Gypsy Teacher plays bathroom monitor

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

The UFT 1% turns a deaf ear

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