I don't think it will be too difficult to figure out my opinion of Michael Bloomberg's presidential aspirations. I hope he does worse than Mayor Bill de Blasio's ill fated campaign for the White House. Also, if Bloomberg spends a great deal of money to get nowhere near the presidency, that will be even more gratifying.
As a NYC teacher, UFT Chapter Leader and community supporter who gave everything I had along with so many others to save Jamaica High School and many other schools closed by Bloomberg and his chancellors, I can tell you that Bloomberg as mayor was completely deaf to the public. Seeing Mercedes Schneider's post on Bloomberg buying elections in Louisiana, where former NYC Deputy Chancellor John White is Education Commissioner, just increases my rage at having to see Bloomberg all over television and the internet the last few days.
I thought after all these years I was over the totally unjustified closing of Jamaica HS but I'm not.
Then, I heard about Bloomberg's totally opportunistic apology for stop and frisk policing. Is this man so arrogant that he believes he can buy off the country the way he bought off potential opposition in NYC when he was mayor?
From a 2013 NY Post story on Bloomberg using his money to shape policy and silence critics:
In a fortuitous turn of events, a chunk of that dough — some $110,000 — found its way to that veteran tormentor of mayors past, the Rev. Al Sharpton, whose strident voice has been heard only rarely outside City Hall these past dozen years.
If Norm Scott is right that Bloomberg is hoping to win in a brokered Democratic Convention where no candidate gets a majority on the first ballot, then maybe Bloomberg does have enough money to buy the Democratic party nomination.
At least the police unions aren't buying Bloomberg's "sorry about stop and frisk" speech.
From the Chief Leader:
"He owes us an apology.”
So said the leaders of two city police unions about Michael Bloomberg, who soon after making it clear that he would likely join a crowded field seeking the Democratic nomination for President, communicated a public mea culpa regarding the stop-and-frisk practices that characterized the NYPD during much of his tenure.
The strategy, whose chief proponent was Mr. Bloomberg’s only Police Commissioner, Ray Kelly, fostered mutual distrust between police and residents, particularly those in black and Latino neighborhoods.
The policy, a cornerstone policing practice for more than a decade dating back to the Giuliani administration, “drove a stake between the police and the community,” the president of the Lieutenants Benevolent Association, Lou Turco, said of the Mayor last week.
The strategy, though, “was always opposed by the unions,” he said.
The Sergeants Benevolent Association also called for an apology. Later in the Chief story, we hear from the largest police union, the PBA:
The Police Benevolent Association’s president, Patrick J. Lynch, said the apology was tardy by 19 years.
“Mayor Bloomberg could have saved himself this apology if he had just listened to the police officers on the street. We said in the early 2000s that the quota-driven emphasis on street stops was polluting the relationship between cops and our communities,” he said in a statement. “His administration’s misguided policy inspired an anti-police movement that has made cops the target of hatred and violence, and stripped away many of the tools we had used to keep New Yorkers safe. The apology is too little, too late.”
I will join with the police unions in asking for an apology. The police can get an I'm sorry for stop and frisk and one for me for closing Jamaica High School. Does anyone else want to join in on the Bloomberg apology requests? Maybe he can donate some money to us like he did to shut up Reverend Al?
Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders gets the last word here on Bloomberg.
From Politico:
“I don’t believe that Mr. Bloomberg is going to succeed,” Sanders said. “Because I think at the end of the day, people of this country do not want to see a billionaire buy an election, and that is precisely what Mr. Bloomberg is trying to do.”
Bloomberg thinks he can just parachute into the race and leave everyone with their tongues hanging out drooling about the prospect of watching midget mike spend over 100 million dollars on bull shit.
ReplyDeleteOh wait my phone just rang and the call was looking for donations for starving children in the US. Wait, we have starving children in America and this billionaire is spending 100 million on ad spots? What is wrong with America and what is wrong with mankind and the human race has deteriorated to greedy ignorant living organisms who basically care about nothing but themselves.
How about closing of :
ReplyDeleteLets send mikey the list: To name just a few in the Bronx:
Lehman HS
ALfred E SMith HS
Clinton HS
Columbus HS
Evander Childs HS
Walton HS
Stevenson HS
And Sharpton took the money? He is an opportunist? Racist?
ReplyDeleteSo what should be done with schools that fail forever? Of course, closing schools and keeping the same discipline code won't change anything in the new schools, with the same students.
ReplyDeleteSo now my school is trying to tell me they have to observe me since Im in advance even though I sent them an email clarifying with Mike Sill.. Ive been a glorified sub all year. The school answer is they will put me one day in a classroom inder my license so I can teach.. WTF absolutely not.... Uggg the DOE and UFT need to get their shit together
ReplyDeleteAnyone know the procedure for protecting yourself against a hostile student that acts in a threatening manner towards you? I’m thinking of going straight to the police for a restraining order because admin gives students zero consequences.
ReplyDeletePolice if school admin won't help.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the upcoming rant but I feel as if this is the only place where I can voice it and be understood. I also apologize for the anonymous post but these are the times we live in. Instead of seeing an outcry for support and help it can be used against me.
ReplyDeleteI’m tired. I know many of you are as well. I’m not talking about fatigue or being overwhelmed which are both apparent, abundant, and valid.
I’m tired of of me and the staff I work with everyday being told we re not good enough. We need to do more. The more we do the more it’s even worse.
I’m tired of shady PDs. I’m tired of the hypocritical cycle that is education system.
I became a teacher because I wanted to be in a position to help. I have and had no illusions when I started this job. This isn’t a movie.
I grew up in many of the same ways our students grew up. Shelters, homeless, hungry, on top of just being a kid.
