Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, October 25, 2015

A Teacher on Teaching: School Reformers Cry “Wolf!”

A Teacher on Teaching: School Reformers Cry “Wolf!”:
School Reformers Cry “Wolf!”


What’s wrong with America’s educators these days? Why don’t they believe school reformers when they say they have plans to “fix the schools?”

Maybe it’s because real educators want nothing more than to work, unimpeded, with actual children.

Maybe it’s because the reformers have cried, “Wolf!” once too often. Or twenty times too often.

Doubtless, millions of educators across the country could add examples to this kind of story. But I’ll start with Rod Paige, Secretary of Education under President George W. Bush. You may recall that while serving as superintendent of the Houston City Public Schools, Mr. Paige won acclaim for the “Houston Miracle.” On the strength of his walk-on-water powers, he followed Mr. Bush to Washington in 2001, where the Texas duo promised to duplicate miracles on a fifty-state stage.

Simply stated, Mr. Paige claimed to have reduced dropouts in many inner city high schools to zero.

Yep: zero!

It turned out later that the “Houston Miracle” was less miracle and more a matter cooking the books. One Houston high school, for example, managed to classify all 462 dropouts as “transfers.” Unfortunately, by the time everyone realized Mr. Paige couldn’t turn water into wine he was ensconced at the U. S. Department of Education.

On January 8, 2002, President Bush signed No Child Left Behind into law. Now it was the turn of A Teacher on Teaching: School Reformers Cry “Wolf!”:

Jersey Jazzman: Charter Schools, An Exchange: Part III

Jersey Jazzman: Charter Schools, An Exchange: Part III:

Charter Schools, An Exchange: Part III



Dmitri Mehlhorn and I continue our debate about charter schools below. In case you missed it, here's Part I by Dmitri, and here's my reply in Part II. I'll have my reply in Part IV up within a few days; stand by...


I also asked Dmitri to write a short bio of himself just for this series:

"Dmitri Mehlhorn is a Senior Fellow with the Progressive Policy Institute. He writes frequently about education, including his own time as a public school student and parent. He is a co-founder and Board Member of StudentsFirst, which lobbies opposite teachers' unions on policies regarding choice and data. He is also a seed investor; however, his firm Vidinovo refrains from K-12 investments to avoid conflict of interest."

* * *


Episode III: The Return of the Charters

Do charter schools help kids learn?
I believe yes, and Jersey Jazzman (Mark Weber) believes no. We mostly agree on the basic facts, and disagree about the conclusions. As Jazzman wrote to me: “Almost everything you say is factually correct; however … you arrive at conclusions that simply are not warranted.”
So what now? 
At this point, we need to review the burden of proof in education policy, and then we need to review the evidence.   

In education policy debates, who should decide? 
If Jazzman and I, as proxies for the broader policy debate, agree that charters deliver better results, but cannot agree on whether they are “better enough,” how should our impasse be resolved?
 Jazzman is refreshingly transparent: “the burden of proof remains on those who make an affirmative case for charter proliferation, and it always will.” This answer, while representative of reform skeptics, seems unmoored from the principles of American public education. 
Parents seek freedom to make choices for their kids. A recent poll of parents found that two
- See more at: http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2015/10/charter-schools-exchange-part-iii.html#sthash.fqCC7wyX.dpuf



Superintendents in Florida Say Tests Failed State’s Schools, not Vice Versa - The New York Times

Superintendents in Florida Say Tests Failed State’s Schools, not Vice Versa - The New York Times:

Superintendents in Florida Say Tests Failed State’s Schools, not Vice Versa

Alberto M. Carvalho, Miami-Dade County’s schools superintendent, said the test-based grades for schools could be a “scarlet letter.” Credit John Moore/Getty Images




MIAMI — When protests from parents and teachers erupted against the new Common Core tests here, Florida thought it had a solution: It dropped the tests.

But it abruptly switched sources for the exams, hoping the substitute would be more palatable.

Now, nearly six months after students finished taking their exams, Florida faces an even worse rebellion, led by the state’s 67 school superintendents. In speeches, letters to the editor and appeals to state officials, they are arguing that the tests were flawed — first, because they were developed for Utah schools and based on the curriculum taught there, and second, because of a string of disruptive technical glitches when they were rolled out here.

