I'm BackI

I have been away for quite a while now, but I just couldn't help myself and write about the incredible mistake Betsy DeVos as secretary of education would be.


I can tolerate many things. One thing that sets me off, however and I turn on my grammatical and spelling superpowers, is lack of knowledge of the basic construction of a sentence. May have been due to the pressure she must've been under but she surely didn't sound articulate.


Then, she was unprepared for many of the questions that she faced and her constant response of "I will review..." or giving her prepared responses over and over.


Finally, because I will let you be the judge for yourself, was her lack of understanding the difference between proficiency and growth.


Of particular note are two senators who really grilled her, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Elizabeth Warren Questions Betsy Devos | ABC News

A New Beginning

When I started this blog, it was to show the bullying,  micromanagement, intimidation, and lack of professionalism and respect that the principal and assistant principal exhibited while I worked at their school. I'm putting this mildly and that is only a partial list of the four years that I spent there that ultimately lead to my excess and becoming an ATR. Those of you who follow my blog know the details of what I call the worst years of my teaching career.

I spent four months in the ATR pool and was shuffled from school to school winding up wherever the DOE wanted to place me. I had heard atrocities regarding the treatment of ATRs,  so I watched everything, trusted no one, and made sure that nothing I did could be called into question if in fact what I was told was true. Yet, the experience, while stressful, was not by any means what I had heard it would be. In fact, I was told to be careful with  my assigned supervisor and, because I am blessed, my supervisor turned out to be just fine.

Every day, I woke up wondering what my day would be like but not once did I dread getting up in the morning to go to work. I had come from hell and this assignment gave me back my confidence and made me feel good about myself, something that for four years I had lost.

In December,  2015, I received an email from a school in  district 79 asking me if I would be interested in interviewing. I gave it a shot and was pretty much hired on the spot. I'm sure they were in dire need but be it as it may, I am glad that I chose to work at the school.

Since January, when I began at the school,  I have received nothing but respect and I enjoy working there. The principal is floating from school to school so I see her maybe once a week. The person in charge is the assistant principal who has been an essential part of my recovery. Yes, recovery because my former principal broke me and I had not realized the extent of the damage.

This AP has given me nothing but support and has lent a shoulder to cry on. She is straightforward in her recommendations and gives concrete suggestions to fulfill her recommendations. In her own words, one day she said, "I rescued you" after I made a comment regarding an interviewee who she called her latest victim.

The place is not without faults. I would be lying if I said it was perfect.  After all,  I am working in a correctional facility.  Yet, I feel at home, comfortable, and supported. I am trying to teach kids who have been placed there due to their criminal activity and school doesn't really mean anything to them. I am still trying to get some of them to buy into what I'm selling and ELA  is not anything they want to purchase.

I have my work cut out for me but I do not have people who are trying to make me feel inept and ineffective. I am treated as what I am: a teacher who is new to this particular scenario who simply has to learn the ropes and take her immense experience and knowledge and apply it to a new audience. I am no longer being told that I am not a good teacher and that I should consider moving on. On the contrary, I have been offered an opportunity to coach the ELA teachers in the district. This administration actually has seen my value and want to capitalize on it.

All I can say is, thank you Lord for this blessing.  Thank you for bringing me out of the dreadful situation I was in and placing me where I am.

VP of Education

Hello everyone!
After giving it much thought and consideration, I have decided to withdraw my nomination for VP of Education.
Thank you to all who showed your support. And stay involved. We need our union leadership to change!

Eye Opening

This is a "Must Listen" audiocast featuring, "I'm getting too old for this shit" Danny Glover, of Lethal Weapon fame. He and Steve Zeltzer eloquently discuss the facts behind charter schools, their creation, and their true purpose.

For those not familiar, in California since 1992, charter schools were implemented following the win in Minnesota who wrote the first charter school law in the United States in 1991.

Glover and Seltzer discuss charter schools in California and other parts in the United States and the results from their implementation.

They discuss the effects on the children, the teachers, and the unions.

They also discuss the racism behind them and the millions of millions of dollars that drive them.

My favorite quote comes around 14:25, when Mr. Glover discusses teachers and the fact that we are being scapegoated and "...like teachers are at fault for that..." referring to students not learning.

You have got to listen if you're a teacher or love a teacher!

Happy listening!

30 Seconds= 1.5 Million

So my intentions were to recap my last two weeks as ATR but then I find this.

