More Bitch Face, DO NADA, and Unity Defender

Recently we have been chronicling events at a Bronx elementary where chapter leader blogger Proof of Life fended off a multifaceted attack by the principal while the UFT sat silent in spite of the outrages, fueling suspicion there was some connection between the UFT and the principal, who has fondly become known in these parts as "Bitchface." This goes further than an election as BF and her agents attempted to trump up incidents that would land PoL in the rubber room. The UFT refused to get involved. Our first two posts

When a Chapter Leader Stands Up to the Principal...
Unity Hack Attack on Chapter Leader

led to comments from a UFT apologist, known in these parts as Unity Hack, which criticized Pol for calling the principal Bitchface on her blog.

This comment came in defending PoL:

You know you hit a nerve when a unity hack responds in that manner. Did you notice the telltale attempt at misdirection by faux concern over the principal's bitchface label as opposed to the real and documented harassment of a chapter leader? When will UFT start defending the CLs who are actually confronting principals?

PoL won the election by 30 votes but the UFT threw it out on the most extreme technicalities (if this was a Unity Caucus chapter leader this never would have been a redo), giving Bitchface and her disciples another shot at PoL, who won the 2nd time, though not by as large a margin. The attempt to break PoL's spirit has not worked and will not work.


Some of PoL's supporters at the school have been in touch.

I admire this CL. In fact, I am a former employee of POL's school and Bitch Face is a rather kind name for her! Way to go POL!

Another colleague talks about DO NADA, the principal's chief provocateur.

I'm a teacher at this school and I must say that POL is correct in what she writes. I understand that her use of language may be questionable but that is the purpose of a blog, to yell, scream, praise, pray, curse, love all through text.

Her frustrations are valid. The principal chooses each year people she places on a "shit list" as I call it (please excuse the language). The DO NADA lady I know from personal experience does not teach. She reads a newspaper during class, arrives up to two hours late to school and leaves up to an hour early almost every other day. She is never on the absent list even though she IS INDEED ABSENT. Sucks for people like me who have to be absent for a reason and calls in.

DO NADA actually pulled a stunt years ago where she caused the disruption of a training session to yell at me, in front of the principal, and the principal tells me to let it go. NO write ups, No reports. Our school is so CORRUPT with this principal and certain teachers she has working as an informant, it is absolutely out of control. You probably ask why no one notices this.

Maybe it's because the school is kept so clean, so presentable, the teachers are amazing and actually make up for lack of leadership. We make HER look good. She has given visitors tickets to Broadway shows as gifts, catering, etc...why would anyone who visits complain? We work so hard for the children, not her. That is why this school runs well. Most children believe the assistant principal is the principal.

Our CL is strong and determined to keep our staff united but the principal has [created] an unrepairable rift that has divided this once, close-knit family. It's a shame we have to see this happen. I pray for the day someone sees the cover-ups. The kids with knives in the schools who are not reported, attacks on teachers which again are not reported, the principal who buys everyone off in the region with her connections, especially with the aide of the teachers she uses for their political connections. It's disgusting. Please forgive the errors and language at times but I'm writing as a form of expressing my frustration, not a formal paper.

Related:
What is happening with the chapter election at New Utrecht HS in Brooklyn that has caused Unity Caucus people to call Ed Notes asking for assistance? Reports to follow soon.

Another Unity Caucus member under attack by the principal also called Ed Notes for help.

Some interesting results coming in from chapter leader and delegate elections. Unity better hustle people into the caucus before the rabbits start jumping out of the hat.

Note: There has been a lot of immature name calling on the original posts that has taken away from the discussion. The irrelevant comments on both sides will be deleted.

When a Chapter Leader Stands Up to the Principal...

...don't expect the UFT to be on your side

Remember that ICE resolution to support chapter leaders at the last DA that Randi stole and rewrote? (Read our report here.) Just more foil dropped from the UFT PR operation to hide where the real bombs lie.