The superintendents are challenging the state’s plan to use the scores to give schools grades from A to F and to influence some teachers’ evaluations. Standing behind them are the Florida PTA, the state’s School Boards Association, teachers and administrators.

The scores have not been released because state officials have not yet set grading standards, but the dispute has already boiled over. Under a preliminary recommendation, little more than half of Florida’s schoolchildren would pass the new math and English exams in most grades. With some members of the Board of Education pushing for even tougher scoring, the grades could drop further.

“This is probably the most important issue facing all of us,” Alberto M. Carvalho, the Miami-Dade County schools superintendent, said at a recent school board meeting. “The fight is not over. But I can tell you the state seems pretty adamant in moving forward as quickly as possible, even in the face of incomplete, inadequate, possibly corrupted, invalid and unreliable data.”

Framing it as a battle over the future of accountability in schools, Mr. Carvalho added, “If there was ever a time to press the pause button, this is the time.”

The state has already suspended most direct penalties associated with the new tests. Students’ scores will not be used to hold them back a grade, and school grades will not be used to punish failing schools.

But superintendents and others are angry that the state plans to move forward with the school grades at all, and to use student scores as a factor in some teacher evaluations. School leaders want the scores to be used simply as a baseline to better measure learning gains in next year’s scores.

Other states have faced problems with new tests for the Common Core, the national guidelines for kindergarten through high school reading and math Superintendents in Florida Say Tests Failed State’s Schools, not Vice Versa - The New York Times:


Adaptive learning software is replacing textbooks and upending American education. Should we welcome it?

Adaptive learning software is replacing textbooks and upending American education. Should we welcome it?:

No More Pencils, No More Books

Artificially intelligent software is replacing the textbook—and reshaping American education.

151023_Sketch_computerclass_590
Illustration by Natalie Matthews-Ramo


By Will Oremus

ighteen students file into a brightly lit classroom. Arrayed around its perimeter are 18 computers. The students take their seats, log in to their machines, and silently begin working. At a desk in the back, the instructor’s screen displays a series of spreadsheets and data visualizations to help her track each student’s progress in real time.

This isn’t a Vulcan finishing school or a scene from some Back to the Futuresequel. It’s Sheela Whelan’s pre-algebra class at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, New York.
The students in Whelan’s class are all using the same program, called ALEKS. But peek over their shoulders and you’ll see that each student is working on a different sort of problem. A young woman near the corner of the room is plugging her way through a basic linear equation. The young man to her left is trying to wrap his mind around a story problem involving fractions. Nearby, a more advanced student is simplifying equations that involve both variables and fractions.
At first glance, each student appears to be at a different point in the course. And that’s true, in one sense. But it’s more accurate to say that the course is literally different for each student.
Just a third of the way through the semester, a few of the most advanced students are nearly ready for the final exam. Others lag far behind. They’re all responsible for mastering the same concepts and skills. But the order in which they tackle them, and the pace at which they do so, is up to the artificially intelligent software that’s guiding them through the material and assessing their performance at every turn.
ALEKS starts everyone at the same point. But from the moment students begin to answer the practice questions that it automatically generates for them, ALEKS’ machine-learning algorithms are analyzing their responses to figure out which concepts they understand and which they don’t. A few wrong answers to a given type of question, and the program may prompt them to read some background materials, watch a short video lecture, or view some hints on what they might be doing wrong. But if they’re breezing through a set of questions on, say, linear inequalities, it may whisk them on to polynomials and factoring. Master that, and ALEKS will ask if they’re ready to take a test. Pass, and they’re on to exponents—unless they’d prefer to take a detour into a different topic, like data analysis and probability. So long as they’ve mastered the prerequisites, which topic comes next is up to them.Whelan, the instructor, does not lecture. What would be the point, when no two students are studying the same thing? Instead, she serves as a sort of roving tutor, moving from one student to the next as they call on her for help. A teaching assistant is also on call to help those who get stuck or to verify that they’re ready to take their next test. As the students work, the software logs everything from which questions they get right and wrong to the amount of time they spend on each one. When Whelan’s online dashboard tells her that several are struggling with the same concept, she’ll assemble those students and work through some problems as a small group. It’s teaching as triage.
The result is a classroom experience starkly different from the model that hasAdaptive learning software is replacing textbooks and upending American education. Should we welcome it?:

