NYC ATR

Do you trust the UFT?

2012-02-22T21:44:00.001-05:00

Here is the image that graces the front page of the latest edition of the UFT's New York Teacher:

Brothers and sisters of the ATR: Are you howling with laughter? Are you cringing? Vomiting? Smashing your computer?

We at NYCATR have decided to leave the comments about this image to you, the readers. Please send us your thoughts by commenting on this blogpost. We recommend that you use the following format:

I do not trust the UFT because...

Picture credit: http://www.uft.org/files/photo/in-uft-we-trust.jpg

Why does the UFT ignore the ATR?

2012-02-20T20:10:00.000-05:00

Why doesn't the UFT pay much attention to the hundreds of teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve? Why did the UFT promise to meet with them and fail to do so? Why did the UFT promise to print an article about the ATR but printed little more than a footnote? Why has the UFT failed to do anything about the ATR teachers' lack of representation in the UFT Delegate Assembly?

Philip Nobile has an answer that most ATRs will find to be a good fit.

Why won’t the UFT meet with ATRs? It’s a no-brainer. Rubber- room teachers under suspicion had de-facto chapters with elected liaisons who had monthly rendezvous with top dogs like Michael Mendel and LeRoy Barr at 52 Broadway. They got respect. But not us, all in good standing. We are the union’s homeless, abandoned on the battlefield, disenfranchised by Mulgrew et al.

A homeless family

Back in September, we had to twist arms to arrange borough meetings. Amy Arundel and Barr made the rounds in October, preening solidarity while denying our right to a chapter. Brooklyn Borough Rep Howie Schoor, not a bad fellow out of the foxhole, pledged a repeat meeting and guaranteed timely responses to our inquiries.

Would that it were so. There has never been a second meeting and nobody at the UFT will say why. I reached out to the leadership four times this month without luck. On February 1, curious about the emergence of field supervisors, I wrote:

The DOE's cockamamie plan to observe ATRs cannot be ignored. The UFT saw this coming, but as far as known, since ATRs are not in the loop, you guys have done nothing to protect us. The least you can do now is agree to ATR meeting in the boroughs--just like last October. Howie promised more meetings then. Can you give us a date?

On February 2, Amy Arundel, Our Lady of ATRs, responded in a terse email: “no teacher has been u-rated.”

My same day reply:

Good to hear from you. Yes, we know nobody has been U-rated...yet. But why wait and face a fait accompli? If I may say so, it's your job to get ahead of, not behind, the curve.

The question on the table now is: What is the UFT doing about this development, if anything? You know that the DOE is up to no good with field supervisors. But you are keeping us ATRs out of the loop.

The obvious next step is another ATR meeting in the boroughs during which you can consult us, your constituents, about our rising concerns. So tell us--will you arrange a meeting asap?

Arundel went silent.

On February 3, I emailed my Brooklyn District rep Tom Bennett, et al., about his nonchalant, party-line comments re field supes, and I recast the idea for a meeting:

The DOE did not consult the UFT on this arrangement. But that is no excuse for the union’s passivity. For example, Amy’s Antoinette-ish throwaway: “No one has been u rated.”
Marie Antoinette offers a plate of cake.

You owe us solidarity. You can start with borough meetings, and fast. To the leadership: will you or won’t you call a second ATR meeting as Howie Schoor promised at the first one in Brooklyn? We deserve an answer.

The leadership must disagree. As for the courtesy of a reply, forget it. Ever willing to extend a golden bridge of retreat, I gave Schoor another shot on February 8th:

Now your'e breaking two promises--not only your pledge to have another ATR meeting, but also to quickly answer ATR queries.

I don't get it. Why won't you say yes or no to a meeting?

What’s not to get? Mulgrew et al. regard ATRs as an inconvenient marker of their impotence. They surrendered on grievances, seniority transfers, linking evaluations to test scores, and first year incompetence appeals except for 13 percent. ATRs could be next. It’s easier to sell us out when they don’t look us in the face.

Photo credits:

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/230633/thumbs/r-HOMELESS-FAMILIES-large570.jpg

https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR5fQBRw3OWQEtZmvPj0JfkjzBFQAeYCabPOvkrbQ3PJLm8FBRo

My Hardship Travel Grievance, by Philip Nobile

2012-02-11T19:52:00.000-05:00

Philip Nobile, NYCATR's resident gadfly, has been complaining for months about his treks from Cobble Hill, Brooklyn to the far reaches of Staten Island. He finally had his day in court; unfortunately, the court was located at 65 Court Street, where only kangaroo courts are permitted to convene.

Scene: Office of Lawrence Becker, Chief Executive, Human Resources, 65 Court Street, Brooklyn

“Sometimesyou like the schools you go to on Staten Island,” said Mr. Becker.“I read the blogs.”

Thenow visible hand that controls my transient work schedule was playingwith me during a February 6 Step 1 grievance hearing. I came toprotest the contract-busting, ninety minutes-plus commutes to theborough across the sea.

UFTspecial rep John Settle argued that such treks violated Article 18B of the Agreement that entitles teachers to seek a “hardship”transfer if their one-way travel exceeds ninety minutes by publictransportation. I presented four MTA trip planner printouts provingthat my voyages by subway, ferry, and bus to the College of StatenIsland High School, McCown Expeditionary School, Port Richmond, andTottenville were in violation.

Mr.Becker did not blink. He merely asked whether the Agreement includedrotating assignments like the ones ATRs get. Mr. Settle said no, butadded that they weren’t excluded either. ATRs have lost so much,he said, that they should not be burdened further. Nevertheless, hewas speaking only for me because not all ATRs would necessarily sharemy aversion. The narrow, yet precedent- setting remedy sought: Ceasesending me to Staten Island from Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. This was thestimulus for Mr. Becker’s wry comment about my hymn to TottenvilleHigh School.

A diamond in the rough

Itwould not kill me if I were reassigned to this gorgeous diamond inthe rough. Still, the contract is at stake. What if I lived in Queensor Nassau County? If I win, other ATRs can, too. But we grievantsseldom triumph at Step 1 and it is unlikely that the GrievanceCommittee in the Brooklyn borough office would take my hardship caseto Step 2. Consequently, Mr. Becker is probably the court of lastresort. “I contacted Larry Becker who said the decision will beissued shortly,” Mr. Settle emailed me last Friday.

Bestcase scenario: The grievance is granted; on behalf of the DOE Mr. Becker apologizesand gives me four long weekends for my pain and suffering.

Worstcase: Hello, Staten Island.

Diamond in the rough picture credit:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qD9Y8Ncd3I4/SkPhVXh_4zI/AAAAAAAACVk/zvcI44U6Pv4/s320/DiamondInTheRoughBusiness.jpg

A Tale of Two Resolutions

2012-02-07T18:37:00.001-05:00

NYCATR's best-groomed writer, ATR in Perm, strikes again.

On the UFT Delegate Assembly's half-full ATR resolution passed in December:

Yes, the progressives are to be applauded for raising the ATR resolution. It had some important elements, such as clear, practical provisions for helping teachers to pursue new licenses.

However, crucial aspects are missing from the resolution:

Borough-wide elected representatives for ATRs.
Rejection of any open-ended or loosely-defined ATR evaluation procedure by “field supervisors.” (We can't forget Michael Mendel's publicly wondering out loud that the one thing that we could be evaluated on is classroom management.)

Furthermore, the December resolution lacks the qualitative substance of the November resolution.

"Kids, let's make a Venn Diagram."

Compare the UFT's resolution with the one that was proposed in November by Teachers for a Just Contract and GEM:

Resolved: The UFT will mobilize all members to rally at Tweed & City Hall at the earliest possible date, to demand:

1. Until Every ATR within a license has a position, no new hiring in that license.

2. ATRs with arcane licenses, or licenses in which there are few positions, be allowed to recertify in new licenses without loss of tenure or seniority. Those who have comparable and valid state licenses should be grandfathered into those state licenses.

3. Audit principals’ hiring for possible race and age discrimination.

4. Restore the contractual right of excessed teachers to the closest vacancy in their license.

Compare that earlier resolution to the December one that Mendel and company endorsed:

Resolution on Absent Teacher Reserve (ATR) placements:

WHEREAS the Absent Teacher Reserve (ATR) crisis is a clear and direct result of New York City Department of Education (DOE) policies and mismanagement; and
WHEREAS even though efforts to resolve the crisis have been partially successful, the DOE still has not kept its promises nor met its moral and professional obligations to ATRs and has thereby wasted valuable human and economic resources; and
WHEREAS maintaining fairness and increasing productivity in the city’s teaching force require that the talents of all educators be utilized in service to students, parents and school communities; and
WHEREAS solutions to the ATR crisis need to be proposed and implemented without delay in order to maximize productivity, teaching and learning in New York City public schools; therefore be it
RESOLVED that the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) call upon the DOE to create a recertification program for ATRs for designated shortage areas and allow participating ATRs to take the requisite course work at the City University of New York (CUNY) free of charge or be reimbursed for the related costs of attending a private college or university at the CUNY rate per credit; and be it further
RESOLVED that the UFT urge the DOE to require that all ATRs be given an opportunity for permanent placement in vacancies in their license areas in their district or high school superintendency before the DOE approves any new hire in a license area where an ATR has not been given an opportunity for permanent placement; and be it further
RESOLVED that the UFT urge the DOE to place all ATRs into vacancies in their district or high school superintendency after September 15 of any given year on a provisional basis; and be it further
RESOLVED that the UFT urge the DOE to allow principals and ATRs at the end of the school year to either mutually agree to have ATRs as permanent staff members or allow them to return to the ATR pool.

Key points on the ATR issue that the resolution skipped over in the December version:

a) Unity-UFT created this mess with its approval of the 2005 contract (granted, this part will never fly, until another caucus replaces Unity's dominance);

b) the excessed position explosion stems directly from the schools closure policy (the urgency of which Unity only woke up to in the last couple of years);

c) the degradation of student programs leads to the mass demise of certain licenses: the student block programming of doubled-up English (“ELA”) and math classes (e.g., 5 periods of ELA alternated with math, to meet NCLB test mania prerogatives) crowds out student exposure to the arts, foreign languages (especially those other than Spanish), science, social studies and school libraries, thus creating the mass excessing of ATRs. (ATRs are especially alert that instead of in-house art or dance instructors, these topics are delivered sporadically from private foundations outside of the DOE, and Rosetta Stone software is replacing live foreign language instructors.)

d) ultimately, the ATR crisis is the direct result of the UFT's somnolent response until Winter, 2011, to Bloomberg's tidal wave of school closures. The break-up of the large high schools directly relates to the narrowing of course offerings and the explosion of ATR numbers. (of course, the wave of school closures so far has mainly hit the high schools; wait 'til they hit elementary schools, the bedrock of Unity support.)

I applaud the progressives for their ATR resolutions, Michael Mendel for apologizing for dissing the October ATR resolution and the UFT District Assembly bosses for authorizing assent to the resolution,but I'd like to know which part of the December resolution tackles the issues of ATR representation, possible race/age discrimination in the ATR excessing patterns, the DOE refusal to abide in good faith to a hiring freeze and work to place ATRs in assignments in their licenses, and the argument that the massive elimination of/excessing of job assignment categories should NOT be leaving the system.

At core, the notion that ATRs must wander the system, hat in hand, begging for a position is more of a free-market situation than a system that a union can be proud of.

Picture credit:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/Venn_diagram_gr_la_ru.svg/220px-Venn_diagram_gr_la_ru.svg.png

ATR teachers return to original placements and ponder end-of-year evaluations

2012-02-04T21:49:00.002-05:00

A classroom at Washington Irving High School

Thomas Forbes, a veteran NYCATR correspondent, filed this report from Washington Irving H.S., the school where his ATR odyssey began this fall.

This week the members of the ATR club were returned to our first placements, mine being Washington Irving HS. I have traveled to a total of 13 schools, eleven of which were nice places to be due their ability to select students. The tone and respect which are evident in these schools is due less to the quality of teaching, and more to the quality of the student. I have met a multitude of interesting and fascinating students and teachers alike. Administrators are consistently distant and contact with UFT representatives has overall been a very negative or missing element of my school year. The state of the union at the school level is dismal.

At Irving, the recent announcement of the school being phased out has lowered staff morale. On Monday there was a staff development day and the first workshop was centered around data and how it should be used to help your school. Within minutes, questions and comments were coming from a variety of the teachers. The presenters from a contracted organization were humble enough to give up and not push the topic too much. Staff wanted to know why this was not presented a couple of years ago before their fate was sealed. The various presenters worked with small, willing groups of teachers for the remainder of their time.

One reason why this sort of debacle happens is because of the way administration is structured within the school. A very nice but not qualified person who assumes the role as business manager is performing the role of the APO. He is most likely not credentialed as a supervisor and should not be making educational decisions related to staff development, curriculum or much at all beyond the finances of the school. I was disappointed by the chapter leader’s response that he should be getting paid $30,000 a year more for doing the job.

There are also a very confusing and not effectively managed array of small learning communities overlapping with departments. AP’s, master teachers, and learning community coordinators all make this administration very top-heavy--a hallmark characteristic of Bloomberg’s management style in the DOE.

Top-heavy management

The real tragedy I discovered is that the Special Education Science teacher I have been covering for all week has been on “jury duty” since September. The students have received none, I mean zero, instruction, and were begging me to be their teacher. They all took the Living Environment Regents in January and all failed. I think it is a “repeater” class. They all passed with a 75 and received a P for their lab work even though they did none. It would take a strong teacher and a few weeks to get these classes in line. I imagine these kids will end up getting an IEP diploma if they earn all their credits.

I spoke about this with Henry Rodriguez, the HR person from the network who was in the school on Thursday counseling people as to seniority and their future employment plans in the DOE. I chuckled at some of the comments I heard him tell other staff members: missing personal files, where databases are being checked and attempts are being made to find missing information, we want you to finish in this school for the next three years and we like your energy and nonsensical things like that. He was aware of the science vacancy and his response was that there is not any money. I just sat there and thought about all the money Bloomberg has wasted, the way staff is allocated within the school and the phasing out of the school has not yet been approved by PEP. I guess we all know the vote of that group anyway.

The ironic part of this story is that this very personable, intelligent and gentle man who is Principal is apparently getting rewarded for running the school into the ground and failing to enforce any meaningful semblance of the discipline code. I have heard “FU” being said to a half a dozen teachers this week by students. Students hanging in the hallways, coming late, and leaving early are the norm. When probably 25% of the student body cuts their last class or two, and the same amount miss their first and/or second class--how do you ever expect the school to achieve? It was set up to fail as I posted on insideschools.org last September. As an outsider, it appears the Principal did exactly what was expected of him--run the school into the ground--and he will be rewarded for his efforts.

The ironic part of this is that this Principal will end up giving my end of the year rating because I will have spent more than 20 day in his school according to Amy Arundall of the UFT. She tells me this after telling me that the DOE and the UFT have not determined how end of the year ratings will be conducted. They are making this stuff up as they go--or maybe they have it all planned out and are continuing to run circles around the Unity-led UFT.

Photo credits:

http://thevillager.com/villager_186/eric.gif

http://www.pacificariptide.com/.a/6a00d8341c795b53ef014e87098e1e970d-800wi

Nightingale meets Newspeak

2012-02-02T18:43:00.000-05:00

Some ATR teachers have recently reported that Field Supervisors have asked to see their lesson plans. This is a very odd request to make of a teacher who has no schedule and can be sent at any moment to "teach" any subject on any grade level.

