Occupy Wall St. Alert

BREAKING NEWS FROM #OWS ORGANIZERS. STILL CALL 732-674-2624 FOR QUESTIONS
*************
Tell Bloomberg: Don't Foreclose the Occupation.

NEED MASS TURN-OUT, SHOW UP AT MIDNIGHT, NOT 6 A.M.

This is an emergency situation. Please take a minute to read this, and please take action and spread the word far and wide.

Occupy Wall Street is gaining momentum, with occupation actions now happening in cities across the world.

But last night Mayor Bloomberg and the NYPD notified Occupy Wall Street participants about plans to “clean the park”—the site of the Wall Street protests—tomorrow starting at 7am. "Cleaning" was used as a pretext to shut down “Bloombergville” a few months back, and to shut down peaceful occupations elsewhere.

Bloomberg says that the park will be open for public usage following the cleaning, but with a notable caveat: Occupy Wall Street participants must follow the “rules”.

NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has said that they will move in to clear us and we will not be allowed to take sleeping bags, tarps, personal items or gear back into the park.

This is it—this is their attempt to shut down #OWS for good.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION

1) Call 311 (or +1 (212) NEW-YORK if you're out of town) and tell Bloomberg to support our right to assemble and to not interfere with #OWS.

2) Come to #OWS TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT to defend the occupation from eviction.

For those of you who plan to help us hold our ground—which we hope will be all of you—make sure you understand the possible consequences. Be prepared to not get much sleep. Be prepared for possible arrest. Make sure your items are together and ready to go (or already out of the park.) We are pursuing all possible strategies; this is a message of solidarity.

FREE SCREENING FRIDAY OCT. 14: THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH BEHIND WAITING FOR SUPERMAN

Whether you saw or did not see our movie come on by Friday eve for a screening and panel discussion including Brian Jones and Jamie Fidler who both teach at PS 261 in Brooklyn. Brian is one of the narrators of our film and Jamie is featured in the new movie American Teacher* (and steals the movie).

We also just got in a shipment of 25 posters like the one below that we will be offering for sale.

Here is what we posted in the gemnyc.org web site:

It has been ONE YEAR since the premiere of Davis Guggenheim’s documentary, WAITING FOR SUPERMAN was released in NYC.

A slick, emotionally-charged advertisement for charter schools, SUPERMAN was promoted relentlessly by the corporate media… and flopped at the box-office.

But did you know that a group of NYC public school teachers and parents produced their OWN film in response?

This new documentary, created with NO BUDGET AT ALL, tells another side to the story — the side of public school parents, teachers and students who are fighting for REAL reform.

THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH BEHIND WAITING FOR SUPERMAN was released last spring and has already been screened in all 50 United States and on 6 continents — without a SINGLE MENTION in the mainstream media!

Please join us for a SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY SCREENING IN NYC:

ON Friday, October 14th
AT 6 pm
The Community Church of New York
40 East 35th Street
New York, NY 10016

THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH BEHIND WAITING FOR SUPERMAN

with Guest Speaker:
Jamie Fidler, Brooklyn educator featured in the new film, American Teacher*

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

For more information about the film, visit: www.waitingforsupermantruth.org

Sponsored by the Grassroots Education Movement www.gemnyc.org

We are grateful to those of you that have already ordered a free copy of THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH BEHIND WAITING FOR SUPERMAN, and followed up with a donation to help us defray duplication and shipping costs.

We hope that you continue to share the film with others that face the very same concerns and issues addressed in the movie by holding local screenings and teach-ins in your school community or locale.

*American Teacher is listed for identification purposes only

How Steve Brill Manufactured a Fictional Teacher

Patrick Walsh, Chapter Leader at PS 149 in Harlem, a school co-located with an Eva Moskowitz Harlem Success Academy school, exposes one of the numerous distortions in the Steve Brill "Class Warfare" book. Of course that wouldn't stop our national union leader Randi Weingarten who is so praised in Brill's book, from holding a book party for him at her home ( Weingarten Holds Book Party for Steve Brill ...).

Patrick is writing to hedge fund major dome ed deformer Half-Whitney Tilson.

The Fourth Grade Teacher Who Does Not Exist

Dear Mr. Tilson,

A couple of days ago I was given a copy of S. Brill’s Class Warfare, a book I find as astoundingly unethical as Davis Guggenheim weepy propaganda film, Waiting for  Superman. There are many things I find lazy, cheap and grossly offensive about S. Brill’s reportage but none more than his description of the PS 149 fourth grade teacher with his  feet on the desk bellowing on mindlessly about the days of the week to his  18 students that you and your  friend G. Rubenstein found so instructive and revealing in a blog post of August 29.

