WFAS-AM Again

Yes, it is true. I am making my third appearance tomorrow morning on the Bob Marrone Show at 6:35 AM.

Last week's appearance was a bit curtailed by talk of Ferguson and be being a bit tardy. But not to worry, I will be there at 6:35 on the dot and I promise not to anything back. As usual.

Again, there are several ways you can listen. On your radio dial at 1230 AM, but the range is about a 20 mile circle of White Plains.

Also, WFAS streams live, is on iHeart Radio, or download the app from Google Play or the Apple Store for your mobile device. I know some who downloaded the app and were able to listen while driving in from very far away.

For the social media aficionados, check out WFAS on Facebook, Twitter, and Bob Marrone is on Twitter as well.

And don't forget, the call in # is 914-693-5700. Don't be shy!

I'm Back Live On WFAS-AM 1230 This Tuesday!

I'm am back this Tuesday morning, November 25, 2014, at 6:35 AM joining Bob Marrone on his great morning show on WFAS-AM 1230 as I pick up from where I left off last week.

I can guarantee that a bombshell or two will be dropped and corrupt practices that I know of will be exposed.

Again, there are several ways you can listen. On your radio at 1230 AM, but the range is about a 20 mile circle of White Plains.

Also, WFAS streams live, is on iHeart Radio, or download the app from Google Play or the Apple Store. I know some who downloaded the app and were able to listen while driving in from very far away.

For the social media aficionados, check out WFAS on Facebook, Twitter, and Bob Marrone is on Twitter as well.

And don't forget, the call in # is 914-693-5700. Don't be shy!

Fake Observations at Banana Kelly High School in the Bronx

I am not going to add much commentary to what the Post published today about the principal at
Banana Kelly HS and the faux observations. But if anyone thinks this happens in a vacuum is delusional.  IT IS SYSTEMIC!!!!! ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY (Jean-Luc Picard knew)!

Just like Yes sang about 30 years ago;

It can happen to you
It can happen to me
It can happen to everyone

Eventually

Even giving a real observation knowing beforehand it will be given an unsatisfactory is just as wrong than what Principal Pope had done.

When will it end? How will it end?

By Susan Edelman

November 23, 2014 | 6:37am

The principal of Banana Kelly HS in the South Bronx has faked classroom observations of her faculty, staffers charge.

“She’s destroyed the integrity of the whole evaluation system,” an insider told The Post of Charlette Pope.

The accusations come as Mayor de Blasio this month named Banana Kelly one of 94 low-performing “Renewal Schools” to share $150 million for extra classroom time, after-school and summer programs, and teacher training.

In one case, Pope allegedly fabricated a formal observation of a teacher who had called in sick on the deadline to file the reviews.

“The observation never happened. It’s unethical,” the teacher said. When she refused to sign the dummied-up papers, Pope retaliated by rescinding a summer-school job, she said.

After repeatedly demanding to see her personnel file, the teacher was shocked to find a second fake observation, she said.

In another case, Pope submitted nearly identical observations of two teachers — both for the same eighth period last Oct. 23, records show. She rated both teachers “effective” or “developing” in the same categories.

One of the two teachers said Pope never came to her classroom to formally observe her all school year. 

“Charlette Pope had a history of being openly aggressive with teachers,” the staffer said. “I feared that by confronting her, I would not be rated fairly.”

In addition, Pope’s observations lift boilerplate language from DOE grading guidelines without citing specifics about the teachers’ lessons. She also failed to conduct teacher conferences required before and after observations, staffers said.

Staffers reported the alleged misconduct to special schools investigator Richard Condon, who launched a probe last week.

On Friday, after investigators spoke with Pope and collected records, she took steps to fire one of the whistleblowers, an untenured teacher.

Reached by phone Friday, Pope said, “I’m not allowed to speak to the press,” and hung up.
Pope, 40, became principal of Banana Kelly in December 2012, making $137,190.

