New York TeacherFebruary 6, 2014
Volume LV, Number 7
Cover Stories
All the school’s a stage
On a frigid Friday morning, a massive snowball fight is taking place at PS 212 in Gravesend, Brooklyn. Theater teacher Beatriz Cordoba, her eyes sparkling with mischief, crouches down and then, with a yell, springs forward toward a trio of girls who are shrieking with delight.
The combatants are safely inside the auditorium, and the snowballs are pantomimed. But you’d never know it from the way the room full of kindergartners responds to Cordoba, who commands attention despite her petite frame. She quickly settles the giggling students by calmly encouraging them to “smell a rose” (breathe in) and “blow a candle” (breathe out).
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Cordoba, who has an MFA in theater directing and a teaching license in theater education, officially teaches theater. But with an eclectic background in art, dance, music, theater and stage combat, she combines all her expertise into a unique program she has dubbed “dramarts.”
Hold the tests, give us curriculum
New York State should put a moratorium on its use of Common Core test results until the state and city have made high-quality curricula available and teachers have been trained in how to use it, UFT President Michael Mulgrew testified to state lawmakers on Jan. 28.
The distortion machine
Richard Berman, a public relations executive with a history of helping corporations bash the labor movement, has unleashed a campaign to smear the American Federation of Teachers and its president, Randi Weingarten.
Latest News
Delegates: Put lab specialist in every school
In the wake of a recent lab accident at a Manhattan high school, UFT delegates overwhelmingly approved a resolution to call on the Department of Education to put a lab specialist in every secondary school and to ensure that every science teacher has safety training.
Union aims for contract by end of June
UFT President Michael Mulgrew told the Delegate Assembly this month that the union hopes to have a new contract by the end of the school year.
Federation of Nurses/UFT wins no-giveback contract from VNS
Members of the Federation of Nurses/UFT on Jan. 30 overwhelmingly ratified a two-year contract with the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. The home health care agency agreed to a contract that preserves the nurses’ existing health care and pension benefits.
Public-sector union membership falls
Layoffs of public-sector workers combined with political attacks that have undermined their collective-bargaining rights have reduced the overall number of unionized public employees by 118,000.
Minnesota Orchestra lockout ends after 15 months
After a 15-month lockout, the musicians and management of the Minnesota Orchestra announced on Jan. 14 that they have reached a new three-year contract agreement, bringing to a close the longest labor dispute in the history of American classical music.
More in News Stories
Feature Stories
Author! Author!
For the customers browsing the bookstore shelves in Bay Terrace on Jan. 16, it had all the hallmarks of a literary event: a store sign welcoming the writers, a podium with a microphone and attentive audience members clutching their newly purchased books. But the bookstore patrons weren’t there to meet just any authors: They were recognizing the work of 3rd-graders from PS 117 in Briarwood, Queens.
Like many classes that hold a writer’s workshop as part of their curriculum, Sue Kissin and Shari Kotler’s students conclude each writing unit with a celebration of their “published” work — pieces that students have moved diligently through each stage of the writing process. Usually, this celebration takes place inside the classroom. But once a year — thanks to the inspiration of PS 117’s retired literacy coach Judi Kugel — the festivities move to Barnes & Noble, where students first get a chance to shop for books and then read their work aloud for t…
Noteworthy graduates: Liza Miller Davis, archaeologist
From an early age, Liza Miller Davis, now an archeologist for New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, loved and excelled in math and science in an era when that was unusual for girls. Her public school teachers not only supported her academic interests, but helped her take the next step in her education.
Everyone needs to buy in
In the second of a series of blog posts for edwize, Patrick Nau, a teacher at PS 369 in the Bronx, reflects upon his training with the Institute for Understanding Behavior and how he will apply what he has learned to his classroom and school.
More in Feature Stories
Around the UFT
Lunar New Year celebration at PS 203, Queens
With colorful costumes and poised performances, students at PS 203 in Oakland Gardens, Queens, welcomed in the Year of the Horse at the school’s annual Lunar New Year celebration on Jan. 24.
