Latest Department Memo

I just had to share the latest department memo.  I can't believe this person will continue determining who is an effective teacher and who is not one.  Too bad no one evaluates him.

BTW--my husband and I believe I am the teacher he is referring to. No one was ever allowed to question anything.  And, for the record, I only complained about being given the royal screw with a program once.  Thanks to a little work behind his back, I was able to fix part of it.  Guess that still hurts.

Dear all:
Attached, please find the department program for the Fall term. I advice you not to open it if you will complain in any ways or fashion. You are on vacation and so am I. Well, actually, I am still in the office. So, do not check your email if you believe you will find bad news.

I do not mean to be nasty, but a few years ago, a math teacher accused me of behaviors unbecoming of an assistant principal because I harassed her by emailing her in the summer. What happened was that she had the lowest passing percentage on the Regents exam of all the people who taught the course. If you believe you might operate or react the same way as that teacher, I sincerely suggest that you do not open this email or my emails to the department during the months of July and August. I will be sending you the Regents and course grade analysis during the summer.

Have a great summer! I am sorry I had to run out and did not have a chance to say goodbye to everyone individually. But we are a great department because we have great teachers who know how to get students to do the work.
Thank you for your understanding. I believe I am the only AP in our building who has completed the teacher program for next year. I just have to work on rooms.

Sincerely,

The Best AP in the city

PS. I do want to know if I give you only four classes, six classes, etc. Those errors I will fix. I will not engage in a conversation about the classes your did not get or someone else got, number of preps., or the session you are on (remember, most people have two preps or one. There is only one person with two and half preps). If you want a different session, then your classes will change. I refuse to make someone else program worse because another person complained.
 

(Radish picture from Union Square farmer's market.  The radishes represent NYC high school graduates and the education they got under the Bloomberg administration)

Keeping The Myth Alive

Dear Math Teachers,

Please disregard everything I said all year about how you should only pass students who have learned something and have passed exams and the regents and pass everyone who came to class and sat for the regents.  We all know they didn't have a shot in hell of passing, but that does not matter.  We have to perpetuate the myth that they will graduate and be college ready.  I know many of you know these students are not even ready for high school math, but we have to keep our A rating and keep our school looking good.  The colleges will make them take remedial math, but that is not our problem, it is the problem of the college, something I care nothing about.   Once the kids leave our school, they are not our responsibility anymore.

I want to thank everyone for all the time they spent tutoring students.  But, please do not let this go to your head.  The slightest little thing you do that displeases me will cause my memory to go blank on these good deeds.  I will not hesitate to throw you under the bus.  For those of you who are new, just ask some of the older teachers about how I handled Ms. Pissed Off.  She always did everything and more than I could ever want from a teacher, but, when she disagreed with me, well, you don't want to know what I did and what I tried to do.

You have no idea how grateful I am to be surrounded by people who are afraid of their own shadows and do everything I ask

Latest Department Memo

I

Grammar Not An Issue

I remember way back when I got my license to teach, I took a comprehensive exam, part of which included an essay.  Grammar counted.

Grammar doesn't matter anymore.  If it did, how could a person who doesn't know any become a teacher, let alone an administrator.  Below are excerpts from a department memo.

Please encourage those of your students who are boarder line passing or almost passing to attend tutoring on Saturdays.

Since a lot of students showed up, we need to stagger them so that the teacher is not overwhelmed.

some students were programmed into none AP ...

I just spoke to the Principal about the double period classes we intend of offer. I was under the wrong impression. We, as a department, will make a decision together as to how we will proceed. We want to make sure these students were prepared for ...

(Subjects deleted to protect the identity of the memo writer)

(picture from 5/4 Yankee game--more posted here.  free tickets, field level courtesy of Delta airlines)

New Improved Memo



Dear Colleagues,

I have been told that the tone of some of my previous memos has not been very professional so I will do my best to improve on this one.  You will all be happy to learn that I can convey the same message in a nicer way.  I can improve my grammar, not speak in circles and hopefully you will understand my message better.

Now, it has come to my attention that some of you scumbags have gone behind my back to remove failing students from your classes.  You know this is totally unacceptable. I am the only one who should be removing anyone.  I will choose the teachers I want to have the best statistics and that is the way it will be.  I am the king and never forget that.

Right now, because we need change to make it look like we are trying to help students (you know we aren't doing a damn thing), we have annualized classes.  Only students who are failing certain classes will be moved.  We will move two term students into four term classes.  While many might pass at the end, we can keep our stats up by moving them now.  Sacrificing their education and their chances to take advanced classes is necessary for the good of the department.  Also, those failing  will be moved into pre subject classes.  Too bad if they will now need remedial classes in college.  At least our numbers will be high in June.

