Message from Vice President
Michelle Bodden
Before I sat down to write this final column of the school year I decided to go back and take a look at what I had written in this column last June. I think it’s worth recalling:
“What an incredible year this has been. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine we’d have to devote so much time and energy to fending off the Department of Education’s attempts to micromanage every inch of our classroom space and every minute of the school day.”
There was a French philosopher who once remarked, “The more things change the more they remain the same.” He must have had the school system under Joel Klein in mind when he made this observation. The DOE’s misguided notion of what makes for successful teaching and learning in our elementary schools coupled with our continuing fight for a new contract have made this a terribly trying year.
And yet you persevered. In fact, you not only persevered, you flourished. I can’t begin to tell you how much admiration I have for you. Despite the anger and frustration I know you feel you never once allowed this to creep into your classrooms. It’s evident that you understand your students are as much victims of the mayor’s and chancellor’s ill-advised policies as you are. The recent 4th-grade reading scores give strong testimony to your resourcefulness in the face of adversity.
Let me state the obvious — our fight for a fair contract has gone on much too long. But if the mayor and chancellor think for even a minute that we can be worn out, they’ve obviously missed the incredible spirit, energy and creativity you demonstrated in school-based and citywide actions. You should be treasured as the school system’s greatest resources, not treated with disdain and disrespect. How interesting, but not surprising, that the regions that had the greatest academic growth over the last year are those that value collaborative efforts.
This leads me to a project that has consumed a good deal of my time over the last number of months — the UFT Elementary Charter School. I’ve been working with a great team of educators from the UFT Teacher Center first to develop a proposal and then to design the first charter school in the nation to be run by a teacher’s union. I’m really excited about this great opportunity.
I know some consider this to be an extremely high-risk venture. What if it fails? Well I think it’s a risk well worth taking. The UFT Charter School is going to be operated in a collegial manner. It will treat teachers as the true professionals they are and it will operate under the current provisions of the UFT contract. I believe it will put to rest the claims that our contract is an impediment to educational success.
We know what works and this is our opportunity to prove it. As I write this column the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York has said that it is not yet prepared to give our proposal the go-ahead. Of course we’ll try to address their concerns and move forward. I must say, their action, while frustrating, doesn’t in the least bit dampen my enthusiasm for this project or diminish its importance in the larger scheme of things. In fact, the New York Post’s editorial slings and arrows have only deepened my conviction that we’re on the right track.
I’m also excited that the State Education Department has approved the UFT as a provider of Supplementary Educational Services as part of the No Child Left Behind Law. NCLB entitles students attending Title I schools that have failed to make “Adequate Yearly Progress” for three consecutive years to be offered supplementary educational services. This year the DOE chose not to be a service provider and thus the field was left exclusively to for-profit companies.
Earlier this year, at a City Council Education Committee hearing, we testified that we believed we could deliver a better educational product than these non-regulated private profiteers at a fraction of the cost. We followed up this testimony by submitting a proposal to the State Education Department, and we were recently granted status as an SES provider.
If you’re interested in working in this program you can secure information by visiting the UFT Web site at www.uft.org.
I have more important news to share with you. This is the final issue of Elementary Matters. This newsletter has given me immense pleasure, and judging by the feedback I get on school visits, you’ve enjoyed it as well. So, why mess with a good thing? Because we’ve got something better in store. Next year I’ll be joining the union’s other vice presidents in writing semi-regular columns in the New York Teacher. This will allow me to more frequently share my views on the issues important to our members, while reaching a larger audience in the process.
Let me take this opportunity to thank you for the terrific advice you regularly offer me and for your continued support. I encourage you to continue to share your views with me — during my school visits, via e-mail or snail mail, at meetings or by phone. Your counsel is invaluable.
To the thousands of you who will be taking UFT education courses this summer to hone your skills and expand your knowledge, you’ve earned my deep respect. To those of you who will be working in summer school programs, I hope this experience proves to be professionally and personally gratifying. Remember, if you encounter any problems in a summer assignment we’re just a phone call away.
Lastly, I want to wish you all a healthy and joyous summer. You’ve certainly earned some time to relax. We’ll see you in September — a September that’s apt to bring a spell of hot weather as we continue our fight for a fair contract.