Gene has a feature called "The Grapevine" in which UFT members give information about their particular schools so others can make a little more or an informed decision on whether or not they want to attempt to transfer to a school (not that the transfer process is fair but that is another posting). Below is a Grapevine review of an anonymous Queens school. I'm making it anonymous as I have no idea if anyone there wants this on the general internet.
School: Queens School
Principal: Nameless
Principal’s
School Survey Rating: (below city average)
Resignations
in past five years: 8
Discontinuances/Terminations
(Firings): 0
Safety
Reports last year: 1
Ineffective/U-ratings:
0
3020a
Proceedings: 0
The school
is clean and well maintained. It is centrally located near the bus and
LIRR. There are a few places to eat plus delivery is available from many local
eateries. The neighborhood is family oriented with many students living in
apartments. Unfortunately, aside from the heavy involvement of the core PTA
members, there is limited parent involvement.
There is
very little support for behavioral issues and management skills are
expected. There are only a few severe behavioral issues and good
management will work for you here. If you have difficulty you will not be
welcomed in this school.
The A.P. is
beyond harsh and once she decides you have weaknesses there is no coming back
from it. Administration commits APPR complaint offenses on a regular basis but
staff is afraid to file.
The
principal will systematically observe you and break you down if she decides you
should not be there. Difficult assignments are hand picked for you. Most people
leave sometimes in the middle of the school year.
I have never
been very happy, comfortable, or welcome in this school.
A review like this from a UFT member doesn't set the alarm bells ringing all over the UFT? We have a UFT member saying there is no support on behavioral issues; there is an AP who is beyond harsh; staff is afraid to file APPR complaints; teachers are quitting in the middle of the year. It looks like administration takes one or two teachers they want to get rid of and they just force them out to use as an example for everyone else.
Teachers seem defenseless in this school. Is this the case of a disgruntled employee complaining or is teacher powerlessness in many schools a reality throughout the system?
15 comments:
How can we access Gene's The Organizer/ Grapevine?
Thanks.
Subscribe to the Organizer.
I will send you Gene's email if you like. Email me ICEUFT@GMAIL.COM
Ummm, the author himself says there were no discontinuances or firings. Author also says there were no ineffective ratings. How is the principal using AAPR as a "weapon"? I'd like more details please.
Principal gets them to quit. Easier.
ANNO 5:11: Screw that. Tenured teachers should never quit. We worked too damn hard to get where we are. If this principal is "getting" people to quit, that means those teachers are not putting up a fight. I'd be way more fearful of a principal that doles out discontinuances and ineffective ratings than a principal who is merely a micromanager.
@5:31pm...I hear what you're saying but phew...the stress, anxiety and loneliness felt when admin have targeted you are heavy. Yes,no one is going to make me retire but some of these damn "educators" are nasty,insecure and vindictive. Some are in need of an evaluation, in my opinion. Never quit but sh"t I didn't become a teacher to have to dodge semi humans.
Its about time you are thoughtful James. Despite issues, not every teacher wants their school dogged publicly because good students will shy away leaving poorer academic students to filter in, among other reasons. I've been used to you quickly blogging any principal "dirt" you can find regardless of how credible. In my opinion, I think teachers suffer most in the long-run than the principal you're in a hurry to "expose."
Thank you for the change of pace, James.
I don't expose unless asked or if the media has already done the job.
A teacher can also become bitter and resentful when he or she is treated so poorly and fellow teachers are allowed to slide and even given perks. People suffer professionally and personally with all of this. So yes, there are people who can just blow off threats, intimidation and manipulation but there are many teachers who cannot. The school suffers, the teacher suffers; school and home life, and the students suffer. It is heinous that an administrator would take pride in demoralizing teachers.
The behavior of the administrators is wrong and the UFT should be embarrassed and ashamed that they have allowed this administrator behavior to become so rampant.
Of course no one wants an abusive supervisor. But what do you recommend should happen James, for teachers who are ineffective or mistreat students?
I have fellow teachers that dont care to lesson plan at all. I work in an ICT setting. Myself and a few others complain to UFT about this and they shrug their shoulders and tell us to inform our principal.
The Principal does nothing! But then should I blame the principal. If they take action against these handful of teachers, the teachers will call you up that they're abused. They won't tell you what their shortcomings might be, and you will quickly blog that the principal is abusive, etc, without complete insight.
So what can be done to the handful of teachers who aren't doing their jobs?
We don't encourage people not to do their jobs. If someone is written up for not having any lesson plan, that is kind of just about impossible to defend in most instances as it is a contractual mandate. I would counsel anyone to do their job. However, I find that many times teachers are disciplined for political/personal reasons, not pedagogical reasons. It is often about control, not education or what is good for the school or the kids.
James, how would you know if the principal has just cause for disciplining the teacher? They will just complain to you with their side od the story as a means of retaliation. Is not like you're going to do due diligence to find out.
At the end of the day, I cant work with these lazy co teachers either.
If someone does not have a lesson plan, they don't have a lesson plan. Not much to defend even if you hear their side of the story.
I watched the former principal at Middle College High School Linda Siegmund up close for the 3.5 years I worked there. She got the best out of most of us and she never wrote a file letter as far as I know.
Hi, Open Market starts today !!! WARNING - DO NOT APPLY FOR ANY JOBS AT Mosiac Preparatory Academy (04M375). You will be Bullied, Harassed, Demeaned, and Belittled constantly by a Narcissistic Principal who has Psychological Problems stemming from her childhood that she NEVER dealt with. She attacks her staff and uses the children, their parents, and sometimes even other staff members to join in on her mean vindictive, vile, and vicious attacks. She will write you up for every and anything once she decides to target you. She loses 15+ staff members every year and parents pull their kids out of the school once they realize what she is really like. She refuses to give tenure to deserving teachers, and gives "Letters of Discontinuance" to probationary teachers. She sends "3020a Termination Letters" out to her tenured teachers when she decides to target them. This year two teachers quit before October was over, one claiming that Mental Health was suffering because of treatment from Principal and her henchmen. The students are allowed to physically attack teachers who are told they need to improve their Classroom Management Skills. They are rarely consequences for students who destroy classrooms, attack other students and/or staff that try to intervene when students fight. There is very little support and very little trust in this school. The School Safety Officers are often called to remove disruptive students. DO NOT APPLY TO WORK HERE - it is NOT a school conducive to a Healthy Educational Environment.
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