DTOE General Meeting October 1, 2014

 

Come one, come all, to the next..................


DTOE GENERAL MEETING!!!!

Yes, back by popular demand it is the grassroots Don't Tread on Educators general meeting!

When? This Wednesday, October 1st, 2014.


Where? 87-22 52nd Ave in Elmhurst, Queens

Time: 5-8 PM EDT

Directions: Take the R, M, or E train to Grand Ave

Tell Francesco Frank Sinatra Jr sent you and get a glass of Ouzo on the house!


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BREAKING NEWS!!! Para Harassed at MS 61 in Brooklyn!

It seems that MS 61 in Brooklyn is turning into quite the soap opera. A dangerous soap opera.

For those who don't know or need reminding, MS 61 has been in the news lately due to the diligence of retired teacher Jeff Storobinsky and his Facebook group, Money Over Age.

First some background.

A former colleague at MS 61 who in the last six months had suffered a stroke and currently was undergoing chemo treatments, had passed away suddenly and in his grief he posted this on his the MOA page.

We all handle death in different ways. Some mourn privately, some want to mourn with others. Jeff clearly was in mourning. What came next was not part of the mourning process.

Jeff's fiance still is employed at 61 as a para. She has taken a lot of heat for being Jeff's fiance and being close and that is probably par for the course. We here at SBSB have no problem, as we are sure his fiance doesn't, that if yo
u don't want to be her friend, don't want to socialize with her that is fine. Let her do her job, let her work in a safe environment, and just be courteous to her.

This morning, September 24, 2014 Jeff's fiance Marisol found the following attached to her time card;

Take your time reading it and take even more time to put your eyeballs back in their sockets. Yes, even The Crack Team blushed.

Marisol is beside herself. She immediately left the building and headed home to the safe embrace of Jeff where she still remains.

Jeff, a Jew, in all probability will forgo celebrating the 2nd holiest day of the Jewish calendar in order to accompany Marisol tomorrow as they meet with NYPD detectives. Already this deviant has kept Jeff from partaking in the celebrations which will mark the beginning of 5775. Perhaps while at the local NYPD precinct Jeff might be able to seek solace in hearing the distant sounds of the Shofar from Williamsburg.

But where will the solace and safety come from for Marisol? How long will she have to be looking over her shoulder? For how long must she be escorted to and from her car? Will she be safe alone in parts of the school? In the bathroom? Walking out of her house?

Will there be a real investigation or will this be poo-pooed? We here at SBSB call for a independent investigation posthaste. This is not the type of thing that should happen in a school but sadly it is indicative of so many more problems which seem be just swept under the rug.

One thing we do know is that this incident never would have happened if the atmosphere at MS 61 wasn't so toxic.

Rubber Room is Death Row

There was a parole, or maybe a commutation, today at the Zerega Ave Rubber Room.

As mentioned the other day, Rudy Baylor as reported here on Monday, received a new suit, a bus ticket and a ride to the deep end of the ATR pool courtesy of our friends at the DOE. We all bade him a fond farewell, wished him the best and went back to waiting. And waiting, and waiting for whatever fate awaits us.

Now there are 11 of us left. Coincidentally, we are all, we the exception of one (Who happens to be on the cusp of 40), over the age of 40. The vast majority are male and/or of color. But all of us share a few similarities. We are independent of mind and counting the days.

Two weeks ago I wrote about Tito Landrum and how OSI came for him. The poor guy has his meeting just a few days ago and he has been a wreck. He is walking around the last few days in a fog, just in shock. Almost 20 years in the system and it can all go down the toilet because anything a child says is gospel and teachers are deemed guilty unless they have the fight in them to prove themselves innocent after being kicked in the face for months.

Last year I wrote about my lack of human contact where I was assigned. In some ways that was better than I have it now. In a surreal way the Rubber Room at Zerega Ave resembles, rather is, Death Row. Death and doom are all around me. At least at 4360 Broadway I could create my own fantastical world.

That's what it's like. We sit around day after day, week after week and so on and wonder when our doom is coming or if will we get a last minute call to save us. Worse, we sit there wondering if this is all some kind of dream that we can't yet wake ourselves out of. 

We are in a large lunchroom with is akin to the day room in the pod on Death Row. A dozen people who didn't know one another before thrown into this Kafkaesque rabbit hole sit there and do nothing other than read the paper, read a book, sleep, or dream of a better place for themselves.

