2023-02-02 16:33
It's hard to say. You may see one thing, as I did in 2018, and it may turn out to be another. Or leadership could say it's one thing, as they did in 2018, and it could be something altogethe… Read More
Blog Directory > Business Blogs > Careers & Industries Blogs > NYC Educator careers-and-industries Blog >
2023-01-25 20:15
There's a good idea here somewhere. Involving members is a key element of effective union. It's the kind of thing I would push for. It's the kind of thing I'd unsuccessfully lobbied my Unity… Read More
2023-01-20 22:42
Today, in my restaurant, I'm serving some great dishes. You can have whatever you like. However, all those other people get potato fudge. What is potato fudge? No one really knows, but it do… Read More
2023-01-14 14:07
Freeport, where I live, had an awful flood on December 23rd. We lost our water heater, our boiler, and two cars. I spent my break trying to fix these problems, while showering at my sister i… Read More
2023-01-13 12:37
We are on a slippery slope here. If we allow the city to make sub-minimum contributions to our health care, it's not likely to end there. The MLC, with the full support of our union leadersh… Read More
2023-01-13 12:36
That's the question I'm exploring in today's Daily News Read More
2023-01-12 12:56
It's a great idea to take attendance online. And the DOE's attendance program is much better than their grading program. It does what it's supposed to do, at least most of the time. Sure, yo… Read More
2023-01-11 23:07
I submitted my recent Daily News column to the city council as testimony, and received this response from council member Tiffany Caban. I don't know about you, but I love it.First off… Read More
2022-12-27 15:00
My story in Gotham Gazette was number 8 in their top 20 most-read op-eds. I'm very happy to know that people are keyed in to our struggle to protect health care for UFT members and othe… Read More
2022-12-22 14:06
This is America from top down. We see it every day. The buck doesn't stop here anymore. It rarely stops anywhere. From Donald Trump saying, "I don't take responsibility at all," to the… Read More
2022-12-19 08:58
...but I'm on NY1 talking about the stunningly crappy DOE grading system. Read More
2022-12-17 15:14
UFT's Unity Caucus says dissidents are spreading misinformation. I guess I'm a dissident, now that I've decided retiree benefits should not be cut. Leadership's decision encourage cuts by pi… Read More
2022-12-13 22:33
Dear Colleagues:Aside from withholding as much money as we possibly can from funding schools, the safety of our students and staff is our absolute top priority. As such, we are advising… Read More
2022-12-12 22:39
Not in those words, of course. But they like to portray the UFT President as an infallible super hero, kind of like the one on the left. He's facing down impossible odds while you and… Read More
2022-12-09 12:30
The tech is different, but not much else has changed since Up the Down Staircase. It was a series of absurd situations, with one pronounced tragedy. There was a teacher who lacked the sensit… Read More
2022-12-07 16:29
Yesterday morning I was out walking with my dog when I saw a truck with lights flashing all over the place. I thought, oh my gosh, someone is really sick and getting taken away in an ambulan… Read More
2022-12-03 19:39
I'm increasingly impressed with what UFT caucus Retiree Advocate did. They got together with other city union members and supported the lawsuit that put a halt to the "savings" program so re… Read More
2022-12-01 20:49
I had a morning class earlier this year. There were 8 students in it. I really liked teaching it. However, the school killed it and redistributed the kids in other classes. I'm happy to tell… Read More
2022-11-27 17:48
You can turn on Tucker Carlson, if you have a strong enough stomach, and see people comment on the Club Q shooting. If only we'd end this evil agenda of gender-affirming care, they say, this… Read More
2022-11-21 13:20
After looking at the proposal that we pay $191 to keep Medicare and our version of Medigap (a program to cover the 20% of medical expenses that Medicare does not), I thought Medigap programs… Read More
2022-11-18 22:06
