Someone Please Say It's the Parents

Teachers are the whipping boys for Bloomberg...and also for parents. Just before President's Day vacation began I decided to call the homes of each of my students in hopes that whoever is there can remind them that they have a reading assignment to complete before returning to school. Over half of the parent/guardians did not pick up or the phone number was not working, a common experience for many teachers who need to touch base with someone at home who can help. A few parents were responsive and ensured that they would remind my student of their assignment, but most of the conversations were an agonizing reminder that a teacher is on their own when it comes to student success:

"Good afternoon, may I please speak with the parent of _______________, this is their English teacher Ms. _____________." After the usual salutations, I then said, "Is this a good time to speak with you about ______________." 

The parent's response was "No." 

No. They can't speak to me about their child. There was no further explanation though I should have demanded one, but in fear of a parent complaint, a powerful source to oust a teacher, I simply asked:

"When is a good time to call you?" The parent responded with, "I don't know. What date is it?" 

That's when I registered anger. I was going to be on a much needed and deserved break for a week and was not going to call a parent on my time off. I was making the time to speak to the parent of a child:

"I'm sorry. I will be on vacation next week. All I wanted to say was that _______________ has a reading assignment to complete. If you could please remind them to get the work done that would be great. Thank you." 

The parent then said, "No. It's not my business what they do." 

I recorded this conversation in my anecdotal records in case that student ended up failing my class. This way, I could build evidence to demonstrate that I made efforts to support the child if my passing rate doesn't look good and I am questioned by the AP. Other conversations recorded in my logs that day included three parents who didn't know where their child was, a parent who hung up the phone upon introducing myself, and another parent who had a similar response to the "No" parent. Out of thirty-three kids on my roster, I only spoke to four parents who seemed willing and able to help. 

Each child translates into data that will determine my "effectiveness". That numeral is expected to tell the story of my quality as a teacher but does not interpret what is really happening: the underlying socio-educational problems that are rooted in economic injustice. It is expected that when we return from vacation about 5-8 students will have completed the assignment. I will then have to "differentiate" for the others who failed to read. Differentiation is really a method to cope with parental ineptitude but is neatly packaged in professional development as a compassionate way to support needy students. This will come in the form of reading groups and accompanying work to explore the text, while those that read will continue on with the curriculum. Hopefully, they will all be on the same page at the end of the week, but more than likely I will have to juggle various lessons within a single period for the remainder of the marking period, leaving me stressed out planning several lessons all night and worrying whether or not I can pull this off. Chances are, I won't. I will be anxiety-ridden, forgetful, and inarticulate at times. I can only hope that my AP observes my class on a good day. 

Bloomberg is not the only one who punishes teachers. UFT President Mulgrew is just as responsible for allowing the dialogue about "bad teachers" to continue without any attempt to redirect the national conversation towards other forces that govern whether or not a child is successful in school.

There is absolutely no accountability for parents and they seem fine with that. Just attend any PTA or informational meeting at a poor school and see how many parents show up. 

Teachers have the knowledge of what is really happening to the children and yet we keep it among ourselves accepting the punishment and hoping that we can stave off a blow to the head for another week, another marking period, another school year. We share anecdotes of horrible experiences with uncaring and uniformed parents with fellow teachers daily.

It's time for an organized effort to expose the uncomfortable truth about parental laziness and to create proposals to hold parent's accountable for their child's academic performance. Though it's a controversial and explosive idea, this Jemmy can't take another beating. 

Returning

It has been some time since I have proactively published my thoughts on various issues in education. A colleague at my former school was unhappy with my blogging and informed the administration. I was worried for my job so I discontinued writing: a sad capitulation that shouldn't have happened. Many of my blogs have been deleted and I neglected to store them elsewhere for safekeeping.

The fate of my former school is as such: a D on the first progress report was received, a total of eight teachers either quit or moved on to other schools, and the principal of whom I have written about extensively left for a fluffy position in the "network". Their job is now to coach principals on how to be more effective.

