Mulgrew and the UFT/Unity clones talk about the change of tone at Tweed. I pointed that the so-called change of tone is directed at union leaders at the top. Not so in the schools. (Where's the Change of Tone as Hundreds Call for Ouster of Bryant HS Principal Namita Dwarka? and here).
The principal was at first resistant to having the UFT Rep there as "witness" to the "transaction", but, even the "server" said he had never served papers in 3 years of doing it where the UFT Chair was not present- he himself seemed shocked at the attempt to do it without a union presence!... Martin Haber, teacher, John Dewey HSJohn Dewey principal Kathleen Elvin is more subtle than Bryant HS Principal Dwarka. (We've heard about Kathleen Elvin in the past - See Diane Ravitch post below.) Until Farina deals with people like her the school wars will continue even as the UFT tries to cover them up and make nice about there being peace at the top.
The more I hear about Elvin, the more she moves into my POS pool of human beings. Elvin uses humiliation as a tool.
Before you read the report below from Haber, one of the senior teachers, I want to expand on the outrage of her trying to keep these teachers from having their union rep present and the comment from the DOE official that in his 3 years of doing the work of serving 3020a papers to teachers, he had never encountered a principal who tried to deny them even this basic right.
What would motivate Katheen Elvin to function the way she has? There's a special place in Principal from Hell for people like Elvin. And don't forget her little band of assistant principals - use the comment section to name and shame them.
Dear Friends:(Also check out South Bronx expose of James Quail - a former principal and Supt in my old district 14 -
4 tenured teachers were summarily removed from their teaching assignments in the 4th period (of 8 periods) on Friday, the 13th (!), at my school, John Dewey HS in Bklyn. A guy in a Yankees cap was sitting in what once had been a Guidance Suite with rows of documents aligned across the table; these were 3020a papers, and this dude was there to serve them to my colleagues. The way it was done was, to my mind, especially brutal and humiliating, and intentionally so: everyone knows it is something sinister when the APO or one of his gopher AP's comes in mid-class to "cover" your class while you are told to report to an Administrative room; students see it, colleagues find out within minutes, and, of course, every Management Team member is already in the loop beforehand. The principal was at first resistant to having the UFT Rep there as "witness" to the "transaction", but, even the "server" said he had never served papers in 3 years of doing it where the UFT Chair was not present- he himself seemed shocked at the attempt to do it without a union presence! He also was vague at first about what he was doing and who he was, but then relented.
I am putting out this info to see if yesterday was "D Day " for any other Chapters, or just Dewey? And to see if the "process" is as bad or worse in other sites. Michael was able to at least establish that the 3020-a process leaves the weight of proof on the DOE side, since the new Eval system has not even issued its first ratings....so that was at least welcome news amid the gloom. This is another dark day at John Dewey HS, where tenured teachers continue to be scapegoated/harrassed/bullied/
profiled until they leave the school, and the system. A principal from lower regions of hell. A collection of sycophantic managers ready and willing to sell their first-born to get brownie points from her. So, a typical NYC high school of 2014!
James Quail DOE ATR Supervisor Tries to Ruin a Career)
And here is the Ravitch post from a student almost 2 years ago.
Can’t anyone volunteer to be a principal? One who actually cares about the school? Not Elvin and her inexperienced crew. Shockingly, some of the new appointed AP’s have never taught/are not teaching any classes.
A Student at John Dewey Speaks
By dianeravitch
September 21, 2012
I wrote a post about the NYC Department of Education’s determination to destroy once-esteemed John Dewey High School in Brooklyn. The post was called “The Ugly Face of Reform in New York City.”
First, they turned it into a dump for the low-performing kids rejected by their small schools and charters. Then they began systematically starving it of needed resources. As this comment shows, even the students know the score:
I am currently a student at the school. Many people don’t realize how hurt we really are, we lack so many things. Our budget is dry, insufficient equipment, low enrollment, slashed programs and classes, new inexperienced teachers replacing traditionally great ones that have been their for DECADES before I was even born! We’re turning into a typical high school. A conventional one at that, and that’s not a good thing. There’s no such thing as bands or cycles anymore. Where is the liberty we used to have of changing our schedules to fit our own needs academically? Where is the freedom of being metal detector free (even though many high schools throughout NYC are implementing metal detectors anyway) and where are all the students on the campus?
It’s exasperating. We did not deserve this. I personally try my best to make a number higher in that school, my 92 average is for the school, and for my family. Not necessarily for me. I want to turn that 62% graduation rate into a 63, and I want my classmates to want the same thing. I don’t want Dewey to be another school on the list that reads “Closed Schools Due to Poor Performance” and I certainly do not want Dewey to be restructured into small schools with a sugar coated name. I also do not want another Insideschools page that reads “This school was closed in due to poor performance.” in the header. And no, I hope the administration doesn’t win this time. They’ve closed enough schools, far too many, and this is the breaking point!
Can’t anyone volunteer to be a principal? One who actually cares about the school? Not Elvin and her inexperienced crew. Shockingly, some of the new appointed AP’s have never taught/are not teaching any classes. The DOE knows the demise of Dewey, but they’re purposefully ignoring it. And they can get away with it, like the corporate rats because the people are sheep. A herd of sheep. They would rather kiss *** than to speak up for themselves. It’s sad. This is not like me, I don’t even know how I managed to type this much. Just know this proves my anger, as a Dewey student. This will not be the end for us. Trust me, we’re in this too deep and we’ve fought too much to go down now. The DOE picked the wrong school to mess with. The worst part is that this corruption is not only happening in NYC, but also in Chicago, and other cities.
306 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 306 of 306A couple of years ago Bloomberg and Klein decided that there should be no regents week in January. Once they decided against eliminating regents week in January, somehow they "found" money to cover the costs.As a Dewey teacher, I am grateful because I do not have to worry about Elvin and her lackey assistant principals walking into my classroom and criticizing a good lesson. This week is one less week for Elvin to bully us in the classroom.
There are a number of 3020A hearings (Termination Hearings) coming up soon...Elvin and her Henchmen and Henchwomen will be demonizing teachers, with the intent matching the DOE's: to have the people thrown out of the system, no matter their "crime".Of course, its Elvin who is the criminal, and who should be put out in the gutter, where she came from. Its urgent that colleagues/retirees/students/parents who can show support for the accused make an effort to be at the Hearings. They are in lower Manhattan, usually around 10 am. Let's show solidarity with the teachers who were loved and admired and celebrated BEFORE the coming of Elvin!!!
The John Dewey High School administration should not be urging teachers to fill out the anonymous teacher survey by filling in, "strongly agree" for those questions that make the school look good. It is unethical to do so. Unfortunately, John Dewey High School is filled with unethical administrators, so this particular action is not surprising. One can only hope that teachers fill out the survey honestly. Don't allow this administration to control everything you say and do. Think for yourselves.
Due to the snowstorm today many teachers were absent in John Dewey High School. It was difficult to find substitute teachers, therefore, many teachers were given coverages. According to the Assistant Principal contract, they are supposed to teach at least one class, which we all know they do not. Instead of the Assistant Principals doing their share of helping out in an emergency, they chose to use today to do their daily menial tasks, along with observations. Once again, Elvin has no regard for how busy teachers are. Shame on this administration.
