this type of activity could not have been accomplished without a great deal of preparation; the trial was a product of a unit of study, not a theatrical whim. I relied heavily on the text Rethinking Columbus (Bigelow, Bill and Bob Peterson, eds. Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years. Rethinking Schools, Ltd., 1991) for information and students engaged in a range of activities including whole class discussion and small group research to ensure that they entered the trial equipped with knowledge. Students were also given detailed descriptions and expectations of their roles in the trial along with study material prior to the actual event. I also consulted the Critical Inquiry Project group (see description below) to ensure that the planning and implementation of the unit extended into enduring understandings so that students weren’t simply peppered with facts and then expected to perform.

While the trial at first glance may appear a simple role play, in fact, the students were required not only to demonstrate a deep understanding of the historical encounter of Europeans and Native Americans, but were also required to engage in the highest level of critical thinking in accordance with Bloom’s taxonomy. Students had to evaluate the causes of European actions and the trial included a tense discussion of racism, superiority, and the process of assimilation. Students spoke about the ‘loss of culture’ the Native Americans suffered, the differences between Native American and European religion and acknowledged the horrific human actions that took place when these two cultures collided. The students’ display of comprehension not only transcends the ‘heroes and holidays’ level of social studies curriculum, it also encompasses several state standards including increasing skills in public speaking, listening, note-taking, active engagement and interpretation of texts.

The trial of Columbus in room 4-301 was a success because it was based on understanding the realities of history and is one activity embedded in a larger attempt to engage students. The trial was also guided by an underlying structure of respect in the classroom; my students were able to argue as a means of learning because they are expected to respect each other on a daily basis and in every activity in which we engage. Students were confrontational, competitive, and even aggressive during the trial, but they exhibited these traits in a productive manner because they were empowered by solid understandings and motivated by their peers to excel in this public display of learning. Perhaps most importantly, the trial accomplished what my discussions with colleagues could not, it proved that students are not only capable of comprehending intense curriculum, they are capable of creating it.

Lisa Mayer is a participant in the Social Justice Critical Inquiry Project (CIP) at NYU. CIP supports new teachers to stay true to their social justice vision for education through reading, dialogue, critical reflection and sharing. A large focus is placed on developing culturally relevant curriculum while developing the skills to negotiate the demands that make that difficult such as scripted programs, high stakes testing and varying levels of administrative support. For more information about the project, contact bree@nyu.edu.

A Teacher's Letter to Her Students' Parents

Sara Lippi shares her insights on educational injustice with her school community.

January 2006

Dear Parents,

I have taught at Cypress Hills Community School for four years in various capacities from third to eighth grade in Spanish and English, in several classrooms, and under the leadership of three principals. In this time, two major consistencies have been apparent: first, that we are a successful organization full of fighters and hard-workers, and second, that the No Child Left Behind policies that direct high-stakes testing are not about providing the best education for the child, but about processing the child through a test-taking machine that brands them with a single number, which, more often than not, dictates their future opportunities in the system. I am writing to share this grave concern regarding our unique school and the system within which it exists in an effort to articulate a stance for our school, engage teachers as well as parents around the issue, and to ultimately make ourselves and our needs clear to the Department of Education.

Since I became a teacher in 2002, I have actively participated in the lives of 120 students in Cypress Hills and I have watched three classes graduate the eighth grade in a borrowed auditorium. Now, the students who have been here the longest, since Day One of their schooling, are about to graduate in the same borrowed space, despite nine years of promises for a school all their own. Students, parents, and teachers have struggled to learn and grow in an inadequate learning environment, without many of the fundamental spaces and services every child is supposed to be afforded in the public school system and which every teacher requires to make the most of her/his instruction. Nevertheless, we exist in this system, which has left us homeless and denied our dual-language model the credit it deserves, and which has gone as far as to undermine our work entirely through aggressive testing requirements.

The Cypress Hills community of dedicated parents, teachers, and administrators has raised our children into thoughtful, productive, and ambitious young people without the help of the Department of Education. Our students dream dreams some of their parents never even conceived of—they want to go to the best high schools and colleges, they want to create art and music, teach what they know, defend justice, and make enough money to support their families. Furthermore, their ability to translate not just mere words, but meaning, from one language to another, one culture to another, is a powerful and unique skill—an advantage many young professionals wish to have, but don’t.

Nevertheless, each year I've been teaching, the requirements for standardized test preparation have increased: the regional mandates now require six periods per week (or 40% of reading/math instruction time) dedicated solely to test preparation work (three for math and three for ELA); several planning hours used to prepare for test prep work instead of planning for more meaningful instruction or reviewing our students’ work; professional development time used for learning how to grade the tests; after school time at least once a week set aside for additional test prep (limiting or taking away students’ extra-curricular activities like sports and the arts); and Saturday school for students who just can’t keep up (or so it seems as per the previous year's test scores).

