Friday, September 16, 2016

IS EVERYTHING SMOOTH IN THE SCHOOLS?

Arthur Goldstein in his review of Michael Mulgrew's citywide Chapter Leader meeting actually reported that our esteemed UFT President stated that the school opening this year was "smooth." I must work in another system. The reports I get are that the opening was somewhat chaotic in many schools with budgets that have still not recovered from the recession and abusive supervisors running roughshod over UFT members.

In a later posting on the same meeting, Arthur listed poor supervisors, oversize classes, the ridiculous teacher evaluation system, ATRs and other problems as the main concerns of teachers.

People call and email me about grievances sitting around for years waiting to be heard; teachers being brought up on charges and the union doing nothing for them; teachers being rated ineffective and the union sitting around not supporting them and the old standby of oversize classes that the UFT does less and less to lower as the years go by. I also hear constantly from Absent Teacher Reserves who are being targeted by the DOE with nowhere to turn to for help.

So is Mulgrew right that paperwork is the biggest problem in the schools and that there was a wonderful opening this year or are we correct that the system is as bad or maybe even worse than ever as this school year begins? I am seeing low morale and people just holding it together to survive in so many places.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

My school is infested with cockroaches.

Anonymous said...

Business as usual, cell phones all over, hats all over, cursing all over, 3 APs in a school with 200 students.

Anonymous said...

Same here.

Anonymous said...

Why did it take Mulgrew soooooo looooooooooong to address these issues . He cannot be trusted and our union is pathetic.

Anonymous said...

3 ap's and a dean for 400 kids...
New principal decided to do away with parent outreach, spread the time over the week and make hw clubs instead..
Decided to make Mondays 90 minutes and the other day 70 (our choice of day to do a hw club and 10 minutes over the 150) and stated that since we miss so many Mondays that when we do have them off he wants to keep us for 90 minutes the Tuesday after to make it up.
Said in staff meeting he had no qualms about going against the contract if he thought it was in the best interest of the kids.
Shorted our lunch 5 minutes (40 minute lunch).
Is trying to find 40,000 in our budget to start a sister school in a far off country not one student I know wants to attend.
Walks around the room during PD to keep all teachers on task , going as far as telling you to adjust your seat so you can give your full attention to the group you are doing busy work with.
Wants us to write curriculum.
Made homophobic comments to the students during welcoming assembly's where he didn't even introduce himself to the student body he is the brand new principal of...
Wants the whole staff to actively enforce the hat rule ( a waste of time considering the altercations many south bronx kids will start when being coerced into removing it) but only asks the smaller meeker kids to remove them pretending not noticed the big burly upperclassMEN sporting hoodies and do-rags, I wonder why?
Is turning a school that was founded as a music and art school into a charter school drill and kill clone. Actually said he is not big on the Arts.
Has 2 different schedule for upper and lower classmen but has teachers teaching both, programming botched beyond belief with kids not able to take classes they need because they aren't offered.
Electives with many kids who already took the courses because there are no other classes that have seats available.
Giving scheduling priority to super seniors and upper classmen with very few credits over straight A students who have spent their high school career doing the right thing! Some of them have no Math or science and are doubled up in SS and ELA often in classes they have taken.
There is more but as I write and read this it's sounds too unbelievable to be true and I don't want you to think I am a troll.

p.s. If you work here you know it's your school and if not it's one of the new small schools named after a navigator tool on a huge campus right near White Plains rd. in the BX

Anonymous said...

Mulgrew says smooth opening. I guess this might just be a very isolated case. Teachers are happy working harder.

More work, raises that don't keep up with inflation, hralthcare cost increases, 40 years to a pension for new teachers, highest class sizes in region and unlimited principal power. We are Unity caucus and we never lose. Suckers.

Anonymous said...

Oversized classes, insufficient phys ed time, retro pay delayed till 2020, exorbitant union dues, inadequate supplies, overwhelming amounts of paperwork, lowest salaries in the metro region all allow for the rise of Friedrichs Supreme Court case. Do we need a union taking our $1300. in dues for minimal representation? Oh I forgot, we did get our 2016-17 union calendar in our mailboxes on Friday.

Anonymous said...

Im an ATR , got no calendar.

Anonymous said...

Me too. I got no calendar

Anonymous said...

You also forgot higher copays.