Because it is our constitutional right to protest, you can protest in front of every NYC teachers’ homes. While you’re protesting, the teachers will provide information about the hard work they do, the long hours they put in, and the constant challenges they face on a daily basis. Hopefully, you’ll decide to protest in front of the homes of those politicians who are not looking out for the best interest of the children.

So, teachers/human beings are to become slaves to private charter schools, work 80 hours a week, no weekends off, for less pay, less benefits and get fired at the whim of some rich guy who is paying himself as director/principal a half a million dollars of public money, plus incentives and bonuses? The charter system is the Enron idea of today’s educational reform. Parents will be under the control of a corporation in a neighborhood and be scared to do anything that might upset the people at the school. Parents could lose their child’s charter school sea! Imagine that?! When the charters take over, I envision sever manipulation of these families with no one to go to for help. The charter corporation is in control. You can see it now, this is the exact same manipulation going on with mayoral control of the schools, the DOE and the PEP committee. What is NYC turning into?
Yeah, come and protest on my block too, but only across the street because as you have seen this week, you are no longer living in a democracy.

Perhaps if you ever had a teacher as outstanding as Ms.Cavanagh, you would know that it is “May I protest?”…NOT… “Can I protest?”

I bet you are the type of person who also feels that stay-at-home moms are not really doing their share.

Regarding the UFT and unfit teachers: I certainly would not disagree that there are in fact teachers in the profession who do not belong there. The UFT has a very specific legal role and obligation to all of its members to assure due process and fairness. While it is true that a very few teachers manipulate this system, I argue it is a necessary system that ensures justice and appropriate protection to hard working folks. The history of unionization shows us, that unions play a vital role in assuring work safety, fair wages, and legal protections. You only need look at said history to find that without unions, the disproportionate distribution of wealth in this country would be even greater than it already is. It should also be mentioned that all professions have members who are not best representative of the work. To conflate this small proportion, very small, of teachers with the rest of us who have dedicated our lives to serving our children and our communities is beyond insulting and it is one of the great lies and myths pervasive in the education reform debate.
Finally, we can all take part in meaningful debates, discussion, and demonstrations in this great country, but we also have a responsibility to represent the facts as they exist, and to do so in a manner that is honest and forthright. The tenor of the current debate drips with Orwellian language and deceptive intentions that I fully believe undermine our public education system, the pillar of our democracy. It is in this manner and with this perspective that I choose to exercise my rights along with hundreds of other parents, students, citizens, and teachers and I will continue to do so, for as long as I live, in order to procure the best and most equitable educational system we can provide for ALL children.

i thought perhaps you might need a First Amendment refresher…? Having had the honor to stand beside beside Ms. Cavanagh for the past 9 years both in friendship and professionally, I have no doubt that she would welcome your ill-conceived protests. She is a staunch defendant of those rights and a strong believer that our rights and The Constitution are what have made this country what it is. She strongly believes in both the rights of students and teachers, to have a secure and safe place to work. She will forever fight to defend those rights.
I can personally attest to the fact that Ms. Cavanagh arrives at work well-before school starts and often stays until 5pm. She works from home and even gives up occasional weekends to spend time with the children of the Red Hook Community. She has gone out of her way to organize community partnerships and weekend stewardship and beautification days. Much of this is organized on her “free” time and funded with her own personal money. She is a dedicated professional and a person who has truly had an impact on her community. Any of our colleagues, parents, and students would, no doubt, agree. She has been a driving force in our successes and the Teaching Profession is better for having her.

So, yes, she would welcome your protests, however misguided and wrongly located they happen to be.

You want to pay those who spend their days with your children and work long hours into their nights and weekends to be paid cheaply. You obviously have no education background or you would know that teachers work well beyond the school day hours. Actually, maybe you do know and you’re only interested in distracting the focus away from what is really good for children. All so that the Mayor can continue facilitating the destruction of our publiclly controlled school system so he can hand NYC children over to private interests.

That seems to be what you’re really interested in.

Can I protest the lack of cooperation from the UFT in dismissing unfit teachers at you r home Ms Cavanagh?