House of Cards

John Deacon's house of cards just might be starting to fall. This is inevitable. Anytime you create something and at its root are lies, subterfuge, duplicity, when you create your own reality, the foundation will eventually start showing cracks and it will all crumble. It is starting to happen. Look what happened to Nixon.

The first salvo has been fired. Our district rep and the safety rep from the Bronx UFT came in on Thursday. The district rep, Mrs Claus truly understands the contract and when she fights for you goes all out. Unfortunately, and we as a chapter feel that at times, she picks and chooses her battles. On the other hand the safety rep, Lara Croft has a take no prisoners mentality, believes that the proverbial foot should be pressed on the proverbial neck and you don't let up until you get what you want. That there are no gray areas. Mrs Claus feels this way to most of the time, but when things get as desperate as they have at my school there is no time for talking, only time for action.

Which brings us to this coming Monday. There is a grievance hearing at DOE offices on Chambers St. This is concerning the lack of the SAVE room, which according to New York State education law and chancellor's regulation A-443 we MUST have. This is not open to interpretation. So why does John Deacon not settle this? It, at least it should be, open and shut. Whatever John Deacon says it will be a lie. My prediction: It is settled before a ruling. They don't want to leave a messy trail of a precedent. But if we win, this will be in my estimation, just the beginning. And this is not a victory for the teachers, this will be a victory for the children. The children will start coming first in the school. Because right now the children aren't. The only people being taken care of is the administration of the school. They are looking only to bolster their egos, their self esteem, to justify their own meaningless existence. They do not care one iota about the children in my school.

The only people in that school who care, who truly give of themselves and want to make a difference are the teachers of my school. They are all very good teachers. But we are getting tired of being pissed on, of being treated like chattel, of seeing people in positions of authority that not only don't have the skills to be in their positions, but don't lead, or earn our respect.

But we need to stick together as a chapter. John Deacon has tried to divide and conquer the chapter. We need to hold steadfast, to look out for one another, to keep the foot pressed on the throat. Too often we get teachers who are afraid, which I understand, because they do not have tenure. But when you stand up for yourself not only can you look at yourself in the mirror, but the bully will back down. Not to get mushy here, but I believe that if your motives are pure, that if you are on the side of right that God will always look out and take care of you. OK, end the sappy background music.

Keep filing the grievances, file all paperwork that we must, keep your feet firmly planted in the ground. The squeaky wheel always gets oiled. Or as they say in Brooklyn, "erled". Funny, huh?