Head Down and Mouth Shut?

Thank you to a reader of the old blog who unearthed this lost post for me:


As the new generation of young teachers graduate from experimental teacher-training programs, the profession rapidly loses it's proactive labor base. Teacher-training programs such as Teach For America and the New York City Teaching Fellows instruct prospective educators on how to write a lesson plan but never about the UFT contract. During our training, we are fretful about securing a position, learning the inner-workings of a school, and are so focused on being good teachers that we forget about our rights. Most first-year teachers never see the contract or consult it and this leads to a practice of abuse.

It takes a good UFT Chapter Leader to inform teachers of their rights, providing rich resources and tools to educate . It takes a great UFT Chapter Leader to safeguard those rights. It is hard for a representative to do justice to the duty of protecting teachers. UFT Chapter Leaders have a full teaching schedule and are asked to pull the same weight as the teachers they are serving. Most don't have the time or energy to keep abreast of the issues. There are some, and these are the ones we must challenge, who are inactive, side with the administration for personal benefits, or use the position as a stepping stone. Nonetheless, it is a hard job to do and anyone who steps up as a Chapter Leader deserves applause. 

Besides complacency and so on, there are more complicated issues that prohibit teachers from exercising their rights, such as fear. Nontenured, young teachers, and UFT Chapter Leaders are afraid of losing their job, a reasonable emotion given the nightmares collectively shared by all educators. I remember being terribly afraid of the administration  and, though I knew my rights were being violated, I decided to play the role of an obedient worker. I still do this yet I am learning how to have a voice (hence the creation of this blog, which might be a silly and ineffective way to change anything). Keep your head down and your mouth shut has worked for a lot of people but at what cost?

When looking for teachers, small schools develop quite a lengthy job description. This is necessary because small schools are complicated and demand an inhuman amount of work and dedication, which is why there is a high teacher turn-over rate.  At our school the list reaches fourteen bullet points of duties and responsibilities. These points do not simply list what you have to do in the school as a teacher but how you should act, think, and be. For example, one duty listed is to support the school's missions and values to  inform a teacher's decision making and pedagogy. The real responsibility hidden in this description is that challenging the school is not acceptable and suggests that a teacher is unprofessional. When I transitioned into the school I am working at now, I had no idea what would happen to my life thereafter. On interviews, teachers concentrate on providing the kind of answers that will get you hired. Our mistake is that we don't often interview the school and really investigate its practices or  ask the teachers questions in private.

Currently, the UFT contract does not address the needs of a small school teacher. The rights outlined are basic and subjective, leaving administrators to interpret what is acceptable and teachers confused. The contract makes too many allowances and does not facilitate a healthy work-life balance. For example, small schools are notorious for the amount of professional development, meeting times, non-traditional school structuring and other practices that leave teachers exhausted and unable to focus on what really matters: content and students.

We are finding it impossible to be parents, pursue outside interests, and maintain well-being while working at a small school. I love my students and have experienced great success as a teacher. Sadly, I don't know how much longer I can go on. Sooner or later, I will become apart of the tradition of teacher attrition.

Until teachers become more proactive in protecting and expanding their rights, I will continue "...hammering on cold iron".