Missing LA teacher found dead

[proud2BlibKansan]

SOUTH GATE, Calif. (KABC) -- An elementary school teacher from South Gate who mysteriously disappeared last week was found dead about 9 a.m. Sunday in the Angeles National Forest, authorities have confirmed.

The Coroner confirmed the body found by a search and rescue team near Big Tujunga Canyon Road is that of Rigoberto Ruelas, 39, a fifth grade teacher at Miramonte Elementary School.

Authorities said it is a suicide, but did not say how he killed himself. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

A car matching the one driven by Ruelas was parked nearby.

Ruelas' family became concerned when he failed to show up to work last week.

A teacher ratings report by the Los Angeles Times did not score Ruelas well. Family members said the teacher evaluation scores may have caused him to go missing.

Ruelas, who taught for 14 years, had nearly perfect attendance.

more . . . http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news%2Flocal%2Flos_angeles&id=7690306

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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[proud2BlibKansan]

4. We teachers have many enemies here

But even more allies :)

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

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[Enthusiast]

112. Plus one, friend.

:fistbump:

[NJmaverick]

131. So it comes down to choosing between children and their education

or the teacher's self interest. Not sure how it got to the point where that became an either or proposition. I suggest that teachers should be careful in demanding that people choose sides as they are going to find that in the real world you are not going to like the results.

[botchan]

134. I disagree

I do not believe this argument comes down to children vs. teachers. I have rarely met a teacher that isn't dedicated to their jobs. Education in the US is a systemic problem that does not boil down to tenure and unions. We as a nation do not cherish intelligence and intellectual pursuits, we rarely shower praise and admiration upon our most intellectual individuals unless they have somehow found their way to the blinking image box. Young people exaggerate this national trend and have to be reminded by those responsible for educating them that there is a reward to knowledge. I could go on and on about our changing economy and the needs of industry and the disconnect parents have with the future knowledge needs of their children, but for the sake of brevity I will not. I will simply say that assuming that 100% of an age group will meet a specific knowledge level in the same exact amount of time is not in keeping with common sense (or social science knowledge) – using a state exam as the only indicator of knowledge will be a detriment to creativity and drive.

[onlyadream]

135. You're right.

A kid in India aspires to be a computer engineer, while an American kid wants to be famous. I see it in my own family with my daughter.

[October]

164. Tired of teachers slamming parents, too

"...the disconnect parents have with the future knowledge needs of their children..."


So many teachers here paint with a broad brush, and then turn around and accuse others at DU of doing it. How superior of you.

[botchan]

169. Missed point

I stated the problem is systemic not specific. Many individuals in this country believe the hype that "hard work" equals success. The future requires US students to cherish thinking and knowledge which is a paradigm shift from the "work your way up" mentality of the prior generation, but if you prefer to read into my statement and attack me, feel free.

[kenfrequed]

138. False choice

This narrative: greedy teachers versus children, is only one word off of what would be considered conservative spin. Are you certain you want to make this argument? You might not like what the results of going this direction would be.

[YOY]

142. Hey Mav! You Rock!!! How many kids do you have?

It's like you care more about my kids than I do!


I would expect no less from your warm and caring soul!

Bless your soul for thinking of the Children first!!! BLESS YOU, YOU WONDERFUL MAN!!!!

[MichiganVote]

167. So you basically think that teachers are self interested and dumb. Ok, got it.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Nikki Stone1]

23. They were taken over quite a few years ago and have never been the same paper as they were

They are now shilling.

[Nikki Stone1]

2. The LA Times and the billionaire boys club have BLOOD on their hands.

This poor poor man.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Amen

[malaise]

113. Absolutely correct

When will they assess the bankers?

[Starry Messenger]

3. Oh no!

Dammit. RIP Mr. Ruelas. This makes me sick.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. A very sad example of the dedication of our colleagues

I know it would crush me if the newspaper in my town printed a hit piece on me and my effectiveness.

[Starry Messenger]

13. I would be destroyed emotionally

I was afraid something like this would happen. It was a public shaming and utterly dehumanizing. x(

[Nikki Stone1]

27. It was evil, especially since they know that such measures are false

The public system has been gutted over the past 3 decades and teachers more and more limited in their classroom management by administrators. THAT is a big part of the reason for the failure of the system. It was set up to fail and be primed for takeover.

[Hannah Bell]

45. evil is it. +100.

[Contrary1]

34. They're talking about doing it here in Indiana...

My son teaches 5th grade. This year he has 34 students, 22 boys, 12 girls. 20 of the 34 are English language learners.

He suspects that the achievement tests will be easier this year, so that the assholes who make all the decisions can clap and cheer that funding was slashed and the kids did better than ever.

[proud2BlibKansan]

39. They don't always make the tests easier

Sometimes they lower the proficiency level so it looks like more kids pass.

