Category Archive
What teaching is all aboutJun 05, 2008
At business or social events I’ll mention that I spent a career teaching at James Madison HS and someone will perk up, “I went to Madison.” I always ask, “Who was your best teacher?” They almost always say “Mr. Greenman.”
Have you made the grade?May 22, 2008
What do students remember about their teachers years later? One former city public school educator and administrator examines what kids really value in the Speakout column.
Not a good thingMay 08, 2008
We here in New York City, and in the country as a whole, are going through what some experts are calling an economic slowdown. What this means for me is that money will be a little tighter, things a little more expensive and so a greater prudence on my part will be called for when buying this or spending on that.
The charter school idea turns 20Apr 24, 2008
Twenty years ago this month, in a landmark address to the National Press Club in Washington, AFT President Albert Shanker first proposed the creation of “charter schools” — publicly funded institutions that would be given greater flexibility to experiment with new ways of educating students.
A super library even teachers can affordApr 10, 2008
The only book club that I’ve ever joined doesn’t cost a cent. It’s the Discarded Book of the Month Club.
A bird’s-eye viewMar 27, 2008
Those of us who have been in this school system for a few years have become accustomed to the many different strange and silly passing fads that have at one time or another passed through our classrooms.
Watching my school disintegrate, piece by pieceMar 13, 2008
Here's a firsthand view of life in a closing high school, through the eyes of a veteran guidance counselor.
The DOE’s ‘accountability’ is absurdFeb 28, 2008
I sigh with exasperation when I read editorial pieces in newspapers which promote the concept of evaluating teachers based on the test scores of their students.
Rewards for grades? Give them cell phonesFeb 14, 2008
You know the feeling you get when you’re so excited you don’t know where to start with a bunch of things you want to say so you can’t even get your thoughts straight and you start to stutter and mumble? That’s how I felt when I read Mayor Bloomberg’s idea of paying school kids cold, hard cash, bucks and even sawbucks or Benjamin Franklins, for doing well on standardized tests.
Seek and ye shall findJan 31, 2008
School choice isn’t enough
Jan 31, 2008
Recent developments in both public and Catholic schools suggest that markets in education may not be a panacea—and that we should reexamine the direction of school reform.
School choice isn’t enoughJan 31, 2008
Recent developments in both public and Catholic schools suggest that markets in education may not be a panacea—and that we should reexamine the direction of school reform.
To really improve our schools we need to change our attitudeJan 17, 2008
To improve our city’s schools we must focus on teachers’ knowledge and strengths, encourage teachers to share materials and ideas and build positive networks to overcome the tide of cynicism.
Winning respectDec 06, 2007
Back then, when I was still in the classroom molding American youth, my colleagues and I took it as gospel that the status of teachers had declined in the eyes of the public, that earning respect was a constant struggle. But, paradox of paradoxes, I found that the school building itself made it possible to win some significant victories.
Three-card monteNov 01, 2007
Of late, as a teacher in this city, I feel that we are all working in a system that goes something like the infamous sidewalk game.
Teacher stress: past and presentOct 22, 2007
Teacher Stress is a day-to-day reality in urban settings.
The folly of the Gibran AcademyOct 04, 2007
The creation of the Khalil Gibran International Academy represents the nadir in the decline of good thinking about education in our city.
Being denied the privilege to teachSep 06, 2007
The dark skies opened up for me and the heavy rains starting falling last November when I was pulled from Benjamin Cardozo HS in Queens and socked away in a Temporary Reassignment Center.
The teacher’s dilemma: your integrity or your jobJun 12, 2007
In David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “Glengarry Glen Ross,” we learn about the stress-filled lives of real estate salesmen who must lie, cheat and steal every day on their jobs in order to keep those jobs. Is that what teachers are going to face in our school system?
Welcome back, HomerMay 24, 2007
A high school literature teacher writes that it's about time that our city, ever eager to look forward, takes a little wisdom from the ages.
Childs playMay 10, 2007
Having been a classroom teacher these last several years, I find myself more and more puzzled about what exactly is going on with those who make up the rules for us to follow in this job.
Shattered Idealism at a charter schoolApr 26, 2007
Shattered Idealism at a charter school
Apr 26, 2007
A teacher tells of his disappointment after taking a leave from the city's school system to take a job at a charter school.
Is there still room in schools for thinking?Apr 12, 2007
A teacher says that, while the “workshop model” is not imposed rigidly at her school, it affects teachers nonetheless, every day.
Technology and teaching should go hand in handApr 12, 2007
Mention some new technology to certain educators and they shudder with disdain — or fear. They are being shortsighted.
Intimidation as a personnel practiceMar 29, 2007
I’ve been a teacher for many years, at various school levels, yet I could stick it out in the New York City school system for only a short time last year. Why?