The New York Daily News tells us about the 1.5 million dollar, 30 second spot that our leadership has come up with to celebrate “the passion and promise in our public schools”.

Did they forget to mention a few things? 

Those of us who are in the trenches say YES, a resounding YES!

Those of us being bullied and denigrated by our administrators say YES!

Those of us having been found Ineffective by a vengeful and incompetent administrator say YES!

Those of us having been made ATRs for no reason whatsoever say YES!  A resounding YES!

Where are those millions when we spend our own money to buy supplies that our measly Teacher's Choice does not cover? Oh wait, the Unity Union is using it for a 30 second slot on TV. Where are those millions when we could use them to hire better lawyers to assist the membership when they are brought up on 3020 made up, trumped up charges? You know where they are!

They have no shame. They parade themselves on TV and show the audience that all is good with our schools today. That our students love taking all these extra tests that show nothing. That our teachers are happy with an evaluation system that is made to get the strong teachers out. The teachers who are creative and don't follow a script to get the most out of the students. The teachers who build rapport and discipline with their kids.

There are many, many more things that they forget to mention, many.

No, they have no shame and it embarrases me to be lumped together with our Unity Union.

Hope!

An Example

Sometimes we need to look to others to help us figure out the best course of action. This holds true when it comes to unions, especially unions. I remember when the fire fighters, (love them, God bless them) stood firm and waited till they were given a fair contract. Ditto for the police force. However, the teachers' union doesn't follow suit.

If anything, I would say, (I do say) that we were sold out and that when the contract was ratified the membership was not consulted. Do you remember voting to ratify the contract? I certainly was not included in that decision.

Well, right now we have to live with the choice made for us and wait for the tiny little increments we will be receiving. Yeah, more like bread crumbs, if you ask me. Sold out, is how I feel and so does everyone I speak to. The contract shows how little our union thinks about its members and how much they think about lining their pockets.

So, I'm looking to Seattle teachers for a little guidance. Maybe a model for when I am part of the new union leadership, Solidarity. They do say, "Imitation is the highest form of flattery!"

First of all, let me set it up for you if you haven't heard.

• Having  the old contract expired, Seattle's teachers hadn't received a cost of living raise in six years. 

• the district wants to increase the length of the school day by 20 minutes without adequately compensating teachers for the extra time.

• The teachers are seeking to address racial and social inequality in Seattle schools by setting up equity teams to study achievement gaps and discipline trends in 60 of the district's 97 schools

• Teachers also want to ensure that every elementary school student gets at least 30 minutes of time to play outside the classroom.

• Teachers also wish to address over-testing by imposing limits on the number of tests students take and increasing teacher involvement in deciding which tests are given and how they are used.

These are just some of the major points they wanted to address in their new contract. I love how they became social advocates for the kids, especially schools with more low-income students and students of color who tend to have less recess than wealthier, whiter ones. 

The talks broke down and they announced on their website, "parents and students (should ) prepare for something not seen here in a generation". Yes, they are  passionate and willing to make sacrifices even in the face of being fined for their action. 


Hear that, New York...


On they went and their strike lasted until Tuesday, September 15, 2015, 6 PM, P.S.T, when the  district and teachers' union bargaining team reached a tentative agreement. They voted to recommend its ratification and end the strike. School would start on Thursday for Seattle students, but the strike wouldn't be officially over until Sunday, when the full union membership would have a chance to vote on the contract agreement.


Hear that, New York...


... full union membership has a chance to vote on the contract agreement...


Membership as part of the final decision... isn't this the way it's supposed to be? I have yet to vote on a contract and ladies and gentlemen, I have been around since 1987!

On this past Sunday, the full membership of Seattle Education Association overwhelmingly voted to accept a new three-year contract with the Seattle School District after months of negotiations and six days of striking. Sure some of what they fought for had give- backs, like their salary increase came with a longer school day for students, but they fought for their beliefs. They stood firm and took on Goliath. That's what a union does.

A union supports and fights for its membership.

A union keeps track of the rising cost of living and makes sure to take it into account when it's time to talk again.

A union does not allow anyone to speak ill of one of its members. No Matter What!

A union does not play politics on the backs of the people who voted them into their positions. They keep in mind, I Am a Representative Of Many!

A Union...

A union...

A Un... I could go on...

