How can we make teacher observations less intimidating and more meaningful? In this season’s first episode of “On the Record with Michael Mulgrew,” UFT President Michael Mulgrew talks with three New York City public school educators about ways teachers can take more control over their observations. The UFT recently negotiated needed changes to the teacher evaluation process, including reducing the minimum number of observations for most teachers to two a year. But real change, Mulgrew and his guests say, will only come when we change the culture around observations – when we see observations as an opportunity to have a conversation about educational practices between two professionals.

The holidays are a time of joy — and for many, a time of stress and anxiety, too. The year 2020 has brought an array of new challenges, including how to celebrate safely during a pandemic. What is the best way to manage? With careful thought and preparation. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, Jonathan Benz, a New York City-based behavioral health professional, shares tips, strategies and scenarios to help you plan for a safe and celebratory holiday season.

In this episode of the Classroom Cafe podcast, we share tips for managing interpersonal relationships during challenging times. Join us as we talk with Krista Rizzo, a transformational life coach, motivational speaker and author who specializes in relationships. To learn more about Krista Rizzo, visit her website at Why Am I Yelling?

In this episode of “On the Record,” UFT President Michael Mulgrew joins AFT President Randi Weingarten and UFT Retired Teachers Chapter Leader Tom Murphy to discuss the role public school educators are playing in this year’s elections and how educators are sick of lip service and are demanding that their elected leaders support public education and respect the work they do.

The coronavirus pandemic has upended our lives in many ways, affecting everything from work to leisure activities. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, Christine Whelan, who teaches classes on well-being at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, shares strategies for finding your purpose, even during a pandemic. Learn what happens to you when you embrace a purpose mindset and connect to something bigger, and find out how to do that. To learn more about Christine, visit her website at www.christinewhelan.com. 

The year 2020 has been tough. The pandemic has taken a toll on our emotional well-being, whether we have suffered the loss of a loved one or we miss our normal work routines and time spent with family and friends. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, mental health speaker and best-selling author Mike Veny shares the profound mental health journey he has been on since childhood. His insights will help educators to develop tools and techniques for self-care and to support students and their families as they deal with the stresses of the pandemic. Listen in and start 2021 with an outlook that promotes emotional well-being and resilience.

In the latest episode of “On the Record,” UFT President Michael Mulgrew joins UFT Vice President for Education Mary Vaccaro and Manhattan high school teacher Dominique Cistac to talk about the challenges of remote learning. This is part of an ongoing conversation about how to improve remote learning for both students and educators.

Feelings of isolation, stress and anxiety have been heightened during the pandemic, creating the perfect storm for an increase in substance use and other addictive behaviors. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, Anthony Rizzuto of the Seafield Treatment Center on Long Island, a master social worker, alcoholism and substance abuse counselor and national speaker, will discuss how these stressors can affect you and your loved ones and how best to cope with them. He'll give you strategies for managing emotions without resorting to unhealthy coping mechanisms and explain how you can support others in these difficult times.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer joins UFT President Michael Mulgrew at a recent UFT virtual Town Hall to talk about the new administration, flipping the U.S. Senate and how to leverage this change to provide public schools the resources they need to deal with the trauma of the pandemic.

Learn tips and strategies about creating boundaries, setting routines and virtually supporting students in the remote era from Doreen Ng, the director of mental health at the UFT’s United Community Schools program, and Christopher Chin, the director of the union’s Retiree Social Services Department. In this interview with Lindsay Strickler-Levine, a licensed counselor with the union’s Member Assistance Program, Ng and Chin also discuss why finding a “win” every day is an important self-care tool.

Learn more about how the UFT Member Assistance Program is helping union members cope with the COVID-19 pandemic through individual consultations, virtual support groups and online resources at Membership Assistance Program.