Weingarten and Klein both gain. The more years people teach, the more they see how the UFT and the DOE operates and the better chance some of them will become resisters. Just look at the experienced core that is built around this blog. Many only became resisters in recent years.
A younger crowd without a memory of an active union helps Unity keep power. They talk the game on seniority - they've been finagling these law suits for years, for PR purposes. People who have been tracking them know just how they've made sure to file these things in a way that will take as long as possible - the idea is to shut people up and say - "See, we're doing something." Ignore what they say, but watch what they do.
It works for Klein too in the same way - fearful, manipulated, new teachers will ignore even the union rules they have. Like a duty free lunch hour, one of the basic rights in the contract, is being ignored all over the place, especially in elementary schools where it is considered unpatriotic to refuse to attend "working" lunches.
The UFT has been part of the attack on senior teachers - underground by agreeing to gut the contractural protections, starting with going along with Klein not to allow seniorty transfers. Klein used this as his opening salvo, claiming these people were all incompetent and I even saw Randi at a City Council meeting not defend them but brag how we were cooperating.
I knew many excellent teachers who after 20 years got tired of battling with struggling students and wanted to end their careers working with a different population. Principals always resisted these transfers and for years managed to hide openings - just check all the young kids teaching in Staten Island for many years while teachers who were residents and working in Williamsburg waited years for a transfer.
But many of my friends found it so much easier to teach when they got to these schools because discipline was easy as pie. They were often looked at within a year or two as one of the best. Were there some rotten apples? Of course. But these were magnified by Klein and others who spread stories about them - check Sol Stern's book about the awful math teacher his kid at Stuy ended up with after transferring from Seward Park. He built his rep with the right wing anti-teacher crowd on the back of that teacher.
The UFT, always not wanting to appear to be defending bad teachers, is willing to allow good and bad to go to slaughter, so they can claim we are a union of professionals that help remove poor teachers. This is not just a Weingarten thing, but comes directly from Al Shanker - some of his quotes will make your hair stand up. From merit pay to seniority to the use of a testing regime.
I just finished working on a review of the Kahlenberg book on Shanker and that has provided a deeper understanding of how and why the UFT has made the moves it has. They have not been outfoxed by Klein. Philosphically, they've been there before Klein ever set foot in Tweed.
HA! The "I told you so" seems to fit.
Unfortunately teachers like Redhog, SS Teacher, Shop Teacher and the rest of those very ugly comments on Edwize didn't care about people or rights. They wanted their wallets filled.
If any of them are ATRs now, I have no sympathy.
Norm,
I love this line:
"Like a duty free lunch hour, one of the basic rights in the contract, is being ignored all over the place, especially in elementary schools where it is considered unpatriotic to refuse to attend "working" lunches."
"UNPATRIOTIC" You found the one word that sums it all up. Principals will do whatever they want because to go against them is seen as subversive.
Schoolgal: The three people no longer teach, they are at union headquaters and don't have to worry about being ATR's.
The lawsuit is very welcomed, if a little late. However, where are the "Unity" puppets now? These are the vey same people who defended the process in their "Edwize" comments. I guess they are in hiding for looking stupid.
You mock, but those drawing finally got my lock fixed!
Crazy! Pay remains one of the top reasons teachers quit teaching forever, and it is not okay.
As an elementary school teacher for the past 8 years, I was particularly saddened when I watched one young, energetic, motivated and talented teacher leave the profession for good. No matter how much I mentored her, her model for teaching was not sustainable (not to mention her pay as a new, part time teacher was tiny). At our small school the community was devastated to see her go. Then I started researching teacher attrition and conducting interviews with people I knew who left the profession or who were thinking strongly of doing so. Most of the time it is the academics, poiticians and others who are removed from teaching that write books and make comments about teacher attrition. I am writing a book called Why Great Teachers Quit, an in the trenches, real life view of teachers describing their reasons for quitting, along with creative suggestions for ways to change and improve many of these problems.
I need to hear from teachers from all over the country about why they are leaving teaching (or are thinking strongly about doing so-- or have thoughts to share about teacher attrition).
Please visit http://
whygreatteachersquit.word...t.wordpress.com to answer survey questions, or to write a more open ended response. You will see two posts with more details about the project. Please be sure to include the grade level, geographic region (general), and subject that you teach in your comments.
Please take a moment to stop by and share your perspective. I hope I can use parts of your original post in the chapter on teacher pay.
If you could pass this along to other teachers you know who have recently left, or are thinking of it, I would truly appreciate it!
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