New York TeacherFebruary 1, 2018
Volume LIX, Number 6
Cover Stories
Door-knocking efforts crucial because ‘this is our fight’
Gloria Winograd goes out on cold winter evenings to knock on doors of fellow UFT members. Her mission: to alert them that their rights and benefits are endangered by the Janus v. AFSCME case, now before the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Door-knocking is demanding work, but it’s worth it,” said Winograd.
Winograd, a music teacher and chapter leader at PS 6 in Manhattan, is one of the UFT members who is reaching out to fellow union members to make sure they are aware of the danger ahead.
The Janus case, funded by billionaires, threatens to deprive public employee unions nationwide of the ability to collect agency fees from workers who opt not to belong to the union but nonetheless benefit from union contracts and services. Oral arguments in the case are slated for Feb. 26, and the high court is expected to issue a decision in Ma…
LearnUFT offers CTLE courses in 5 boroughs
The UFT’s LearnUFT program, which offers members a low-cost opportunity to participate in professional learning while earning Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) hours, has now fully expanded to the union’s five borough offices.
Tragedy to triumph
She was named after Wonder Woman, a fictional comic book superhero. Thirty-four years later, Diana Wright needed the strength and resilience of a superhero to turn the tables on a tragedy.
Latest News
Judge halts Arizona ban on Mexican American studies
A federal judge blocked Arizona from enforcing a controversial ban on Mexican American studies courses, arguing that the state law is unconstitutional.
Texas illegally denied special education services
The U.S. Department of Education announced on Jan. 11 that the Texas Education Agency ran afoul of federal law by failing to provide adequate special education services in the state’s public schools.
Connecticut court blocks education funding overhaul
The Connecticut Supreme Court in January overturned a lower court judge’s wide-ranging decision that the state had failed in its constitutional obligation to adequately fund public education.
Three-quarters of public school spending cuts restored
Three-quarters of the nationwide public school spending cuts prompted by the 2008 recession have been restored, according to new federal data.
Baltimore schools left out in the cold
Baltimore schools have been forced to return millions of dollars in maintenance funds to the state in recent years, leaving repairs to their heating systems unfinished while students shivered at their desks or missed classes during the January cold snap.
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Feature Stories
Water system science secrets revealed
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[[nid:105121; float: right; styleName:article_x_medium_auto]]How much water have you used today? If you’re the average New York City resident, the answer is about 75 gallons. For most of us, the question of where the city’s 1.1 billion gallons of fresh water comes from — and where it goes after we use it — is a mystery.
But not for the students of Christine Hunkele’s AP Environmental Science class at George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education HS in downtown Brooklyn, who got up close and personal with New York City’s water supply on a visit to the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Greenpoint on Jan. 17.
“We’re currently studying water, so this trip gives students the opportunity to see where our water comes from and how it gets cleaned,”…
‘It’s about the student’
Sloan Award winner Krishna Mahabir of Grover Cleveland HS in Queens was recognized for his outstanding work and commitment to students in mathematics and science, but he insists “teaching is an art form.”
Educators step up for their students
Hundreds of families in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, had a chance to stock up on new clothes thanks to a trio of hard-working educators at IS 220 and Primary, an online kids clothing company.
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Member Spotlight
Chapter Leader Shoutout
Kudos to Maria Belkadi, PS 212, Brooklyn
PS 212 Chapter Leader Maria Belkadi has made creative use of the School-Based Option process in the UFT-Department of Education contract to make it possible for UFT members at the school in Gravesend, Brooklyn to be more actively involved with parents and community in after-school and weekend activities
Your Rights and Benefits
Know Your Rights
Grievances
The union contract empowers us as educators to do our jobs well. It includes articles and rights whose sole aim is to ensure that we have the resources, support and structures in place so that we can do our best to educate our students. It gives us an important voice in the workplace and a mechanism for addressing problems that arise.
You Should Know
You Should Know
A dental plan for noncovered relatives of UFT members
The UFT’s Direct Access Dental Plan provides access to quality dental care at a discounted rate to UFT members’ family members not covered by the regular UFT dental plan.
Secure Your Future
Retirement security key to union membership
Anti-union reactionaries want to destroy the four pillars of our retirement security: a defined-benefit pension, Social Security, the Tax-Deferred Annuity and premium-free health insurance.
Opinions
President's Perspective
All eyes on Janus
The anti-union propaganda machine is already preparing ads for the post-Janus world urging workers to “give yourself a raise” and stop paying dues. We need to educate members to see through this ploy — you can’t get something for nothing.
VPerspective
Diploma option brings excitement, concern
With this new non-test-based diploma option, there are now five safety-net local diploma options for students with disabilities. There is reason for both excitement and concern.
Opinion
After Fariña
When Carmen Fariña stepped into the role of schools chancellor in 2014, she brought sanity back to New York City public education after 12 long years of Michael Bloomberg’s disastrous business-knows-best chancellors.
Opinion
Opinion
Good workplace habits
Given the pressure and demands on school professionals, it is useful to think holistically about your own wellness and how to maintain your energy level throughout the day. Here are some tips for cultivating healthy habits in the workplace.
Editorial Cartoons
Teaching Resources
Learning Curve
Please sit — wherever
Many teachers have been using some form of flexible seating in their classrooms for years. But some teachers have begun to take flexible seating to a whole new level by replacing most or all of the traditional furniture in their classrooms with a host of other options, including wobble seats, floor pillows, crates, lap desks and beanbags.
Research shows
Voucher students’ test scores drop
Students who participated in Louisiana’s school voucher program experienced a significant decline in their standardized reading and math test scores in the first two years, according to new research from the academic journal Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.
Teacher to Teacher
The benefits of station teaching
It’s not easy to engage students in productive and meaningful discussions in math class while still using scaffolds and differentiation. This is where station teaching can help.
Building Your Career
Building Your Career
Our classroom 'vent wall'
Creating a safe learning environment is paramount. Providing a ‘vent wall’ is among several things I establish at the beginning of the semester. I introduce ‘vent’ as a vocabulary word.
New Teacher Articles
Attaining your professional state certification
Navigating state teacher certification regulations can be confusing to veteran educators, let alone new teachers. Now is a good time to take stock of the progress you’re making toward your professional state certification.
Retired Teachers News
Are you a 50-, 60- or 70-year member?
If you have been a UFT union member for 50, 60 or 70 consecutive years, you might be eligible for the UFT 50-, 60- or 70-Year Membership and Service Award.