The Bogus 18D Interview Process And Why Did The UFT Even Participate In This Travesty?

As you all know for 24 "turnaround schools", teachers were forced to reapply for their jobs and in almost all cases the results were very predictable.  The most senior, lead teachers were retained and many of the untenured etchers were as well.  Moreover, the younger and less expensive you were, the better the chances that you would be rehired by the new school. What was laughable was the union's participation in this travesty and how they claimed, very unconvincingly, that all the teachers had an equal chance to be rehired.  According to the union, the teachers who had the most effective interviews would be rehired and not on anything else.  Yeah right, and I have a Bridge in Brooklyn to sell you if you really believe it is true..

To prove my case, I bring you a young, female, and untenured foreign language teacher who told her colleagues, while crying,  that she froze in her18D interview.  According to the teachers in her Department she couldn't answer even the simplest question and her fifteen minute interview took over 35 minutes to complete as the 18D committee had to ask her time and again the same questions and gently push her to say something.  After gently trying to prod her for answers, the 18D committee finally gave up and thanked her for coming in.   On the other hand, I decided to interview for a position and was well-prepared for the interview.  I answered all their questions clearly and concisely and even did an impressive simple science demonstration.  In other words  I "aced the interview"  and left the room after my allotted fifteen minutes.

Who did you think received a job offer?   The frozen in fear female foreign language teacher where there are many ATRs and outside language teachers available or me in a hard to fill "Earth Science" position with little competition?  You guessed it, the former.  Of course what I forgot to tell you is that she is in her 20s and I am in my 60s and I make $40,000 more than her.  Get the message?

To be fair, I never intended to come back to the school and the only reason I interviewed was to experience the 18D committee process first hand and to prepare a portfolio since it seems that all schools want teachers to present a portfolio..  Had they unexpectedly hired me, I would have declined the invitation as the school is overcrowded with  real discipline problems that made me uncomfortable and frustrated as a teacher.  In fact one of my CTT classes was short a teacher and nobody seemed to care.  Seriously, I rather be an ATR than land a position in the school where there are few deans, students are allowed to show up as they pleased and all the "accountability " is placed on the teacher and not anybody else.

The Principal of the school was just arrested for possession of "crystal Meth" by the police near the school and his  future is uncertain. However, unlike teachers, I do not see the Principal being terminated by the DOE under Section 3020-a but be quietly given an office job in a network like all the other problem principals until the fuss dies down and he reappears as a new Principal in another  unfortunate school.  The double standard that applies to disciplining principals is alive and well.