We've seen it time and again. How the UFT will support a principal flunky over a stand-up CL who doesn't suck at the Unity Caucus line. And when the PP's (principal pawns) are politically connected to Unity, it's no holds barred. Oh, and they all seem to end up with do-nothing jobs.
I been there, done that as my district was Unity controlled, with most of the principals being former Unity chapter leaders. Nothing like having the administration and the union gang up on you to train you in survival techniques. By the end of my career I could withstand Ebola virus.

I've been getting reports from chapter leader/blogger Proof of life on her reelection campaign. In the fall she was worried about winning against a principal flunky out to undermine her. I think strong, gutsy CLs often underestimate the level of support they have because people are often silently cheering them on. She won the first election by 30 votes 70% of the vote.

The principal and her gang complained on a really dumb technicality. The UFT made them do it again, despite the fact that such overhwelming victories make do-overs senseless. But when you have a dog in the race...

Not the first time the UFT has backed a principal and undermined a chapter leader (for fun, go back up and read Randi's tin foil DA reso protecting CLs.) POL won the second round, also by a wide margin, despite the principal calling people into her office telling them how to vote with over.

At times POL gets a bit down, but I want POL in the foxhole with me anytime. Drop by her blog and give her some love. Proof of life's report with some hilarious excerpts.

I won the second election which was conducted by the UFT. The bitch face principal had her pawns lined up against me. First, they say I cheated because I didn't put the yellow Notice of Elections in every one's mailbox. The form provided by the UFT states something to the effect, "you can use this or any other form". My form was to follow all instructions to the T except to use the yellow form. My form was to announce at least a dozen times I planned to run against PAWN 1.

Anyway, I am well aware the UFT is not my friend. They have direct personal ties to Pawn 1, and I am sure they encouraged him to continue his run. I won the first election 20 votes to 50. Pretty big margin.

When principal's pawns were able to convince the UFT in letters to the Borough office that my election was not on the "up and up " things began to turn from ugly to ridiculous to the surreal to the absurd.

Crazy DO NADA teacher spent hundreds of dollars on professional huge posters. I mean professional. I only put up four homemade signs with my name. It didn't matter because each time I put one of my humble fliers up it was ripped down. DO NADA has plenty of money, seeing how she "works" per session everyday, but no one knows what she does. As a matter of fact, she must have a very special job that allows her to work from home because she is never in the building.

A few weeks before the first election, DO NADA was taken to the hospital. According to her I had "super imposed" my body on hers. She also claimed I went up to her with clenched fists and an angry face and threatened her. She was whisked away in an ambulance because I gave her an anxiety attack. In reality I did pass DO NADA in the hall and said to her, " have a good weekend" ( kill them with kindness). Thus the first attempt to get me in the rubber room.

That investigation fell through as DO NADA had no witnesses and I had two teachers who said they saw me say something to do nada and then do nada started screaming. Who is the drama queen?? The UFT did try to intercede at this point. They requested a mediation between NADA and myself. This never came to pass as Bitch Face would not allow NADA to go to the UFT office.

The next move was really a hum -dinger. DO NADA's husband was allowed in the building to tail me. Yes, to shadow me around the building. He does not work for the DOE. Why was he allowed to do this?? HARASSMENT! YES, that's right. I asked Bitch Face if it was "bring your husband to work day." I was wondering if I could bring some of my motor cycle dudes from the old days.

Skip to tactic 104, random number for random acts of stupidity. DO NADA's hubby decides to use the the DOE email to send out propaganda against me. Although he put every ones name on a list serve he was stupid enough to have his email address at the top of the campaign flier.

I was labeled a buffoon who postures. Maybe this couple from hell took the same creative writing class. Needless to say, my friends in the building gave me the email and several went to the administration to complain. No one wanted that shit in their DOE email accounts. When I approached Bitch Face with the email she said she was unaware of it. Of course she was unaware of it. Only ten people went to her with the email. In one final last ditch attempt to get some help I wrote a letter to Randi.

I explained the entire situation to her. She was quick to write me back and tell me she would come to the school asap. This email was intercepted by the Bronx office and they assured Randi that they were on it. Funny, I didn't feel like they "were on it".

