Teacher evaluations should be adopted by all employers

Information & Education, Life & Living
Many of you are probably unaware of this, but teachers in New Jersey must now adhere to a rigorous evaluation process (instituted by Governor Chris Christie and his team) in order to measure their overall effectiveness in the classroom. While evaluations, in both the private and public sectors, have been practiced religiously for decades, I’m not sure they’ve ever been utilized to this degree. Over the duration of the school year, teachers will find themselves observed 18 times in 10 months – rated as effective or ineffective. When the final results are tallied, enough ineffective scores are grounds for dismissal. This evaluation process got me to thinking – why isn’t the rest of the working world adopting such a lofty measurement system? I’ll tell you why. Because if this evaluation…
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Working hard or hardly working – does brown nosing equal success?

Information & Education, Life & Living
My grandfather used to always say if you work really hard, it will pay off and people will notice. He was a firm believer that success came in direct correlation to your efforts, and it’s a lesson I’ve taken with me throughout my own life. But I’ve noticed something alarming of late – something that may not have existed during my grandfather’s long career. Today, working hard doesn’t seem to propel you up the corporate ladder as much as you might expect. It seems the business environments of today are more about popularity than anything else. Time and time again I see people who go to great lengths to prove their worthiness to management through their dedication and efforts, only to be overshadowed by those who spend more of their…
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Why would anyone NOT want to be part of a union?

Information & Education, Life & Living
For many of us who aren’t public/government employees, we have little understanding of what it means to be a part of an organized union – which first started appearing in the mid-19th century in response to the industrial revolution. I’d venture to say if you asked anyone in America what their thoughts were on unions, they’d probably have something negative to say. Who could blame them when politicians have painted such an unflattering picture. Admittedly I knew very little about unions until I met my wife – a dedicated teacher for the last 17 years. It was only then that I began to understand the fundamental difference between organized unions and its popular replacement known as the human resources department. It led me to ask myself the question, “why would…
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As a new school year begins, show children the importance of an education

Information & Education, Life & Living, Youth
As a new school year begins, so does the evolution of how we educate our children and measure its effectiveness. As the business world looks to evaluations and statistics to measure production, quality and even employees, our schools are now turning to many of the same practices - utilizing standardized testing to rate the performance of teachers, curricula’s and students. While some might argue the biased nature of such testing, the results weigh heavy on the minds of school administrations around the country. But as this new school year begins, I’m reminded of something President Obama said during one of his State of the Union addresses several years back. Take a look… “That responsibility begins not in our classrooms, but in our homes and communities. It's family that first instills…
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People living with disabilities are not the ones who are disabled

Information & Education, Life & Living, Youth
What’s happening to the human race? When did we all become so jaded – lacking the ability to be compassionate, empathetic and unselfish in a world filled more with divides than unison? When I was first told of the following news stories, I convinced myself there must be some mistake. While I’m not naïve to the biases our great nation harbors towards each other, I couldn’t imagine this one being factual – but it is. The two stories below left me incredibly angry and even sad at the complete lack of consideration we have for those living in our local communities and ultimately in the world. Judge for yourself: “The Giesegh family of Colorado says their neighbors are asking them to take down the handicap ramp outside their door, belonging…
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