Sour Puss

As a "baby" teacher, I loved going to the school holiday parties. They gave us all a chance to cut loose and get to know people that we never had a chance to know before. They gave us a chance to get to like (a little alcohol goes a long way) people (even administrators) we never liked before. I even remember dancing with Suit at one of these parties.

I don't go to holiday parties, or any parties at school anymore. I still work because I love the kids but the party part of the job has been gone for years. Originally I stopped going because the parties were so important to Suit. Not going was a great way to ignore him without being insubordinate. Now, I look around and feel only sorrow for what the school has become. I've seen colleague turn against colleague to make a few brownie points with the administration. I'm sick of the whining from fellow pedagogues. They complain and complain but refuse to stand up for anything. (I know, you are probably saying I do a great deal of complaining myself, but I try to keep my complaining to this blog rather than subjecting others to it. I also stand up for what I believe is right, unlike so many others.) I've seen administrators harassing teachers over things the teachers have no control over.

I guess you can say I've become a sour puss. I try to keep to myself. I only really talk to select adults. To most, I just say hi, and keep going. I surround myself with papers so no one comes near me in the cafeteria unless I want them to. I put chairs in the hallway and tutor my students. I wander the building on my lunch and on my preps (when I am not working) and spend at least 10 minutes a day hiding out in the resource room with my kids. (I really do prefer the kids to the adults.)

I honestly hope everyone enjoys themselves at the party tonight. I am one person that will not be missed.

They're Back

Is anyone safe?

Wasting Money

Too much money is being spent on improving grades and getting kids to pass exams.

Too little money is being spent on improving education.

Data recovery programs are finding ingenious ways to give kids credit for "seat time."

We have data up the kazoo. A zillion dollars has been spent on ARIS so we can know that Billy, who is cutting our class this term, cut school last year as well, or that Julie, who couldn't read in eighth grade, still can't read, or why Judy, who has never failed, is all of a sudden failing math.

Classes sizes are still too large. Guidance counselors, attendance teachers and social workers have case loads that are enormous. Jimmy might finally pass the test but he still can't read.

The Straw That Breaks The Camel's Back

I told class to use colored pencils and I allowed them a "cheat sheet" so they could just apply the laws without memorizing them. This girl was really working. She told me the colors and the sheet helped.


I have a habit of photo copying exams and mailing them home when my students do not do well on them. I make no comments, just present the parents with the papers. Most parents get the papers but even when the kids manage to intercept them, the mailing makes a difference.

One of the girls I taught last year is not doing well this year. Her teacher is not sending the papers home and she is sliding down. I told her I was going to make up an exam, add a failing grade, put her name on it and mail it home. She was not pleased. (She also knew I would never do this.) When her mom knows she is not doing well, her mom puts on the pressure, she attends tutoring, studies and passes.

One Friday I gave a geometry test. All week I heard, "Are you going to mail them home?" I just answered "Study and we will see."

Ari is one of my most difficult students. Somehow I attract all the difficult kids. It has been a battle of wills with him since day one. He knows that I play to win and that I am determined not to lose my battle to a teenager. Mailing Ari's test home might be the one thing that works.

Ari's last test was bad, not bad enough to mail home but, I mailed it anyways. His mom went ballistic on him, yelling and grounding him for the weekend. Friday, as he looked at the test, he yelled out "Mailing this test home would be the same as if I told your husband you were cheating on him. " To which I replied "My husband would be thrilled that someone was interested in cheating with a woman as old and as ugly as I am. I have a feeling he would never believe you. On the other hand, your mom will believe the test when she sees it."

Ari did not pass that test, but his grade and his attitude improved (for the moment). Maybe I found the straw that broke this camel's back.

You've Come A Long Way Baby

We graphed a third degree polynomial equation today. We used minimum and maximum points. We used concavity and inflection points. When we finished, we compared our results to the results on the graphing calculator. The kids were amazed at how accurate our picture was. The teacher who entered the room as my class was ending was impressed.