I met some teachers from Indiana at a union event last spring. The state legislature there is doing some nutty stuff. My sympathy to your son.

[Indianademocrat91]

81. I just graduated high school in May in Indiana

and I can attest to the fact that Bitch Daniels and his lapdog superintendent are completely screwing over the school system. They want all schools to be Charter schools and they want public property to be given to private charter schools for free even though the money made at the forprofit schools will never go back into public hands. They are also screwing over the curriculum and the normal school day. The standardized tests are a complete joke and do nothing. They also now have end of course assessments which you have to pass or else you have to retake the class until you pass the tests. Im glad I'm in college now and dont have to deal with the bullshit which has been passed on to all classes 2011 and beyond.

[proud2BlibKansan]

94. We have those end of course exams in my state

What a freakin joke. The only kids who have to take them are the ones who are passing the course. The rest of the kids fail and drop out. Or are pushed out.

[Nikki Stone1]

96. They want to GIVE away public owned infrastructure to the corporations?

Good Lord! That's theft of public resources.

[proud2BlibKansan]

98. They are doing it in New York

Giving buildings and space in existing schools to charters. Giving. As in free.

[Indianademocrat91]

128. Daniels and The Superintendent want to

The public is going up against them though thankfully. The main reason is that the superintendent's wife is the director and head of the Indiana Charter school association so when more Charter schools pop up so does their bank account. Just the same as Daniels issuing an Executive Order making a Private college (Western Governors University). Guess who just got promoted to the Board and thus is able to reap benefits from the expansion?? You got it Daniels. He had 6 years to do this before but then decides to make the college when he is able to receive benefits from its existence. Slimy cowards, every single one of them.

[prairierose]

136. NikkiStone1, that is what the charter school thing is all about...

they give the public property to private corporations and then the private corporations make money using the infrastructure In some places, the public purse still pays the maintenance on the property so the corps have no investment in the infrastructure and essentially no responsibility for it.

This whole charter school thing is about transferring money from the public purse to private corps. We have seen with the private contractors in war that they can not do the job for less than the military did. They charge much more and make huge profits at the expense of both the taxpayers and the job they are paid to do.

Charter schools are not help to the same standards in all states so in some places, they can hire non-certified teachers and pay them much less. They can toss out the students who do not do well, behave, or need extra help. So they do not have to deal with second language needs, discipline problems or learning disabilities. In some places, the public schools have to pick up those students so they are left with the students who test least well and are still expected to meet the impossible standards.(every child left behind{NCLB} was designed with standards so that every public school would be a failing school by 2014)

[JDPriestly]

153. It also transfers the right to control, to make decisions, from the

public to the private (mostly big corporate) sector. Right now, the charters are talking big about parent participation. But for how long? They are not required by law to allow parents to criticize what goes on in the classroom or to respect the First Amendment rights of others in their school communities -- not even within the tight boundaries that now limit the exercise of those rights in schools at this time.

This is the really big problem with charters. I just realized this last night.

Privatization means that the government is not limiting you rights. The private company running the school will, in time, no longer be bound by our Bill of Rights. And it will limit our rights, the rights of parents, and everyone in the community. Just wait and see.

[Occulus]

119. From your lips, etc.

We need to hear more from people your age, who have just gone through and graduated from this "new" system.

Your elders are doing horrible things to American education. Thank you for your post here. We need to hear more from you AND your peers.

[Indianademocrat91]

129. Having 6 younger siblings in k-12..

I'll be up to date on what happens inside the schools from my parents and brothers and sisters. I can say definitively though that the way the teachers teach in k-8 has changed now due to the fact that they HAVE to teach to the standardized tests or else they risk losing their jobs because students fail. It's a crime that teachers are punished because some kids want to slack off and don't try and it somehow becomes the teachers fault for that. All I can say is I'm glad, Im at Ball State and I feel bad for everyone younger who has to put up with all the bullshit spewing from the Daniels administration.

[dotymed]

126. Good for you.

"bitch Daniels" used to be bushes' budget director before he hit IN. hard, spending untold amounts to take over the state. He has leased public turnpikes to foreign corporations for the next 75 years. He is a monster, yet he seems to fly under the national radar...

[Indianademocrat91]

127. Oh he's going to be a Presidential Contender didnt you know?

all the glorious things he's done here like the IBM fiasco, losing billions of public money etc. Cutting millions of funding for all schools, leading to the Arts going by the wayside and TECHNOLOGY class for k-4 students..(as is what is happening to my younger siblings). I mean what the hell is the point of a kindergarten student learning about computers when they don't even understand how to read or write yet? But Daniels is such a good Governor, not living in his mansion while still billing the tax payers for the upkeep etc..