Elvin doesn't belong in a school setting anymore. Because learning is such a positive experience enhancing the lives of teachers who give and those who are there to benefit from teachers who know so much and want to give to students, it requires a special type of person to promote a positive professional learning environment. A person such as this likes teachers, knows how to gently encourage them to grow and wants them to grow and find themselves as teachers. This isn't the experience at Dewey. There is not much positive about Elvin. She's full of hatred, resentment, poor judgement, and she never stops criticizing most teachers. She sees herself as an authority on everything and her squad of AP's goes along thinking that everything they do is highly effective also. Most, with the exception of the Math AP, are disconnected from students. Elvin herself has little to do with any of the students. She's now asking that teachers offer learning lunches for the students. She sees all staff as her slaves and seems to want to deplete them of all energy. Elvin, the authority on how learning takes place, should teach a class again or stay home. Her AP's should teach classes also. Many are poor teachers themselves and definitely don't teach as well as some of the more experienced educators in the school. We're listening. Elvin is despised by young and old as well. Each new AP who shows up at the school becomes a tool of destruction for her, targeting teachers, ambushing them, reporting back to Elvin what was and was not done. Elvin will search for evidence on you in your garbage pail. The entire school knows all that she does to damage teachers. What does any of this accomplish?
For anyone who was aware of the fraudulent credit practices promoted at Dewey by Elvin and her WPrep group, it's hoped that the many,many individuals who reported this fraud to OSI, to Albany, and to the DOE will see something done about it. At this time it is still occurring. Make no mistake, those of you who set up these programs, Elvin will point a finger at you to save herself when the time comes. You know who you are.
IT'S A MADHOUSE, A MADHOUSE! As a new teacher at Dewey I am in constant fear of being rated poorly. I am in constant fear that I did not carry out the Do Now to Ms. Evin's liking. I am in constant fear that my enthusiasm for teaching will be sucked completely out of me. I am so sad and frightened.
The above three comments are right on the money. I found the comment written by the new teacher sad. Since Elvin came to Dewey she has created a "slash and burn" environment, drawing very deep boundary lines between the administration and the faculty. Think how much better the school would operate if staff and administration got along and had an honest, trusting relationship with one another.She is too disturbed to understand how she created this lose-lose situation for all, administration, staff and students. Her focus on things that have nothing at all to do with fostering true learning can be seen as nothing less than an irrational need for control ( ex. Do-Now's) and a way to give "ineffective" to lessons . If she were back in the classroom teaching, she would see that it is a waste of teacher time. The AP's in Dewey are equally dangerous to teachers. Yes, they do Elvin's nasty bidding; teachers know this and despise them as well. One in particular, Pamela Mudzingwa, who has been in Dewey for a very short time has already shown the staff how untrustworthy she is. It is interesting that Elvin kept her on when she didn't hold the proper certification to be AP of Special Ed. Mudzingwa holds a science license for grades 5-9, which means she doesn't know the science curriculum for the upper grades, and she has very little teaching experience, with none on the high school level -YET, she criticizes every single teacher that she observes. The arrogance! And she calls herself a Minister; I thought ministers were supposed spread the love, not the hatred. Don't be fooled by her insincere words. I hope the administration knows that the staff at Dewey has reached their boiling point. Enough is enough. Information is spreading to influential agencies/ offices who will hopefully hold them responsible for the downslide of Dewey in the past 3 years. If this entire administration is removed and publically shamed for the fraudulent Credit Recovery Program, for their mistreatment of teachers, specifically untenured teachers, for the constant breaking of contract rules, and for creating a hostile working environment- then we will have hit the lottery.
You are not alone in your concern. We all feel this way. I have warned my friends not to apply for teaching positions at Dewey.
I was heartened to see that the "reveal" about what Elvin has done to Dewey, and who this monstrous principal really is, continues to gather steam through EdNotes Online. The reason I suspect that new and less experienced teachers are now her main focus and target is that she has pretty much destroyed her original focus and target, which were the tenured, long-time teachers- like yours truly- at the school, so now she is going after whoever is there to replace us. There is a true psychosis and a deep meaness and sadism behind her motivations, so the Captain Queeg comparison is spot on! The fact that continues to amaze and depress me is that the UFT continues to sit back and allow her to pick off educators one by one- and now I understand she has "disciplined" and gone after the school's UFT Chair, Mike Solo, who had been one of the few remaining Dewey teachers who had been left unscathed by her even as he assumed union duties, which of course included tons of grievances (which were always defeated by her, and never won by any greivant, no matter the nature of the grievance, even at Step 2). And what was Mike's "crime"?...he made the grievious error of getting pneumonia, and very serious pneumonia, and HAD to take some time off! THIS is NOT allowed in Elvin's "Dewey-World"! In fact, the first place she went to upon arriving at the school was the Payroll Office, where she made a list of who has taken off, who has been late, etc. That was the basis of her initial "blacklisting", and she continues to use such a "list"- no matter why a teacher takes off or is late- to make her own rules, and the UFT allows her to do it! Not only do they sit back and watch, but they allow her to destroy a Chapter Leader! I blame the big shots and the "apparatchiks" of the union heavily for their listliness and backsliding and compromising-with-the-devil since Elvin launched her war on Dewey's staff, which was, as I said, immediately: Elvin has ignored due process and flaunted union rules for as long as she has been there, and has simply become more emboldened with time, seeing that no District Rep, no Special Rep, NO ONE who has the power OUTSIDE of the school has ever mounted a serious campaign to stop her in her assaults on her teaching staff, which have resulted in masses of transfers, retirements, resignations, reassignments, and a living hell for those "trapped" in her deadly clutches. Letting Elvin close the Teachers' Lounges, take away or mangle extra-curricular and long-established programs, play "musical chairs" with teachers' classrooms, and empower talentless and "kiss-up" administrators , while ignoring the students, has led to mental and physical sickness, paranoia, and, in the case of Foula karas, death. The UFT should be held accountable- the Chair and the Exec Board have been left to their own devices and are as victimized - and more so- for having the guts to take a stand against her, or simply for BEING union-active, as their colleagues. They all have been abandoned by the UFT, since Elvin arrived on "her mission" 4 years ago. At 70 years of age, Elvin shows no signs of slowing down. She is like a Duracell Battery Rabbit running on pur malevolent energy- when will she be stopped?
Every school is like a mini-village, whenever something happens word spreads quickly. So when a teacher is unfairly treated or criticized, publically admonished, given an poor observation evaluation, instructed to break the contract, given special privileges, called in for a disciplinary hearing, is being harassed, and the list goes on--this administration should know teachers are sharing this information and recording it all, including names of every AP involved. Data, data, and more data...