I told the class to remember when graphing straight lines was a challenge. One boy took the picture above. They've come a long way, baby!

I Still Don't See How They Will Help

We heard all about IEPs at today's faculty conference. From what I heard, there is nothing on them that I don't know already. I know about the test modifications. My students already get extended time and different locations, if desired. If they need a reader or a writer, the resource room teacher must provide them.

I still don't know how reading them will help my students.

Not On A Teacher's Salary

There is a faculty conference on Monday. I don't know if there will be any interesting tidbits, but since I can't supply any details here, I decided to I go with another meaningless post. When I saw this coat, it was love at first sight.

It was on a rack at an outlet store--reduced to 1/3 its original price.

Alas, the picture is my only memory of this coat. The original price was over $6000 which made the sale price was just over $2000.

So I took a picture. That, was free.

Economics

A long, long time ago, when graphing calculators were first introduced to the mathematics curriculum, math teachers did not know how to use them. These calculators have long menus, hundred page manuals and and most teachers felt overwhelemed by them.

Texas Instruments was only one of the companies to introduce a graphing calculator. Theirs was not the cheapest, not the easiest to use, and it did not do the most, but it took the schools by storm. The reason for this was simple--economics. TI was the only company willing to supply the schools with the much needed technical support. They not only came to the schools to do workshops, they provided off site instruction and gave away many calculators and overheads for the schools use. The sad thing is, most teachers can still only do the very basics on those calculators.

I just found out my school will be getting Casios. I wonder who is going to teach us how to use them? Most of the teachers I know will not be able to read the manual and figure it out. The manuals are just too complicated. Will they be used to add, subtract, multiply and divide or will they really be used as they are intended to be used?

Anything But Math

Why is it that even these plain black sneakers are cause for discussion in class?

Evidently, the kids thought they were from some fancy designer and were impressed.


They should only know that they cost $5 at the flea market many, many years ago.

Too bad they don't spend the time working that they spend worrying about fashion.

More Powerful Than An Administrator

The words of my students do more for me than anything else at school.

I leave these notes under random piles of junk, so I find them whenever I have an urge to clean something up, which is usually when I am in a pissy mood.

I left school yesterday, ready to hand in my retirement papers and then I found this.

Fatima is in college now, studying to be a doctor. She is going to specialize in women's medicine because she knows she can make a difference in their lives.

Oy Vey

Today's memo. (You know where to find details.)

Up and Down and Up and Down and Up and Down...

My geometry classes are like a sine curve--some days they are up but other days they are down.

Yesterday we were at a max, flying high--I was feeling great. Today, I was at my lowest.

Today, I don't think I can even make it to June.

What is wrong with these kids? What is wrong with me?

Why are they so inconsistent?

My Hopes Are Alive Again

I decided not to teach proofs anymore. I know, I am selling out. But, I want them to pass. The proofs are just too abstract for them to grasp. I believe they will be able to pass the regents by doing the other problems and they are so weak, I have to concentrate on what I think they might be able to do.

I started parallelograms a few days ago. Just getting them to remember the basic properties is a chore. Then, they remember the properties but have no clue as to how to use them, even after we write a sentence like "OPPOSITE SIDES OF A PARALLELOGRAM ARE CONGRUENT", they still add two sides and set them equal to 180 degrees.

Today, I decided to move ahead. I picked a bunch of problems that required them to do the dirty word, "THINK." I got the shock of my life. They thought! They got excited when they found answers. They argued about different ways of approaching the problems. They got them right. I was so happy I danced around the room. They laughed at me, which is fine.

I know my dreams of their success will probably be shattered tomorrow, but at least for today, we made some progress.

The Black Hole

Is this happening to our students who are being forced to take courses they are not prepared for?