One teacher, Rodney Nightingale, had the courage (and chutzpa) to contact the Human Resources department and request a clarification. Here is their answer:

Dear Mr. Nightingale:

Thank you for contacting our office. Your weekly ATR assignments are generated based on your seniority district which in your case is D11. This includes both elementary and middle schools who both need day to day coverage by quality experienced teachers such as yourself. The level of lesson plan preparation will vary by school, and we encourage you to work with the principal of each assignment to ensure the best instruction to students.

Best Regards,
Teacher Hiring Support Unit
Division of Human Resources & Talent

Mr. Nightingale reported that he is "at a loss" to figure out HR's response. We suggest, Rod, that you go to the public library and pick up a book called 1984 and read all the references to Newspeak and doublethink.

Picture credits: http://a3.twimg.com/profile_images/1077876168/nightingale55.jpg

http://luminaria.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/newspeak.jpg

Unwanted at Fort Hamilton, Welcomed at El Puente Academy

2012-02-02T18:20:00.001-05:00

Here is the latest in Philip Nobile's series of RFSR's: Reverse Field Supervisor's Reports. Instead of some DOE hack rating Nobile's performance as an ATR teacher, Nobile rates the performance of the schools to which he is sent.

“ThePrincipal doesn’t want you in the building.” Such was the frostygreeting I got when I showed up at Fort Hamilton High School lastweek. Had I checked my DOE email over the weekend, I would havenoticed the switch to El Puente Academy. Alas, this was not the firsttime management has banned me from DOE property.

Thereis a mug shot of me at the entrance of 65 Court Street accompanied byan unsigned letter forbidding access to DOE offices upstairs withouta security escort. My offense: an unspecified threat to MeccaSantana, the ultra-sensitive director of OEO, who substantiated acomplaint against me for the one-time utterance of the word “Negroes”in Brooklyn’s Chapel Street rubber room. An arbitrator subsequentlydismissed the charge with prejudice and ruled that my black accuserlied when he denied asking me a set-up question about “Negroes.”Text without context was fatal to the DOE’s malicious prosecution.Naturally, I grieved the threat baloney. But when I examined Ms.Santana at the hearing, she refused to answer any questions and herserpentine advocate said no such letter existed. Since HR DirectorAndrew Gordon would not give me a copy, I lost the grievance.

What was the problem at Fort Hamilton? “You made accusations against the school,” said an unfriendly AP. Sort of. Last March on Norm Scott’s Ed Notes blog I posted a report titled “The Dirty Secret of Regents Cheating Exposed, Part 2” that included the following passage:

[A fellow rubber room colleague] told me a story about cheating at Fort Hamilton High School. Last year her nephew was a senior special ed student there. A resource room kid, he has always struggled with math, scraping by with 2s on standardized tests. In June, he called up his aunt to lament his math Regents. He was sure that he had flunked because the test was hard and he left half the questions unanswered. To his surprise, he received a 4, the highest possible score. He also said that his teacher tried to give him the answers, though he said that he refused.

I was in good company. The Wall Street Journal had previously cast the school in a far worse light via a groundbreaking exposé of Regents cheating (“Students' Regents Test Scores Bulge at 65,” Feb. 2):

For instance, at Fort Hamilton High School, out of just under 1,000 students who took the U.S. history exam in 2010, none scored from 60 through 64, while 139 scored from 65 through 68. In global history, two scored from 60 through 64, while 280 scored from 65 through 68. JoAnn Chester, the principal of Fort Hamilton, declined to comment.

Declinedcomment? Get out of my building. Notice a pattern? Anyhow, PrincipalChester’s prohibition turned into a blessing because it bounced meover to El Puente Academy, a small, perennially A-rated Shangri-La inWilliamsburg. Check out these amazing statistics from insideschools.com: Enrollment:200; Attendance:86.1%; FreeLunch: 84.5%; Ethnicity%: 1W | 9 B | 89 H | 2 A; GraduationRate: 68.9%; EnglishLanguage Learners: 16%; SpecialEducation: 21.5%; CollegeReady: 37.8%.I bet there is no other school in the system with such high povertyand high achievement.

A student relaxes--and learns--
in the library at El Puente H.S.

Howdoes El Puente do it? It’s no mystery. The school is more like anextended family than a conventional house of learning.Everybody—administrators, teachers, students, and even ATRs—isaddressed by his or her first name. This intimacy creates an unusualatmosphere cocooning the kids in high expectations and wraparoundopportunities for success. Although ensconced in a drab, defrockedCatholic school, the building has been smartly redesigned andrefitted at a cost of $18 million. Three floors of classrooms andoffices are arrayed around a short corridor assuring constant humancontact. Despite the narrow confines, I witnessed not a single tenseor unpleasant interaction anywhere by anybody. Pants on the groundwere rare and the F-bombs infrequent. And the kids--polite, funny,attentive, engaging--I’d adopt the whole bunch.

Toparaphrase Talleyrand, he who has not worked at El Puente does notknow the sweetness of teaching high school in New York City. If Iever escape the ATR trail of tears, carry me back to this academy.

Photo of the week

2012-02-01T19:37:00.003-05:00

Courtesy of the facebook page of "The Other 99%"

Dumped ATR lands a job--and offers encouragement

2012-01-30T18:53:00.000-05:00

Dumped ATR, a NYCATR correspondent, recently endured a depressing interview. But guess what? She got the job!

Well, I got the job! Who'da thunk it?

Well, actually, a lot of people. The host of this very blog was one, Amy Arundell at the UFT was another and a host of good friends. No doubt, there were still plenty of people who are waiting for the "catch." I do have to sign a provisional agreement saying if this doesn't work out, I will go back to being an ATR. And a good friend in the ATR pool actually told me to worry that I haven't signed it. That I might actually not be hired, but be some kind of long-term ATR. I don't even know if there's such a thing, but it made me worry. Of course, because everyone is used to new faces coming and going, some people asked, after I introduced myself, if I was at the school, "permanently?" You can't blame them. For the most part, I've been welcomed with open arms and supported.

For the first time in--ever--I'm in a school with a large staff in my department and an actual chairperson. It's inspiring and daunting. I have to have long conversations with people when I get home to make it seem real. I've already bought TWO school sweatshirts and I have my eye on the Sing t-shirt. I've been in the vast book room... Am I really THERE? I want desperately to feel it's true, to not think about the possibility of not being asked back. I want to belong.

Teachers at this school talk about the courses they've created and teach and it brings back memories of the ones I taught for years that have become traces on my resume. There's no way not to feel a little envious. At the school in which I taught that was closed, we had a system in place. I was the person people went to right after the basic skills person. Then they went on to someone else. We dovetailed into each other's work naturally, through discussion of the kids. Even when we didn't get along, we talked about the kids and that generated ideas and shaped our work. The same is true at the school in which I am on faculty (really, I really believe it). It's a beautiful thing.

Sure, the teachers complain about some of the same things ATR's complain about on this blog: overcrowding, cutting, parental negligence. But, they're home. Every one of them has established his or her place in the development of students at this school. One is the "Grammar Goddess." They have hand-outs they pass around in every class created by different faculty members. I remember this. I had an outline for a college essay that I used all the time. Another faculty member had a pristine outline for Regents essays.

More than anything else, as we travel through this Department of Education, we need to find ways to support each other and give each other strategies for survival. All of us once fit into a scheme or a family which is no longer there and it's hard, in a way, to even feel like you want to join something new, sometimes. Like having been a father and now finding yourself a son who feels like a stepson. I overheard someone say I was, "the ATR they brought in" and it panicked me. Better to assume the best and push the issue; I'm assuming after three interviews and a demo lesson and discussion with two administrators about my start date and that this was a provisional hire that I am faculty, at least till June and hopefully beyond. Two years ago, I did join the founding staff of a school whose founding staff then proceeded to leave after the first year, so I know that being provisional has its positive sides. If I hadn't been, I probably wouldn't be teaching at all.

But, this is not a brand new school, one among the many whose turnover rate is faster than the service at McDonald's.

This is a school "as it should be." I am lucky to have a chance at such a thing again and I will just assume the best and enjoy it. It's very hard for me to do that and I know a million things I could say or think, and I have a strong radio signal of voices who tell me of all the horrors that might occur. However, right now, it's good. Maybe, just maybe, it will stay good. Somehow, most of the people in this school have worked hard to create a nurturing environment for everyone. I have to help them for the students, for them, and for me. Places like this have to continue.

In every school in which I have been placed, there have been people trying their best. I've stayed in touch with many of them. It was very funny for me to hear the same complaints we all make coming from my colleagues. We are all trying to survive and flourish. What I hope is that we all find good places to teach and that we see lights in these tunnels. I've found one. In whatever way I can control my ability to stay, I will. What I can't, I can't.

Honestly, I never thought anyone would hire me and I imagined if they did, it would be to set me up to fail and put me out of the system. I know that's not happening here. I have my class lists, their grades, and people telling me about the kids and what they do everywhere. It's an amazing faculty

I'd like to feel I belong to it, both as a legitimate member of the staff, and as an experienced teacher. I remember that feeling; I've even had it, in passing, in different substitute positions.

If we can find ways to do productive work everywhere they put us, for however long we are hired, we can "call their bluff." This Dept. of Education is determined to prove we can't hack it. Every complaint I've seen here--about clothing, respect, chaos, etc.--I've heard from faculty at every school. The difference is, the faculty talks up their achievements and the complaints stay in the teacher's lounge. Yes, we should expose problems and we should let the world know the absurdity we face never being able to take for granted that we will find ourselves again as faculty, with access to Aris, our own log-in names, and our own classes. The kind of thing you never expected to worry about after umpteen years in the system. I never expected to work at a highly functioning, competitive school, but, until my school closed, I always thought I'd be able to work with at-risk kids, that I had that "down," and that I could build programs for those students. In my first term as an ATR, I lost my classroom and there was no place for me to go between classes, except to sit in the back of other classes being taught. Suddenly, I was assisting a science teacher in a class I hadn't taken in high school. I taught myself the course, but then shortly after, my assignment changed. I lost "it."

We have to take "it" back. The confidence. We have to brag about what we do, when we can. When a school asked me to stuff envelopes, at first, I just did what they told me, though I did mention to the UFT Rep that I thought I should be teaching, and he was working on it. But, I went into the halls during passing and I started to help clear them. An AP grabbed me and asked me what I teach, and then asked me to help a group of students. Then he paired me with a wonderful teacher with whom I still correspond. I know some principals are just going to give you bathroom duty and that is a "shanda"--the Yiddish word for travesty. But, I know all of you are talking to kids. You're trying. We've got to be more proud of what we do so that when--and I do now believe WHEN--we do get hired, we feel good about who we are and we can even talk up what we've been doing in these confounded weekly rounds around the district. We do work. We do talk to kids. I walked into a school and a coverage of a music class in which I could not, obviously, teach guitar. We talked about the upcoming concert and their finals and what was hard, what was not, and they practiced. In the middle of the class, a kid grabbed me and started talking to me about an essay, and the girl next to me talked to me later about her self-image. I told her I was worried about her when I saw her next, and it stunned her. In her mind, I could see the question: "She caught on to what I'm feeling." We went to a counselor. It was just an interaction. Not a lesson. But, I know all of your are doing it.

I'm grateful to the people who didn't see me the way I did--as an outcast. I believe (I want to, I hope to) that I can prove that I belong on this faculty. I can prove it to myself. Ultimately, since we are all now "free agents," we have to believe we are no different than the people who happen to have programs at these schools. They're frustrated, they're worried and they're confused. Some believe they will all be ATR's. Yet, the person who walks the halls in the school, does grades and talks to kids, is grounded. We need to carry that grounding with us.

I wish us all luck.

Tottenville, Mio Amore

2012-01-23T20:42:00.001-05:00

Philip Nobile had to journey all the way from Cobble Hill, Brooklyn to Tottenville, Staten Island, but he found love when he got there.

The idyllic shore of Staten Island

Ispent four days in teachers’ paradise last week. The 1 hour and 50 minutecommute from my Cobble Hill neighborhood in Brooklyn to the offshoreTottenville High School violated the contract and prompted me to filea grievance. Yet hearing only the best about the southernmost schoolin the state, I decided to lay back and enjoy it, which was not hard.

Tottenvilleis an island in the sun, a congenial, B-rated, hyper-segregatedwhite, middleclass, heavily Italian place with an 83% graduation rate and college readiness rate 10 times that of Bed Stuy’sturbulent, F-rated, hypersegregated, minority Boys and Girls thatgraduates only 53 percent. My 11-year run in Brooklyn andManhattan--minus three-years in a rubber room frame-up--has beenrestricted to poverty-stricken institutions. Apart from the A-ratedManhattan Village, none were free from the pathologies that infect the poor. Teaching in these classrooms was, sadly for me andtragically for students, too often an achievement killing field.

Tottenvilleseems to support the intuitive theory that good discipline and goodscholarship are positively correlated. Regarding lewd and rudelanguage (DisciplineCode,Level 2B15), I heard the Cee-lo F-word spoken no more than ahalf-dozen times and the Kobe F-word not once in the past four-dayweek. When the former obscenity was uttered casually in class, it waseasily snuffed out without snarky backtalk. As for my other culturalindicator, pants on the ground, no such pairs were made visible. Thestudent handbook did not cite pants specifically in the dress code.But the commandment against showing underwear closed the loophole.

Hangingwith my own tribe for once (miononno era italiano) wasnot a guilty pleasure. On my first day, I found myself in “Institute”English classes. These were the top kids in the school, above andbeyond honors, who got intense, four-year academic training and weredropped out if their average dipped below 88. Taking attendance waslike reading the credits from LaDolce Vita.Polite, vivacious, and amused by irony, I had a captive audience formy mindreading tricks and, serendipitously, my amazing-but-true,critical-thinking, Italian factoid--there are no spelling bees inItaly. Why not? Answer: Italian words, unlike English, are spelled asthey are pronounced—e.g. attenzionev.attention.

Allthe other classes, except for one sour TV-production session, weredelightful in their own way. Instead of perceiving me as a remotestand-in scold, the kids treated me like a not-so-distant member ofthe family. I’ve had to ring up deans almost everywhere on the ATRtrail, even at Manhattan Village where I was removed after three daysfor doing so, but Tottenville appeared tension- free---on all levels.

Theoffice folks and faculty were ATR-friendly and accommodating; sublessons and I.D. photos for each class were provided, and the expressSIR ride from the ferry was only 24 minutes with seat guaranteed.The nicest touch of all was a Franciscan understanding of red-eyecommutes from Brooklyn or beyond. If you cannot manage an 8 AM arrivalwithout major circadian upheaval, do not worry--the Samaritans ofTottenville forgive easily.

Picture credits:
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTJ7-nN7I2MpHSO0K0yGXh4hVz1nloKkB97UJoerxYIXNEfiQKKPjUw_xso

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRAzWeRSnut24PNNUcBnLkAcgLvkW9nV3tJ9A3j9u-3Kl2kQLy5xWHKVWaLEQ

Dumped ATR endures an interview

2012-01-21T21:37:00.000-05:00

Dumped ATR, a rising star in the blogosphere, submitted this piece about a recent job interview she endured. Her angst should be familiar to all ATR teachers who have had to put themselves up for sale after their successful careers took a wrong turn.