Yesterday I was called into a Microsoft Teams meeting with at least five people who work for UFT. We were only disconnected once, so for my money, MS Teams is improving. I got a little… Read More
2022-11-15 08:51
...and the details are here, in my new column in Gotham Gazette Read More
2022-11-08 15:32
I don't like to brag, but I have a sports star in my class. Sure, I don't see him all that often, but his name is on my ledger and he does stop by once or twice a week. He sometimes, on… Read More
2022-11-04 12:40
When Michael Mulgrew writes to say we have to make retirees pay more, or in-service members will pay more, he's engaging in a zero-sum game. Make no mistake--this is a desperate move. H… Read More
2022-11-01 15:12
The odd message we got from the UFT President the other day has me thinking about contract negotiations. After urging the membership to cave in the face of a threat by the mayor, to throw th… Read More
2022-10-30 12:49
I was pretty shocked to get an email from Michael Mulgrew suggesting I needed to tweet out support for the City Council to change the law. The law in question says the city can't charge… Read More
2022-10-26 11:36
A few days ago, I had a column in the NY Daily News expressing support for the NY Health Act. I suggested this as a way to deal with rising health costs not only for the UFT, but for the ent… Read More
2022-10-24 14:10
You'll have to click on the screenshot to see this. Look under the black box below, third from top, to see the charming comment a student left on my Google Classroom.I sent the screenshot to… Read More
2022-10-24 13:57
....but you can read my new column in NY Daily News. MLC and UFT are moving backward by weakening Medicare for retirees. That will only happen if they and Adams change a law. If they d… Read More
2022-10-12 17:22
Bear with me for a few paragraphs, please. The other day I got a bill from Quest Diagnostics for $151.00. Evidently, it was a 20 dollar co-pay for one test, originally over 200, but after GH… Read More
2022-10-04 13:55
I'm finally using the DOE grading/ attendance system. Our school, for some reason, is piloting the system for attendance. The first time I used it was yesterday. I have a small class, and it… Read More
2022-09-29 12:02
It's been an interesting year for me, so far. There's a lot of contrast between my first period class and the others. First period, I have six students, four or five of whom show up on any g… Read More
2022-09-23 22:51
If you get a bad observation, you can make it good by just thinking about it Read More
2022-09-22 13:08
The NYC class size reductions can't come soon enough for me, and almost certainly won't. Right now I'm finding it particularly egregious that English Language Learners are dumped into the de… Read More
2022-09-20 14:09
When teacher teams were introduced into our school, it was via an SBO. We rearranged the day to accommodate one a week during the C6 period. (We also negotiated more prep time.) I was placed… Read More
2022-09-19 04:00
I'm now teaching in a brand new building, with brand new desks that kind of cluster together. I really like that arrangement, and I was quite excited about using it. I like to teach in a way… Read More
2022-09-15 21:51
Sometimes it's infuriating to just read the papers. The extreme-right NY Post editorial board excoriated Governor Hochul for signing a bill that reduced class size in NYC for the first time… Read More
2022-09-14 12:06
Dear Colleagues: I am so grateful for everything you did to make the first few days of this school year such a success! As I heard from many of you, or maybe it was my subordinates as I… Read More
2022-09-13 13:45
I teach beginning ESL, usually. That means all the students who've just arrived end up in my classes. It's a challenging job in that I do not, in fact, speak all languages. I have to find wa… Read More
2022-09-11 01:44
Dear Colleagues:Good morning and welcome to the new school year! I hope everyone had a great summer. I spent it in my luxurious office, making calls to Very Important People. None of them we… Read More
2022-09-08 15:14
I'm here, day one, in a new building. I'm pretty proud of the new building because I personally got the ball rolling on it about six years ago with a lot of help from UFT. Yesterday, the AC… Read More