Since July I have left that troubling and strange school for a position at a vocational high school. Not a small Bloomberg school, where I teach now is a remnant of our "traditional" school system. With such demographics as 74% Black or African American and 77% male, and 23% special education, it is a tough place to work but it embodies the spirit of public school education. The students here really need their teachers and the CTE programs the school provides. From what I have seen, the teachers, many who have been there 15+ years and many of them former students, love the kids. For the first time in my six years of teaching, I feel at home and apart of something meaningful to society.

But of course Bloomberg, in his illegitimate third reign, threatens to destroy up to 50% of teaching careers at my school simply because we want to ensure due process in teacher evaluations (http://www.nytimes.com/schoolbook/2012/02/16/deal-done-mayor-still-plans-to-close-struggling-schools-anyway/). I mourn for the hours, the sleepless nights, anxiety and stress felt, and those rare brilliant moments of success that teachers experience. To do this job you must be one hell of a person. Though there is a portion of teachers who are "ineffective", and I agree that after adequate and extensive support and guidance fails they should be removed, but with a growing population of the young and teachers fleeing the job I wonder how many people can actually teach for a lifetime.

With this new onslaught of nonsense, I am returning to my blog.

Teachers: A Creative Source of Political Opposition

The threat of being denied tenure or the discontinuance of tenure-ship at both the secondary and collegiate level has ruined a radical movement that could seriously challenge the current economic policies and intellectual plight of this country. The psychological game played by those who have the power to grant long-lasting economic productivity has bereft otherwise incredibly talented people from contributing to the national dialogue. Teachers are a source of serious political opposition...if only we can publish and organize.

In my years of teaching high school, I have never met a fellow teacher who is a prolific and successful writer. I have met many that dream of publishing, hold and attend writing workshops, and may have a developing manuscript somewhere. The job is never done because of fear and exhaustion. A dear friend and wonderful poet has a collection of "teacher poems" that are expertly crafted and do justice to our world, however, if published I'd be concerned about my friend's job. I scribble away vignettes on the despair of the American middle class but am unable to create a piece I'd feel unashamed of showing to others because I am emotionally and mentally drained from the unrealistic and fruitless demands place on me at my school. Now that I am tenured, the residue of my years spent in fear has constricted critical thinking and suffocated the connections that could be made. Instead of sinking to the bottom heavy with the burden of fighting back, we need to get out of the morass of hopelessness; a feeling those in power want us to have.

What has been lost here is catastrophic: the rapid disintegration of my generation's political movement.

We should be angry. This anger should launch the largest opposition yet. There has never been a time that needs our outrage more. Corporations show no loyalty to the country yet the government has granted corporations constitutional rights, the middle class is under attack, years of warring, the earth dying, artistic output controlled, legions of politicians lying, many Americans remain unable to understand, and a hundred other realities that indicate an unhealthy world.

Education reformers tell teachers that we can make a difference. I am no longer sure what that difference is. The only long-lasting differences the education reform movement has made is to create principals who mimic the corporate business model, schools that lie about students' abilities in order to survive, the traumatic dismantling of neighborhood schools, blaming teachers for the fault of years of disastrous political decisions, privatizing public property and spaces for critical thinking, and the promise to thousands of families that their children will be better off.

Teachers who have published his/her analysis or anecdotes have nearly always been reprimanded or met with opposition. Though some teachers have not handled their contributions professionally, this is simply an indicator of how teachers are not encouraged or expected to be scholarly. Observe any professional development session across New York City and it becomes clear the low-expectations that are placed on our intellect.

Educators of all grades must plunge into creative and critical output of ideas: attend writing workshops, connect with professors, forego a frivolous duty from school to read an anthology of poetry, read blogs (hint hint), make every effort to flourish because you are a teacher and deserve the opportunity to test the potential of creation. Besides parents and other caretakers we have the most access to the next generation. Though we may not always share the same ideologies, in my experience teachers are sensitive to the sorrows of the world. It is just this tenderness that is needed; coupled with radical action, we might just be able to make the difference that we know is needed.

