Today Chancellor Carmen Farina announced her retirement and claimed she brought joy, dignity, and trust back to the New York City Public Schools. From a teacher's perspective I find that a joke. Let's dissect her statement and see why it's not true.
Joy:
How joyous is it to be subject to mindless and useless 90 minute Professional Development (PD) every Monday and for another 85 minutes on Tuesday? I see no teacher smiling and jumping for joy at these mandatory PD's and other useless ill-conceived projects thought out by the administration. Further, the Chancellor failed in her promise to remove the 400 principals that she claimed should not be running their schools and has turned a blind eye to principals like Namita Dawarka of William Cullen Bryant and Jose Cruz of Math, Science, Research, and Technology high schools. Finally, are teachers happy that class sizes remain the highest in the State and that she allows vindictive principals to file termination charges against veteran teachers for the most trivial of incidents?
Dignity:
Ask veteran teachers if she respects them?. The answer is a resounding no. Back in 2014 she told a new teachers conference to stay out of the teacher's lounge where veteran teachers complain too much. Moreover, she would visit schools and her prime mission was to identify bad teachers and tell principals how to start a paper trail to terminate them. Finally, she has total disrespect for the veteran laden ATR pool and would fire them all if she could. In fact, she gave orders for the DOE not to place ATRs in vacancies at the Renewal Schools.
Trust:
Under Chancellor Carmen Farina the DOE still uses the punitive Charlotte Danielson rubric and insist on 4 to 6 observations when the rest of the State requires only 2. That's not trust if you ask me. In addition, academic fraud is widespread throughout the school system as the graduation spikes ever higher while only 22% ever get a 2 year degree at a community college. The Chancellor looked the other way when it came to "credit recovery", administrative pressure to change failing grade, and a bogus scholarship requirement that penalizes teachers who fail too many students. Finally, she supports micromanaging teacher instruction in the classroom rather than "let teachers teach" and do what's best for their students.
Chancellor Carmen Farina's failure to eliminate Fair Student Funding that incentivizes principals to "hire the cheapest and not the best teachers" for their students. Moreover, she agreed to under fund schools at 90% of what the formula requires. More importantly, her idea of collaboration was with our disconnected union leadership while her polices and administrators practice a top down approach with little or no collaberation between the DOE and teachers. In fact Chancellor Carmen Farina retained 80% of all Bloomberg policymakers and her failure to "clean house" allowed the Bloomberg ideology to continue at the DOE.
Under Chancellor Carmen Farina the DOE is looked at as the enemy and not a partner when it comes to educating students. To me its goodbye and good riddance.
18 comments:
AWAOME BLOG TODAY! You hit all the points on the head. She was a retched person with nothing but contempt for veteran teachers. She will not be missed and her true legacy will be remembered for the horrible leader that she was. Bye Felicia!
Counter-factual self evaluation by Farina about Farina.
This is the new new for DOE doublespeak.
As bad as this vindictive hag was, I am afraid who will replace her. I heard on the radio that a "nationwide search" is on to find a new chancellor. I don't see why they have to conduct a nationwide search; just look up the local chapter of the New York Communist Party. That's who Comrade Bill is and that will surely drive his search for the perfect person to head up his brainwashing institutions in the city, formerly known as schools. The ideal candidate will be well versed in making false accusations, in harassment techniques, in telling lies so often that they start to believe it themselves, in breaking contracts, in intimidating teachers, and demonstrate proficiency in dogmatically sticking to an agenda, despite strong indications that it isn't working. Wrong will become right, and false will become true under the new chancellor, same as the old chancellor. The school system is tottering on its last legs, and part of the new chancellor's job will be to finish it off, so that DeBlASSio's developer masters can cash in on their privatization investments. This will call for the cheapest teachers available, so all you veteran teachers better put in your notice now: old is bad, experience is passé .
Chaz who do you think should be the new chancellor? Who is in the running?
I do not even know what the mayor's vision is for public education moving forward!
They really know how to lie about everything.
Joel Klein, Cathie Black, Dennis Walcott, Carmen Farina - Made no difference.
Many schools have been destroyed under her watch by bad principals.
Any idea who will replace her? The mayor said they are conducting a nationwide search. What, there aren't qualified people who know the system?
Believe me it is not going to make a difference.
If they're looking nationwide, they ought to choose Linda Darling Hammond.
@clovis don't complain about the system now idiot you voted for DuhhhBlasio! Farina was a goddess I wish she would stay another 2 or 3 more years so she can finish the job she started. she has had enough of all the so called educated people whining and crying so I hope you crybabies are happy now!
11:41 is so right! My school is a 'fake news' diploma mill. Hardly 10% of our students deserve to graduate, if you are being fair with what standards used to be just 10-15 years ago, yet we 'boast' an 88% graduation rate.
Most of our graduates have 2-3 grade skills - no joke there. Smart phones were the nail in the coffin as far as attention spans go. Now we write most of their papers. We mercy pass them. We invent grades. APEX! Credit recovery (hah!).
Why do we do these things? So many of our students do not want to do a single thing, and many will tell you to your face they refuse to do any work you provide. All the games of 'project based learning,' ' scaffolding,' 'differentiation' and all the rest are not working. So the latest fad is 'holistic grading,' 'strategic grouping,' 'datawize,' 'restorative circles' and endless PD for the teachers.
Our school abandoned Skedula for Jumprope just to fudge the grades even further. Now it's almost impossible to fail anyone except for those who never show. I'm sure the new chancellor will come up with a plan for that!
Hear,Hear 9:55 am ! Yes the ginned up fiction called grades are just prizes for all! They are as worthless as a weimar Republic Mark ! The middle class has fled the public school except for speciality schools where there is a more authentic education allowed to be given. This is also based on the support and conditions of students’ home life too!
But Fariña says students are graduating more than ever, what a joke that woman?
Dwarka has been changing grades, and Fariña'investigators always cover up for her.
Next chancellor will be worse to finish off what has been started. I mean can you get any worse than Fraudina?
Dwarka is a switch hitter that hits anything that comes her way from both sides of the plate! Repulsive reptile!
Carmen is not leaving or going anywhere. This is just her playing the system. First, in 2013/2014 Carmen stated she had no interest in becoming Chancellor. 2. She then agreed only for a year until they find someone. 3. She then was like "bitches I played you and not going anywhere" 4. She then started rumors herself that she's leaving over a year and a half ago. 5. Now she is saying she is leaving in the next few months.
Translation: I ain't goin' nowhere bitches. I stayin till I die. I will milk this forever.
Also, remember Carmen was promoted to superintendent under Klein. Before Klein she was really a nobody. Everything she learned she learned under Klein administration. When Klein and Nadelstern realized she was not very bright they threw her out and she retired. When she came back she did not know anything except what Klein and them did. She followed the same script but removed networks. Nothing else changed. She just gave more power to superintendents.
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