Monday, November 18, 2019

PARENTS WRITE TO SUPERINTENDENT SUPPORTING TEACHER REMOVED FROM CLASSROOM

A friend sent me a letter parents wrote to the District 10 Superintendent expressing their concerns about second grade teacher Walter Rendon's removal from the classroom to the rubber room.

Here is an excerpt:
The parents of 2-138 at PS 24 are writing to request a meeting with you to discuss our concerns about the handling of the removal of our children’s teacher, Walter Rendon.

On October 7th, Mr. Rendon was abruptly removed from the classroom.  Parents received a call that day from PS 24 administration stating that Mr. Rendon was being removed from the classroom effective immediately by the TPU.  After parents requested a sit-down meeting with Principal Schwartz, we were told that he had no prior knowledge of Mr. Rendon’s removal, that it was not the decision of the school and that he had no control over the matter, and that a permanent teacher for the class would be in place by October 28th.  After further research, we understand that the TPU does not unilaterally reassign a teacher without the express request and participation of the school’s principal.

This decision to remove Mr. Rendon has resulted in the upheaval of our children’s education.  Since Mr. Rendon’s removal, class 2-138 has been without structure and our children are suffering both educationally and emotionally.  

Not caring about the emotional or educational well being of children is unfortunately a common occurrence at the NYC Department of Education. Not telling parents accurate information about the principal being involved in the decision to remove a teacher is also not unusual. Passing the buck is something certain administrators are very adept at.

Further down in the letter:
Promises were made and then laid by the wayside by our administration.  And the clear and open communication that we had once received from Mr. Rendon on what was happening in the classroom has stopped.  There has been absolutely no communication  regarding testing dates, vocabulary words or the posting of homework.

Conversely, in the month that our children had Mr. Rendon as their teacher, we had happy and engaged learners.  The parents found him to be exceptional.  He was by no means ill prepared or sub par. He was attentive and had created a superior environment of learning and trust.   He understood our children well and had been responsive to their educational and emotional needs.  In the month that he taught our children, he gained their trust and in return they strived to achieve.  As parents who have been at the school for a number of years, we know that Mr. Rendon has an outstanding professional record, teaching 3rd grade G&T and science curriculum to over 800 students.  He was also given the task of administering and grading the ELA and math state exams.  One would think that such assignments are only given to someone who is fully capable of achieving results and working with integrity.

The conclusion:
Since the removal of our teacher, the children have paid a dear price educationally and personally.  Our children deserve a quality education in a stable environment.   This unfortunate event, and ensuing confusion, has been an utter debacle.

Ms. Hulla - we implore you to look deeply into this matter and decide if our kids well-being was worth this removal.  We would also like to sit down with you, and any member of the DOE who has been copied on  the cc list below to be able to express our concerns in person.  As parents of these children, we think we more than deserve that courtesy. 

Respectfully,

Parents of 2-138

It is great to see parents supporting a teacher. My understanding is this is not the first teacher removed from the school by this principal. I wish we had a union that defended teachers with the same passion as these parents show. 

27 comments:

  1. only in the corrupt world of education do employees get yanked with no evidence just hearsay....yet principals are given golden treatment....people really need to check their senses before getting involved in education these days...it can be a dangerous livlihood and it pays like shit and treats its people like shit...s

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  2. But I thought things were so much better under de blasio.

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  3. Quote from above...When will the union step up? And this is a good deal for us? how?

    "people really need to check their senses before getting involved in education these days...it can be a dangerous livlihood and it pays like shit and treats its people like shit..."

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  4. Now tell me what the uft is worth. NON UNIONIZED...City officials announced major pay raises Wednesday for non-unionized early childhood teachers, the last major segment of the pre-k teaching workforce whose salaries were lagging far behind the rest of the field.

    Approximately 1,500 non-unionized, certified early childhood teachers will get pay bumps to match the wages of their unionized colleagues in both community-run programs and in Education Department preschools by 2021, officials announced.

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    1. They're unionized 2:05. From NY Post:

      Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson formalized the deal they struck with early education teacher unions guaranteeing pay hikes over the next three years, officials announced Monday.

      The accord with District Councils 37 and 1701 will boost salaries for certified pre-K educators by $17,000 to $20,000, depending on their level of education — putting them on par with Department of Education staffers.

      “This City Council believes strongly in tackling pay inequities among city workers, and as part of that commitment we promised to address the gap between community-based early childhood educators and their Education Department counterparts,” Johnson said in a statement.