I Wish I Thought Of This

Ads on tests add up for teacher

By Greg Toppo and Janet Kornblum, USA TODAY
Tom Farber gives a lot of tests. He's a calculus teacher, after all.
So when administrators at Rancho Bernardo, his suburban San Diego high school, announced the district was cutting spending on supplies by nearly a third, Farber had a problem. At 3 cents a page, his tests would cost more than $500 a year. His copying budget: $316. But he wanted to give students enough practice for the big tests they'll face in the spring, such as the Advanced Placement exam.


LITERACY: How teacher who couldn't read hopes to help others
"Tough times call for tough actions," he says. So he started selling ads on his test papers: $10 for a quiz, $20 for a chapter test, $30 for a semester final.

San Diego magazine and The San Diego Union-Tribune featured his plan just before Thanksgiving, and Farber came home from a few days out of town to 75 e-mail requests for ads. So far, he has collected $350. His semester final is sold out.

That worries Robert Weissman, managing director of Commercial Alert, a Washington-based non-profit that fights commercialization in school and elsewhere. If test-papers-as-billboards catches on, he says, schools in the grip of tough economic times could start relying on them to help the bottom line.

"The advertisers are paying for something, and it's access to kids," he says.

About two-thirds of Farber's ads are inspirational messages underwritten by parents. Others are ads for local businesses, such as two from a structural engineering firm and one from a dentist who urges students, "Brace Yourself for a Great Semester!"

Principal Paul Robinson says reaction has been "mixed," but he notes, "It's not like, 'This test is brought to you by McDonald's or Nike.' "

To Farber, 47, it's a logical solution: "We're expected to do more with less."

The National Education Association says teachers spend about $430 out of their pockets each year for school supplies. This semester, Christine Van Ruiten, a teacher at E.C. Reems, a charter school in East Oakland, has spent $2,000. She scours Craigslist for free supplies and posts requests to DonorsChoose.org, which matches teachers with donors.

Founded in 2000 by Charles Best, then a Bronx teacher, DonorsChoose has funded about 65,000 projects totaling $26 million. Best calls it "a more dignified, substantive alternative for teachers than selling candy door-to-door — and certainly than selling ad space on final exams. That's crazy."

The Ones With The Guns

I entered my current school through a side entrance. I was on childcare leave from a school I had no intention of returning to. It was a rough school, the chairperson was awful, but that did not bother me. I had no problems with those things. The school was in Manhattan and, having two small children, the trip was impossible.

A friend told me about the opening in my current school and strongly recommended me for the position. The chairperson liked me immediately but my being hired depended on the principal.

I was nervous when I met him. He asked me what type of students I did not like. Without missing a beat I said, "The one with the guns." He laughed and wrote the note requesting my appointment to this school immediately. That letter got me released from my old school (which was not an easy thing to do) and into my present position.

My current school is a country club compared to where I came from, but it took me years to adjust. I missed my old friends and the camaraderie. I missed my crazy students. There is nothing better for teacher training than starting out at a place like the one where I started. It taught me to be strong and to fear no one. (Actually I learned to be fearless growing up in the projects in the Bronx.) It taught me that most kids have good inside of them, you just have to look really hard to find it in some. I learned how to be in charge when the door was closed. I never really learned to dislike any kids, even the gun carriers. I still remember the big smile on the face of the kid who never came back because he shot an FBI agent over a weekend, or the boy who walked across the tops of every desk before he settled down to work, but never returned to class, when the dean found him with a sawed off shotgun in the bathroom.

Now, don't get me wrong. I prefer my current situation but it is my former one that helped me become the teacher I am today.

Even An Old Dog Like Me Can Learn Something New

There are decent principals out there! I learned something new today.

(details on the other blog)

Just When You Think Standards Can't Get Any Lower

A nearby high school has instructed its English teachers to toss out the literature books and teach only from packets provided by a well known test preparation company.

Schools might now be judged by how well their students are doing on SATs so doing well on these exams is all that matters.

Education be dammed! Make your school look good. That is all that matters.