In the post your friend wants Brill to ask Principal I. A. Harper to identify the fellow.

Brill, as you might recall, refuses and suggests instead that either you or Rubenstein do so as both the teacher and Harper are “public officials.”

There was a good reason Brill dodged your question:  the fourth grade teacher fourth grade teacher with his  feet on the desk bellowing on mindlessly about the days of the week to his  18 students doesn’t exist.  I know.  I am the chapter leader at the school and there has not been a male fourth grade teacher there for all the years I’ve worked there. Nor is there any possibility that Brill could have simply confused grades. There was only one goateed teacher at 149 at that time and he would have never engaged in such behavior, placed his feet on a desk and bellowed about anything. Nor would he have had anything to do with the fourth grade. Nor does he wear sweat shirts and jeans.  What Brill saw was a substitute teacher. He also saw an opportunity to make union teachers look like slobs which, evidently he could not pass up despite the fact that is was based on pure nonsense.

Most lazy and most unethical, would you not agree?  And deeply offensive to the colleagues I see exhausting themselves for our children day after day after day.

That a person like Harper would “ seem to know exactly whom” Brill was referring to is also rich.  Tell your friend Rubenstein not to bother asking Harper about the phantom’s (worthless) value added metrics not merely because they don’t exist but because Harper

was demoted and sent packing – but not before she demoralized the entire faculty and drove out a third who could not get away from her fast enough.

There are many things in Brill’s book that will be exposed as something other than what Brill claims they are.   Perhaps you’ll read of them.

Sincerely,

Patrick Walsh

Chapter Leader PS/ MS 149

Harlem, New York

CORRECTION: Operation #Wallstcleanup Rally/March Friday AM

Dear friends,

Can you help donate used/new cleaning equipment to our camp Thusday Oct. 13?

Here's the plan

Operation #wallstcleanup

All day Thursday campers/supporters should reach out to friends/family/anyone to donate or purchase brooms, mops, squeegees, dust pans, garbage bags, and any other cleaning supplies to be collected at sanitation. The sanitation committee should move full-speed ahead on purchase of bins allocated by consensus at GA.

After General Assembly on Thursday, we'll have a full-camp cleanup session. Sanitation can coordinate, and anyone who is available will help with the massive community effort!

March Friday with mops and brooms

Then on Friday morning, we'll awake and position ourselves with our brooms and mops in a human chain around the park, linked at the arms. If NYPD attempts to enter, we'll peacefully/non-violently stand our ground and those who are willing will get arrested. 

Afterwards, we'll march with brooms and mops to Wall Street to do a massive #wallstcleanup march, where the real mess is!

Teachers Told to Dumpster Dive to Build Class Library

UPDATE: Read Marjorie Stamberg report of Manhattan ATR meeting of Oct. 11:
NYC ATR:  No Bright Lights at Manhattan UFT-ATR Meeting
 

The Best of Times and the Worst of Times

by former ATR "Life in Limbo," whose work usually appears at NYCATR blog. But there is so much incoming over there, we are picking up the extra load.

It was during the monthly department meeting – you know, the one where they take away a prep period, promising to have you out in fifteen minutes because they know how busy you are, but then some colleague or other has to go and ask a question or make a comment that gets the meeting off track and you end up sitting there in the library (which really should be renamed the “Meeting Room” because there is no librarian and the only time anyone ever goes into it is for some meeting or other) for the whole period anyway, and you can’t make up the time because you got slapped with a coverage on your other prep and therefore must add the work you planned to do today onto the pile that already sits on your desk.

You all with me here? Of course you are.

So were discussing the latest mandate from the Ivory Tower: That ALL students must read a self-selected book from the leveled classroom library for the first twenty minutes of every Literacy block. Seems like an easy enough task, right? However, there is one small glitch when it comes to my classroom library.

I don’t have one.

My classroom was not an actual classroom last year, and therefore did not come with the usual amenities that one generally finds in a classroom, like, say, a classroom library. I made this clear to my Assistant Principal when the little “How to Level Your Library” memo came around, and was told that she would see what she could do, and that was the end of it. So now this directive comes from on high and a couple of us who are without classroom libraries ask what we should do. Know what the response was? We were told to scour garage sales, Freecycle, and public library used book sales for cheap or free books and to realize that the books would need to be replenished regularly because, “You know if you lend four books, you will only maybe get two back and that’s just how it goes”. Then, it was actually suggested, by an administrator, that we should “even consider driving around the neighborhood the night before trash pickup and see if anyone is throwing away any books”. So apparently, dumpster-diving has been slipped into our list of professional responsibilities while we weren’t looking!

