SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: BREAKING NEWS AT PS 154 THE BRONX!!!

Friday, May 18, 2012

BREAKING NEWS AT PS 154 THE BRONX!!!

Has it been two weeks since I last sat down and blogged? Apparently so. Too those who have missed my unique take on the happenings of education, I apologize for being away for so long. For those that hate my writings and were glad to see the gap in my blogging, too bad.

The last two weeks have been hectic. I was doing the Math scoring, was house hunting, was driving my son to and fro to baseball games and practice, and plotting my campaign to run for chapter chair. Was coming home exhausted or too late to do anything but to crawl into bed and just vegetate. But to paraphrase Carol Anne, "I'm baaaack!"

And boy am I back with some interesting news which happened a week before my last blog post. Now sit down and get a drink before I share it with you. I'll wait until you do. OK, ready?

April 29, 2012 was just a regular day at PS 154. It was the first day of not worrying about testing and for the first time in months actual learning was happening. The flowers were in bloom, the sky was blue, and all seemed peaceful. That is until our principal went over the PA at 1:15 PM and announced an emergency meeting at the end of the day for all staff in the auditorium. Immediately I knew what it was about, but if I share it now, there would be no further reason for me to blog.

At 4 PM (extended day) we gathered in the auditorium to hear our principal tell us that she had gotten a phone call from the superintendent that morning that that day was to be her last as principal. Now mind you, this was the principal that had replaced the infamous John Deacon (Linda Amil-Irizarry) in May of 2009. Why did this happen? We have no idea and no one is sharing. Should it have happened? I won't say. But I have issues with the way it happened.

Once again, the NYC DOE show how it just does not care about the schools, the communities, the parents, or even, yes I am going to say it, the students. Does the DOE have the right to change principals? Yes it does. Does the DOE ever do it right? No it doesn't, especially when it comes to principals that wish to have sexual intercourse with inanimate objects, cheat on tests, cheat on teacher observations, etc...

What the powers that be failed to do was take into account the parents or the community in this decision. I do not mean asking the parents for their input, but having the decency to contact and share with the PA and to be in the school at dismissal to discuss this with the parents. Also, a letter should have gone home with the students that day sharing the removal of the principal. This would have happened in Scarsdale, Bronxville, or even Riverdale or Forest Hills. But not on 135th St in The Bronx. Why? Because those that are do not give one iota of thought to those that they feel aren't.

I spoke up in the auditorium. I had too. I was not supporting the outgoing or the incoming principal. I only spoke up in support of the great school community and the students. I feel that PS 154 has and is being set up to fail. Three years in a row, the budget has gone down. Two years in a row, we have received C's. We have failed to meet our AYP in ELA last year, and failed AYP in Math for Spec. Ed. and ELL last year. This is not the staff's fault at all! How can a teacher teacher with over 30 kids in their class and several serious behavioral problems? This is not an excuse, this is an explanation and a fact. How can we go forward when students are leaving the school with no education because the only instruction students are receiving are to the tests?

I am not in any way besmirching past or present administration. The fault clearly and will always lie with the nattering nimrods on Chambers St. For Uncle Mike, his sock puppet Dennis Walcott and all those brainless law school educated consultants do not give one shit about the communities and the students. They see only $$$$. They care for only $$$$. And they certainly do not care for the underclass of the city, whatever their skin color is. For Tweed and Uncle Mike feel that it is only the well educated, well developed, well connected, white person that can save little boys and girls of color.

It's time for the parents to rise up now. It is time for the parents to not feel afraid, anxious or scared and take control of their children's schools and their education. They need to say NO to the deformers and YES to education. Only with the parents finally having enough and finally putting a stop to those in power will we as teachers begin to have that voice again as decision makers when it comes to education.

THE TIME IS NOW AGAIN!

7 comments:

Sahila said...

sorry .... putting it on to parents to give teachers the backbone to take back your voices, is wrong....

you need to take responsibility for saving your profession and doing what you know is right for your students - FIRST, DO NO HARM!

Pete Zucker said...

You are misinterpreting what I am saying. We need the parents. We need them to be our partners. W/o them, it means jack in my opinion.

Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene said...

¡La lucha sigue!

zulma said...

Everyday I would check your blog to see if you had written something. So it's so great too know that you're BACK!

First and foremost, I would vote for you as my chapter leader.

Secondly, I hear your concerns and I agree with you. It is about the constant neglect and disruption to the community and the school that serve the community because Tweed does not care for the children in that community.

DCGMentor said...

THis is a political and economic issue. Community members and parents are citizens who have the right and power to force change when they vote, protest, or even boycott. Those in power will do what they will until they get to read the lips of those who can put them out of office.

I am in Madison Wisconsin this. Weekend. The citizens of this state will do that to the weasel governor, Walker. They will recall him from office because of how he is their Uncle Mike.

Anonymous said...

Dear So Bx School,

Next week, and the weeks to come, you will have a great story to do on here. We have inside information (which I have yet to let you down with concerning the Great< Mr. Chase) that he will remain at his home for the rest of the year, while collecting his salary as he remains on the Bronxdale High School list of employees. His Network which is Cluster 04 with leader Terry Byam is quite unprofessional and looks like they cut a deal with him just to get him out of there. Assistant principal NEXT WEEK - ummmmm, I DON'T think so!!
Bronxdale High School teachers sighed some relief late Friday afternoon as this FOOL is gone. Interesting enough, the former Chief of Staff for CFN's under Eric Nadelstern back in 2010 was ....... Johannah Chase. She is close with Cluster 04. Mr.Chase worked in Brooklyn - Academy for Conservation and the Environment, where guess what ........... Cluster 04 is its Network.
All in the family and STILL on the payroll. Stay tuned!!!

Anonymous said...

MR. CHASE IS AT 110 LIVINGSTON STREET, BETTER KNOWN AS .......... THE RUBBER ROOM. TODAY HE WAS ON THE 5TH FLOOR SEEN PACING AROUND. THE CHANCELLOR SCAMMED EVERYONE INTO THINKING THAT CHASE WAS BECOMING AN A.P. THIS WEEK -- NOT!!!
HE'S AT THE RUBBER ROOM COLLECTING HIS 132K AS THE D.O.E. TRIES TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH THIS ABSURD TIME BOMB. WALCOTT'S COMMENTS WERE "WE NEEDED A STRONGER PRINCIPAL IN HERE FOR REGENTS TESTING, IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING ELSE."
HOLY _______ BATMAN! DID YOU JUST READ WHAT DENNIS SAID? WHO DOES HE THINK HE'S SPEAKING TO? A BUNCH OF MORON PARENTS WHO ARE GOING TO BELIEVE THAT? WELL MAYBE, BUT YOU NOW HAVE THE TRUTH SOUTHBRONXSCHOOL WIZARD. THIS PIECE OF _____ IS AT 110 LIVINGSTON STREET!