It is time for a change. As I walk the hallways of the school I'm in, you can hear it. As I sit in the Teachers' lounge, it is a topic of conversation. Teachers want a change. They are dissatisfied and morale is at its lowest. This is not our doing. This is the result of a leadership who puts itself first. A leadership who plays politics for its own betterment. A leadership whose president belongs to so many different councils and groups that he has forgotten that this is his primary job and that we put him there. Well, not me.

This upcoming June will be the first time that I will vote with much delight and full of hope.
I will be voting Solidarity all the way! Because as their slogan says, "Hope is coming!"

It Can Happen to You

Being that I am now an ATR, I've actually contemplated changing the blog's name. I mean "A Day in the Life of a NYC Teacher"  doesn't seem to be truthful considering the menial tasks I have been performing this school year.

But, I'm not. I'm still a teacher and I will not let this ATR business bring me down. I'm scheduled to be at the present site till October 16th, unless the powers that be make a change.

Every day last week, I entered the school with my head held high. I made eye contact with everyone that passed by me. I smiled at the students and made small talk. It wasn't as bad as some other ATRs have it.

Sure, the first day I spent it on the phone making calls to parents regarding their kid's attendance. Then, the second and third day were spent handing out metro cards and on the fourth day, I was once again on the phone calling parents about a Meet and Greet tomorrow.

It could have been worse. No one thumbed their nose, no one stared me up and down. Well, actually, that's a lie. There is this woman, a dean I believe, who has yet to  smile back. But, I think she's just snooty, nothing to do with me.

It's a beautiful school filled with all the new technology. I was even pleasantly surprised when I was directed to the Teachers' Lounge.

I walked into an actual room with four walls and a door. The hole I came from had a space in the main office, about 8 by 8. It is divided from the main by a row of lockers. There is no privacy.

The present school has about 8 computers, Macs and Pcs. The hole had 3 Pcs that still ran Windows 98.

The present school has black, comfy couches and chairs, several tables for group planning as well as chairs at each computer. The school I came from had a small, round table and a total of 7 chairs.

I can go on but the gist is this school seems to value their teaching staff. Where I came from made the room happen because contractually they had to abide, not because anyone cared. There are several underutilized rooms that could have been used as a Teachers' Lounge.

I do not know what is ahead for me in this ATR journey. Yesterday I checked my DOE email and found two mandatory interviews for this Thursday and Friday. Unfortunately, since I am presently appointed as a 7-9 English teacher, both are in Middle Schools. I want to continue my career in a High School.

I don't know how to go about doing this.....

All I'm sure of right this very minute is that I do not deserve this. I have devoted my life since the age of 21 to teaching. I am a caring and fair person and none of my actions throughout the years led to this.

One piece of advice to anyone who reads my story: It can happen to you!

I Already Knew This: Cuomo is Dangerous for Our Children

Sometimes there is no reason to state what has already been said eloquently. I can totally say these are my words but why plagiarize. 

I came across the NYSAPE page and read the article The Message of 220,000 Opt-Outs Has Not Been Heard:  Elia Calls Opt-Out Parents “Unreasonable” and Cuomo Continues Trampling on the NYS Constitution. The following is an excerpt.

"Parents know that Andrew Cuomo is not part of the solution.  Cuomo is the problem. 
It is Cuomo who forced his unproven teacher evaluation system down parents’ throats.  
It is Cuomo who slashed and underfunded the State Education Department staffing.   
It is Cuomo who accepted 'Big Donor' campaign money and enabled the build-up of a privatized, unaccountable shadow government within the State Education Department –The Regents Research Fellows—who created the “Implementation” mess Cuomo now blames.
It is Cuomo who repeatedly tramples on the New York State Constitution--which gives a NY Governor NO authority over education policy—with his serial habit of forming pro-corporate education reform stacked panels, complete with Washington lobbyists salivating to eliminate parental consent for data profiling of children."

This is in response to Cuomo's latest press release where he states, "I believe the implementation (Common Core) by the State Education Department (SED) has been deeply flawed. The more time goes on, the more I am convinced of this position."

Really? How is that possible? You have berated teachers, put students through excessive test taking, called on parents to not opt out of these tests and now you believe the CC is flawed. I could have told you that a long time ago.

While I am not against the Common Core as standards, I am against a system that expects teachers and students to strictly abide by them. There is the flaw! I know my students and I know when the standards are appropriate or when I need to tweak to help the students meet them.

However, because the CC is coupled with the Danielson Rubric, which in it of itself does not allow for creativity, this is a match made in hell.