2022-08-28 02:31
Just when you think things can't get any worse, Chancellor Banks, perhaps suffering from geranium in cranium syndrome, finds one of the very worst principals in NYC (that's saying something)… Read More
2022-08-17 14:02
I've been observing the bungled NYC Medicare deal for months now, and I'm no happier about it now than I was when I first heard about it. There was a plan, to be administered by Emblem Healt… Read More
2022-08-04 17:27
It's clear to me that Mayor Eric Adams doesn't give a golly gosh darn about public schools. The Mayor is all about being photographed in the right places, tweeting about how wonderful he is… Read More
2022-08-01 17:02
Given Mayor Swagger's unwillingness to pony up and, you know, pay for education, schools are facing tough choices. Hundreds of teachers have been dumped into the ATR pool as a result. W… Read More
2022-07-22 13:35
It's convenient to go to a local pharmacy and get a 90-day prescription. For UFT members, if you have a Walgreen's near you, you can do that. You could also get a 30-day prescription somewhe… Read More
2022-07-07 22:52
We're all the same, you know. Remember, when your favorite MAGA commentator is trashing whatever it is we're all supposed to hate this week, that we're likely as not on next week's menu.&nbs&hell…Read More
2022-06-29 15:39
Dear Colleagues,As we wrap up the school year, I want to take a moment to say thank you and congratulations to everyone at the DOE who made this school year a success, particu… Read More
2022-06-23 13:38
I'd been prepared to vote for Kathy Hochul in the primary right up until she failed to sign the class size bill that passed both the Assembly and the Senate. I was going to overlook the fact… Read More
2022-06-22 12:13
Yesterday I read the oral part for the Spanish LOTE exam. (I'm not the best in Spanish, but I'm certified to teach it, and that's good enough for NY State.) This was not a difficult task for… Read More
2022-06-15 12:56
Dear Subordinates:There's been a lot of talk about the budget. Lots of people are suggesting that we're taking the federal money and using it to cut our part of the school budget. Nothing co… Read More
2022-06-05 00:28
Dear UFT members: It's me again, your old pal, Chancellor David C. Banks (although I much prefer to be called MISTER Chancellor David C. Banks). My job is very important, and that's why… Read More
2022-05-30 22:05
I'm thinking of my dad today. He passed a few years back, but he was a veteran. He was in the Battle of the Bulge. Unlike many others, he did come back. He lived into his nineties. Toward th… Read More
2022-05-24 08:49
LeRoy Barr--Welcomes us. Speaks to verifying visitors online. Speakers--Christina Gavin--Kathy Perez and Dan Leopold, Ronnie Almonte, Travis M. would like to join meeting. Wants to discuss f… Read More
2022-05-15 17:50
Dear UFT members:As you know, I appreciate teachers quite a bit. After all, I not only said so, but also made a video about it. How many of your students have bothered to do that? Nope, only… Read More
2022-05-10 12:50
NYSESLAT is the test the state uses to test the level of English Language Learners.In case you're wondering why you didn't see Exec. Board minutes here yesterday, you now know why. On Saturd… Read More
2022-05-03 21:00
Dear Teachers,Every day I am inspired by the dedication and innovation you bring to your work. As we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, please don’t harp on the fact that we are curr… Read More
2022-04-28 17:27
In my opinion, that thing is not proctoring. Unfortunately, as a teacher of speakers of other languages, next week my dance card is full. Of proctoring. (I could have said something worse th… Read More
2022-04-25 22:27
LeRoy Barr-- Welcomes us. Minutes--approved.Barr--5K walk May 14 MCU Park Spring Conference, Teacher leader action showcase. May 21 Nurse awards May 17 Better Speech and hearing May 18, virt… Read More
2022-04-18 14:15
The big push for opposition, as far as I can tell, is two-pronged. First, of course, they're still railing against the awful contract we ratified 17 years ago. I didn't vote for it, in… Read More
2022-04-14 19:41