At 6:25 AM, it became clear to me that I could not go to my Assigned School before my interview. My first coverage would be at 7:10, and while I could get there, there was still the question of which white shirt underneath the stunning jacket, and which texture of pants matched it and was comfortable. And then, how much cover-up to use over my middle-aged acne. So, I called in.

I'd already arranged for someone to drive me to the school and back from my assignment so I re-arranged things and left from home. When I got in the car, I was calm, had a packet of materials ready and was reading articles on best practices on my cell phone. There was a bottle of water in my backpack. (It's a really slick- looking and expensive, if huge bag, and it can hold everything a teacher might need in the Gaza strip while still managing to flash its trendy label in an offhanded, but visible way.) I was fairly ready and was even able to dodge the pushy car service driver's questions about my likelihood of getting the job, disability and, of course, why I DO NOT HAVE A POSITION yet. When I need to be someplace absolutely smoothly, I use this one driver, who unfortunately is a cross between Stanley Kowalski and the legendary Kramer on Seinfeld. No, I don't have a car, yes, I live very far out in the boroughs and I neither have cable nor own property, which is how I can afford this occasional luxury.

I was 20 minutes early, but decided to go in as the school was on another edge of the borough, which was as residential and desolate as the one in which I live. Neither the guard nor the initial secretary was expecting me, but out from a corner of the office, a voice and hand waved me over to a chair in which I was to wait for someone. The AP arrived and was cordial and our meeting was held in a quiet room which may or may not be his office. We discussed the school's areas of needs and seemed to be on the same page, but his demeanor was emotionless. He read from a checklist of questions and I started to freeze. What do I say about the "common core"? Basically, it's about deepening reading comprehension, writing, presentation, preparing kids for college. I forgot all about the fact that it emphasizes debate which is something I always encourage. Then he asked about some other practices, which I genuinely felt should be mixed: I enjoy letting students use technology, but I like to guide them, etc. Team teaching? Been doing it since 2004. College Readiness? Taught "College Now," prepared kids for entrance exams, etc.

The harsh edges started to show; I push kids on college: "What do you think you will do if you don't go, what is your plan?" I'm not fluffy and dreamy, though I do want kids to do what they want to do. It's just not in me, in this economy, to start to sing, "Climb every mountain" to graduating classes. Your dream may have been outsourced to China. You'll find it, but, good luck having quality of life while pursuing it. (I didn't say this, but this tone started to appear.) I couldn't tell then why he was becoming further cold. I have a track record with preparing kids for college and the Regents, but I couldn't bring myself to do more than just mention it, like a laundry list. It's not natural for me to fill the air with optimism, especially when I'm not getting eye contact. This is a skill I need to learn.

Then he gave me a sample of student work and asked me how I would help this student. He was fidgeting and cleaning and I could tell he wanted me to think quickly. It wasn't hard, but I only said what I would do to help the kid with the immediate tasks in front of him. I forgot the big picture--how would I get him to a solid Regents score. Truth be told, the work showed a lot of potential, but this would take weeks and lots of scaffolding of skill upon skill. In order for there to be some organic integration of these skills so that they are not just memorized and lost after the test, it would take some time. I was afraid to say this. The paper was presented as that of a stronger member of the bottom third. I was afraid I would insult someone. Even worse, I couldn't decide if I should re-write all my corrections on a post-it, right there, to show I could do it. Yes, I have about 100 post-it's in my bag. Stupidly, I thought, "this guy is pretty smart, he knows what I'm getting at." However, what I didn't realize is I was supposed to be modeling exactly how I would work with this student. One thing I told the interviewer that I needed to do was TALK to the kid for a few minutes. I do have a standard operating procedure, however, for whipping kids like this one into shape: graphic organizers, outlines and a pretty rigid set of rules about what work MUST be shown.

What I forgot is that the interviewer doesn't know me. That he isn't going to take anything for granted; if I presented a strategy for improving Regents scores earlier, and indeed, handed him a packet of materials with many of the methods I would use with this kid, that would still not be enough. It had to be articulated again. He needed to see it step-by-step and for me to say that I would not stop until the standard had been reached. Since I began the interview talking about bringing scores up above 75, I didn't really think about it. I took for granted that anyone who had discussed what we had earlier would not stop at one re-working of the assignment. It would need about 5, as we need time, after shaping the logic and applying formulas to make sure that there aren't tiny errors that will give us a wrong answer or leave a section incomplete. I find it's easy to do that with students once we have the larger picture done. I could go one about this for hours, but I absolutely couldn't in that moment. What needed to be done to the assignment as it stood was clear and simple (though it involved re-working about 3/4 of the work.) So, that's what I addressed.

Comedian Howie Mandel

At the time, I had no idea why disgust began to fill the air. He was now not only cold, but condescending. "Well, (insert Howie Mandel hand gestures) we have a few more candidates to interview. But, we will let you know....you know, either way." He was letting me down easy, but firmly. Then, as he headed for his next class, he asked me if I could find my way out and I lied and said I could. When I got a third of the way down the hall, I asked a kid who directed me to the right staircase. And, I vanished.

If I was supposed to get there at 10:40 and he had a class at 11:00, were they really just going to give me 20 minutes? It was a "sore loser" question, but what I held onto as I got back into the car and refused to talk about it.

I knew about a third of the way down that hall what I hadn't done. The big picture. Context. Not to mention that I was conscious of the shoulders of my jacket and was desperate to take it off and just sit, as he did, in my clean white shirt and pants and get down to basics--what do these kids really need. However, this interview process and my own anxiety have locked me in a posture that matches the lockjaw I feel as I answer questions. I don't trust myself because, even though I am up to speed on the dogma, I'm afraid I will present my work using language which has been uprooted long ago, though I know exactly what the "goals" are supposed to be. Heck, I helped a young teacher design a bulletin board which showed how her work matched the levels of Bloom's taxonomy. Why couldn't I think "in the moment"? I take the blame for freezing, being out of practice perhaps, and not being more aggressive about what I know.

It's just, he didn't look at me. He looked at his checklist. I felt like I was at the doctor's and he was reading off a list of diseases and checking "Yes" or "No" if any of my relatives or I had them. I tried to assume we had some common language, but he didn't say much back. There was a bit of sarcasm in his voice after I presented my packet of materials which I designed around the data from the school's progress report. "And now, I have some questions for YOU." We weren't talking. We were presenting rehearsed attitudes. In my case, I was presenting and internally debating whether to present. He had his agenda, he stuck to it, and he moved the old lady along in time to give his Mid-Term. I tried to make some conversation as I left, but his face soured. My time was up.

Eerie, to think of it as "time being up." It was a psychologist's session. More like a survey.

The morning desperately needed Richard Dawson. Or some injection of emotion from one of us.

NEWS FLASH: A day after this article was submitted to NYCATR, Dumped ATR sent us a follow-up message.

Despite the antiseptic nature of the meeting, I did get called back for a demo lesson. In fact, they told me that I gave an excellent interview. Perhaps a lot of my feeling of disappointment came from the unease of being an ATR. If I weren't so afraid, maybe I'd have been able to feel some level of comfort, even within that clinical format.

Picture credits:
http://www.aad.org/Image%20Library/For%20the%20Public/Dermatology%20A%20-%20Z/acne-rosacea-woman.JPG?code=fff42f20-89b1-42ef-85b6-8a376a7b89e4

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Xe7TdDWU8Ag/S8_nEkbmrOI/AAAAAAAAAKE/PHPRGyiKNho/s320/julie-andrews-the-sound-of-music%5B1%5D.jpg

http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID27339/images/resized_howie_mandel.jpg

http://burrowspaper.com/EN/wp-content/woo_custom/2010/08/Doctor-with-clipboard-e1300815176444.jpg

The Old Bait and Switch Field Supervisor Trick

2012-01-17T20:38:00.002-05:00

The author of this article has a name and a face--I've seen her picture. Another person who saw her face was one of those new-fangled Field Supervisors who are supposed to evaluate the performance of ATR teachers. The Field Supervisor, however, chose to make believe he had never met this teacher...

So, I met with my Field Supervisor 9th period, Thursday afternoon while covering a class in my subject area. Specifically, he came in without notice--he just walked in as the kids did. No lesson plan was left for me by the teacher, but I was lucky in that the students were studying a unit I am more than familiar with. I used the "Do Now" to check in on what they knew, and quickly launched into a lesson. The students were responsive, attentive and produced written work.

After the lesson, my supervisor was gushing. He said that I was somebody he wanted to see in their own classroom. Further, he said that any supervisor who had seen the lesson would've been satisfied. He asked me if I had written a lesson plan. I hadn't; as I explained to him, I really had no idea what the students were doing until I got there. No one in the Department office knew when I asked them earlier that day. This was also a CTT class--I'm not a Special Ed teacher, by the way. I was alone in a room which was supposed to have two teachers. Still, the Supervisor was glowing. He encouraged me to send out resumes and get back in the classroom.

As it so happens, I have an interview coming up at a school which serves students not unlike the ones at the school I was placed in last week. Since I DO want to be hired, I emailed my supervisor asking if he would be willing to give me a reference. I explained I was just asking him to talk about the one lesson he saw. I also explained that I would tell the principal he had only seen me once. It's just that I need all the positive references I can get, especially from someone who is supposed to be evaluating me right now. My school closed a while ago, and while I have supervisors who will speak well of me, I'm over 40 and at top payscale. Too many of my interviews have been mind-numbing and emotionless. I figured having positive feedback on what I can do AS A SUB without any advance notice would help me.

Well, I got back a short, "Teach a good lesson with a good lesson plan and I will be happy to sing your praises." I did write back that: 1) He hadn't made clear how important the written lesson plan was to his evaluation and 2) If this had been my class, I would have had 24 hours to produce a written plan. Additionally, I added that I thought it was ironic that he had claimed any supervisor interested in hiring me would've been happy with what he saw, but he was unwilling to say this to an actual supervisor interested in hiring me.

Word to the wise: Don't trust these guys or expect much. I think they are just going to do the minimum. After all, some of these people are really just ATR's themselves--my guy is an ATR. If this job doesn't work out, back to the pool he goes. Why stick his neck out?

"Woman scorned" by Renette Vermeulen

For the meanwhile, I am going to call myself, "Dumped ATR" because I feel....dumped. Not bringing me home to Mom or the attention of any potential principals, is he?

Picture credits:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C5F01dxW4tc/TaykgQk83jI/AAAAAAAAABU/4Vj3QSF_DzU/s320/faceless.jpg

http://www.paintingsilove.com/uploads/14/14948/woman-scorned.jpg

ATRs as Field Supervisors,or How to Turn the Tables on the DOE

2012-01-17T18:40:00.000-05:00

Here's another gem from Philip Nobile. It needs no further introduction.

One of the pleasures afforded teacher tourists, otherwise known as ATRs, is savoring a different school every week. Despite the burdens of enforced nomadism, it can be vaut le voyage if you eroticize (i.e., anthropologize) the experience.

Apart from hardship commutes to remote Staten Island, I enjoy the chance to compare and contrast institutions in District 76. My past two assignments at Automotive H.S. and Boys and Girls H.S. in Brooklyn tested my theory about indiscipline and college un-readiness. The more I travel the more I see that low achievement correlates highly with the prevalence of lewd language and the popularity of pants on the ground.

Automotive is an educational carwreck like all thirty-three transformation and restart schools. Hyper-segregated (97 percent black and brown) with a 53.6% graduation rate and .9% college readiness, the school is not a favorite to survive.

The first class I covered during the week before Christmas was a perfect storm of mismanagement leading to a dangerous fistfight. The regular English teacher (and football coach) had been mysteriously suspended and replaced by a long parade of substitutes. Nobody gave me a sub-lesson and the paraprofessional had none either. The twenty or so kids were loud, unruly and unreachable. A young female dean popped in and sternly complained about the noise. The boys addressed her as “Gorgeous.” “I don’t have time for that,” she said in character and left. Soon after, I called her back to extract a wiseguy’s I.D. I mentioned the absence of a lesson. “Turn on the History Channel,” she said, and departed again. Adrift and undistracted, the boys started flinging paperballs. One hit the wrong fellow at the wrong time and fisticuffs ensued to the cheers of the crowd. I nimbly rushed into the corridor to hail security agents who had to club the locked door to enter the room and subdue the gladiators.

Later, I told the new male AP Security that the mayhem might have bee n avoided with the provision of a lesson plan and some handouts, which is the normal procedure. “I can’t disagree with you,” he said. Does the Principal know that the English chairperson isn’t giving the kids lessons?” I asked. “The Principal is the English chair,” he replied. Hmm. Not much changed after Christmas. I returned to the class. There was still no lesson, no regular teacher, no learning, no interest from the principal, but no donnybrook either.

Flash forward to 8th period on January 6, my last class on my last day at Automotive. It was a filthy interlude in a computer room. Again, there was no lesson. About twenty students went online and the mischief took off. I could live with the loud music but not the words and the dirty dancing by the only two girls in the class (Automotive’s’s overall M/F ratio is 9/1, which cannot be good). Before exiting the premises, I wrote a fed-up note on the coverage sheet circling 8th period. I delivered it to the office of first-year Principal and acting English head Caterina Lafergola:

To the Principal:

This class was a disgrace, full of rolling obscenities—like “suck my dick”—via the computers despite two dean visits and AP security. I’ve been here for [9] days. Despite many pleasant encounters, your school discipline is atrocious. Your deans are too friendly which plays into the hands of the students. Regrettably, [Chancellor] Tisch was right about Automotive [when she zapped its chronic dysfunction; the Dec. 6 NYT]. I urge you to get serious.

P.S. What kind of school are you running where students feel free to defy teachers and administrators with the grossest language and gestures?

*****

Last week was my second algorithmic go round at Boys and Girls, another near-dead school walking. Hyper-segregated (2% white and Asian) with a 45.7 grad rate and 4.2% college readiness, B & G is also swimming against an F on its 2010-11 Progress Report. (Automotive’s grade was a not-so-gentlemanly C.)

A hair-tearing female clawfest

B & G’s culture, like Automotive’s, seems woebegone. I never met a contented teacher there. Despite the DOE asteroid speeding in its direction, the faculty appeared to be bravely holding on and keeping the place together. On the other hand, I was told that so much STD popped up in a student blood drive that all the donations were rejected. The only fight I witnessed was a screaming clawfest between two girls that left clumps of hair in the corridor.

More memorable was a loutish oral-sex debate in a geometry class the day before the final exam. I instantly intervened with the instigator via a lowkey tete-a`-tete in the hallway. He did not get the message and recommenced the maledicta. I called a dean. The boy and his conversational partners were removed. But enough. I decided to write up the three boys and personally hand my incident reports to the AP Security, which I did.

While I had the AP’s attention, I brought up the gap that I noticed between the ubiquity of electronics and pants on the ground and the prominently posted rules forbidding both. I said that the scanning was ineffective and the dress code commanding “no pants worn below the belt or ‘sagging’” was equally so. Enforcing the latter, I suggested, could swiftly move the culture of the school a few more feet from the street. As I heard a principal once say to a School Leadership Team, “Our students should look like they’re going to college, not to Riker’s.”

