Our roaming ATR correspondent describes a week spent at Long Island City High School as a Ghost Teacher. One has to ask how the UFT and DOE came to this agreement. It is clear the DOE couldn't care less about educating children.
Today was my last day of 'ghosting' at Long Island City HS. Now entering the third month of one of the most surreal experiences of my life, I can no longer refer to my ATR duties as actual teaching. I'm speaking for my own demoralized self when I write this and do not mean to offend any other ATRs, but taking attendance, monitoring bathrooms and doing endless periods of cafeteria duty is not the work of a professional teacher.
So I 'ghost', each week haunting another NYC school building, gliding through hallways unnoticed by students, faculty, and even UFT presidents. I ghosted at Beach Channel last week, LI City this week, and next week I'll be ghosting at a hallway near you.
This morning (Friday) was my last day at LICHS, by the way. The APO (Assistant Principal Organization) wanted to see me bright and early so I floated down to his office. Our meeting was brief and to the point. "I'm required to give you an interview before you leave," he began. "We have no positions available so...consider yourself interviewed."
My fellow, apparitions, you cannot make this stuff up. As I stepped out of his office, I repeated his words to myself slowly, keeping a close eye on the second hand of my wristwatch... A five second interview! Life in the Big City, I guess, and one disturbing, narcissistic phrase lies at the heart of all this dream-like absurdity and madness: Mayoral Control.
5 comments:
What a heartless jerk of an AP. So this is the loophole for getting around a requirement? I am sure someone from the DoE thought this up and got Mulgrew to agree.
I am heading out soon to my school of the week. Me, who hates unpredictability and the unknown, is getting angrier by the day!
don't let yourselves get angry. it does suck, but you can't do anything about it. collect the paycheck , take the days off we get and let all the 'real teachers' do the real work. think about it, we are held accountable for nothing, no report cards, lesson plans, parent teacher nights, listening to idiot principals. to me, this has been stress free year
I though ATRs were only supposed to be sent to schools that have a vacancy? They are not supposed to be sent to schools who have no job opening. What is going on?
DOE lies.
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