The list below was sent to me from a NYC public school teacher.
Do you want to be a teacher today? Then understand that in many schools you will spend most of the day meeting multiple mandates like those enumerated here.
Dear Staff,
Please note that I will be looking at the following in a walk through tomorrow.
Please have these items labeled in a central location where I do not have to interrupt instruction.
Student folder
Display of work inside and outside of room
Comments on work
Date on work
Conference notes
Lesson plans
Student desks
General environment
Outside bulletin board
Leadership binders
Scaffolding of learning - charts
Rubrics
All assessments posted on line and analyzed
Inquiry binder for each grade - grade leaders
Inquiry notes for your struggling students
Discipline chart
Writing process chart
Did Bloomberg pretty much win? Data driven nonsense on steroids.
What does any of this have to do with helping students learn?
Where is the UFT?
Power and control, it's all about power and control.
ReplyDeleteOh, the UFT has 17 grievances currently on file. They're on file, that's a crumb to throw the rank and file to keep them out of our hair.
ReplyDeleteThank you, UFT leadership, your useless announcements keep us heartened you're "thinking about" NYC teachers' well-being.
Utterly
Failing
Teachers (citywide)
dog and pony show
ReplyDeleteIf an administrator needs the desks labeled, there is a big problem right from the getgo. You know everything else is all downhill.
ReplyDeleteFiorillo is right. It's about power and control, and we aren't giving it up. You don't think we want back in the classroom, do you?
ReplyDeleteLet's go back to anonymously trashing opposition members, please. That's always a more productive conversation.
The more requirements mandated by principals the more ways they can show that you are not doing the job effectively. While I agree it's about power and control it's also the appearance of supervision to show their raters that the teachers are basically to blame for what's wrong with the students. Sad commentary on the legacy of Children First.
ReplyDelete...and please don't ask why I do not evaluate the people in my loop...I make things up because they pay tribute to me. I have the power to not be transparent with anyone, especially the school leadership committee. I go after highly paid teachers and look for anything to grade them ineffective. I juke the stats when necessary...and you all know that it is always necessary in order for my school to be highly rated. Yes, you are probably wondering why I am such a narcissist and sociopath. I get my orders from legal, and I have the UFT District Rep in my pocket. You need to understand that covering my ass is pertinent for a building leader and sacrifices must be made.
ReplyDeleteThat list of requirements is just the beginning. It should include: multiple lesson plans for each lesson to meet the diverse needs of the students, indication of the instructional shifts in lesson plans, UDL resources, grouping charts for the multiple groups, evidence of the application and consideration of Danielson's rubric, the agenda for each lesson, the laptop list, accountable talk posters, unit plans, curriculum guides and pacing charts, interactive word walls, evidence of assessment for and of learning, centers, the common core standards, the common core standard for each lesson in student friendly language, comments in each student notebook, agendas and minutes for all teacher team meetings, notebook of communication with parents, a collection of artifacts for teacher evaluations, etc. I can keep going and going. I haven't even gotten to the Quality Review rubric yet. There is very little time for teaching and learning to occur in school. Will the "experts" ever get a clue? or could this be their agenda in the first place? Oh yes, I forgot, I already spend 12 hours a day at school. Most of the time is spent getting these props ready and very little time is spent teaching.
ReplyDeleteThe UFT has been, is and will continue to be up front and out there to protect the teaching profession. Yes, there have been grievances filed on all of this paperwork, excessing, mandates, lesson plans, curriculum..... IS this a frustrating? Very much so, but the fight is a Union fight for ALL, not a bashing. There has been many wins by the UFT, SESIS, school closings, no firing of excessed teachers, etc
ReplyDeleteLet's stay focused on who's in the ring and get a contract!
Let's stay focused. It is the DOE, not the UFT laying all this on us. We have enough crazy folks out there making us out to be all that is wrong with education without going after one another. This is not the fight of any one caucus but of all UFT members.
ReplyDeleteThe UFT is there. As a matter of fact, its history and record indicates that they/we are against the excessive paperwork forced down our throats by the DOE(If memory serves correct, paperwork was part of the 18 union-initiated grievances filed this year).
ReplyDelete