Tastes Great! Less Filling!

Ok, we can argue about the merits of introducing kids to condoms in school until we're blue in the face, but I'm not interested in that right now. This however goes over the line.

The New Mexico Health Department is standing behind a sex-education teacher in Santa Fe who encouraged ninth-graders to taste flavored condoms.

According to a report in the Santa Fe New Mexican, parent Lisa Gallegos said that when her 15-year-old daughter balked at putting a condom in her mouth, instructor Tony Escudero told her, "Come on, sweetie, have a little fun."

If true, that could constitute sexual harassment and is completely inappropriate.

Also, Gallegos quotes her daughter as saying when a male student expressed his disgust with homosexual activity, Escudero said, "Never say never, because you never know. Someday you might like it that way."

Again, if true, that could constitute sexual harassment and is completely inappropriate. Additionally, doesn't that contradict the theory that you're born gay? Wouldn't he already knew if he liked it that way or not?

But, seriously, isn't the intent of introducing condoms to kids to get them to practice safe sex? I can see the theory (not saying I necessarily agree with it) about introducing kids to condoms, showing them one, even practicing how to apply it, while explaing its merits and liabilities (often glossed over in sex ed), but really, tasting condoms isn't necessary to the function of using them. Encouraging its practice does not seem useful, particularly with the issue being so sensitive to begin with.

California Cheating

All the B's are wrong (all the B's are wrong)
The answer is A (the answer is A)
I've been giving hints (I've been giving hints)
On the test today (on the test today)

My job is safe and warm (job is safe and warm)
Teaching here in LA (teaching here in LA)
California Cheatin' (California cheatin')
On the big test today

May I direct your attention to the 'real world' of public education?

May 21, 2004

THE NATION

One Poor Test Result: Cheating Teachers

By Erika Hayasaki, Times Staff Writer

One cheater whispered answers in students' ears as they took the exam. Another photocopied test booklets so students would know vocabulary words in advance. Another erased score sheets marked with the wrong answers and substituted correct ones.

None of these violations involving California's standardized tests were committed by devious students: These sneaky offenders were teachers.

Since a statewide testing program began five years ago, more than 200 California teachers have been investigated for allegedly helping students on state exams, and at least 75 of those cases have been proved, according to documents obtained by The Times.

The story continues:

Some educators say teacher cheating comes as no surprise, given increased anxiety surrounding state tests and the federal use of them under the No Child Left Behind law.

Pardon my language, but BULLSHIT! Excuse-Making 101

"Some people feel that they need to boost test scores by hook or by crook," said Larry Ward of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, a watchdog group that has criticized many standardized tests.

How about boosting test scores by doing a better job of teaching? Or is that just too much to ask?

In the Los Angeles Unified School District, testing official Esther Wong said her office investigated three to four potential teacher cheating cases a year. Most cases were cleared after inquiries showed that "there were just as many erasures from wrong to right as right to wrong."

Oh, well that makes it ok then.

Beverly Tucker, California Teachers Assn. chief counsel for 16 years, said the number of teachers her office defended against allegations of cheating had risen. She could recall one or two cases stemming from the decade before the current testing began. Since 1999, she estimated, the union has defended more than 100.

"It's serious," Tucker said. "And I can understand there might be cases where dismissal is warranted because of a blatant violation….

The examples cited are of teachers giving answers, changing answers themselves, giving hints to answers, telling students how many answers they have wrong, telling students to go back and change some answers, etc. All of those are blatant violations, and every teacher involved in such behavior should be fired.

California Teachers Assn. President Barbara Kerr said that the union didn't excuse cheating but that she felt bad for teachers who broke rules under what she described as "horrendous" pressure.

Read: 'California Teachers Assn. President Barbara Kerr said that the union didn't excuse cheating but here's our excuse.'

"We have gone to such extremes — where your whole life and existence is measured by one test — that the pressure is on the kids, the pressure is on the teachers..."

Again, bullshit! Nobody's whole life and existence is measured by one test. But if it were, would those that fail become public school teachers? Students and teachers should feel some pressure. Students should feel the pressure of being challenged. Teachers should always feel pressure to do a good job.

State education officials contend that the numbers of proven cases are small in a state with more than 200,000 teachers.

But a study in Chicago schools suggested that teacher cheating might occur in 4% to 5% of classrooms. Harvard professor Brian Jacob and University of Chicago professor Steven Levitt made that estimate last year after analyzing more than 700,000 students' records.

For every proven case, there are most certainly far more that are unknown. Five percent of California's teachers would be more than 10,000!

California officials concede that they are not doing much to curb cheating.

Speaks for itself

In 2001, the state flagged test results for five Bakersfield classrooms with a lot of erasures. District officials concluded that three teachers had coached students to change answers.

Marvin Jones, director of research and evaluation for the district, said the teachers' explanations included not understanding the rules, "everybody does it" and "I was trying to help the students do what I knew the students can do."

The teachers were not fired — partly because "we have unions to deal with," he said.

I feel a Rumsfeldian "GRRRRRRRR!!!!!!" coming on.