[JDPriestly]

152. I am wondering whether the privatization of public resources

and duties is a way of circumventing the Bill of Rights. The government cannot deny you freedom of speech, but a private company can. Is that the theory? Privatizing schools, universities, libraries, and allowing the government to snoop on everything we read, write and say on the internet gives the powers that be absolute authority over our speech -- not just in terms of what we say but also in terms of what we hear and read. That gets around the First Amendment in a very clever way.

[dotymed]

159. Seriously

be careful. Do not commit a "thought crime."

[pinboy3niner]

5. K&R

[Nikki Stone1]

7. It's a long way from South Gate to the Angeles National Forest

LA Times has blood on its hands.

[Duer 157099]

12. LA is big. Lots of teachers have to live far from where they work

Like most other Angelenos.

Besides, all Angelenos I've known regularly visit the various National Forests that surround the county.

[Nikki Stone1]

16. I am an Angelino and know the area well

I used to live up near Angeles Forest. Not sure where his home was.

[Patchuli]

84. Me too, lived in Tujunga

grew up in La Crescenta. That's all home turf and quite a good place to disappear...

[Nikki Stone1]

95. Yep. I had a good friend who lived in Tujunga, just off of Foothill

From what I remember, if you go far enough north of Foothill you get into fire prone areas.

[Dinger]

115. ?What?

[Angry Dragon]

11. I am very pissed at duncan for thinking printing

individual reports on teachers is a good thing

[Nikki Stone1]

15. Duncan has blood on his hands. (Where is Swamp Rat with a good photoshop?)

Duncan is a tool of billionaires who want to profit from education

[wtmusic]

28. Not Duncan's fault.

The LA Times irresponsibly published rankings based on one metric and with their own system of grading. It wrongfully stigmatized many hardworking and competent teachers.

[Hannah Bell]

48. hell if it isn't. the "metric" was by RAND Corp, the analysis funded by Gates Foundation money,

& the publication in the LA Times part of a PLANNED, COORDINATED ASSAULT on the teaching profession with Arne as the hired ringmaster.

Hell if he doesn't have blood on his hands, as do all the deformers' clique.

****

This is too much of a coincidence. A teacher of fourteen years, suddenly the Los Angeles Times decides to hire Dr Richard Buddin and his cockamamie statistical analysis, and decides to paint Ruelas as ineffective without using all the facts. I feel so bad for his family, his friends, his students, his loved ones.

The following should be socially indicted;

There is blood on the Los Angeles Times hands

There is blood on Joel Klein's hands

There is blood on Eli Broads' hands

There is blood on Michelle Rhee's hands

There is blood on The Walton Family's hands

There is blood on Whitney Tilson's hands

There is blood on Eva Moskowitz's hands

There is blood on Oprah's hands

There is blood on Bill Gates' hands

There is blood on Geoffrey Canada's hands

There is blood on Mayor Bloomberg's hands

There is blood on the media's hands

There is blood on Arne Duncan's hands

There is blood on President Obama's hands

There is blood on George W. Bush's hands

There is blood on Gov Christie's hands

There is blood on Al Sharpton's hands
Posted by A Teacher In The Bronx at 9:23 PM

http://southbronxschool.blogspot.com/2010/09/blood-on-hands-of-jason-felcha-and.html

[Nikki Stone1]

67. I'm borrowing your list

Let's see if they post this at the LA Times.

[flyarm]

86. I am as well Hannah and sending it out to all teachers on my email lists! thanks eom

[Hannah Bell]

104. when hell freezes?

[starzdust]

160. Did you forget someone?

Add Saint Ronald Reagan and even as far back as DICK Nixon to the list. This sorted crap we see today started with these two.

[Dinger]

114. Self-Delete (nt)

[hlthe2b]

14. Oh, I had hoped this would not be the outcome of his disappearance...

I can not even express how tragic this is... I can only hope sufficient attention is given to this poor man's suffering and the incredible unfairness of posting these ratings and blaming teachers for all the problems in the schools.

I can only hope there is a sense of peace for this poor man and his family might find that in time as well.

[lolly]

17. South Gate--Working class Latino neighborhood

Almost all 1st or 2nd generation Hispanic immigrants. Heavy concentration of non-native speakers, and probably not enough support for dealing with them since bilingual education was abolished.

Not an easy place to try to improve students' standardized test scores, I would imagine.

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. Sounds like my school

My heart goes out to this teacher's family. Such a tragedy.

[YvonneCa]

25. And mine. Is there any way we can get a show of support for his school...

...and family?

[Nikki Stone1]

29. What would be the vehicle?

?