Whereas Principals use the school budget to meet the needs of the school, one can't help but wonder why Ms. Elvin would choose to spend Dewey's money on another administrator ( Pamela Mudzingwa ) when the position for AP of Special Education was filled. Wasn't it Ms. Elvin who kept reiterating at faculty meetings how "tight" the budget was as compared to last year? Is it possible that a summer comment on Ednotes accusing Ms. Elvin of hiring very few teachers of color and no AP's of color made her a bit concerned, since it was true. Two teachers could have been hired for the same salary that Ms. Mudzingwa earns- money much better spent. Wouldn't it have been better for the school to dust off all those instruments sitting idle and start up the music program that Ms. Elvin killed. Or perhaps, hiring two new teachers could have helped lighten the classes that have 34 students, making life just a little bit easier for teachers. Understand that Elvin puts her personal needs and vendettas before the needs of the students and staff. Every decision she makes is calculated to foster her inflated self- image, that same image she wants the outside world to view her as.
Excelllent comment about the hiring of Ms. Mudzingwa- who, in an earlier comment, wants to be called "Minister"! That in itself smacks of a lack of separation of church and state, and does not sound kosher. But a bigger issue with this supervisor that needs to be pursued is the notion that she is not licensed in Special Education, and/or Adminstration. Elvin, who I assume was the one who hired her, after the previous supervisor could no longer stand being Elvin's puppet and enforcer, should be brought to task for this hire, which does sound illegal! (And it might open up a can of worms as to how many of Elvin's consigliores are also out-of-license!!!)
It must be really horrible to sign on as a new administrator at Dewey and then come to realize what the Gorgon Medusa expects from you. Most everyone at Dewey understands why some administrators left when she made her grand entrance 3 years ago, and why others show up, suffer through her demands and stay for a year, even less, then depart. To any of the present administrators at Dewey, and we know you read this, it is possible that you all think the Gorgon is doing the right thing by teachers and students? Do you actually want to control every move a teacher makes? To those administrators who were at Dewey before the Gorgon arrived, are you happy?? Do you wish the demanding one would depart? Do you worry about what you say in front of Princess Creveling because you know she'll take it right back to Mommy?Do you ever think that all these attempts at controlling every teacher's every move will actually make the school work better? Do you think the collectible do now will raise scores on regents exams? Has it? And how about the ever present pass everyone persuasion? Do you think this is fair? And would you have wanted it in the schools your own children attend? Is it that we should all feel sorry for these children who came from homes with no books and absent parents that we should overlook their lack of desire to do well and just give them a pretend grade because society did them wrong?? Make no mistake, no one will do them any favors when they leave Dewey and all you foolish stupid administrators with no minds of your own will be at fault for sending legions of students out into the world thinking they're something they're not. That's you Chao, Webster, Creveling. That's you Orsini, di Lorenzo, Benpensata. That's you Kenney, Antonucci, Mudslingwa, AP of nothing. There is unity in other schools. Administrators and faculty work together to make life good for students and they are extremely sensitive to the support adults show for each other. You may not be looking too hard at this at Dewey, but it's an established fact now that students are aware of the divide between teachers and administrators at Dewey and they've brought it up to teachers, especially on the third floor. Why should a school be this way. Why should a school be a place in which teachers are always told they are doing it all wrong? Why should there be such a gap between teachers and administrators? Are you, the administrators, part of some coven, or demonic cult that you enjoy constantly putting the screws to teachers young and old? Is the Gorgon Elvin so powerful and right and all knowing that you never doubt her ability and thought processes or are you all shitting in your pants when you see her and you just can't think for yourselves anymore.?? You're accomplishing nothing you morons. There is so much hatred in the school. You did this Elvin. Most have never met a person as dark as you. Are the scores going up you dumb dope? Or do you just need to raise some hell to feel that you matter?
If an outsider would read the latest email Principal Elvin sent out on Tuesday, March 17 to the faculty, one would think she is such a wonderful principal, listening to the concerns and suggestions of the staff and actually trying to make improvements. Now let's "dig deeper" and critique that email. Firstly, does anyone really believe that inquiry based teacher teams really amount to greater student achievement? This is a brand new DoE idea that once again puts the onus on teachers for failing students, never mind there are a myriad of reasons as to why students are not academically successful, none of which teachers have any control over. Besides which, teachers need not share student work in order to be effective in their classrooms. A student could be weak in ELA skills but brilliant in math. What's to share? Now, let's move on to the part about building teacher leaders. What exactly is a teacher leader? A teacher who is doing the work of an AP, and then receiving special privileges for that? Why would any teacher choose to take on even more work if they are not getting something back in return? As for the hallway situation, perhaps we teachers are walking through the hallways of a different school than this administration, because we see wild, out of control students in John Dewey: running, screaming, pushing, jumping on one another, etc. Don't even try to say the hallways have improved but still need perfecting. The hallways are worse than ever. As for teachers requesting more planning time- all we seem to hear from one another is how little time teachers have, so where is this more time coming from? Principal Elvin goes on to say in her email that teachers requested teacher led PD's. This cannot be further from the truth. Any teacher who has spent countless hours working on and presenting a PD has done so because they were "asked" to by an AP, not because they wanted to. Most have been non-tenured teachers who wouldn't dare say no. Tenured teachers agree to run a PD in order to stay on the "good side" of this administration. Again, running PD's is the job of AP's, not teachers. Why not allow teachers to volunteer, without ever being approached, and let's see how many sign up for it. Along with teacher led PD's, Elvin writes about varied PD's. Well of course they should be varied, why would the school have reruns on PD"s? Lastly, the mentioning of teams planning together after school and on Saturdays--well, you don't have to be a genius to figure this one out. Many teachers can use extra money plus they are getting paid to do work they have little or no time to do in school ( 2 teachers are being paid to collaborate for their ICT class- this is supposed to be factored in to the school day- remember, the same school day that Elvin stated teachers are being given more planning time.) Why pay them then? In Elvin's screwed up mind she thinks if you feed the staff and throw some per-session money their way, then all is good. Perhaps some fall for her trickery, most don't. This email oozes with slimy manipulation.
The comment from 3/18 is so right on. The halls are really bad at Dewey, so out of control. The students run the school. Anyone who feels that it's not the case is blind. And Elvin does seems to have so much money to throw at staff. She lies. Once she said that some teachers asked if they could come in on Saturday. Yes they will because the money is there for it. But what does it mean to stay on the good side of administrators? They live to criticize teachers all the time, pointing a finger at them: "this is for you to figure out"! Does anyone remember those sign up sheets for teachers to observe administrators from last year? Because the administrators are such amazing teachers themselves. What a joke! Of course this isn't happening at this time because most of them don't teach. They do nothing useful in the building. They go after teachers because that's what the non leader wants. At a time when other schools are experiencing the union of faculty and administration in the fight against Cuomo, of course the Dewey faculty is not part of this statewide and citywide unity. We have a non leader who wouldn't know where to begin dialogue on the assault on teachers because she loves it.
Here's an interesting question: If the "Teacher's Dialogue Meetings", that Principal Elvin set up were supposed to be voluntary attendance, then why did she have Ms. DeAngelis send out a second email, instructing those who hadn't signed up to do so ASAP? Also, why was it necessary to sign an attendance sheet ( a sheet separate from the food sheet )? A good guess is that Elvin will use her original email, along with the Attendance sheet to show the Chancellor how she takes the concerns of teachers seriously and how well she collaborates with the staff. The above comment is spot on. Everything Elvin does is self-serving. To her, teachers are a dime a dozen. Has anyone noticed all of the teacher position interviews that have been conducted with Teach for America candidates this past week? Elvin's goal: get rid of the tenured teachers and stock the school with non-tenured teachers that she and the AP's can take advantage of, knowing full well they are hire-at-will employees.