While the school lacks laptops, paper and other supplies, staffers said, Pope handed out iPads — in custom cases engraved with a Maya Angelou quote — to 43 June graduates, at an estimated cost of $17,000. 

Previously, she raffled off mini-iPads, an Xbox and Beats headphones to students who attended a Regents prep session. The DOE forbids schools to give “incentive” prizes costing more than $25 each.

The Audio From My WFAS-AM Interview

I would like to give a big thank you to Bob Marrone and his right hand man, his producer, his engineer, (His very own BabaBooey) Scott for the warm welcome and the graciousness of allowing me to share time with them this morning at WFAS-AM 1230 in White Plains (The studio is actually in Hartsdale).

Just to share a brief story or two. I grew up a few blocks away from WFAS (The tower loomed over the neighborhood) and my friends and I will go up there on a Saturday morning to try to get the DJ's to give us old 45's they no longer needed. I remember once getting Clapton's version of "I Shot the Sheriff."

On another occasion, I must've been about 10 years old, we went up there one weekend morning to try to get the morning guy, Bob E. Lloyd to advertise the car wash we had on our street to raise money so we can buy baseball cards. Believe it or not, he did.

So back to this morning.

I arrived at the studio about 6:25 sat down watched Bob do the news and soon enough it was my turn at 6:35. The interview was in three segments, coming between the usual stuff, news, sports, weather traffic, commercials and contest for Westchester Knicks tickets.

The interview started with background about myself and built up to the crescendo of my current predicament. Here for your perusal and listening enjoyment is the entire interview in 3 parts.

Oh, and before I forget, I will be appearing again next Tuesday, November 25 at 6:35 AM


Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

I'm Appearing Live in Studio Tomorrow Morning on WFAS-AM 1230

WFAS 1230 AM is a small radio station in White Plains, NY. Tomorrow I will be appearing live, in studio on the Bob Marrone Show at 6:35 AM until about 7:20 AM EDT to talk about my situation and how it correlates to all teachers. It should be quite an interesting 45 minutes. 


The call in # is 914-693-5700


The coverage area of WFAS is not great as you can see on this map;

So what to do? WFAS streams live, is on iHeart Radio, or download the app from Google Play or the Apple Store. 

For the social media aficionados, check out WFAS on Facebook, Twitter, and Bob Marrone is on Twitter as well.

To paraphrase Charles Osgood, "See you tomorrow on the radio."

Hello UFT, It's Me!

WHERE'S MULGREW?

Hi, UFT, it's is I. How are you? In fact where are you when not only myself, but many others need you?

Not to beat a dead horse, but I was conspired against by my principal at PS 154 and I have yet to hear anything proactive from you. Not a, "How you doing?" or "Can we help?" Nothing. Why is that? Please, don't claim you don't read this blog. You all do.

Why is it that I must, and other teachers as well, when there is clear and concise evidence of wrongdoing heaped upon them by out of control, vengeful administrators take the matters into our own hands?

Why must teachers spend thousands of dollars on outside lawyers to get a proper defense that we have a right to? Certainly the $100 a month paid by approximately 80,000 teachers can suffice in having some kind of defense fund.

(Oh for those scoring at home, that is $8 million a month, $96,000,000 a year!)

I sit in a room day after day trying to keep myself somewhat sane by having Star Trek debates, wondering why Spongebob is unable to swim even though he lives under water, and whether or not one got peanut butter on one's chocolate or if someone got chocolate in someone's peanut butter.

There is a crisis happening and all we are getting lip service to the abuse of ATR's, the discontinuances, the Rubber Rooms, the abusive principals, the working conditions, and facing termination for passing gas in an incorrect manner.

I was promised a meeting with a high ranking union person tomorrow, Veteran's Day. But after asking where and when several times as to where we will meet I was told that it would have to be sometime in December. I still give this person credit for at least responding to me and hearing me out. We know that can't be said of the Unity leadership in the gilded tower at 52 Broadway.

Where is the outrage from the UFT about my situation as well as my colleagues? In a strange way the silence of the UFT seems to condone how we are being treated.

