Comments on: Job interviews—and protests—continue at ‘turnaround’ schools

By: someone who cares

someone who cares — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 01:12:00 +0000

Yes a gym teacher who has been working at my school for over 25 years who changed the lives of countless students and who brought the girls’ basketball team to division champs several times was not invited back. I guess analyzing student data was more important.

By: someone who cares

someone who cares — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 01:09:00 +0000

Yes, the media only cares if it’s a sex scandal between a student and teacher. They could care less about the politics.

By: guest

guest — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 23:50:00 +0000

You are right, how do we all get together and cancel our contributions?

By: Save our schools

Save our schools — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 23:48:00 +0000

In Bryant High School two teachers that are targeted for an unsatisfactory rating, and not because they are bad teachers were observed on the last day of school. The kids were terrified to see 2 assistant principals observing this teacher on the last day of school, and the whole faculty is disgusted with this. They are pushing teachers too hard, and the students are beginning to ask how dis this environment turn so negative. I guess we have to thank the mayor and Tweet for this environment of hostility. The UFT is completely silent, some of them say that this type of abuse has been going on in other schools.

By: Save our schools

Save our schools — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 23:36:00 +0000

This is the twilight zone, teachers being interviewed for the same jons they already have. Is this turnaround model is so effective, ehy don’t they implement it en Europe or other places? What are they going to do replace half of the teachers with teachers with a magic wand so the graduation rate will go up 20 percent?

By: Save our schools

Save our schools — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 23:29:00 +0000

The whole thing is a sham, the principal ordering assistant principals to rate unsatisfactory certain teachers in every department in W. C. Bryant High School. There is one math teacher who got 4 unsatisfactory lessons reports since february after 28 years of satisfacory service. Some had were forced to retire in the middle of the year like Mr. Drier who was well liked by all the teachers, other teachers quit, it is a very negative environment. Other teachers are being harrassed constantly. Is this, how Tweet is going to improve graduation rates at these schools by establishing a climate of hostility against competent veteran teachers?

By: A Brooklyn Turnaround Victim

A Brooklyn Turnaround Victim — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 22:16:00 +0000

They can’t seem to get their act together at John Dewey….appointments are made and then not kept, appointments are being made with less than 24 hours notice, appointments are being canceled…..it’s a travesty how staff is being treated during this process…..and who can we turn to? The UFT is sitting at the table, right along side the DOE and the Principal….how are they planning to get through all the interviews before June 27th??????

By: Disgusted Parent

Disgusted Parent — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 02:48:00 +0000

I agree. It is our children who are suffering at the hands of the system and we just sit back and allow it to occur? Who decided this arbitrary number (50%). I can tell you, my daughter has experienced 3 years of fantastic, involved and motivated educators until the turnaround program was announced. It is her future that is unclear as well as those amazing educators she has met.

By: Disgusted Parent

Disgusted Parent — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 02:12:00 +0000

As a parent I am outraged by this whole process. My daughter will be entering her senior year at a “turn-around” school and no information has been disseminated to the students or parent as to their future. Good teachers are being sacrificed along with those students who are reaching the end of their high school education. And the worst part is my questions are being evaded by the Administration at her school. Who thought up this absurd program? Has any school succeeded?

By: Evrytos

Evrytos — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 23:59:00 +0000

Here’s an idea: Every single union member in the turnaround schools and the members that stand together with them throughout the city should cancel their COPE contributions immediately. Maybe then they’ll remember what the purpose of the union is…to protect our rights and jobs.

By: Irina from Brooklyn

Irina from Brooklyn — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 22:53:00 +0000

Why isn’t the UFT involved in the protests against school closings? Where is the leadership of the UFT? Why do people continue to believe that the UFT is fighting for its teachers? The only way that teachers can win back their union is by getting involved and proactively putting preasure on the UFT to respond. Imagine if 500 showed up to a protest. How about a 1000? Teachers must stop believing that thier union is fighting on their behalf and begin to organize .

By: A Brooklyn Turnaround Victim

A Brooklyn Turnaround Victim — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 22:08:00 +0000

That is terrible….:(

By: Concerned Teacher

Concerned Teacher — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 18:24:00 +0000

Snoozing through would be a compliment. The UFT is collaborating with the DOE rather than standing up to this destructive behavior. As a chapter leader you are told by district reps that the only authority we have is to attempt to have the principal uphold the contract. When the contract is violated or stretched beyond imagination, we can only retroactively ask for the violation to stop through the grievance or appeals process depending on the issue. The UFT has allowed to DOE to shuffle the cards, stack the deck, and then change the deck whenever they want. This goes back to supporting mayoral control, the 2005 contract and the elimination of seniority, budgeting changes to making seasoned, more expensive teachers less desirable, the fake rubber room agreement and the UFT supporting charter schools by running one or two themselves. This has all been positioned to allow them to do what they are doing now. Rolling over on the ATR issue will undoubtedly be next. The weekly changes was the first step. Of course the UFT claimed success on any and all of these agreements. It is just to get the press off the issue and they Bloomberg comes back a few years later and uses the same agreement to make the final blow. The union is weak and due to the inability to take any sort of proactive response, the UFT will virtually be non existent within the next 10 years and maybe sooner.

By: Guest

Guest — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 17:13:00 +0000

Wow…where is the UFT? Are they at all involved or are they snoozing through this? It sounds like they have abandoned you all.

By: dg

dg — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:11:00 +0000

At Automotive, all but one math teacher, all but one science teacher have been told they’re not qualifed…among many others. Some with over 20 years in the building.

By: Turnaround Victim #45,821

Turnaround Victim #45,821 — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:52:00 +0000

It get’s stranger. Teachers who didn’t apply were sent emails saying they could still apply even though the deadline has passed.

By: Tom Forbes

Tom Forbes — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:14:00 +0000

For a Leadership Academy principal, four and half years of teaching might break a record.

By: Guest

Guest — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:09:00 +0000

Did you invite GS to the event?

By: Turnaround Observer

Turnaround Observer — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 11:35:00 +0000

Actual requirements for turnaround school teaching positions: Young; untenured; familiar enough with current buzzwords to get by; willing to work ten or eleven hours a day; willing to work weekends and several weeks during the summer; willing to be a parent to students to make sure they attend school, arrive on time, and behave properly.

Older teachers, those with families, and teachers with other responsibilities need not apply.

By: observer

observer — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 11:31:00 +0000

Richmond HIll’s new, new principal started teaching in 2007 and has no assistant principal experience listed on Linked-in. How can this be possible, even for the DOE?