Lunch Lady Land

Covering lunch today, that's my only assignment.  Funny you know.  I have a Master's Degree and this is what they are paying me for?  Could be worse, though, so will do what I can.

It recently dawned on me that this ATR experience, while at times frustrating is also a very eye opening experience.  Last year, I taught at the Academy for Social Action in Harlem.  The teachers I worked with were good people and we did our best with what we had.  Many of the kids we taught were disrespectful, but many of them also had severe issues which the school was unable to support.  On top of that we had a first year principal with skeptical teaching experience and an AP who I did not feel was very supportive of the teaching staff.  Actually, in many cases they were down right abusive.  Not to me, personally, but to others who I know worked as hard as they could in difficult circumstances.  One teacher was so stressed, he suffered seizures in school and still they found a reason to give him low ratings.  I hope he took legal action.

Most of the schools I've been in so far have been well run, with a clear vision and respect for all the staff.  Really can do attitude going on.  I've seen schools were the principal and AP's still teach, don't overburden teachers with unnecessary paperwork and provide support that is meaningful.  Why is it then that there are many other schools who seem to do the wrong thing over and over?  I know there are simple answers to this, but bear with me.

My last few years at MBHS were marked by a culture of Fear and Intimidation.  We had Dr. Andrea Lewis and Lottie Almonte, both who were run out of Bergtraum, but not before destroying the culture.  The year after I worked for Anne Geiger at Art & Tech who prosecuted a teacher on trumped up fallacious charges and had the temerity to go after the licenses of two hard working first year teachers.  Couple that with last year at Academy, where the principal and AP also went after licenses and gave the science teacher ineffective even though he actually got students to pass the Science Regents, where they had none the previous year.

All the schools I've worked in have been marked by Fear and Intimidation.  No one wants to work for abusive administrators.  The teachers suffer, the kids suffer, nothing gets done.   Not surprisingly, all those schools either close down, get reduced, merged or just manage to linger on though the day is inevitable when they will collapse.  Meanwhile, you have schools where there is respect for the profession that are succeeding.  If only the mayor could see that and actually fulfill his promise to help schools instead of whatever the heck he is doing now.

Awesome Teacher on Rotation

It's been two years since I've written a blog.  Since I am now officially in the ATR pool, I think this would be the best time to dig this blog up.  Especially since I don't have much to do everyday.  I just kind of wander from school to school.  So this post is mostly an update on what I've done up to this point.

Started the year at High School of Fashion Industries in Chelsea, filling a maternity leave for Global History.  The leave was only 5 weeks, but I wanted good experience.  This school was amazing! I loved it.  The principal is this super nice guy who greets the kids every morning.  Most of the school is girls, though there are some boys.  Every class I had, which was mostly freshmen, I had kids ready to work every day, and some real interesting questioning and discussion with them.  Things got a little weird when the regular teacher came back, but overall I really enjoyed being there and was sad to leave.  That was September to October.

From there I was sent to Manhattan Business Academy, also in Chelsea.  This is within the Bayard Rustin building, which I knew nothing about.  It seemed...ok...  I don't know.  The principal seemed nice but the impression I got from the teachers is there is a lot of extra work and there isn't much voice.  Seems like kids were given a lot of power.  Most of my days they had me doing nothing, so I hung in the teacher's lounge with the other Social Studies ATRs as kids walked in constantly asking their regular teachers for work packets, which teachers would print out.  Rarely would these kids complete these, which I got from teachers.  Thankfully, election week was my last week there.

From there I went to Forsyth Satellite Academy.  I have never been in a transfer school before.  It's quite interesting, they do regents but they also do something called a PBAT, which is a Performance Based Assessment.  Also started later, but attendance is still very bad.  But I like the idea of starting closer to 9am.  Most of the time I had little to do but towards the end of my time there I had more and more coverages.  The staff was really cool and supportive and seemed to work well with each other.  I wouldn't mind teaching in a school like that.

Now I am East Side Community High School, on the LES.  This school is really good with a big focus on reading.  They have blocks where kids read and annotate.  I am still learning more about this school but so far everyone has been really nice.

Well I think that's all for today.  I think forthcoming posts will involve me weighing in on teaching topics and maybe doing an expose on principals you should avoid.  Because, well, got to help others out.

Success!

Yeah!!!

So today I came into work wondering what to do.  I had got an email the previous day asking if I could come to the High School for Arts and Tech in the MLK campus for a 9:45am interview.  I was thinking "great, another interview where I will probably just be a number so they can hire some d-bag."  When I told the secretary she was saying how she wasn't sure if I could because she was setting up a coverage for me (today).  So when I came in and saw that my day didn't really start till 11:30am, I emailed the guy at the school and asked if 9:45am was still good. It was, so I went.

I had been in this school twice before when I worked at Bergtraum (actually 3 times because I once saw a bodybuilding competition here.  If you've never been, go, it's...interesting).  Met the principal, she seemed, old and nice, and wheelchair bound but very eager.  The AP was nice and easy to talk to.  Suit wearing guy, Spanish, I checked his linked in profile while he was meeting with a teacher and well, someone who is an AP for over 20 years, that's a good feeling there (as opposed to people who are in their 3rd year).

Really like the vibe, the smartboards, the class (Global 9, my fave).  Start monday, can't wait.  Would type more but hands hurt.

Interview #4

Click here for funny picture

I left work early, after 7th period to travel down to Union Square for my interview today.  I had already cleared it with the secretary yesterday, and I have to say, the people at my school have been overly nice about everything.  I really wish there was a position open there, I would seize it in a heartbeat.  The school I was to interview at was in the old Washington Irving school.  The time was set for 3pm.   Given it was about 2:30pm as I stepped off the train, I dropped by a CVS to get some deodorant because I had worked all day and wanted to smell nice.