Now let me be clear – I have, on occasion, found books at yard sales, gotten free books from friends with kids, and otherwise come upon books that I have added to my classroom library, most of which were lost, vandalized, stolen, or loaned to students who did not return them. What I resent, however, is the expectation that I will spend my free time on this, and do this to the extent that I MUST DUMPSTER-DIVE the ENTIRE classroom library and not just supplement what I am given as the opportunity arises. In the absence of even the Teacher’s Choice pittance being taken away and the fact that I am expected to spend my own money on this and to just expect that the books will be stolen and need to be replenished, I am appalled and indignant. On top of the dumpster-diving suggestion, we without libraries were basically fed the “NO EXCUSES!!” line – you are accountable for your students reading a book from the classroom library you do not have, and that’s just how it is.

Little did I know that the extent of the irony here would reveal itself hours later in a most unexpected way.

That afternoon at my kids’ dance studio, I took a walk with another parent to get a latte. Her son graduated last year from a closing middle school less than ten minutes from my current school. Her younger children still attend the elementary school on the same campus as the closing school, and she spends a lot of time volunteering there in between her shifts at work. She told me that she was leaving the elementary school after a meeting and decided to cut through the middle school yard on the way to her car. She was shocked by what she saw.

There were people from the new schools in the building who were literally slicing open cartons of brand-new books that were obviously delivered to the building recently – the boxes included textbooks, workbooks, trade (library) books, etc. They were then taking the bundles of NEW books in the cartons and THROWING THEM IN THE DUMPSTER! Brand new books, still in their shrink-wrap! So my friend went over and asked them why they were throwing out CARTONS of BRAND-NEW BOOKS. Their response was that these books had been delivered to the OLD school, the one that is phasing out, and were stored in THEIR closets and storage rooms. They said they were with the NEW schools and really didn’t need or want anything that was from the old school, especially since they “Have enough money that we don’t have to take other people’s leftovers”. They went on to say that they needed to throw the books out because they had “truckloads” of new books and supplies that were coming and the needed the space to put it all.

Apparently the shiny new schools that have Tweed’s Seal of Approval are swimming in cash to the point where they can afford to throw away pallets of new books just because they were ordered by someone else.

I, however, work in an old-fashioned district school in a low-income area, and therefore, am reduced to dumpster-diving.

It truly is the best of times, and the worst of times. A seven minute drive changes everything.

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Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

Weds. Oct.12 - GEM High Stakes Testing Committee Working to Change the Stakes

"However, like the missile gap, the so-called learning gap is a myth.  The fear has been founded on misinformation and misperceptions.

Some have traced the root of all evil in the assault on public education as the misuse of testing - actually high stakes testing. In other words, no one is against the use of tests but the use of these narrow tests as sole judge of the success or failure of students. teachers, schools and school systems. We would also point to the awesome costs of not only the tests, but the prep materials and the entire monitoring apparatus. You can populate a small city with the accountability (everyone accountable but the people at the top) crew at Tweed - along with all the consultants.

GEM began a high stakes testing committee this past July and before long was partnering with other groups like Time Out for Testing, Class Size Matters and Parents Across America using the theme "It's Time to Change the Stakes." Getting the renowned Dr. Yong Zhao to speak at our event kicking off the campaign is a coup of the highest order. If you can make this you won't be disappointed. (I'm hoping Diane Ravitch shows up for this -  not far fetched as she is in town.)

Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

ATR "Teaching Nomad" Slams UFT Borough Meeting

This report came in over the transom. No equivocation here about whether the UFT Administration is on the side of the ATRs. And how about that "fair and balanced" vote at the June DA? 7 Unity speakers for and we had to fight to get one speaker against. James Eterno was denied the opportunity. Even when Unity has a stacked deck it is not good enough. They are for some reason worried that if their own rank and file heard serious arguments they might waver.

Report of Bronx ATR Meeting
by Teaching Nomad

Attending the ATR meeting at the Bronx UFT on Monday did nothing but confirm the UFT is not on the side of ATR’s. From the way in which they spoke to us and the stories they told I am certain the ATR group is being set up to fail by both the DOE and the UFT.

Amy Arundell led the meeting for the UFT except when the members became too much to handle, LeRoy Barr stepped in. He mainly told us that we had to maintain civility if we were to get this critical information Amy had to us. He also reminded us many times that we must do this in an orderly way. A few times, after admonishing us, he would “answer” a question.