A Good Thing

A good thing that came out of Principal Hula's reading of this blog is that I had plenty of chairs in my room this morning.

I did not even need the extra chairs I found in the hallway and greedily carried down the hall to my room!

I See The Light, Do You?

A few posts ago, people criticized me for refusing to read IEPs. Some said that I cannot do a good job of helping my students without reading them.

Instead of reading those worthless pieces of paper, I sat with two of my resource room kids today while they took an exam. In less than two minutes I was able to recognize the biggest problem both were having--reading the problem and pulling out the key words. It took me about 30 seconds to point them in the right direction, hand them a highlighter to help identify the important words and then answer the question that was being asked.

Would the IEP have told me to do this? Maybe yes and maybe no. By working with the student, I saw the problem and came up with an immediate solution. Is this a better approach than burying myself in paperwork? My guess is YES!

Another Reason I Love NY

Gimpel Tam--delightful play at the JCC on 76th and Amsterdam. The play is in Yiddish with Russian and English supertitles. Fantastic.

It's Mine

So much to write, so little time. I could fill a book but this and the other little blog will have to suffice.

We have a chair shortage at Packemin High. Classes with 34 kids often only have 31 chairs. (Thanks Bloomberg--Keep It Going NYC Public Schools). Being resourceful, we scrounge around and borrow chairs from other rooms.

Mr. P is in the room next door. While I am short three chairs, he has at least four empty ones, so I send my students to get chairs.

Today, Crissy came back all upset. "That man won't give me a chair unless I give him my ID card", she said. I couldn't believe my ears and went to check it out for myself.

Sure enough, Mr. P said "I need my chairs. How can I guarantee they will be returned if I don't hold some identification."

I calmly told Mr. P that the chairs would be brought back, no ID needed. He often leaves the room before the period is over and he leaves with the ID card. He said, "Send your kids out a few minutes early." And then, Ms. Calm lost it. "You teach bell to bell but my kids should lose instructional time to return chairs that don't belong to you. That is not going to happen." I took the chairs and left.

The conversation continued again later in the day but by then I realized as I was talking to Mr. P, I was talking to someone with a pea sized brain and just left.

Many years ago I had a similar problem with a teacher who would not give my class chairs. I solved that problem also. I made sure I arrived much earlier than he did and emptied the room before he arrived! He never even knew the chairs were missing.

Gee, I know things are tight but do we really have to get so possessive of chairs?

Much Better Than Tropical Fish

A mother's love is something I never understood. My mother used to drive me crazy with her incessant worrying. I had to call her whenever I went somewhere and when I got home from where I was going (even after I was married). She drove me crazy. And then, something happened, I had my own daughter.

Now, if you ask either of my children, they will tell you that I am not exactly the maternal type. I used to turn the clocks ahead because my little princess could read numbers before she could walk and I wanted her to go to sleep early (dinner at 4, bath at 5 and bed at 6). She knew that I never got up before the clock said 7:00 so I used to distract her until the clock said 7:02. (It took her a while to catch on to that. I enjoyed outsmarting a year old child.) In fact, for years I told everyone that I would never have children, my tropical fish were all that I needed.

If someone had told me how I would feel when I had this child, I would have told them they were nuts. I felt awful while I was pregnant, yet I relished every little kick or movement while she was inside of me.

Words can never come close to expressing the way I felt the first time I held her and how I feel about her, even today, every time I look at her or think about her. Things are not always great between us. I know there have been many times when we did not like each other but there was never one moment when I did not love her. To this day, I can think of no one I love more than I love her (or her brother).

Today, as my precious bundle of joy turns 28, I recall her lying in bed with me, rubbing her bottle all over my belly, to give milk to her unborn precious baby brother, I remember her sitting on the living room floor, cutting out pictures beginning with the letter K and yelling in "how is clock, kitchen?" and her fighting with her first grade teacher because she wanted to use a picture of a knee and a knife as her "k" words. I remember her falling off the podium as she gave her fifth grade salutatorian address, after the principal predicted she would fall because she was always reading. I remember the pain I felt as we packed her off to college. It was as though someone put their hand down my throat and ripped out my heart. I remember the joy when the phone call came telling her that she got the job she wanted with all her heart.