Institute for Understanding Behavior meeting on Staten Island
More than 100 staff members of PS 45 in Staten Island attended a meeting on Jan. 27 with the staff of the Institute for Understanding Behavior, a consortium of the New York City Department of Education and the UFT.
UFT helps family child care providers seek national accreditation
Teachers have long had a set of national standards that they can meet to demonstrate expertise in their profession, and now family child care providers do, too.
Meet the President gathering
UFT President Michael Mulgrew met with close to 200 occupational and physical therapist members of the union at a Meet the President event.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day events
UFT officials and members joined with elected officials and local clergy in the annual celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Convent Avenue Baptist Church, in Harlem.
You Should Know
You Should Know
Online application for maternity and health-related leaves of absence
Non-supervisory educators (teachers, guidance counselors, school secretaries, social workers and psychologists) are now required to use the Self-Service Online Leave Application System (SOLAS) to apply for maternity leaves, restoration of health leaves and health sabbatical leaves, in addition to the non-medical leave types that were previously available in SOLAS.
You Should Know
Olympics-themed lesson plans and activities
Visit the AFT-sponsored Share My Lesson website for free lesson plans, activities and classroom materials using the Winter Olympics as a theme.
You Should Know
Scholarships available from AFT
The Robert G. Porter Scholars Program offers four four-year, $8,000 post-secondary scholarships to high school seniors who are dependents of AFT members, as well as 10 one-time $1,000 grants to AFT members.
Secure Your Future
Tools for financial security
Tips for financial security inlcude using your TRS annual benefits statement for retirement planning, making sure you have enough insurance and taking advantage of free credit reports to check for errors or identity theft.
Opinions
President's Perspective
A time for change
We’ve got plenty to be angry about. Our challenge is to harness our anger and channel it in a productive direction as we fight for the changes we need.
VPerspective
Time is ripe to transform our middle schools
The UFT's new vice president for middle schools introduces himself, describes his passion teaching middle school and says there is an opportunity now in the city to transform middle school education.
Opinion
Inequality and you
You know how college costs today seem nearly out of reach for all but the most affluent families? How so many families now are under financial stress and struggling to pay their bills, despite holding down jobs and working hard? How housing prices in New York City keep climbing faster than wages, forcing more families to move farther out or to the suburbs? That is income inequality at work.
Opinion
A strike averted
More than 1,800 UFT members were poised to strike recently. But the nurses with the Visiting Nurse Service of New York averted a strike and won an agreement that preserves their pensions and healthcare and gives them a raise. They won by standing in solidarity as a union.
Editorial Cartoons
Teaching Resources
Linking to Learning
Open-source software for educators
Tired of the expense and ever-present logos of commercial software? “Open source” software is a good option to consider, whether you’re looking for an alternative to Microsoft Office or a cheap photo-editing tool.
Research shows
Not all poor schools are created equal
New York City compares the performance of schools with similar levels of student poverty. But new research says this is a flawed method for comparing schools. A school’s performance is affected less by how many students are poor than by how many face certain risk factors associated with poverty, the study finds.
Teacher to Teacher
Using annotation to read difficult texts
I’ve been working with struggling readers to use annotation as a method for reading difficult texts. I encourage students to slow down and annotate what they understand while reading.
Building Your Career
Building Your Career
New Teacher Articles
Don’t look now, but it’s time for pre-spring cleaning
With the school year at its halfway point, now can be a good time to take stock of your classroom and do a little pre-spring cleaning. Here are some of the best tips from seasoned teachers about keeping your classroom organized.
Retired Teachers News
Reporting TRS distributions on your local income tax
If you received one or more of the distributions listed below during 2013, you are required to report the total gross amount of the distribution on line 16a and the taxable amount of the distribution on line 16b on your 2013 federal income tax form 1040.
Dealing with the forces against us
Considering our collective world view as teacher unionists from a progressive viewpoint, it is timely early in the year to try to make sense of the forces arrayed against us and the baffling logic that motivates them.