In one instance he explained that this agreement was voted on by our chapter leaders at the Delegate Assembly, where “there is a conversation, a debate back and forth before voting”. And he reminded us this was not an ATR agreement it was a layoff agreement. At the time of this agreement the Mayor had not succeeded in his attempt to get rid of LIFO. I highly doubt he was going to go through with the layoffs of newly hired teachers. There was no need for an ATR agreement unless the UFT holds the same beliefs about our group as the DOE does. LeRoy told us at the meeting how the DOE feels about us. He said, “They (DOE) think you are worthless and you don’t teach”. It would seem to me the UFT agrees. The Delegate Assembly is not a democratic body. Unity members outnumber any other caucus, however they vote, they win. They are told what to say and how to vote. One only votes their conscience at their own peril.

The most insidious thing about this agreement is the idea of mutual consent. The DOE will soon have data that they will take public that proves ATR’s must be fired because no one will hire them. I can stay in a school more than a week if the principal and I both want this. If either one of us does not agree, I must move on. If schools have no vacancies what is to stop principals from just taking a new ATR each week? With a whole new office created at Tweed to deal with the ATR assignments, they can log data on who is rejected by principals. After twenty weeks they will argue this person should be fired, no one wants them to work in their school. It is the perfect justification for what they have been arguing for years. It’s downright frightening to think that either the UFT leadership is not bright enough to have seen this before agreeing or that they did and agreed anyway.

The UFT seems to think that principals will be able to see ‘what is out there’ and will suddenly start filling vacancies. These so called vacancies do not exist in the numbers there are of ATR’s. One look at the DOE website for excessed staff will show you this. This week there were not more than 50 positions for high schools.

The UFT has helped to create this large group of people without permanent positions. They are now trying to sell us on the grand scheme of our demise. If you are an ATR sign up at (gemnyc@gmail.com) and join us on Thursday Oct. 20 at the Skylight Diner (34th St and 9th Ave - across from B&H) at 5pm.

Teacher Sue also slams UFT at Staten Island meeting - Twice

Teacher Sue, who recently reported on the UFT's meeting for ATR teachers in Staten Island, sent in the following comments. As you'll see, her name is Sue and she means to sue. -- The ATR Follies

Staten Island ATR meeting another sham and a fraud and a phony facade

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Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

Occupying Wall Street

There was so much of interest to write about and video but it's late and the video will take a few hours to load into the computer, I'm just going to touch on one thing. As I walked around I came across numerous conversations on so many issues, especially between stalwarts and visitors, many of them tourists. It was like a mini town hall meeting every few feet. I eavesdropped on a bunch of them and if the noise didn't drown out the sound these conversations should be fascinating.

I did get to harass the FOX news team which set up a special broadcast area across the street, yelling about how much smirking over the rabble they would be doing and how fair and balanced they wouldn't be. I found out later I was harassing Geraldo Rivera.

 I also came across a lone teacher who brought his work down to grade with this sign:

The saddest sign we saw was a parent from Philadelphia who lost her son in the first days of the war in Iraq.

One message that I kept hearing was that "We are patriots, loyal Americans and surprisingly non-partisan, That Occupy Wall St. is NOT the left counter to the Tea Party but is more open-ended. I asked it Tea Partiers would be welcome and heard, "Yes." So come on down.

Tomorrow I hear teachers and parents are coming down with kids:

Children's delegation at occupy Wall Street for Columbus day

Families and people who who love them! Can you think of a better way to talk about the meaning of Columbus day with our Children than a day of art and sign making at Occupy Wall Street? Who would like to meet up there on Monday? Kid friendly time of 10:30 - 1 or whenever is best for you? Posters, paints, snacks, and I am sure we can borrow a drum or two! Please forward to whomever you wish!

Here are some more photo from today:

I blew this one up due to the astounding numbers

Some familiar faces

Another account of today comes from Patrick Walsh who we hung with:

Raginghorseblog:  Sunday at Occupying Wall Street

Photos from Wednesday's march are at the Fight Back Friday site:

Occupy Wall Street (Rally & March) - 10/5/11

Photographs From The Occupy Wall Street (Rally & March) - 10/5/11

https://picasaweb.google.com/113455396360021548056/OccupyWallStreetRallyMarchOctober52011?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7t4_-Gv7Tz7gE

And GEM's Darren Marelli made an excellent video at: NYC Public School Parents

Which New Yorkers have the best interests of working people and children at heart?
 