My special, wonderful baby girl lives many hours away from me now. I miss all our theater and museum trips and how she likes to wander the city aimlessly with me. But, I know she is happy. She has a fantastic job, a beautiful house and a very special boyfriend.

Happy birthday daughter. I love you more than you will ever know.

Economics 102 - A SIMPLE STORY

Once upon a time a man appeared in a village and announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10 each.

The villagers, seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them.

The man bought thousands at $10 and, as supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their effort. He next announced that he would now buy monkeys at $20 each. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again.

Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms. The offer increased to $25 each and the supply of monkeys became so scarce it was an effort to even find a monkey, let alone catch it !

The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50 each! However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would buy on his behalf.

In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers: "Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has already collected. I will sell them to you at $35 and when the man returns from the city, you can sell them to him for $50 each."

The villagers rounded up all their savings and bought all the monkeys for 700 billion dollars. They never saw the man or his assistant again, only lots and lots of monkeys!


Now you have a better understanding of how the WALL STREET BAILOUT PLAN WILL WORK!!!

Thanksgiving

The only reason I look forward to Thanksgiving is the two days off from work. Not having a big family to celebrate with makes the holiday quiet, often boring and sad. Even my daughter decided not to celebrate with us this year. Her boyfriend has a wonderful, big family and she is having the celebration I always wanted. As I sit watching the news and seeing all the unfortunates in the soup kitchens I know I should be counting my blessings instead of weeping in my tea. But, sometimes a person just cannot help feeling sad.

Today is my parent's sixty first wedding anniversary. I began the day by taking my dad to visit her grave. The cemetery is in New Jersey and he is one of those octogenarians who knows his limitations behind the wheel and never makes the drive alone. It would have been too hard for him to be there alone. I picked him up at 7:15 and managed to be back in Queens by 10:00, beating all the holiday traffic.

I knew that today would be especially hard on him so I was thrilled when he agreed to come home with me. We had breakfast in a nearby diner (which he really liked) and then just vegged around my house all day. He watched the Macy's parade and some I Love Lucy reruns while I cooked. We tried to make sure he was busy and had no time to dwell on my mom's not being here.

Dinner was good, if I do say so myself. Lots of turkey, meatballs, homemade cranberry sauce, stuffing, and all the other goodies. I even made an apple pie. Dad is on his way home now, thank you Access-A Ride. [He just called. he got picked up by a private car and made it home in record time.] He might cry a little more tonight, but at least his day was good.

Everything is cleaned up, the leftovers are put away. Now, do I mark my test papers, plan some lessons, write the few college recommendations I have left or find some stupid television show to fall asleep in front of? The two guys in the picture have the right idea about how to spend their time.

Expectations Will Not...

Expectations will not compensate for years of educational neglect.

Expectations will not compensate for years of parental neglect.

Expectations will not make a non reader read.

Expectations will not make a child succeed in algebra when they can't add.

Expectations will not help the child whose parents are going through an ugly divorce and fight all night.

Expectations will not help the child who has been thrown out of his/her home.

Expectations will not raise the IQ of an individual with a below average IQ.

Expectations will not make the child study.

Expectations will not help the child that does not know how to study.

Expectations are not enough. I can raise my expectations as high as the sky and there will still be too many that will not and cannot succeed.

Keep It Going NYC Public Schools

David Bellel added a special touch to the Keep It Going NYC Public Schools campaign.


With his permission, I post them here.
(click on each for a better image)

Nothing Matters But The Paper In Hand

Mrs. M was a very good teacher, but a bit unconventional. One day Principal Gotcha decided to pay Mrs. M a surprise visit.