THANK YOU NY POST for telling the world what we have been saying the past 2 years. Let's hope Elvin gets removed from our building.
I'm a 20 yr science veteran, five of those years an ATR. Elvin called me in to interview for a position, and when I told her I was by the book with grades....I never heard from her again.
Wonder why.
The DoE needs to look at how Dewey executed the NY State Ed guidelines for Credit Recovery. Once it does and sees the fraud the administration perpetuated for their personal advancement, then justice must be served. Principal Elvin and every assistant principal that was involved should have their licenses revoked. It would be a truly sweet justice for Emily Creveling since she did just that to a young, budding, first year teacher. I never believed in karma, but if she loses her license I will change my mind.
Another article about Elvin in the New York Post this week. Let's hope she will be gone from our school soon.
As the bad press continues to mount around Principal Elvin, one can't help but notice how her emails to the staff are written in a saccharin sweet tone. Just like saccharin, the emails are artificially sweet. My guess is that she is trying to sway the staff's negative opinion of her. A really cynical thought is she is cc'ing these emails to the Superintendent and Chancellor to show how well she gets along with us and how outwardly thankful she is of our hard work. How pathetic that she thinks any of us can't see her charade.
It was with great pleasure that the staff at John Dewey High School finally had the opportunity to watch Principal Elvin squirm. The UFT's assistant secretary, Mr. Barr, ordered Principal Elvin to explain to the staff the final ruling of the Do-Now's. And for good measure he attended each meeting to be certain she followed his directive. Principal Elvin is so accustomed to doing anything she wants, and getting away with it, that her hubris led her to believe she could ignore an arbitrator's decision. Finally, she is being held accountable. This is an example of how controlling and rigid her personality is--to have to bring in outside forces over a ridiculous Do-Now. Yesterday was probably the best day in Dewey since Elvin took over.
3 cheers for the excessive paperwork victory. Here's an idea for sensible education, are you reading this Mr. Messinger? Nix all the money you plan on spending on matching chairs ( if you think students really give a hoot about sitting on a blue, red, green, black or tan chair then it's time to get back in the classroom ) and use the funds to hire a few reading, writing and math specialists. Then target the incoming freshman who scored level 1's on the NYS exams and create meaningful remediation classes. THAT is sensible use of money. Or perhaps you can have YOUR evaluation based on how well students perform and we will make sure you teach all the lowest performing students. Listening to this administration is like living in an altered reality--you have all gone mad with your priorities!
We won a victory with excessive paperwork. Now let's win a victory with the grade changing scandal. When the DOE investigators determine that Elvin and her minions changed grades illegally, Elvin and her APs should be removed from our beloved Dewey.
Kathleen Elvin is not about sound education though she thinks she is. Most of the energy surrounding her is negative energy, stress, anger, sadness, hatred. It's almost as if she comes to Dewey each day looking to make things as bad as they can be. Look at the number of hard working people who've left the school to work in other schools in the past three years. Only a fool would say that they left because they didn't want to work hard.
Can any staff member figure out what today's Faculty Conference was about? I mean what was the hidden agenda? Ever since Elvin has been principal she has conducted every single faculty meeting like a professional development- except for today; the question is why, and how did it serve her needs? Don't be fooled into thinking she had teachers interests at heart. That's just not possible. My guess is she is trying to change our negative image of her, as if she can wipe clean the slate of the past 3 years. Fat chance. Remember- you can't change the spots on a leopard.
I am sure most of us will read the article in today's Daily News. I just hope that Farina and her investigators will properly look into this and remove Elvin and her administrators. DOE, it's time to hold them responsible.
How come it takes 15 months to investigate a principal? However, when a teacher is accused of something he or she is removed from the classroom immediately.
Reading the latest email which contained the minutes from Friday's Recommendation Committee was a bit scary. I wasn't in attendance but will be for their next " union lynching". Let's begin with the obvious; Elvin set this up. It is clear retaliation for the news stories. Next, let's look at who spearheaded this committee--Rossitza D'Agati. If Ms. D'Agati has such respect and faith in Dewey's administration then why did she request being moved from Webster/Chao House into International House? Because she was unhappy with how Webster was treating her. Once her request was granted by Elvin-well, let's connect the dots folks. The minutes were scary to read, " She thinks the union is behind the recent intense media coverage of Dewey." Really, D'Agati, you THINK? Wow, I sure hope if I ever go on trial you are not sitting in the jury box. You THINK?? Any facts? Why do you think that? Because Elvin told you to think that. Elvin has become a desperate person and is now using staff against one another. I am confident that the majority of the staff will see through this ploy. To ALL the people who are in agreement that Dewey's union does not represent them feel free to swing the door wide open and leave.
If one were to research the Daily News reporter, Juan Gonzalez, who wrote the two articles, one would learn he is well-respected in his field. He has been around a long time and has written some very powerful stuff. Now, if anyone thinks this same reporter would put his reputation and career on the line by writing a false article, then you are a fool. 99% of Dewey staff ( including me) has no idea what really goes on in our school. Logic says, Mr. Gonzalez did his homework and it is all true.
Another aspect of this tragedy that has yet to be discussed sufficiently is the division and outright hostility that it creates among faculty members. A significant number of teachers at Dewey came together to expose this educational malfeasance. However, other faculty members are outraged at the negative attention it has brought to the school. Intense tension now exists between these two opposing groups that can only develop into something even more contentious as time progresses.
Without taking sides as to whether or not it was right to blow the whistle, it should be noted that none of this would have happened had the New York City Department of Education done its job, which was to do a thorough investigation that would have concluded with a verdict. This didn't happen, even with the mounds of incontrovertible evidence that they received.
If the DOE had acted appropriately, the press may never have been informed. The changes needed at Dewey would have been made, staff and faculty would have confidence in the integrity of the institution for which they work, and the wonderful teachers who exist on both sides of this issue would have been able to work together with a new administration to set things right and offer students the education they deserve.
Amen.... I hope it's not too late for all the wrongs to be rectified and for the staff to be united....
A strange letter was put in some mailboxes today. Why not all? mailboxes? A question for the person who wrote it: How do you feel about the cheating at Dewey? . Did you know that what Juan Gonzalez said was true about the "strict limitations on credit recovery". Please read his article again. Why are you not incensed that there IS cheating at Dewey? Why don't you put your energy into finding out how the credit fraud is accomplished? Start with guidance and the AP's. They think you're wonderful now so maybe they'll let you in on their secrets.
Will the Elvin sanctioned gathering of cretins take place again this Friday? To all staff, be careful what you say to the loudmouths who attended the last assemblage. They'll be sure to make every effort to remove your license as they said that day. They don't ever mention the topic of cheating though. Those people can keep their licenses.