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Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

E4E Event: 2,840 did not show up - A Date with E4E and the UFT

The question is: which group was more unhappy to see me? We did a house count - only 140 of the supposed 3000 E4E supporters showed at the much publicized screening of "American Teacher." And GEM had 650 people at the premiere of TITBWFS.

Before filling you in on my visit to the UFT Queens ATR meeting and to the E4E free screening of "American Teacher" at the AMC on 42nd St where I handed out leaflets promoting the GEM Oct. 14 screening of the "Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman," which so disturbed Sydney Morris that she called theater security to have me removed, I need to do a little catching up.

I took the last few days off from blogging to focus on my wrist and shoulder therapy, watch some baseball, enjoy the beautiful outdoor weather while reading and smoking a few stogies and fasting - not that I'm religious but I just love the annual break the fast party and what would be the point of a break the fast party if you didn't fast?

I have a massive number of things to write about - ATR updates, Rhambo anti-union campaign in Chicago losing traction, the hypocrisy of Pedro Noguera, charter school parents telling their horror stories, and the Wall Street Occupation and how teachers are getting involved - and I want to head down there today to work out arrangements for the showing of our film one day.

I also want to let everyone know about 2 major GEM events this week -

1. The GEM high stakes testing committee has partnered with other groups to move this issue which has been used to destabilize the entire education system in this nation.

It is Time to Change the Stakes!

Join us for an evening with Yong Zhao…
October 12, 2011
Location:  I.S. 89 201 Warren Street   New York, NY  10282
Time:  6:30-8:30 PM
Sponsored by:  Class Size Matters, Grassroots Education Movement, I.S. 89 PTA, Parents Across America, and Time-Out From Testing

Yong Zhao is a MAJOR voice and this is a rare chance for us to hear him speak. Julie Cavanagh is so excited we had to tie her down. The announcement is on the GEM blog.

Free Screening
2. Friday night Oct. 14 is a major GEM screening of our film with one of the lights of the movie "American Teacher" Jamie Fidler as a guest panelist. See the GEM announcement.
Even if you have seen the film, come spend a Friday evening with some of the dynamic activists in the NYC ed movement. Remember - in May we had 650 people at our premiere.

Here's the poster:

The surreal world of the UFT and E4E
Okay, back to business. Given how uncomfortable both the UFT massive corps of staffers who attended the Queens ATR meeting and the E4E leadership were with my presence at their events, I have to give the congeniality award to --- drum roll please ----

The UFT

There was absolutely no attempt to interfere with my distribution of the GEM ATR leaflet. I was only asked by Qns borough chief Rona Freiser to not speak which I honored because I didn't want to take any time from what looked like at least a hundred ATRs who had a lot on their minds. But in the hour I spent  there I often wanted to jump out of my skin. I will report on the general ATR situation and on what I thought were some rational things the UFT was saying and on the outrageous "who me? the union has your back - blame the incompetence of the DOE if things go wrong" attitude. I had bruises on my forehead from slapping myself silly. You can read some excellent reports on the Queens meeting by Chaz's School Daze: The UFT Tried To Make "Lemonade Out Of A Lemon" But To The ATRs It Still Tasted Sour) and other borough reports at  NYCATR.

On to E4E: After the disappointing turnout for Walcott how many would show for a free movie?


I left the UFT meeting at 5:30 to head over to the AMC 42nd St where E4E was sponsoring a showing show "American Teacher" so I could hand out fliers with the poster urging people who showed up to come to our screening. I had registered for a ticket - I thought - but it seems Sydney didn't have my name on her list. "We had so many people register the theater had to move us to a bigger space," Sydney said with a smug look on her face. Then she turned coy. "But if you sign our pledge, we can get you in." "Hmmm, I'll think about it for a while," I said and stood off to the side near the escalator to hand the leaflet to people as they got their tickets. At this point, Miss Congeniality turned ugly, clearly perturbed that people might get to know there was a Real Reform movie being shown on Oct. 14. So Sydney has security called to hassle me. I went through a song and dance with this guy for a while before deciding I might as well stand in front of the theater by the signs E4E had put up and just ask people if they were there for the event.

That turned out to be a better opportunity (thanks Sydney) and I had some nice conversations with people, including a few who had seen our movie and loved it. It became clear that many of the attendees had nothing to do with E4E but were teachers interested in saving $12 bucks on a movie about teachers. (How much did this event cost Bill Gates and DFER?) I even had a great chat with some cool Tweed youngish staffers who were Ed Notes readers. And an E4E person who has gotten some publicity took my card and said, "We have to talk." Hmmm. Waiting for the call.

