Cuts cost a gym-less school its physical education teacher, too

benched

July 28, 2011

Cuts cost a gym-less school its physical education teacher, too

by Sarah Darville, at 11:45 am

James Horan is used to being creative, after spending years teaching physical education at an elementary school without a gym or outdoor space of its own.

Now, like many other city teachers, he’s going to need to use that creativity to find another position.

Horan was recently excessed after teaching for four and a half years at PS 68 in Ridgewood, Queens. Even though the school’s population has been shrinking for years, Horan thought his job was safe because it wasn’t included in the list of projected layoffs that the city circulated in February.

When layoffs were averted, he joined the cheers — only to be told one month later that budget reductions made his position too expensive for the school to maintain. The city has not yet released details about how many teachers shared Horan’s fate this year, but after three straight years of cuts, the number is sure to be significant. Principals eliminated nearly 2,000 positions last year.

“I just find it very frustrating,” Horan said. “Now that I’m excessed, it’s just very unexpected. Until June, everything’s great. I would have planned differently.”

Horan came to PS 68 as a first-year teacher in the spring of 2007, teaching 30 to 50 students at a time in an empty classroom that served as the school’s gym. The school hadn’t offered physical education in at least three years, he said, and he bought the program’s only supplies himself using Teacher’s Choice funds. (Those funds were also eliminated this year.)

For the next couple of years, he didn’t have a classroom — “We have a city park next door, thank God,” he said — and on cold days he would rotate into regular classrooms.

“When you have to figure something out with 30 kids, you do it,” he said. “It was, OK, we’re going to kick a ball today. We’re going to learn how to run the bases, how to play tag. Anything really, to keep the kids active.”

Horan says that he’s heard that a classroom at PS 68 will be still be called the gym room next year. But since he heard that most teachers didn’t set aside time to take their students there before he launched formal physical education instruction, he doesn’t know that they will next year, either.

“The scores in our school weren’t the greatest, and we just got a new math program. The teachers want to teach the kids,” he said. “They have to watch out for their jobs as well.”

State law requires students in elementary school to receive 120 minutes of physical education a week, with daily activity in the lower grades and at least three weekly sessions in grades 4-6. Classroom teachers may lead the instruction, though the city encourages schools to hire certified physical education teachers, according to a Department of Education spokeswoman, Marge Feinberg.

Horan is still hoping to find a position at another school, but he suspects he’ll never have it as good again — teaching in a school close to home, with few discipline problems and a supportive principal.

“I had a great job. But I understand there are more important things than gym sometimes,” he said.

Mr. Ed.

There are a lot of PE positions posted in the open market. (If they are “really” open) What I don’t understand is how the school will follow state law by engaging the students in 120 minutes of PE per week without a full time PE teacher. Are the classroom teachers going to teach PE in addition to their regular classroom duties? Lastly, why is the school getting rid of a PE cluster teacher? Who is going to take his place as a cluster teacher and what will the position be? As important as all out of classroom subjects are, at the end of the day, PE, art, music, dance, etc, are all put in place so classroom teachers can be covered for a prep.
Summer

I heard that elementary teachers are “allowed” to provide PE lessons. I have a friend who is forced to do just that. WTF?????
Kpsmove

Lets face the facts as far as The DOE and society is concerned as long as students score 3-4 on their tests they could keel over from a heart attack from being obese the next day and they would justify there actions by the passing rate. In elementary schools the PE position is either a luxury or a patronage position lets face it people our health and health care system will kill us until we the end users (remember we are not job creators so our needs dont count) wake up and demand our rights.
http://twitter.com/NewMontessori WaterfrontMontessori

Oh this brilliant NYC DOE, always taking ideas in the opposite direction of sound scientific research… Check out the spark program, or any of the myriad research on the link between physical activity and academic performance. Forget that even, whether it is or isn’t linked to higher test scores and performance, children need to be involved in physical activity to be healthy! Is that a difficult concept to understand? It doesn’t really seem like difficult logic to me.

