"Even hotter is the buzz about what to do with teachers who get paid for staying outside the classroom."Explain yourself Matt. You mean the literacy coach? The math coach? These people are integral parts of the school community. They work with, especially new teachers, on setting up curriculum, letting all teachers know the latest in their fields and are a vital part of the school community. Surely you don't mean reading specialists, or ESL teachers. Aren't they vital to the school community as well?
But what makes one wonder is why are you contradicting yourself Matt? The crack SBSB investigation team has uncovered this from the New York Times, February 19, 2006:
"It’s a huge phenomenon,” said Matt Polazzo, the coordinator of student affairs at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, referring to the compulsive habit of teenagers to snap everything in their lives, especially self-portraits. “Just yesterday I had a girl sitting on the couch in my office...."Curious, you had an out of classroom position, and with an office no less. Matt, you are contradicting yourself here aren't you?
"The controversy was stirred up by Stephen Brill's article "The Rubber Room," featured in the Aug. 31 New Yorker. It shows the incredible lengths the United Federation of Teachers has gone to protect bad teachers."Yeah, incredible lengths the UFT goes through. Yes, I agree there are bad teachers out there, there are teachers that physically and have sexually abused children. But, they are all allowed due process. But Matty, what about the teachers who are there because the blew the whistle? Who just didn't get along with the principal? It is so, so, so easy for a principal, if she or he doesn't like you, to get you in the Rubber Room. Perhaps you should check out rubberroomovie.com.
Oh, and as far as quoting and taking anything Stephen Brill has to say, remember this is the man who wanted to show students commercials in class. Consider the source.
Define incompetence. Please. Or better yet, define why you think you are so wonderful.
"On top of that, a giant pool of educators who have lost their jobs due to budget cuts and incompetence are paid full salaries not to teach - and this separate reserve pool contains over 1,100 members."
"In my 11 years in the system, I have seen a teacher drag a boy down the stairs by his ankles, seen a teacher break down and start weeping when asked a basic question about chemistry and seen far more who do an absolutely minimal amount of work and dole out high grades to keep students content."Do you know the context in which the boy was dragged by the ankles? If you know this did you report it? As far as the chemistry teacher weeping, what was the question Matt? Are you one hundred percent sure his license was chemistry? Do you know that principals have had the tendency in the past to have teachers teach out of license. Do you have all the facts? As for as doing a minimal amount of work, define minimal? How do you know this? As far as teachers doling out high grades I suggest you look at the credit recovery so espoused by Tweed and the controversy going on at Lehman High School now. Isn't that more shocking Matt?
"It is the gigantic and ridiculous 165-page UFT contract, which is relentlessly defended by union leaders. The contract expired Saturday; negotiations are underway to replace it."Hey Matt make you a deal. If and ever you are brought into your principal's office, or are investigated, do not take any advantage of your chapter chair, or any legal services the UFT might offer you. But you won't. You will be the first to whine and beg for the UFT to take care of you.
"Then he told me that I should grade student work based solely on how neat the penmanship was. I looked at the work he had evaluated in this manner and saw that he had given a 100 to a student who claimed that Abraham Lincoln had won the Revolutionary War. This teacher got three times my salary."If true, wrong, but again you do not supply the context. As far as making 3X your salary, SBSB has done some math. You have been teaching about 9-10 year so your salary is somewhere around 65K. So for this teacher to be making 3X your salary the teacher must be raking in.....HOLY SHIT!!!! That teacher is making $195,000!!!! Psst, Matt, does Bloomy know this????
It is alike this all over the country, even in Scarsdale.
"If you are a New York City teacher, your pay is still determined almost entirely by the number of years you teach as well as your education level."
"The contract mentions only two year-end ratings for a teacher: Satisfactory and Unsatisfactory. No other ranking is covered and thus allowed for."Wrong!!! There is also N/A. Dang, Matt read the contract!!!
"An assistant principal once told me that she got in trouble with the union for suggesting that the principal rate a teacher Excellent. "No such rating," said the union rep."Oh Matt, there is room on the year end evaluation for the principal to write in comments. But, you must want a "kisses ass so freaking well, and asks how high when asked to jump" rating.
"We must insist that a new contract contain three key provisions. The contract must allow administrators to fire bad teachers, give them the power to hire any teacher they want, and give administrators flexibility in setting the pay of their teachers."
In closing Matt, you really know how to make friends. You need, and will want the contract there for you if you are ever in a jam. You are a blatant hypocrite of the worse kind. Go slither back to the rock you crawled out under.