On the John Dewey homepage there is a random quote- shortened, it reads, " In school you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson." In school, the lesson Principal Elvin (and her administration) were taught is that continued malfeasance and unfair mistreatment of hardworking staff will eventually lead them to turn on you--now the test is whether or not this administration will continue to intimidate and harass. The second part of this quote, in life you're given a test... Elvin, your test was how well you could lead a failing school and turn it around; the lesson you should have learned is that no, you could not do what you thought you could, at least not honestly. It's a shame that you will never admit to yourself the truth most people clearly see about you- inflated sense of self, inflexible to the point of rigid ( ignoring the arbitrator's Do-Now ruling); sneaky ( using untenured teachers to do your bidding because they are afraid of being terminated ), out right lying, and so on. It's amazing how the AP's of this school will compromise their positions for you--how foolish of them. Whatever wonderful things are happening in Dewey is all in spite of you, not because of you; Dewey teachers love the school and the students. The best thing you can do for Dewey is to leave-since you and the administration have given the school a bad reputation. If you love Dewey the way you say, then leave and take the Williamsburg Prep AP's with you.
Administrators under investigation with OSI are unable to transfer to another NYCDOE school. They can't be appointed until the cases are closed. I am sure given the opportunity to leave JDHS, many of the APs would.
What a wonderful thing to have a musical production at John Dewey. The hard work of teachers is shown through the pride of the students on the stage. The administration may have its flaws, but this would have never have occurred under the former administration. I look forward to more productions in the future and bravo to Ms. Taylor.
Commenting on above: Yes, it is a wonderful thing to have a musical production and kudos to Ms. Taylor for all of her hard work. Let's look at all the other things that may not have occurred under the former administration, not just a musical production- how about, credit recovery fraud, the highest teacher ineffective ratings in NYC, morale at the lowest possible point, teachers frightened of losing their licenses, along with their ability to pay their mortgages, loss of health and pension benefits, teachers being harassed for minor infractions, the list goes on. Yes, we ought to celebrate and acknowledge positive happenings in Dewey, however, that doesn't erase the overwhelming negative atmosphere. The above writer has a lot of nerve comparing a play to the very serious situation teachers are in. Perhaps this writer would think differently if they were the target of this administrations ire.
This would never have occurred under the former administration????? Are you serious??? Do you not remember our annual Winter AND Spring concerts? Do you not remember The Dewey Beat, where the principal was the lead singer and played the guitar? Do you not remember the plays that were put on while Barry was principal? Do you not remember our Dance Ensemble? You are right about one thing. One performance a year would never have happened under the old administration. We would have had more than one performance per year!!!!
In the N.Y. Daily News today ( Saturday, May 16 ), there is an article about a DoE principal who was removed. There is hope!
The rumor regarding the Quality Review is that the John Dewey administration, specifically Principal Elvin, is unhappy with the rating. You can bet they feel Mr. Prayor judged the school unfairly and that all their hard work throughout the year went unrecognized. It's unfortunate that the hard-working staff was not recognized more, however, many staff members did enjoy the kick in the pants bestowed upon Elvin. It was her turn to get a less than optimal evaluation. Good. Now just maybe ( doubtfully), she will know how teachers feel when this administration doles out unfair observations. Let's hope the next kick in the pants is powerful enough to kick Elvin and the AP's to the moon.
The new rumor is that Elvin is being offered a superintendancy in Manhattan and she will leave Dewey in July. They are bringing a person in from the CFN network. Madeline Dilorenzo is being forced out because she changed Spanish grades. I can't believe THAT is happening.
When will the DOE finish their investigation. We have not had an article in the newspapers in nearly a month. A few more negative articles and the devil will be gone.
Still waiting for the DOE to complete its investigation. We know the devil is guilty. REMOVE HER!!!!
Since Elvin came to Dewey, many teachers have transferred or retired. Many teachers were given "ineffective" ratings, yet our graduation rate has soared. Mulgrew, do you not see the problem?
As the end of the school year is approaching, Principal Elvin seems to be amping up her intimidation tactics. When she gets stressed she gets even more vindictive ( if that's possible ). Now that the credit fraud is out in the open she can't continue giving away credits like before. Bet she is getting worried that her graduation rate won't be as high as it had been in the past two years. At a time of year when most teachers are finally relaxing a bit, Dewey teachers have to endure 2 more weeks of this administration continuing to harass them in the classroom. HELLO administration--have you figured out yet why we hate you?
WARNING to teachers! If you have a problem with a student on the 2nd floor think twice before calling a dean for support. Apparently, a 2nd floor dean (male), has on more than one occasion twisted the words of a disruptive student and turned the tables to make it appear the teacher acted inappropriately. This has led to serious allegations against teachers, causing them to prove their innocence. Why, might you ask, would a fellow colleague do such a thing? One can only guess to earn brownie points with you know who. Does it get much lower than this?
I wonder what the devil Elvin has in store for the staff on Thursday's staff development day.
Satan worship (8:15 - 9:00) Sacrificing local cats (9:00 - 9:45) Assessment and Worship (9:45 - 10:30) Do-Now training (10:30 - 11:00)
Many teachers have heard about the unprofessional behavior of this individual. We do not call for a dean unless it is an emergency. Doing so could result in unintended consequences for the teacher. It is amazing what some teachers will do for a program that includes just one teaching period. Shame on him!
Ok first of all I don't know what the recent articles are talking about. Students sat in rooms doing nothing during regents week so they could make up seat time. We all no that grades were changed because students handed in little work after classes were over and received credits. Forget about the fact that they were absent over 30 times and did not pass tests, due homework or classwork. I guess Farina does not care about students. She cares about graduation rates. Thank you D'gati for pointing out that grades were not changed. I think you need to wake up and stop kissing Elvin's but.
Ok 1 more teaching day. I wonder how many teachers will be observed by our "wonderful" administrators. Praise to Goria for pointing out the fraud that has been going on since Elvin arrived. Dagati has no clue that students grades were changed to passing grades for handing in minimal work. When will Farina and her lackeys wake up and realize that this "Easy Pass" system is going on in nearly all the high schools in NYC, including the charter schools.
What a disgrace the administration is at Dewey. Do you think the deliberate targeting of the young teacher in her classroom has no effect on students? They spoke about your actions all day and some commented that they hate you. What is Richard Webster? Is he human? What is his point, purpose, plan, or is he just programmed by Satan each morning and then walks the halls like a wind up toy full of absurd meaningless hatred and an unfounded sense of superiority. Fool that you are, fools that you all are, this hostile uncalled for treatment of certain teachers will come back to you in some way in your lives. There is something gravely wrong with Principal Elvin. Someone please explain her plan for the school, please explain how ganging up on the young teacher with the AP's Frank Benpensata, Richard Webster and Eunice Chao does anything good for the school, for the students who've witnessed this more than once, or for other teachers. The Assistant Principals Frank Benpensata, Richard Webster and Eunice Chao have no minds of their own, have no clue as to the damage they're doing, and are extremely afraid of the satanic Elvin. Elvin likes to put AP's in the position ,"Prove how afraid you are to lose your jobs and show me how far you'll go to keep the job by harassing and intimidating any teacher I choose". "Give out poor evaluations to show me how you fear me". This will come back to you Elvin. Whatever your cause is here, some ridiculous cause that has no place in a school, there is no reason to treat teachers the way you do. You're an idiot. To the AP"s who too easily fall in line and carry out every absurd order of the sick one Elvin,, Lawrence Orsini, Pamela Mudslingwa, Emily Creveling, Madeliene DiLorenzo, Eugenia Kelch, Adam Lustig, Andrew Kenney, Jon Messenger Joe Antonucci, ,do you ever ask yourself: Is this necessary? Do you ever question what you have to do? Do you ever say to yourself I don't want to do this or do you feel poorly afterwards when you go home and perhaps wish you never signed on to work with someone who is full of destructive hatred. Was is necessary for all of you to walk into the teacher's classroom to make her feel like she's nothing.? Many times over teachers have gotten that message from all of you, and isn't it just easier to say to them quietly,and not in front of students, can you please find some new place to work next year and not publicly humiliate them. Why do you like to do that? Do you feel good about it at the end of the day?
