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Recharge this summer
Everyone can benefit from a vacation during the summer months. Allowing yourself to take a true break also gives you the opportunity to cultivate new interests, catch up on reading, exercise (maybe even try a new form), painting, gardening or...
Addressing racial inequality
The historic uprising for Black lives in the summer of 2020 sparked educators at Brooklyn’s New Utrecht HS to launch an Equity Team to tackle racial inequality.
Middle School Scavenger Hunt
UFT members, along with their families and friends, raced against the clock on the coldest day of the year to find the answers to these questions and others at the first-ever UFT Middle School Division’s Secrets of Grand Central Scavenger Hunt on Feb...
Preventing burnout
Most of us have stressful jobs with long hours and a range of challenges, and we may experience burnout as a result. Here are some signs of burnout and ways to address it.
Retirees stand up for workers
The Labor Solidarity Project connects RTC members with opportunities to support the labor movement as a whole. Members boost unionized workers' spirits, showing up on the picket lines in support of unionized workers as varied as those for theater...
Managing stress
April is National Stress Prevention Month. Learn ways to manage stress that can benefit you all year round. You may not be able to fully eradicate stress from your life, but you can lessen it.
Switching schools
The Department of Education’s Open Market Transfer System gives UFT members the opportunity to transfer to a different school.
Organizing for a fair contract
Schools across the city led by Contract Action Team (CAT) members joined together during the week of Jan. 30 to hold contract teach-ins that both informed and activated our membership on a whole new level.
Battle to preserve premium-free health care
UFT President Michael Mulgrew warned at the Oct. 12 Delegate Assembly that the UFT and its fellow unions are entering a fierce battle to protect their premium-free health care.
Fostering fellowship on the fairway
Retiree Ann Mackey founded the Coastal New Jersey Chapter of the LPGA Amateurs, the recreational amateur arm of the Ladies Professional Golf Association, fostering fellowship on the fairway and empowering women, one golf swing at a time.
Kindness, the cure that costs nothing
“Be kind, rewind” is a slogan that disappeared with VHS tapes, but it succinctly illustrates the basic elements of kindness: Even a small, seemingly trivial act can make life a little better for someone you don’t know.
Still fighting the good fight
The UFT’s Retired Teachers Chapter hosted a celebratory luncheon on March 6 to recognize 68 educators who have been union members for 50, 60 or more years.
Summer thrills
Running through a sprinkler on a hot day. The taste of corn fresh from the grill. Swimming in a river, lake, ocean or pool. These are but a few of the joys of summer. Make sure to be in the moment and savor the simple pleasures of these long, bright...
Stitching together the pieces in retirement
Louise Naples, a retired school secretary, has become an avid quilter in retirement. Her quilts were recently on display at The Center, a communal gathering space at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens, Queens.
Soak up the sun safely
Days are longer and the sun’s rays don’t only help flowers bloom — they also have a way of making us feel happier and more energized. So embrace your inner sun worshipper and enjoy the benefits of the season.
Teaching financial literacy
Financial literacy is a foundational life skill, yet too many young people reach adulthood without it. Here are several comprehensive, nonpartisan resources teachers can trust.
Raising our voices for special education
UFT Vice President for Special Education MaryJo Ginese writes that our special education teachers, paraprofessionals and related service providers do incredible work supporting children with IEPs, but the DOE too often has not fulfilled its part.
Some advice for handling challenging situations
As a new teacher, you are bound to encounter situations with students that are challenging to navigate. If you find yourself in one of the following situations, here is some guidance for making a plan of action.
Become politically active
All teachers, even brand-new ones, have a stake in political matters. Consider the ways in which you might deepen your engagement with issues outside the classroom that matter to public school educators.
Working relationships with colleagues are vital
Whether you co-teach on a regular basis or sit on the same grade or subject team as other educators, you have a host of colleagues who can be your allies and support network.
Hard times put benefits at risk
Far right legislators see raising the debt ceiling as an opportunity to push an ideological agenda that could advance their cause.
Bronx school just says no
A coalition of parents and teachers at PS 28 in the Mount Hope section of the Bronx, drawing on the expertise of UFT organizer Betty Zohar, formed in December to prod the police and local officials to clean up the school's entrance, where drug users...
‘A shining light’
PS 20 in Flushing, Queens, paid tribute to beloved physical education teacher Scott Brower, 42, who died March 20 after being struck by a speeding motorcyclist on Long Island.
Harvest new beginnings
With the shift from summer to fall, now is the time to reap the benefits of a likely change in routine, to make decisions about what’s really important — and to develop whatever new habits you’ve been meaning to.
Mulgrew shares post-election outlook
UFT President Michael Mulgrew predicted that the Trump administration will attack unions and public education.
Mapping out a path to learning
The latest online mapping tools can do much more than get us from point A to B. With features such as data collection and media integration, online maps can be used in the classroom to take student activities in completely new directions.
Getting in SHIP-shape will cover out-of-pocket costs
For $120 a year, UFT retirees who are members of the Retired Teachers Chapter can obtain supplemental benefits that reimburse them for some out-of-pocket expenses, including ambulance rides, dental work, hearing aids and private-duty nursing.
The importance of being ‘seen’
Educators' extra efforts working collaboratively and leading their students at Francis Lewis HS in Queens paid off with an extra special Black History Month celebration featuring a number of high-profile speakers, including film director Malcolm Lee...
Tech tools to bring the arts to class
While technology tools cannot and should not replace hands-on art making, these digital resources can be used to bring the arts, which may be otherwise lacking in your students’ school day, into your curriculum in meaningful ways.
HERstory celebration
About 175 members and guests attended this year's HERstory brunch in celebration of women’s role in the UFT and the broader labor movement.
Transit programs
If you travel to work by public transportation, you can save money by taking part in the City of New York Commuter Benefits Program, which enables you enables you to pay for allowable commuting costs in the city and the tri-state area with tax-free...
Nature journaling brings science to life
Nature journaling not only boosts students’ attention, sense of well-being and joy, but also strengthens their scientific, mathematical and critical-thinking skills.
Embracing abundance
November can be a time of joy, generosity and togetherness. Yet it can also arrive bundled with stress, comparison and a sense of lack — whether financial, emotional or social. Cultivating abundance thinking and gratitude can transform not only how...
UFT Teacher Centers are friends indeed
UFT Vice President Mary Vaccaro writes that Teacher Center specialists with extensive teaching and coaching expertise in New York City public schools offer support, professional development, collegial advice and access to resources and materials that...
Why I am an avid reader
UFT Vice President for Academic High Schools Janella Hinds encourages high school educators to continue to expand their own knowledge base through reading a variety of texts. Being an avid reader, she writes, helps educators better guide their...
We’re your home for professional learning
UFT Vice President for Education Mary Vaccaro writes that the UFT Teacher Center has been a leader in providing New York City public school educators with high-quality professional learning for more than 40 years. The program recently has begun...