A POOL WITH NO LIFE PRESERVERS:
Karen Sklaire, an award-winning
theater Teacher who has worked
for the city for 15 years,
was placed in the Absent Teacher
Reserve pool in June. ‘You can see
it in people’s faces: they’re thinking
“Oh God, what did you do?”’
she said in describing the stigma
of being an ATR.
Go to the cite to read this excellent piece.
Karen Sklaire, an award-winning
theater Teacher who has worked
for the city for 15 years,
was placed in the Absent Teacher
Reserve pool in June. ‘You can see
it in people’s faces: they’re thinking
“Oh God, what did you do?”’
she said in describing the stigma
of being an ATR.
Go to the cite to read this excellent piece.
21 comments:
Of course The Chief does a good job. They are historically the paper of note for the unions of NYC.
I have asked repeatedly for people to stay on topic or at least be close. This posting was on ATRs. Bronx fighting really have nothing to do with that.
Just a symbol of our students and their actions, I guess that isnt important. And for the record, nothing about race was included.
That's great and all. But I've lived here 11 years and is the first time I've heard about this paper. If it isn't in the Times or Post month don't care.
After reading some of these comments I can understand why some principals are afraid of some ATRs
I'd like to make point and I hope that nobody takes this personally.I hope that Mr. Eterno doesn't remove this comment either because I feel very strongly that this point needs to be made. I feel bad for ATRS because nobody deserves to be treated the way that they are. But with all the media attention that people are giving the ATR crisis (justifiably and understandably so) overshadows an even more critical which is the discontinuance of untenured teachers. As a discontinued teacher myself, I feel terrible for what these ATRS have to go through but I feel even more sorry for people like me who were unfairly targeted and/or retaliated against, and had the plug pulled on our careers with the DOE LOOOOONG before we came anywhere even close to the number of years amassed and the salaries that these ATRS were able to accumulate. So yes I do feel horrible for these teachers because nobody deserves to be treated that way by an evil corporation (DOE) and the apathetic and ignorant public who believes the ATR myths and other such information. At the end of the day I keep saying to myself (these people have jobs and have salaries and are in a position that so many present and future generations will probably never have so their positions are not nearly as unfortunate as that of the position that I was in, and so many other people like me.
2:54, You are right. I agree with you. Contact us at iceuft@gmail.com. We can see if we have any recourse.
@254,
That is probably the best post I’ve read in a while.
As someone who has been an atr for 8 years and hates going into work every day, I do agree that the Uft needs to fight for untenures teachers as well.
I’ve seen principals call in younger teachers and just tell them that they’re gone and I’ve watched the Uft do nothing.
Mulgrew and weingarten before him have killed the Uft.
I appreciate that James. I am not sure what kind of recourses that I would qualify for because this is something that took place a few years ago and I pretty much exhausted every one of my options. I do not expect you to remember but we actually did speak about the situation at the time that this was all going on. You had told me that you even knew my old principal from a time back when he was a regular teacher. (You and him may have been at the same school at that time). Since then he has assumed several leadership positions in various schools and is presently running his high school as if it were a business and nothing more. His severe character flaws and lack of regard for his own students and staff made/make him the perfect candidate for principal under the DOE's ideology.
I've come to believe that the DOE brings out the absolute best and absolute worst in people. People who have been wronged or have witnessed firsthand the unfair and disparate treatment of others have done what you did, and sought to educate people about the realities of what is going on either through a blog, a support group, a caucus, or through some other means.. Others like the clown that I worked for have risen through the ranks (while disconnected with everyone else) and have acclimated themselves to that position because those are the types of people the DOE wants to see in these leadership positions.
My point in regards to my original ATR comment was just to remind everyone that they don't realize how good they have it. In part because of all the publicity focusing on the negativity of being an ATR...I think that people lose sight of that fact. At 36 years old I'm torn between a rock and a hard place. It might be too risky to go to Long Island where there is a high degree of certainty that I would get excessed (without the ATR protection) and I have severe reservations about returning to the DOE. While I think that the abuses and injustices perpetrated against ATRs need to be made public all the time, I also think that the abuses directed against untenured teachers by vindictive administrators is not getting the coverage that it deserves.
Thanks again.
The creation of the ATR is the single biggest disservice the UFT allowed to be perpetrated on its membership. They should never have let the proposal even see the light of day. Instead, they agreed to create a leper class of teachers to serve as an example for everyone else. "Fall in line or this will happen to you", is the message. I'm curious to know what percentage of ATR's have 20+ years of service? And is this an obvious case of age discrimination? Would love to see a smart lawyer examine this and maybe file a class-action lawsuit.
Definitely systemic age discrimination, harassment and abuse while the UFT does nothing.
8:53, Please get in touch at the email address above. I would like you to refresh my memory on your situation. It sounds like you were and would be again a fine teacher.
I emailed you James
I'm still wondering why we, ATRs, don't have a lawsuit against the NYCDOE and our union. Makes no sense. We are sheep. Careers ruined. Why????????
Hi Miriam, This has been discussed multiple times. The ATRS need to initiate it.
Same. New ATR. Don’t care anymore. They hurt my students with their shit. Staten Island high schools have a whatever approach and get away with it
Send a clear message to the UFT:
1. I did not vote to be harassed by Field Supervisors.
2. I did not vote to become an eternal ATR.
3. I did not vote to be disrespected.
4. I did not vote for my position to be taken away from me for no good reason while they hire inexperienced and less qualified teachers.
5. I did not vote for my rights as an ATR to be diminished compare to regular teachers.
I will never vote for you either.
Send a clear message to the UFT:
1. I did not vote to be harassed by Field Supervisors.
2. I did not vote to become an eternal ATR.
3. I did not vote to be disrespected.
4. I did not vote for my position to be taken away from me for no good reason while they hire inexperienced and less qualified teachers.
5. I did not vote for my rights as an ATR to be diminished compare to regular teachers.
I will never vote for you either.
James, how can I get a list of ATRs???? Would love to organize. Enough is enough. Give me an idea how to address this group.
I don't think having an ATR chapter is the route to go. Though proposed in the past, its way past that point. It's time to have all ATRs united to seek council and initiate a class action lawsuit against the DOE.
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