The lesson went well. Mrs. M really knew her stuff and she knew how to keep her class involved and learning. But, Mrs. M did not have that one thing Principal Gotcha wanted more than anything else, a written lesson plan.

Mrs. M was quick on her feet. At the end of the lesson she scurried to the ladies lounge, claiming an excruciating stomach ache. Principal Gotcha, being male, could not follow her inside. Mrs. M immediately sat down, wrote out the details of her lesson and emerged ten minutes later, paper in hand.

Principal Gotcha turned red, accepted the plan and begrudgingly gave Mrs. M the satisfactory rating she well deserved.

Principal Gotcha has been retired for many years. So has Mrs. M. How many new Principal Gotcha's are out there now? We can only pray that there are lots more Mrs. M's to keep them on their toes.

The Royal Butt Wipers Were In Town

Randi's lackeys came to visit today. They came to answer questions and bring us information but mostly they came to spread her word and sing her praises.

We are so lucky to have our jobs and our health coverage, they say. Look around, they say, see how many people are out of work with no jobs, no income, no health coverage. We should count our blessings, they say.

I tried to be quiet, I really did, nothing they were saying was going to impact on me directly, but then a spark ignited inside of me and I exploded.

Yes, we have it better than other professions but better is not good enough. Why are we accepting mediocrity. Why aren't we standing up for what is right?

I asked the lackey about the union's support of Bloomberg's third term. He answered "Bloomberg was going to get it anyway, why make waves."

I asked the union lackey about ATRs. He said, they just got a great deal from the DOE. Smart principals will hire them in a minute. I reminded him of the fact that principals do not like experienced teachers, that they don't like teachers that think and have minds of their owns. Years ago, principals hid vacancies whenever they could. No one wanted a veteran teacher who would not jump when told to. He said smart principals did not think like that. I said the smart ones were few and far between. He just kept talking about the one smart principal he used to work for.

I aksed the lackey about Randi sabatoging the candlelight vigil for ATRs at Tweed (see the sidebar on ednotes for details). The lacky ignored the question.

The lackey promised there would be no job layoffs, no worry about pensions being funded and no loss of tenure. Will Randi really stand up for us or will she buckle under as she has done in the past?

I asked the lackey about the Keep It Going NYC campaign? The lackey never heard of it.

A colleague asked about how job security was going to be secured at a Green Dot school. The lackey did not have an answer.

Many years ago Eddie Murphy starred in the movie Coming to America, the story of a rich prince coming to the United States to find his true love. Eddie was so spoiled that he even called for the royal wipers when he finished in the bathroom. Well, Randi's wipers are making the rounds of Queens schools these days. These guys make me sick.

Gotcha

A principal and five asistant principals walk into a classroom to observe a poor, unsuspecting teacher. Do they expect the class to be normal? Do they expect that the teacher will not be unnerved and and still do a very good job? Do they think it will be business as usual as far as the students are concerned? Or, are they looking to play gotcha?

Things are different at the college level. J is teaching at the community college I where I teach. The school was desperate for math teachers in September and when the chairman called and asked if I knew anyone who wanted to work, I thought of J immediately.

J retired from Packemin HS for a number of reasons. Here I'll just say it was her age. She was tired of working full time. J was not ready to sit home and jumped at a chance to teach in the college.

Last week J had her first observation there. As much as I tried to reassure her that things would be fine, she was nervous. She loves working there and wanted to make a good impression.

J's observation went great. The person observing her loved the lesson and loved everything she did. She praised J up the kazoo when the lesson was over. J was shocked. She taught for over 30 years and never received an observation that was not full of criticisms.

The person who can do no right in a high school setting does no wrong in a college setting. Life is stranger than fiction. The college would never subject a teacher to the scenerio described in the first paragraph. The college does not play gotcha. In NYC public schools, this happens all the time.