The juxtaposition of the two objectives our school is faced with—one, bi-literacy and biculturalism through dual language instruction; and two, high-stakes test preparation for standardized tests—is a constant source of conflict. Dual-language education validates my heritage and culture, as well as yours, as well as that of 35 million Americans in the United States (or 13% of the population) (Oct 2002 Pew Hispanic Center), and specifically, the 220 students at our school, strengthening not only their skills and understanding of the world, but their relationships with their families and their immediate community. Nevertheless, on a daily basis I feel caught between preparing my students for the inevitable test mandated by No Child Left Behind (which is a terrible misnomer, since, again, our students are lacking many of the fundamental resources they deserve when their counterparts on the Upper West Side have aplenty) or using our time to teach them to think critically about the world we live in and to develop their love for learning and power in that knowledge.

Through this struggle, I see clearly how teaching to the test systematically disenfranchises the youth of Cypress Hills (and throughout the country) who have an opportunity to legitimize their home knowledge and experience in the greater U.S. society by honing the skills and strengths born in their immediate worlds through a dual language education like that at our unique school. The severe limitations rendered by the tests and all they demand, methodically remove the opportunities posited by a program such as ours.

I am exhausted by the limitations of our public school system and insulted by the lack of autonomy and say I have as to my particular students' needs and strengths. The invariable inertia of the system pulls me down as I struggle to pull away and bring my students and their families with me.

Sincerely,
Sara Lippi
Teacher, Cypress Hills Community School

A Free Paper for Free Kids

Kids are exposed to an average of 8 hours and 33 minutes of media content daily. How much of this media is current events news or progressive media? Close to none. This is how IndyKids got its start.
An IndyKids supporter decorates a cookie at the paper's holiday fundraiser.

IndyKids is a new progressive current events newspaper for kids in the New York City area. The eight page newspaper was founded in October 2005 and has a circulation of 8,000. It is currently distributed to over 30 schools and community organizations in New York City and to all 63 branch libraries in Queens.

IndyKids encourages kids in grades 4 to 8 to form their own opinions and to engage in politics. "I think that most adults don't want to educate their child on politics because they think that their child might not be able to handle the truth of what is really going on in this world and all the injustice that is taking place," wrote Aya Abdelaziz, age 11 in an IndyKids opinion piece. IndyKids challenges the notion that the real world is too scary for kids and encourages understanding and action.

The paper's first two issues included features on the Iraq war and human rights, and articles on the Valerie Plame CIA spy case, military recruitment in schools, local elections, an overview of news events from 2005, kids' opinions on violent toys, movie and book reviews, puzzles and activities. A regular feature is profile of a child in another country, a little information about his or her country and a glossary of words in the child's language.

IndyKids is run by adult and some kid volunteers. It was formed with the support of Indymedia, New York City, and has reached teachers with the help of the New York Collective of Radical Educators.

In January the Queens Library agreed to distribute IndyKids to all of its branches on a trial basis. The New York Public Library, with branches in Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx, agreed to distribute copies to ten of its branch libraries. However, after an IndyKids volunteer delivered 600 copies to the NYPL's distribution center, the NYPL called IndyKids Editor, Amanda Vender to tell her they had changed their mind because the issue wasn't "balanced." "There's such a strident tone to the paper. I just came away feeling like 'this world is such an awful place!'" the NYPL representative told Vender.

"IndyKids is forthright that it is a critical independent paper that exposes injustice and promotes the views of poor and marginalized people," said Vender. "The NYPL pays for all kinds of publications, including publications for kids, that purport to be balanced while promoting the views of the rich and powerful. The library should distribute all kinds of publications from all points of view." Vender says IndyKids will submit its next few issues to the NYPL and see what happens.

The next issue of IndyKids will be released at the end of February and four more issues are planned for 2006. Upcoming initiatives include expanding the website and developing a teachers' guide to accompany the paper.

"IndyKids is something I wish I had as a kid," said Vender. "I didn't start to be critical of the media and to uncover the truth about what's happening in the world until I was in college. IndyKids hopes to help kids start thinking critically early on and to help form the next generation of activists, journalists and progressive thinkers."

For more information on IndyKids and to download the paper, go to www.indykids.net. To order copies for your school call 212-592-0116 or write to IndyKids at indykids@indymedia.org

A Look at the UFT

Norm Scott shares his view of UFT party politics through the history of Education Notes.