Since there are about a half dozen networks at Zerega and 3 district offices the building is always buzzing. People (As it is their right), come in and out of the lunchroom we are confined to mostly polite to us but mostly ignored, as if they can catch what we have; DOE Cooties.

The DOE wants to break us, destroy us, and be rid of us. The only difference between the Rubber Room and Gitmo is that the prisoners of Gitmo are treated with more respect and have better accommodations. We get what? A hard plastic chair that is not made to be sat in for nearly seven hours and a hard dirty table.

And like Gitmo, the longer we are held without knowing why or having our cases adjudicated, one becomes more radical in their thinking and more resentful to those responsible for their imprisonment.

Dignity and respect go without saying, but sadly it is going without.

Amnesty International, where are you guys?

What Would Campbell, Mona, and Sam Have to Say?

Some interesting news came across the SBSB news desk today.

A teacher, let's call him, Rudy Baylor, was teaching a class one day and reached from behind to hand a 7th grade female student a piece of paper. The student was sitting with several of her female friends. It seemed all pretty routine, huh?

The next thing Rudy knows is that he is being accused of improperly touching this girl. How? The young lady claimed that when Rudy bent down ever so slightly to hand her the paper his dingy touched the back of her shoulder.

The girl immediately reported this, not to the principal, but rather to school safety.  School safety had no other choice but to call in NYPD. Thank God that the officers that responded were well trained and able to think independently, Rudy was not charged.

This was in March; Rudy was immediately sent to the Rubber Room, he got cleared today. Six months later.

This could not have been cleared up within a week? Two weeks? Who suffered here? The students did. The students were without their teacher for the last 3 months of last year and so far 2 weeks off this year.

Yet, the Three Stooges of education reform in New York State, Campbell Brown, Mona Davids, and Sam Pirozzolo would lead you to believe that the long investigative process is the fault of the teachers and the union that "protects teachers."

Without that union that "protects teachers" Rudy Baylor would have been out on his buttocks no questions, no nothing asked nor rights protected. Rudy is a single father, without the protections put in place by the collective bargaining agreement and state law, Rudy would have had to go collecting cans so his son could eat.

But according to the Stooge like troika, Rudy even though he has been cleared can still be in jeopardy. The Stooges, if they have their way, would force any decision if a teacher is cleared of sexual misconduct to be given a thumbs or or thumbs down decision made by the chancellor.

On what facts would a chancellor bases such a life altering decision? Would certain teachers be in or out of favor? Would there be some type of checks and balances? Can decisions made by the chancellor be appealed (Other than Article 78)?

The truth was seen in Rudy's case not because the union protects bad teachers. But rather the union is there to make sure and enforce that all teachers are afforded their contractual rights, state rights, and due process as spelled out in the United States Constitution.

It seems this girl had an agenda and didn't want Rudy Baylor around anymore. Kids are smart. They know how to manipulate the system and know how to make a teacher's life miserable.

If the chancellor has a final say on all sexual misconduct accusations it will be ripe for abuse. It'll be like yelling, "fire!" in a crowded theater.

The Conspiracy at PS 154 in the Bronx

I never got around to saying thank you for all the support that was shown to me for my blog post of August 7, 2014 in which I shared how my principal, DR Alison Coviello, Ed.D of PS 154 in the Bronx conspired to ensure that I would be found incompetent.

As a reminder, let us delve into the past and see what DR Alison Coviello, Ed.D wrote to BFF AP Jessica Cruz on August 24, 2012;

“Hey, I revised Zucker’s job description  so that it is focused more on literacy. This way, (It was)explained, we’ll have a surer chance of winning a case when our observations detail incompetence.”

Now, hold on just a sec. Bear with me. OK?

It seems that with as with a good cliffhanger, I left some people hanging, and for that I apologize. 

When I was in Chicago last month at a White Sox game, during batting practice SBSB fan and honorary member of The Crack Team Paul Konerko asked me; 

 "Hey, what's up with that blog post of August 7 and the email from DR Alison Coviello, Ed.D? Did not her BFF AP Jessica Cruz respond to it? 

Yes Paul, there was a reply; 
 
--> Hey Alison,     

In Montreal for my mini vacation :-)  Got to say though, Canada is a little "tight or rather uptight"... hopefully things will lighten up today.       

Anyway, here are my suggestions for Zucker's job description.  I think this way (you'll see) lays out the expectation clearly and will support us more in the write-ups.  Basically I'm recommending we take out the word should since it implies "it is suggested that"....             

