MORE Cool Stuff MORE Has Done

Wow! It has been some time since I last posted. Three weeks in fact. Almost a month since an
original posting by yours truly.

I had scored the ELA exams for two weeks in April and was too beat to blog when I came home and the little free time I had was devoted to doing whatever I couldn't do during the week. Plus, baseball season has begun and my son, soon to be 15, is on three teams for the spring. That involves constant juggling of schedules and schlepping him to games and practices.

So it has come to my attention that there is the typical whining that MORE doesn't look out for teachers who are facing discontinuance or have been discontinued.

We know that is bullocks. See, MORE does help, does fight for teachers. But just because it does not wear what it does on their sleeves doesn't mean MORE is not at the forefront of the fight.

Let me share a story.

About 2 1/2 years ago, just about the time I got sent to the Rubber Room, a received an email from a minor, yet well known, NYC celebrity. He shared with me that his brother, who happened to be in his mid-60's and a career changer, was being harassed and threatened with termination if he did not resign. Now mind you, this is in September 2013, this teacher whom I shall refer to has Bob had only a few weeks on the job.

Bob was put into the wrong setting with the wrong classes and the wrong kids.  He was was hired to teach math, (Tripline/Algebra) but forced to teach science as well (Molecular Genetics). Apparently, on Friday the class was out of sorts and he went to lesson plan B instead of what he was planning on teaching. Sadly, the principal walked in on this and saw the difficulty he was having. At the end of the day she asked for him to resign or face an evaluation/observation that can result in his termination and loss of certification.

Having not been a chapter leader I sought out those from MORE who have experience. Peter Lamphere (Who is running for executive board at-large) rode in on his white horse. And flowing hair. But I digress.

Peter told Bob that under no circumstances should he resign immediately. This will ruin his chances of ever being re-hired by the DOE. Peter's response, and if memory serves, was the principal must give a teacher that is to be discontinued 30 days notice and in the meantime seek another position within the DOE.

Based on Peter's advice, the principal wrote a "mildly" positive letter of reference and Bob was able to transfer out to a school where he has thrived. Thanks to Peter Lamphere, Bob has a job.

Now, Bob would not have had a job if he took the advice of someone who chimed in upon reading his plight on the MORE listserv. This person, who shall remain nameless, shared....

 "He should call her bluff and wait for post observation. Then ask principal "can you model a lesson for me?"

Call her bluff? Ask for a model lesson. This coming from a teacher several weeks on the job? If Bob took that advice he would be selling pencils in Staples.

But again, I digress.

Not once has Peter gone around "bragging" what he did to help Bob. In fact, IMHO, it is just par for the course for Peter.

This is what you get with MORE. You get a level of knowledge and maturity in handling a situation. A sense that whomever you are dealing with is looking for a solution not from a micro perspective but the macro perspective that it should be.

MORE doesn't just want to put Bactine on the DOE boo-boo. It wants to get to the root of the boo-boo and make sure it is cured, not treated.

When you get your ballots in the mail, be sure to check of the box for the MORE/New Action slate. You need no worry about going through pages and pages to vote.