The entire Dewey staff is now aware that a certain poorly performing teacher received an "effective" rating and will probably be on his way to a new non teaching position somewhere else next year, the "effective" rating acting as a cushion for this person. Why is this plan carefully thought out for him and others are tortured and then asked to leave? We all see how things work at the school.
Can all the people who think the credit fraud didn't take place and is still not happening at Dewey contact the newspapers and let them know you have evidence concerning that? Please help Dewey and make your thoughts known, please help the school by disproving the credit fraud accusations. It's not fair to Dewey that these lies were printed. Please get your evidence out there for all to read.
Many teachers are still being approached and being asked by the administration to offer students illegal credit recovery. Some teachers have refused to comply with these requests and others, mostly untenured teachers, are being pressured to comply. Elvin will not stop these illegal practices even as the school is currently under investigation. When will this stop Chancellor Farina?
Kinda hard to do that when in fact there is a ton of evidence to show the depth of credit fraud that has become the norm here.....I'm sorry you can't understand how much of a disservice we are giving to students by allowing them to bypass actual learning and walk out of here with diplomas they didn't earn. I'm even more saddened by the fact that you think your colleagues are lying-why would they do that? There is nothing to gaiin and everything to lose, yet to turn a blind eye and allow Elvin to run this school the way she does is criminal. She and her administration deserve to be punished for turning JDHS into a learning institution that promotes fraud and lies.
Graduation day at Dewey has finally arrived. Shame on you Farina for not properly addressing the credit fraud at Dewey. Praise for the reporter for trying to ask you when an 18 month investigation will have a conclusion. Shame on you Farina for running away from the reporter. You wanted the job as as NYC Schools Chancellor, not answer the questions you avoided the past 6 months. Praise for Michael Klimetz, a well respected teacher at John Dewey High School, for telling the news about the credit fraud going on in our school. As for the teachers who do not believe what is going on, listen to this warning. If 20 out of 100 people say there is a fire, guess what. THERE IS A FIRE!!!!!! How can the teachers and other staff members not believe students have illegally gained credits? As for graduation today; what a sham it will be for many students who did not earn their diploma.
Wow! Teachers are so bitter. My son got placement to Visual and Media Arts at Dewey. We visited school yesterday, spoke with some students, and left with pretty decent impression. His average is 90 and he passed Regents exams. Should we transfer ?
Teachers aren't bitter Concerned Parent. Teachers are angry that the credit fraud that the administration insists upon hasn't been stopped, even with all the media coverage and all the attempts to bring light to this troubling practice that has been ignored and even denied by the very people who know how real it is. Teachers are concerned, because if it's "their year" to by harassed and demeaned by the administration, they know that there is nothing to do but hope they don't get ill from all the abuse, which has happened to many...Teachers are sad because there was a point when being a teacher at John Dewey High School was a honor - you were allowed to teach, to get your students involved, to be creative...but no more. Lessons are cooker cutter, timed to the minute and don't allow for anything but what is scripted. Teachers are frustrated because the turnover rate of teachers is sky high, even for the young ones, because no one can work under the horrid conditions the administration loves to impose on them. And many teachers are silenced, because there is no real communication going on with Kathleen Elvin. Her persona to the public, including you Concerned Parent, is one of openness and willingness to be a partner in the education process. The reality is she is a liar and she is a cheat and she will do whatever it takes to make herself look as the savior of education - including inflating graduation rates.
Understand Concerned Parent - there IS credit fraud going on. It's been documented and it's real. Should you send your son there? Absolutely. But there are things that you should do to ensure your child does well and earns grades that he worked for. Check his notebook or binder every night to see if he took notes - if he says he didn't that's a red flag he might not be attending classes. Make sure you have a working phone number on file with the school, as well as an email address so you can be reached if there is a problem. Make sure he passes his classes so he won't have to do a "packet" or make up "seat time". Teachers really can't fail students so make sure your son truly earns his grades if you want a true measure of his success. His teachers will be top notch and the programs are excellent - it's the administration you have to watch out for....don't let yourself be fooled.
This message is for concerned parent. As a former teacher at Dewey, I left for one reason. ELVIN. I am still teaching the same 5 classes, but in a different high school. There I have educational freedom. I teach my heart out and my students appreciate learning in the relaxed atmosphere. We are not bitter teachers, we are fed up that the administration at Dewey is getting away with credit fraud.
Now that the school year has ended and the staff at Dewey has endured a 3rd year of the "Reign of Terror", let's review the pros and cons of this Administration. If Ms. Elvin cannot be held personally responsible for every wrongdoing that has transpired since she has been Principal, then what she can be held responsible for at the very least is creating an atmosphere that led to all the discontent. The cons: #1--Switching the school from a "department" based school to a "House" based school - this has created programming chaos, discontent amongst students who may not want to be pigeon-holed in a specific House and frustration amongst teachers who no longer can meet with their departments to discuss concerns and brainstorm solutions to issues specific to their subjects. Ms. Elvin would argue that once a month the school does hold department meetings. She would have the outside world believe that, but in truth, as all Dewey teachers know, these once a month department meetings are mini PD's and department issues never get discussed. Con #2--Ms. Elvin always puts the personal before the professional; if she has a gripe with you, watch out, even if you are a dynamite teacher. Con #3--Ms. Elvin uses her puppet Assistant Principals in a myriad of ways-- to treat teachers disrespectfully (AP's have been known to enter classrooms while a teacher is conducting a lesson and reprimand a teacher publically), to give poor observation ratings, unfairly (again, personal before professional), to harass teachers the day after they return from an illness, and to request excessive, irrelevant paperwork. Con #4--Ms. Elvin makes the AP of Organization hold disciplinary hearings for teachers who were absent a certain number of days, even if they had a doctor's note and were in the hospital. This is illegal. Con #5--Ms. Elvin believes and has acted on this belief that she can make her own rules and disregard the contract. Remember when the UFT sent in the representative who walked her around to every House Meeting to make sure she communicated to the staff the arbitrator's Do Now ruling? That was done because she refused to abide by his ruling, which again, was illegal. For the longest time, Ms. Elvin was allowed to make her own rules and got away with it. Hats off to Dewey teachers who stand up to her when she breaks the contract! Con #6--Ms. Elvin, like every bad politician, spins her never ending lies to make them look like the truth. She's an expert in this. She can trick a leopard into giving her his spots. And that is exactly what she does with people who only know her peripherally. It is only those who work with her on a regular basis who have experienced how she twists the truth in order to meet her own needs, regardless of how her decisions may negatively affect many teachers and students alike. Con #7--Ms. Elvin and her Administration is 100% responsible for the high teacher turn over. This June, many teachers were lucky enough to find new schools to transfer to. Many others tried to leave, but jobs were hard to come by. Don't think the reason why those who transferred did so because they were given poor evaluations--they transferred because of the poor working conditions this Administration created. Good luck to those who "got out"--now you will be able to finally experience what teaching can really be like ( autonomy to be creative without fear of reprisal). Con #8 --please see below
This is a continuation from the Pros and Cons comment:
Con #8--Seriously egregious--Ms. Elvin and her Administration has in the past and continues to go after teacher's licenses, and if successful, will ultimately strip them of their livelihood, full pension and health benefits. If a teacher is deemed "ineffective" there are protocols to be followed in the way of supports to help boost a teacher's pedagogical effectiveness. This Administration bypasses these protocols and goes straight for the jugular. Case in point- a young, probationary teacher with only 4 months of experience was given the boot, without any real support or the chance to show pedagogical growth. Con #9--also very egregious- the Credit Recovery fraud--Ms. Elvin granting diplomas to students who did not legitimately earn them, sending those students out into the world, ill-prepared for the rigors of higher education or the work force, all for her own personal gain. How shameful. Con #10...--there is not enough space to continue. And now for the pros: this space is left blank on purpose.