The AP listened politely and did not disagree. He said he would look me up before I disappeared on Friday. But he never did. Even so, B &G is the only school I’ve seen with a wall poster protesting male prison swag:

YOU WON’T
GET INTO
COLLEGE
WITH
SAGGING
PANTS PULL
EM UP

We ATRs are unintended field supervisors of the entire system. From now on I’m going to rate my assigned schools and principals on their enforcement of the Chancellor’s Discipline Code, specifically Level 2 B15 against “using profane, obscene, vulgar, lewd, or abusive language or gestures.” There is no Tweed standard re pants on the ground…not yet. A year ago, during an ATR term at Abraham Lincoln High Principal, I asked Principal Ari Hoogenboom why he didn’t outlaw the Riker’s swag; he said: “I have to pick my battles.” I have chosen mine. Please join me in your own way.

To be continued …

Photo credits:

http://www.imsogangsta.org/gangsta/1012/pants-on-the-ground-pants-low-jeans-gangsta-1291578246.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Jo7lJoQhtjw/SVVsnrbY-II/AAAAAAAADnE/SQWtV5gnihU/s320/girls+fighting+fightzilla.com+WQ.jpg

City's Unwanted Teachers Drift Through a Life in Limbo: DNAinfo

2012-01-17T18:04:00.001-05:00

NYCATR is pleased to present a guest article by Jon Schuppe of DNAinfo.com. In compiling his story, Mr. Schuppe interviewed yours truly, and other contributors to NYCATR. Mr. Schuppe's article is a rarity: it presents the ATR picture clearly and fairly.

City's Unwanted Teachers Drift Through a Life in Limbo

January 17, 2012 7:12am | By Jon Schuppe, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

1 comment

Charles Pollak, a health teacher in in the city's Absent Teacher Reserve, was recently assigned to a day-care center in a Harlem high school. (DNAinfo/Jon Schuppe)

MANHATTAN — Hundreds of city teachers show up at schools they've never seen before every Monday morning.

The lucky ones get assigned to classrooms, maybe to teach the subject in which they were trained. Others do paperwork. And some waste hours doing nothing.

On Thursdays, they get a notice from the Department of Education telling them where to report the following week, and the cycle repeats.

This is what the DOE calls the Absent Teacher Reserve, a pool of nomadic educators who are paid their full salaries to work as substitutes. Most have been "excessed" by budget cuts or school closings and have been unable to find new jobs. Others have been liberated from the department’s notorious "rubber room," or have survived “unsatisfactory” ratings, and were deemed fit to keep teaching.

Until recently, the city allowed ATR teachers to remain at a posting for a full school term, during which the school principal could decide whether to hire them. That changed with the weekly reassignments, which went into effect in October as part of a deal with the United Federation of Teachers to avert layoffs.

Philip Nobile rolls the rock

2012-01-16T09:14:00.001-05:00

Poor Philip Nobile, NYCATR's gadfly correspondent. Just as Sisyphus spent an eternity pushing a boulder up a mountain, only to see it roll back down, so Nobile has spent most of this school year begging the DOE and the UFT to relieve him of hardship commutes from his home in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn to ATR assignments in Staten Island. NYCATR has published some of his previous rock-rolling correspondence with the UFT gods and goddesses; below is the latest installment.

Message #1

Date: January 12, 2012
From: Philip Nobile
To: Thomas Bennet (UFT BASIS High School representative), Howard Schoor (UFT Brooklyn Borough Representative), Amy Arundell (UFT Special Representative)

Dear colleagues:

According to hopstop, Tottenville is 18.6 miles from my house, entailing a 1:57 commute by public transportaion. This assigment exceeds the roundtrip time limit by almost an hour! How can the union allow this abuse?

My New Dorp assignment was changed to Automotive after I complained to Tom last month. I would like the same consideration for Tottenville.

Whatever was done before can be done again, presumably.

Please let me know what you can do, not just for me, but for all ATRS.

Thanks for your consideration.

Philip

Message #2

Date: January 12, 2012
From: Howard Schoor
To: Philip Nobile
cc: Debra Poulos (UFT Special Representative)

We will try to get your assignment changed. You can also file a grievance if you choose to do so.

Message #3

Date: January 12, 2012
From: Philip Nobile
To: Howard Schoor

Howie,

Any luck? What was the method? Whom did you call? What did they say? How did it happen the last time? If DOE said no, how do I grieve? Would this be a first? Thanks.

Philip

Image credit: http://www.mythweb.com/encyc/zooms/sisyphus.gif

"Experienced teachers are a better fit for oversize classes"

2012-01-10T21:30:00.000-05:00

(L. to R.: A P.S. 130 kindergarten teacher;
Chancellor Walcott; Principal Lily Woo; a
student. Note: the teacher, with all due
respect, appears to be over 22 years of
age.)

Thomas Forbes, a veteran NYCATR contributor, drew our attention to a recent article in Gotham Schools. It's about P.S. 130 in Manhattan, a very successful school that is struggling with a recent jump in class sizes due to budget cuts. Here is a quotation that should resonate with ATR teachers, most of whom have many years of teaching experience, but find themselves being replaced by novices:

One consolation, [said the Principal, Lily] Woo...is that experienced teachers are a better fit for oversize classes.

“For a highly effective teacher, yes, they would be even better with a smaller class. But for a less experienced or younger teacher, you could be one-on-one, and they still would not make an impact on the child,” she said. “Our teachers are very, very strong. They know that this is not something that we want, but it’s what we have to deal with whatever resources we have.”

Gypsy goes to Brownsville

2012-01-08T10:46:00.002-05:00

Ispent the past 2 school weeks at Metropolitan Diploma Plus HighSchool, a transfer school in Brownsville, Brooklyn. This is a last- chance high school for kids aged 16-20 who were failing in a regularschool but want a chance to graduate. The school was very small withabout 10 teachers and 198 students on register. I think on any givenday there was half that amount of students.

Gangsta hand signs

Icovered a few classes but mostly spent my time in the Education Center supervising one or two students. I met the principal and theassistant principal who seemed ok. I googled the school when I gothome the first day and realized the school is being investigated for Regents grade tampering. The teachers at the school were surprisinglya mixture of young and old and seemed interested in the students andtheir success. Most of the students were of the gangsta mentality butseemed relatively pleasant, with the exception of one or two withchips on their shoulders.

Theadministration actually seemed apologetic that on the days no one wasabsent there was nothing for me to do. The commute was a bit long butI was able to use the parking lot and there was a Dunkin Donuts rightacross the street. And the bathroom wasn’t locked so there was noneed for a key. What can I say? Nothing much….

Netstop: Liberation Diploma Plus in Coney Island.

Picture credits:

https://metropolitan.diplomaplus.net/blob/full/56827.bmp

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3604/3294047097_cfabe39698.jpg

Report from Germany and Denmark

2012-01-01T22:02:00.000-05:00

A teacher named AM sent us this report about his discussions with teachers from Germany and Denmark. We think you'll agree that his report is wunderbar.

Greetings!

In recent weeks I had some rather stimulating and personally satisfying conversations with teachers from Germany and Denmark.

A slave auction in New Amsterdam

I was so surprised how well informed they were about the witch hunts taking place against teachers across our nation. When I told them about the notorious rubber room phenomenon, they were generally much more sympathetic and understanding than you could ever imagine. It seems these teachers understood that America--from its earliest settlements to the building of the original "Wall Street" by African-American slaves (oops! I meant "indentured servants")--was always about MONEY, and that anything having to do with money could easily be justified with a patriotic slogan: "Every child deserves a great Teacher," "Children First,"etc., etc.

We all know how much Bloomberg, Klein, Black, Walcott and the PEP panel love children.

It's the teachers--who had a passion for what they taught and an unshakable bond with the kids who they believed in and worked their hearts out for--who refused to buy into the lies, visions (illusions) and bullshit of the Leadership Principals--those are the teachers who had to disappear!!! Makes a lot of sense from the point of view of someone dumping junk bonds, unloading credit default swaps and other crap on the unsuspecting public. That's what they call the "business model."

Picture credit: http://ephemeralnewyork.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/howardpyleslaveauction.jpg

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

2012-01-01T11:24:00.000-05:00

Beth Fertig

WNYC's Beth Fertig recently wrote an article about the supposed benefits of the DOE's new policy of deploying ATR teachers on a week-to-week basis. A teacher named "Excessed" has shared with NYCATR her letter to Ms. Fertig, in which she questions that most pernicious form of "information": statistics.

December 30, 2011

Dear WNYC,

This letter is in regard to Beth Fertig's story of November 14, 2011, entitled, "New Policy on Substitutes Leads to More in Permanent Slots." The story addressed the New York City Department of Education's new policy of weekly rotating assignments for the teachers of the Absent Teacher Reserve.

The story reports that a spokesperson for the DOE, Barbara Morgan, stated, “Our agreement with the U.F.T. to change the A.T.R. rotation has resulted in more teachers being hired by schools than during this same time frame in past years..."

What I would like to know is this: of the teachers from the "Absent Teacher Reserve" who were hired by schools during the time frame to which Ms. Morgan was referring, what percentage were hired by the first assigned school of the year, where the ATR was placed for a full month's time, and where the principal might have had the opportunity to actually get to know and observe the ATR; what percentage were hired as a result of an interview at a school to which the ATR had not been placed at all; and what percentage were hired by one of the schools to which the ATR had been rotated for only a week's time, and where there was likely to be little, if any, contact with the principal? Ms. Morgan's statement seems to imply that the increase in hiring was due to the weekly rotations, but I find this very hard to believe.

The figures quoted in the article, and the spokesperson's statement, are just a smokescreen. There is no real justification for the DOE's current policy of constant rotations for a large group of teachers. These teachers could be of better service to administrators and students if each were placed in a single school for the year, either through being hired by the school or by being paid by the central office as excessed teachers, which is what was done in the past few years. I believe that most teachers, parents, and school administrators would agree with me about this.

As an aside, although the print version of Ms. Fertig's article uses the term "excess teacher" to refer to members of the "Absent Teacher Reserve," the DOE's actual term, as seen on their official Web site, is "excessed teacher." As an ATR myself, I prefer the DOE's term. It refers to the fact that the DOE chose to place and keep teachers whose jobs were eliminated "in excess" rather than to place them as permanent hires in schools where openings existed in their respective license areas.

Thank you for your attention to this issue. I apologize for sending this anonymously, but I do not wish to be interviewed or mentioned in a news story. I do respectfully ask, however, that you look into an answer to my question.

Yours truly,

"Excessed" (an avid WNYC listener)

Photo credits:
  http://a2.twimg.com/profile_images/329427603/DSC_7700.JPG

  http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HmTbAV_omMg/Tt8CRbvQ88I/AAAAAAAAEo4/OsGzLO-TJEA/s200/smokescreen.jpg

How important is the ATR issue?

2011-12-29T15:19:00.000-05:00

You really gotta hand it to the UFT's "newspaper," the New York Teacher.

True, they've never published the article that they promised about "teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve, including how teachers became part of the ATR." Still, they published some great articles in the latest edition (December 22, 2011). For example:

*(p. 1) a headline stating, "Parents get information and resources from the union" (but not ATR teachers);

*(p. 8) a full-page article about the UFT's participation in the fight for voting rights (which ATR teachers, who do not belong to any local chapter, do not have);

*(p. 13) a half-page editorial by our President, Michael Mulgrew, who writes that "2011 has turned out to be the year that people said 'enough'" (you're right, Mike--ATR teachers have taken enough abuse);

*(pp. 24-25) a two-page spread about the UFT's "Annual Parent Conference" (which means they meet with parents about as frequently as they meet with the ATR teachers);

*(p. 33) a notice about the New York Teacher obituary policy (where someday you might read about a teacher who served 23 years in the ATR).

The piece de resistance, however, came on page 38 of this venerable 48-page publication:

*approximately 1/16 of a page dedicated to a summary of a resolution in support of the ATR that was passed at the December 7 meeting of the UFT's Delegate Assembly.

My writing teachers always taught me to write a conclusion, and I teach the same to my students. In this case, however, I leave it to the readers to draw their own conclusions about whether the UFT thinks the ATR issue is particularly urgent or important.

Gypsy Teacher plays bathroom monitor

2011-12-24T19:02:00.002-05:00

The report below was submitted to NYCATR by our popular contributor, Gypsy Teacher, on December 17. We apologize to Gypsy, and her numerous fans, for the delay in posting her words of wisdom.

I spent my week at McCown H.S., which shares the same building as the school I was assigned to last night. Night and day experiences.

Toilet paper distribution in a restroom
at Coney Island (see the article in
the New York Post).

I was used, as all the other ATRs assigned here, as the bathroom monitor. I had to sit in the hall all day (at least I had the bathroom key!). It was an extremely easy, yet humiliating job.

The school was filled, again, with young teachers. Maybe one or two were over the age of 30. One of the teachers was a former student of mine. He just told me today that his girlfriend who has never taught a day in her life just landed a job at Port Richmond High School as a Special Ed/English teacher. How is that? I thought there was a hiring freeze????

Anyway, back to my misadventures. I made the mistake of spending time in the teachers’ lounge on Monday. I thought I had walked into the students’ cafeteria. All I can remember is the sound of their shrill voices. Almost every teacher had a loud shrill voice. I don’t know why. That mistake was never repeated. I spent my free periods in my car charging my phone and reading. (Oh yes, as bathroom monitor I also got quite a lot of reading and writing done.)

This was the only school where I was required to attend the professional development/staff meeting. I nearly split my sides laughing when the entire group of teachers began the meeting in the hall with something called, I believe, Circle Up! They all stood in a circle (I don’t know if they were holding hands because I didn’t take part in the Circle Up!) and began the session with “sharing time.” I kid you not. I thought I was in a kindergarten class with tall students! Then after “sharing” time they had Shout Outs! praising one another. Laughing, yet? Or perhaps, vomiting? They even had snacks. Not sure if it was cookies and milk because I made by escape as soon as I could!

I basically was paid my 17 year salary to do an aide’s job. At my old school we had someone we called Bathroom Bob; I was Bathroom Susan! What I don’t understand: the school used day-to- day subs to cover classes but every ATR is the bathroom monitor. Truthfully, when I saw how some of the classes behaved with the subs, I was happy to be the bathroom monitor!

My stint sitting in the hall allowed me to observe the school and its dynamics. The students weren’t as well behaved as at CSI but they weren’t “gangsta” either. One of the aides told me that the school was basically filled with students who should have been in special ed but their parents didn’t want to sign the papers so they looked for a small school environment thinking it would help.

I met the Chapter Leader who seemed like a decent man. I also met the principal who for the first couple of days I was there walked the halls with an Ipad going in and out of classrooms.

Basically, it was an easy stint but I felt demeaned and degraded being used to sign kids in and out of a bathroom. Glad the week is over! Oh, and why are we assigned to our next school for 2 weeks? Party time at HR Connect next week??

Picture credit: http://www.whitegadget.com/attachments/pc-wallpapers/66555d1313132400-friendship-friendship-circle.jpg

Who really runs the NYC public schools?

2011-12-18T10:24:00.000-05:00

CB, a veteran NYCATR contributor, has raised a disturbing question:

Who really runs the New York City public schools?

Here is some information I recently learned from a school secretary at one of the many schools where I’ve been placed. I would appreciate feedback from anyone who can confirm or refute the veracity of this information, or who can answer any of the questions listed at the end of this entry.

