Nightingale meets Newspeak

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

RED ALERT FOR ATR TEACHERS: Check your DOE email daily!

A public service announcement from a teacher named G.:

I am writing this to alert ATR teachers to the potential for a poorly communicated assignment from the Human Resources department.

Today is Thursday, October 13, 2011. Last Thursday, I received my assignment from my DOE email for this past week. I thought my week's assignment was set. This past Tuesday and Wednesday, I went to the school I was told to report to in the email. 

I don't check my DOE email everyday. This past Wednesday night, October 12th, I happened to check my DOE email. To my surprise and my chagrin, I saw a new email from HR that had been sent on Friday, October 14, 2011 after 3:30PM! It stated that I should IGNORE the first email and report to a different school on Tuesday, October 11th.

This morning, Thursday, Oct. 13th, I called the first school to let them know I wouldn't be there and why. Then I reported to the second school and explained why I hadn't reported for the last two days. I called HR during my lunch and spoke with a rep. I think everything is corrected now. The payroll secretary at the present school entered my days on my time card.

I will now check my DOE email and the DHR link (https://www.nycenet.edu/offices/dhr/transferplane/) every day. "Fool me once..."

Shame, Shame, Shame

    For once, I agree with the New York Post: it really is a shame that Mayor Bloomberg's proposed teacher layoffs would hit hardest at schools in the city's poorest neighborhoods.  

    You know what else is a shame?  It's a shame that an ATR that I know, who has a clean record, has been trying for the last two and a half years to find a permanent position in just about any school in Brooklyn, Queens or lower Manhattan--including in neighborhoods where local residents warned him it might be dangerous for him to work.

     It's a shame that this ATR applied for positions through the Department of Education's Open Market online system but often received no reply--even from schools that must be desperate for good teachers.  

     It's a shame that this ATR spent hours at DOE job fairs with no serious interviews to justify his time.  One principal told him to his face that she was not interested in him--because he was tenured!

     It's a shame that two other principals seemed just about ready to hire this teacher--until they called the Human Resources department and were told to hire someone else; one guesses that they were told to hire someone younger, untenured, and with a lower salary.  

     And yes, it's a shame that this talented ATR may finally get a position at a school in a troubled neighborhood only because a talented younger teacher--with less seniority--might be laid off.  

    I know all about this ATR, because he is me.  I also know that the biggest shame is that Mayor Bloomberg seems more interested in changing the way layoffs are carried out, and less interested in preventing them.