There are few things that get my dander up more than that expression. For one thing, people who use it are invariably getting up on their high horses and flouting their self-awarded moral au… Read More
2022-04-13 22:06
Michael Mulgrew--Welcomes us. One day from Spring Break. We've come very far from September. Concerned about incidents. Every day a school is on lockdown. Good things--Thanks for HS and MS a… Read More
2022-04-12 06:38
Michael Mulgrew-Welcomes us. Speaks of HS and Middle School events. Budget--We did well due to union lobbying. Had 475 million increase, CFE fully funded, 18 years after fact. Mental health… Read More
2022-04-07 15:11
Teaching is a difficult balance on the best of days. Of course, not every day is the best of days, and on those days balance is even a tougher grab. Take, for example, my writing class. It e… Read More
2022-04-04 16:16
That's my friend Alexandra on the left. I met her a few years back. Alas, she's not the subject of this post, but it's about time someone credited her for her work. Six years ago, I ran for… Read More
2022-03-31 16:36
BREAKING--From NYC Educator News Desk--Mayor Eric Adams, at an impromptu press conference, announced that masks would no longer be required on subway trains or planes coming in or out of NYC… Read More
2022-03-28 22:34
LeRoy Barr--Welcomes us.Minutes--PassedBarr--Negotiating committee Wednesday 4:30. DA April 13, May 25. Reports from Districts--Rashad Brown--Legal plan workshop 1 had 500 members.Janel… Read More
2022-03-23 22:06
Delays as more people enter hall. President Michael Mulgrew--Welcomes us. Albany last 8 days of budget. Some good, but some things left out. Bail reform becoming an issue. Were feeling… Read More
2022-03-22 23:05
...but watch Francis Lewis HS Chapter Leader Samia Wattoo and me talking COVID-related teacher burnout on Channel 5 News Read More
2022-03-21 11:48
I'm running for reelection to the, HS Executive Board. I'm running with and supporting the Unity Caucus. Every significant accomplishment I've been able to achieve for my colleagues at Franc… Read More
2022-03-19 15:55
..but you can hear me on this podcast talking about our upcoming contract. My segment begins about about 23:10 on the audio Read More
2022-03-14 22:48
Secretary LeRoy Barr--Introduces minutes.Approved.Barr--Functional CL weekend went well. Early childhood conference Saturday. Please come out and support--hybrid meeting. March 26 CL w… Read More
2022-03-09 17:53
I have a couple in my class, or at least that's how it appeared to me. I was alerted to this when I saw a boy put his arms around a girl about a month ago. I was not particularly happy… Read More
2022-03-06 18:17
What this country really needs is Medicare for All. Given the state of our government and country, I don't see that on the immediate horizon. Meanwhile, we city workers have our own issues… Read More
2022-03-01 22:03
First, I want to apologize for not running the Executive Board minutes last night. Our gas burner dropped dead on Sunday, and I spent yesterday scrambling for someone to fix it. It was compl… Read More
2022-02-25 17:01
There's a lot of talk about whether charters are public or private schools. Most people I respect suggest they are the latter, in that they take public money but don't really have to follow… Read More
2022-02-22 21:54
If we've learned anything about COVID at all, it's that we cannot predict what it will do next. That's why the mask mandate in places other than schools has come, gone, and come again. We're… Read More
2022-02-21 14:50
It's Black History Month, and even the talking heads on Fox are quoting MLK, albeit in a very limited fashion. Were he not assassinated (while standing up for organized labor), were he aroun… Read More
2022-02-16 23:10
UFT President Michael Mulgrew-- Welcomes us, asks for moment of silence for Lowell Wayne, Michael Levine, and Edwin Hines, father of Janella.Federal--Midterm elections prime interest. Lookin… Read More
2022-02-14 19:59
I was pretty stoked about being in opposition for a pretty long time. A few things turned me around. The big one was when MORE, with which I was affiliated, and to which I'd contributed, sta… Read More
2022-02-11 19:37
Everything sucks, kind of. Last summer, I was comfortable getting together with friends, unmasked. I went to a weekly gathering upstate with friends and didn't worry at all. It seemed like C… Read More
