Letter From TRS



Dear POd Teacher:

TRS apologizes for the delay in processing your retirement allowance.  We have been unable to finalize your allowance because of the following issue(s)

We are experiencing temporary processing delays.

Once the issue(s) is resolved, TRS will be able to complete the processing of your retirement allowance.

Due to this delay, TRS will increase your current advance payments by 10%, effective on the 10/31/2011.  [note:  My three payments have all been different so I have no idea as to what a 10% increase will even mean.]

Please be assured that we are making every effort to finalize your retirement allowance.

I Hope They Were Wrong



I heard a story about an AP that gave the experienced English teacher math classes  and the math teacher English classes.

Please let this story be false.  Let it be lies or exaggerations.  Please, don't let anybody responsible for the education of our children be this incompetent.

(Pictured above is a piece of the Berlin Wall.  It came down and so can these no nothing administrators.)

Stubborness Trumps Intelligence



It's hot, really hot.  A sane person would stay indoors or go out in a nice air conditioned car.  Sanity is something I have never been accused of having.  So, ignoring the 90+ degree temperature, I decided to take the 3 mile walk (in each direction) to deliver a package to a friend working at the community college.  I figured the park would be a nice short cut, not realizing I would get lost and make the walk longer.  It was a pretty walk and I enjoyed seeing parts I have never been to until I realized I was the only one on the path.  I started to worry about rabid raccoons jumping out of the bushes or being dragged behind the trees, beaten and left for dead and I didn't relax until I saw houses in the near distance.

I made it to my destination and unloaded my heavy burden.  I turned down the offer of a ride home (didn't want to wait the hour) and began the trek home, this time on city streets.  I almost broke down twice and called my husband to pick me up but my stubbornness took precedence over my intelligence and I walked the entire way home.

I know the day will come when I am no longer able to walk.  I will be able to look back and remember the walks I took, not the ones I should have taken.

Not On The List

Girl:  can I please have a metro card.  I've been coming to Saturday tutoring since it started and I can't afford to pay.

Administrator:  No, you are not on the list.

Stop Focusing On Stupidity



I'm not an Obama fan, but these headlines are ridiculous:

Sasha Obama Wears a Malia Hand-Me-Down for Easter

The economy is bad.  The Obama family is setting a good example by passing down a dress that was probably only worn once or twice.

Or this one,

Donald Trump: Barack Obama was a bad student

Maybe he was a bad student, but that has nothing to do with what he is doing today.  Trump should run on his merits if he has any, which he probably does not have.

Mr No Longer aka CL Emeritus

I should have written this post way before the last one. I can't believe I missed him. He is a worthy subject for my bitchiness.

Mr. No Longer has been our chapter leader for as long as I am at Packemin HS (1985) and for many years even before that. He is a huge over powering man who gives the appearance of knowing what is going on. In actuality, he only knows what is going on in every restaurant in NYC.

I met Mr. No Longer on my the first day at Packemin HS. He told me to see him about any problems. Now, the school I came from had a great CL who really knew answers and how to get things done so I assumed all CL's were the same (I was an excellent example of a stupid teacher back then) and went to him with a problem. His advice was awful. In fact, he went behind my back to Principal Fire and started the ball rolling to begin my reputation as a trouble maker.

After that episode, I avoided Mr. No Longer for three years. I only went to him then because I wanted to transfer to the math department (my license and my appointment was to that department from the special education department.) Mr. No Longer told me to wait and see what happened in September. By then it would have been too late. Once again, Mr. No Longer gave really bad advice. (I got lucky, the new spec ed chairman did not want me any more than the math chairman did but the math chairman got stuck with me because of my license.)

Over the years, Mr. No Longer was forced to run for CL again. Some years he ran unopposed. On the years when others went against him, he campaigned vigorously, became super useful and helpful and convinced enough of the stupids to vote for him. I'm proud to say I was never one of those stupids.

I was on the exec board with Mr. No Longer for years. It was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life. His issues were the only ones we ever discussed. I happily gave up my position as soon as someone else wanted it. I've never been known as a shrinking violet but even I could not get a word in with him around.

Well, Mr. No Longer is retiring. But, he still has to have his finger in the pot. Maybe he is related to Suit? He might even call himself CL Emeritus. He tried (unsuccessfully) to replace himself with a clone. He declared the delegate election which he ran illegal because of a technicality and ran a new election. He must really be pissed because he could not put the people in he wanted. Now he is trying a new tactic. He is trying to turn Mr. Tie into Mr. No Longer. This won't work. Mr. Tie is a man of intelligence and integrity whose interests include things that are not related to his appetite. Things are going to change for the better.

