SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: The UFT Hides While Teacher Aida Sehic Suffers Alone

Thursday, September 13, 2018

The UFT Hides While Teacher Aida Sehic Suffers Alone

Here we go again.

In yesterday's Post there is a story about an ATR, who escaped war in Bosnia only to walk into another one within the NYCDOE.

This, according to the Post, is some of what happened to Aida Sehic...
"...rampaging pupils broke her nose with a bag of metal rulers, stabbed her with a mechanical pencil, demanded sex acts, trashed her classroom and hurled epithets at her including “white bitch.’’
Of course, guess whose fault this was? The system? The DOE? The schools in which she taught? The administrators? The students? The students parents? Nah.

It was, of course, the teacher herself. Heck, Aida even tried to take the high road in attempting to appeal to one student's mother only to have the student retort back...
“...When my mother comes in tomorrow, she’ll deck you,”
Aida reached out to anyone and everyone she could. The DOE, NYPD, and the UFT. She got nowhere other than being brought up on 3020-a charges in 2016 for incompetence.

Isn't it possible, that the constant threat to one's physical well being, the constant fear for one's safety, just might have an affect on one's pedagogy?

Aida was excessed in 2011. She has been teaching since 1999. Three schools, IS 218 in the Bronx, MS 322 in Manhattan (School site and Inside Schools), IS 143 (Which was closed for poor performance according to Inside Schools) in the Bronx were the schools where she was abused.

Anyway, Aida was lucky. I guess. She kept her job. She was fined, $7,500. But she could have lost her life at any moment and left her two children without a mom. As one colleague shared with me who had been through something very similar to what Aida had been through...
"Wait until a teacher is killed. It's coming, people."
I don't think so. I hope not! But sadly, if it did happen, I would not be surprised.

But something is bothering me more. I am not upset at the lack of any action by the DOE or the NYPD.What I'm upset about and sadly not surprised at all is the lack of any action by the UFT. 

Why would the UFT ignore this teacher's desperate pleas for help? Where was an action team from the UFT when Aida needed one? Where were her chapter leaders? District leaders? 

This story was in in yesterday's Post. It was on the Post's website Tuesday night. Today is Thursday, September 13.Where is a statement, a communique, and email to the rank and file in support of Aida and calling for outrage against the DOE for the way her situation was handled? Something. Anything?

But I'm able to get a robocall last night at 7 PM from the UFT imploring me to vote for Cuomo and his crew. And then, guess what? I got another robocall this afternoon (As did many other teachers) again requesting that I sell my soul for Cuomo. WTF????

The UFT has time for this inane electioneering for Cuomo but doesn't have the inclination nor the time to have a teacher's back? What the F*** gives? If Aida were a cop, Patrick Lynch (as much as I think he is a turd) would be front and center having her back!!

But not our union. Not the union we no longer have to pay $100 a month to (even though I will).

Well, Aida has filed a federal lawsuit. Good for her. Even better, she has hired Bryan Glass as her attorney. She can't go wrong there. She is damn good hands. Get some fuck you money from the DOE.

We, each and every teacher, must fight back in a united method against the UFT.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

You didn’t get any robocall for Cuomo from the UFT. Neither the UFT nor NYSUT endorsed Cuomo in the Primary. No doubt that you got calls from the UFT pertaining to voting but you apparently did not listen to the call.

Anonymous said...

If Mulgrew endorses a candidate, I vote for their opponent. UFT endorses enemies to teachers.

Anonymous said...

As a teacher in NYC for more than 20 years I can tell you straight up that the worst thing a teacher can do is ask for help when things are going bad due to behavior in your classroom. Your principal will almost always blame you for not having "good classroom management, rules, consequences, and routines". This is sad but true.

Anonymous said...

I agree with what you’ve written. You’re unintentionally giving us a lot of reasons not to remain in the UFT. You also gave Lynch a back handed compliment, but I’d trade Mulgrew, his pack of hungry heifers and Grand High Witch Randi for him. No can stop paying dues until June. Maybe I should hire Glass and sue over that? Nah, I can wait.

Anonymous said...

Great article. Everything you say I agree with. I left the DOE for good in 2014 for some of the reasons stated in this article--no support from administrators, an ineffectual union/chapter leader. I'm in social work now and it is much more rewarding--your supervisors support you and they constantly give you accolades when you do a good job. I NEVER EVER got that kind of encouragement and support in the DOE, and I know I was a DAMN GOOD teacher. I hope Aida sues the pants off everyone involved. Go AIDA!!!!

Anonymous said...


Aida should look into suing Mulgrew and company for false representation and misuse of funds...since they didn't help her. I like to see Mr. Glass go after all them at the UFT!!!

Anonymous said...

A UFT member can try to sue the UFT, but it is ALWAYS thrown out.

Pete Zucker said...

@11:47 Does it matter if the robocall was for Cuomo or not? Why doesn't the UFT put the same resources and efforts into defending a teacher that is being harassed day in and day out?

@6:32 Too bad. But you will be a freeloader.

Bryan is the best to go after the UFT. And don't forget his partner Jordan Harlow.