OK so let me get this straight. Elvin commits credit fraud and is allowed to remain principal. 50% of the teachers receive a rating of ineffective and developing, where the city average is 8%. Many teachers are transferring or retiring prematurely. Farina, do you not see what is going on. If a teacher failed 50% of his or her teachers, you would investigate. If 50% of the teaching/administrative staff transferred or retired over the past 3 years shouldn't the UFT and Farina investigate? I guess she does not care about teachers. We are the ones who educate students. We are the ones who instill values in the students. Easy Pass hurts teachers in the classroom.
In response to above comment; Farina does not care about teachers or students, for if she did, she would put an immediate stop to the Credit Recovery fraud that Kathleen Elvin is perpetuating. The Dept of Ed is a dysfunctional bureaucracy, employing hundreds of immoral, incompetent employees who are only concerned about their own jobs, Farina being at the top of this list. High graduation statistics make the Principals of those schools look good, which in turn makes Farina look good, which in turn makes Mayor DeBlasio look good. Therefore, it is no wonder why people like Elvin get away with what she does. The dept of Ed can discredit the evidence given to the media, however, every teacher in Dewey knows the truth. The teachers who deny it are frightened for their jobs, but they too know the truth. It is politics at it's worst. Sad, but true.
Word around town is that John Dewey High School is about to have a long needed changing of the guard.
This is from an article in yesterdays Daily News, ¨Probe into John Dewey High School grade-fixing scandal completed¨ In June, Fariña said most of the allegations made by whistleblowers were false. But she would not discuss the results of the investigation Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the Education Department said any students who received credits that they did not earn would have to make up the classes. Do you really think the DOE is going to check every graduating JDHS students transcript? Do we reallyt think they will take back diplomas? Please Farina, we are smarter than that.
GOOD NEWS!!!!! ELVIN HAS BEEN REMOVED!!!!! http://nypost.com/2015/07/08/principal-behind-grade-fixing-scheme-fired/
ELVIN HAS BEEN REMOVED!!!!! http://nypost.com/2015/07/08/principal-behind-grade-fixing-scheme-fired/
Hey Dagati. Do you still trust the administration? Do you still believe that credit fraud never happenned at Dewey?
Finally, justice has been served. Today, John Dewey High School staff is celebrating. As for certain Dewey teachers (D'Agati, Carito, Pasternack, to name a few) who defended Elvin and her administration, you should be hanging your heads in shame because you defended her for your own self interests and thereby turned against your colleagues who so bravely went out on a limb to end the cheating. You will all be viewed as pariahs. Was it worth it? Where justice was not served was allowing certain AP's to dodge the bullet- Chao, Benpensata, Webster, Lustig, Werth and Orsini. Their guilt lies in carrying out Elvin's directives. It will be interesting to see how you treat staff in September with a new Principal in place. Did you learn any lessons? Did Elvin? Probably not. People as arrogant and self-righteous as you never learn lessons. But here's the big take away--be honest and treat people as you would like to be treated, and good will come back to you. Let's see if you can remember that come September.
John Dewey staff is looking forward to beginning a fresh start with a new Principal. Let's all stay positive. We're a hard-working school and can prove it.
I'll agree that Weiner, Lou Seagal particularly, were outstsbding, exemplary teachers. But, you very well know, that this is not the first scandal at the school. What do I recall of John Dewy H.S. in the 1970's? That it was an intoduction to covert racism and ethnic prefrencing. Cheating on the SAT's was huge there too; even stand-ins for students were allowed in, by the boy's Dean of Students Ed Saltzman (who was named in several lawsuits against the school) and well known to dislike Black and Hispanic students. This latest scandal/embarrassment is nothing new, at all, at John Dewey High School.
Welcome Ms Connie Hamilton to our school! We look forward to working with you with the sincere desire to return credibility to our school and bring joy back to teaching and learning!
What was Kathleen Elvin thinking when she hired Eunice Chao as an assistant principal at John Dewey High School? Her brief tenure as co-principal of the Brooklyn Ascend Charter School was anything but auspicious. It’s all there for the public to see. In the school year prior to her arrival (2011-2012), Ascend received an A on its progress report with an A in the category of student progress. After one year as co-principal (2012-2013), Ascend received a D on its progress report with an F in student progress.
So what was Elvin thinking? She certainly could not have believed that our faculty would be inspired by this woman. So could it be that Elvin simply trusted Chao to be an ally in her scheming? After all, could a failed principal have had many other alternatives?
Even before OSI rendered its report, Andrew Kenney was known to throw baby tantrums during Guidance meetings, blaming staff members of "ruining his life" because he was under investigation. So typical of a narcissistic, immature personality type- looking to shift blame rather than take responsibility for his own actions. No one ruined your life but yourself, Mr. Kenney. Time to grow up and reap what you have sown.
Clean house with all the APs. They ALL knew what was going on and not one AP did anything to stop the devel ELVIN !!! The APs followed Elvin's orders. Following orders is just what the Nazis did. Teachers stopped the illegal credit recovery by alerting the DOE. When the DOE did nothing, the teachers notified the media. That is when the investigators cared and actually investigated. The first article in the newspapers was in March, three months after the investigators came to the school to seek evidence.
Lesson Plan on the Right Way to Say Goodbye
TWAB (Teachers will be able to): Send a corrupt principal into the sunset.
Aim: How do we say goodbye to Kathleen Elvin?
Collectible Do Now: Collect your belongings and leave now! You have three minutes!
Lesson Motivation: Charges against you have been substantiated by the DOE’s Office of Special Investigations. Is that enough motivation for you to leave?
Turn and Talk: NO!!!! Do not turn and talk to anyone! Just keep your eyes pointed straight ahead and LEAVE!!!!!
