Welcome back! The educator’s secret identity is Underdog

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Dear Colleagues,

William Shakespeare, in one of his sonnets, mused that “Summer's lease hath all too short a date.” I do not mean to speak out of turn nor am I one to make any assumptions … but I am confident that many of you reading this will wholeheartedly agree with that statement.

I hope that each and every one of you enjoyed the sunshine, had fun and thoroughly enjoyed your well-deserved time off. Now, we return to our all-important work of educating, nurturing, and advocating for our students. We look forward to that “thrill” of the first day and enter our classrooms and offices ready for the challenges and excited to do this work in spite of all the external obstacles that make a hard job even more difficult. 

Attacks against our profession and labor unions, including litigation against due process, threats  to our pensions, and a potentially devastating Supreme Court case targeting union membership, are but a few of the challenges we face. An unapologetic opponent of public schools sits at the head of the U.S. Department of Education, and antagonistic politicians fan the hatred of unions and point fingers at educators for all that is wrong with schools in this country. (Remember when teachers were the good guys? An actual “thank you” would be more appropriate for the work we do!) Still we persevere and do our jobs. More than that, we do them well!

When I was growing up I loved watching cartoons. At the risk of dating myself, some of my favorites were Bugs Bunny, Super Friends, Speed Racer, Magilla Gorilla, Josie and the Pussy Cats (don’t ask) and Underdog. As NYC public school educators, we share a connection with one of these cartoon characters — Underdog.

[Editor’s note: Copyright laws prohibit use of the drawing here without permission, so if you’re unfamiliar with this cartoon character, visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underdog_(TV_series).]

For as long as I can remember, we have been the literal and figurative underdogs, battling those who target us for all that is wrong with education in this country.

In his secret identity as Shoeshine Boy, Underdog is mild-mannered and unassuming. But when help is needed or a crisis arises, he turns into a powerful superhero. With his “speed of lightning and roar of thunder,” he manages to go toe to toe with formidable, extremely powerful adversaries.

Underdog gets knocked around.  But he fights back twice as hard. Such is the plight of the NYC public school educator. Yes, we have a lot in common with this most unlikely of superheroes, a canine powerhouse. Sometimes life really does imitate art.

We don’t ask anyone to feel sorry for us nor do we bemoan our selected professions, which run the gamut from pedagogues and clinicians to support staff and administration. To the contrary, we love our mission and the work we do. We simply want to help children and make a difference in the world. We want those who know nothing about teaching or education, who know nothing about our schools, students and work, who know nothing about building a community, to get out of the way and let us do the work we love and are trained to do.

This is what we want: Let us teach, let us create healthy communities, let us create opportunities for our youngest citizens. Just let us do our jobs.

The school year is beginning and, as always, our students and communities know they have nothing to fear “because Underdog is here!”

Upcoming Events

We have a variety of interesting and informative Middle School Division workshops planned for this fall. Please save the date for our 4th annual Thanksgiving Luncheon for students living in temporary housing on Saturday, Nov. 18, and our 5th annual Middle School Conference on Saturday, March 3. Both events take place at UFT headquarters in lower Manhattan. We will also have our annual UFT 5K Family Run/Walk this Spring, with the date TBD.

Please download these important documents and keep them for future reference:

How to donate to our 4th annual Thanksgiving luncheon and winter clothing drive »

Schedule of Middle School Division workshops and events »

Fall 2017 Middle School Division workshop descriptions »

Save the date for our 5th annual Middle School Conference »

Contact Information

I sincerely believe the old adage, “there is no such thing as a stupid question except the one not asked.” Therefore, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to email me at rmantell@uft.org or call me at 212-598-9234. You can also contact my administrative assistant, Derly-Mikaella Charles, at MCharles@uft.org or 212-598-6839.

I hope that you have a great school year, and I look forward to visiting your school as well as seeing you at our Middle School Division meetings and other events.

In solidarity,

Richard Mantell
UFT Vice President for Middle Schools