“Vision is not enough, it must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs.” ~ Vaclav Havel, former Czechoslovakian president and recipient of the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Ghandi Peace Prize. Venture is upon us, and yes, we are stepping up […]

More than 250 teachers who cannot stomach the actions of Gov. Cuomo sat down in the school cafeteria last week with a pen instead of a fork. During Superintendents Conference Day, the Amsterdam Teachers Association held what it called an “Advocacy Lunch.” It was busy. TA Co-president Rich Peters said the teachers gathered to “write […]

They’re not packing it in. No way. Fourteen Finger Lakes local unions are instead packing it up. Yesterday, members from 14 local teacher unions in four different counties gathered to pack up 1,000 apples they bought from a Geneva apple orchard. They are being shipped to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. My mouth was watering just hearing […]

Does the phrase  “International Women’s Day” seem too overwhelming? How do you narrow women’s issues down to specific actions you can take to get involved? It’s worthwhile to learn new things, and today was no exception.  Today, for International Women’s Day, I learned something big:  An organization called One Billion Rising Revolution, which describes itself […]

In 1980, when I worked for the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, people from all over the world would gather on the street each night and trade buttons and pins. Since the streets were closed to vehicles, they were packed with people. Button trading was big. It was fun. It was intense. Olympic pins from […]

More photos are online at Flickr. If you are in White Plains on a Tuesday, chances are you are seeing red. Educators from the White Plains Teachers Association are wearing their new, red T-shirts to school for a growing campaign called Tenure Tuesdays. Like educators all across the state, they are fuming about yet another […]

Editor’s note: Crises often bring good people together. We may not always agree on every issue or priority, but when it comes to providing for what all kids need and protecting public education, teachers, unionists AND administrators are almost always on the same side. Last Thursday’s education forum in Fairport, which drew several thousand pro-public […]