Counting the house
A fellow GEMer had signed up for a ticket and I gave him some leaflets to take in with him for people I missed. He texted me with a final count of 140 - let's add 20 more who may have come late. So with all the pub and full and part-time staffers, with every event, E4E demonstrates its increasing weakness and isolation. No wonder they are trying to keep the Gates/DFER money flowing by starting a branch in LA as our pal at South Bronx School (Princess Sydney Morris Writes An Email To Los Angeles Teachers) with his impeccable sources inside E4E has been reporting.

Inviting E4E to our screening
I do want to say that most of my encounters with E4E staffers have been pleasant - they seem trained in the same type of non-confrontational strategies we see from the charter school gang - a passive/aggressive style. One new guy came out to chat - Evan ran out to check to make sure I wasn't indoctrinating him and I invited both of them and anyone they want to bring from E4E to our screening and to take part in the discussion. I even suggested they sponsor a screening of the GEM film - to much laughter on both our parts.
-------------------
Well, heading over to Occupy Wall Street to find teachers doing a grade-in and to ask people if they will vote for Obama if the election were today.
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Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

UFT ATR Empathy

Disbelief at Qns ATR meeting.
Issue is DOE mis-management. Just wait 'till new mayor. Gee- we've heard this since Giuliani. They must mean Quinn who came out against LIFO.
It's all about how hard the union is working for you. Didn't they defend Lifo? So being moved from school to school every week is cheap price to pay for no layoffs.
Here's an idea to create empathy:
UFT staffers to be moved to different borough every week. Will receive an email on Thursday telling them which office to report to on Monday.
Additional Empathy for HS teachers put in elementary or middle school and Elem put in middle schools.
Pension experts will be given U-rating covers. Grievance experts will handle pensions.

Educators 4 Excellence: Dying Embers

Losing Traction, Pleas for People to Come to Free Screening Tonight. Are Sydney and Evan about to abandon the NYC ship? Will Bill Gates and Joe Williams ask for their money back?

Ed Notes and our pal at South Bronx School (who has been relentless in his assault) have been pointing to the lack of traction E4E has been getting despite ed deform funding, enormous publicity and backing from the Department of Education. We pointed to the poor turnout at their Sept. 19 event when Walcott brought along his top deputies (Shael, Weiner and more) to try to pump some life into E4E. That Sept. 23 post - E4E: 3000 Members, 2900 Don't Show - Walcott And C... was one of the most popular.

But the ed deform attempts to undermine teacher unions from within has not been going well - see Mike Klonsky on Rhambo's failure in Chicago. (Thankfully, the CTU didn't take Zorn's advice).

We surmised that E4E's push to eliminate LIFO (last in first out) and make tenure very tough to get rebounded on them when many of their supporters were denied tenure or had their tenure extended while seeing the next crop of teachers coming into their schools to replace older teachers - you know, like the 26 year-olds. Seeing so many unfair denial of tenure for political instead of educational reasons - principals who want to demonstrate how tough they are - turned many E4E sympathizers on to the benefits of LIFO.

In addition, their initial crop of supporters, mainly from Teach for America, began to fulfill their 2-year term and are leaving. So they have to continually renew their organizing. Believe me, as someone trying to organize teachers for 40 years, we don't waste time worrying about the people likely to leave - focusing instead on career teachers, the very crew groups like E4E and TFA shun with their "abandon the children you claim you care so much about so you can go make and influence educational policy."

Of course the fact they can hire 3 or 4 organizers gives them a leg up - imagine if GEM could do that - we could actually break the UFT Administration (our new term for the people running the union) blackout of our movie.

E4E tried to pack the Education Nation forum - I even received an email a teacher in Kansas City making that point - every one of them made sure to mention E4E when they spoke - asking where was GEM? I responded, GEM are real teachers and have better things to do than waste a Sunday promoting themselves - though I made sure to mention GEM when I asked a question to challenge Michelle Rhee on her big DC cheating scandal at Monday's panel.

In their latest update, E4E is still offering free tickets to tonight's screening of American Teacher:

E4E is hosting a free screening of "American Teacher", a new documentary, TOMORROW, Thursday, October 6 at 7:00 PM. Matt Damon narrates the film, which is based on a book about teacher salaries by novelist Dave Eggers. After the screening, the director will join us for a discussion.  

