New York TeacherNovember 7, 2019
Latest News
UFT endorses Williams for public advocate
The UFT has endorsed incumbent Jumaane Williams for New York City public advocate in the Nov. 5 general election. The decision passed the union’s executive board on Oct. 21.
UFT wins Regents scoring grievance
An independent arbitrator has ruled in a precedent-setting decision that the Department of Education improperly denied retention rights to a teacher for Regents scoring in June on the grounds that she had not participated in scoring Regents the previous January.
Save our climate
New York City public school students were among millions who took to the streets in more than 150 countries on Sept. 20 for a climate strike, led by young people leaving their classrooms to demand action on the climate crisis that threatens their futures.
School to start later in California
California will become the first state in the United States to push back school start times to improve educational outcomes under a new law enacted on Oct. 13.
Making Strides — with a little help from friends
Florence Conlon wore a UFT Strides T-shirt over her pink sweater, and a pink bandanna was wrapped around her neck — wise choices for a chilly overcast day at Orchard Beach in the Bronx. But the most important accessory Conlon wore was the sash with one word printed on it: "Survivor."
Feature Stories
Nov. 7, 1960: Teachers strike
The newly formed United Federation of Teachers was demanding collective bargaining rights and Superintendent of Schools John Theobald’s response was that he did not bargain with his own family.
Thus, the decision was made to go on strike on Nov. 7, 1960. The risks for the UFT were high — it was a tiny union that represented just a fraction of the city’s teachers. Most school employees crossed the picket lines. At best, 5,600 teachers, school secretaries, school counselors and social workers struck; another 2,000 called in sick. David Dubinsky, the president of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, mediated a deal with Mayor Robert Wagner, and the UFT ended the strike after one day.
Noteworthy graduate: Carla Boutin-Foster, medical school dean
Carla Boutin-Foster is a world away from the 5-year-old who spoke only Creole when her parents — sights firmly set on the American dream — brought her to Brooklyn from Haiti.
Celebrating ‘an equitable education for all’
UFT members were among the thousands of educators, parents and students who turned out on Oct. 13 for a day of celebration of public schools organized by United Way of New York City.
Member Spotlight
Kudos to Tanya Pragados, PS 175, Harlem
PS 175 Chapter Leader Tanya Pragados stood her ground against her principal when she tried to unilaterally departmentalize two 3rd-grade classes without the contractually required school-based option vote.
What I do: Leandra Bates, administrative education analyst
Leandra Bates, an administrative education analyst in the Department of Education’s central Bronx office, serves as the human resources director for 34 elementary schools in the Bronx.
Around the UFT
Homework help available through Dial-A-Teacher
Do your students need help with their homework? If so, you can point them to the UFT’s award-winning Dial-A-Teacher homework help line.
UFT to form district political teams
UFT President Michael Mulgrew announced at the first Delegate Assembly of the school year on Oct. 16 that the union would like every school district to have a political action team in place to keep friends of public education in office and get adequate funding for schools.
Middle School Anti-Bullying Conference
The UFT hosted more than 300 students from 25 middle schools at its Manhattan headquarters on Oct. 22 for the UFT Middle School Division’s third annual Anti-Bullying Conference. Students and teachers attended workshops presented by the New York Police Department, Operation Respect, STOMP Out Bullying and the UFT BRAVE program.
The ‘privilege’ of diversity in NYC schools
A special buzz of energy marked the fourth annual UFT Conference on Effective Instruction for English Language Learners — ExcELLing — at union headquarters in Manhattan on Oct. 19.
'Pride and strength'
More than 1,000 UFT members marched up Fifth Avenue at the city's Labor Day Parade on Sept. 7.
Your Rights and Benefits
Know Your Benefits
UFT professional learning opportunities
The UFT offers high-quality courses and workshops designed and delivered by teachers and other educators through the UFT Teacher Center and LearnUFT and at its citywide conferences and summer institutes.
Know Your Rights
New operational issues process
Whether it’s excessive paperwork, lack of basic instructional supplies or inadequate space, when issues arise that impede our work with students and need addressing, a timely resolution is of the essence.
You Should Know
Grants, Awards & Freebies
Grants, Awards & Freebies
See our list of current opportunities for educators to receive funds and recognition for their hard work and dedication.
You Should Know
A+ courses can earn you more money
Teachers can now earn their MA+30 salary differential by taking new A+ courses designed specifically to support what teachers do every day in their classrooms. The courses are accessible and affordable.
Secure Your Future
Save for a sound retirement
Retirement can seem a long way off when you’re in your 20s, 30s or even 40s. But the decisions you make when you’re young can help ensure you have a secure retirement.
Opinions
VPerspective
Owning the evaluation process
Teacher evaluation has long been a contentious issue, but changes negotiated in the 2018 DOE-UFT contract provide an opportunity to make the observation process the partnership it was meant to be.
President's Perspective
At last, a successful strategy for class size
We’ve seen a dramatic drop in the number of oversize classes early in the school year — thanks to class-size reduction provisions negotiated as part of the 2018 Department of Education-UFT contract that were designed to get faster relief for teachers and students.
Editorials
Imagine that
Imagine Schools NYC starts where it should — in the community. Educators, parents, students and the surrounding community will craft proposals about the kind of new schools they want to see built in their neighborhoods.
Editorials
Hear them out
The UFT invited former vice president and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden to speak at Teacher Union Day on Oct. 20. In May, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who has who has since dropped out of the race, addressed the UFT Spring Education Conference.
Teaching Resources
Teacher to Teacher
Importance of getting to know your students
When I began my career as a high school social studies teacher four years ago, I knew I wanted my classroom management to be dramatically different from the “reward and punishment” style.
Learning Curve
Creating classroom ‘Harmony’
In June 2019, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza announced a major expansion of programs to address social-emotional learning across New York City public schools, which will provide every school with access to a social-emotional curriculum.
Linking to Learning
Digital storytelling has many methods, uses
Digital storytelling is a way of using technology resources to write and design a narrative and then share those stories with others.
Building Your Career
New Teacher Articles
Keep the home-school bond alive all year
Now that the school year is well underway, take some time to think about the ways you’ll keep your students’ families informed and engaged throughout the year.
Inside My Classroom
180 days of opportunities
I use my bulletin board as a way to reiterate that our students have the amazing power to grow as students and, more important, as kind people.
New Teacher Profiles
Creating a culture of respect
Anthony Chin Kee Hee, a third-year high school English teacher at the Bronx Latin School, has learned how to become an effective educator by building relationships with his students.
Retired Teachers News
Hospital Stay in Touch program provides ‘angels’ for members
More than 100 retirees who were hospitalized last year received a daily, reassuring phone call from a geriatric social worker as part of the extensive support system the union’s Retiree Social Services provides for UFT retirees across the country and their family members.
Through the Hospital Stay in Touch program, a social worker acts as an advocate on behalf of the hospitalized patient, making sure the patient’s needs are being met day by day. That advocacy continues through rehabilitation and lasts until a few days after the patient returns home safely to ensure the patient is doing well and any needed services are in place. The program also can facilitate home care after a return from the hospital.
Atlanta fits some retirees to a ‘Tea’
Atlanta retirees have their calendars marked for this year’s annual meeting scheduled for Nov. 14 at Merry Mac’s Tea Room.
Make your voice heard
Some of us feel surrounded by angry, self-proclaimed, in-your-face assertions of populous democratic rights, but too often with nary a drop to acknowledge and nurture the great tradition of enlightened democratic achievement that organized labor and its progressive political allies fought to enshrine in our social contract over the last century.
The albatross? You decide.