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.

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 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.

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.

Trying to Catch Up

It has been very hectic at work which translates to "I haven't had a minute to update my blog." Even as I write this, I am putting off writing next weeks' plans. But, too much has happened not to write.

The end of the second trimester came and went. None of the ideas the principal used to convince us to switch from semesters to trimesters has yet to happen. Her main idea that students would be able to accumulate more credits in less time and graduate early, turned out to be a joke.

I looked at many of the students' programs and instead of meaningful classes that will help them graduate, they were filled with made up electives, "Teaching assistant" credits, and gym classes they did not need. Not one class that could help them get ahead.

As for me, I finished teaching English 3 and 4 and was assigned to teach a class she made up called "Writing in the Humanities." That would be great except that it is really a Global History Regents prep class, one that I had to spend an entire weekend learning about.

Then, on the day before the trimester began, she walked into my classroom with a change: a repeaters class for English 4. I am now teaching four classes which I had always heard was against our contract. I spent the entire day trying to come up with lessons for the next day. I was losing my mind!

Now, this is all tame and I guess something expected in every school (I suppose) but, to this I must add that in between all this she continues her vendetta against me. I have, once again been summoned to her office for a variety of things as well as receiving letters informing me of some kind of misbehavior.

Every time I receive one, they happen to follow a grievance I have put into the union. None of them ever result in things getting better. In fact, if I was someone else, I would have stopped fighting for myself because they make things worse for me.

My latest grievance brought about several ineffective and two developing ratings in my last observation.  I then filed APPRs, a union  Resolution Assistance Request. 

Of course, these were also found to have no merit. That was that.

So, I grieved my four preparations as well as the fact that my latest observation was not based on classroom observation, but on my lesson plan, which, according to anyone that has seen my plans will tell you, they go beyond what is expected. Both were found by her to have no merit.

She then countered my grievances by filing verbal abuse charges.

I have no recourse. I have written to every person I can think of and no one has even bothered to acknowledge my letters. I do not know where else to turn. I never expected this, 25+ years into my career.

The Beginning

Rather than go through everything from the beginning, I decided to post some of the letters that I have sent regarding the issues that I was experiencing. Once I reach the present, I will keep a daily log.

I have deleted the names of the persons involved, for the moment, since I am still trying to make things work. By the way, none of these letters have in any way helped. In fact, none have received a response, but I keep trying.

The UFT has been of no help; everything that I have managed to get resolved has been because I refuse to let this principal continue to create her own laws and continue her power trip. She is drunk with it and anyone who dares to question her practices just gets in her way. And, they pay. 

I am still paying.

                                                                                                                       2012

(Superintendent's name)

Superintendent District 12

Dear Superintendent,

     I am writing to you because I don’t know where else to turn. I am presently at (xxxx) High School under the supervision of (Principal's name). I have reached out to her and she has told me that she cannot help me.

     In July of 2011, I performed a demo lesson for Mr. (xxx), AP and Mr. (xxx), English Teacher. That afternoon, I was offered the job of 9^th grade English teacher at the school. I was very excited because I had tried teaching at the middle school level the year before, and realized that I preferred teaching the older students.

     I began in September teaching two English 1 classes, two English skills classes and one Honor’s English class. I was very happy to be in this school. The principal and AP seemed to be supportive and when it came to discipline problems, they seemed to be on top of things. I was able to walk into the Principal’s office and share my experiences and student work. Everything was going well, until…

     In October, the Principal and AP did a walk-through. That afternoon, the Principal and AP sat with me for a post observation and completely tore down my lesson. Not once did they say anything positive about my lesson! As I tried to explain myself and how English lessons are taught, they would hear nothing of it. I followed a lesson plan format that I have always used and the same one they hired me with. When I brought this to her attention she said, "No, here at (School name) we do things differently. You must follow the format we use and create a learning target and a criteria for success for every lesson." 

     I continued to express my thoughts and she said at one point,  “You frustrate me!” All through the post ob, I was intimidated and made to feel as if I didn't know what I was doing. (Principal) spoke to me loudly and coarsely and then threatened me with a U as a final rating for the year. She said that she would not recommend me for Tenure.

     At this, I quizzically looked at her and said, “I have tenure. What do you mean?” She became more upset and began saying how she was not going to go through this again. “I just went through this with a teacher who said she had tenure and she really didn't.” 

After this meeting, I was told to come back during my administrative period. I was so intimidated with our first meeting that Mr. (English teacher) offered to go in with me for support. 

     When we got to the door, she saw him and told him he couldn't stay. I expressed that I just wanted him there for support. She said, “Absolutely not!!” 

     For the next 40 minutes, I was intimidated, belittled, and treated as if I had no knowledge of English and teaching. She said she was holding me responsible for the kids who do not come to class and fail. I asked her for ideas on how I could possibly do this and she told me to be creative and figure it out. But, that she wanted to see those kids pass. 

     She sent me an email the next day. It was the Preliminary Recommendation page in the Tenure Notification System. She didn't appoint me under my High School license. This is where I am tenured. I explained this to her and she refused to acknowledge that a mistake was made.

