Why Do You Want This Job?



The retired teacher had the per session job for over 25 years.  He had tenure and retention and had never been rated anything other than satisfactory so it came as a shock when he was denied the position this September. He grieved.  The principal claimed the number of positions available had been reduced but this should not have been a problem because he had seniority over almost everyone in the system.  He went to the next step and the arbitrator had the nerve to ask why he wanted the job and why he wouldn't just give it up to a young person.  He smiled and said nothing.  He didn't have to.  He knows he has to win on the next step.

The process is dragging on.  When it finally ends, he will not only get back pay, he will get several sick days. The city will have lost thousands of dollars and children will have their education disrupted.

No one seems to care.  The whole idea is to make him miserable and leave.  He's not dong that.  He's not laying down quietly and passing away.

Shame On You

Looking at pictures from the rally, I noticed something very unsettling.  I saw a preponderance of older teachers and a handful of young ones.  Many of the older teachers are retiring this year or in the very near future and still took the time to come, to show support and to fight for what is right.  The young ones, the ones  with careers ahead of them couldn't be bothered taking time away from their busy weekends.  Several used the excuse of being on early session, making hanging around until 4:00 PM a hardship.  (Most of the senior teachers around are on early session.)  Another was heard saying only the weak need protection.  I can't believe an educated individual has closed her eyes to what is happening, not only in New York City, but around the country.  Still others had the attitude of why bother, nothing ever changes.  I'm glad these people weren't around when I began teaching.  I'm not one to talk about the "good old days" but in those days, we stood up for ourselves.  We risked jail, job loss and suffered financial penalties when we went on strike in the late 60's and early 70's.  If it wasn't for teachers like us, these young teachers would not be making the money they are making today.

I heard one teacher complaining about everyone who voted for the 2005 contract, the one that gave up all our rights and he blamed the old timers, the ones near retirement who just saw dollar signs.  He is partially right about that but I know many senior teachers who voted no, unwilling to sell out for a few bucks.  I remember a whole group of young ones (he was part of this group) who didn't even know the contract was being voted on and didn't vote.

I hope all of you who didn't bother to show up enjoyed your afternoon naps, or your happy hours, or whatever else you do on a Friday afternoon that couldn't be postponed for an hour.  Don't come crying to me when it is your job on the line or when your class has 50 students in it.  I paid my dues and I will be home reaping the rewards of the work I did for over 35 years.

I Feel Good

I just spent 30 minutes with my Casio and I got it!!!!! It is not that hard. In fact, it is easier than the TI 83. I feel accomplished. I am as good or better than any teenie bopper who grew up with technology! (I still doubt its value in the classroom and I still think it should not replace real working knowledge of math.)

All Kids Need Help--Not Just The Ones With IEPs

I didn't think the IEP post would cause so much outrage. Thank you teachers for all your support.

I just checked. It is only November and I have already written 25 individual letters of recommendation for my students. I'm only counting the letters, each letter has at least 3 or 4 applications attached so the amount of work involved is incredible. There have also been countless forms filled out for the college office. That number will increase once scholarship applications begin.

Before I write a letter of recommendation, I read over the student's resume and personal statement. I also question them as to their goals and interests and try to find the one or two things that will make the subject of the recommendation stand out from all the others.

As I was writing this post an e-mail came from Macaulay Honors Program. They are collecting all their recommendations online this year. So that is another thing I must do. Since I have no computer access at work, those are done at home.

As for brighter kids not needing attention, think again. Would you be happy if your honor child came home from school saying the teacher had no time to help him with a problem? Or, how about, forget that scholarship, Johnny needs me more and I don't have time to fill out your recommendation. Bright kids are just as time consuming, albeit in a different form.

So, all you parents out there with kids with special needs--I feel for you but I feel for these other kids too. They are just as entitled to help and special treatment as everyone else. Too bad there is no federal law protecting them. Don't judge me without having a clue as to what I do! And, as for telling me what I would do if your child was in my class, SORRY, THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

Mr. Ding and Willie

Willie was a mediocre student. School was just somewhere he went to kill time during the day. Willie's teachers were nice people, but little more than than. They never taught him multiplication tables and never pushed any kind of phonics. Willie didn't care. He was getting by and that was all that mattered.

When Willie was a little boy, classes were homogeneous. The smartest kids ended up in the 6 - 1 class and the slowest in the 6 -6 class. Little mediocre Willie ended up in the 6 -3 class, which was fine with him. As luck would have it, Mr. Ding was teaching the 6 - 3 class that year and Willie was exposed to his first male teacher. Mr. Ding didn't believe in mediocrity and he pushed the kids to their limits. Every day he drilled multiplication tables. Every day, he pushed reading. In spite of this, Mr. Ding believed school should be fun. In good weather, he brought his class outside every day at 2:00 to play. They swung bats and chased baseballs and laughed at the 6 -1 kids still inside with their books.

Willie is an adult now. He went to Stuyvesant High School and received his undergraduate and graduate degrees (in math) from Queens College. He credits Mr. Ding with turning his education around. Willie recently retired after a long, successful career as a high school teacher. He took the lessons he learned from Mr. Ding and applied them to his daily teaching. I am betting that Willie has influenced and helped students in the same way that Mr. Ding helped him.

The Great Divide

When did the Great Divide come into the teaching profession? I'm not referring to the divide between the administration and the teachers, that one has always been there. I'm referring to the divide between the young and the old teachers.

Young teachers, believe it or not, I was once young too. I also wanted to(actually I still do) save the world and thought I could do it one class at a time. But, I also knew that I was inexperienced and needed help.

Years ago, before the Great Divide, older teachers were valued. Their ideas and their skills were appreciated. Young teachers absorbed what they had to offer and in return, the older teachers got an energy charge from the young.

Things are different now. The young and the old teachers are totally separated. There is an "Us" and "Them" feeling in the school. The young ones are being put on pedestals and are being heralded as the type of teacher we all should be. Only their methods are good. Only their teaching methods can break the barrier preventing all from succeeding.

The older teachers are disgusted. We don't want to share with the young ones. We will all retire and take our skills, and our lesson plans with us.

I don't know how all this happened. I don't see any way to stop it from continuing. I only know what I see and what I see will hurt the education of future generations.

Disparity

Sweet Young Thing and Thirty Year Veteran have both been absent quite a few days lately. Thirty Plus' two year old son was hospitalized last week and had emergency surgery. She is a single parent. Sweet Young Thing lives at home with her parents. Neither one of these teachers had coverage material for their classes on the days they were out.

AP to Sweet Young Thing:

His Ms. Sweet. Welcome back. I hope you are feeling better. We all missed you. Don't worry about substitute work. Mr. Z will run stuff off for you.

AP about Thirty Year Veteran (she has not returned to work yet.) Rant was made in the office--full of kids and teachers.

I can't believe Thirty is still out. She takes off too much. She did not leave any work for her classes. I am going to put a letter in her file. I will not put up with this behavior from teachers in my department.

By the way, Thirty has quite a few sick days in her bank even though she had hip replacement surgery and was out eight weeks last year. She almost never takes a day off. She even arranged to give birth while on sabbatical.

Mr. AP is making his feelings about us veterans known. He is also making the veteran teachers resent the sweet young ones, which is sad. Most of them, including this one, are good, caring teachers. They don't want this special treatment. Overall they want to be treated like everyone else.