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/25/15


CORPORATE ED REFORM







Suspicions Confirmed: Testing Action Plan is Trojan Horse | Save Maine Schools
Suspicions Confirmed: Testing Action Plan is Trojan Horse | Save Maine Schools: Suspicions Confirmed: Testing Action Plan is Trojan HorseFour years ago, Tom Vander Ark (former executive at the Gates Foundation, current partner at Learn Capital) wrote in an email exchangewith members of the Foundation for Excellence in Education and the Council for Chief State School Officers: “New tests will hinde
Retired Teachers: Collateral Damage – chemotherapy | Reclaim Reform
Retired Teachers: Collateral Damage – chemotherapy | Reclaim Reform: Retired Teachers: Collateral Damage – chemotherapy(From a dear friend and fellow retired teacher)Dear Friends,I just wanted you all to know how [IL Gov. Bruce] Rauner’s unconstitutional act of not providing a signed budget has affected me at my most vulnerable.   As you all know, my cancer returned this past summer and I am force
President Obama (Again) Blasts All the Tests His Administration Has Sponsored - Living in Dialogue
President Obama (Again) Blasts All the Tests His Administration Has Sponsored - Living in Dialogue: President Obama (Again) Blasts All the Tests His Administration Has Sponsored By Anthony Cody.Yesterday President Obama surprised us all by once again speaking out against standardized tests. In his speech, he spoke of the true role of education, to uplift and inspire. He said,When I look back on th
WHY LENNY ISENBERG WILL NEVER BE LAUSD SUPERINTENDENT - Perdaily.com
WHY LENNY ISENBERG WILL NEVER BE LAUSD SUPERINTENDENT - Perdaily.com: WHY LENNY ISENBERG WILL NEVER BE LAUSD SUPERINTENDENT(Mensaje se repite en Español)While I'm probably the last person in the world the Los Angeles Unified School District's (LAUSD) entrenched and purposefully dysfunction leadership would like to have take them up on their clearly disengenuous offer to help them find a new superi
Sticker shock: How Hillsborough County's Gates grant became a budget buster | Tampa Bay Times
Sticker shock: How Hillsborough County's Gates grant became a budget buster | Tampa Bay Times: Sticker shock: How Hillsborough County's Gates grant became a budget busterTAMPA — The iconic photograph from 2009 shows Hillsborough County School Board members in happier times, holding hands with superintendent MaryEllen Elia to celebrate a $100 million gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundatio
Fact Sheet: Testing Action Plan | U.S. Department of Education
Fact Sheet: Testing Action Plan | U.S. Department of Education: Fact Sheet: Testing Action PlanOne essential part of educating students successfully is assessing their progress in learning to high standards. Done well and thoughtfully, assessments are tools for learning and promoting equity. They provide necessary information for educators, families, the public, and students themselves to measure
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Get that Ballot In!
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Get that Ballot In!: Get that Ballot In!From Sol's Civic Minute on elections:First of all, mail in your ballot by next Tuesday, November 3rd! Here are some helpful links: FUSE Washington's Progressive Voters Guide. The Stranger's profanity-laced endorsements.Seattlish's gif-laced "Guide to Your Ballot".Seattle Weekly's thumbnail sketches of each race.Publ
How Should Educators Respond to the Obama Administration's Concession on Test and Punish? | John Thompson
How Should Educators Respond to the Obama Administration's Concession on Test and Punish? | John Thompson: How Should Educators Respond to the Obama Administration's Concession on Test and Punish?The outgoing secretary of education, Arne Duncan, now admits, "I can't tell you how many conversations I'm in with educators who are understandably stressed and concerned about an overemphasis on tes
What Arnie Duncan's Resignation Really Implies (Guest Post by Daniel Kwet) - Wait What?
What Arnie Duncan's Resignation Really Implies (Guest Post by Daniel Kwet) - Wait What?: What Arnie Duncan’s Resignation Really Implies (Guest Post by Daniel Kwet)Daniel Kwet is a Connecticut educator on the front lines of the effort to provide Connecticut’s urban children with the education they deserve.  In a school system under-funded by both the State of Connecticut and the local community, Da
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Sue Peters Community Meeting
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Sue Peters Community Meeting: Sue Peters Community MeetingI attended this meeting yesterday, along with at least 60 parents (plus School Board candidate Leslie Harris).  Director Peters did a superlative job in handling the crowd.There were two topics; bell times and the QAE issue. Bell Times- There is still mistrust over the idea that there can't be just two tiers