I was assigned a lawyer and OSI was called. It is not legal to use the DOE accounts for personal propaganda. This is where things get fuzzy because once again all has come to a complete stand still and DO NADA has a new tactic. OSI did come and did question staff members concerning the email. The staff was eager to speak although I warned them they were allowed to have UFT representation. I could not represent them because that would be a conflict of interest. My step two grievance against Bitch Face for interfering with UFT business was also halted when BF claimed she didn't receive the documentation. I have teacher witness statements from former teachers (at the school) which state she had told them on numerous occasions to stay away from me. Nice concept. Pay union dues, but do not reap the benefits of union assistance. The hearing officer adjourned the grievance until liar liar was able to attain the documents. The documents have thus been faxed to her and yet my grievance is at a stand still. No more OSI. NO more nada.

I happened to walk past DO NADA's CTT class. I went in and greeted the students as I often do when I walk into a class room. Force of habit I guess, because I am a teacher after all. I told newbie teacher the SLT meeting was over, and to expect Do Nada back. Normally Do NADA takes the entire day when she has a SLT meeting. After all it takes hours to type up the principals agenda. We call this democracy?? Little did I know the best was yet to come.

I continued on my merry way to coverage. Newbie runs into the room to report that DO NADA has taken the children to the guidance counselor after she has coached them to say I walked into the class and verbally abused them!! I walk to BF's office and who is there? None other than DO NADA. She walks out as I enter. I ask BF is she is aware that Do Nada has taken children to counselor to interrogate them. Of course she responds, " I am unaware of this I will check into it."

I ask BF "is it not enough you have divided the staff, now you are allowing the students to be used?" I called the UFT and told them what is going on. I asked for a follow up on my grievance. Does this BF have that much political power that she can stop the ball of justice from bouncing? Or is she so "in" with the leadership of the Bronx Borough UFT that I am without a doubt fighting a battle on all sides? Time to call in.

Proof Of Life plans to have me over to speak to the staff one day. Maybe the UFT can call for a thrid election before it's too late.

Teachers Unite Chapter Leader Support

I'm on the road this week. I'm up in Manchester, NH at FIRST HQ for a robotics conference this week so blogging may be sketchy. Certainly, no graphics.

Monday night was a busy one. There was lots of stuff going on at the PEP meeting at Stuyvesant HS with the anti-mayoral control parent group and others on military recruitment.

I couldn't make it because Teachers Unite was holding its prospective chapter leader training session. Michael Fiorillo (ICE), Megan Behrent (TJC) and I were the old hands answering a wealth of questions from people thinking of running either for CL or Delegate.

If you are running or thinking of running for chapter leader or are involved in supporting a candidate in your school, the discussion was very valuable. We hope to continue meeting and eventually form a meaningful support group for chapter leaders that will be able to link the role of union leader at the school level with the broader issues facing teachers.

There was a lot of meat on the table to chew on and I will try to report on some of it when I get a chance this week to follow up.

Here is one item that came up:

The type of support CLs get from the union varies. The key person is the District Rep. Since Randi killed elections (they used to be elected by the CLs in the district) they are more beholden to the leadership than to the members. But I maintain they were never all that beholden in the first place since they were all in the ruling Unity Caucus, which runs the union as a one party system.

The DR is like an overseer, watching for signs of dissonance. They keep CL from wandering off the reservation. CLs feel very beholden to the DR as they are the major conduit to the UFT and even friends of Ed Notes and ICE often feel wary of handing out our literature. ("My DR will rip me a new a-hole if I pass this out was one comment.")

Monthly District meetings of CL are always well attended, way more than Delegate Assemblies. There the DR passes out the word of what the union needs them to do. You see, the union views CLs as their employees and gophers even though they are chosen by their staffs. Thus, these meetings are filled with "Do Nows" and very few DRs hold full discussions and brainstorming sessions for CLs to help each other with their issues and coordinate a multi-school strategy. The goal is to keep them all isolated and dependent on the DR and the union, not each other.

One thing we pointed out to the attendees was the narrow view the UFT has of the way to deal with many issues in the school. Basically, the advice it to keep things between a teacher under attack and the CL, and not to fight things politically by trying to mobilize fellow teachers and parents where appropriate. Again, isolate the teachers and make them dependent on the CL, thus reinforcing the UFT chain of command and its tight top down control.