Add to this, evaluators (principals and APs) that use them to fulfill their own agendas. It is a recipe for disaster; not a vehicle for the betterment of education here in New York. 

Now, of course, I'm speaking from my own experience. 

I was thrown into this without any professional development. (I sought it on my own!) 

I have a vindictive administrator. (Used Danielson and the Core verbatim and did not leave any room for creativity.) 

It isn't like this everywhere, for sure.

I spent four weeks working in a different school this summer. The administrator basically said, "Do what you need to do. I want them to write. Whatever it takes."

Let me tell you, this experience was a vindication of sorts, one that I truly needed to get my self esteem back.

The kids who came regularly to class all passed the English Regents. Some even passed the Common Core as well. My face hurt from smiling. My body was numb from all the hugs and pats on the back I received when the REDS came in. Oh, and these were English Language learners.

So, this is testimony that as long as a teacher is allowed to be creative and use her own personal library of ideas and strategies, students do learn and meet the Standards.

This experience will also look great when I sue the pants of the DOE and my administrator for the Ineffective I received after 28 years.

Here It Is...

                     So, I am now an excessed teacher. 

High Stakes Testing

I don't know about you but, testing in my eyes is a waste of time. Time that could be spent working in the classroom teaching kids real life skills and content that will help them shine in their future. Growing up, I only remember classroom tests and spelling tests. It wasn't until high school that Regent's exams come to mind. And, yes, the teachers prepared us for them by teaching us content not test taking skills.

Education has been reinvented over and over by people who apparently need to fix unbroken things. I have been witness to this. What I hear now being called "old school" worked. I learned the "old school" way. And, I was an English Language learner. This is probably the reason why when I started in 1987, I taught the "old school" way. They were all Ells and speds. My students passed and went on to their higher studies. They didn't have a test hanging over their heads to worry about, just plain ol' learning. Teaching them was fun!

This whole climate of test taking is simply out of control. Never mind the fact that these tests are for money making purposes, they are not evaluating kids and what they know. And, I won't get into the impact these tests have on the sped kids or the ells. Just regular ed kids. I don't think they evaluate what kids know because they are being taught test taking strategies, not content.

It has taken several years but, the focus is not on learning geography or math, history or literature. The focus is on how can you do better on the multiple choice of the Global Regents? Or, how do you make sure you cover every element of question 26 in the English Regents to get full points?

Instead, why don't you let us focus on literature and its elements? Why instead of working on multiple choice strategies or succeeding in the DBQ's, let us teach them about the Incas, the Silk Road, or the Japanese feudal system? Not only will they learn information that in the future will distinguish them as educated, in the present, they will pass the regents.

I am in this situation right now. I am teaching an English Regent's Prep and all I'm doing is teaching them strategies. How about if I worked on some short stories and poetry and actually taught them how to learn to read them and analyze them? No, because they want me to show them what  the secrets are to passing.

As if,,,

This is probably why I am so frustrated being a teacher in this present climate. Now you might argue, there has always been classes to prep for regent's exams and you would be correct. I have taught them. But, as I remember them, I was actually able to continue teaching literature not just prep for a test.

So, when I read the article in The Post about the principal who committed suicide, I blamed it on the test taking culture and what it has done to education on every level. Of course we don't know this woman nor do we know her circumstances, but if in fact this was part of the reason she did it, even a tiny, tiny part, it should be a lesson to the city, the state, and the federal government that education is not being fixed; it is being destroyed by those would- be educators who create these exams. These policy makers who don't know the slightest thing about teaching and what it requires. They don't know why teachers become teachers: that innate need and desire to have children learn and excel. Because, we do know that they are our future: our future bankers, technicians, nurses, mechanics...

You get my point.

These pundits that go on every possible media outlet to tell the world how much they know about education... (Campbell Brown)

How they can fix this broken system... (Andrew Cuomo)

How they have all the answers and teachers are the problem... (ummm, anybody who's anybody)

Go back to the values of yesteryears and you will find the solution. Our society has put emphasis on the wrong thing. Let's put aside the fact that teaching is no longer perceived as a profession and paid as such. The system is broken but not by any fault of teachers.

Let's just bring back the values and the core commitments that made this country great.

Let's put the emphasis on the 123's and abc's and seeing our students as real learners and not just numbers.

Let's find a way to reach the parents and give them the rights they had when I was a little girl.

But, this last one would mean giving back a voice to the parent....

