Teacher Season

I have been holding my tongue since Reichsführer Bloomberg opened that hole underneath his nose and announced as if he were the Burning Bush, "that the state should place a one-year limit of teachers in the reserve pool," and something he could also press for in the contract.

Is he serious? Think about this. If this ever goes through, it is open season on any tenured, over forty, making too much money, thinks for themselves teacher in the system. Ya think the principals wield the absolute power without any reason now? Just wait until they have the unfettered power this will give them.

A principal doesn't like the cut of your jib? Well there is reason enough for a principal to start writing you up, throw letters in your file, which you can not grieve thanks to the 2005 bending over Randi Weingarten did on our behalf.

Has a teacher been a thorn in the side of the administration? Let's start showing up in the classroom every day and find anything, or everything wrong. Students didn't answer question correctly, too much student movement, not implementing the WORKSHOP MODEL during phys ed. The spaghetti theory in teacher evaluation will be used. Throw it all against the wall, and if it sticks it is good.

A teacher makes too much money and the principal wants to get some young, cheap blood in? Turn a handshake between a teacher and a student into a corporal punishment accusation. Sure, why not, teachers are no good.

What gets me is right now when a teacher is brought up on charges 99% of the time there is a settlement offer made before the hearing. Basically boils down to sign this, pay a huge fine spread over 18 months, take a course, oh and here is the kicker. The teacher signs the settlement with prejudice. Meaning, that the teacher has no future right to civil action against the DOE. If a teacher is so incompetent, why settle? And why the fear of any future litigation?

But, where again is Mike Mulgrew? Mike, we are waiting. It is so simple to save face and do the right thing. Just say ten simple words, "we won't accept any contract in which ATR's are sacrificed." C'mon Mike, just say it. You can do it.