Mini Lesson: Mini Lesson? You want a mini lesson? No way lady! This calls for a Big Lesson and here it is:
Never again rule by intimidation and micromanagement! Never engage in filthy malfeasance such as credit recovery fraud just to boost your reputation in the public’s eye while hundreds of students are sent off to college and careers without having developed the necessary skills. If you don’t have the talent and ethics required of a leader, then don’t try to lead!
Exit Ticket: You want an exit ticket? Okay, here's an exit ticket, a one way EZ Pass (the real EZ Pass). Take it and leave!
Lesson Assessment: She never returns!
Extra Credit: Take some of your assistant principals with you!
We all know credit fraud is rampant in the NYC high schools. Farina you should resign because you should have known about it when we informed your investigators 18 months ago. If you were a NYC police officer, you would have investigated and had an answer in a week. The police would have also thought, "hmmm maybe this is going on in other schools. I will investigate other schools as well." However, you just took credit for the increased in graduation rates.
So farina or your successor, here is how to eliminate credit fraud.
1) NO online classes.
2) No summer school, PM school or Saturday school. How will a student learn the value of failing unless they have to repeat the course for 85 days again. Let them sit in a classroom until they pass.
3) NO grade changes for makeup work. If you fail, YOU FAIL!!!!!
The principal saved you???? Any principal in America will go out his or her way to help students who need help with a college admission's office. Fried definitely would have helped you.
Richard Wester, the greatly despised assistant principal of nothing has left Dewey. I guess he saw the handwriting on the wall. We would have driven you out if you had stayed. The way that you harassed talented teachers was criminal. You also played a role in tormenting Foula Karras. You are one twisted, nasty person. Good luck in the Bronx. You will certainly need it!
Now that the 2015-16 school year is upon us Dewey High School welcomes and looks forward to working with this new Administration. We celebrate returning with Kathleen Elvin gone, along with Webster and Creveling. There may be worse Principals out there but Elvin was pretty high up the disgusting human being ladder. Any person who uses their power to control and intimidate those a rung below them, as Kathleen Elvin did, is emotionally disturbed, a true character disorder. Unfortunately, Dewey is still stuck with Assistant Principals who were guilty of the Credit Recovery fraud and loathsome behavior that Elvin demanded of them towards Dewey faculty--Larry Orsini, Frank Benpensata, Eunice Chao, and Jon Messinger. Maybe they will follow Webster and Creveling and transfer to other schools. A word of caution to them all-- work very, very hard at earning Dewey staff's respect because at this time no one trusts or respects your professional opinions. It will be very difficult to change how we feel about you.
In response to the above, let's not forget to add to the list Andrew Kenney, an Assistant Principal in Dewey who should have been fired along with Elvin.
WHY IS ANDREW KENNEY STILL AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT DEWEY!!!!!!!! HE OVERSAW THE WHOLE CREDIT RECOVERY CRIME! HOW CAN THE DOE EXPECT US TO RESPECT THIS MAN AS A SUPERVISOR? AND HE TRIED TO THROW HIS GUIDANCE COUNSELORS UNDER THE BUS! GET HIM OUT!
Richard Webster is a bully who tormented me on a daily basis. I am glad the he is no longer at Dewey. He should not be working in a school setting. Both the students and the teachers realized that there is something very wrong with this man. Returning to school this year will be a lot easier knowing that he will no longer be there to harass me.
While it is true that Kathleen Elvin was the mastermind behind the credit recovery fraud at Dewey, Andrew Kenney was the programmer that scheduled teachers and students into that fraud machine. Also extremely guilty was AP Eunice Chao. She harassed teachers who were not comfortable with what they knew was fraud. She needs to pay for her crimes, too.
So is this blog suddenly turning into a commentary on Kathleen Elvin's remaining two lieutenants? To look at them for many of us is to see Elvin herself.
Elvin's lieutenants harassed teachers constantly. Remember This Hitler's lieutenants were tried, found guilty and sentenced to prison or death. Everyone hated them. That's how the staff feels about Elvin's lieutenants. WE HATE YOU!!!! We do not trust you and never will.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!! July 9 was a great day!!!!!
July 9 should be considered the beginning of a new year and new hope for John Dewey High School. Under the current principal and her administration, teachers are happy, creative, and a million times more effective. We are not always looking over our shoulders. We aren't forced to use teaching methods that just don't work!
So does anyone at Dewey know for sure what Elvin is doing. Rumors have it that she is fighting the DOE and trying to put all of the blame on her administration and guidance counselors.
A couple of important days in JDHS history. 3/9/12 HELL DAY, the day Elvin arrived. 7/9/15 Liberation day.
So she won. I bet it isn't over though. The DOE is unhappy with the decision as are a number of teachers. Don't let it end here. Other courts are out there. We know we are right!
So she won. But it doesn't have to be over. The DOE and many of Dewey's teachers are unhappy with the decision. Let's fight on in defense of what we know is right. She can be sued in other courts. There are other places where we can take our story!
Her lawyers argued that she didn't do anything wrong since the DOE allowed the credits to stand and the students to graduate. That is why she was removed in July not April. Talk about hypocrisy. So everyone loses, the kids, the DOE and the Dewey staff.
It's not over ELVIN! It's not over! It's not over!
I never thought I'd say this. "Thank you, New York Post!"
Let us hope and pray that Elvin does not come back to Dewey. EVER!!!
Elvin was the wicked witch who was defeated by the Dewey teachers and other staff members. We had the courage, heart and brains to defeat her.
Let's hope the new chancellor stops credit fraud in all NYC high schools and has the guts to punish the principals and the assistant principals.
"Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in."
Here we go again! They couldn't let sleeping dogs lie. The New York Times publishes an anti-teacher/anti-union article in defense of Kathleen Elvin and Emily Creveling makes a "Trumpesque" statement about a culture in which it is somehow not the student's fault when they fail a class.
Emily Creveling got a job as an administrator in the Freehold NJ department of education as a special education supervisor when Elvin was clearly in her final days at Dewey. We at Dewey were moving forward and actually loving our careers again. Now she contributes to this pathetic piece of journalism written by Kate Taylor. The evidence against Elvin and was immense. A report written by the NYS and NYC Departments of Education laid it all out. The Daily News printed a copy of a student transcript which showed the whole world what Elvin and her flock were doing.
Please let it go. It isn't fair to attack Dewey's teachers or our union unjustly. And we will defend ourselves.
Happy Liberation Day !!!! Three years ago The wicked witch left Dewey FOR GOOD.
To Ms Creveling. Whose fault is it when a student does no work and is frequently absent?
The recent New York Times article in which Emily Creveling is quoted is a filthy, bold faced attack on teachers everywhere and the labor unions that represent them.
By the way, where did she wind up after she turned tail and fled from New York City?
Here is Emily Creveling's Linkdin profile. She was at Freehold Township. Now she is at The Urban Assembly, Inc.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-creveling-00b88b55
Pressure Is On To Change The Single-Test Admissions Requirement For 8 Elite NYC High Schools
“The specialized high school admissions test is neither valid nor reliable as the sole criteria to determine talent to go to a specialized environment,” Carranza alleged.
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