• Where: AMC Empire 25, 243 W. 42nd Street near 8th Avenue
• When: Thursday, October 6 at 7:00 PM
• RSVP: Join us for a free screening of American Teacher!

How funny. GEM is holding a free screening of "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman" on Oct. 14 and our guest speaker is the star of American Teacher, Jamie Fidler, a Real Reformer who has taught for almost a decade in elementary school in Brooklyn.

If you sign up, E4E insists not only on your signing the loyalty oath, but extracting every bit of info they can get out of you. Think the violation of privacy they demand is a put-off?

SBS has an inside source at E4E and his latest is revealing, claiming his source says S&E are thinking of relocating to Los Angeles:

According to our source deep inside E4E both Little Evan and Princess Sydney are disappointed not only with the lack of a groundswell supporting them and E4E, but the lack of headway they have made. Think about it, all the major initiatives they have proposed have all hit the ground with a tremendous thud. Nice way to spend all of Bill Gates' hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Read it all: Educators4Excellence 90210

SHOW ED DEFORMERS YOU SUPPORT A REAL REFORM MOVIE: 

OCT. 14 IS YOUR CHANCE. WE DON'T ASK FOR LOYALTY OATHS OR FOR YOU TO REVEAL EVERY BIT OF INFORMATION INCLUDING YOUR UNDERWEAR SIZE TO GET FREE ENTRY

Meet Jamie Fidler and other RRs. 

And if you'd like a copy of this to post in your school, email me at normsco@gmail.com

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Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

ATR Update: The Real Civil Rights Issue of Our Time - Reports from Brooklyn/Bronx UFT ATR Meetings

 UFT/DOE Sub Arrangement Makes No Sense - Unless you understand - which the UFT keeps denying  - that the entire arrangement is designed to turn ATRs - mostly older and many people of color - into weary day-to-day subs in schools where they don't know the kids with the hope they will get worn down and just plain retire or quit. I'll bet they have a computer program that calculates the furthest distance they can send a teacher legally.

The real civil rights issue of our time
Some civil rights organization ought to go and count the incredibly high percentage of African-American teachers in this pool. Even I was astounded at the Brooklyn meeting yesterday at the imbalance based on race.

I was there to give out the GEMATR Committee leaflet to advertise the October 20 meeting we are holding with the aim of solidifying an ATR support group capable of impacting on DOE and UFT policies. We think we already have begun to have an impact.

Let's start with this email from an older ATR who is only teaching under a decade in a hard to staff license area. The kind of license they are bringing people over from the Philippines to teach in. (How perfect to hold deportation over the head of teachers.) Getting a position should be a slam dunk. NOT!

This ATR makes so much sense you know there is something behind the curtain here and we know what it is.

Norm
Please read this carefully and seriously tell me what I am missing.  UFT claimed that much of the problem is that principals gamed the system that getting ATRs to work off budget.  So now only those placed in actual vacancies in their license in their districts will stay; others will rotate.  But if 10 of us are playing musical chairs as subs why not just keep the ATRs at the same school as subs and make the principal verify that the ATR was not doing a regular program?  What I see is the ATR covering a vacancy if there is one, but every week or two a new face appears who doesn't know the kids and probably doesn't know the culture or the subject and nothing will be learned.  Just like the last month where I have been covering and feebly attempting to teach living environment.  I refuse to believe that there aren't ATR science teachers in the Bronx who could do a better job than me.

I tried to check and could not find any openings in my district so I guess I'll be subbing somewhere else.  Now, based on how poorly so many students do on the Math Regents, making me a Math tutor or second teacher would seem sensible.  ATRs if not assigned to a vacancy in their license should be an extra resource in their license when not subbing. This is how it should be.

We have to focus on how the students are hurt, not about ourselves in order to get the public behind us.

Report from Brooklyn ATR Meeting (Tuesday, October 4)

UFT TO ATRS: INFORMATION YES, ORGANIZATION NO WAY IN HELL
By Philip Nobile

A crowd of one hundred, mostly over 40, listened to a 45-minute presentation by Special Rep Amy Arundell and Co-Staff Director LeRoy Barr and then asked lots and lots of questions about our absurd predicament for almost two hours. The presenters were incisive and sympathetic in the information department. Apparently, they had cooled off from their hot meeting in The Bronx on Monday.

“We know the DOE will screw things up and we’ll stay on top of this,” promised Barr who repeated the party line that ATRs should be happy rather than angry with their new deal. “It was not an ATR agreement, it was a no layoff agreement,” he emphasized. “The DOE said you didn’t work. They wanted to lay you off. We will not allow them to lay you off.” Nevertheless, Barr’s solidarity soon evaporated when he squelched the unanimous clamor for establishing borough chapters to represent our interests. “We’re not here to talk about that,” he said, adding with typical top-down arrogance, “that’s not what you want.”