As a new teacher I have so much to learn. As a teacher I am always going to learn. It’s crazy to me that this is a profession where many people say “you get good in 3-5 years.” I can’t see any other profession like that.
I’m tired of admin eviscerating any attempt to do well. I am more tired that the best way to deal with all of this is to “fly under the radar.” No. I came here to help. I ll go any extra miles for my students. I often feel terrible that my poor students got me as a new teacher. They could benefit so much more from someone with great experience that can really help their learning. I am someone’s _____ grade _____ subject teacher for the rest of their life.
That is not something I take lightly. I was blessed with many great teachers. I want to pay that back. I want a a chronically absent student to want to come to school because I want them there. Because I believe they can achieve great things. Maybe that’s me being new and naive but I truly believe in that. If I didn’t then what’s the point??!!!
Where is the help? Where is the support? Where is the leadership? Where are our defenses? We are one of the biggest and strongest unions in the world. I believe in unions. My whole family has been in unions for generations.
I’m tired of feeling like this. I know I won’t give up because that’s not me. But gd I am so tired of the constant negativity. The anti-teacher rhetoric and attitude.
I’m tired of it all
5:31,
ReplyDeleteEveryone gets tired. Take care of yourself. Take a break from worrying about your students. I used to wish I could be a parent to some of my students, but I realized that God made me their teacher and that's plenty.
Also, find some supportive people to talk to. See a funny movie. Take a sabbatical. Plan a nice vacation. Skip working summer school. Take a leave of absence if you absolutely must.
Teaching is a very demanding profession, but also very rewarding.
I want an apology for the citywide HS application process and the breakup of the large high schools. It unmoored people from their neighborhoods.
ReplyDeleteI also want an apology from the UFT for the contract that rolled over for a raise and kept quiet during his 3rd run at office.
I am a veteran teacher of over 20 years. I have always gotten the highest rating each year. Including the inception of Danielson. The past 4 years i have a perfect score on my overall evaluations. And have always been the go to. This year my principal has flipped a switch. She came in and observed one lesson for 15 minutes and gave me ineffective. She has placed me now under review where i have to submit my lesson plans (detailed on her own template) every Monday for the entire week for review and feedback. I’m so blindsided. We never had formal plans. Always unit maps. Smartboard lessons. Etc. i havent even written a plan to this caliber in over 24 years. What should i be doing now to protect myself. One lesson and I’ve now been cast a scarlet letter. Meanwhile I’ve always been the lead teacher, go to person, and turn key trainer. I feel like i was punched in the stomach. Any advice.
ReplyDeleteAyo Bloomberg, Remember those kids in NYC you made go to school in snow storms? Yeah well we grown now and we can vote ����
ReplyDelete8:42, You have 5 school days from when you receive observation report to put in an AzpPR complaint. I suggest you do it immediately if you are timely. We will figure out a case to argue it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if the democrats actually had rationale, moderate candidates we would never be talking about how terrible Little Mikey is.
ReplyDeleteNow we have to rehash all the terrible ideas he had when he was in power. Maybe he should watch the movie Scrooged with Bill Murray to save him.
Out of all the dems, I would probably vote bloomberg.
ReplyDeleteBloomberg should apologize for the Aspiring Principal's program. Hundreds of incompetent and corrupt principals came out of this program. How many millions were wasted on this program?
ReplyDeleteGee, How come I don't remember police union push back against stop and frisk. All I remember are complaints that crime will soar.
ReplyDeleteAnd where is our resident racist who I would bet complained somewhere on this blog about stop and frisk being ended by de Blasio?
To see this guy spending millions of $ to buy the presidency (like he bought a third term as mayor) makes my blood boil. Will the ATR's get an apology for creating this waste of money and resources? Probably not. But the nanny, tiny mayor, with his great and prudent business acumen, knows what is best for all of us. After all, he closed schools, gave teachers the shaft and told us how much soda we can drink.
ReplyDeleteJust deserts, as this blog alluded to, would be for him to spend a couple of hundred million dollars and poll at about two percent. One can only hope.
Stop and Frisk did work. Hmm, I think the crime numbers are as fake as the student grades. Has anybody seen all the grade fraud articles?
ReplyDeleteSince you like to call racism all the time, this is commonplace, haven't heard a word about it.
ReplyDeleteA gang of five men assaulted two Jewish teens walking down the street in Brooklyn, knocking a yarmulke off one of their heads, police said Wednesday.
The group approached a 14-year-old boy dressed in traditional Orthodox garb on the corner of Eastern Parkway and Albany Avenue in Crown Heights on Nov 11, smacking him with a blow to the head, officials said.
The assailants then turned on a second boy, 15, and grabbed the hat off his head.
The group fled on foot, tossing the hat to the ground as they ran, police said.
So wouldn't these people be our students. Says late teens. This is safe? These people should be in public schools? This was an assault, attacking based on what? White? Jewish? Or the criminals were just doing what they do? No wonder so many people on here write that they are having nervous breakdowns and looking at SOLAS and looking to quit after 18 months. And we are supposed to teach? Lol.
ReplyDeleteThis is the doe in 2019, run for your life...But, magically, highest graduation rate ever.
ReplyDeleteAgree with above. Just think, these are the "students" sitting in our classes, we are expected to control them, teach them, help them. What a crock of shit. They are doing this and they are really going to put their phone away when I ask them to, or follow the simplest direction, or do their homework.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I dont think anyone, obviously, knows how dangerous and terrible this profession this is. There is chaos and destruction embedded inside the brain of many students.
ReplyDeleteI just emailed my resignation. Had enough. At some point, misery and self destruction just isn't worth the paycheck. Let the students run other lives.
ReplyDeleteOn Bloomberg, simple. No Fucking Way.
ReplyDelete