You are a blogger who has not seen what force lies are met with. Please check the Daily News column to see what happens when ad-hominem attacks are the response to the opinion piece. The first piece of contradiction lies in the fact that you point out that Matthew Polazzo was the former Coordinator of Student Affairs and was therefore a teacher outside the classroom. Unlike perhaps the COSA in your school, at Stuyvesant High School, the COSA is a teacher who teaches at least four classes a day and also devotes their last period and after-school time to work as the COSA, and yes in an office. Also, in terms of reading comprehension, when Matthew Polazzo refers to teachers outside the classroom, you clear well know that he is referring to teachers in the rubber rooms. You are also an educator who is complacent with the way things remain in the New York City Educational system. Unfortunately, as the citizens of this city realize the terrible quality of education they are being forced to deal with, they will take action by voting and by demanding reform. You shouldn't defend the UFT contract as it stands in dealing with poor teachers. The contract may very well protect teachers from abusive administrators and from being forced out because of false accusations, neither Matthew Polazzo nor anyone else is demanding for these provisions to be removed, nor should they ever be removed, all we are asking for is a different regulatory measure by which to insure quality teaching.
ReplyDeleteSo this is a blog by a teacher that likes to spend time ranting about their own personal feelings than perfecting on a lesson plan and grading papers? Shows how much of a teacher we're dealing with.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Matt is advocating for the students, not for your union, not for teachers that don't deserve their pay. Just because he disagrees with the tyrannical position of the UFT doesn't mean he loves Joel Klein. The only thing I can make out from this post is petty little arguments like "it's not just unsatisfactory and satisfactory, there's also N/A!!!!!! That makes all of your arguments wrong!!!!" Also, you might want to try to read the New Yorker article. Due process for removing a teacher form the system is twice as long as convicting a criminal from the justice system. Is that really due process, or just the UFT using its bullying political power to satisfy its union? From looking at your blog, it looks like you're right in bed with the UFT, for which you depend on so you can spend more time blogging than teaching children and imbuing them with an enthusiasm for learning.
I stopped reading at "Do you know the context in which the boy was dragged by the ankles?"
ReplyDelete...Is there any context in whcih this is appropriate? If you think so, should you really be teaching?
Wow, you are right. That did not come out right. Thank you for pointing that out to me. I was trying to ask, for more information. As did what happened after wards. Again, I apologize.
ReplyDeleteYou really are an unstable nitwit, aren't you? Previous commenters have addressed the level of contempt you have for your readers, displayed most evidently by feeding them lines you know to be false. I want to let you know about Mr. Matthew Polazzo's status at the school where he teaches. He is not the one who, to quote your shambling attempt at the English language, "asks how high when asked to jump." He is a noted advocated for students, and easily one of the most controversial teachers with the administration. To be frank, were it not for the quality of the education which his students receive, administrators granted the powers he recommends would likely have Matt Polazzo tossed out of their schools. But you can't understand that. You can't understand someone who has devoted themselves to efficient education, because you are too complacent with the encumbrance of the UFT's bullet-proof shield for every teacher. There is not a single school in the city that would not benefit from an easier, better negotiated, and modern union contract.
ReplyDeleteComplacent? Is this today's word? Have you bothered to read the entire blog? See how complacent I am. Gee whiz!
ReplyDeleteYou only need support from the UFT if you're incompetent and I think you speak from experience.
ReplyDeleteOh please.
ReplyDeleteJust popping up here to say: please take another look at the article; the online Daily News put Polazzo's article up in a half-baked way (hence, the non-cohesive and obvious editing errors). The print version, on the other hand, got the full article.
ReplyDeleteJust give it another glance, it makes more sense. Now, I won't know if your opinion would be changed in any way, though...
How can anyone in their right mind say a person only needs union help if they are incompetent. This person is not worth arguing with. I would just stop responding.
ReplyDeleteAHAHAHAHAHAHAH you idiot. your user name says it all: southbronxschool. your arguments are as terrible, incomprehensibe, and utterly broken as your district's schools.
ReplyDeleteAbout the 3 times his salary thing, remember that the article said that was during Mr. Polazzo's first year teaching. Do the math now genius.
ReplyDeleteAnd in what context can giving 100 to a student who claimed Abraham Lincoln had won the Revolutionary War be considered as justified?