[YvonneCa]

31. How about this...

...http://twitter.com/villaraigosa I just sent him a link to the story. ;)

[Nikki Stone1]

36. Villaragosa is in on it. He totally supports Green Dot's takeover of the schools

which is what the teacher "ratings" in the LA Times were all about: to create support for a Green Dot takeover.

http://articles.latimes.com/keyword/green-dot-public-schools

CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
Villaraigosa backs charter school bids, rips Cortines
June 25, 2010 | By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times
The mayor of Los Angeles sided publicly with local charter schools Thursday in their latest bid to take over new and low-performing campuses, while sharply criticizing the L.A. schools superintendent, his onetime deputy. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spoke one week before a deadline for applicants to submit bids for nine new campuses and eight low-performing ones in the Los Angeles Unified School District. In the first round of the groundbreaking competition, groups of teachers in February defied early expectations to claim the vast majority of campuses.

[Hannah Bell]

50. jesus. more evil. this makes me sick.

[Nikki Stone1]

60. I think Villarogosa has his own charter school too

His own little profit center.

He is being groomed BTW.

[wtmusic]

75. The United Federation of Teachers has their own little profit center, too

Seems everyone wants to get in on the act.

http://www.uftcharterschool.net/

[Hannah Bell]

103. yeah, 1 nyc charter school set up by randi weingarten, the eli broad faculty member & school deform

collaborator, presently busy selling out her membership.

so funny you think weingarten's charter is a telling point; weingarten is a shill for charters & school deform generally, posing as a union leader. bought & paid for long ago, a plant from the beginning judging by her history.

her entire teaching career = less than 3 years, most of it part time. she entered uft as a lawyer & taught just long enough to be eligible to "lead" the union straight down the toilet.

[proud2BlibKansan]

32. We could start a Facebook page

[Nikki Stone1]

37. I like that

Hmm

[Nikki Stone1]

22. Not an easy place to teach period.

The LA Times has blood on its hands.

[sabrina 1]

43. And people like Arne Duncan should have to spend

at least a month in a classroom before they are allowed to even talk about how to reform the educational system. He wouldn't last a day.

[JDPriestly]

154. You should start an independent thread for a campaign to

get Arne Duncan to spend a year teaching and then go back to his position in the federal government. That would be a great idea.

[YvonneCa]

18. Just saw this. Sad news. n/t

[EFerrari]

20. Terrible.

:grr:

[pitohui]

21. oh jesus i am sorry

i saw the story abt the search yesterday

don't know what to say, we' ve all screwed up on jobs before or been un appreciated on jobs, fuck em the best revenge is living well not suicide

this is just heart breaking

[Nikki Stone1]

24. Teachers need to walk out tomorrow and MARCH to the LA Times office covered in red paint

It's time to do something drastic. Otherwise, these assholes are going to steamroller over everyone and everything.

[proud2BlibKansan]

26. There in spirit

:grouphug:

[kas125]

70. Me, too. All this teacher bashing is really making me sick.

I'm not a teacher, but I did work at my kids' elementary school for ten years. My heart breaks for this man and his family. Nobody deserves what that damned newspaper did to those teachers and teachers in general do not deserve the bullshit that is being disseminated in the news recently!

[proud2BlibKansan]

76. Thanks kas!

[kas125]

79. I keep thinking that I am so glad that my

youngest kid graduated from high school last year because what's happening to schools is scary and I'm glad mine are done with them. My sister and I were talking this afternoon, she just quit her job after 12 years of working as an aide for severely disabled kids. What they did to her school is truly insane and she quit because she felt it was no longer safe, for her or for the kids and she just couldn't be part of it anymore. Her heart is broken, too. We both are very afraid of what schools will be like if our kids have kids.

[sabrina 1]

46. Exactly! If this happened in Europe, there would be nationwide

strikes until this insane war on teachers ends. If this incident doesn't get people out in the streets, as they are doing across Europe, then nothing will.

[Nikki Stone1]

54. Exactly

But they have so destroyed teacher morale over the past 20 years or so that teachers might not feel they have the right to do this. They also may feel afraid of losing what is left of their jobs.

Remember, the LA Times teacher-rape was done to create public support for Green Dot (Eli Broad) taking over the schools.

[sabrina 1]

61. Perhaps, but sometimes there is an event that moves

people beyond their own personal fears and once that happens, things begin to change. Right now I know that if I were a teacher I would not care about losing my job. There are far, far worse things, such as what just happened to this teacher, than losing one's job. And once you reach that point, you become far more effective.

The truth is, despite the attack on teachers, if the Unions would simply organize a strike, all of a sudden those teachers would be seen in a whole different light. Let Arne and his buddies fill in for them. They know so much about education! :sarcasm: just in case anyone might think I was serious about that.

This may not be that event, but I would imagine, and reading the email posted above by the commenter who received it from his Union, it looks like people are finally getting angry enough to maybe do something.

