New Jersey’s teachers won’t gather in Atlantic City for their annual convention for the first time in 158 years.
The damage and ongoing problems left behind by monster storm Sandy forced the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) to cancel its Nov. 8-9 conference at the shore town.
NJEA said its convention is the largest gathering of its kind worldwide, and the sheer size helped make the final decision to cancel.
“The NJEA Convention is a massive event, involving tens of thousands of people,” NJEA President Barbara Keshishian said. “We concluded it was simply not advisable to try to have that many people on the roads and using public transportation while so many communities are struggling to restore power and basic services to their residents – including NJEA members.”
NJEA’s convention is not only an annual event for teachers, but a two-day break from school for millions of New Jersey students. Sandy shut down the state’s schools for two days this week, and many other districts had to stay closed for longer because of damage to schools and power outages.
Keshishian vowed that NJEA would return next year to Atlantic City, whose famed boardwalk took a pounding, along with massive flooding and power outages. Sandy made landfall near Atlantic City.
In the meantime, Keshishian said NJEA is exploring ways for its members, leaders and staff to contribute to and assist in the city’s cleanup and recovery.
NJEA wants “to assist in helping this historic city rebuild and recover. Accordingly, we have reached out to area officials to ascertain how we may be of the greatest assistance,” Keshishian said. “People in Atlantic City are hurting, and we genuinely want to help them in whatever ways we can.”
You have been fed skewed statistics and you are believing them.
Personally, I would like to see school go to July and start mid-August with a month of winter holiday like they do in Europe. This would give families a chance to go somewhere warm to rejuvenate young minds. Research shows that people are more productive thinkers with adequate downtime. Weather-wise, it could make for less dangerous conditions depending on which month it is. No children should be transported to school in extreme cold, ice, or snow.
Some schools are being used for shelters for displaced residents. Lots of kids and their families were living in low lying areas where there homes are GONE. I have not heard any damage reports for school buildings, but I doubt they all survived unscathed. This is a time for mutual help and cooperation, not a suitable occasion or the proper forum for teacher bashing. I am sure some of our teachers suffered tremendous losses, just like a lot of other folks.
"Eschew obfuscation"
Hey, maybe in Mike's district this is true, but not for me, not for ANY of my friends and probably not for the demographic of those who read and contribute to Patch. You're a horrible educator Mike and having that attitude about your students parents is what makes you that. I love my kids teachers, I have no respect for anyone in any profession who has the union protections that teachers enjoy. If I or those who work for me or those I work under had them, I can not imagine the work-product we would be creating.
As for those "nasty" protections you abhor, here's a little education for you. Unions ARE their membership by the very nature of the definition. Your lack if respect for what unions accomplish is indicative of your ignorance on the topic. Tenure is a protection of academic freedom and due process--both of these you want for those educating your child. Without them, the teaching staff in our schools would be just as dedicated as the cashiers at Wal-mart. (lesson con't...)
Academic freedom allows teachers to be involved in the dialogue about what's best for their students without fear of repercussions for critical thinking. You never want to squelch critical thinking in the schools. It may work for the private sector when the boss wants to control every aspect if business, but educating minds is not about control--it is about creating divergent thinkers who can solve problems thus improving their contributions to the evolution of humanity. Teachers are certified which means they are educated professionals who should never be hired and fired on the whims of a superintendent (or school board member) who just happens to have a nephew needing a job. Teachers should never be let go because they are strict in student expectations or because of their sexual orientation. Teachers should never be harassed because of personality conflicts with administrators who have God-complexes. This is not to say that there are not great admins, superintendents or school board members, and certainly this is not to say that there are not sub-par teachers in the profession. Tenure is NOT a "job for life" as certain ignorant loud-mouths have purported for decades. It simply is not true. School districts have EVERY RIGHT to bring a teacher up on tenure charges, and should be successful in dismissing said teacher IF the charges are sound. If sub-par staff are still within the confines of the schools, that is the fault if the district, not the union. (con't)
Finally, every teacher pays for benefits and pension with the money he or she has earned. Take-home pay is abysmally low due to all the contributions. Since salaries for professionals with comparable credentials (and in some cases, less credentials) are much higher than that of teachers, help with a group benefits package is an incentive to attract and retain quality people in these jobs, New Jersey schools are among the finest in the country, and you can thank the dedicated teaching staff and administrations who uphold such high standards of excellence for the students. If you have issues with Camden, Asbury Park, Newark, and the like, please examine the quality of life of those children before you bash their teachers.