2022-02-07 23:35
UFT Secretary LeRoy Barr--introduces minutesMinutes--passed UFT President Michael Mulgrew--Asks for moment of silence for Lowell Wayne, Michael Levine, and Edward Hines, all of whom di… Read More
2022-02-04 22:41
That's what Mayor Adams was serving today at Francis Lewis High School. I took a peek at it. It was iceberg lettuce, carrots, tomatoes and beans. It came with French dressing, which I recall… Read More
2022-02-03 18:11
Teaching beginners English is really frustrating sometimes. Most of my colleagues don't want to do it. I'm generally assigned to teach them because no one else even asks for that level. It h… Read More
2022-01-31 19:54
This is a short story, actually a very short story. Let me know what you think.The lockers were beautiful. They were brand new. Every one of them shined. It took him years of careful negotia… Read More
2022-01-26 17:50
So what if you're sitting on a gazillion dollar endowment? The state is giving away free money, and it doesn't matter how rich you are. You can always use a little more. After all, the bootl… Read More
2022-01-24 23:26
UFT Secretary LeRoy Barr--Welcomes us. Minutes--approved.Reports from Districts--Rashad Brown--Every Thursday coming up is Black History film series. Slavery and Suffering this Thursday… Read More
2022-01-19 23:08
UFT President Michael Mulgrew-- Welcomes us to first DA of 2022. Asks moment of silence for families who lost members in Bronx fire. Thanks school community for support, disaster relief fund… Read More
2022-01-19 15:48
Dear Colleagues,I am excited to announce additional members of the DOE senior leadership team who will advance the critical work of educating and supporting our students. Please join me in w… Read More
2022-01-16 14:09
I was wondering what DOE Chancellor David Banks would do about offering remote, since he found negotiating with us, his actual job, to be so inconvenient. Last night, Susan Edelman wrote up… Read More
2022-01-13 21:48
It's one thing to send happy-go-lucky letters to terrified teachers working a pandemic, while offering them no support whatsoever. It's one thing to make us come to work in a raging snowstor… Read More
2022-01-12 17:43
There are a lot of things to complain about these days. I'm pretty good at complaining, as anyone who knows me can attest. And there are a lot of genuine issues we face every day. For o… Read More
2022-01-10 23:55
Secretary LeRoy Barr welcomes us. Minutes--approved Barr--African Heritage Committee, 19 Annual Awards Dance Anton's in Queens. UFT Black History Film Series, Jan 27 Slavery and Su… Read More
2022-01-08 09:48
Dear Colleagues,I can’t tell you how proud and grateful I am for your extraordinary efforts to successfully reopen our schools after winter break! The primary reason I can’t tell… Read More
2022-01-07 11:57
At 5:42 AM I was driving on Mill Road in Freeport, where I live. I was approaching BJs when I lost control of my Rav4, which has 4 wheel drive. I skidded into a lamppost. Fortunately, I was… Read More
2022-01-05 17:59
It's 6:35 AM as I begin this. I'm in a department office by myself, having written lesson plans, made copies, checked whether or not my room was freezing, and one of my colleagues just arriv… Read More
2022-01-04 05:00
Dear Colleagues,I hope you enjoyed a restful and safe winter break with your loved ones. As we enter this new year, I am honored and thrilled to be working alongside you as your next Chancel… Read More
2021-12-31 21:26
I speak to the abysmal state of COVID testing in city schools and what needs to be done to improve it. They couldn't seem to coordinate my mouth and words, so I think they used stock f… Read More
2021-12-28 16:37
The NY Times, which drank the COVID Kool-Aid well before it was even served, is out with the latest account of the mayor's zany antics. Because the Times can't be bothered to actually questi… Read More
2021-12-26 15:58
On our last day before break, period 5, there was an announcement--Attention please...then it stopped. Now it was the voice of the AP security, so I knew it meant there was testing in our bu… Read More
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