New York TeacherJune 2, 2016
Volume LVII, Number 10
Cover Stories
Public schools rule!
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From ice cream socials to balloons to superhero costumes, UFT members around the city found unique ways to commemorate the first citywide celebration of public schools on May 4.
“It was a great way to show our students to be proud of their education and support everyone involved,” said Colleen Kobayashi, a teacher at PS 134 in St. Albans, Queens, where students and teachers wore brightly colored socks and shoes to demonstrate that they “run crazy for education.”
“With ‘education reformers’ spending millions of dollars trying to undermine our public schools, it was important to get the word out about the incredible teaching and learning that is happening every day in…
Teacher’s Choice funds: a key to classroom success
Imagine a gymnasium with no equipment, a classroom with no books, a music studio with no instruments. That’s the reality many educators say they would face if they didn’t spend their own money to furnish their students with supplies.
Mulgrew wins another term as UFT president
UFT President Michael Mulgrew won his third term as the union’s president with 76 percent of the vote, the preliminary results showed.
Latest News
Provider Appreciation Awards and Conference
They were dressed to the nines, in satin and sequins and lace at the Provider Appreciation Awards Ceremony on May 13. The only thing that sparkled more than the outfits was their smiles when they spoke about their “kids.”
‘We’re in this together’
It was an upbeat day at the union’s annual Spring Education Conference on May 7 where UFT President Michael Mulgrew assured the more than 1,600 educators in attendance that there is “a changing dynamic in our profession.”
State ed leaders: Educators ‘part of the team’
New York State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia and Regents Chancellor Betty Rosa pledged “to make teachers part of the solution” moving forward at an education town hall at the UFT’s 2016 Spring Education Conference.
Student work, teacher tools on display
There was something for everyone in the bustling exhibit hall where conference-goers learned about the wide-ranging student projects and programs underway in career and technical education high schools citywide.
Top honor for Food Bank
The Food Bank for New York City, which each year helps feed more than a million New Yorkers — including thousands of children — was this year’s recipient of the UFT’s John Dewey Award.
More in News Stories
Feature Stories
Job protections and security... a reason to be Union Loud and Proud
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If I didn't have a union, I wouldn't be working today.
I became a paraprofessional because I just love helping people. Then I came to work one day and all of a sudden got a call to come down to the office. They told me I had to leave the school premises immediately. Then I found out there were accusations that I had touched students.
I was shocked, dumbfounded and angry at the same time. I was getting blamed for something I would never do.
I was suspended without pay while there was an investigation. The investigator found that the kids were lying. But my principal went ahead with termination.
I filed a grievance to get my job back. Michael Herron in the UFT’s Grievance Department listened to me. He knew I didn’t do anything wrong, and I trusted him. I felt like he was going to bat for me and that’s why I stuck…
History in living color
'Hamilton showed us that history is not all about when someone was born and when they died,' said student Kerryann Moreno, whose U.S. history class attended a free matinee performance of the Broadway powerhouse. 'There’s always a story behind it.'
Flying solo
The first and only SOLE lab in North America launched in October 2014 at PS 197 in Harlem, where each class goes once a week to the lab in six-week cycles. In the lab, students gather in groups to answer a guiding question of their choice under researcher Natalia Arredondo’s supervision.
Around the UFT
Better Speech and Hearing Month Celebration
Brightly colored balloons floated above tables set with placemats depicting students’ winning artwork at the UFT Speech Improvement Chapter’s 10th Annual Better Speech and Hearing Month Celebration on May 19 at UFT headquarters.
Muffins with Mommies
Four 1st-grade teachers at PS/IS 192 in Borough Park opened their hearts and their wallets to create a moving Mother’s Day party for their 94 students and the superhero woman in each of their lives.
Joining the Verizon picket line
UFT members joined the picket lines outside Verizon Wireless stores on May 20 in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn in support of striking Verizon workers.
District 75 paraprofessionals honored
District 75 paraprofessionals with 30 or more years of service left a UFT celebration in their honor satisfied that their life's work had not gone unnoticed.
Coney Island Hospital student professional development day
There’s more to hospital operations than meets the eye. Just ask the 4th- and 5th-graders from PS 100 in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, who toured Coney Island Hospital on May 12 as part of a professional development day for students.
You Should Know
Secure Your Future
A proposal to enhance retirement security for all Americans
Thanks to the strength of the union and its negotiating power, the salaries of UFT members employed by the DOE have regularly increased. When they retire, members receive a defined-benefit pension, employer-provided health insurance that eventually supplements Medicare and, for most members, income from a Tax-Deferred Annuity.
You Should Know
Power to the patient: Online scheduling
The newly enhanced New York City Health Benefits Program makes finding a doctor and booking an appointment as easy as 1-2-click for DOE-employed UFT members covered by GHI CBP or HIP HMO plans.
Opinions
President's Perspective
PROSE and teacher empowerment
PROSE exemplifies what the UFT has always sought for the teaching profession: collaboration, greater teacher voice in how teaching and learning is accomplished, opportunities for professional growth.
VPerspective
STEAM subjects and early learners
Did you know that elementary education is actually the ideal time to introduce students to STEM?
Opinion
Raising ELL
English language learners have specific needs and variable levels of mastery of their home language and English, but they have not always been given priority in the classroom.
Opinion
Verizon vs. its workers
The Verizon standoff demonstrated how important it is for unions to take a stand for justice and fair play for their members — and for the rest of the labor movement to support them when they do.
Editorial Cartoons
Teaching Resources
Teacher to Teacher
Strategies for teaching ELLs
Supporting English language learners in your classroom is no simple task. Here is a list of strategies you can implement right away.
Building Your Career
Building Your Career
Creating significant goals
This is my first year teaching. My students and I decided to focus on creating one significant goal to reach in math.
New Teacher Diaries
Why art and music are essential
Art and music are the things we make when we want to tell the world that we are people. And expressing our humanity through music and art is what makes everything else worth it.
Retired Teachers News
Termination pay: Have you moved?
If you have moved since you retired, you must update your address with the Department of Education.
If you need to update your address and phone number you must call the DOE directly at its Human Resources Department (HR Connect) at 1-718-935-4000. No documentation is necessary. All address and phone number changes are done by phone only.
You must also notify your school secretary in the last payroll school in which you worked. Termination checks are forwarded to your last payroll school.
The courts: Friend or foe?
Think of the Supreme Court appointments the next president will have to make as you contemplate the November general election. The present stalemate in the Senate over President Obama’s court appointment is no accident. There is a lot at stake including the very lifeblood of union survival and of voting access.