Education Lessons From A Sparkly District: USED's Latest Nonsense
Education Lessons From A Sparkly District: USED's Latest Nonsense: USED's Latest NonsenseThe statement on testing was embargoed and held until 12pm on a Saturday. What's with that? The US is out picking out pumpkins and Halloween costumes so let's release it then and maybe no one will notice? Well, of course, we noticed. We also noticed that major news outlets like the New York Times wrote an enti
Manufacturing the Illusion of Democracy – Chris Hedges | Creative by Nature
Manufacturing the Illusion of Democracy – Chris Hedges | Creative by Nature: Manufacturing the Illusion of Democracy – Chris Hedges“We’ve bought into the idea that education is about training and “success,” defined monetarily, rather than learning to think critically and to challenge. We should not forget that the true purpose of education is to make minds, not careers.The words consent of the gov
Marie Corfield: @DmitriMehlhorn who's really being uncivil in the ed 'reform' debate?
Marie Corfield: @DmitriMehlhorn who's really being uncivil in the ed 'reform' debate?: @DmitriMehlhorn who's really being uncivil in the ed 'reform' debate?Venus, Jupiter and Mars weren't the only planets aligning in the sky this month. For the past couple of weeks, Jersey Jazzman has been engaged in a debate on the merits of charter schools with Dmitri Mehlhorn, venture capitalist, education 'ref
Oh what a tangled web we weave…. | DCGEducator: Doing The Right Thing
Oh what a tangled web we weave…. | DCGEducator: Doing The Right Thing: Oh what a tangled web we weave….This just in from President Obama:I hear from parents who rightly worry about too much testing, and from teachers who feel so much pressure to teach to a test that it takes the joy out of teaching and learning both for them and for the students. I want to fix that.The President has made clear he
Special ed teacher quits: ‘I just cannot justify making students cry anymore’ - The Washington Post
Special ed teacher quits: ‘I just cannot justify making students cry anymore’ - The Washington Post: Special ed teacher quits: ‘I just cannot justify making students cry anymore’Wendy Bradshaw is a mother and a teacher in Florida’s Polk County who specializes in working with children — infants through fifth grade — living with disabilities to help improve their educational and life experiences. Sh
Education in the Age of Globalization » Blog Archive » Never Send a Human to do a Machine’s Job: Top 5 Mistakes in Ed Tech
Education in the Age of Globalization » Blog Archive » Never Send a Human to do a Machine’s Job: Top 5 Mistakes in Ed Tech: Never Send a Human to do a Machine’s Job: Top 5 Mistakes in Ed TechNever Send a Human to do a Machine’s Job: Top 5 Mistakes in Ed Tech[1]First published in the Answer Sheet of Washington Post on October 6 2015A few weeks ago, the OECD released a report[2] that essentially say
Reading Between the Lines: Obama's Testing Action Plan - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform
Reading Between the Lines: Obama's Testing Action Plan - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform: Reading Between the Lines: Obama’s Testing Action PlanThe following post is written by Morna McDermott and was first shared at Education Alchemy.Reading Between The LinesIs Obama’s Testing Action Plan, like Fruit Loops, part of a nutritious breakfast? Don’t believe the hype.This
Religion reads: Can teaching religion in public schools improve society? | OregonLive.com
Religion reads: Can teaching religion in public schools improve society? | OregonLive.com: Religion reads: Can teaching religion in public schools improve society?Good morning! "Religion reads" is a series of roundups where I share interesting religion stories I read during the week. I hope you'll use the comments section to share articles about faith and values you found particularly in
Dear USDOE, Testing Disaster Is Yours, and You Still Don’t Get It: A Reader | the becoming radical
Dear USDOE, Testing Disaster Is Yours, and You Still Don’t Get It: A Reader | the becoming radical: Dear USDOE, Testing Disaster Is Yours, and You Still Don’t Get It: A ReaderLet’s not miss that in the same week that vice president (and plagiarist) Joe Biden holds a press conference to announce what he plans not to do (o, the narcissism of the ruling class!), the U.S. Department of Education has c
The new anti-testing police | @ THE CHALKFACE
The new anti-testing police | @ THE CHALKFACE: The new anti-testing policeI am awash in analysis of the Obama administration’s walk-back of testing. See, from the NYT.This is a somewhat hopeful shift in focus for an administration that has exponentially increased the amount of testing in the last several years. But this increase in testing would not have occurred unless this administration did not