Jess

Notice anything amiss? I mean besides calling Canada "tight or rather uptight"? Seriously, how can you call Canadians uptight? The most polite country on this planet. The country that has given the world, Rush, Poutine, Labatt's Blue, Tim Horton's Donuts, hockey, SCTV, back bacon, that great accent, Neil Young, the Kids in the Hall, and the Trailer Park Boys.

But I have digressed. I love Canadian culture.

So already, just over a week before the 2012-2013 school year started not only has it been deemed that I will be found incompetent but the write ups for my observations  have been manipulated as well as they both plan to write me up for my file and conspired on best practice on how to do everything.

This is beyond reproach what both of them did. Instead of supporting me, instead of of assisting me, instead of acting as educators both Coviello and Cruz are playing the roles of Nixon and Haldeman in conspiring against me. PS 154 has turned into nothing more than the Nixon White House. 

Since Coviello's reign has began upwards of 20 staff members have been either forced to resign, brought up on 3020-a charges, left the school under pressure, or have retired. Is it not safe to assume that it is possible that these staff members were dealt with in the same underhanded conspiratorial manner? Heck, who is on the "hit list" for this year?

Worse, is it also safe to assume that parents and students have been dealt with untruthfully by both Coviello and Cruz? Are there favored parents and favored students? Are students that are displeasing to Coviello and Cruz expeditiously shipped off to District 75?

Of course in a school with an average of 90% of students not being able to read or do math at grade level in grades 3-5 Coviello and Cruz have decided that it is best to act in an immoral and unethical manner. That instead of being leaders, of facilitating best teaching practices, of having an atmosphere of camaraderie and teamwork, they would rather spend time conspiring how to hurt staff members and instilling fear in the rest of a compliant staff as well as the parents who dare stick up for the rights of their children.

Where are the priorities? Where are the morals? Where are the ethics?

For those who haven't noticed, Mona Davids and Campbell Brown have parted ways as partners in destroying thousands of teachers careers. Yes, this awkward marriage of two self absorbed, self important people has come to an end. Sam Pirozzol, official NYC Parents Union clown and Mona's very own helper monkey confirmed this on August 30 on the NYCPU Facebook page.

What a soap opera this has turned into. Who are we to believe? We do know of two facts. One, as The Crack Team speculated, Mona filed a pre-emptive lawsuit against tenure not because of any strong belief that that tenure was hurting students but she had knowledge before hand that Campbell Brown, the Bayou Schicksa, was about to file a similar lawsuit. We all know that Mona can't afford to allow someone else to have fame and glory and that she must be seen as the queen, as the all encompassing

OSI Rent-a-Cop Comes Calling on a Teacher

I have been transferred.

For those that recall, last year I spent my Rubber Room time at 4360 Broadway. Worse, I was held captive alone for over 6 months until I was allowed compatriots. I shared with the readers of this blog my captivity, my friends, and how I acclimated myself to the whims of my captors.

I am now at 1230 Zerega Ave in the Bronx where there not only 3 district offices but about a gazillion networks and other support staff as well. Better, I am no longer imprisoned alone. But the more things change, the more they seem to stay the same.

There are about a dozen or so prisoners there and each and everyone one of us are above 40 years of age. Most are male as well as people of color. What does this tell you? A lot!

Today was a normal day as usual in the Rubber Room. People were counting the hairs on their arms, counting the ceiling tiles, and other assorted time wasting activities when a network HR director came into the cell block with a nerdy looking white guy no older than 27 years old.

They were both standing in the door jam when they motioned for Colonel Hogan. Tito looking confused got up out of his seat and walked towards them.

Looking at the nerdy white guy, I notice something out of place. Well, yes...besides the fact he was nerdy.

He was wearing a dress shirt and tie, but more intriguing was the stenographers note pad and pen he was carrying in his right hand. I smelled the stench of OSI (Office of Special Investigation) and bolted up from my seat.

I whisked myself out of my chair and went out into the hallway where Tito was being led away as a death row prisoner was being led to the execution chamber. My spider sense tingled.

I called out to Tito not to answer any questions from this Nerdy Guy, that he had a right to having someone represent him.

Nerdy Guy, told me several times to mind my business. I told Nerdy Guy that Colonel Hogan had a right to be represented either my a union rep or anyone else with the union. Nerdy Guy was having none of this.

He demanded to know who I am and I introduced myself. He told me his name was Eric Black, OSI operative.