A few years ago, Learning Support Organizations, or Networks, were engaged or created to “integrate operational and instructional support for schools,” or, rather, to take over some of the functions of the districts. Despite the fact that the DOE School Support web page refers to Networks in the plural, the only one listed on that page is Children First Network. (It seems to me that there originally were others; what happened to them?)

This secretary told me that for its first four years, CFN staff consisted of former district staff personnel, people who were knowledgeable about school operations and therefore helpful to school administrators and teachers. This staff was originally to have been kept for only three years, but they were kept on for another year. By the fifth year, CFN had all new people on its staff, and, according to this secretary, these folks had difficulty carrying out their functions because of lack of experience with the school system. The year after that, things became “so bad” that CFN staff members would not even answer their telephones. Now, in the seventh year, they still “don’t know what they are doing.”

This appears to explain “Life in Limbo’s” interview experience with a know-nothing CFN “Human Resources Director of Talent.”

The bottom line, in my opinion, is that the Networks are really part of the mayor’s not-so-secret plan to privatize the schools. The school secretary theorizes that Mr. Bloomberg’s model for the city school system is the University of Phoenix, whose only campus is a virtual one.

Most or all of us remember when Regions were installed to oversee (or replace?) the Districts, then scrapped in three years’ time. I don’t think the CFN is going to go away so quickly.

Here are some questions I’d like to see answered:

*Is there information about CFN on any of the alternative teacher blogs?

*What is the relationship between the DOE administration and the CFN?

*Who hires CFN staff? What are their supposed qualifications?

*What powers does CFN hold?

*What is its relationship to the school districts?

*What is its relationship to school principals?

*How much does CFN cost the DOE, and what costs were eliminated with its creation?

*Are there any other Learning Support Organizations?

*What else should we know?

Picture credits:

http://childrenfirstnetwork.com/images/team.png

http://www.localcollegeexplorer.com/Online_Degree/images/University_of_Phoenix.jpg

First Visit from a Field Supervisor

2011-12-17T19:21:00.001-05:00

An ATR teacher named CB sent us this report about her first visit from a Field Supervisor. For those who haven't been consistent in their reading of NYCATR, Field Supervisors are a new-fangled breed of DOE administrators who will be evaluating the work of ATR teachers in selected areas of Brooklyn.

An NFL field supervisor

I had the first (unannounced) visit on December 8th from my new Field Supervisor (I'm in District 13 at the elementary school level). I asked her whether she was a teacher. She said she had been a teacher, coach, and principal, and held one or two other job titles within DOE. She had left a principal's post to take a position at Tweed. When that position was eliminated, there were no principal positions open, due to school closings. The DOE offered her this Field Supervisor thing, so she took it. She mentioned, I think, three districts that she is assigned to. Lots of traveling around.

So, as you can see, these folks are in a similar boat to ours, though they are more highly paid. By the view, this was not an evaluation, just an observation.

Interestingly, both in person and in an e-mail, the supervisor told me that her purpose is to support me and help me find a permanent placement (and of course to do the same for the others to whom she is assigned).

While the field supervisor was in the classroom, a broken closet door, which I'd reported to a custodian, fell and hit a child in the head. Also in that room was a broken SmartBoard (and no working one), a broken drawer in the teacher's desk, and windows that would not open (except for one). Teachers and students have such wonderful working environments. Aren't we glad we're following former Chancellor Klein's suggestion that the schools be run like a business?

Photo credit: http://www.mysanantonio.com/mediaManager/?controllerName=image&action=get&id=1156289&width=628&height=471

ATR invited to interview at Bronx Predatory

2011-12-17T19:05:00.000-05:00

NYCATR has uncovered a new contributor, whom we have dubbed "ATR Prep." He claims to aim for "comic relief," but--as we all know--in the world of the DOE, reality, comedy, and tragedy are all inextricably bound together.

Here is ATR Prep's appetizer:

I've so far been assigned to Collegiate Prep in the Erasmus Hall building, Brooklyn College Prep in Brownsville, and now Brooklyn Preparatory HS in Williamsburg. Based on some of my experiences in these schools I was saying to a fellow ATR if I see another school with "Brooklyn" and "Prep" in the title my blood will run cold.

And now for the main course:

Mr. Al Gator, Dean of Students at Bronxwood
Predatory Academy

I've got a mandatory interview for Friday (way out of district) at the "Bronxwood Predatory Academy." I kid you not. Here is the email:

From: Martinez Yissel
Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 3:36 PM
To: Mr. _________ _____________
Subject: Mandated Excess Interview Letter

Dear Mr. ______________,

You are asked to attend an interview for a ESL teaching position at 11X514. The interview is scheduled as follows:

DATE: 12/16/2011

TIME: 10:00 AM

LOCATION: Bronxwood Predatory Academy 921 E. 228th Street Bronx, NY 10466.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS – Interview with Principal, Janet Gallardo

For more information regarding this school, go to http://schools.nyc.gov and enter the name or number of the school in the Find a School section. On the school page you will find a link to a map showing the school location, travel directions, and a link to statistics and other information about the school.

As an excessed teacher, you are required to attend this interview. The principal at your ATR assignment school has been informed about this requirement and asked to give you release time to attend the interview. Time permitting, allowing for the time for the interview and travel, you should report to your ATR assignment at the start and/or end of the day. Although the school where you are assigned has been informed of the above, it is recommended that you confirm your required attendance at this event with your principal, and discuss whether it will be feasible for you to report to your ATR assignment for part of the day.

Please bring several copies of your resume with you to the interview. If you have any need of assistance with your resume or guidance on interviewing please visit the Teacher Hiring Support Center website at www.thscnyc.org.

Sincerely,

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you,

Yissel Martinez, Human Resources Director
Division of School Support and Instructions
Cluster 6 Network 603
1230 Zerega Avenue
Bronx, NY 10462
Tel : 718-828-2672

Photo credit: http://www.ryanphotographic.com/images/JPEGS/Gator%20showing%20teeth.jpg

ATR teacher has never been used in his content area

2011-12-13T20:28:00.001-05:00

An ATR teacher known as Every ATR has some interesting thoughts about the DOE's new plan for evaluating him and his colleagues in Brooklyn.

A substitute teacher dodges paper airplanes.

I am a HS ESL teacher. So far none of my ATR assignments have used me in my content area. I am troubled by the DOE's position that ATRs who are not covering classes in their content area will be judged on their classroom management. skills. When students in high school see a substitute (and that's what we are to the school's administration and to the students) the students see party time. Students won't sit still for a lesson. If absentee work is left students may or may not bother to do it. The UFT's advice to "teach what we know" just doesn't fly with high school students. These students, teenagers, will complain that what the sub tries to teach is not what the class is supposed to be.

I understand from Amy Arundel, that the UFT has sent to the DOE a protocol for how principals should be utilizing ATRs. It seems to me that until a protocol is in place for how ATRs are to be used, no one should be observing any ATR, particularly if they are being used out of their license area. By the way, aren't observations only supposed to be done when a teacher is actually teaching a class in his or her content area?

By the way, as I've moved from high school to high school in Brooklyn, I've noticed that these new mini-schools have pretty much the same level of student as the school I was phased out of--low academics and high behavior problems. The only difference I can see is that these mini-schools have far fewer students and far, far more technological resources. I've also noticed that they are following administrative and pedagogical models that seem strange and useless. Exactly what is "ADVISORY" ???

Keep the faith.

Photo credit:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RBtoMqrRsGY/TgzH3xp6QAI/AAAAAAAAAzw/LBB9381zQzQ/s400/substitute+teacher.jpg

Gypsy Teacher finds a teacher being paid a para's salary

2011-12-10T18:37:00.001-05:00

NYCATR's beloved Gypsy Teacher had a good week in Staten Island, but she also uncovered a disturbing little secret.

This past week I found myself at CSI High School for International Studies. It is a small school in the heart of Staten Island. It shares a building with two other schools. It was basically an easy week. The first day I was given an assignment as a hall monitor but the rest of the week I was given classes to cover. The students were well behaved and the teachers left real work.

I saw the Principal once, at an assembly. He is very young as are most of the teachers in the school. Surprise! I also spoke to a young girl who is teaching 5 classes but is being paid as a para. How is this allowed?? Principals seem to be doing pretty much anything they want. I overheard that a teacher is retiring at the end of the term. You know that an ATR won't be hired!

Anyway, parking was fine if you got there before 7:15; otherwise you had to look for some place to park. The bathroom key was hung in the main office. That was the only key for the second floor. Some teachers didn't have a bathroom key. There was a lounge on the 4th floor with some Macs and a bathroom, no key needed!

All, in all a very good school.

Photo credit: http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/837D443C-3D36-40AE-8C31-4F2709ABD048/113317/inttrip.jpg

Mendel mollifies; ATRs react

2011-12-07T19:16:00.001-05:00

A teacher (?) in perm

An ATR teacher who goes by the name "ATR in Perm" forwarded to us a letter that UFT Secretary Michael Mendel sent to ATR teachers in Brooklyn Districts 13-23, 32, and 73 (the Brooklyn high school superintendency).

Mendel's letter is a follow-up to the DOE's recent announcement that a group of administrators called "Field Supervisors" will begin evaluating ATR teachers.

Below is Mendel's letter (with a few key points highlighted by NYCATR). Following the letter is ATR in Perm's response; he who forwards the message gets first dibs at trashing it.

Dear colleague,

The UFT has been informed that the DOE will implement a new supervisory system for ATRs in Brooklyn community school districts (Districts 13-23 and 32) and Brooklyn high school superintendency (District 73). They have labeled it a pilot, though they did not indicate how or when the pilot would be evaluated; nor have they indicated if or when they would extend this system to other ATRs. We were informed about this plan, but had no input into it. I am writing to assure you that the union will continue to make sure that your rights as a UFT member are not violated and your professionalism as a teacher is respected.

The DOE has created a new position, that of field supervisor, with the intent that field supervisors will provide some measure of evaluative continuity to the members whom they observe and to whom they provide professional feedback. They have done this because state law requires that all teachers must be evaluated and rated.

As always, the UFT will monitor the implementation of this new system carefully to make sure that it is implemented appropriately (e.g., that members are observed on things like classroom management, and not on things like content when they are teaching out of license — in other words, things that make sense). We will address concerns that come up with the DOE immediately. Above all, we will continue to hold the DOE’s feet to the fire on the main tenet of the June ATR agreement, which is to fill all long-term absences and leaves with ATRS and to help members in the Absent Teacher Reserve find permanent positions.

We know that you play a valuable role in virtually every city school, under often challenging circumstances, and that your contributions are often unrecognized. We are committed to ensuring that ATRs are treated like professionals and are working to make sure this new supervisory system does that.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact your district representative or Amy Arundell at aarundell@uft.org.

ATR in Perm: The UFT's Michael Mendell issued a letter on the UFT's position on the ATR teacher evaluations. Shockingly, the area that visiting teachers routinely have the most trouble with, classroom management, is an area that Mendell thinks is fair game for evaluating teachers.

"We are committed to ensuring that ATRs are treated like professionals . . ." Yeah? Well, why are you letting us get evaluated on handling kids who we've just met minutes ago? School tone, set by administration, as to whether they discipline students in a timely fashion or whether they coddle them, is the greatest factor (aside from home upbringing) in how kids will react to even the sternest and most confident Classroom-Management-minded teacher.

ATR Resolution to be introduced at next UFT Delegate Assembly

2011-12-06T17:52:00.001-05:00

Norm Scott, the dynamo who founded the GEM-ATR Committee, sent us a resolution that he says will be introduced at the next meeting of the UFT's Delegate Assembly. Norm is presently traveling in the South Pacific, so it's a bit difficult to communicate with him about his sources, but he has never failed us before. Norm also wrote that he has good reason to believe that this resolution will pass, unlike a previous ATR resolution that was shot down by top UFT officials.

Resolution on Absent Teacher Reserve (ATR) placements

WHEREAS the Absent Teacher Reserve (ATR) crisis is a clear and direct result of New York City Department of Education (DOE) policies and mismanagement; and

WHEREAS even though efforts to resolve the crisis have been partially successful, the DOE still has not kept its promises nor met its moral and professional obligations to ATRs and has thereby wasted valuable human and economic resources; and

WHEREAS maintaining fairness and increasing productivity in the city’s teaching force require that the talents of all educators be utilized in service to students, parents and school communities; and

WHEREAS solutions to the ATR crisis need to be proposed and implemented without delay in order to maximize productivity, teaching and learning in New York City public schools; therefore be it

RESOLVED that the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) call upon the DOE to create a recertification program for ATRs for designated shortage areas and allow participating ATRs to take the requisite course work at the City University of New York (CUNY) free of charge or be reimbursed for the related costs of attending a private college or university at the CUNY rate per credit; and be it further

RESOLVED that the UFT urge the DOE to require that all ATRs be given an opportunity for permanent placement in vacancies in their license areas in their district or high school superintendency before the DOE approves any new hire in a license area where an ATR has not been given an opportunity for permanent placement; and be it further

RESOLVED that the UFT urge the DOE to place all ATRs into vacancies in their district or high school superintendency after September 15 of any given year on a provisional basis; and be it further

RESOLVED that the UFT urge the DOE to allow principals and ATRs at the end of the school year to either mutually agree to have ATRs as permanent staff members or allow them to return to the ATR pool.

DOE will begin evaluating ATR teachers

2011-12-06T17:36:00.001-05:00

The following email was sent to a select group of ATR teachers; the number of teachers who received the message is not known. NYCATR has taken the liberty of highlighting some key passages.

Dear Teacher,

The Department of Education is piloting a new model for supervision of teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve (ATR). This pilot will be implemented for most ATRs assigned to community school districts in Brooklyn as well as the Brooklyn High School superintendency, District 73; you are receiving this email because you will likely be included in the pilot. Under this initiative, you will be supervised by a licensed administrator, called a Field Supervisor, who will periodically observe your practice and provide you with feedback to support your professional development. The Field Supervisors are aware that as an ATR you do not have a regular program and that you rotate school assignments and they will take this context into account in their work with you.

At some point in the next two months, you should expect your Field Supervisor to visit your assignment site to meet with you in person. At this initial meeting, the Field Supervisor will work with you to develop a plan to support your professional growth and job search process. The Field Supervisor will make an effort to contact you via your DOE email in advance of the initial meeting to give you a sense of when you can expect him or her; however, he or she may not always be able to provide advance notification.

Sincerely,

NYC Department of Education

Atrassignment@schools.nyc.gov

On Hidden Vacancies and Post-It Notes

2011-12-05T20:56:00.001-05:00

It's been quite some time since we've had an article from our star contributor, Life in Limbo. The following article makes all the waiting worthwhile.

It all seems so simple and straightforward: there are two vacancies in my building that I KNOW of: an Art and a Reading AIS (Academic Intervention Services). In addition, the AIS teacher on my floor will be leaving on a long-term medical leave in a few weeks. She plans on being out for the rest of the year, and retiring in June, so this is a long-term sub position which will eventually become a clear vacancy. In any other situation, the response to these issues would be to hire teachers to fill the positions. But we are not in any other situation--we are in Bloomberg’s DOE, which makes a trip down Alice’s rabbit hole seem like just another day at the office.

No one is interviewing anyone for these positions. How can this be when there are classes programmed to have Art and AIS? This is where it gets interesting. I have to give NYC administrators points for “thinking creatively” on this one, because I never would have thought of this on my own. How are they doing this, you ask?

Professional duty periods.