What I Want To Be When I Grow Up

The first career I ever wanted was that of a journalist. My mom convinced me that I would have a hard time earning a living that way. Besides, I hated English classes in school. I could never understand why my teacher thought her way of writing something was better than my way. So, I gave up on English and studied math. It was much harder for me, my grades were not nearly as good but, when something was wrong there was a concrete reason for it to be wrong and a solution that was indisputable.

This blog is my feeble attempt to take a crack, albeit anonymously, at a writing career. I've already tried being an ice cream scooper so all I have left to try in the way of careers is truck driving.

The reason I am writing this post is because of the following e-mail:

Hi,
Who is the contact for discussing advertising on your blog Pissed Off? We have received 5 requests this week for advertising on Pissed Off, and the page has been viewed 64 times.

I looked at the website of the guy who sent me this, and it looks legitimate. I'm not sure I want to start with any advertising. After all, this is my blog, and my issues, but it was nice to know people actually read this stuff. I even added the counter on the side to keep stroking my ego.

Have You Declared Your Family Equal?

First seen on tamareden.wordpress.com

It needs to be shared. The message is one we all need to embrace.

Quote From A New Teacher

One of my son's friends just started teaching in a NYC high school. I asked him how he was finding teaching. Here is his response:

The only thing harder than being a NYC High School Teacher is being an executioner who is against the death penalty.

A Pleasant Surprise

The stores have their holiday windows up already.

For the first time, I was able to get up close and take a really good look, with no one around.

I forgot to take pictures at Macy's, but here are a few from Lord and Taylor.

I Almost Barfed

These signs sickened me as I rode the E train this morning. In a time when money is so tight, the city is spending money on advertising how wonderful our schools are. There might not be enough money for smaller classes, tutoring programs or even custodians but there is plenty of money for Bloomberg and Klein to blow their own horns. Keep It Going NYC Public Schools, in red.

Increased graduation rates by what method? By teaching kids what they need to survive college or life or by lowering standards so much that almost everyone gets by but know nothing.

Yes, Keep It Going, NYC Public Schools, in yellow.

NYC has also increased the number of days a year a teacher must work by adding mindless, waste of time staff development days in August, on Election Day and on Brooklyn-Queens Day. NYC has also lengthened the school day. It is now easy to remove a disgruntled teacher to the rubber room. Thousands of teachers are without classrooms.

We have schools that were built to hold 1800 holding 5000 students. Students are learning in substandard trailers, closets and bathrooms. Schools start before sunrise and end after sunset to accommodate the huge crowds.

Encourage your students to not report any incidences that might occur in your school. Crime is only a crime if someone knows about it.

Keep It Going In NYC Public Schools, in green.

They Suck Out Our Hearts and Souls

The following is a comment Justice left after reading one of my posts. The school system has sucked my heart out also. I get through by concentrating on the kids I am working with, by the kids who come by to share their successes and by hugs I (I know, I should not be taking them) they give me in the halls as they pass me by.

How can I be "human" when I am being treated inhumanly?How can I show compassion when I am treated with contempt?It seems to me that by introducing this "corporate model" of and increasingly privatized public school system "humanity" is not a factor.

You should've have seen with the reverence and fetish ardour Klein and Liebman spoke about the ARIS system that will tell you everything" about your charges in front of you, at this past week PEP meeting at Tweed. They even produced a young corporate type newbie Math teacher who lovingly talked about how ARIS is helping his students. The newbie "talks" to ARIS on his laptop from home. I am sure he does not talk to his colleagues but he talks to the 81 million computer system! Remember HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey?"I have seen the future and it does not work." Zardoz (1973)

I Can't Do This

I give up. I thought I could do it, but I can't. I don't have a clue as to how to get most of the geometry across to the kids I am teaching.

I gave the same questions over and over. I drill. I made them flash cards. I hooked them up with individual tutors. I stopped dong proofs. I can't get them to understand.

I asked them to name parallel segments, they gave me angles.

I asked them to fill in _____ lines form right angles. They wrote parallel lines.