Lastly, I would like to thank all of you who not only called parents during school hours, but called them late in the evening, early mornings and tracked them down at work and at home.  You gave up sleep and family time plus all recreation to do this.  We all know that you are the only ones who can get these kids back in class.  Please let me know if you need my help doing this.  Unfortunately, talking to a  parent doesn't even help.  I will leave you with something to look forward to at the next department meeting--a story where this happened.

I look forward to sharing a wonderful term with you and now, that my memos are nice, and in English, people reading them on the Internet will see that I really am the best AP in the city.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Get The Heavy Duty Aspirin Out

January 22, 2013

 

I would like to thank all the grade leaders for the work they did on the uniform exams. 
 

I would like to remind everyone of the following when giving grades for this quarter.

For the students who only showed up for one part of the mid year exam due to a good cause absence, please prorate the part of the final they took and calculate the average if you wish to pass them, provided they had been passing. Please leave the exam field blank.  But if a student gets 38 out of 40 on Part II and their average is below 90, I would not count the final that heavily since students tend to do better on the long part. For the student who cut part of the final or the student had been failing, you should put down the part of the exam score and calculate their average.  By the way, please make sure you enter mid year exam grades of all other students under the exam column. 

In order for you to pass a student, one of the two grades, the class average and the mid year exam grade, has to be higher than 65.  No students who failed the mid year exam with a failing average should pass a class because the grade we give is a performance indicator.  In some extreme cases, the only exam a student was able to pass was the mid year exam.  A grade of 55 might be prudent.  If a student’s average is in the low 60’s and the student has passed some exams during the term, s/he can be given a grade of 65 provided their mid year exam grade is at least 65.  For students with a passing average who failed the mid year exam with grades higher than 57, you can give a grade of 65.  For students whose final grades are below 57, a grade of 55 should be given and use the comments 24 and 10 (for Regents classes only).  You should speak to the parent and let them know about the failing grade, particularly if you passed these students before. If a student is absent more than 15 times and you wish to issue a passing grade, please make sure you speak to me first.  Such students certainly did not participate in class while they were out. There are many effective teachers in our department, but we do need the students to sit in their seats in order for us to teach them.  A student who did not complete all the homework should have their grade lowered.  However, do not fail a student because s/he was allowed not to do homework if they have a passing average.  The question you should ask yourself is “Did I communicate with the parents regarding missing homework assignments?”  We are annualized.  There is really no difference between a grade of 55 or 65.  When a student passes the Regents exam and the final exam in June, we will pass them in the course provided they meet all other requirements.  You have to decide on the 55 or 65 based on how much harder they will work when they see the grade.  After all, you know your students.

You can use the last quarter’s grades if it helps your students. Please do not use a grade of 60.  You can use CR or NC in electives only.
 
If you have additional questions, please speak to me before you send in your grades. Thank you very much.

Ah, What The Hell



Here's the memo:

November 26, 2012

 Welcome back from the well-deserved break. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

 Today is the deadline for submission for grade changes for the last marking period. Last week, I sent everyone an email regarding how to change a grade. Please make sure I get the grade change email before 4:00 pm this afternoon.

Grade changes should only be done if you made a mistake. Please do not adjust a grade up or down because a student requested it. And every time you change a grade, you are basically admitting that you made a mistake. All mistakes should be corrected as soon as possible. But if it is not a mistake, please leave the grade the way it is.

Because CUNY changed their criteria in terms of College Readiness, we have to change our plan as well. It used to be that a student scores over 80 on MXRE, MXRG or MXTR and score a 75 or higher on the English Regents, then the student is college ready. If a student scored an 80 or higher on MXRE and 75 or higher on the English Regents ad does not sit for MXRG and MXRT, the student is College-Ready as well. We all know the latter is not true. So, they have changed it so that if a student passes all three math Regents and score a 75 or higher on the English Regents, then the student is College Ready. 

So, instead of notifying all seniors in MRF41 who are passing, we will have to notify those who are border-line passing to retake MXRE in January with the hope that they will score 80 or higher. I will be working on the file and I might need your input if you are teaching MRF41 and its variations.

I urge everyone teaching MEF41 and MEF81 to make sure there are calculators in your classroom on a daily basis. We need to teach them how to use it and the best way is for them to use it in class everyday. I do not have any issues if you are able to convince all your students to buy their own. I have a few boxes available for you. We are required by NYSED to provide a graphing calculator for students to use. Unfortunately, it is not up to us because “We want to teach them responsibility.” or “They should know better than coming to their math class without a calculator!”

 We are looking for a few math teachers to do mediation. It  will be a per-seesion activity and please apply!

Thank you and have a great week!

Memo_091

Blah, blah, blah.  You teachers are still a bunch of losers.

Got to love the use of please.  It makes the memo much more meaningful and pleasant to read.  Bet everyone reading wishes he could work for an administrator like this one!


September 25, 2012

Please make sure you update your Absentee Lesson Plan folder in the office.  It is YOUR responsibility to PREPARE work and MAKE copies.  I will make sure there is an envelope for everyone.