The docility of the American public is the reason why the bullies win. If teachers wait until Arne & Co have finished the job of destroying the Public School system, any power they have, which they DO still have right now, will be gone. Now is the time to bring attention to what is going on imho.

[Nikki Stone1]

62. Teachers have been trying for years to bring attention to what has been going on

Few have listened.

[Chulanowa]

80. It's not just teacher morale

It's the fact that education is not a respected profesion in this country. Period. Intelligence is a negative quality, teaching is seen as glorified babysitting, and there's not very much public support at all.

[Nikki Stone1]

82. That's true.

How did we get to that point?

[Odin2005]

30. Oh no!

:cry:

[maryf]

33. K&R nt

[Tatiana]

35. This man taught for 14 years. Just let that sink in for a moment.

He had nearly perfect attendance.

I would venture to suggest he took his job very seriously and likely took pride in the work he did. I'd also venture to say that no matter what his so-called ranking was, there are many students who are better off for having Mr. Ruelas as a teacher.

No, this isn't directly Arne Duncan's fault. And we don't know that the ratings published in the L.A. Times caused this poor man to kill himself. But I think it's reasonable to suspect that the publication may have had something to do with it. We're human. We want to do good jobs. It hurts when you give something your all and have others point the finger at you while calling you a failure.

My heart goes out to this man and his family. Like I said, I don't think this is directly Arne Duncan's fault, but he created and fostered the climate that encouraged the L.A. Times to do what it did. He's fostered an environment where teachers are being disproportionately attacked while school administration and corporate interests wrap themselves in the silk robe of successful school reform.

It sickens me to no end that these attacks have taken place under (and with the full support of) a Democratic President and Congress. Our poor and minority students have become experiments for corporate-run charters who seek to homogenize and brainwash them into complacency.

[Nikki Stone1]

38. This is Arne Duncan's first casualty, hon

He may not have pulled the trigger, but he loaded the gun. And Bill Gates made it all possible.

[Irishonly]

140. That we know about n/t

[YvonneCa]

57. It's the humiliation of being...

...publicly blamed.

[Nikki Stone1]

63. Blamed for something he didn't do

The reason the public schools are so bad is that they have been starved of cash and that teacher authority has been cut to ribbons by administrators without conscience.

[BrklynLiberal]

151. vERY, VERY well said..

[opihimoimoi]

40. Might be a case of BULLYing.....

[proud2BlibKansan]

41. He was a member of my union. Here is an email I just received:

The UTLA home page calls the Times use of "value-added" data "reckless,destructive." I do not want to imagine how destructive in the matter of Mr. Ruelas. Do we really have to wait any longer to point out how awful, not just this latest attack on teachers is, but the entire immoral climate brought on by a well-financed campaign to scapegoat and discredit teachers?

I sincerely pray that the unthinkable does not have to happen before those behind the blame-the-teacher barrage stop and assess the damage. The wounds to teachers' reputations pale in comparison to the harm already done to thousands of our students. Their stress endured, the blame assigned imprints not just them but their families. These are flesh and blood human beings. Schools designated low-performing because of the tyranny of testing do, in fact, feel shame. A culture of hate and fear serves no positive purpose. To those who seek to privatize and charterize, however, the instability is key to their tactics. Simply put, Mr. Gates, Mr.Walmart, Mr. Broad, Mayor Villaragosa, Mr. Cortines(and too many others to list), when is enough, enough?

[sabrina 1]

47. Can you suggest that they call for a strike in protest of this

disgraceful campaign to steal public funds by attacking teachers and harming students? It's a good email, they left out Arne Duncan whose name should be at the top of any shameful list regarding this war on students and teachers and the Public School system.

[proud2BlibKansan]

51. Sure I can suggest it

But I am only one of a couple million members. :)

[sabrina 1]

71. I think there would be a lot of support among teachers

their families, their students and others to start standing up for the children who ultimately will be the worst victims of this Administration's educational policies. I hate to even use the word 'educational' as it is not about education at all.

I hope this will move the Union to do something, at least organize a huge protest against the L.A. Times eg.

And there really needs to be some pushback to these faux 'standards' being put forth by this administration. People who understand how children learn who can demonstrate why this 'race to the top' is such a travesty for all who will be victimized by it.

[Nikki Stone1]

52. +10,000

.

[Nikki Stone1]

49. +1

.

[Irishonly]

42. I am so sorry to read this

My heart goes out to his family and students.

[Nikki Stone1]

53. His 5th graders will be upset

That's for sure.

[QC]

55. Maybe Arne can come tell them what a bad teacher their beloved friend was.

Then he can shoot some hoops!

[sabrina 1]

58. Arne wouldn't be caught dead near a classroom full of

children, nor would any of his neo-liberal Capitalists. They just manage the money.

But yes, students tend to care about their teachers and this will be a very sad and emotionally difficult event for those children.