Yes, my friends. The C-6 assignment is being used to cover up at least two vacancies in my building. And here’s how:

Any teacher without a homeroom has been given a C-6 assignment listed as “small group instruction” and assigned to either one of the Art or AIS periods in the designated classrooms for AIS and Art. Both these rooms are vacant, since there is no teacher, and there are no supplies, materials, or books in the room. There are even too few desks since the rooms have been pilfered for furniture and materials by other teachers scrounging for limited supplies. The computers in these rooms have been literally torn apart by the students, as have many of the books in the classroom library. In this situation, up to three non-homeroom teachers are assigned “small group” instruction during a single period. By assigning teachers three at a time to this class, the student-teacher ratio becomes 10:1 or less, and *voila*--“Art” and “AIS” are provided, at least on paper, without the expense of hiring an actual teacher!! Genius, isn’t it?

Let’s just forget that the students are, at this point, so used to not having anything to do this period that the chance of getting them to do any “AIS” or “Art” work now, even with three teachers in the room, is slim to none. It’s even worse when a Science teacher, Tech teacher, and Math teacher are all assigned to cover an Art period with no art supplies, pacing calendar, or responsibility for actual lesson planning and execution. The result has been chaos in the classrooms and groups of students roaming the halls and wandering into other classrooms to cause disruptions because there’s “nothin’ to do in my bull****” class because we ain’t got no d*** teacher.” And the teachers who are stuck with this “small group instruction” period are just thrilled to have their prep time taken away for such a meaningful activity.

I can’t wait to see the creative ways they manage to cover the upcoming AIS vacancy. The teacher is scheduled to leave in a few weeks, so stay tuned for more on that.

So, with all of this going on–chaos, vacancies, “Art” classes that are not, “AIS” services that only exist on paper, the fact that only ten of my thirty students had a parent come up to receive his/her child’s report card, and many other dysfunctions in our school environment, what do you think the administration chose to focus on in this week’s faculty memo?

Sticky Notes. Yes, the urgent issue of the day was sticky notes. Oh, I’m sorry–the 3x3 sticky notes many of us use to comment on student work is not a mere sticky note. It is a “FEEDBACK POST-IT” and is SO important to student success that there is now a SPECIFIC FORMAT to use when writing on a “FEEDBACK POST-IT.” This issue was SO URGENT that we were directed to immediately REMOVE ALL FEEDBACK POST-ITs which are not in the REQUIRED format and replace them, properly formatted, by the CLOSE OF BUSINESS TODAY. We were informed over the PA system that there would be walk-throughs that afternoon checking to make sure all FEEDBACK POST-ITS are in compliance with the required FEEDBACK POST-IT format.

So my co-teacher and I furiously rushed around the room rewriting all of our information from the sticky notes onto new, officially formatted “FEEDBACK POST-ITs,” sure that these newly- formatted “FEEDBACK POST-ITs are the key to exponentially increasing our students’ test scores (even the ones who only come to school once a week)! We even reworded the feedback into the “language of the rubric,” as specified on the format. And a good thing too, because I think “sentences vary in length and structure to add variety and interest to the writing while enhancing the style” is SOOO much clearer than “Let’s work on making your sentences more engaging.” Hats off to you, oh wise administrators and network leaders.

So we finish this exercise during our prep period, which was a much better use of time than, say, planning lessons and preparing materials for said lessons, I am sure. We high-five each other for being “in compliance” and prepare to show off our perfectly formatted “FEEDBACK POST-ITs to anyone who stops by. We thought we were done and then…the student walked in.

The student was carrying a stack of notes, for which we had to sign. The note contained a new REVISED format for the “FEEDBACK POST-IT,” and said that THIS was the magic format that would exponentially increase student achievement and even throw in a load of laundry for you! (O.k., I exaggerated about the laundry.) My co-teacher and I looked at it and realized that this “new” format was EXACTLY THE SAME as the format we used on the original “FEEDBACK POST-ITs–the ones we just tossed in the trash ten minutes ago! So we once again scramble to remove the FEEDBACK POST-ITs we had just posted, to replace them yet again, with what was essentially identical to what we had taken down.

But then the bell rang.

How’s that for productivity?

Picture credits:

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTPz5HOJyL6nAgCfXGfU4Wat786BSiX5-y8D8u6SQ6BpyPxlcvZ-cc8K4TLrQ

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/100/297849811_123fc757ec.jpg

NYCATR gadfly stings horses and lipsticked pigs

2011-12-03T19:15:00.001-05:00

Philip Nobile, our resident gadfly, has been corresponding with UFT officials again. NYCATR is proud to present Nobile's stinging messages to the UFT, and not so proud to present some of the UFT's responses.

MESSAGE #1:

December 2, 2011

From: Philip Nobile

To: Thomas Bennett, Basis HS representative; Amy Arundell, Special Representative; Howard Schoor, Brookly Borough Representative; Cc: Michael Mulgrew, President; Michael Mendel, Secretary

Dear colleagues :

You have not responded to my email query of November 12 quoted below:

"According to Tom [Bennett], the UFT is talking to DOE about insane ATR commutes. I urge all deliberate speed. I just got my 3rd S.I. order in four weeks [Nobile lives in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn]. Please update. When did the UFT last speak to DOE on this matter and what was the conclusion?"

As you know, ATRs are discontented with their plight, especially considering that we are barred from the committee reviewing the agreement. This is typical of how Unity leadership operates. The top tells the bottom (ATRs) that they are unworthy of chapter representation or access to DA or chapter leader meetings. And topping off our disenfranchisement, you deprive us of basic information like the above.

Please answer my question. Thanks for your consideration.

Philip

MESSAGE #2:

From: Thomas Bennet

To: Philip Nobile

Dear Philip:

I said we are talking to them. By that I mean we had hoped that the DOE would see that a more sensible approach to the Tottenville-Bed-Stuy shuttle would be in everyone’s interest. I haven’t heard much from ATRs in the last few weeks, so I’m wondering if DOE has started keeping people closer to home?

Your assertion that all ATRs are disconcerted with their plight, and their lack of equanimity arises from their ignorance of “secret” bargaining sessions, access to DA, and separate chapter representation is not borne out by my experience, and I speak with a lot of ATRs.

Naturally, if I hear anything about a change of policy, I’ll let you know. And please keep me informed about any changes you experience in the field.

I’m still looking for you at Staten Island Tech. Perhaps we can team-teach my Global class one of these weeks.

T.B.

MESSAGE #3:

From: Philip Nobile

To: Thomas Bennett

Tom,

Apparently, we talk to different ATRs. I've never met a contented one.

Mulgrew's lipstick has worn off this pig. The ATR situation is akin to the rubber room fiasco, and the UFT's hands are all over it. How would you like to sub in a different school every week? Silly question.

Anyhow, why won't somebody tell me:

(1) who from the UFT has talked to DOE about ATRs and when;

(2) what was on the agenda and what was the DOE's reaction
to commuter complaints, and the UFT's counter-reaction; and

(3) why are no ATRs on the the UFT review committee?

These are basic questions. We need to know if you're fighting for us. In the name of transparency the UFT owes ATRs an explanation.

On the other hand, only co-teaching with you could carry me back to S.I.

Philip

P.S. Howie promised future ATR meetings at the October fest. Do you have a date in mind?

Image credits:

https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSahLVwPtYHgF-ELDgOL68q9D3iZQsUnHrD1dwDywEVAhuoSz13UA

http://strategichighperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/lipstick-on-a-pig.jpg

UFT Chapter Leaders leave Gypsy Teacher feeling lonely

2011-12-03T18:42:00.001-05:00

NYCATR's Gypsy Teacher recently spent a week at Brooklyn Tech High School. She enjoyed her work (yes, ATR teachers work) but she has a disturbing report about the treatment she has received from UFT Chapter Leaders.

A lonely Gypsy

These past 8 days I have been at Brooklyn Tech High School in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. This school is mega big! It covers 9 floors and one long city block. Since I do not take elevators, I called the school to voice my concerns. They assured me they would try to keep me on lower floors and for the most part they did. The students are wonderful and did ALL the work that the teachers left--and every teacher did leave a real assignment. Why is it that in the better schools assignments are left when in other schools you have to hunt for sub lessons? Is it because the teachers in the less than stellar schools know that the students won’t do the assignments anyway? I don’t know the answer.

I was given my daily assignments by aides. One was a bit rude but I ignored her. I never saw an AP or the Principal. And I never saw the UFT Chapter Leader. Neither did the other ATRs. Isn’t that supposed to be part of the agreement, that the Chapter Leader of each school greets us? I have never been greeted by a chapter leader! Why can the UFT break their promises to the ATR teachers and get away with it?

There were two other ATRs at the school with me and we spoke about our frustration and feelings of anger. One is actually interviewing attorneys for a class action suit. Anyway, I spent most of my time in the classroom I was assigned.

One day I went out for lunch. There are many restaurants and delis around the area but since I had to pay for parking almost every day I brought my lunch. Yes, parking is ridiculous. I was lucky a couple of times to find people pulling out of a space but I had to spend $15 a day to park most of the time. This along with gas and tolls turned out to be a very costly assignment.

It would be nice if ATRs could be issued DOE parking passes to park around the schools they are assigned to. But why would they make things easier?

In conclusion, great school. Terrible parking.

Photo credit: http://image57.webshots.com/157/4/85/93/488448593OymtjT_ph.jpg

The UFT keeps its promises by publishing them

2011-11-26T18:55:00.001-05:00

I would like to believe in the UFT. I would really love to feel in my heart that they stand behind me and all other New York City teachers with all their strength. Alas, I find myself feeling like Winston Smith in Orwell's 1984--I desperately want to believe that a man holding up four fingers is really holding up five, but I can't deny the reality in front of my eyes.

On November 9, the UFT posted on its website a resolution regarding the teachers of the Absent Teacher Reserve (ATR). It included the following:

RESOLVED that the New York Teacher will run an article on teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve, including how teachers became part of the ATR.

Has the UFT kept its promise? Only in the measliest sense of the word. Yes, an article was published, on page 3 of the November 24th edition of the New York Teacher. It consisted of a very brief summary of the resolution mentioned above, including the promise to publish an article about the ATR in the New York Teacher. In other words, the UFT is keeping its promise to publish an article about the ATR by publishing its promise to publish an article about the ATR. Does that sound like Orwellian doublespeak? You bet it does.

I'll bet I know the answer to a few other questions, too:

* Why was this article on page 3, and not on page 1 or 2?

* Why did this little four-inch report on the ATR have to share space with news about four other UFT resolutions, none of which relate to the ATR issue?

* Why did this article get the headline "ATR measure breezes through," as if the ATR is not a contentious issue that has inspired hundreds of teachers to attend raucous meetings and has inspired one UFT official to deliver a "demagogic rant" in opposition to a resolution that was proposed on behalf of ATR teachers?

* And, finally, why didn't this article contain--as promised previously by the UFT--any information on "how teachers became part of the ATR"?

Could it be that the UFT wants this little ATR nuisance to quietly fade away? Could it be that the UFT has nothing meaningful to say to a group of over 1,000 teachers who were sold like a mess of pottage so that King Bloomberg wouldn't lay off any teachers? Could it really be that the UFT leadership believes that their job begins and ends with saving jobs, but the quality of those jobs is none of their business?

What do you say, dear readers?

Picture credits: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iRFu3iXYD2Y/Tf4rOpxma3I/AAAAAAAAAaQ/0EfTJo4ohzE/s320/vlcsnap-2011-06-19-10h01m16s168.png

http://barkersandrubes.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/king-bloomberg.jpg?w=480&h=558

Forbes's Mystery

2011-11-25T09:58:00.001-05:00

Thomas Forbes, a veteran NYCATR correspondent, sent us this small but important report. It contains some good news, and a gnawing question.

I have been sent to three nice high schools in Manhattan the last three weeks: the N.Y.C. Museum School and the N.Y.C. Lab School for Collaborative Studies (in the same building on 17th Street) and now the Institute for Collaborative Education (in the old Stuyvesant building). I was in the same building about a month ago at the High School for Health Professions and Human Services. All have motivated students, and teachers and students are happy despite mediocre administrations.

A little isle of tranquility in a turbulent sea

They are out of the path of all this Bloomberg nonsense and you do not feel the uncomfortable pressure that exists in many schools. I am trying to understand how these little pockets of positive school environments exist. My 20 years in education has been in the less functional schools with a high percentage of very high needs kids.

Cancer Patient U-rated for Excessive Absence

2011-11-21T20:51:00.001-05:00

Here's the latest from our well-traveled contributor, Darla.

I spent last week at the High School of Research, otherwise known as The High School of Collegiate Studies. While there I met a great staff, and the teachers were very nice and helpful.

The Principal, on the other hand, was rude. I was assigned the SAVE room, which was a storage closet. The payroll secretary kept a close eye on my coming and going. The students were fine and respectful, except for a few who had to make a point of being immature and nasty. Overall, it was a quiet week, very boring and lousy parking.

An example of what a lovely Principal she is? I was informed that she U-rated a teacher for being absent one time above the limit of 10. The women had breast cancer and was going for chemotherapy.

Photo credit: http://chemotherapyadvices.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Chemotherapy-Toxicity-3.jpg

Dinner with Teachers

2011-11-21T20:34:00.001-05:00

A recent article in the UFT's Edwize blog contained an erudite analysis of statistics regarding the DOE's policy of closing schools it considers to be failing. The article also contained this very insightful way of looking at the DOE's "accomplishments" over the last ten years:

Have you ever had dinner with a bunch of teachers and there’s one non-teacher, some luckless spouse, at the table with you? The teachers are busy trading secrets of the trade, and the non-teacher is glancing at his watch. For the non-teacher, it’s a long night. For DOE it’s been a long ten years.

Photo credit: http://aiflfashionclub.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/teachers_night_out_dinner.jpg

Gypsy Teacher goes Tech Hi

2011-11-19T18:45:00.001-05:00

Here's the latest from one of NYCATR's roving reporters, Gypsy Teacher.

This week went by in a flash. That is because I was at Staten Island Technical High School. It is a specialized school where students have to take a test to be accepted.

The first day I was the library assistant and then I was given classes for the rest of the week. Almost every day I was given 6 classes but it was a cake walk. The students were given "real" work to do and they did it. No one was disrespectful and no one had their pants around their thighs. The teachers seemed pleasant but I usually stayed in the room I was assigned to. Every teacher has a computer in their classroom so I usually checked my mail or played games on my lunch period. The parking is abundant and if you want you can walk a couple of blocks to Hylan Boulevard where you wil find supermarkets, delis, and other stores.

I wish I could have stayed in this school longer but, alas, I am being sent another another journey next week--this time for 8 days! I'll be going to Brooklyn Tech which has 9 floors. I don't take elevators so this should be interesting. If I have a heart attack on the job is that considered a work related incident? And since parking is ridiculous in downtown Brooklyn I will probably have to put my car in a lot. The teachers that work there probably have parking passes which as ATRs we are not privvy to...whatever! At least once I get there I figure the kids should be good!

Pictrue credit: http://www.siths.org/pics/header.jpg

Need a REAL teacher? Call an ATR!

2011-11-16T19:48:00.001-05:00

A fourth-grade class at PS 68 has been covered for weeks by per-diem substitutes. When parent-teacher conferences came along last night, however, the principal realized that he needed a real teacher to speak to the parents. He didn't call in the Marines. He called an ATR teacher, named Rod, who tells the story below.