Math B Worries

The Math B regents was yesterday. The kids were worried as it is probably the last time they would be able to take this exam. (We are only offering the new trig course in September.) Here are a few pictures I took of the kids right before the exam. Most had books and study notes in front of them for that last minute cram. I even had eight show up this morning for some extra help. (I am not even teaching Math B this term.)












This one was taken in front of Subway, about 3 blocks from the school.

The more juicy part of this post is not here. I originally wanted to publish it publicly, and while this guy deserved to be castrated, I cannot be the one to do that to a fellow teacher so you can only read about it if you have access to this.

You Were Wrong

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I am not a defender or a fan of "Suits." Once the word "administrator" is in their title, my radar is up, looking for the problems and stress they are bound cause.

To all you teachers who were late to staff development and got a letter:

Tough! You were wrong! Whether you like staff development or not, whether you think it is a waste of time or not, you have to be there and you have to be there on time. If you got a letter for being late or not there at all, too bad about it. You are getting paid to be there. You were wrong. Suck it up, admit you were wrong and vow to be on time from now on. No one letter is going to adversely affect your career.

And, don't whine about the starting time being e-mailed to you. It was your obligation to know what time to report on Monday before you left on Friday.

Even with my big mouth, I have never gotten one of these letters. I've avoided them by following the rules, even the stupid ones. If the admin is looking to get you, following the rules doesn't matter, but why supply a extra ammunition? Why do anything to help them do their jobs? Is the extra hour of sleep really worth it?

Stupid Teachers

I hate to say anything negative about my colleagues but some of them are the epitome of stupid.

We had a faculty conference today. The administration was great. (I'm waiting for the lightning to strike me for writing that.) They said what they had to say and were ready to let us leave early. You would think veteran teachers would appreciate this and keep their mouths shut. But, this did not happen? NO!!!!!!!

The APO was talking about protocol for regents exams. She pointed out the problems with cell phones in the past and told everyone proctoring to collect phones at the start of the exam. She said she would provide rubber bands to attach phones to ID cards so the phones would be easy to achieve at the end of the exam.

Sounds simple, right? Sounds uncomplicated? If I was not in the room I would not have believed the comments I heard. "What if a kid forgets?" "What if you hear a phone go off?" "What if the sky is falling?"

We finally have a principal that respects the staff and respects our time but we still work with a bunch of morons that cannot possibly think for themselves or get through a forty minute meeting without hearing their own voices.

I need a drink.

Principal Suitette

Principal Suit walked a Wanna Be Suitette around the building today.

I didn't have the opportunity to meet her, but others did.

Here are some of the comments:

"She's so pretty."

"She dresses well."

"She seems so nice."

The teachers that made these comments are already in love with her and hope she gets the job.

I know I am a cynic. You need more than the three things above to make me think you are qualified for the job. If that is all you need, the guy in the picture can handle the job quite well.

Kicking Butt

Art is the top student in my calculus class. Art transferred to this school in October from a very prestigious Catholic school in the area. I always wondered why, but never had the nerve to ask. I assumed it had something to do with tuition.

On Monday Art told us he was going to be the valedictorian of his Catholic High School. His bragging got on my nerves so I asked "Why did you transfer? Is Packemin HS a better school?" He looked at me calmly and said "I got expelled." I could not believe my ears. He then told us that he got expelled for egging a house.

Those Catholic schools rock! Here is the smartest kid in the school, a kid destined to attend a top notch college and the Catholic school kicked him out! The school didn't worry about how their statistics would go down. They didn't worry about Art's rights. He screwed up and they made him pay the price. They kicked him out to send him and everyone else a message. This kind of behavior would not be tolerated.

Too bad public schools cannot follow this example. I have a feeling our schools would be a lot better off if we could.

Forty Year Old Baby

I have become friendly with a 40 year old woman in my night class. Toby is repeating the class. I gave her an absent grade last term because there was no way she would pass the final. This way, she could repeat the course without having to pay for it. I was hoping the second time would be the charm and she could do it. The course is not overly difficult and my exams don't vary much from term to term.