[Name removed]

59. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[flyarm]

87. I second that! That MTF'er! thanks! eom

[Nikki Stone1]

89. That's my image of Duncan

Always.

[proud2BlibKansan]

They were my first thought

Those poor kids.

[Nikki Stone1]

74. I can't imagine.

I just hope they don't feel guilty, since "stress at work" has been given as the reason. I am sure they were the joy of his life.

[Hannah Bell]

44. capitalism kills in many ways & this makes me angry in many ways.

rip.

[Nikki Stone1]

56. If Naomi Klein is right, the nurses are next.

The public sector, which includes many, many female workers, will be decimated and women will make even less.

[flyarm]

90. I just today gave a 4th copy of her book THE SHOCK DOCTRINE to a teacher to put in her teachers

room for all to read. She had 3 I gave her and she came to My home today and asked if she could get one more. I bought a case of them a couple years ago and have been giving them out. These were my last 4 I donated to this teacher to share with other teachers!
She said the first three are already checked out and she was hoping for another. I gave her my last one.

This teacher also told me today she stood up in her union meeting and raised holy hell..after learning so much from me this summer. She said it was the first time she ever stood up and said anything.

And all I did was share with her all the info I learned here From Hannah Bell and Madfloridian and from All proud2BlibKansan, three great DU'ers who have educated so many of us of what is going on!

We all need to share their journals and information to teachers in our communities!

I thank the wonderful DU'ers who are doing so much to educate here, so we can pass the info on.

My deepest sympathies to the family of this teacher ..he did not have to die, but for the greed of the ugly bastards in this nation who never have enough of our Blood.


fly

[Nikki Stone1]

91. The Shock Doctrine outlines the decimation of the public sector

Education and healthcare (teachers and nurses) are among the heaviest victims.

[flyarm]

92. ++++!!! that is why I gave the books to this teacher to share it with others..

These teachers are in NJ..and they have loud lovely voices!

[Hannah Bell]

105. that's interesting, because i just came across a private foundation which i think is connected

to a uk foundation supporting ed deform -- which is training indian nurses for overseas placement.

where did naomi klein say that, i'd like to read up on it & see if i can pin down that indian connection.

[madfloridian]

64. I saw a couple of articles that said he was highly regarded....

Damn the L.A. Times for that article. Some really good teachers were really damaged by that article.

[Nikki Stone1]

65. He was teaching in a school with majority Hispanic immigrant population

These kids were probably having language issues, as all immigrants do. He was being blamed for a problem he did not cause.

The LA Times has blood on its hands.

[EFerrari]

69. People who don't care about their jobs aren't hurt by that stuff.

It's the best, the brightest, the most empathetic teachers that are hurt by these juvenile and patently counter-productive measures. Because they do care about their jobs, and more, about their students.

[Nikki Stone1]

72. Good point.

:thumbsup:

[Hannah Bell]

107. very true, that. that's why loss of face will destroy decent people's lives forever

while corporate & political criminals committing heinous crimes, doing piss-poor jobs just keep coming back -- they know money & power trump all.

[VMI Dem]

66. Rec.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

68. Last Friday I gave a stab

at watching Oprah to see what all the hubbub was about with education. I make it a point NEVER to watch her because she's so self-aggrandizing and interrupting of her guests. But I digress. She hasn't improved much as far as I could see, and I couldn't watch the whole thing. The Newark mayor was awesome and I think he has a very, very bright career path ahead of him. But Oprah gushing about the "$100 million, $100 million" from the Facebook guy absolutely turned my stomach. I can't imagine the pressure the recipients of this money wlll be under.

And so, after 14 years the powers that be decided Mr. Ruelas couldn't teach? What a senseless tragedy. But, it's still very early in the school year. LAUSD will send out the grief counselors for a day or two, a replacement will be quickly appointed, and it will be back to business as usual. Except for the haunting loss for Mr. Ruelas's family. May he rest in peace.

[Nikki Stone1]

77. Oprah is part of the club. I would never expect fairness from her

.

[flyarm]

93. Turn her off..she is a big part of the problem!

[proud2BlibKansan]

97. About that $100 million

That is probably less than one year's budget in his school system. It sounds like a lot more money than it actually is.

[Dawson Leery]

101. Oprah is part of the problem.

She has the intellectual curiosity of Sarah Palin. Oprah is looking for ratings only.
Recall Oprah's 'wonderful' school in Africa?

[Hannah Bell]

108. oprah is & always has been a bought woman.

so naturally she thinks everyone else is as focused on money uber alles as she is.

[Ramulux]

73. The LA Times will have to live with this

I hope this keeps them up at night for the rest of their lives, they publicly humiliated this man and caused him serious mental anguish which caused him to commit suicide. They are just as responsible for this mans death as the right-wing commentators over at Fox are for all the anti-Muslim violence going on right now.