 Please teach from bell-to-bell – I already saw two classes that finished earlier in my random walking-around.

Please be reminded that if you have sophomores and juniors in your class (ME, MG, MR and maybe even MM3G), you include SAT type of questions in your Do Now.  They will take the PSAT in October.  You should do this until at least after they take the PSAT.

Please stay away from lecturing and tell students what to watch out for when they solve a problem.  Student-centered lessons are more effective.  Students will have to know how to solve problems before they watch out for anything special. Questioning is the best way to teach.

Please make sure there are five rows when giving a math exam. In a small or elongated classroom, please ask you students to turn their desks 90 degrees and make three to four rows. This way, they are far enough from each other. I have noticed that there are more than five rows in some classrooms today. You were given department bulletins 1 to 3 and in one of them, it clearly stated that you are to have five rows when giving an exam. So, either you did not read it, did not understand it, forgot about it or did not really care. None of which is acceptable. We have to work together as a team to achieve new heights.

Attached, please find the format for board work and please follow it. Consistency pays in the long run and if every math teacher gives notes the same way, it makes the transition from one teacher to the next a lot easier.  (Nothing was attached.  Teachers should ask him to please not forget.)

They are students arriving late in math classes. (Got to love the grammar here.)  Please make sure you communicate with their parents after the 1^st lateness.  This means you have to mark them late when they come in late.  If you are too busy teaching and you do not wish to get interrupted, then you must use a late log.  I am not concern, just yet, about how you stop lateness.  You must find a way to stop lateness.  It helps change the tone in your classroom as well.

Please be reminded that if you leave the building during the day for any reason, please sign out in room XXX. This is for your protection and ours.

Have a great week!

Memo_091



Administrators are allowed to make mistakes.  The memo that should have come out Friday, came out today. But, the e-mail began with an "I an sorry" so I guess that makes it okay.

Memo_091 is a list of demands and things that all teachers must do.  Many are common sense and the wording in the memo is demeaning. I do understand that some people never follow directions, but, there has got to be a better way to get a point across.

Here is the memo.  My commentaries are in red.  Not one of the funnier memos, but it still gives a giggle in several places.

September 12, 2012

Please make sure you give out Rules and Regulations in all your classes, particularly to the new students. 

All MEF81 teachers should finishing teach lessons 1 – 31 in the AMAPS curriculum by January 2013.  Please take your time and prepare students to learn and to learn the arithmetic first.  [To learn arithmetic?  Teachers will do in a semester what others haven't done in 8 previous years of education. ] They must come to class everyday with their 3-ring binder.  [Where is the advice on how to get kids to do this?]  They must learn to come on time and sit in their assigned seats everyday or regularly, etc. [Once a month, on a Tuesday is regular.  is this regular enough?]  Clearly, you have to slow down and not teach a lesson a day! 

 There is a grade-leader assigned to each course.  Please make sure you check with him/her on the pacing. 

All teachers must follow the AMAPS curricula if one is available.  Please speak to me if you have trouble locating it online.  There should be curriculum for Integrated Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry and Pre-Calculus.  If you are teaching Pre-Calculus honors and regular, please make sure you proceed at the same pace and cover the same materials.  All students in Pre-Calculus should take the same final exam.  After all, we are putting some students form Pre-Calculus regular into AP Calculus.

 

Please check the Delinquent Book list before you give out textbooks. We must check and make sure we retrieve all the textbooks first.  I have emailed a copy to you.  Please verify that all your students have returned their textbook before you issue another to him/her.  Please do not issue another textbook to such students and ask them to make sure return their textbooks.  It is easier for you, but one of your colleagues might need the textbook the student already has at home.  You may issue textbooks to freshmen starting from Monday.  But do not give a textbook to a sophomore in the same class.[This will be fun, books to freshman only.]   Everyone else can issue textbooks once you check the delinquent book list.

 

If you have students arriving late to your class, please take some time to explain to them how to get to your class on time.  Most of the new students do not know how to get to your classroom quickly from where they are.  Please communicate with their parents about the lateness and log your phone calls.  Please make sure you tell the parents that they will have to come in if you call them about the same issue. [You teachers have nothing else to do but call and meet with parents and so what if they have jobs and need to pay rent?]

Students are complaining about certain teachers already.  Please make sure you teach every lesson by ASKSING [spelling]  QUESTIONS.  Long monologue is hard for student to take. [grammar] Please do not threaten your students with failure, either.  We must find ways to engage every student and reminding them what to do when solving a math problem is not the most effective way to get every student involved. [What does he suggest?]   For those of you who enjoy monologues, the question you should ask every other minute is:  [Don't think the kids will learn from this question.] “Am I teaching through questions?”  And I hope the answer is yes.

 There should be a mailbox for each teacher – please check it regularly.  Unless you have 30 years in the system, please take only one mailbox.  [The royal treatment given to senior teachers has left the department devoid of senior teachers.] 

 

Thank you and have a wonderful weekend.