Eric said that he was not going to be asking Tito any questions but again implored that I mind my own business. I again told Eric aka Nerdy Guy that Tito had rights. Besides I thought to myself, if he wasn't planning on asking him any questions, why then was he carrying that notebook and pen?

Eric aka Nerdy Guy won out and Tito went into a room alone with him. Luckily it was over in less than a minute.

All Eric aka Nerdy Guy did was hand Colonel Hogan a letter. Oh, and chastise me by pointing his notebook several times in my face and screaming, "It's your fault this became a bigger deal than it had to."

Who know what could have happened? If no one spoke up to remind Colonel Hogan of his rights or reminded Eric aka Nerdy Guy of Colonel Hogan's rights perhaps there might have been questioning and Tito could have been a witness against himself.

Worse, why would Eric aka Nerdy Guy not only not allow Colonel Hogan his full rights but feel the need to deride anyone who wishes to advocate for Tito?

Perhaps he is making up for some serious Freudian physical shortcoming and the only way he can counter that is by making himself seem like a tough guy by bullying and intimidating others.

We suggest that Eric aka Nerdy Guy treat teachers he deals with in the future with respect. If he is unable to do that The Crack Team suggests he returns his associates degree from the community college from which it was earned post haste as well as returning the magic decoder ring he got in his Cocoa Puffs to the good folks at General Mills in the same speedy fashion.

The Pain and Isolation of an ATR

One of the first people I thought of yesterday when I read the Daily News article with Chancellor Farina's hopes for the upcoming year was blogger Fidgety Teach.

Fidgety was a highly regarded and loved pre-K teacher in Brooklyn when she got caught up in the evilness of her principal, Kristine Mustillo. One mistake, forever altered the course of Fidgety's career. One mistake, cost the children of Brooklyn a caring and loving teacher.

So what made me think of Fidgety when I read that article? I guess it would be this;

Fariña pledged to announce in the next two weeks a big reduction in the number of teachers getting paid despite not having steady classroom jobs. Earlier this month 114 of the roughly 1,100 teachers — known as the Absent Teacher Reserve — accepted $16,000 buyouts.

Fariña said the numbers would dwindle further as principals are taught best practices for writing up teachers and beginning the arduous termination process.

Just an aside, should not someone at the UFT come out and say something about this? Should not someone from the UFT file a complaint with the NLRB?  Shouldn't someone from the UFT just act pissed to placate the ATR's?

But back to Fidgety. I know how much she wants to teach. I know how much she wants to love what she is doing. I know how much she is hurting inside.

Fidgety wrote the following on her blog today. It will truly tear at your heart. It is very sad. You literally can feel her pain, her hurt, and her anger, anger at how the DOE has been enabled to allow this to happen. 

You see an ATR in your school this week, say hi and ask what you can do.

Oh, and Fidgety really needs to blog more often. She is great!

After 20 years of teaching in the NYC schools, I have spent the last three years rotating on a weekly basis to and from 52 different school locations.  While most professionals change jobs an average of 3 times at most in a lifetime, an ‘ATR’, aka a teacher belonging to the ‘Absent Teacher Reserve’, begins a new job every Monday morning.  Yes, a new job, meaning new school, new colleagues, new principals, and a brand new set of rules every Monday morning.
  

Oh, you don’t know what an ATR is? I’m not surprised… It is scarcely mentioned in the UFT paper or discussed at UFT meetings. There are even tenured teachers who know nothing about Absent Teacher Reserve thanks to the UFT who tries to keep it under wraps. The ATR status, created by the Department of Education/ and the Useless United Federation of Teachers, has been purposely destroying careers of tenured teachers for quite some time now, right under the nose of its’ very own employees. 

ATRs are hard working, tenured and experienced professionals who are often 50+ years in age and high on the salary ladder.  It is no wonder that these highly qualified teachers are unwanted by principals and their limited budgets… A principal can easily fill 2 positions for the price of one ATR. ATRs have lost their permanent position in their school building due to either a school closing, or a failed attempt to have them terminated through false or trumped up allegations by their administrator. Regardless of an arbitrator’s decision to have these teachers return to their classroom through 3020a, the Department of Education has single handedly deemed them unfit and ineligible to teach, and REFUSES to play fair and place them back in their classrooms.