Louisiana Educator: The Louisiana Purchase of BESE Continues
Louisiana Educator: The Louisiana Purchase of BESE Continues: The Louisiana Purchase of BESE ContinuesIt was a huge waste of billionaire money, and it could have been much better used if it had simply been donated to better fund schools that serve the most at-risk students. But instead it was used to perpetrate the strangle hold of the privatizers on the Louisiana State Board of Education. What a
CURMUDGUCATION: Obama's Testing Action Plan Sucks (And Changes Nothing)
CURMUDGUCATION: Obama's Testing Action Plan Sucks (And Changes Nothing): Obama's Testing Action Plan Sucks (And Changes Nothing)As I noted yesterday, the administrative announcement of "Wow, this testing things sure is out of control. We should do something." is absolutely nothing new-- we went through the exact same exercise last year. I know I have readers who don't care for the snark
Food Trucks Are Making Healthy School Lunches a Little More Appealing - The Atlantic
Food Trucks Are Making Healthy School Lunches a Little More Appealing - The Atlantic: How Food Trucks Are Making School Lunch CoolThe same fruits and veggies, coming from a food truck, just seems to be a little more appealing.Getting high-school students to embrace healthy eating is an age-old battle. And when it comes to lunch, many eschew their school cafeteria in favor of eating off-campus, whe
Teachers Respond: Veteran Teachers Cry In Their Cars Too : NPR Ed : NPR
Teachers Respond: Veteran Teachers Cry In Their Cars Too : NPR Ed : NPR: Teachers Respond: Veteran Teachers Cry In Their Cars TooOne in 10 teachers will quit by the end of their first year — getting through October and November: especially tough. Having someone to support you along the way can help.Turns out there's a toolkit to help — as we wrote about this week. Thousands chimed in on Facebook,
The Billionaires Bought BESE in 2015, But They Didn’t Buy Edwards | deutsch29
The Billionaires Bought BESE in 2015, But They Didn’t Buy Edwards | deutsch29: The Billionaires Bought BESE in 2015, But They Didn’t Buy EdwardsThe Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) race has been bought again.Here are the results:District 1: James Garvey (71%); Lee Barrios (29%)District 2: Kira Orange-Jones (69%); Kara Washington (31%)District 3: Sandy Holloway (61%); Lo
Teaching Democracy: A Hands-On Exercise (Tara Kini) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
Teaching Democracy: A Hands-On Exercise (Tara Kini) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Teaching Democracy: A Hands-On Exercise (Tara Kini)This post is by Tara Kini, senior policy analyst at the Learning Policy Institute. It appeared in Education Week September 28, 2015.*I had the privilege of teaching history and civics to 61 8th graders in San Francisco this past year. Our sch
With A Brooklyn Accent: Why Teachers are Fair Game for Ruthless Politicians and School Officials
With A Brooklyn Accent: Why Teachers are Fair Game for Ruthless Politicians and School Officials: Why Teachers are Fair Game for Ruthless Politicians and School OfficialsI just had an epiphany. The reason school administrators have license to, and indeed can be ordered, to abuse teachers beyond acceptable limits is..... because they can!The economy has so few jobs that provide decent incomes, job
In Newark, charter schools beef up for political fight | Moran | NJ.com
In Newark, charter schools beef up for political fight | Moran | NJ.com: In Newark, charter schools beef up for political fight | MoranThe failure of urban schools, we are often told, can be traced to the apathy of urban parents when it comes to their children's success in the classroom.It seems that in Newark, no one got that memo.Because about 400 parents and their children crammed into the city
Alan J. Borsuk - 25 years into Milwaukee's voucher schools, lessons for Wisconsin
Alan J. Borsuk - 25 years into Milwaukee's voucher schools, lessons for Wisconsin: 25 years into Milwaukee's voucher schools, lessons for WisconsinLiterally hundreds of schools.Those are four important words, because they come from Jim Bender, president of School Choice Wisconsin, the advocacy group for programs that offer publicly funded vouchers to students to attend private schools in Wisconsin
Hillary Clinton Endorses Obama's Reductions In School Testing Wrought By No Child Left Behind, Education Law She Voted For
Hillary Clinton Endorses Obama's Reductions In School Testing Wrought By No Child Left Behind, Education Law She Voted For: Hillary Clinton Endorses Obama's Reductions In School Testing Wrought By No Child Left Behind, Education Law She Voted ForDemocratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Saturday she supports the Obama administration's efforts to reduce unnecessary standardized testing

