Jun 4, 2009 5:49 PM
On stage at the UFT Charter Elementary School auditorium on May 22, a bunch of angry chickens were threatening a boycott.
“No more sand in the corn,” said one child under the beak of a chicken mask.
“An average of only four eggs a week from each of us or we’ll tell people not to buy Farmer Brown’s eggs!” said another.
It was the school’s first Labor Learning Day, and “Trouble in the Hen House” was one of several performances showcasing students’ understanding of organized labor.
When the fledgling union of experienced egg layers scratched the dirt with their imaginary chicken feet to sign their list of demands, the audience of kids, teachers and UFT leaders broke out laughing.
So did the guest of honor, a founding father of the UFT who was fighting for teachers and students as the union’s first vice president of elementary schools before UFT President Randi Weingarten was born.
“Any time something great happens in your school it’s because of this man, Mr. Abe Levine,” said Weingarten, after opening remarks by school leader Michelle Bodden.
Labor Learning Day marked the opening of the Abe Levine Reading Room, which was about six months in the making. It was completed on May 21 and has 1,000 books. The school enrolls grades K-4 and next year, the school will grow to grade 5.
In a tribute to Levine, eight students took turns telling the story of the UFT’s origins and Levine’s role in much of that history.
Afterward, Levine was presented with a plaque by Student Council President Rebecca Ramnauth, who was then taken aside by Weingarten and congratulated for her leadership role during a brief president-to-president exchange.
“If Albert Shanker — our second UFT president, who was one of the greatest educators and labor leaders in this country — were alive day,” said Levine in his acceptance speech, “he would be very, very proud because you are implementing his idea.
“He always wanted pupils and teachers to be creative and come up with new ideas. He knew that teachers’ unions and charter schools would go well together.”
Levine then spoke about the early struggles of the UFT, adding that the proudest day of his life was on March 16, 1960, when he stood up and called for small teacher groups to merge and form the United Federation of Teachers.
He said that labor supported public education back when few others did, and added that the union wants the best for every single child.
“I didn’t expect to have a reading room named after me and I am really honored,” he said.
Levine got the entire audience singing along to “Solidarity Forever,” performed by 3rd-graders under the direction of music teacher Rob Benson.
Then the children followed Levine Pied-Piper style upstairs to the reading room, where he officially cut the ribbon.
A bit later on, a few students worked up their courage and asked Levine how old he was.
“Eighty,” Levine said, without missing a beat. “Eight-oh.”
“Wow!” said the kids who, with their schoolmates, gave wow-reviews to the new sunny yellow reading room.
“It’s awesome,” said 3rd-grader Tyrick.
“It’s great,” said 4th-grader Deon, “because I love to read and I hope to read all the books in here by the end of the year.”
“I love the book ‘Enormous’ — that’s with an ‘e,’ not an ‘a,’” said 4th-grader Devon. “It’s about a girl who turns into an elephant.”
“Abe Levine is a really great person,” said 4th-grader Augustine. “I really appreciate that he started the United Federation of Teachers.”
School leader Bodden said that students were excited to finally meet Levine, especially after reading the essay, “Who is Abe Levine?” in their classrooms.
The framed essay hangs on a wall in the new reading room along with photos of Levine in action over the years.
Chapter Leader Suzanne Penn said that the kids learned a good deal about labor unions and “are really beginning to see how we’re connected to the UFT.”
Later, at a staff reception, the New York Teacher asked Levine how he felt about the reading room, all ceremony aside.
He was, as usual, unable to resist a teachable moment.
“Well you see, starting in the 1950s we fought very hard for library programs for the elementary schools …” he began.