I found this comment in my spam file yesterday. I'm not sure how it ended up there, but I approved the comment yesterday. I don't want to bury it in comments from weeks ago, so I'm placing it on the front page today. It's disgraceful that school leadership would enable homophobic behavior tacitly or otherwise, let alone undermine a working teacher like this. It's further disgraceful that the DOE leaves such leadership in place.
I have worked in three public schools in New York City, and none of them were perfect. But I don’t expect perfection. No one should expect it, actually. From
no job. From no boss. From no person. Ever.
That being said, what I do expect from my job is to be treated as a professional and to be listened to. What I experienced at PS 333, at the hands of my boss, the principal, was the opposite of what I wanted and the opposite of what any teacher deserves.
I experienced regular homophobic comments and actions from a group of students at PS 333 during my year teaching there.
One student in particular would write “homo” on the board while I had my back turned, but would quickly erase it when I turned around. This same student wrote on a ruler, “Jeff getting fucked by James” (“James” was another gay teacher at PS 333 at the time). He also drew an obscene graphic alongside it depicting what he wrote. Also, this student on one occasion pushed me aggressively.
I asked the principal if she would lead a restorative circle with this student and the whole class, as the class was now giving in to his disruptive behavior, to which she agreed. When the principal showed up, she sat outside of the circle and was on her phone texting or emailing for the majority of the restorative circle. I would reach out to this principal often, and she would regularly reply communicating she was sorry that something had happened, that she would reach out to the guidance counselor, etc. But truly, she was not proactive in thwarting any of the students’ disgusting behaviors. This principal is the main reason (although not the only) I chose to leave this school at the end of the school year.
The student (about whom I wrote above) and I had one guidance session together where the guidance counselor at the time (a substitute counselor) promised the student, right in front of me, a Michael Kohrs tie in return for one month of good behavior in my classroom. Yes, that promise was made to the same student who regularly made homophobic comments against me.
When the principal asked me to meet in her office at some point during this turmoil to talk through what had been happening, I brought my UFT representative. The principal refused to meet with me and the union representative together, and she gave me the option of speaking to her alone or not speaking to her at all.
Other students, most in the 8th grade, would also engage in homophobic behavior and sing and mutter a song with uncomfortable gay sexual references from a popular Comedy Central show around me. When I would ask them on multiple occasions to stop, they would get defensive and say that they would tell their parents I wouldn’t let them hum or sing. Another student in particular would say things like, “Don’t touch me Jeff! Eww Don’t touch me!” when I came within a few feet of him. I went to my principal regarding these behaviors, but nothing came of this. When the ruler incident occurred, these same 8th grade students snapped pictures, sent them around to one another, and gave the whole incident new life on multiple occasions.
I informed my principal at the beginning of March 2016 that I would not be returning for the following school year. Demo lessons were then soon held for teachers interviewing to take my place. I acknowledge these demo lessons were necessary. What was not necessary was my principal bringing in the candidate she chose to hire, without telling me, and telling my students (not in my presence) that this candidate would be the new math teacher next year. The students then came to my classroom during my lunch period and began taunting me, screaming down the hallways, “We did it! We got rid of Jeff!” They were laughing, high fiving, etc.
What I would like to say is that the teaching staff at PS 333 are, for the most part, supportive of one another. There was an assembly organized by my grade level teachers to address the homophobia in the upper school. Parents were invited, and many attended and were vocal about their disappointment in hearing this is happening at their school. My fellow grade level teachers at this school quite literally stood up for me in front of the entire grade when my principal would not. I chose not to stand up at this assembly as I felt the students would not take it seriously coming from me. In hindsight, perhaps I should have very openly and honestly addressed the issues. Perhaps if I felt more comfortable at that school, I would have.
I do not expect perfection from any school, any administration, or anyone, ever. I do expect to always be treated as a professional by my colleagues. And when students disrespect me or my coworkers and do not respond to teacherly discipline, I expect administration to step in and do their part appropriately.
I am happy to say that after leaving PS 333, I began teaching at a school where I am trusted and respected not only by students, but by my administration. No teacher should ever settle for less.
no job. From no boss. From no person. Ever.
That being said, what I do expect from my job is to be treated as a professional and to be listened to. What I experienced at PS 333, at the hands of my boss, the principal, was the opposite of what I wanted and the opposite of what any teacher deserves.
I experienced regular homophobic comments and actions from a group of students at PS 333 during my year teaching there.
One student in particular would write “homo” on the board while I had my back turned, but would quickly erase it when I turned around. This same student wrote on a ruler, “Jeff getting fucked by James” (“James” was another gay teacher at PS 333 at the time). He also drew an obscene graphic alongside it depicting what he wrote. Also, this student on one occasion pushed me aggressively.
I asked the principal if she would lead a restorative circle with this student and the whole class, as the class was now giving in to his disruptive behavior, to which she agreed. When the principal showed up, she sat outside of the circle and was on her phone texting or emailing for the majority of the restorative circle. I would reach out to this principal often, and she would regularly reply communicating she was sorry that something had happened, that she would reach out to the guidance counselor, etc. But truly, she was not proactive in thwarting any of the students’ disgusting behaviors. This principal is the main reason (although not the only) I chose to leave this school at the end of the school year.
The student (about whom I wrote above) and I had one guidance session together where the guidance counselor at the time (a substitute counselor) promised the student, right in front of me, a Michael Kohrs tie in return for one month of good behavior in my classroom. Yes, that promise was made to the same student who regularly made homophobic comments against me.
When the principal asked me to meet in her office at some point during this turmoil to talk through what had been happening, I brought my UFT representative. The principal refused to meet with me and the union representative together, and she gave me the option of speaking to her alone or not speaking to her at all.
Other students, most in the 8th grade, would also engage in homophobic behavior and sing and mutter a song with uncomfortable gay sexual references from a popular Comedy Central show around me. When I would ask them on multiple occasions to stop, they would get defensive and say that they would tell their parents I wouldn’t let them hum or sing. Another student in particular would say things like, “Don’t touch me Jeff! Eww Don’t touch me!” when I came within a few feet of him. I went to my principal regarding these behaviors, but nothing came of this. When the ruler incident occurred, these same 8th grade students snapped pictures, sent them around to one another, and gave the whole incident new life on multiple occasions.
I informed my principal at the beginning of March 2016 that I would not be returning for the following school year. Demo lessons were then soon held for teachers interviewing to take my place. I acknowledge these demo lessons were necessary. What was not necessary was my principal bringing in the candidate she chose to hire, without telling me, and telling my students (not in my presence) that this candidate would be the new math teacher next year. The students then came to my classroom during my lunch period and began taunting me, screaming down the hallways, “We did it! We got rid of Jeff!” They were laughing, high fiving, etc.
What I would like to say is that the teaching staff at PS 333 are, for the most part, supportive of one another. There was an assembly organized by my grade level teachers to address the homophobia in the upper school. Parents were invited, and many attended and were vocal about their disappointment in hearing this is happening at their school. My fellow grade level teachers at this school quite literally stood up for me in front of the entire grade when my principal would not. I chose not to stand up at this assembly as I felt the students would not take it seriously coming from me. In hindsight, perhaps I should have very openly and honestly addressed the issues. Perhaps if I felt more comfortable at that school, I would have.
I do not expect perfection from any school, any administration, or anyone, ever. I do expect to always be treated as a professional by my colleagues. And when students disrespect me or my coworkers and do not respond to teacherly discipline, I expect administration to step in and do their part appropriately.
I am happy to say that after leaving PS 333, I began teaching at a school where I am trusted and respected not only by students, but by my administration. No teacher should ever settle for less.