Happy 47th anniversary, UFT!Mar 22, 2007
On March 16, 1960, the dream of many thousands came true. It was the day New York City teachers came together into a single organization called the United Federation of Teachers.
Brownie the Cow — and other unanswerable questionsMar 01, 2007
A Brooklyn elementary school teacher takes on the problem of poorly constructed high-stakes tests.
Oh, that dastardly chalkFeb 01, 2007
Chalk it seems, if not used correctly, can prevent children from learning. Who ever would have thought such a thing?
New Orleans teachers: devastation after the devastationJan 18, 2007
In the past year and a half, the teachers of New Orleans have faced two terrible tragedies.
Math failures — haven’t we heard this before?Dec 07, 2006
Why aren't children in this country better at learning math. Is it the curriculum? Is it the equipment? Is it the tests? And, haven’t we heard all this before?
Our schools must do more to eliminate intoleranceNov 16, 2006
Why does intolerance continue to flourish, even in the supposedly more “civilized” countries of the world?
New(er) teachers: Don’t hesitate to take the leadNov 02, 2006
Newer teachers, as novices in their schools, are often reluctant to take the initiative but it is their energy, optimism and fresh perspective that the schools desperately need.
And how are the children?Oct 19, 2006
Parents in many schools recently received a packet of materials advising them that their children were eligible to receive free tutoring services.
Grieving in the classroomOct 05, 2006
Returning to the classroom after the death of a loved one turned out to be a teachable moment for the teacher's students — and the teacher.
Teachers need encouragement, tooSep 21, 2006
Now that school has started up again, it’s good to be reminded that it’s not just students and parents who have to be ready. So do teachers.
Curses! Kids’ use of profanities a real problemMay 25, 2006
Increasingly, according to this author, students’ actions suggest the absence of benchmarks against which to measure appropriate behavior.
From the cartoon to the classroomMar 30, 2006
Each night the images explode across the TV screen: violent crowds erupting in protest over a series of 12 cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed.
Behind the scenesMar 16, 2006
I recently met a woman who was surprised to hear me say that I had a “marvelous” job. “What do you do?” she inquired. “I teach 2nd grade.”
The importance of involved parentsMar 02, 2006
This essay is one of scores of interesting and diverse commentaries that was recently posted on Edwize.org, the UFT blog
‘Individuality’ key to educational readinessFeb 16, 2006
Why students fail in our public schools is like the story of two young, ambitious prospectors who spent years mining for gold without success.
Lessons from NAEPJan 19, 2006
An opinion piece by education expert Diane Ravitch, which appeared in The New York Sun, is reprinted in the New York Teacher.
This principal learned the ABCsDec 08, 2005
I’m a recently retired Queens elementary school principal who thinks it’s time for everybody to get back to basics.
How to make ‘teacher caring’ effectiveNov 17, 2005
“Caring” is not, of course, a substitute for teacher command of pedagogy or teacher knowledge of subject material, but it is central to building sustained motivation and commitment to hard work in students.
My 50 years on the Executive BoardNov 03, 2005
Former Elementary School Vice President Abe Levine speaks about his 50-plus years of service to the UFT.
Teaching in Westchester is grand for former city educatorSep 22, 2005
He's been teaching 11 years, has a master's degree only, and makes $83,000 a year working in Westchester. His wife, a New York City public school teacher for 27 years, has a master's plus 60 credits, and makes $2 less than him. What's wrong with this picture?
Throw the book at the uninformedSep 08, 2005
During idle chitchat at a neighborhood backyard barbeque, I mentioned I had taught high school for 35 years. One of the guests remarked, “A good deal — you finish work at three and get two months off in the summer — a cushy deal.”
Delegate Assembly: A proud and democratic heritageMay 12, 2005
Since I started to attend DA meetings in 1953, I always felt that the DA was at the heart of our functioning as a democratic union.
DOE cooks the books on overcrowdingMar 31, 2005
Instead of dealing with the overcrowding problem plaguing city schools, the Department of Education tried hiding its true extent. The DOE cooked the books — in this case the “Blue Book” — to make the situation appear less drastic.
Teach the truth — at your perilFeb 17, 2005
Catering to parents and historical revisionists has become a primary duty of teachers not on a martyrdom track. Kowtowing has become the backbone of the educational process.
Helping children cope with disasterFeb 03, 2005
As we try to gauge the effects on those who actually lived through the tsunami that recently devastated Southeast Asia and Africa, we must bear in mind that many others will also be affected, even those thousands of miles away — including, perhaps, some of your students.
Time is money for everyone but teachersJan 20, 2005
Once this school system was the envy of the nation. But Chancellor Klein has eviscerated every dove, he has thrust every olive branch to the winds, he has snapped every sapling of teachers’ trust.