Defend Chapter Leaders Sent to Rubber Rooms

With the triennial chapter leader election season taking place, the attacks on chapter leaders as a way to undermine the union, particularly by Leadership Academy principals, has become an issue prospective CL's have to consider. This leaflet is to be handed out at today's Delegate Assembly and raised in the new motion period - if Weingarten ever stops filibustering. So don't count on it.
Full text published at the ICE blog. Click to enlarge.

A tale of the UFT and non-union building

Need to Run a Chapter Leader Election?

Some teachers have returned to school to find their chapter leader has resigned, been excessed, hung. Sometimes they contact the union to find out what to do. It's sort of left to someone conscious enough to take action. Sometimes, since there is no one in charge, they don't and the principal can just give out those parking permits as they wish. And do some other crap too.

Now one would think the UFT machinery would provide schools with an automatic method of handing this situation. An election for chapter leader should be held immediately but the UFT is so missing in action at this crucial moment in the school year. I guess they have other fish to fry (hint - look for a large green dot) than worrying about schools being left hanging without a union rep.

frying fish at the UFT

Some district reps take some initiative and set up a load of info.

Others respond with: "They are out of the kits and have ordered more. When it arrives, I will mail it to you."

Now this is one dumb (or lazy) district rep. (Why worry if a school has no union rep?) Maybe he thinks the kit comes in a box.

The ICE web site (not the blog) has the scanned "kit" downloadable in a pdf. (6th item on left hand panel.)

Maybe I missed it but I wish the UFT web site had the elusive "kit." If anyone wants to go on a scavenger hunt to find it, let us know.

"Emergency" UFT Chapter Leader Meeting...

Revised

...there were some ticked off CL's.

Weeks ago Randi Weingarten announced there would be an important chapter leader meeting at the Brooklyn Marriott - which means they expect more than the 850 people who can fit into the auditorium at 52 Broadway, but more importantly, a shot at a batch of those wonderful cookies the Marriott serves – mmmmm, the macadamia nut. However, being in the 3rd week of the South Beach Diet, there was no way I could go within 10 feet of these cookies without gaining 10 pounds. So I petitioned Randi to change the meeting until I was on phase 3 of the Diet and could get to a nibble at one macadamia nut. But NOOOOOO! See, criticize her a little and look what you get.

Well, ya know, I had been getting emails for weeks from chapter leaders asking me what I knew about the secret meeting. "Is Randi naming her successor," one asked? Ha, I said. If you read Ed Notes online you would know her successor (hint: initials are RW.)

Maybe something to do with ATR's or the rubber room was a popular choice. But why would she ask people to schedule chapter meetings in the next 3 days? It's got to be something related to a vote.

Well, I was meeting a friend for dinner in downtown Brooklyn, so I figured I might as well go and check it out and bring the ed notes blog ads to distribute - those cartoons of Klein, always a popular item.

And why not bring a batch of the review of the Kahlenberg Shanker book I co-wrote with Vera Pavone? Now I wasn't planning on distributing this to the masses - it is 5 pages long and and I could see many of them going right into waste baskets. So I gave them out selectively to people I knew and to anyone that showed an interest. As usual, quite a few Unity people always want to know what I've got up my sleeve so I got plenty of business from them. Even New Action's Michael Shulman came over to get one. I gladly gave him a copy, just to remind him of the policies he used to oppose. (Remember Unity red baiting, Mike? But of course, Randi is different.) I should sell this stuff to them.

There was a good crew of people giving out their stuff. Teacher Unite's Sally Lee and CL Steve Quester handing out stuff on Debbie Almontaser and CL John Powers doing his info campaign on the GHI/HIP merger and privatization. Boy, has one guy gotten some mileage out of pushing an issue with a superb show of energy. If there were 50 more John Powers out there Unity would be playing defense.

Well, it turns out this meeting was all about distributing a survey of sorts to rate the performance of Joel Klein and his administration. (Bloomberg is not mentioned much, as the UFT likes to separate them, as if Klein were gone things would be better, part of their "obfuscate and confuse the members as to the real cause of the problem" - read our Shanker review when it is available online for a clue.)

