Death To A Career



Mrs V, a NYC public school teacher is an ATR.  She has been an ATR since the program she was involved in was cancelled several years ago.  She received excellent ratings during her first 14 years.  In spite of this, Mrs. V cannot get a permanent assignment and goes from school to school, year after year.

Mrs. V wants to believe there is a school out there for her, a school where she can work her craft and enrich the lives of children she will come in contact with so when she got a call requesting she come in for interview, she readily accepted.

It was a rainy Monday morning, but that did not stop her from putting on a three piece suit and making the long trek to the school.  She was enthusiastic and hoped her resume, experience and professional demeanor would land her the job.

The interview lasted five minutes.  The principal asked her three questions, yawned and then dismissed her.  She couldn't believe it although she experienced the insult first hand.  This principal was all of 28 years old, a leadership academy graduate and had zero teaching experience.  She went home devastated.

The city wants to get rid of teachers without classrooms.  How is this fair?  These teachers never have a chance.  I just read a book about a man in an Iraqi prison.  He never had a chance to defend himself.  While being an ATR isn't a death sentence, the lack of job opportunities is the death of a career, a career ended without reason.