Get inside and give my name to the security guard.  A guy comes down to escort me upstairs.  He brings me to the fifth floor office and offers me a seat there.  There was another guy there, much younger, dressed in loose khakis, a shirt and tie.  Since it was an interview, I was wearing a suit.  Some time passes and I hate silence so I introduced myself and we made small talk.  Then more silence....He leans over and whispers to me "I hope this isn't one of those interviews where they already have someone hired."  I nodded and agreed with that.  Then he explained how he didn't know of the interview until late last night, when he was staying at his aunt's house.  He was from Rockland County, and based on what he told me had about 3 years of teaching experience.  He told me his interview was scheduled for 2:45pm.  It was now 3:15pm.

More time passes and a woman comes in and explains how the principal is dealing with an issue, so it will be some time.  She apologizes and then leaves the room.  Minutes later, another candidate arrives, a blonde girl.  She was mostly busy on her phone, but let in some small talk of how the school she was at had her teaching an Economics class and some Health classes out of her license.   More time passes, it is now about 4pm.  Blonde Girl: "I am leaving at 4:10pm." I couldn't blame her.  It was ridiculous to have to wait so long.  4:15pm comes and the previous woman comes in, the chapter leader "Who was scheduled first?"  I point to the younger man.  They leave to go off to gods knows where.

The blonde girl near me was growing in exasperation. "I'm going to just email them that I am leaving, or maybe I shouldn't.  What if I get sent back here as an ATR?  Screw it, I'm leaving."  She does her email and then leaves again.  By now, all the secretaries had left, with the RISO still going.  There I am, sitting in this office, I could have shoved a ream of paper into my bag and no one would have noticed.

4:30pm comes by, I have now been there about 2 hours (so much for being early!).  The Chapter Leader comes back and I ask if I could use the restroom.  She seems unsure of the question and goes searching down the hall, me in tow.  She calls over one of the custodians.  He takes me to the 7th floor to use an archaic bathroom (I guess the building is 100 years old).  I then go down to room 549.  Finally, the interview takes place.

As I enter, there is the principal, the Chapter Leader and the guidance counselor sitting there.  They direct me to sit but I instead take the moment to introduce myself to each in turn, interview etiquette and all.  They explain how this is an 18D interview  (I would later learn what that is) and they would ask me questions that are taped to the desk in front of me.  I asked them a question and they said they were not allowed to answer any questions.  Strange.

The questions were rather broad and generic.  How would you assist special ed students?  We wear many hats etc.  My problem was with the wait time.  Look, I get it.  It's a school.  Things happen.  This is the 2nd week of school.  You are interviewing people.  I don't even know if the position is still available.  Maybe as a school that has been around two years you have to do certain things.  There was a better way they could have handled it.  I am a teacher.  Just because I am an ATR doesn't mean I shouldn't be treated like a human being.  They didn't even ask for my resume until the end.  And I couldn't ask questions?  What idiot developed this idea?  (When I looked it up, I noticed the UFT stamp was all over it, so question answered).

The education system and evaluation system in this city is a sham.  The interview process is a sham as well.  I am hoping good will come of this eventually, but I won't hold my breath.

Ed Notes Online: MY TIP and IPC Story - by John Elfrank-Dana

If anyone reads this, here is a personal story from my former Chapter Leader.  May the gods always be watching over him and those others still stuck in high school hell that is Murry Bergtraum...



Ed Notes Online: MY TIP and IPC Story - by John Elfrank-Dana: AP: The evaluator chooses if video will be used. (She points out rightly that the UFT gave the discretion of video to the evaluator inste...

Monday September 15

I am not very creative with blog titles.  Maybe as I get more experienced I will add in fancier things.  Of course by the time that happens I will have a full schedule and permanent placement, and will not have time to blog.  Of course I wouldn't mind that.

One thing that annoys me is that we are supposed to be called for interviews starting this week.  How could schools still have openings?  Would I want to teach in one of these places?  I do want to teach.  My fear is being sent to a school like the one in Queens run by a principal I used to have as an AP who was a total nightmare of a boss.  Yes it's better I am not in Bergtraum, which by all accounts, has gotten worse and not better.

I hope I won't ever be observed having to teach out of my license.  Not sure what I would do with a math/science lesson.  English I could probably work my way through and wing my way along admirably.

Being an ATR is boring...

So I did not get that position at Millennium.  Damn!  Stinks for them though, they missed out on a great teacher.  In the mean time I have met my field supervisor, or principal for ATR's.  He doesn't seem so bad really and seems earnest in trying to help me.  Has sort of a laid back attitude.  We shall see.

In the meantime, I have to explain to kids that I am not a sub, just a teacher who does a bit of everything.  Sub is like a dirty word and I hate that kids use it.  Basically, my schedule gets written out by the secretary but most of my time is spent in the teacher's lounge.  Which is fine, because most of the time I spend is reading the Kagan strategies book.  That was one of the few good things I got from MBHS.  Of course, I am sure if I did everything perfect in Kagan's eyes, they would still find it developing.

Today my schedule was pd1 Government, pd5 Government and pd7 a maybe with middle school.  The pd1 class was just there till they could go to brunch and the pd5 teacher returned.  Pd7 I was told they were testing so basically, I spent most of this day in the teacher's lounge.  I really would rather teach! I like teaching actually.  I had thought I was teaching pd5 so I made a lesson for government with lots of kagan strats.  The idea is to get a class at some point, get observed, get a high rating and use that to get into a school.  Although, what kind of school hires teachers mid year?  I don't know, guess anything can happen.