Hmmm, I think I'll leave that one for a future post.

Solidarity Caucus

She  finally did it! The principal rated me ineffective in her part of the evaluation. I am beside myself and wonder what this will do to my final evaluation.

Last year, not really being familiar with the numbers, she rated me developing. At the end it turned into effective and highly effective.

This year, in her own words, she understood the way the numbers weighed and their impact. So, she had to rate me down to make sure I don't receive effective again. I'm not stupid. I read right through her statement.

I have spoken to the union, and continue research on my options (if any). I am gathering all of my papers and creating a timeline to file harassment.  I have 4 years worth of papers to go through! Thank God it's summer!!!

I am still awaiting the determination of EEOC. Although 3 teachers claimed they would also file discrimination charges against her, I am only certain of one who did the same and he too is awaiting the result.

I hate waiting! Not a good trait to possess!

Anyway, she again "excessed" me from the school. This I don't get, because she tried this 2 years ago and when she did this, it was overturned by the superintendent. I have 27 years going on 28. Which superintendent will okay this excess? I have the most experience but she had left her options open by never appointing me in the High School certificate!!! 

She is cunning! That I have to give her. But, she is transparent! Too transparent. Maybe she wants me to know that she does what she does. That's a special kind of evil, one I had never experienced until I came to this school. And, finally, I don't care.

I work at XXX Academy! Tune in later...

The Lies People Tell

On May, 18, parents, teachers and  education advocates attended a “Fight for Their Future” forum. Also in attendance was city School's Chancellor Carmen Fariña. She heard many complaints, and real life issues the DOE faces. Many of the attendees came prepared with important questions.

Fariña addressed many concerns and responded with her "big-picture plans" and added that these reforms would "take at least two years from when she was appointed to see meaningful improvements from her changes."

She admitted that the system needs revamping and answered all the questions posed. When some parents said their special needs children were not receiving the services mandated by their IEP, Fariña told the parents they should email her with their concerns. She made the statement several times yet, she did not give out her email.

You see, the email for the chancellor is right on the DOE website. It is not hidden, nor do you need a special code to get it. I should know. I have been writing to the Chancellor's office for four years now.

Yet, I have yet to receive a response. I haven't even received an automated response acknowledging receipt. I have no idea how to get in touch with the Chancellor. 

Yeah, I can't reach my boss.

Errol Louis, the moderator prompted her to give her email address, but Fariña avoided the question.

For the full article Fariña.

The DOE

I have been downtown three times the past four weeks: step two grievance, EEOC, and to answer allegations. Yup, it's been quite a ride. I'm resilient. I fall and get up no matter what.

I am up.

I have several APPRs waiting to be reviewed. The last one hasn't been acknowledged by the principal yet. And, it was given to her two weeks ago. That's OK.

Like I said, I am up.

I thought that simply following her misguided teaching "recommendations" would keep her off my back, but that has not been the case. They still say I am not doing it correctly. The other day, the ELA coach gave me feedback on how to write my assessment so they would get it. Well, I did.

Their response was comical. "This is not an assessment. You must follow the LT (learning target) and CFS (criteria for success) and connect it to the task. Then, mumbo, jumbo, hippity hop..."

So, I told the coach and he shook his head.

Two network coaches came in to do PD. They questioned why we wrote our LTs the way we did.
"This is how she wants them."
Coach: "These are not LTs." HAH...

But, God don't like ugly. The superintendent came in to rate her on Thursday. She was quite the arrogant bitch. (No wonder she has never responded to my letters. I can write an entire post just on that visit.)

She questioned everything in every classroom she visited. Then said, "I saw nothing today that is more than developing." HAH...

Well, everything she saw follows what the principal wants to see in every classroom. We are following her format to a T.

"DEVELOPING."

It's been a rough year, but it's almost over. I'm desensitized and don't seem to care any more. But, I am up.

Wow, If Only the UFT Would...

I was extremely overjoyed with the demands of the Chicago teacher's union. They are really asking for what the students need and deserve. Someone is trying to make a difference for our kids.
Mulgrew, pay attention!

Chicagos Students Deserve Better

It's Been a Long Road

It's been four years since I have been struggling under my present administration. I have been subjected to bullying, intimidation, retaliation, scrutiny, micromanagement, and the every day reminder that I am not a good teacher. All of this began after 24 years of excellent service and plenty of kudos for a job well done.