[Nikki Stone1]

78. Pasadena Star News has article up with comments

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_16180072

[mistertrickster]

83. Oddly, doctors, dentists, CEO's, brokerage firms etc are never subjected to public "ratings".

Only public school teachers are "fair game."

[Nikki Stone1]

85. Amazing, isn't it.

It's all about trashing teachers so that Green Dot can take over LA.

[Lorien]

109. Even when CEOs drive their corporations into the ditch and beg for public money

we still give them trillions and then fuss when public school teachers-doing a job that's FAR more important than selling crap- ask for a living wage and school supplies. :grr:

[Recursion]

132. Well, brokerage firms are. So are many doctors.

Losing ground on their public ratings can essentially destroy the firm.

Doctors who take medicare patients have their outcomes compared, too.

[Nikki Stone1]

88. Here is another article from the SD Tribune. You can post comments

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/sep/26/missing-teacher-found-dead-beneath-la-area-bridge/

[Dinger]

116. ?

[flyarm]

99. K&R I wish i could rec 1000 times!..how very very sad ,people should stop buying and reading LATIMES

And do Remember the LA TIMES was bought a few years ago by..drum roll........Chicago Tribune.

MY MY MY... all roads lead back to Chicago..

LA TIMES used to be a great paper till the Chicago crooks took it over!

[laughingliberal]

100. K&R for visibility. eom

[Dawson Leery]

102. Here are his "ratings".

http://projects.latimes.com/value-added/teacher/rigoberto-ruelas/

Not that I put much stock into them.

[LibDemAlways]

106. It is not the place of a newspaper to publicly pass judgment on

a teacher's performance. I hope the family sues everyone involved and makes them bleed financially.

I watched the Oprah teacher bashing show the other day and was thoroughly disgusted. Not one teacher on that stage defending the profession. Just a bunch of rich people yabbering about failing schools and placing the blame solely on the teacher. Get a clue. Budget cuts. Kids from every horrific family situation imaginable. Kids who are abused. Kids who don't speak English. Overcrowded classrooms. All of these and more help to explain why some students struggle in school, but the teacher is the convenient scapegoat and punching bag. It's time for teachers to stand up, demand respect, and tell the Times, the millionaires who have their dirty fingers in the education pot, and everyone else involved that they aren't going to put up with it any more.

[Hannah Bell]

110. To the spectators and grand-standers in this conversation, especially those who make 6 & 7 figures

a year while teachers toil in some of the toughest places in our country for a mere fraction of that; who send their kids to tony private schools while poor, hungry children sit 35 to a room in public schools that are falling down; who have the leisure time and disposable income to show their children the world, or hire others to help them when they’re unavailable; who can’t imagine why more money couldn’t inspire someone to work harder; who can find a sympathetic ear when they complain of their troubles at work and beyond, and don’t know what it’s like to be accused of not caring when you give your ALL at a job for which you receive little to no appreciation; who casually reduce children and teachers to test scores, and blame poor parents for not making more hours in the day to read to their children after coming home from scrubbing their floors; who can’t imagine the kind of desperation regular people feel when facing the prospect of losing their life’s work– in any field:

Is this just a game to you, or what? For those of us in the trenches, it most certainly isn’t. Enough is enough. Deal with the real issues, approach us from a place of humility and respect, and offer genuine support. Put up, or SHUT UP.

My heart goes out to Mr. Ruelas and his family. I hope he finds some peace, wherever he is, and that he’s no longer suffering the kind of pain and turmoil that would drive someone to such a desperate act. May you be the last to suffer so.

http://failingschools.wordpress.com/2010/09/26/rest-peacefully-mr-ruelas-or-nbcfail-part-ii/

[Enthusiast]

111. K&R.....nt

[Dinger]

117. I Dare arne to Praise This Kind Of Shit Again

I fucking dare him.

[Catshrink]

118. This is so sad.

[LWolf]

120. My heart goes out to Mr. Ruelas, his family, his school, and his students.

:cry:

It helps a little to see a thread full of support for this teacher at DU.

[slackmaster]

121. I'm sure the man had absolutely no issues other than those scores

:eyes:

[Wednesdays]

166. No one ever does,

do they?

:shrug:

[TheUnspeakable]

122. k&r to bookmark this awesome thread....

Thanks to all the great posters here-this is an all-out war on the teachers-and the propaganda is so
convincing, I would almost be sucked in, if not for DU and also for having read "The Shock Doctrine'
It must be so confusing to most caring, good-hearted people cause they keep driving the point home, This isn't good enough for our kids, you MUST do something. etc.. It is EVIL.

[proud2BlibKansan]

125. Evil indeed

Thanks for your support.

