SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: The MORE Caucus Tweets Itself in the Foot Yet Again (Will They Ever Learn?)

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

The MORE Caucus Tweets Itself in the Foot Yet Again (Will They Ever Learn?)

So through this summer and into September the MORE Caucus was advocating for either; a) 100% remote learning or b) a strike so there would be 100% remote learning or c) anything else as long as MORE was seen in a positive manner. None of what they overtly wished for came true. However, they did take credit for the version of remote learning we have now. But remember this for later in this post how they wanted the buildings closed.

This year has been toughest on the students of New York City. I can only speak from my perspective (I am co-teaching remotely in an elementary school). But I see the students in the students who do not have the proper devices, the students in shelters, the students with no structure nor support at home. It is tough and it sucks. 

I see it with my 19 year old son, coming home in March and having no structure and going to online class in his underwear. His grades were not great. There are also students who are thriving in this remote style learning. The boring and binding shackles of the school day are off and they can finally learn at their own pace. 

But what we can not do is to paint a picture with a broad brush. We do not know every story and we can't say because they are white, or they are of color, or because one is a member of this or that social class that X, Y, or Z will happen. 

That is unless we are talking about MORE and what it has become.

Nice. Aren't we trying to get above this MORE? Oh, please MORE, this is wrong and you know it. Want to say whiny little bitches, people that are out of touch, assholes, go right ahead. But this is not right.

We here at SBSB showed this tweet to one of The Crack Team's honorary members. This is what this member had to say; 

"MORE wants all remote which hurts black kids and parents who need work plus shelter kids. But since higher percentage of black parents keep kids home they play the race card that it’s the  white parent demands influencing de Blasio decisions which is partially true as they fear losing white parents" 

Several things pop into my head and the The Crack Team's response.  

MORE is and will always be opportunistic. It's like group narcissism over there. Whatever will benefit MORE in shining that positive blue light upon them that's what matters. They will say something on a Tuesday and contradict what they said the day before.

MORE also still is of the mind set that all people of color (Blacks and Hispanics) all have the same experiences, the same life stories, and the same wants and needs. Depending on your whether you are Puerto Rican or Domincan, African-American or Jamaican. (I can go on and on) Not every one of DOE's minority populations can be painted with the same brush. MORE, thinks they can do it. And their paint keeps missing the canvass. 

Why does MORE still proverbially continue to step in what the dog left behind? A couple of reasons. They are a top down, cult of personality organization. They have eradicated all democratic norms since the infamy of the Purge of 2018. And too many white, liberal, young teachers who teach at small, good schools. 

These younglings are mostly new and non tenured teachers that are in their 20's thinking they know what is best for boys and girls of color even though most of them have never socialized with people of color until they moved to Brooklyn on mommy and daddy's dime. They think they know the urban culture, they think they are down. They act all hip and down, but they're not. You can't be that way when you are shopping for artisanal mayonnaise. As one SBSB group put it, "Spend time in the BoogiedownBronx, and then you can talk!" 

With tweets like the one above how does MORE intend to sell itself as a viable alternative to a Unity run UFT? Yeah, it must be nice for the MORE upper echelon to feel like Jim Jones at a MORE meeting with the younglings sitting in awe. But that is not a way to build a caucus nor would it be a way to run a union. Do teachers that live in Staten Island wants to know or read such tweets? In Westchester? On Long Island? How is MORE showing any teacher it can lead and more importantly, make the right choices and decisions? 

MORE represents .005% of the rank and file with that tweet. They need to start worrying about the entire rank and file. But not to worry. It will never happen.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Been saying that for five years. MORE is not interested in the needs or mindset do their fellow rank and file members. Kind of a boutique caucus.

Gladys Sotomayor said...

Well said!

Anonymous said...

MORE are a bunch of pinko commies.

Anonymous said...

This is what the dept of ed has been preaching the past 2+ years with its diversity trainings in schools too. Staff have been repeatedly told the message in the first sentence quoted below. It's not surprising that a group would parrot the sentiment.

"MORE also still is of the mind set that all people of color (Blacks and Hispanics) all have the same experiences, the same life stories, and the same wants and needs. Depending on your whether you are Puerto Rican or Domincan, African-American or Jamaican. (I can go on and on) Not every one of DOE's minority populations can be painted with the same brush. MORE, thinks they can do it. And their paint keeps missing the canvass. "

Anonymous said...

Honestly, who cares? They’re irrelevant. Just ignore them or don’t give them a voice like you’re doing, (although I do agree with your post, and it’s good). Have a great Thanksgiving.

Anonymous said...

There is very definite politics behind MORE and it has nothing to do with genuine socialism, whose slogan is "workers of the world unite," not "races of the world divide." It's function is keep any opposition to the pro-DOE policies of the Unity within the confines of establishment politics, in this case, the Democratic Party and its fake-left opposition, the DSA, and within the UFT itself. Don't forget that MORE's motion on race-based teaching was supported by Mulgrew at the last DA. The unions as organizations can no longer be called unions in any meaningful sense of the word. They are businesses and labor contractors. MORE is there to prop up the UFT's flagging authority among teachers.

Pete Zucker said...

MORE has turned into a top down cult of personality. Everytime I hear Myrie open his mouth at a DA I cringe.