Friday, October 31, 2014

Horror Stories From The ATR Pool.



















With Halloween here, its time to recount some of the horror stories told to me by the ATRs in the last couple of years.

Freddy Kruger:
This nightmare started when an ATR, trying to go the extra yard in entertaining the class he was covering, by asking them to solve a math question, using a baseball analogy.  In describing the problem he used statistics commonly used in baseball.  However, one female student didn't understand the concept and he patiently explained the math problem to her.  When she still didn't get it, the teacher explained that since she really didn't understand baseball he could see her confusion in solving the Math problem.  The girl felt insulted and reported the ATR to the Principal who charged the ATR with gender discrimination and verbal abuse. The ATR ended up with a Letter To The File (LIF) and a "u rating" for the year.

Jason:
An ATR covering a leave replacement was teaching a Science lesson when three girls decided to play "UNO" instead.  The teacher asked the girls to put the cards away three times.  However, the girls refused the teacher's request.  The Teacher went over to three girls and took the UNO cards away.  One girl refused to give up her pile and the teacher grabbed them from her hand.  In doing so he touched her hand in taking the UNO cards away.  The three girls went to the Principal and the teacher ended up being charged with corporal punishment and OSI was contacted.  The result was a LIF for the teacher and no disciplinary consequences for the three students who failed to do their work or follow the rules.

Michael Myers:
A student was feeling ill and the ATR, who was provisionally assigned to the school, told the student to go to the school clinic to be checked out.  The teacher was trying to do what's right by having qualified medical personal observe her and to ensure the child's illness was not contagious to her classmates.  The student refused to go and an argument ensued until the student reluctantly went to the school clinic.  Two weeks later the Principal held a disciplinary hearing and charged the teacher with verbal abuse (yelling)  and embarrassing the student in front of her classmates.  The  teacher ended up with a LIF and a "U rating" for the year.

Chucky:
An untenured ATR provisionally assigned to the school saw a poor performing student's Regents paper being marked separately from others and in another room and quickly realized that the teacher was violating State rules.  She asked the teacher why he had the student's Regents paper and was told to mind her own business.  She reported it first to the Assistant Principal and then the Principal of the alleged Regents violation.  However, it appears the Assistant Principal and Principal wanted this student out of the school and were in on it.  The untenured ATR's satisfactory observations in the Fall semester became "Unsatisfactory observations" after she reported the Regents violation, in the Spring semester.  She was discontinued at the end of the school year.

Alien:
A certified regular education Math ATR was dumped into a self-contained Special Education class all day without any technology or lesson plans left for the classes and was told by the Assistant Principal to keep them entertained when he complained about the lack of appropriate work for the students.  He tried his best but the students were out of control and when the Assistant Principal walked in saw that the teacher was having trouble keeping them focused.  The Assistant Principal gave the ATR a "U observation" for poor classroom management.

These are just a few of the many horror stories from the ATR pool.  If you have some stories to share, please send them to the comment section and I will publish them.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

There's hundreds of stories like these.
This is why we need an ATR chapter. We're treated like subs- not substitute teachers, but sub-humans. I"m going to Portelos' meeting on 11/11.

ReadyToRetireNow said...

You know, it makes me wonder if there's some kind of quota system that principals and their assistants have to meet in order for them to be rated "satisfactory", or to earn some promotion in the system. Like the NYPD does (or claims not to do).

Anonymous said...

Despite the fact no vacancy existed, an ATR was forced placed at a "F" rated school in South Jamaica. ATR arrived to the assigned class no technology no lesson plan students wondering in late. Teacher asked students if they wanted help preparing for the regents. Students responded to "We got this miss" and we finished all the review sheets. Her stalker supervisor walked in decided in was unprofessional conduct. Placed a letter in her file and gave her a U for the year,
Supervisor informed the teacher it was her responsible to bring a lesson, her own technology and hand-outs. All at her own expense. Put a letter in a file and "U" rated her.
Of course ATR complaints about harassments to the Union went no where.

Anonymous said...

Having an ATR Chapter is a waste of time."Electing" a CL for ATR' s will do nothing to change ATR working conditions or uphold ATR rights. Being a voting member of the DA is meaningless nothing will change.

Anonymous said...

Problems cited here are really not ATR specific. OSI run amok? What else is new? These 4 anecdotes are about as surprising as the news that Philip Nobile is barred from yet another place.

Anonymous said...

Cruzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!!!!!!!!! at Campus Magnet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enough Said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

If you have or had Stark as your supervisor you have tons of horror stories - letters to file - u ratings - surprise visits - what s germy slug.

Chaz said...

Philip:

Please be nice.

Anon 2:50

I had Justin Stark and his ridiculous emphasis on rigor in a class in which the teacher doesn't know the students is a recipe for disaster.

Philip Nobile said...

Chaz,
Almost anyone will tell you that I have a heart of gold, a friend of those who have no friends and enemy of those who make me an enemy like Randi, Mulgrew, Farina, Condon, August et al. What's nice about excommunicating an ATR pool member and then jumping back into the closet? What would you do, Chaz?

Anonymous said...

Don't forget Quail. A walking, talking asshole.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Philip...

You're such a bitch! Re-hashing old battles against AJ on Chaz's website. Get a life, you tool!

Anonymous said...

come one guys you sound like our students. be big enough to ignore what people say about us. we need to stick together and not resort to this kind of stuff. your making teachers an atr's look bad. carry your self with dignity and honor and don't worry about what others say. turn the other cheek. been in a lot of schools the last 3 yrs as an atr (20yrs total) and have seen a lot of unprofessional behavior by atr's. you make us all look bad. don't be late, dress properly and do the job your given. (within the contract). enough said for now

Anonymous said...

To Philip AND August:

Settle this issue between you like MEN. Make peace, not pieces. We don't care about the specifics, "He said/she said" stuff. Just hit the RE-DO button and cut it out. It's really wasting good energy that could be better used against the crap we are all being forced to face. We don't want to hear about it any more, OK? Both of you should be present at all meetings you care to attend, and CIVILITY should be practiced by all. We cannot afford this ugly internecine fighting.

Francesco Portelos said...

Anons,
I see where Phil is coming from, because I too was banished from August's list. Why? Because I was part of those who resigned from MORE and created a new caucus called Solidarity. What does caucus affiliation have to do with ATRs? Nothing, but August had orders to censor me. So I see where is Phil is coming from. Not old news, as he is banned from that list to this day.

We have created a new list that is up to about 146 ATRs. If you want on then shoot me an email at mrportelos@gmail.com .

The meeting is looking good for the 11th. Please continue to share the link for that and other ATR tools at www.DTOE.org/ATR

In other news I sent my Field Supervisor Edele Williams packing! After my blog posts about her and my temp principal, she is no longer my Field Supervisor. Next??

Anonymous said...

keep fighting the good fight Francesco! many incompetent admin. bad for all of us

Anonymous said...

Was the ATR situation ever appealed to the Commissioner of Education pursuant to §310 of the Education Law?

www.counsel.nysed.gov/appeals/general

www.counsel.nysed.gov/Decisions

Francesco Portelos said...

www.atralliance.org has been created.

Organized.