      By October 2021, early education teachers with a bachelor’s degree will pull in $61,070 while those holding a master’s will make $68,652.

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  5. I guess one teahcer finally had enough, or snapped.
    A high school teacher in Maryland went berserk and attacked a student who bumped into her in a classroom, setting off a “horrific” fight that was captured on video, police and school officials said.

    Vivian Noirie, 36, was arrested Friday after the assault at Largo High School on an unidentified 17-year-old student, who appeared to knock into the teacher from behind in the middle of the packed classroom, according to footage obtained by WTTG.

    Prince George’s County police said the student was upset that Noirie had contacted her parents the night before and confronted her, stepping on the teacher’s foot before bumping into her with her shoulder. That caused Noirie to erupt, sending the educator into a frenzy as she repeatedly hits the student from behind, video shows.

    Noirie then violently throws the teen to the floor before kicking the girl several times, leading other students to break up the melee, according to the footage.

    Once separated, the unidentified teen grabbed Noirie from the rear and repeatedly hit her again several times before the scuffle was broken up a second time, police said.

    Noirie was charged with child abuse and second-degree assault in the incident. Detectives are also pursuing charges against the student, police said.

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  6. Only a corrupt DOE with the help of useless corrupt lawyers from TPU willcause so much damage.

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  7. Steven Schwartz principal of PS 24 in Riverdale

    https://nypost.com/2019/06/08/bronx-principal-could-face-another-investigation-over-gambling-tweets/

    https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/bronx-educator-lawsuit-claims-punishment-whistleblowing-article-1.3412625

    https://youtu.be/GoyDrwH-Soo

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  8. Ohhhh Wilbur!!

    http://thedailygallop.net/?s=Schwartz

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  9. Do we know why the teacher was removed? If not, you are jumping to conclusions that the teacher was treated unjustly.

    Typical James, so much for evidence. Even with our weak UFT, removal of a teacher is harder than in the corporate world.

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  10. Here’s a question for the sycophants on the Executive Board to ask their CEO - Why isn’t the UFT standing up for their members and going after principals like Schwartz?

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  11. 7:34, This was a parent letter in support of their teacher. Removal of a teacher is as easy as a phone call from a principal to someone at DOE.

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    Replies
    1. Unfortunately the gotcha system, and the team of unscrupulous lawyers are doing a lot of damage.

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  12. DOE on two major initiatives. All arbitration for class size will be finished by Thanksgiving. Thanks all who used new language in contract. Goal, if we do it right this year is to do better next.

    This is an improvement? the term will be 70% over.

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  13. DOE is admitting now they have a lot of work to do in short time. They are pushing too much paperwork which is making this difficult. One superintendent did a PD and mandated that every school and teacher has to write curriculum. He put it in a powerpoint, which we got a copy of, and DOE denied knowledge of it.

    Like a well oiled machine, as usual.

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  14. The DOE does not give a rats ass about parent support letters. If an admin wants a teacher out, the DOE will back that admin 100%.

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  15. Removing a teacher means that the principal is bad? That is horrible logic especially when we don't have all the facts.

    So James, if you were a supervisor, you would never fire someone who may be deserving?

    I work with 2 teachers in my school that I know shouldn't be in front of kids. If I were an admin I would have the guts to fire them. My principal is doing nothing about them. That's a bad principal to me, not having the guts to make a tough but necessary move.

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  16. 8:31 is all about that union solidarity. NOT. Principal already lied to parents saying he had nothing to do with removal. A teacher with that kind of parental support probably has some skills.

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  17. 8:31, we all know principals pick and choose who they go after. I know for a fact that my principal is actively covering up a case of a teacher verbally abusing a student. It was swept under the rug, but unfortunately for the boss, too many people know, and the parents are relentless.

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  18. A principal who lies and does not support parents is a poor leader. One who spends school time betting on horses is no model principal.

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  19. So in general, what makes a bad principal?
    One who removes teachers they deem necessary? One who is too afraid to remove any teacher?

    I disagree with James definition that the pure act of removing a teacher(s) immediately makes a bad leader which the history of his blogs suggest.

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  20. Removing a teacher who parents support?

    Removal of a teacher from the classroom, particularly in the middle of a term, is very disruptive should be saved for the most extreme cases. It should never be done for personal or political reasons.

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  21. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  22. Yes, teachers are definitely favored by administration and can get away with murders. Several times I see teachers getting letters in their files for doing the same thing the cronies are doing.

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