This teacher's favorite textbooks were taken from her classroom. Her principal did it
"They're gone," said Silverman. "Nobody knows where they are."
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Silverman, a 30-year veteran teacher whose scores deem her one of the best teachers in the state, has been using a textbook called "McDougal-Littell Literature" for a decade, although students were using an edition from four years ago. It's got poems, essays, short stories, Edgar Allan Poe and Shakespeare — a curriculum she says challenges and rivets her students.
But the Florida Department of Education phased out that textbook five years ago and introduced new titles that districts could use. A committee of teachers picked "Collections" by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, a digital textbook that aligns with new Florida standardized tests that heavily emphasize nonfiction and informational texts.
That digital book was adopted by the district in 2015 while rolling out a tablet-based program for high school freshmen, who could bring their own device or check one out from the school.
"It makes the learning a lot more interactive," than using just a static book, said Lisette Alves, the assistant superintendent over academics.
Read more here...
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/this-teachers-favorite-textbooks-were-taken-from-her-classroom-her-principal-did-it/ar-BBNZcLY?ocid=spartanntp
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Where has common sense gone when the School Board, School District and the Principal
insist on students using lap tops and tablets instead of real books, because books aren't as "interactive".
This teachers personal books with years of notes were confiscated and the Principal adamantly refuses to return the book or any of her teaching materials.
Who thought that English books about Poe and Shakespeare would literally be banned from a school in this country.
No flexibility for one of Florida's finest teachers.
To quote the President, "Sad, Sad".
It's just not the same. There's something about an actual book in one's own hands. A good story will not feel "static," especially if it garners interest, engages you, and pulls you in.
It's unbelievable.
Is that not an outright case of theft? Is that not her personal property? Why doesn't she get the police involved?
The article only indicates one book was hers the teachers edition. The other books were not her property. She should be given her personal property back.
“But when the literature teacher entered her classroom Thursday morning, 50 textbooks, including the teacher's edition with years of annotations Silverman said she personally purchased, were missing from the baskets beneath the students' desks. A student told Silverman she saw the books carted away the prior evening.”
And if they don't, what do YOU think she should do?
She will have to make that decision herself. Sometimes vigilante justice is the only way to even the score as I have little confidence in the government when it comes to justice for the victims of theft.
When I was in sixth grade I had what appeared to be a deck of cards with a scantily clad woman depicted on the outside of the box. A teacher saw me showing it to another classmate and sent me down to the principals office with it. He grabbed the deck of cards and slid the deck out of the box resulting in a tiny electrical shock. It really wasn’t a deck of cards with naked women it was a trick a gag device. I had a hard time containing my laughter when he zapped himself and realized it was a gag. After receiving the shock he confiscated my personal property and sent me back to class. I just let it go.
LOL. I'd be willing to bet he then used it on his friends.
First off, real books are NOT static, you must manually turn the page, manually hand copy text or write notes in margins, and you also have to manually cart them around with you from locker to class. Now unless the digital versions include some kind of YouTube clips, I'd say that scrolling is a lot more "static" than page flipping...
Books are still where the real knowledge is, a sad day when books are phased out of schools
like turning pages is so effing more difficult than swiping a screen.
what happens when the batteries die. can you read a classic without batteries?
fucking A if you own the effing BOOK
In my last East Coast house I had what you could call a library ( or two)
When the power went out during Hurricane Sandy ( 7 days) we had wood in the fireplaces and randomly pulled books off the shelves to read by the fireplaces or by candle light,
just like the founding families would have
EVERY NIGHT.
...and in a Worst Case scenario--you had fuel for the fire! I wonder how long a laptop would last as fuel for a fire????
you had fuel for the fire! I wonder how long a laptop would last as fuel for a fire????
OUCH...
Burning books for fuel... ouch !
One thing, with the battery in the labtop you could start your fire to burn your books, try that with just paper.
lol
Never ever put a lithium battery in a fire of any sort - the results could be catastrophic.
First of all, as a teacher of over 20 years, I find it offensive that the school board took away her books and years of notes.
Books are not meant to be interactive. Your brain is supposed to work.
To me, this smells more of censorship than using new tech. There is nothing exciting about reading from an electronic reader.
Why do I think the Kochs were likely involved?
More than likely, or the DeVos family. Kochs dumped about $4 million into 2 ultra conservative county school board recalls a few years ago in my state. Those recalled school board members and their families no longer reside here in fear for their lives. Run off by their own kind. Not smart to fuck with public schools.
Having graduated with a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, I'm horrified that in a civilized country that such a thing has happened. In my opinion, it is NO DIFFERENT THAN THIS....
One of my greatest regrets was leaving most of my library of books behind when I moved to China, some of which were antiques, more than a century old. Besides the great fiction I had, I regret having sold my Encyclopedia Britannica with all update volumes. The internet may provide information, but there is something about those volumes that spoke "authority", and didn't have notices as Wikipedia does that information may be missing, and anyone, educated or not, is capable of updating it.
Yes I was just reading the censorship is horrible in China. Better to leave them behind than end up in prison.
You seem to take a joy in criticizing China, Dean. As Rhett Butler said: "Frankly, I don't give a damn." And maybe that's because I'm not Chinese, I'm a Canadian. I saw the list of books they refer to in your linked article, and it also indicated that most have since been released. I can understand why they ban most of the ones that they do - it should be no surprise to anyone that the Chinese government protects itself from dissidents. However, I have been to bookstores and there is quite a great variety of classical English language novels and lots of current literature. As well, I'm sure you know that Wikipedia may be a source for lots of information, and I quote from it myself when I post photo-essays, for verbal descriptions of what I illustrate. However, I know it also provides misinformation, especially on controversial issues like China's behaviour. The reason I know it provides misinformation is because I once myself had to write to Wikipedia to correct an error they published about something wherein I had personal first hand knowledge.
So, obviously from my previous comment I disagree with what happened to that teacher. Don't you, or do you think what they did to her was the right thing to do?
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I don’t believe they should confiscate her personal book that she paid for. I have no problem with the school switching from print to digital devices. If not for technological advancements we would still be carving images into stone like the cavemen.
Like Mount Rushmore or the Crazy Horse memorial?
Yes or this.
I can’t remember the last time I ‘read’ a book. I do have a voracious appetite for audio books though. You can’t multitask with a paper book. Plus, audiobooks are read with unique vocal inflections that enhance the experience, particularly the ones that are read by the author.
I used to have to go to the library to get free ones, but now I just use the hoopla app. If you have a library card, the app lets you download hundreds of books at the touch of a finger for free. Call me lazy, but once you get hooked you’ll never listen to another radio station in your car again.
Money makes the world go round; Cabaret and performed by Liza Manelli.
1. From personal experience when my daughter was suffering from lyme while attending school, the state standardized tests results could provide rewards to schools and districts. Students who scored in the upper 1 and 2% were "gold mines". A girl who scored in those ranges for the maths and sciences was hitting the mother load.
I eventually told the school and county where they could shove their tests. (but she doesn't look sick...nitwits).
Screw education, it is all about good scores on those tests, in order to get the financial rewards.
2. Cost of replacement of hardcover books vs cost of downloading a new "ebook". I would guess one is probably a fraction of the other.
IMO it's all about items 1 and 2. All about the money.
So here comes The Establishment and guts her materials used to achieve those scores...
NICE!!!
It would be interesting to know what those scores are based on. Scores by who on what.
If teachers don’t have to use standardized material next thing you know they will be feeding the kids Marx and Engels and testing them on how well they align with their ideology.