Building a Progressive Alternative to the Leadership in the UFT
by Norman Scott

Education Notes began around ten years ago as an independent newsletter aimed at UFT chapter leaders and delegates. As a chapter leader in a school with a dominating principal, I faced many of the issues delegates were facing and attempted to bring them to the assemblies. Since running the meetings and the decision on whom to call upon was solely in the hands of UFT President Randi Weingarten, I found that she would ignore me when she was not in favor of issues I wanted to raise. By publishing Ed Notes I was able to get that point of view out to the chapter leaders and delegates and members of the leadership, who often looked at the points raised as a voice of the rank and file. Over time it began to pick up a following amongst the independent delegates and even some Unity Caucus members. Even Weingarten was a fan, proclaiming at the start of one meeting that she loved the paper, at that time just two letter-sized pages.

As the number of issues we faced grew, the size of Ed Notes grew, eventually reaching twelve pages, produced on three 11” x 17” folded sheets. The relationship with Weingarten began to sour when Ed Notes started taking strong critical positions of the UFT’s seeming willingness to accept some form of merit pay (the most ludicrous example was Weingarten’s proposal to give teachers free airline tickets in exchange for getting higher scores). The complete break came with Ed Notes’ vehement criticism for her support for mayoral control.

For decades, the leading opposition to the overwhelmingly dominant Unity Caucus, which has run the UFT since it’s founding over forty years ago, was New Action Caucus. As they continued to run and lose by bigger margins to Unity they adapted a new policy – one of bipartisanship with the leadership. The relationship with Unity was culminated in the fall of 2003 with New Action’s agreement not to run a presidential candidate against Weingarten in exchange for Unity not running a high school Executive Board slate for the six high school positions that are voted upon by high school teachers. In fact, NA had won these seats in every election but one over a number of years so Unity felt it wasn’t giving up much.

Teachers for a Just Contract (TJC) started in the early 90’s and consistently called for more militancy on the part of the UFT, especially in relation to strike preparation. They had little presence at the Delegate Assembly, publishing occasional leaflets and a newsletter every so often.

In the summer/fall of 2003, with rumors of the deal between New Action and Unity being revealed by dissidents within New Action, TJC announced they would field a slate of candidates in the upcoming UFT elections in the spring of 2004.

A number of independents who had met through contact with Education Notes felt that the long-time leadership of TJC would not be amenable to looking at social justice issues and the deeper educational issues such as high stakes tests that had been having an impact on the schools. A series of meetings were held in early November and the Independent Community of Educators (ICE) was born to better address some of these concepts and to bring them to the attention of the members by running in the UFT elections. A major goal was to contend for the six high school Executive Board seats that were being “given” to New Action by Unity and to assure a challenger for Weingarten. The only way to win these seats was through an alliance with TJC and a joint slate of candidates, three from each group, was drawn up.

With a confusing array of opposition and quasi-opposition parties on the ballot, 70,000 of the almost 100,000 active teachers did not vote in the 2004 elections and Randi Weingarten received around 85% of those who voted. In the high schools, however, the TJC/ICE candidates managed to defeat the New Action candidates by a significant margin.

In September 2004, the first serious voice of opposition in many years took their seats on the Executive Board. They were only six out of eighty-nine but it was a beachhead from which to launch a challenge to the disastrous Unity policies. With elections looming again in the spring of 2007, this beachhead must be maintained expanded in the face of a potential joint Unity/New Action assault.

Agreeing to a contract that is horrendous for teachers, parents and students – a contract that 40% of the teachers voted against after a bitter battle between Unity and the opposition forces led by ICE, TJC and the UTP (Unified Teachers Party), a group recently formed that is based at Port Richmond HS in Staten Island, has given Unity the appearance of vulnerability. But unless the progressive forces can come together and unite to battle the Unity behemoth, this vulnerability will prove to be short-lived.

A Teacher-Led Resistance Movement?

NYCoRE (New York Collective of Radical Educators) and Teachers Unite present:

Granito de Arena
(Nominated for the International Documentary Association's 2005 Pare Lorentz Award)

Granito de Arena is the story of hundreds of thousands of public schoolteachers whose grassroots, non-violent movement took Mexico by surprise, and who have endured brutal repression in their 25-year struggle to defend public education.

Thursday, March 30, UFT Auditorium, 52 Broadway, 2nd Floor5:30 Refreshments6:00 Screening7:00 Panel Discussion Discussion moderator: Jean Anyon, CUNY Graduate Center, Urban EducationPanelists:Sam Anderson, ICOPE (Independent Commission on Public Education)
Megan Behrent, TJC (Teachers for a Just Contract)
Daniel Jerome, NYCoRE (New York Collective of Radical Educators)
Lisa North, UFTers to Stop the War
Gene Prisco, ICE (Independent Committee of Educators)
Location generously provided by United Federation of Teachers
UFT Auditorium, 52 Broadway, 2nd Floor
(2,3,4 or 5 train to Wall St., 1/9, N or R train to Rector St., J, M or Z train to Broad St.)
DVDs of the film, Rethinking Schools publications and NYCoRE t-shirts will be available for purchase.
For more information about "Granito de Arena" please visit: www.corrugate.org