As I was walking to cover my classes-of-the-day at my school-of-the-week, I saw a familiar face smiling at me. I couldn't place him at first but I smiled back. He introduced himself to me and when I introduced myself I saw his smile slipping. He is the man that I begged to help me through emails and phone calls when they sent me to a school more than an hour from my house. After he failed to help me, I never heard from him again or had any contact with him until today.
Anyway, I began to talk about the plight of the ATRs and how we are being sent to schools far and wide, most with no vacancies. He agreed that the plight of the teachers in District 76 was appalling. When I asked if a remedy was near, he heed and hawed and said that it would mean an informal agreement between the UFT and the DOE.
As I prodded him further he seemed to close down and look for an escape. "I have to teach my class," he said to me, as I continued to question him on what the UFT was doing to help the ATRs. He just threw out something about Mulgrew playing politics which I didn't understand.
Then somehow we approached the topic of a class action age discrimination suit against the DOE and he stated we would never win and it would crumble in court. "Why?" I asked. He mentioned something about statistics; again I didn't understand. Maybe this ATR business is making me dumb but I just think he wasn't making much sense.
Anyway, he was inching away as I brought up the fact that principals are still using long-term or day-to-day subs to fill vacancies. A case in point is my grievance, in which a day-to-day sub is working a full position that should be mine. "Did you email Amy Arundell?" I told him the UFT was told by me AND others of subs in positions and still NOTHING is being done!
Picture credits: http://mychinaconnection.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/give-someone-the-cold-shoulder1.jpg
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_momsatwork/files/2010/01/mensroom.jpg
Such a shame! They have no answers cause they don't care! The UFT reps are sitting pretty getting paid with our dues and NOT DOING THEIR JOBS..at least we know the DOE is our enemy...
ReplyDeleteIt is a lost cause. The DOE and UFT have sold us out. We have to face the facts of what our role is, NOTHING. I wake up saying to myself that I will give it my best and by the end of the day I realize that no one cares. My teaching career is over.
ReplyDeleteNYC schools are horrible. Parents complained at conferences last night that they want to pull their kids out. They are not learning because the slow kids are holding the fast kids back. The folks from the Islands want to bring tracking here like we had forty years ago. Not a bad idea. My fifth graders this week can not do basic multiplication....like 2 times 4!!! Admin allows it and blames teachers. OK...there are bad teachers so give them help or remove them. You don't need Danielson. The system is so toxic it can't be fixed. Principals are overwhelmed with paperwork that they do not have time. And they are in denial. Even the parents who have kids in charter schools say the bullying and management is horrible. If you aren't in a good zip code...move.
ReplyDeleteI also feel that way. I was going to change my license but then realized I still would not be hired due to my age and salary. So sad..I am too young to retire and too old to find a new career! I feel used and abused...
ReplyDelete