Latest TV ad stresses teachers’ dedication

Dave SandersDuring the shooting of the TV ad, the camera catches a double image of UFT President Michael Mulgrew and students. The spot opens with special education teacher Christine Wong of PS 1 in Chinatown working with students. A UFT TV spot that features four New York City public school teachers in the classroom and celebrates the dedication and commitment of all city teachers to their students and school communities hit the airwaves on Feb. 13.

Fourth-grade English-as-a-second-language teacher Noemi Medina poses the question at the heart of the ad: “Why do politicians go after teachers?”

Describing herself as a problem solver, a coach and a mentor, she tells viewers, “Everyday’s a challenge and I love it.”

Medina started her career as a paraprofessional and has spent all of her 25 years at Brooklyn’s PS 188, where she is the chapter leader.

Special education teacher Christine Wong of PS 1 in Chinatown opens the 30-second commercial commenting as she works with students: “My students inspire me. And they should inspire us all.”

Wong praised the ad as “a concise, visual and powerful way to reach many viewers in a short period of time” and considers it effective “because it uses real city public school teachers, students and a parent.”

The ad is designed to reach more than 8 million New York-area broadcast and cable TV viewers multiple times during its 11-day run.

Shown i the ad reaching out to a parent, Peter Cohen, a teacher at PS 163 in Manhattan, said, “The ad is important because viewers see we’re real people who work hard to educate the city and who do it with love and joy. Schools are not the place for politics and the political wars.”

Cohen has spent 22 of his 24 years teaching at all K-6th-grade levels at PS 163, where he is the chapter leader.

In an upbeat frame, Geoffrey Tulloch of Food and Finance HS notes in the ad, “When students succeed, it’s good for the city.”

The ad concludes with UFT President Michael Mulgrew, surrounded by students, calling on viewers: “Work with us for better schools and a brighter future for all our students.”

In a letter to members, Mulgrew pointed out that the ad was intended to showcase the hard work of teachers as the reason why the overwhelming majority of New Yorkers believe in and trust the UFT to do what’s right for students.

The new ad — which comes on the heels of another harder-hitting UFT TV ad that slammed the mayor — ran from Feb. 13-17, went off during the break week, and will be up and running again from Sunday, Feb. 26 to Friday, March 2.

All the teachers, city public school students and the parent appearing in the ad are members of the Screen Actors Guild.

The ad can be viewed here.