YESTERDAY

Commentary on Mathematica’s “First Study of Its Kind” of PARCC | deutsch29
Commentary on Mathematica’s “First Study of Its Kind” of PARCC | deutsch29: Commentary on Mathematica’s “First Study of Its Kind” of PARCCOn October 05, 2015, Mathematica published a study comparing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.In this post, I comment on a number of details related to the Mathematica
Schools Matter: Beware the Corporate Media Spin on the Obama Adminstration's Change of Course on Standardized Testing
Schools Matter: Beware the Corporate Media Spin on the Obama Adminstration's Change of Course on Standardized Testing: Beware the Corporate Media Spin on the Obama Adminstration's Change of Course on Standardized TestingOn October 24, 2015 the Obama administration announced a shift of its education policy when it announced a change in the Department of Education’s position on standardized testing.
Department of Education SorryNotSorry About High Stakes Testing | gadflyonthewallblog
Department of Education SorryNotSorry About High Stakes Testing | gadflyonthewallblog: Department of Education SorryNotSorry About High Stakes TestingThe Obama Administration must think the nation’s parents, teachers and students are pretty darn dumb.President Barack Obama and his hand-picked Department of Education are solely responsible for the knuckle dragging academic policies strangling our p
144 Schools ON ELI"S HIT LIST _ New York State Education Department
New York State Education Department: Commissioner Elia Identifies 144 Struggling and Persistently Struggling Schools to Begin Implementation of School Receivership in New York StateState Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia announced today that the Department has identified 144 schools in 17 school districts as Struggling Schools or Persistently Struggling Schools.  Of the schools identified, 124
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: LAUSD INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL REVIEW PANEL: The Board Informative and Meeting Materials
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: LAUSD INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL REVIEW PANEL: The Board Informative and Meeting Materials: 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit http://bit.ly/1MiBlldLAUSD INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL REVIEW PANEL: The Board Informative and Meeting MaterialsLAUSD Independent Financial Review Panel - Meeting Materials as of 23 Oct 2015(260 pages) 4LAKids - some of the news t
We Are Being Played (So Fight On!) | Save Maine Schools
We Are Being Played (So Fight On!) | Save Maine Schools: We Are Being Played (So Fight On!)Really, really hate to be a Negative Nancy.Hopefully, in a few months time, anyone who likes will able to say, “Look, Emily, you were wrong about all this testing stuff,” and I will gladly – gladly – eat my words.But… I think we are being played.I think that what we heard from the White House today about lim
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 10/24/15
CORPORATE ED REFORMPeg with Pen: No VictoryPeg with Pen: No Victory: No VictoryThere is no victory here. Obama's administration suddenly does not care about our children. King doesn't suddenly care either. These folks and their corporate cronies have been pummeling our public schools for how many years now and suddenly - now suddenly - they are listening and here to save the day? NO. As Morna McDe