They don't bring calculators and subtract incorrectly.

They solve the equation 2x + 4 = 10 by writing 6x = 10.

I have never taught a class where anyone who was working failed the regents. In fact, every regents class I have taught in the last few years has had almost 100% passing. There will be many failures this time.

I should have retired last year. I should have quit while I was ahead.

To The Obama Transition Team

Courtesy of Schoolgal:

Edwize just posted a new agreement with Klein. Of course my comment hasn't been posted yet, but I am sure it will be deleted by the powers that be.
Here is a link I hope you will encourage NYC teachers to fill out.It goes to the Obama transition team.
http://change.gov/page/s/education

Under Appreciated and Often Abused

Under appreciated, often abused and classless but ATR's are performing a valuable service for our schools.

Before I begin, I want to state that I am not an ATR, I am in no danger of becoming an ATR and no one in my family is an ATR.

I have many friends that are ATRs and I know that they are not happy. They yearn to get back to teaching, to do the job they were trained to do. They yearn to do the job they love.

Here is the story of a few ATRs I know.

Ms. ATR subs every day in the same building and has gotten to know many students. Because she is not grading them, she is getting to know them on a personal level, adding the human touch, a big thing missing at a school as large as Packemin High.

Ms. ATR told me about Irv, a boy in one of my classes who either has cut or been a pain in the ass. She told me how bright he was, and that he was really not a bad kid. Her words helped bring Irv back to my class and helped me open my eyes to his true potential. I'm finding that I like this boy and that is all do to Ms. ATR.

Miri was in a class Ms. ATR was covering one day this week. Miri was crying. She is having severe health issues and doesn't know what to do. There was some mention of doctor troubles, insurance troubles and gym teacher troubles. Ms. ATR's intervention led to a conference with Miri's guidance counselor and the school social worker. Without Ms. ATR, Miri's problems might never have been noticed.

Ms. Mentor ATR is doing a great service as well. She is teaching two classes in her license and two out of license. She is knocking herself out doing this. She is being creative, she is doing projects and she is calling homes and giving quizzes and everything necessary to get the kids in her classes to work and pass. Ms. Mentor ATR is going above and beyond the expectations of someone in her position.

Mr. ATR is serving a good purpose. I watch him walk down the halls and get hi-5's from the kids he meets. I'm not talking about honor students here, I am talking about troubled kids. Mr. ATR is reaching them, not in the classroom, but everywhere else.

So, to all you ATRs out there, I know not having your own class sucks big time. You are being treated by crap by the union, the DOE and the schools you are working in. YOU ARE HELPING THE STUDENTS YOU ARE COMING IN CONTACT WITH. YOU ARE PERFORMING A VALUABLE JOB.

Administrator Y

Administrator Y promised to write Billy a college recommendation. Billy went to the college office to hand in his applications and found out that he was one recommendation short. Administrator Y had not written one.

Billy went to see Administrator Y. He was sure that it was an oversight because such a fine administrator would never renege on a promise to a boy. Administrator Y said "I am a busy administrator. I have lots of work. I have no time to write your recommendation." Billy was crushed. He needed the recommendation as the college office would not send out his college applications without it. Billy finally convinced a teacher to fill one out for him in a hurry.

Administrator Y:

Would you accept Billy telling you he couldn't do his homework because he was busy? I'm guessing the answer to that is no!
Would you accept an excuse like that from a teacher who was not prepared for his class? I'm guessing the answer to that is no also.

So, why do you think it is alright for you to be busy? Are you the only one busy? Is your time more valuable than every other person's time?

Administrator Y, you took a job that required lots of work. You had to know that before you took the job. Did you want the perks without the responsibility? Were you just tired of being in the classroom? Do you like the prestige of having an office and a title?

Administrator Y, your job has many obligations. Writing this boy's recommendation is one of those obligations. Do what you expect others to do. Or, are you one of those that say Do as I say, not what I do?