Not that I have needed praise, but it  was always given and it is no wonder that I continued to excel even in difficult situations with an even  more difficult population. I have been a mentor to other teachers. I have been an advocate for my students. I have been entrusted with the coordination of programs and deemed qualified to teach students negotiation and mediation practices as their coach. Right out of college, I was entrusted with supervising the English department at the high school in which I started my career. Heck, even at my present appointment, the principal always gives me the most challenging classes. She thinks I see it as punishment, when in fact, it is more proof that I am the one capable of dealing with them. And, I'm the AP Psychology teacher...

This is why it has been so difficult these past four years. None of this experience mattered. In fact, I was constantly asked to go and look at lesson plans from brand new teachers. The only difference between our plans was simple: I graduated form a graduate education program and learned to write efficient plans. The new teachers did exactly what the administration told them to do and followed their format. Again, my time in the system and knowledge of the contract was and is a threat and I was deemed personae non grata.

Enough of this. I can sit here and keep talking about the mismanagement and intimidation practices to which I have been subjected. That is not today's topic.

After writing to everyone under the New York Education sun, someone finally heeded my plea. I have been contacted by someone in the system who wants to speak to me regarding my allegations. It must have been my threat to go public. And, I don't mean through this blog. I have been careful not to divulge the names of those who on an everyday basis make it a living hell to teach. I finally put it out there: If you do not at least respond to my letters, I will take it to the news media and  will file a complaint with EEOC.

I guess that must have hit a nerve.

I will not be intimidated. I will not be bullied. I will not be rated ineffective by a system whose problem is not its teacher force. Yes, absolutely, there are some bad apples in the city. A very small number. I am not one of them. Even with the negative environment I work in, I still wake up in the morning and teach my difficult students. I still put up with the micromanagement. I still put up with being called a bitch by students because I expect them to excel and don't give out passing grades just because they are there. I still revise lesson plans who began as great and as they give me feedback, lose their rigor in the name of rigor. Yeah, that's what I meant. Every other word out of the administration is rigor, yet, they want us to water down our lessons in such a manner that rigor goes out the window.

I just feel like maybe now someone will investigate my school. Someone will actually come in and see the malpractices that go on every day, every minute. Someone will see how there are teachers doing their very best and yet administration is driving them out, not only from the school, but out of the system, as in my case. I'm 50. They want me out and there is no other way to do it. So, they figure, "Let's show how ineffective she is." And, now thanks to Cuomo, they have more ammunition to get rid of us. Two for one is how they see it and they can tell them what to do because these kids out of college or those who change careers have no clue what their rights are nor what real education is. Because that is not what is being taught in colleges today. Just like the new Leadership programs don't teach administration. They teach gotcha strategies and call legal, as my principal always says whenever she is painted into a corner.

Education is not teaching to the test. That is the case nowadays.
It is not about learning. It is about numbers.
It is not about creativity. It is about conformance.
It is not about our future. It is about money.

Wow, I Feel So Much Better Now

I want to thank Governor Cuomo for having his priorities straight. I was very worried that he would forget about the 1% of his constituents who are in dire need of his support. I should not have worried. He has taken care to include these constituents in his latest budget.

NY Sales Tax exemption

I can finally go and purchase my yacht, as long as it is at least $230,000. I will only have to pay taxes on $230,000 no matter how much more my yacht costs.

Worried for nothing...

I think I will get

I Didn't Think It Could Be Possible

Who am I kidding: politicians with big backers get what they want. What I don't understand is, how can something that I have been working for the past 27 years of my life, something I have gone to school for and are considered "Highly qualified" doing can just be taken from me.

I worked hard to be tenured in NYC and now that I'm about to retire, Cuomo says I can lose it in the blink of an eye. Those of you following my blog know that I don't have a sympathetic administrator. In fact, I'm sure the only thing she is upset about is losing a great portion of her say when it comes to observing her teachers.

But that aside, two ineffective ratings and they can move to fire you! Where do these people live? Do they not understand that the problem is systemic? 

And, this is not about firing teachers who are not good for education. This is about firing teachers who cost too much.  

My school is brimming with Teach for America and Fellows, all of which are under 25, inexperienced, come from the Midwest, and cost half as much as I do. They are sheep and have no clue. The principal loves them and constantly sings their praises. She has gone as far as to send experienced teachers to get tips from them. I am living a farce.


Here are two articles that are a must read.

Budget Proposals

Here Come the Independent Evaluators