"Wacky Wednesdays!": How Experimental School Scheduling Hurts Teachers' Jobs

The proposed school schedule in the UFT contract serves mainly as a protection from obvious consequences of not having limits in place: abuse from the administration that comes in demands and expectations that are simply hard to sustain as a worker. In small experimental schools where flagrant acronyms are created for the simplest of things, the UFT contracted school schedule is scoffed at as being "traditional", therefore the structure is looked upon as a part of the problem with the education system. For those of us that are suspicious of the education reform movement agenda, we are aware that the traditional schedule is not what is keeping young students from success. Instead, the tinkering with the contracted school schedule has become another venue for which abusive principals can not only  maximize teacher output but is a way for them to get rid of teachers. It has become clear that the UFT contracted school schedule is not just a tool to fairly manage the time people spend at work, which is how many of us understand the contract, but it also protects teachers' jobs.

The proposed whimsical schedule at my school seemed attractive, with the exception of what has already become a pathway for the principal to push teachers out: "Wacky Wednesdays". On this day, for over two hours, two teachers would run an elective. The principal made it exciting when it was said the elective should be based on teachers' personal interests and passions. However, few of us were as suspicious as we needed to be particularly when the principal encouraged teachers to offer electives in language, music, and art. We have no art or music teachers. The one language teacher is underutilized, leaving most of the students without the necessary language credits needed to graduate. In fact, our tiny first graduating class would have been even tinier because students either never took a language or had failed. To rectify this situation, the foreign language teacher signed off on credit recovery packets (see previous blog "Graduation Rates and the Big Credit Lie") so students could graduate. Instead of properly programming to ensure students were meeting state credit requirements, the principal arranged for the foreign language teacher to be a co-teacher in classes that should have had a special education teacher present.

Instead of aggressively seeking answers and pondering all the angles, teachers, including myself, voted for the new "Wacky Wednesday" schedule without thinking about the larger consequences. Fast forward to the summer: the principal has notified staff that they are now excessed from the school. This is because the principal will ensure that a team of teachers offer electives which will give students credits they need without the certified teachers in that field to offer them. The principal worked so hard to pitch this schedule to teachers and we bought it, costing us colleagues and dignity.

Under the excuse of "budget restraints" the practice of programming teachers to teach multiple classes out of certification area has become standard. The contract makes allowance for one course to be taught out of license (contractually, this should only be the case if no other option is possible) but with teachers being hired as dual certified, principals are tricky to meet state requirements on paper but not in practice. Some might call this good management or conservatively fiscal, but the lack of honesty and respect for education is bad business. No teacher has yet to challenge the principal at my school via the grievance process.

Though budget issues are real and plague the running of a school, the principal has created new administrative positions and is moving teachers into those jobs under their teaching license. This translates into less room for hiring teachers to actually teach in the classroom, causing events like excess to be manufactured.

New York State needs to launch a full-scale investigation into this fraudulent practice of shifting licenses and teachers should protect the profession by learning how to hold principals accountable.

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". 

Graduation Rates and the Big Credit Lie

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


Small schools, the shiny new cadaver bones of a dismantled school, are lying about the credits that students receive. Recently speaking with a United Federation of Teachers Chapter Leader, they called the giving out of credits in small schools as an "epidemic". With no real regulation from New York State, school administrators and cooperating teachers/staff can be very creative about interpreting what determines credit for a class needed to graduate from high school. For example, to receive credit for gym class students participated in a "dance off" competition on the weekend. The last student standing received some points that contribute to fulfilling physical education requirements. Perhaps all of the grooving can be argued as a valid way to meet the standards, but this is a silly example in a practice that is steadily making a joke out of the teaching profession.

There are far more egregious examples I have been privy to. In order for a student to receive a foreign language credit they had to make a "Hispanic craft". This student was given beads the color of the flag of Ecuador and they made a bracelet. Hilariously, the student wasn't given all of the colors necessary to correctly represent the flag, but he did receive the credit. Another student seeking foreign language credit had to depict what a Latin American country looks like. This student cut out pictures of beaches and beautiful women in bathing suits and glued it to paper. In a case from another discipline, a senior student needed to make up English credits. They decided to do an independent project by reading the book Holes, which is juvenile literature and does not meet the standard at a 12th grade level.