     Since she was not willing to help me in this matter, I went to the union. This is when things really went bad between (Principal) and me. The union looked through the information and saw that a mistake was done. They said that not only was I teaching out of license, but that the school is out of compliance. They said (Principal) had two options: she could fix the mistake or she could excess me. This is when everything really deteriorated. I passed this information along to (Principal), who did not believe what I was saying and continued to tell me that there was nothing she could do. These conversations happened before the Christmas break.

     I tried to go on with my week and tried to speak with the (Principal) regarding the license issue. I tried several times until I caught her leaving her office and she told me that she had spoken to HR and they had said that there was nothing they could do about it. So, I asked her to excess me. She wrote me an email where she said that she understood if I wanted to go to another place. 

     I have not found any openings.

Sincerely,

(Me)

Second letter:

New superintendent. (I have no idea what happened to the first!)

(Superintendent's name)                                                                               2013

Superintendent D. 12

Dear Mr. (Superintendent),

     I am (Me). You extended my probation recently. I am writing to you to make some matters clear about me.

     I am a High School Tenured English teacher. I have been working for the DOE for 25 years. The bulk of my HS experience was in (xx) HS under (Principal) and then, (Principal).

     In the summer of 2009, I went to Arizona for a year. When I came back, I was hired at (MS-HS in Bronx). I was offered the 9^th grade ELA position but in September I was told that I would be teaching 6^th grade. When I expressed that this would affect my licensing (Principal) said she would have me on paper as the HS teacher since the 9^th grade teacher was a MS license. I figured it would be okay.

     In October, I found out that she had not done this and suddenly I found myself on probation for MS English. I reached out to several people including the union but to no avail. However, I was told that once I got a job at the HS level things would be fine.

     So, although I enjoyed working with the kids and parents (one actually wrote a letter of commendation to the Superintendent (xxx) and the Chancellor about me, I went on to the Open Market and was hired by (present school). I explicitly told the AP, (xxx) my situation and he said that there would be no issue and that I would be appointed under the HS license. Of course, this makes sense because I was hired by a HS.

     On my first informal walk-through in September, it explicitly said on my report “Tenured”. So, I didn't give it another thought. However, during a walk-through that they deemed “Unsatisfactory” I was threatened with a “U” rating because I was on probation. I explained how that could not be possible and that it must be a mistake. (Principal) said it wasn't. I asked her several times to please change my appointment to the proper license and she, on repeated occasions, told me she couldn't.

     This began a series of unannounced visits and several reprimands for a variety of things. I wrote to the Superintendent at the time and she never responded. I involved the union but to no avail.

     I was running a Drama Club after school and everything was fine. When I asserted myself regarding my situation, I was told on several occasions to cut the session short and leave the building. It happened so often that I finally cancelled the club. I was taken out of a Computer lab where the kids worked on Achieve 3000 because there were "claims" that my students were ruining the computers. And so on.

     Anyway, when I saw that all my lessons were being ripped apart and that I was being singled out, I told the Principal if she would release me or excess me. She said that she would not stand in my way but that she would not excess me. I used all of the information from NCLB and it didn't matter.

     I continued to be made to feel unwelcome at the school. When I was told that I would be getting another “U”, I grieved it. During this grievance meeting, I broke down and told (Principal and AP) how I felt. During this conversation, she made it clear that she could have changed my appointment but that she didn't want to. She wasn't sure if she wanted me in the school. However, I was reassured that I would not be discontinued, but that a “U” was in my future. So I asked again that I receive Pre and Post Observations, and I finally did. I received an S. Then came a walk-through and again I received an S. (Principal) softened somewhat and actually started speaking to me and saying good morning. I thought it was over.

     Then came time for the Tenure process and she said you advised her that my probation should be extended. So, she told me she needed to observe me again. She walked in on April 26. She saw the same elements for which I had been previously rated “S”. She rated the Walk-through “U”.

     I am being scrutinized and singled out. I come to work wondering what they will point out next. Although they claim to merely suggest elements they want in a lesson, they really expect them. I have incorporated everything they have asked of me and it doesn't matter.          I learned an entirely new way of presenting the lesson using the Learning Target and Criteria for Learning. Instead of seeing the progress, they focus on something else. They expect to see a group activity for every single lesson. So, even though every lesson does not lend itself to this practice, I reworked my lessons and do group and pair work. So now they find faults in that. I introduced Accountable Talk; she criticized my last lesson for too much accountable talk. They question the students and if one says they are working independently, they use it against me. Some kids prefer to work independently even when asked to pair up. That’s differentiation! Why am I being rated unsatisfactorily?  

     I am so frustrated. I get nervous every time they walk into my room. I feel harassed. I feel they are setting me up to receive a “U” rating at the end of this year. I really feel this is personal and I wish I didn't. I will go to another school, but who will hire me with a “U”? And, I do not want to ruin my 25 years of satisfactory service unfairly. What does this say of my former administrators who have, year in and year out, rated me “S” and placed me in positions of leadership? I have created curricula for electives, been a mentor, created programs and ran them successfully. I have been a Peer Mediator for an entire school campus. It doesn't seem possible that I am in this situation!

     I would like to meet with you regarding my situation.

Sincerely,

(Me)

It is the year 2014 and I am still awaiting a response to both these letters.

In my next post, I will share the letters I sent to the Chancellor. I actually just sent one to the new chancellor, two weeks ago. I haven't received ay correspondence.