Finally, props to you Montesquieu.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any idea who Matt Polazzo really is? As a student of his, I do, and he’s not only a great teacher, he’s one of the only ones that understands what’s good for students and is willing to stand up for it, even if it would hurt him. He has nothing to gain from this position, and if what he advocated came to pass, he would actually stand to lose. Maybe that doesn’t say anything about his position, but it certainly says a lot about him.
ReplyDeleteA few points: in most businesses, if someone gets laid off, well, tough luck, but if that person is good, he or she will be able to find a new job. Why isn’t it the same for teachers, for whom it arguably matters much more that they are competent—because, honestly, what is more important than education? Maybe that’s a little harsh—I agree teachers should have some form of due process, or protection from vindictive principals—but that’s not something that’s available to most people in the business world. Why is teaching, of all things, the profession that has no accountability, no way to make sure students are getting what they deserve from teachers who would not be fired in a week if the teaching world at all resembled the real world?
Another commenter already addressed your misunderstandings about “teachers who get paid for staying outside the classroom” and the teacher making three times his salary. As to the teachers who dragged a student down the stairs or started crying when asked a chemistry question, these are clearly few and far between, at least at Stuyvesant, though I don’t think in either of these cases you need much context to see that there’s a problem. Even at Stuyvesant, though, I have had my share of teachers who “do an absolutely minimal amount of work and dole out high grades to keep students content.”
In⋅com⋅pe⋅tence. Noun. (1) “The quality or condition of being incompetent; lack of ability.” In this case, lack of ability to teach. Do you need a definition of “teach”? (How about, “puts in at least a moderate amount of effort to ensure students are learning and understanding what they are expected to?”)
“Your pay is still determined almost entirely by the number of years you teach as well as your education level.” Just because they do it in Scarsdale doesn’t mean it’s right.
Oh, my, there’s an N/A too. Well, I guess Mr. Polazzo was wrong—there really is a way to evaluate teachers!
“Go slither back to the rock you crawled out under”? Really? You can’t even form a fifth-grade-level insult coherently? Each word I read convinces me further that you are exactly the kind of teacher that is the problem in the system, exactly the kind that would be the first to go if anything like what Mr. Polazzo proposes came about. No wonder you can’t abide his suggestions that it be possible to fire incompetent teachers: you’d be out of your easy, comfortable job.
How about this: double teachers’ starting salaries, and in exchange, make teaching less of a cushy lifetime job in which people have no incentive to do a good job, and more like a business in which what workers do actually matters. Teachers like the author of this blog have gotten so used to the protections they have that they are no longer able to see how unreasonable those protections are, how counter to the very purpose of the existence of teachers, which is to help students learn. These teachers need to stop hiding behind their union contract and come out into the light of day so they can be judged on their merits, or lack of them, and be rewarded or dealt with accordingly.
I feel sorry for whoever you are teaching, you are one of the most dishonest bloggers I have ever seen. You have blatantly misconstrued facts, by taking them out of context and then recreating your own context for them. Not only is that the classic move of a weasel it is also hypocritical. You keep complaining about how Polazzo doesn't provide context and then you only let the reader see one sentence at a time, WITHOUT THE CONTEXT that Polazzo did provide. I'm not going to take the time to respond to the rest of your nonsense since there are just too many problems and lies to point out that it would take all day. Frankly, I have better things to do than talk to someone of your academic caliber.
ReplyDeleteP.S you are nothing by a union lap dog.
While I disagree with your arguments against Mr. Polazzo's point of view, I respect your right to voice your opinion. It is unfortunate though, that you have constructed your argument in such an ad hominem way. "You need, and will want the contract there for you if you are ever in a jam. You are a blatant hypocrite of the worse kind." How can you call him a hypocrite for something he hasn't done yet? You can't assume that he wont stick by his word. Furthermore, he called for the reconstruction of the contract, why do you assume that a new contract would not contain some of the same protections for teachers? Eliminating lawyers for teachers wasn't one of the three proposed provisions.
ReplyDeleteI'm a teacher in Astoria and I'm also disgusted by the way poor teachers are protected under the current contract. While Mr. Polazzo's article was harsh it was an OPINION piece. He's entitled to his opinion and teachers like him wouldn't feel this way if the UFT did more to police their own.
ReplyDeleteThe author of this blog made a mistake. You obviously got so angry as you read that your common sense and attention to detail flew out the window. Mr. Polazzo's statement of another teacher making 3x his salary is entirely possible. In the FULL article it's apparent he's talking about his first year teaching ten years ago. His salary would have been somewhere in the low $30,000. A senior teacher would easily be making almost $90,000.