Today I was asked to cover parent/teacher conferences at PS68. Their regular 4th grade teacher is out for five weeks on medical leave. The class has had day-to-day subs since then. Today, they needed a "real" teacher to deal with parents, report cards, explanations of test results and, of course, a work schedule that extends beyond the time required of a substitute.

Well, the parents are upset. Their kids are falling behind, they claimed. Why aren't they putting a regular teacher like me in until the leave is over? They haven't had homework for three weeks. I think they confided in me because the kids who came with their parents were really excited about their day with me, reading and doing some fun school work for a change. They also saw a teacher with experience and a concern for their kids education.

I told them to speak to the AP. There are options…Oh, like me. I asked the Chapter Leader and he said the administration is too busy to deal with it and takes the easy way out. Too busy to run the school?

How sad for the kids, parents and me. I felt good, like a real teacher today, the first time since last year, teaching this class, getting them to shape up and talking with their parents. I would gladly stay, unlike some who suggest we don't want the responsibility . The DOE needs to look into poor management of schools like this. Stop blaming us. The UFT, too...Someone, please speak up!

Photo credit: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8SbYNufmwAk/TKo37aE3FlI/AAAAAAAAAIE/LrjnuuzkNS8/s1600/teacher.jpg

Gypsy Teacher gets the cold shoulder

2011-11-15T17:36:00.001-05:00

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!

Finally, he escaped into the men's room. I waited for him and asked him point blank why he was avoiding me and he just said he had to go teach his class, as he left me standing there frustrated and angry! Seems I feel this way a lot lately!

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

The UFT 1% turns a deaf ear

2011-11-13T19:12:00.001-05:00

Remember the letter that Philip Nobile wrote to all the UFT bigwigs about the two-hour commute from Brooklyn to Staten Island that the DOE was subjecting him to? You forgot? It seems that the UFT forgot it about it also, since none of their top leaders chose to answer Nobile's plea for help. Here is Nobile's post mortem on this sorry story:

Sad to say, but no surprise, none of the UFT 1 percent responded to my plea re ATRs condemned to hardship commutes. Apparently, Mulgrew et al. have other things on their mind.

Thomas Bennett
Still, there is light at the end of the tunnel. BASIS rep Tom Bennett says that our complaints have not gone unheard:

"I certainly agree and echo your sentiments. The District 76 situation is a disgrace. We are certainly making this case in conversations with the DOE, and we’re hopeful that there are a few sane people left on the other side. I’ll let you know if I hear any good news."

Bennett told me later on the phone that some S.I. principals have been accommodating. So on Friday I called the faraway McCown Expeditionary School on the Island, this week's assignment, and said that I would be unable (i.e., adverse) to make the monastic 7:45am start.

"Could you make it by 8:30?" I was asked. That I could do. I urge ATRS to follow the same route for the time being.

Photo credit: http://www.uft.org/files/photo/thomas-bennett_0.jpg

Michael Mendel's "Hissy Fit"

2011-11-12T19:59:00.001-05:00

NYCATR is proud to present yet another account of the UFT Delegate Assembly meeting that took place on November 9, 2011. This account was written by a representative of Teachers for a Just Contract, a group that presented a resolution to "solve the ATR Crisis."

All three accounts of the meeting agree on one point in particular: UFT Secretary Michael Mendel is not in a hurry to help the members of the Absent Teacher Reserve.

The big news was Unity’s response to the GEM-TJC resolution. Megan Behrent, a delegate from FDR High School, who is active in several rank and file groups, made a motion for the body to put this resolution on the December agenda for discussion and a vote. As she read each demand, there was applause from some of the delegates.

Resolution to Solve the ATR Crisis

Resolved: The UFT will mobilize all members to rally at Tweed & City Hall at the earliest possible date, to demand:

1. Until Every ATR within a license has a position, no new hiring in that license.

2. ATRs with arcane licenses, or licenses in which there are few positions, be allowed to recertify in new licenses without loss of tenure or seniority. Those who have comparable and valid state licenses should be grandfathered into those state licenses.

3. Audit principals’ hiring for possible race and age discrimination.

4. Restore the contractual right of excessed teachers to the closest vacancy in their license.

UFT Secretary Michael Mendel

President Mulgrew then recognized UFT Secretary Michael Mendel to speak against the motion.

Mendel’s performance could be described as a hissy fit, or of following the adage that “the best defense is a good offense.” He charged that the resolution was full of untruths and inaccuracies. He picked on the fourth demand, claiming that excessed teachers had never had such a right. His delivery was so excited and disorganized, that some listeners thought he said that before the 2005 contract, excessed teachers could be sent anyplace in the city. Others thought he meant something else.

Before the 2005 contract, there were many provisions of Contract Article 17 - Retention, Excessing and Layoff - that gave teachers the right to be placed in nearby vacancies. For example, in the 2000 contract, Article 17B, Rule 5 states, “To minimize the movement of personnel, excessed teachers shall be assigned within the district to appropriate openings and vacancies.” Rule 6, which applies when there is no vacancy within the district, states, “Where possible, the wishes of the teacher will be taken into account in his/her placement by the Central Board.”

The fourth demand of the resolution summarizes the complex of rights that existed before 2005, expressing the essence and gist of these rights: teachers had the right to be placed in the nearest vacancy. Before the 2005 contract, when excessed teachers were placed, they automatically became appointed to their new school. (However, they retained a “right of return” to their former school if a position opened for them within a year.)

(To complicate this issue, similar provisions still exist in the current contract. But they have been rendered void by the June 2011 agreement. But even before June 2011, the introduction of the “open market” system for filling vacancies (Article 18) in the 2005 contract had changed their meaning. Excessed teachers were no longer appointed to the school where they were placed. They remained ATRs unless the principal chose to appoint them: only through the open market system of hiring could they be appointed.)

Mendel’s attack of apoplexy was not caused by semantics, by the resolution saying “closest” instead of the lengthy jargon of the contract. Mendel is one of the UFT’s most knowledgeable about the contract. He knows very well that, in practice, these provisions indeed gave teachers the right to the nearest vacancy.

He also attacked the second demand, saying that no one had ever had these rights. Which is a strange argument: a labor movement that does not fight for new rights is a dying movement (which, not coincidentally, is exactly what the U.S. labor movement today is). He also said that a demonstration at Tweed would be inappropriate for such a demand, since these are state rules. However, many times the union has gotten changes in state law, for example, in pension contributions, by winning City support for them in negotiations.

So Mendel’s substantive criticisms of the resolution are, upon examination, at best weak and at worst picayune. So, what’s up with the hysteria?

Mendel’s hysterics were an attempt to make up for the weakness of his arguments. He was successful. Even independents in the assembly were swayed by the show of emotion, even though they couldn’t follow exactly what he was saying. They assumed it was based on deep feeling, not a calculated move to distract from lack of substance. He was, figurative speaking, jumping up and down yelling “Look out! Watch out! Don’t vote for this! It’s terrible! It’s full of misinformation!” His goal was to defeat the resolution, because it meant the UFT would have to lead a struggle on behalf of the ATRs, and the UFT leadership lacks the will for that. At the risk of being simplistic, no one in the UFT leadership is an ATR, or even runs the risk of being an ATR. The leadership has nothing to gain from undertaking this battle.

But it goes further. Mendel wasn’t just intent upon defeating this resolution. His cries of “wrong!” and “not true!” were meant to discredit the opposition as unreliable, people whose ignorance is dangerous to the union. That’s meant to distract members from whose policies really are dangerous to the union.

Photo credit: http://www.uft.org/files/uft-sec-michael-mendel-thumb.jpg

Once again, the New York Teacher fails to report on the ATR

2011-11-12T19:42:00.001-05:00

Once again, NYCATR presents you with an empty box, this one found on a streetcorner in Brooklyn, reposing among lovely fallen leaves and less-lovely bags of garbage. The empty box represents, again, the number of words that the latest edition of the UFT's New York Teacher devoted to the Absent Teacher Reserve.

Have no fear, however. The UFT has passed a resolution in which they promise "that the New York Teacher will run an article on teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve, including how teachers became part of the ATR." The resolution also promises the following:

*the United Federation of Teachers will direct its chapters and Chapter Leaders to reach out to members of the Absent Teacher Reserve who are assigned to their schools, to welcome them, and to support them;

*the UFT [will] demand that the DOE create a protocol for Principals so that UFT members going into a school for the first time will be treated professionally and given the information for that particular school necessary to perform their duties;

*the United Federation of Teachers will continue to educate Chapter Leaders about the rights of teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve, and direct its chapters and Chapter Leaders to continue to proactively protect those rights, and to intervene if those rights are being infringed upon by administration, as the ATR may be justifiably reluctant or fearful of speaking up;

*the United Federation of Teachers has always and will always stand for the dignity of all UFT members.

"Demagogic Rant" by Michael Mendel

2011-11-11T13:35:00.001-05:00

Marjorie Stamberg sent us a report about the latest UFT Delegate Assembly meeting on Wednesday, November 9. We excerpted the parts that are of particular relevance to ATR teachers and their supporters.

[During question period], most of the questions revolved around the delegates’ concerns for the situation with the ATRs. Now, those who are not picked up by a school which agrees to provisionally pay for them, are going from week to week to a different school. This is tremendously stressful.

A delegate from Madison High School asked about the procedure for ATRs in D 75.

The UFT remembers with pride that Albert

Shanker assisted Dr. Martin Luther King in his

struggle to gain voting rights for all Americans.

Too bad the UFT doesn't protect the voting

rights of ATR teachers, who are disenfranchised

from UFT elections.

I again raised the issue of the disenfranchisement of ATRs, saying that there are over 1000 teachers who do not now have the right to vote in any union election because they are not assigned to a school and they do not have their own functional chapter election.

Megan Beherent, a delegate from the Roosevelt HS campus put up a motion: Resolution to Solve the ATR Crisis, for a vote at the next DA. This called for:

1) a job freeze in every license area where there are ATRs who could fill the position;

2) for ATRs to be able to certify in new license areas without loss of tenure;

3) to audit the DOE hiring for age and race discrimination;

4) to restore the contractual right of excessed teachers to the closest vacancy in their license.

UFT Secretary Michael Mendel

There was much support as the motion was read. However UFT Secretary Mike Mendel opened up with a demagogic rant (my description), saying the points in the motion were not true and advising the delegates to vote it down, which happened.

(The points under dispute were subsequently argued in the hallway with Mendel, who then ceded that the contract did in fact specify excessing rights for teachers in closing schools, however, not to the “closest vacancy” but “within the district.” Mendel’s intervention was purposefully designed to “send a message” to the delegates who follow the lead of Unity Caucus to vote the motion down from appearing on next month's agenda, which they did.)

A motion put up by New Action Caucus reasserting “Dignity for all teachers” was passed. This proposed various support measures for the ATRs but did not address the systemic issue that the ATR pool will continue to grow as long as the DOE is on a school-closing campaign, and until the rights of seniority transfer and excessing transfer have been restored.

Photo credits: http://www.uft.org/files/imagecache/medium/migrated_media/news/teacher/union_history/nyt20100204_56b.jpg
http://www.uft.org/files/imagecache/small/photo/mmendel.jpg

Business as usual at the UFT Delegate Assembly

2011-11-10T19:59:00.001-05:00

The good folks at the GEM/ATR Committee sent us these tidbits of ATR-related news from the meeting of the UFT's Delegate Assembly on Wednesday, November 9. The full report appears on the ICE-UFT blog.

A question was asked about ATRs in District 75 being sent all over the city as it is a citywide district. The answer from Mulgrew was that people should contact the UFT if there are abuses.

The next question was about placing ATRs. The answer was that 212 have been placed.

A question from Marjorie Stamberg was about ATRs voting. The answer was that all members have a right to vote and that the Election Committee was examining the issue. (I didn't even know the Election Committee was active.)

Next up was the motion period. Megan Beherent from TJC (Teachers for a Just Contract) raised a resolution for next month that the UFT mobilize its members to rally for:

1-no new hiring until all ATRs in a license are placed;
2-re-certifying people without loss of tenure in arcane licences
3-auditing DOE hiring for age and race discrimination
4-restoring contractual right to closest vacancy.

There was some discussion about what rights excessed teachers

previously had but Secretary Michael Mendel spoke against this motion saying that the makers of the motion misinterpreted what is going on. He stated that in the past people were placed anywhere in the city and that is no longer the case; he also argued that to re-certify people without going through the legal process would be unprecedented. After his strong plea the resolution failed to get on next month's agenda.

ATR teacher asked to surrender her driver's license to obtain a bathroom key

2011-11-10T19:45:00.001-05:00

Here's the latest from NYCATR's ever-popular Gypsy Teacher.

I was placed at McKee Vocational High School on Staten Island for this week's stint. The school is a vocational high school but unfortunately does not offer a program in my license area.

Truthfully, when I first saw that I was placed at this school I was a bit worried since the rep around the teacher water cooler was that the school is NOT GOOD. It is good though--as much as any city school can claim to be. The classes I covered were a bit noisy but the students were mostly well behaved and respectful. Many of the "shop" classes are double period classes and one day I had 6 classes (3 double periods) but then the next day I had 4 (2 double periods) and the last day I was given only 3 classes to cover. The aide who gave me my program was very nice. I obtained a bathroom key but had to leave my Costco card with her to be picked up at the end of the day as collateral. At first, she requested my license but I balked at that, fearful it may be lost; hence my Costco card was left.

The parking is horrendous and I was forced to put my car in the Municipal Lot which was thankfully only $7 and a block away. One day I was lucky enough to obtain a spot. The school is 5 floors and as a non-elevator person, my legs got a workout. The teacher's lounge is on the 5th floor and offers coffee, bagels and muffins in the morning. There are delis in the area but I chose to bring my lunch.

I never was introduced to the principal or AP. The teachers and staff were very friendly and I have learned to make friends quickly so I have people to eat lunch with. I always need to talk to adults during the day or I will go batty! The school is clean but HOT. The radiators blasted throughout the day and I don't know why since the temperatures were near 70! Someone said the principal is always cold; I am the opposite.

All in all I would not mind working at this school. And my legs would be rock hard! Truthfully, as I pass through schools and meet with former students who transferred I miss having my own class. I miss TEACHING. I don't miss the paper work...yet.

Picture credit: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/09/16/nyregion/license533.jpg

Is the DOE poised to crown an ATR King?

2011-11-09T18:14:00.001-05:00

Is the DOE about to appoint an executive to oversee the Absent Teacher Reserve? An anonymous commentor to NYCATR, and an email correspondent, both report that today they met a man named Ralph Granieri (sp.?) who said that he will become the King of the ATR.

Does anyone know who this fellow is? Is there any truth to this rumor?

Picture credit: http://images.pictureshunt.com/pics/c/crown-3193.gif

GEM/ATR flyer targets UFT delegates

2011-11-08T19:21:00.000-05:00

The GEM/ATR Committee is gearing up for the UFT Delegate Assembly that will be held tomorrow, November 9. The Committee has prepared a flyer, shown below, that it will distribute to delegates as they enter or exit the meeting. Volunteers are requested to make copies of the flier and to distribute them, at UFT central headquarters, 52 Broadway, at the peak times of 3:30-4:30 and 5:30-6:00.

DearDelegates: PLEASESHARE WITH ATRS IN YOUR SCHOOL! EVERYTEACHER IS A POTENTIAL ATR!