 

The DOE lies when they say that the ATRs are incompetent and don’t want to work. They do want to work, ARE working and have been working, but are treated as unwanted visitors and/or substitute teachers, (not their choice) and have been rotating from school to school on a weekly and often daily basis while the UFT turns the other way.

Who are the ATRs?  (You can read about some of them HERE)

So, here it is… The life of an ATR…

 

While regular teachers have the same issue, I’m sure many ATRs will agree when I say that PARKING is one of the toughest issues facing an ATR who relies on their car to get to work. What makes it especially tough is that an ATR has no idea what their schedule will be on any given day. I have arrived 60-90 minutes early to an assignment just to procure a legal parking spot, one in which I won’t have to move during the day for alternate side parking. Unlike a regularly assigned teacher, I have no way of knowing in advance if I will have a lunch or prep period that coincides with my need to move my car.  In addition, most schools have a limited number of parking passes that are equally distributed to their teachers and rotated on a monthly basis. 

 

Once entering a school building, I am asked to sign in and show my ID at the security desk.  In some schools, I must only show ID on Monday, but in some, I am asked to show ID every day of the week.  I am given a “visitor’s” sticker or “visitor’s” pass that I am required to wear around my neck, which I find degrading since I am not a visitor, I am an employee, (who are they kidding?) and directed to the main office, which is usually one flight up the stairs.

 It is in the main office that the tone for my day is set with a either a greeting, a casual groan, a dirty look, a few whispers, or most often, the complete denial of my existence.

When I am finally acknowledged it’s like this: “Oh the ”ATR” is here.” (My new name) “Oh you’re back”, or “What’s your file number?” I am often handed a school manual, which cites the individual rules of the school and asked to sign a paper stating that I received it.

“Here’s your time card and schedule.”  I am asked to “clock in”, although as a teacher, I am not required to. I do this as a protective measure so that a school cannot say that I wasn’t there, or that I was late. 

 

My schedule is handed to me by *someone. (*school aide, secretary, or an assistant principal. It wouldn’t surprise me if a custodian handed me my schedule.) Your guess is as good as mine-- because in this ‘professional’ setting, no one bothers to introduce themself /selves unless asked to.  If there is no schedule prepared for me, I am either ignored, or asked to wait on a bench, or to wait in the teacher’s lounge, or some other remote location for an unspecified amount of time. When I actually get to the teacher’s lounge or wherever I am asked to wait, it is usually at that point when I am immediately paged to return to the office for my schedule.

From a professional point of view, do you think that it might be beneficial for a teacher to know what grade, type of class or subject they will be teaching for the next 8 hours? As a common branch teacher who is not certified in Special Education, one might think it would be important to know whether the students have IEPs, special needs or diversified schedules. The DOE thinks not. While the DOE is ridding Common Branch Licensed teachers from the Junior High and High Schools, they are sending CB licensed ATRs to fill those vacancies on a provisional basis. Does this make sense?

 I take a few seconds to look at the schedule I am given, and ask if there are any specific instructions pertaining to lunchtime transitions and dismissal procedures. (I ask because nine out of ten times I am left by myself to dismiss children as young as 5 to parents, uncles, cousins and guardians whom I am seeing for the first time. In which case, if I am informed early enough, I will pre-request assistance with dismissal.)

I must note that while in rotation from school to school, one learns quickly that no two schools are the same in any way, shape or form. This significant difference between schools makes the job of rotating so much more difficult. It is impossible to get familiar with the staff/master a routine/ learn the safety/fire drill code & the expectations of administration in 1 to 5 days…then run off to another school and learn another routine, etc. on the following Monday. If one is not familiar with the safety code of a school and is supposed to follow it, wouldn’t that be cause for concern? This lack of uniformity between schools is foreign and most surprising news for those who never leave the comfort of their appointed work place. Administration expects that because one is a  “teacher”, one automatically knows everything about schools and children- ALL of the schools and ALL of the children. Kind of the same ignorant way of thinking that the reformers have….if one sat in a classroom as a child, shouldn’t they be able to dictate what should be taught and how?  A school is a school isn’t it?  Umm, not exactly.

 NEWS FLASH! ---No two schools have the same rules, procedures or time schedules. Let’s look at some of the differences between schools that may throw off a tenured teacher, substitute teacher, visitor (even a teacher in rotation) who is entering the school for the first time…

Some schools have a half of a minute or two between periods, and some do not. (no time between periods translates to no time for a bathroom break for an ATR.)

 

Some schools have ‘extended’ day worked into their schedule and some have an additional complicated routines added on to their day either in the am or pm part of the day.