Toby's personal life was a mess last semester. She was constantly moving from one major disaster in her life to the next. This term started out better. She seems happy. We talk after class. She has some medical problems but has a good doctor and seems to have that problem under control. She has a job she likes. She has a guy who makes her happy. So, what is her problem? She is having unprotected sex with him. She says it is okay, since she knows him since high school. I asked her if they were each other's firsts? Of course the answer to that was no. I tried to convince her that she was now having sex with everyone else he had had sex with. After ten minutes, she agreed I was right and told me they would both get tested. We also discussed pregnancy. She felt that since she had never gotten pregnant in the past, she was safe from this too. Smartness comes with age? Not in this case.

Last week Toby told me she wants to have a baby with this guy. Since she has a job with no great future, I told her she better get a ring first. She answered that they weren't ready for marriage. I told her a baby was a bigger responsibility and even if they didn't want a big ceremony, they should at least go to a judge and have a legal ceremony. Toby told me her family was religious and they would never go for that. I then said religious people won't go for the baby before the wedding either. Again, she had to agree I was right.

I've had similar conversations with my high school kids for years. I'm always careful about what I say to them, they are minors and I don't want to get in trouble. I never would have imagined having the same conversation with an adult. I guess the saying "age is only a number" is true. In this case, forty is more like fourteen. I hope things work out for her. She is sweet, but, she needs a reality check. She needs to grow up.

F Status

Under the reign of Klein and Bloomberg Principals have control over how their budgeted money is to be spent. I know of one high school in the Bronx that is not using any of its money to hire subs when a teacher is out. All the kids are being sent to the auditorium and someone takes their attendance. I wonder what is going to happen with all the money that is being saved? Hopefully it will be put to some good use to benefit the students of that school.

One of the innovative things Principal's have found to do with their new money is to hire old, retired, Assistant Principals and favored teachers in an F status position. F status hires back retirees to fill positions that supposedly cannot be filled by teachers in the system. Mentoring is a common way this is filled. In my school a woman who just retired has returned to do just that. Although she is a brilliant woman and was an excellent teacher, her only teaching for the last five years or so involved teaching three advanced placement classes. How she is equipped to help a new teacher deal with classroom management issues I will never know. AP's, long retired, are also starting to reappear to fill these jobs. We even had an ESL teacher mentoring math and science.

So, for a recap of the state of our schools today--ATRs are filling the buildings but are not being allowed to have classes their own, teachers are being paid to teach a sixth class instead of hiring new teachers or giving the ATRs classes of their own and money is being given out to F status people to do jobs that most likely have nothing to do with the education of our children. I give Klein, Bloomberg and the Principals a big F for F status.

Sad Shape of the World

Bullet-proof Backpack

DANVERS, Mass. - New for this U.S. schoolchildren this
fall -- stylish yet functional -- it's a backpack with
a bulletproof lining. The item is being marketed by MJ
Safety Solutions, a company founded by Mike Pelonzi and
Joe Curran of Massachusetts. "I'm a parent and so is Joe
and we wanted a way of keeping kids safe at school and
this is what we came up with," Pelonzi told The Staten
Island Advance. The company sells two sizes, one for
books and the other for laptop computers. Both have a
light metal plate sewn into the back, guaranteed to stop
bullets although weighing no more than a bottle of water.
The MJ Solutions Web site says there have been 328 school
shootings since 1999, with 229 dead and 422 injured. "In
almost 97 percent of these documented incidents, MJ Safety
Solutions' backpack could have provided the ballistic
protection that could have saved lives," the site claims.
The makers say the backpacks will also protect against
knives and other weapons

.

Fooled Me!

I hate changing the time on my watch when we travel. I just do the arithmetic, plus or minus to the time from New York. Besides, I like to know what time it is at home so it is easy to call and check on how things are going there. This drives my husband crazy as I am constantly asking him the time. (Not only am I too lazy to change the time, I am too lazy to do the arithmetic.) On the way home from Alaska I was teasing him about changing his watch when I looked down and saw that the battery in my watch had died. A whole week in Alaska on New York time and I still didn't know the time at home. Boy, did I feel like a fool.

Why I Avoid the Teacher's Lounge

Teacher 1: "Did you see my pencil?"

Teacher 2: "Is this it?"

Teacher 1: "No, mine had a brand new eraser and a nice point."

Teacher 2: "Are you sure you had it?"

Teacher 1: "Yes, it was a brand new pencil. Look in your bag. You might have taken it by mistake."

Teacher 2: "I didn't take it."

Teacher 1: "Well, it was a new pencil. I would like it back."