[Panaconda]

123. Horrible

RIP

[speppin]

124. It is tragic in this country (what is happening to good teachers).

[The Backlash Cometh]

130. Do you all think there is legal grounds for a lawsuit?

[Recursion]

133. There would have to be some evidence the rating had something to do with it

All we have right now is the family's speculation that the ratings were the reason.

[demmiblue]

137. I wonder why this thread was moved from GD

:shrug:

[QC]

139. Some of the posts were pretty critical of Arne Duncan.

Apparently Obama's Cloak of Perfection now covers all his appointees as well.

[proud2BlibKansan]

143. Completely disgusting

First the unrecs. Then it's moved.

I can't even put my outrage into words. What part of this man DIED do the teacher bashers not understand!?

[Reader Rabbit]

157. It's discouraging as hell, isn't it?

This man felt abandoned by the system, after putting his heart and soul into his calling. I don't doubt there are a lot of teachers on DU feeling abandoned every time a thread dealing with a serious concern of theirs is relegated to a sub-forum to which it has only peripheral relevance.

[Catshrink]

170. Second time a post was moved...

I think we have a rogue mod.

[tavalon]

141. This infuriates me

this man's blood is on their hands.

[felix_numinous]

144. This reductionist thinking of focusing on one part of a whole system

while ignoring the rest, is lazy and simple minded. This faulty problem solving technique of evaluation and over testing seems only to shame and blame individuals, which is like putting a virus in the system to make it sick. The article said they printed the teacher evaluation results in the La times, I cannot imagine how that must have felt on top of everything.

[JDPriestly]

145. I canceled my subscription to the LA Times quite some time ago

because of their right-wing views. The people I have talked to there cannot believe that I think they are right-wing. Never mind that the majority of really substantial editorials that they print are right-wing, or that they are so far to the right that they refused to print the Downing Street Memos for a long time and then only talked about them on a back page when they finally did acknowledge their existence.

Printing this personal data was cruel and inhuman. Teachers do not choose their profession in order to place themselves in a public spotlight. A person's privacy should be respected with regard to their professional evaluations -- unless and until that person as been adjudged to have done something wrong after being given due process.

Meanwhile, Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld continue to enjoy life.

Why are they picking on teachers?

[madfloridian]

146. Why was this moved to the CA forum? Sadly it is happening to all teachers.

Maybe not by names printed in the newspapers, at least not yet.

But all teachers are having to struggle to keep their pride intact now.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

147. Before we go apeshit....

Might I remind one and all that it was patently obvious back in the 1980's that banning records (like Black Sabbath) because some kid committed suicide was foolish, and it's no more intelligent than trying to craft educational policy on the basis of one person's negative reaction.

This man's suicide may have been related to his poor rating, but any person who commits suicide on the basis of a single setback in life clearly has deeper issues.

[madfloridian]

149. He was publicly humiliated, and apparently unjustly so.

He was a good teacher who cared about kids.

[DebJ]

161. Issues like: a teacher is WHO you are, not just what you do

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

162. I understand what you're saying...

But you could say that about a lot of professions. I've known people who were farmers forced off the land after three generation. I've known autoworkers in the late fifties who had been on the job since the day they left high school. Their jobs were part of their identities, as well.

That being said, I think the idea that teachers' performance ratings would be a matter of public record to be beyond mildly distasteful. Teachers, like any other professional, should be evaluated in private by their superiors - not held up for public discussion.

[merqz]

165. Thank you

Free speech would be meaningless if it meant that anytime anybody said something critical (or published it) and a person committed suicide, that it was their fault. If you are a public employee, generally speaking , your performance reviews are public record. Don't like it? Don't work for the govt. I'm a public employee. My records are disclosable.

[marew]

148. This teacher bashing has to stop!

I was a teacher for 9 years and a school social worker for 21. The stuff the schools and teachers have to deal with is unbelievable but no one wants to hear it. My fellow social workers and I used to joke about writing a book about what we saw on a daily basis but no one outside of education would ever believe it was nonfiction.

[BrklynLiberal]

150. That is so sad.

Years ago a man with whom I worked, unable to find work after he was laid off, killed himself.
Left a wife and children.
It sent us all who worked with him into a real depression.
I can still picture what he looked like...it was almost 30 years ago.

[madisongrace]

155. I read the LA Times article and thought it was horrible inappropriate!

[Politicub]

156. What if your performance review from work was posted for all to see?

That's effectively what's happening with our nation's teachers these days.

They are being attacked mercilessly, and I am disgusted that the Obama administration is supportive of this type of education "reform."

[Hannah Bell]

158. ah, so, moved to the "local interest" section with 163 recs. i see.

[proud2BlibKansan]

163. Moved back

:)

[demmiblue]

168. Good to see!

:)

[Hannah Bell]

171. kicking to find out where this op is