First, and foremost eliminate the ATR crises by requiring that all excessed teachers be placed in one school in their District. No longer should teachers go weekly to different schools and be treated like garbage from the school Administration. While the union will not publish the information, many senior and higher paid teachers are not even given a chance to interview for vacancies as age and salary discrimination runs throughout the New York City School system. The approximately 1,500 ATRS need to be placed and feel wanted. Going weekly to different schools is a waste of time and just dispirrits the ATRs. Bring back the old system that requires principals to hire excessed teachers before they can hire "newbie teachers" outside the Public Schools. This would be good for students who would have experienced teachers instructing them and not be made "guinea pigs" as the "newbies" learn how to teach.
Second, demand that the candidate agree to full "retroactive raises" that was part of the 2008-09 "City pattern". No back loading or "givebacks".
Third, eliminate the "fair student funding" fiasco that discriminates against senior teachers and restore the unit system. This will allow principals to hire the "best teachers" and not the "cheapest" teachers as many are doing now which is not what our students need or want.
Fourth, reduce class sizes to levels that are the State average and add teachers to reduce class sizes to more manageable levels, especially in the early grades.
Finally, allocate adequate resources to the classroom and eliminate the waste of money on unnecessary consultants and technology that strips over a billion dollars from the City Schools.
If the UFT does not require these promises from their endorsed candidate then our union will once again fail their members and that is not acceptable.
10 comments:
Perfectly stated blog! Every point that you stated is what is needed for the UFT to endorse a potential mayoral candidate. Let us all hope (and pray) that the UFT actually listens to what the rank and file need at this most crucial time.
The union isn't going to demand shit...as the hierarchy does it's own side deals with the powers that be. (please see the $40 MILLION) Mulgrew's sister did as CEO of a DOE vendor)....they sold us out a long time ago...
Chaz,
I do not see the ATR being eliminated. I do not see principals being 'told' who they can and cannot hire. I see some of the retro pay and definitely 4 pct pay increases. Basically, I see nothing new happening. The principals, UFT and whoever the new chancellor/mayor will be just wants things to remain status quo. They do not care about teaching and learning and discipline in the inner city.
Although what you wrote is 10000000 percent common sense and would be the right thing to do, you have forgotten one thing and that is in DOE world, what makes sense does not exist. You can change the names, dates, places and times, but the DOE is still the DOE. This will also be a farce of a contract like the 05 deal. No ATR placement is also my prediction. The ATR is here forever and as an ATR, I have accepted that.
chaz:
I wish the union would follow your lead and demand what you recommended. However, we all know that the UFT does not care about ATRs and will claim victory when we get small retroactive raises.
I will go so far as to say that I KNOW the UFT doesn't give a d__mn about ATRs. If they did, there wouldn't be as many as there are, and provisions to place them instead of hiring babyteachers would have been in place long ago. No, the corrupt UFT (read: Teamsters Union) is wildly happy to take a large chunk of your hard-earned paycheck for nothing in return. What a racket. And then they collect heaven knows what kind of under-the-table goodies from the corrupt Tweed. Yep, they are playing both sides against one another, with them the chief beneficiary. They attempt to keep the masses mollified with political hack phrases and throwing a bit of money at non-discerning members who don't even look up as they goggle at the green. What they have allowed to happen is a Stalinistic purge of senior teachers and a transformation of the career of educating kids into a Kelly Girl temp stint. They are a complete corrupt disgrace.
To all the bloggers who knock the UFT please do not knock. The UFT is great and is our protection from out of touch maniacs like bloomterd. I am so proud to be a part of the UFT so lets all band together and not knock the hand that feeds us all
I understand that new teachers are trying different method of teaching students. Yet, new teachers are being trained and being trained (not enough) in college. Yet, soon I will be a new teacher and I would like to have that chance to teach students not as "guinea pigs" but as any other teachers. New teachers are good as experienced teachers.
Anon 10:35
You are kidding right?
They are a top-down and secretive group who negotiates behind their members back and refuses to include an ATR on the ATR committee or have an ATR Chapter Leader.
I gue3ss you are joking right?
Hey Anon 10:58,
Today I watched a student teacher teach. She had good potential, but she had no visual aids (our kids are much more concrete thinkers than abstract ones), she had no real classroom control, I saw at least 1 student sneak out a cellphone to text (I put a stop to THAT myself), another student used the bathroom pass to go out and buy pretzels which she ate in class (not allowed in that school), she did not use graphic organizers when they really would have helped, she did not elicit student volunteers to list things on the board for better student engagement, her worksheet was not clear about directions, etc. I wrote some suggestions down at "halftime", and she incorporated them. Your statement "new teachers are as good as experienced teachers" is a defensive statement without any leg to stand on. Sorry, kid. There is no substitute for classroom experience. Most education courses are based on textbooks written by ivory-tower types, very often expounding techniques they used in ideal classroom situations, which are the polar opposite of most NYC classrooms. However, I am certain that with a few years of teaching under your belt, you WILL be a great teacher.
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