Too bad for these kids, good luck Mr. Horan.
Musicismylife13

Mr. Horan, you are not alone. I was excessed as well from my school. I am a music teacher and have been for 13 years. In my file you will find all satisfactory ratings to go with positive letters from various principals. My school had to dump me according to a source due to the shrinking budget it was given.
So people should really understand what’s happening here. Here I am, a teacher with over a decade of perfect ratings and high marks while providing kids with exploring their creative and talented side. I get excessed. According to ridiculous groups, I’m supposed to easily find a job since I’m so good. This is not the case at all. There are no jobs to find. Teachers are being excessed with no jobs to apply for and most principals just flat out saying, “I don’t have the money for you, sorry.” This is the truth and no one out there can deny it. Gotham should get out there and do a story on this. In fact, I’d like to do a piece. This is a horrible shame. Satisfactory and talented teachers getting excessed with no jobs to apply for. Is this a set-up or what?
And no, I do not feel happy about doing nothing or maybe subbing in different school whiule still receiving my accurate pay. This is a serious disgrace. This is not fair and the city should be put on notice that we all know what’s going on here with these false excessing/no money in budget deals. This is horrid!!
http://education.cu-portland.edu Laura Ringer

It is so sad to hear about the thousands of teachers losing their positions and the students who will no longer benefit from arts and sports programs. Short bursts of physical activity have been proven to make students more attentive in class and therefore, take in more information. If this school’s test scores are already low, wait until next year when students aren’t getting their little bit of exercise. What they really need is more physical activities and less stress. The teachers could probably use 15 minutes of stress relieving kick ball time too. http://education.cu-portland.edu
http://education.cu-portland.edu Laura Ringer

It is so sad to hear about the thousands of teachers losing their positions and the students who will no longer benefit from arts and sports programs. Short bursts of physical activity have been proven to make students more attentive in class and therefore, take in more information. If this school’s test scores are already low, wait until next year when students aren’t getting their little bit of exercise. What they really need is more physical activities and less stress. The teachers could probably use 15 minutes of stress relieving kick ball time too. http://education.cu-portland.edu
bee

Instead of spending $900 million on technology, Bloomberg ought to use this money towards keeping out teachers employed and reducing class size!
Pogue

Mr, Horan, Musicismylife13, and all other teachers suffering from this administration…When this next mayoral election comes up, make sure you support candidates far from Bloomberg’s connections and clutches. Do not believe the “Quinn/Kelly/Bloomberg-tied candidate is the “front-runner” “way ahead in the polls”.

Lui, and others who have truly challenged the mayor are good starts.

This decade-long-mess has to be cleaned up, and it starts with the next mayoral election.

It is horrible what is happening to these teachers and the children who once thrived with them.
bee

“our” teachers
michael

Regarding as to whether this is a set up, if it looks like a duck, then it is a duck.
Guest

Mr. Ed -
Physical education teachers do not exist to cover PREP for the classroom teachers. We exist to teach our subjects. There are many wonderful PE teachers in the system that teach, not just “let kids run around”. There are skills, objectives and standards that need to be taught in PE. Elementary schools not having PE is ridiculous. You would that never find that in the suburbs. Many kids get their first exposures to instruction in sport and fitness skills, much of which they can use long into life. I’m sure the teacher Mr. Horan had to rack his brain trying to think of creative lessons for an entire year that were developmentally appropriate for all of these grade levels that were engaging, educational, safe and enjoyable in a space that is INAPPROPRIATE for PE instruction.
PE is important

As a licensed PE teacher, can you please tell me where these jobs are? I have scoured the entire city for a PE job and am thinking about changing my career. I have invested a lot of money into a masters degree in PE and can’t make ends meet as a substitute teacher. PE continues to get dumped on by people, but I guess passing the state wide exam is more important than the health and well being of a child.
Bill B.

Are you in the DOE system? There is a hiring freeze right now for outside teachers.
Mr. Ed.

Hello guest. I am a PE teacher in NYC. I also create quality lessons, rubrics, and evaluations for all of my students. However, I hate to break it to you, but a huge proportion of administrators consider PE, music, and art teachers as prep teachers. Of course they think our programs are important but what is just as important is making sure that all classroom teachers have a perp everyday. 120 minutes of PE is mandated by the state and should be implemented in all schools. However, if you work in a school with 500+ students, the administration needs to decide what prep teachers are going to be hired. Many times, these cluster teachers are decided upon by individual principals. A principal who likes art my hire an art teacher. A principal who likes music may hire a music teacher. But please be real in understanding that if contractual daily preps were eliminated overnight, you would see tons of art, music, and dance teachers out of work. These teachers cost money and they are there to teach of course, but they are primarily there to provide prep coverage. PE is unique in that it is a legally mandated class. Other out of classroom teaching positions such as typing, home-ec, etc, are not mandated classes and would probably never even exist if preps were eliminated.
Drleopold314

Two questions, as a fellow music teacher with a license in music education and 11 years in the system.

When you say you have been teaching for 13 years, is that strictly with the NYCDOE, and my second question is, what license do you work under?

My thoughts are with you,

Just some teacher

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benched

July 28, 2011

Cuts cost a gym-less school its physical education teacher, too

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