 

Some admins provide ATRs with a clear gridded schedule with periods, school hours and preps to follow. On the other hand, admins have handed me a barely legible scribbled ‘post it’ note with some classes written on it- that lacks a time schedule.

Individual schools have their own codes written on time schedules, such as PE, or G, or *&^%$ meaning gym and an ATR is left on their own to decipher these codes everyday.

The rest is on a ‘need to know’ basis and because I need to know, I have to ask…

 

“Where is the bathroom, teacher’s lounge, auditorium and lunchroom?”

 

“Is there a place where I can hang my coat?” It is quite burdensome to carry around a coat all day when moving from class to class each period. 

 

“Do you have a teacher’s lounge, refrigerator, microwave, place to stay on a prep?”

 

“Is there a bathroom key?” I am quite sure that I am never going to get a bathroom key, but I humor myself each time, and ask anyway. In response, Ms. Secretary looks at me like I have 5 heads and tells me that I need to catch a teacher either going in or coming out of the bathroom. I think to myself, “Is that like catching a bus?”  “We never give bathroom keys to subs,” says Ms. Secretary.

 

Next question, classroom key…I ask for a classroom key and am directed to an unlocked key cabinet where several hundred keys hang in disarray.

 

 “The classroom door should be unlocked already, but if it’s not, come back down (which translates to, “Walk up 5 flights of stairs, check the door and if it’s locked, come back down for the key”)", says Ms. Secretary.   

Last but not least I ask, “Where do I pick up the kids?” I am often sent to the auditorium only to learn that the students are outside, have already been picked up by a cluster teacher, or in the lunchroom.

 

I get to the classroom and the door is locked. With hands full of schedules, attendance folders and lessons, coat, bag and lunch, I find an open door nearby and manage to juggle the phone to call the office and then must wait for a custodian to open the classroom door. With zero time to search the room for a lesson plan that may be nonexistent, I drop off my things and head down to ‘find’ my class. I enter into an auditorium filled to the brim with kids and wait till someone notices that I have no idea where I am.  

 

Then, I claim my students and I go off…into the abyss of this unfamiliar hallway with equally confused students to this mystery classroom in the insane world of the DOE.

Aside from the usual pettiness that most teachers engage in over coffee machines and water dispensers, cruel notes left on the refrigerator door and who sits where at the royal lunch table is the bubble of ignorance that these teachers and colleagues exist in.

 

Here are some of their actual comments:

 

You’re so lucky you don’t have to be observed!

The slave labor is here!

Why don’t you apply for a classroom position?

I had an ATR in my classroom once and he did nothing.

Aren’t you the rubber room people?

You get paid as much as we do, you should know what to do!

How can I get to be an ATR and do nothing all day?

I would give anything to not have to write lesson plans.

Are you a sub?

So, what is it exactly that you do?   

 

The saddest part of is, is that these questions are not coming from young, newbie teachers. What’s an ATR?  I once told a teacher that the ATRs are really sent to observe the classroom teachers. That really made her day!

As a regular classroom teacher, I was required to leave a lesson plan or ‘sub folder’ in the room if I was going to be out for the day. Why is it then that nine times out of ten, there are no lesson plans in the room when I arrive?  As an ATR, I am always prepared with at least one comprehensive lesson plan for each grade of the school I am in, as I never know in advance what grade I will be sent to each day.  I may be required to go to a different grade each period, or be assigned to one class for the entire day. Yes, I am a teacher, but I am not a magician who can pull a complete day of lessons out of a hat at a moment’s notice.

As I begin my fourth year as an ATR, I am ridden with frustration and anxiety. Time and again, the articles in the paper fail to tell the truth, and the public continues to be misinformed about who we are. We are professionals who ARE WORKING and WANT TO CONTINUE WORKING and are being denied the privilege of working in the capacity where we can be most productive.  Weekly Rotation denies us the continuity of knowing our students and colleagues and the productivity that results from daily interaction. Rather than utilize the enormous talent available in the ATR pool, our new chancellor has allowed the hiring of young and inexperienced teachers to fill the vast amount of open positions resulting from the expansion of Universal Pre-K and huge retirement incentives in the new contract. Why hire new teachers when you have hundreds of qualified ATRs already on payroll? We are tired of being named as the scapegoats for an already dysfunctional education system. Which leads me to the final question that has all of us wondering.

 

Mr. Mulgrew, Where are you?