ATRswill gather Nov. 16 at 5PM at the Skylight Diner (34th St and 9thAvenue)

OnOct. 22, almost 40 ATRs gathered at the first meeting called by theGEMATR committee, exhilarated at the opportunity to share theirstories and strategies with others, something they felt they had notbeen able to do at the UFT borough ATR meetings. There was discussionof forming committees - publicity, legal, UFT liaison, etc. and acall for a follow-up meeting. Since then, ATRs have shuffled todifferent schools each week and have been issuing great reports onthe blogs. While 10% have been offered provisional jobs, there arestill an estimated 1200 left and with 49 schools on the DOE (don'tfix schools, close them) chopping block, we can expect a massiveinflux of new ATRs next year.

Itwas clear to everyone in the room that only by organizing ATRs intoan effective force could their interests be defended. And that couldonly happen by reaching out to other ATRs and the rest of theteaching corps to educate them – the forty must grow into 400.Since then, the GEMATR committee has received daily requests askingto join the GEMATR Google group. Ifyour only sources of information are the D.O.E dispatches from Tweed,the UFT newspaper or the compliant mass media, you are not gettingthe whole picture.

Someamazing blogs by ATR are out there: nycatr.blogspot.com,chaz11.blogspot.com,travatr.blogspot.com (each week the ATR brilliantly issues his ownrating of the school he was at), iceuftblog.blogspot.com,and ednotesonline.com.The amount of information about the schools ATRs visit offers asnapshot of the school system that is proving embarrassing forBloomberg.

Helpfight off the destructive actions of the DOE done in the name of"school reform", as well as the poor decisions of the UFTleadership resulting in the loss of job protections and theunwarranted closure of over 100 of high schools (& middleschools) over the objections of parents, students, alumni, teachers,community, etc.

Ask ATRs to sign up for the GEMATR google group at gematr@googlegroups.com.
Support the resolution on ATRs co-sponsored by TJC and GEM during the new motion period.
Pass the word to ATRs: Attend the Nov. 16 meeting, 5PM, at the Skylight Diner (34th St and 9th Ave.)

TheGrassroots Education Movement ATRCommittee: gemnyc@gmail.com

A History of Failed Reform, by Marc Epstein

2011-11-07T20:45:00.000-05:00

NYCATR don't take garbage from nobody, but we do take articles that our contributors have previously published in major, national outlets. This one, by the Ronin Teacher, Marc Epstein, was recently published by the Washington Post.

If you follow newspaper accounts about school reform, you can't help but notice that various school reforms that have inundated public education over the past decade of mayoral control of the New York City public schools have failed.

Would you buy a used car from these men?

For years we heard that under the leadership of former Chancellor Joel Klein, appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, corporate-driven school reform had achieved big improvements in standardized test scores.

The boast that reading and math scores had achieved miraculous breakthroughs vanished when Harvard Professor Dan Koretz did a study for the Board of Regents, indicating that the examinations were ineffective. In response to the study, the Board of Regents recalibrated the scores downward. The education miracle was a mirage.

That wasn't the end of the bad news. The New York Times reported that 75 percent of the incoming freshmen to New York's community colleges required remedial instruction.

In another Times article detailing one of those remedial programs, Michael Winerip quoted Nikita Thomas, a forlorn freshman at LaGuardia Community College who had graduated from Bedford Stuyvesant Tech High School. Thomas was compelled to take remedial courses in reading, writing, and math. "Passing the Regents [exams] don't mean nothing.The main focus in high school is to get to graduate; it makes the school look good."

Another signature component of Bloomberg's reforms--small school performance, principal empowerment, and school staffing--can now be included on the list of failures.

Breaking up comprehensive high schools and replacing them with four or more small schools inside the old high school buildings was supposed to be the magic bullet that reversed decades of abysmal graduation rates. This was the thinking that prompted Bill Gates to support the concept with hundreds of millions of his philanthropic dollars.

When Gates abandoned the concept because of meager results and exorbitant costs, former chancellor Joel Klein continued his costly agenda, claiming that New York City was the exception to this failed idea. Klein cited none other than Gates to prove his point. His defense of small schools appeared in a Forbes opinion commentary in 2008:

The Microsoft founder acknowledged that one of the foundation's signature efforts during the past decade--helping to create new small schools across the country--had not significantly improved student achievement in most of those schools. Gates cited one significant exception: New York City.

Here, new small schools have replaced chronically failing institutions, and, in many cases, have dramatically turned around student performance. Gates praised these schools for achieving graduation rates consistently above 75%--often twice the rate of the schools they replaced and nearly 20 points higher than the citywide average. Fifteen percent of all students drop out of school here, while only 5% of those from new small schools do.

These claims have vanished along with Klein, who now runs the education arm at News Corp. According to an analysis by Rachel Monahan of the New York Daily News, the small schools created by Bloomberg prepare students for college at a rate far below the traditional schools, although the small schools can claim higher graduation rates.

"On average, the new schools graduate roughly 70% of students in four years. But just 12% of students who graduate are prepared for college. In contrast, similar schools founded before Mayor Bloomberg assumed office graduate on average 64% of students-- but 17% are college-ready." When confronted with these numbers, the current schools chancellor, Dennis Walcott, admitted the system had to do better and that the students were up to the task.

But the latest news on student performance would indicate that being college ready is the least of the education mayor's problems. The just-released National Assessment of Educational Progress scores for fourth and eighth graders indicates that New York's reading scores remained flat, while math performance declined. New York has the distinction of being the only state in the country to post a decline!

If the Bloomberg-Klein emphasis had been on ensuring that students were "middle school ready," we wouldn't be discussing meaningless high school diplomas and remedial college courses.

So when Newt Gingrich applauded Joel Klein's "brilliant" performance as chancellor at an education forum attended by four of the Republican presidential candidates and hosted by Klein and Paul Gigot, the Wall Street Journal's editorial page editor, it's apparent that the participants neither knew nor cared much about the actual results that school reform has visited on the nation's largest school system.

The business model of school reform was supposed to be the guiding principle informing the multiple reorganizations of the state's largest bureaucracy that employs over 100,000 people. Smashing the old culture was imperative for Bloomberg, who proclaimed that he wanted to be remembered as the education mayor.

To that end, principals were given unprecedented control over their schools, including the hiring of teachers. But reformers encouraged hiring young, lower-paid, teachers over more senior faculty on the faulty assumption that the veterans were ineffective (not to mention more highly paid).

As a result the system has become clogged with roaming senior faculty members who've been evicted from the obsolete high schools. Instead of placing them in other classrooms a rational manner, they have been labeled deadwood and incompetent by Bloomberg, while the myth of the younger, more vibrant and successful teacher has been perpetuated.

The small school results should have put an end to this fiction, since new teachers mostly staff the small schools. Instead, the lunacy of having over 1,000 teachers travel to a new school each week, and attend mandated interviews in schools that won't hire them because they are too "expensive," continues.

In another age, revelations that school reforms are little more than a series of phony claims that cost an extra $100 billion in taxpayer money would have resulted in some sort of political retribution. There would be cries for repealing the mayor's dictatorial control of the schools, or cries for an investigation. Today, this is a one-horse political town.

Six years ago ,The New York Times asked Tom Wolfe to comment on Mayor Mike Bloomberg's proposal to build a multi-billion dollar football-Olympic Stadium over Manhattan's West Side rail yards.

The project never got off the ground. The opposition was too fierce for even Bloomberg's considerable political clout and personal fortune to overcome.

But Wolfe's take on New York is well worth noting if you want to make sense of the chaos that has come to define the New York City school system.

Wolfe argued, tongue in cheek, that even though the stadium project was a wildly indulgent waste of money that could best be used elsewhere, we should go ahead with it anyway since New York has ceased to be a city that really produces anything.

Tom Wolfe

For all intents and purposes, it has become a giant amusement park. "Twenty-first century New York," wrote Wolfe, "is fast becoming what Marshall McLuhan saw almost forty years ago: a one industry town, strictly the pleasure dome business, with a single sales pitch, 'You're Gonna Love Gothamland.' "

If you accept Wolfe's view, and I do, you can begin to understand Bloomberg's seemingly endless dismantling of the public schools over the past 10 years as one big Gothamland extravaganza. Education has nothing to do with it.

Photo credits;

http://parmenides.wnyc.org/media/wp-images/news/files/2009/12/bloomberg-and-kleinforweb.jpg

http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/71176_304821042122_357849_n.jpg

http://fastcache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/7/2008/08/tomwolfe.jpg

Darla reflects on her travels

2011-11-07T19:37:00.000-05:00

Darla, the author of the popular "Darla's ATR Travel Guide," sent in this reflection upon her travels.

The Verrazano Bridge, soon to be renamed ATR Crossing

As an ATR from Staten Island I have only been at one Staten Island school out of all of my selections, while I see that the Brooklyn ATRs are sent to Staten Island. I am not stupid nor are any of us, and when we are told that the computer is the one that selects, we know that that is pure B.S.

We need to make a chart of who is going where and with which license.

I am an English teacher. Only two out of all the schools to which I was sent had an English vacancy--Boys and Girls and New Dorp, to which I applied 3 times with no response. I understand that New Dorp only wants new teachers.

I am going to Automotive High School next week and they said they have an English vacancy.

The High School for Journalism needs an Earth Science teacher.

El Puente has no openings, nor did the ACORN School of Global Studies.

We need to keep track of our travels.

Photo credit: http://untitledname.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/verrazano-narrows-bridge-staten-island-brooklyn.jpg

Gypsy Teacher enjoys Concord grapes

2011-11-05T19:58:00.000-04:00

NYCATR's Gypsy Teacher reports from her latest weekly assignment:

This week I was placed at Concord. This school is a small alternative high school on Staten Island. The school is very small and only has 12 teachers. So what does the DOE do? Send 2 ATRs!

Anyway, this is the first time the principal ever sat down with me and asked me my qualifications and how I may fit into the school if there ever is a vacancy. I don't know if he was pulling my leg but at least an effort was made.

Since the school was so small we spent the time talking and reading in the teacher's lounge. It was very boring. I did cover a few classes in which the students were well behaved and most did the work assigned.The school is clean and there is a deli a couple of blocks away. Parking is excellent. The staff were very nice. So far, I seem to be very lucky that in every school I have been in the staff were very nice and even the administration were very pleasant. I would love to work at this school. Oh, and a bonus is that Friday is a half day for the students and the teachers get out an hour earlier after a staff meeting.

Photo credit: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/concord1.jpg

ATR Resolution to be Presented at November 9 Delegate Assembly

2011-11-05T19:49:00.000-04:00

The following was distributed through the GEM/ATR email group at gematr@googlegroups.com:

This coming Wednesday, November 9, Teachers for a Just Contract will be trying for the second month in a row to get the floor to move the resolution below, co-sponsored with Grassroots Education Movement (GEM). We are asking for help in copying and distributing the resolution. If you are able to make copies and/or come to the Delegate Assembly, please contact TJC at JustContractUFT@aol.com. The Delegate Assembly is located at UFT Headquarters, 52 Broadway, Manhattan. The meeting begins at around 4:15. People are needed for distribution from around 3:30 pm until around 5 pm.

Resolution to Solve the ATR Crisis

November 2011

For Next Month’s Agenda

Resolved: The UFT will mobilize all members to rally at Tweed & City Hall at the earliest possible date, to demand:

1. Until Every ATR within a license has a position, no new hiring in that license.

2. ATRs with arcane licenses, or licenses in which there are few positions, be allowed to recertify in new licenses without loss of tenure or seniority. Those who have comparable and valid state licenses should be grandfathered into those state licenses.

3. Audit principals’ hiring for possible race and age discrimination.

4. Restore the contractual right of excessed teachers to the closest vacancy in their license.

Cruel and Unusual Reassignment

2011-11-03T20:47:00.000-04:00

Can you imagine trying to get to work, by public transportation, from Brooklyn's Cobble Hill to Gaynor McCown Expeditionary Learning School in Staten Island? The DOE must think it's easy, because that's what they asked ATR Philip Nobile to do this week, his second trek to S.I in three weeks. For example, McCown is 19.65 miles and 2 hours and 5 minutes via public transportation from his street in Cobble Hill. And the starting time is 7:45 A.M. Nobile got so frustrated that he wrote the following letter to the UFT's Michael Mulgrew (President), Michael Mendel (Secretary), LeRoy Barr (Staff Director), Howard Schoor (Brooklyn Borough Representative), Thomas Bennett (Basis HS representative), and Amy Arundel (Special Representative).

Dear Colleagues:

Something must be done about sending ATRs in Brooklyn District 76 to high schools in the the far reaches of Staten Island.

Cobble Hill, Brooklyn

For example, Tottenville H. S. is 19.3 miles and 2 hours and 8 minutes via public transportation from my street in Cobble Hill. It's farther and longer for others. Four-hour commutes amount to cruel and unusual reassignment.

Tottenville, HS, Staten Island

Granted the vast unpopularity of the DOE's algorithm that turns teachers into perpetual motion machines, the UFT could do a good deed for the least of its brethren by contacting the DOE asap to negotiate an end to unconscionable treks to Staten Island. Can we count on you?

Thanks for your consideration,

Philip

Photo credits:

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/04/23/realestate/23livi.600.jpg

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSo5qeTYfEaz7xCFbFfi6z2GkVDQ_sJaak21YScs6EtmiX_GKQ1_Q

Guess who reads NYCATR?

2011-11-02T20:39:00.003-04:00

NYCATR recently published a report from an ATR teacher in the Bronx who was removed from the classroom and relegated to office duty after he was "implicated" in an "incident"; the "implication" consisted of a parent's complaint that her child had been pushed (but not injured) by another student while standing on line, an "incident" that was neither observed by nor reported to the ATR teacher at the time of its "occurrence."

We have often complained that the UFT pays little attention to the misery of ATR teachers. In this case, at least, we must admit our error. Less than 24 hours after the posting of the aforementioned report, NYCATR received an email from Amy Arundell, the UFT's Special Representative who has addressed ATR issues a number of times. Here is Ms. Arundel's message:

I was very concerned when I read the post named above. I have never received an email from any member describing anything of the sort that is described here. It is a very disturbing anecdote and I would like to assist the member. Although the school is named, there are four schools - PS 153, one in each borough except SI.

If you can contact the person and make sure she/he has my correct contact details, I would appreciate it.

NYCATR responded with appreciation for the concern; we also took advantage of the opportunity to whisper a few sweet somethings into the ear of a well-placed UFT representative. Here is NYCATR's response:

Dear Ms. Arundell,

Thank you for your concern about the ATR teacher who was removed from his teaching post after being "implicated" in an "incident." I have forwarded your message to the teacher.

I am glad to hear that you are not satisfied that ATR teachers "have a job," regardless of how demeaning that job might be. Just yesterday, a UFT representative visited the school where I now have (after three years in the ATR) a provisional position. When I raised with him the ATR issue, his response was that the UFT saved their jobs. When I countered that being shifted from school to school on a weekly basis is a miserable existence, he simply repeated that the UFT saved their jobs. When I asked if saving jobs was the sole reason d'etre of the UFT, he repeated, once again, that the UFT saved the jobs of the ATR teachers. I hope you understand why I was extremely disappointed with this gentleman's responses.

Respectfully,

Joseph Moses

Picture credit: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/images/tearchermailbox4c.gif