What Do Teachers Think? Educators4Excellence Want To Know!

Today, Uncle Mike Bloomberg, announced with pride that over 40% of teachers were denied tenure this past school year. That number was up from 11% the year before. Ironically, in Uncle Mike's pronouncement he failed to see how under his auspices he has hired 42% of the teachers he has hired on the last three years don't make the cut. In fact, more irony is that he has touted, along with all his shills, that teachers are most effective within their first three years of teaching.

Along with Uncle Mike's news today, noted lackies Little Evan Stone and his babe, Princess Sydney Morris and their deformer front organization Educators4Excellence, came out with a statement. To wit;

"We applaud Mayor Bloomberg's efforts to make tenure decisions more meaningful and look forward to offering feedback from teachers on how to improve the process even further.  What we learned from this year's effort is that teachers need more transparency about how decisions are made and the process must be standardized across all schools.  That way we can truly ensure being awarded tenure is a significant professional milestone for educators."

Excuse me while I rattle the fence that Princess Sydney and Little Evan are straddling, but I have an issue with the second part of his Tweed approved statement. Please don't give me the transparency crap. If you wish to use already debunked value added assessments, how can you say that as well as claiming a standardized process when each kid, in each class, in each school, all across the city is fundamentally different? It doesn't matter if you lump them all into the same demographics, the same poverty levels, the same wealth levels, the same gender crap, whatever. What happens behind closed doors teachers, administrators,  even God who has bestowed us with freewill can not be controlled.

See Princess Sydney and Little Evan, you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. You and your ilk have been so specious and disengenous that your very own Blog Monkey™, Ruben Brosbe got caught up in it.

But you brought up a very good point. What do other teachers think? The crack team earlier this evening contacted several teachers and asked them what they think. We here at SBSB would like to thank these teachers for taking the time to speak with the crack team and allow their names to be used.

Teaching was a second career for me. Well, actually a first career. I was in a physcially abusive marriage and when I finally got the nerve to leave my husband I went back to school to become a teacher. My children were so proud of me. I worked so hard the last three years. This year the parents of my 3rd grade class threw me a wedding shower. I was so touched. I felt I made a difference. But I was in shock when I was denied tenure.


Gertrude Smith, 37, Massepequa, NY

Wow, second career for me. Right now my wife is undetgoing chemotherepy, she has stage 4 cancer. My children are scared about losing their mom and know worried that I will be losing my job. I really sacrificed a lot for my students. I had 31 students in my 5th grade class and 3 serious behavior problems. I hope things work out for me.


Jeff Smith, 44, Teaneck, NJ

Hehehe. Oh well. I tried. I am leaving teaching anyway. Never was staying more than 4 years. I will move back to my parents hom in Scarsdale, maybe start a business with my sorority sisters from Dartmouth. Daddy promised me he will give me money for that. And I plan to troll medical schools for a husband.

Penelope Smith, 26, TFA '08 Scarsdale, NY and East Hampton NY July 1-September 1


Huh, I deserve tenure. No wait. I don't deserve tenure. Wait, that was wrong. I truly deserve tenure. No, that was wrong. I think I don't deserve not to deserve but should deserve not getting tenure.

Ruben Brosbe, 26, Blog Monkey™, Upper East Side


I have a mortgage to pay, one child of mine is autistic and we send him to special needs school, the other child is not yet in school and we pay a babysitter because my wife needs to work. I know I am young, but this is my career and I am getting caught up in this political BS. It is not fair.


Dave Smith, 31, Dobbs Ferry, NY

So there you have it. Five teachers who took the time to speak with the crack team here at SBSB. Princess Sydney, Little Evan, stop fu**ing with people's lives.