All we ask is to be there for us, to support us, and we don't get that.

WHERE IS THE UFT? THE TEACHERS TURN THEIR EYES TO....

Ain't nothing there.

Open Letter to Chancellor Fariña

 I went to the PEP meeting (I'm at about 19:40 in) this past Thursday at Murry Bergtraum High School and had the pleasure of addressing the PEP. Unfortunately I was unable to fulfill my 2 minutes since the matter was a personal issue. In light of that, I am writing this open letter to Chancellor Fariña to share the gist of what I had planned on speaking about.


Dear Chancellor Fariña;

Thank you so much for allowing me the time to address you this past Thursday night at the PEP meeting. I apologize for bringing up a personal matter before the PEP. I had never done something like this before and was not aware of the protocol.

The lady, Ms X, who spoke to me privately about my concerns was gracious and seemed genuinely concerned, and shocked as I shared my story. I know both of you have been busy since and she might not have had the time to share with you what I had with her so please allow me to briefly share with you what I told her and what I had attempted to share with you at the PEP meeting.

I had been teaching for 18 years when before the 2012-2013 school year began Dr Alison Coviello, Principal of PS 154 in the Bronx, had decided before the school year started that I would be found incompetent.

Dr Coviello had also already scheduled me for 2 formal evaluations even before I had my first.

I, and neither does any teacher, have no problem being judged on their merits. But I ask you respectfully Chancellor Fariña, how can we be properly judged or evaluated when what his being dealt to us comes from the bottom of the deck? All we want is the same chance, an equal chance of every teacher in our building or the city.

Even if the argument is that Dr Coviello has a right to consult with XXXXXX to do her job, the question must be asked, what was shared about me,  with XXXXXX? Was he told that I had already been U-rated and had unsatisfactory observations in the 2011-2012 school year? Or was he told that I must be "gotten" at all costs. Either way, the parties acted in an unethical manner.

If Dr Coviello told XXXXX that I had been U-rated and the previous year, that would be untrue and unethical. If Dr Coviello told XXXXXX that I must be "gotten" at all costs that would be just as unethical unethical and just plain wrong.

But this calls into question who initiated the contact with XXXXX? Was it Dr Coviello? Was it a third party? Was it XXXXXXX? See how this seems like a conspiracy?

But even if Dr Coviello says that this was a consultation which is her right to be informed and that she at no time was planning on finding me incompetent, why then was I scheduled for 2 formal observation before I even had my first? A reasonable person can see that this shows intent to find me incompetent ahead of time, before the school year had even started.

Is it ethical for XXXXXXX to not only assist principals in how to U-rate teachers but to sit on a panel and render and/or assist in decisions to determine if U-rated teachers were wronged?

Is it ethical for a principal to determine before hand that a teacher would be rated incompetent? Should not a principal do everything in their power to raise the level of a teacher's pedagogy? To do everything to help a teacher thrive?

From what you know of this situation Chancellor Fariña, does this all fall into the Frameworks that you have espoused?

Would a principal in Roslyn, in White Plains, or in my town of Harrison, NY engage in such behavior? Would a school board in any of those towns when informed of the truth of something that had befallen myself, and probably countless other NYC teachers, not be shocked and indignant at such transgressions?

I love working with kids, I miss working with kids.

One of the great joys of being a teacher is seeing the growth in our students as people. We want them to be the best possible person they can be. We as teachers want the students to have ethics and morals yet the way most of us are treated nearly everyday is contradictory to what we are trying to impart.

Does this "gotcha" mentality directed at teachers actually do the students any good? The time and the money spent on me and the other 8 teachers at PS 154 that were U-rated in 2012-2013, how did that benefit the students? How does the constant harassment of ATR's help the educational process?

Everything directed at teachers appears to be punitive in nature. Why must it be that way? Must every matter involving a teacher that has done something incorrect have a figurative hammer applied to it? What ever happened to talking problems out? Is this not what we want to impart on our students? 

Thank you for your time.