Teachers of courses that grant the credits students need to meet graduation requirements are sometimes asked to put together credit recovery packets. In other cases, a cooperating teacher or other staff member will put together a packet they believe best satisfies the standards of that discipline though they are not expert or trained in that subject. With good intentions they "sign-off" on the credits without ever notifying the teacher certified to grant credits in the field. If someone that does not specialize in a content area has the power to grant credits for that subject, what does this say about teachers? Are we not really considered academics, just an accoutrement of a robotic system that pumps out data units? If this is how this country wants its young to be "educated", why not just fire all teachers and stick students in front of a computer screen? (Note: This is a good idea for a future blog.)

When looking into the ARIS system, a data-house of all students, the courses they've taken, state exams passed/failed, biographical information, etc. I've noticed that there are students that have been given credit for my class though I've never taught them. Conversely, though I have had that student, they are given credit for a class I didn't teach. I've been told by other teachers, not just in my school, that this has happened to them as well. There is no system to track the giving of credits and business is conducted very quietly. Teachers do not have a collective voice in this matter nor is there any accountability.

The implications for students are too great to be ignored. It includes not being prepared when they go on to college. Though only a handful of seniors from my school have been granted admission, we worry about their ability to be successful. A professor-friend of mine often comments how disgusted they are by the writing and reading abilities of their students. So while we push them out of high school to boost our graduation statistics, what happens to them once they are out of our care?

Despite what those achievement gap-closers say, there will be students who fail. In most cases they should be granted a second chance, albeit it should be done thoughtfully and with academic rigor intact. Many think credit recovery is a joke and that's the fault of those who are supposed to safeguard education.

Teachers and education activists speculate that students have to undergo credit recovery because of the failure of principals to appropriately program students so that they meet the requirements for graduation. Also, small schools are notoriously dysfunctional. To highlight how unorganized the administration is, last school year I received my teaching program the morning that classes were to start. Sadly, this is a common occurrence in small schools. Perhaps principals need help in programming and should attend professional development sessions to support skill development. Another solution would be to hire someone who knows how to do this very complicated task. Small schools find money in different budgets for various unusual titles, I am sure my school can cough up some change to make sense out of programming.

We won't know the answer to the credit recovery mess until there is an investigation by the state and honest discourse with educators. The push to grant students credits has obviously inflated the city's graduation rates, contributing to the false success of the mayor and supporters of the education reform movement at the expense of teachers and young learners. Until teaching is looked upon not as a job but as a respected and honored profession, I will continue "...hammering on cold iron".

The Ruins

It is very sad that I have lost the writings of my former blog. When I shut "hammering on cold iron" down, I was hurried enough to not save my posts:

"A Brownstone Divided": Commentary on the class divide between administrators and teachers. When a principal makes a salary of 130,000 and is able to live in exclusive areas while those that do the real work are priced out, what message does this send regarding the value of teachers both in society and to the school community?

"Teaching is Traumatic": A response to a nation-wide study on teachers experiencing PTSD as a result of their career. Teachers make up a large portion of anti-depressant users and yet changes are not being made to the practices and structures that have caused so much grief.

"Graduation Rates and the Big Credit Lie": Exposing how my school inflates graduation rates by providing excessive credit recovery work that does not meet state standards or resembles work that causes real thinking and development of skills.

"Head Down and Mouth Shut?": An observation on young teachers who do not know how to use the UFT contract to protect their labor rights. More troublesome are the young teachers who do not understand the purpose and value of a contract and are neglecting the tradition of fighting for labor rights.

"Are Principals Necessary?": Offering an alternative to the hegemony that remains in the school system. A criticism of the centralized power of a principal.

Never again will I allow administrative bullying to result in this kind of loss!