Anyone so willing to furiously write on their blog should take a minute to breath and double check their facts. SBSB, I'm glad you don't work at my school...and I hope you don't teach math. Or common sense.
A lot of sleazy things have been going on in the school system during the past few years.
ReplyDeleteI would love to know how Mr. Polazzo would deal with Ms. Warthergle:
http://nyceducator.com/2009/10/another-true-story-from-darkest-doe.html
You are an example of everything that is wrong with incompetent teachers. You are like the teacher "who had given a 100 to a student who claimed that Abraham Lincoln had won the Revolutionary War." Not only did you completely fail to interpret Mr. Polazzo's piece, you are focusing your blog on the wrong things, the trivial things that don't count. I am utterly disgusted by your blatant misuse of information. Not only was your blog post completely uninformative, you are just a UFT sycophantic suck-up. You do nothing here but bash Mr. Polazzo with the more far-fetched and obvious of points. Go slither back to the rock you crawled out under.
ReplyDeleteExplain yourself Matt. You mean the literacy coach? The math coach?...
@He explained himself full well if you read the damn article--teachers in the rubber room; teachers getting paid full time to play cards for 6.5 hours...
Curious, you had an out of classroom position, and with an office no less. Matt, you are contradicting yourself here aren't you?
@You know full well he means rubber-room teachers.
Perhaps you should check out rubberroomovie.com.
@What? You back up your claims with some nonsense movie? Is that how they taught you do support your arguments when you were in school?
Define incompetence. Please. Or better yet, define why you think you are so wonderful.
@Incompetence is your blog post. He didn't make any comments about his post. He is merely expressing his disgust at the incompetence of teachers. By your train of thought, a parent who complains must also express why they are wonderful?
As far as the chemistry teacher weeping, what was the question Matt?
@"What was the question Matt?" You're kidding me right? You focus way too much on the things that aren't important.
Hey Matt make you a deal. If and ever you are brought into your principal's office, or are investigated, do not take any advantage of your chapter chair, or any legal services the UFT might offer you. But you won't. You will be the first to whine and beg for the UFT to take care of you.
@Maybe Mr. Polazzo is man enough to stand up for himself. You're a full grown person. Have some pride; if you're incompetent, go find something else. Earn a living on your own merit; don't freeload off society.
If true, wrong, but again you do not supply the context. As far as making 3X your salary, SBSB has done some math. You have been teaching about 9-10 year so your salary is somewhere around 65K...
@This part pissed me off the most. Quote-on-quote "My first year of teaching". It shows just how little attention you paid to Mr. Polazzo's op-ed. 'Nuff said.
"The contract mentions only two year-end ratings for a teacher: Satisfactory and Unsatisfactory. No other ranking is covered and thus allowed for."
Wrong!!! There is also N/A. Dang, Matt read the contract!!!
@Dang, A Teacher in the Bronx, you're an idiot for even mentioning N/A.
Oh Matt, there is room on the year end evaluation for the principal to write in comments. But, you must want a "kisses ass so freaking well, and asks how high when asked to jump" rating.
@No shit. The man has been teaching for over ten years; he is revered by his students as a ridiculously good and engaging social studies teacher, which is probably more than you'll ever have.
In closing Matt, you really know how to make friends. You need, and will want the contract there for you if you are ever in a jam. You are a blatant hypocrite of the worse kind. Go slither back to the rock you crawled out under.
@He is a teacher and a student advocate. There are many teachers who are compassionate enough about their jobs and the students who aren't afraid to step up for what is right.
I pity you.
"You are like the teacher "who had given a 100 to a student who claimed that Abraham Lincoln had won the Revolutionary War." Not only did you completely fail to interpret Mr. Polazzo's piece"
ReplyDeleteLet's have the name of the social studies supervisor who allows this. Matt takes the easy way out by attacking the contract instead of putting the blame where it really lies if this is so.
Your attempts to discredit Mr. Polazzo are laughable at best and utterly embarrassing at worst. As a child of public schools and an employee in one, I know full well the level of incompetency present, and Mr. Polazzo makes several valid points. You, on the other hand, should take your own advice and stop "suckling at the sphincter" of the UFT. You are disgusting...and I probably work with you. Shame.
ReplyDeleteHaven't laughed so much in a while! Thank you, A Teacher in the Bronx!
ReplyDeleteP.S. You might want to check spelling, punctuation, and grammar--otherwise the humor doesn't flow as well.