Now I think this is a good idea. We have maintained all along that BloomKlein have practically zero support from not only classroom teachers, but beyond as you move up the supervisor food chain - find even one blog that supports them. In just about any enterprise, such alienation of the entire work force is a sign of total failure of policy – except for places like the Rotherham Ed Sector crowd who know full well what is going on - i.e., read NYC Educator for a start - yet act like it isn't.

But the real rub for many CL yesterday, on one of the hottest days of the year, was being dragged down after a day of teaching, to pick up materials and hear some speeches. There was just a bit of outrage. "One of the worst planned meetings - they're talking to us about the fucking heat and Randi isn't even here," said one, leaving in a huff.

Well, Randi did show up to make some people see she is feeling their pain and the meeting broke up before 6 as there was an Executive Board meeting (I asked UFT staffer Gary Sprung whether the meeting was next door at the UFT borough office or in Manhattan and he gave me his usual charming grunt.) I saw Marjorie Stamberg who was going to the Ex Bd to hear the results of her appeal of her chapter leader election and we expect her report soon (guess what the results will be?)

Oh, and I did spend some serious time staring at the cookies, but not touching. I think I only gained 3 pounds. Or was it from the enormous amount of food my friend and I consumed at an Asian fusion place?

Chapter Leader Fights Back Against Paperwork

I received this from an elem school Chapter Leader. Some might say this will have no impact. Maybe not. But a proactive chapter leader has an impact. The key here is to publish this agenda throughout the school in advance (I used to start by giving it to the principal 2 days before the meeting and ask if she had any concerns for me to bring up.) Follow up with circulating the responses of the principal, including where there is no response. I also liked to have as many people at the Consultation Committee meetings as I could get away with, from all levels of the school -- para, teachers from different grades, cluster, secretary, etc. Not always easy but I used to sign the entire staff up in September for at least one meeting a year while holding the coveted UFT calendar in my hand (that was before electronic devices) . We always had a nice group at each meeting. Bribery works. Maybe try a cookie too.

If you have suggestions email me or comment here.

Norm,

Here is my agenda for Consultation Committee. It was created as a way to fight back against the ridiculous amount of paperwork required of classroom teachers. Please share it with any chapter leader who is interested. If anyone has more suggestions for me, I welcome them. Thanks.

1. “Mandated” Paper Work

• Redundancy
• Excessive
• No consultation with teachers

2. Computers in classroom not set up

In light of the paperwork that is deemed excessive and redundant by staff members yet “mandated” by administration, we must take time to review all “mandates” and adhere to them as well.

3. SAVE Room (Mandated by NYS Law – failure to comply will result in complaints filed with appropriate agencies in NYS)

4. Student Removal Process (Mandated by NYS Law as well as Teachers’ Collective Bargaining Agreement with the City of NY)

• Violent students: such students will be immediately sent to the principal (or her designee) and students may not be returned to class until the principal has a conference with each teacher. Reminder: when such students are sent to the principals office they must be supervised by someone other than a secretary)
• Removal of students that substantially disrupt the education process: Principal must respond to teachers request in a reasonable amount of time.

5. Security:

• Must be present at open doors at all times
• Teachers are coming in early and staying late with no security to protect them

6. Adequate Supplies (Article 7R – Teachers’ Contract)

• Staples, pens, pencils, post its (needed for writers’ workshop)
• Paper (for rubrics and process statements)
• Chalk or dry erase markers
• Plastic sheets for overhead projector
• All necessary materials needed for all bulletin boards
• Copy of NYS standards for each teacher to adequately prepare her lessons

7. Organization of a Pupil Personnel Team as “mandated” by Chancellor’s Reg A -443.

8. New Teacher Mentoring: Who’s accountable for explaining EClass? With so many new early grade teachers…. why were mentors unfamiliar with EClass or “workshop” model hired to help train?

9. Tutoring: ALL teachers must participate in tutoring. Why were some teachers allowed to arrange their schedule as to avoid the tutorial period at the end of the day?