The Information
Arundell, a former middle school Social Science teacher from The Bronx, is the UFT’s personnel person and now its designated ATR authority and apologist. She began with the mechanics of next week’s rotation and later addressed specific inquiries. Some highlights:

►Brooklyn high school teachers will be assigned to District 73 or District 76 (including, horrors, Staten Island). K-8 teachers will remain in the districts from which they were excessed. This is a contractual right.
►Principals cannot keep you in your current school unless they hire you to fill vacancy, budget you on Galaxy, and inform the DOE. No exceptions.
►Your file stays in school from which you were excessed and it’s unclear where files go if your school is closed.
►You can be observed anytime, even if you’re teaching out of license.
►Ratings are up in the air. No agreement yet with DOE, but UFT is opposed to evaluating teachers who spend only one week, even one month, in schools.
►If you’re absent, see the payroll secretary. For long term absence, contact Special Rep Debbie Poulos. For personal days, call your District Rep.
►If you don’t get a new assignment in DOE email by Friday, report to current school next Tuesday.

No Way In Hell Organization

Several attendees, including this correspondent, protested the UFT’s pretense of representation via strange and ever-changing Chapter Leaders and soon-to-be overwhelmed District reps as back-ups. Without chapters of our own, we are out of the normal union loop, unable to attend chapter meetings and forbidden access to Delegate Assemblies. Even our allegedly lesser brethren in rubber rooms of yore had elected liaisons and monthly meetings at 52 Broadway. Denying such basic union rights to ATRs is unconscionable.

Arundell pre-emptively defended the UFT’s third class representation of ATRs (i.e., after regular teachers and past rubber roomers). “I will respectfully disagree that Chapter Leaders are not capable of representing you,” she said, raising her voice. “YOU ARE REPRESENTED. YOU ARE NOT A DISTINCT CLASS.”

Nobody in the audience bought this poppycock. Cheers and clapping greeted the following dissents.

►Herb Michael, former Chapter Leader: “I’m not convinced I’m really represented. We’re in a special situation. That’s why there’s a special agreement including a committee to review compliance. I’d feel more comfortable if some ATRs looked at it. We need to meet on a regular basis. Why can’t we have a motion on the floor to elect a chapter leader?”
This when Barr claimed that he knew better, that we didn’t want chapters to rep us. Adopting Randi’s line against rubber room chapters, he said “You don’t want to be in a permanent class.” Such strained reasoning--as if chapter status would mean anything more than standard representation for us outcasts. At the least, Randi appeased reassigned teachers with monthly meetings in Manhattan. But ATRs in good standing are deprived of that small kindness.

►John Lawhead: “I’m amazed at the innocence of your assumptions. I’m in a school with no Chapter Leader. And now you’re telling us that District Leaders are going to make up the difference? What kind of union do you want to be, merely a service organization? You’ve got to use us in some way. We could be reps in schools.”
By this time, Barr was gone and Brooklyn Borough Rep Howie Schoor stood in at the podium. He was whispering in Arundell’s ear while Lawhead spoke and may have missed his larger point about the UFT’s soul. But puffing up, he said that he would make certain that District Reps did their jobs.

►Your correspondent, former Chapter Leader and three-year graduate of Brooklyn’s Chapel St. rubber room: “I wanted to thank LeRoy for telling us what we want. But I know what we want. (turning to the audience) How many of you want a chapter for ATRs? (the room erupted unanimously in favor and I turned back to Schoor). Will you explain why we can’t have a chapter and will you give us your sign-up list so that we can better organize?

Schoor and I have a complicated history. He is a nice fellow and has been generous with his time and assistance over the years. But just as often he has failed in nerve a` propos my quarrels with the UFT and DOE. For example, I sent him three emails prior to the meeting asking for permission to briefly organize ATRs on site before the start of his informational. No response. So I renewed my request on arrival. The answer was no. “It’s our meeting,” he said. I reminded him that his Special Rep Liz Perez, speaking for Barr, originally rejected my suggestion for an ATR gathering and that today’s meeting was just as much ours as the UFT’s. That got me nowhere, of course. Thereupon I entered the packed conference room and while people finished up their noshes, I defied Schoor by introducing myself and urging my colleagues to press our agenda as outlined in a Grassroots Education Movement broadsheet handed out by Norm Scott of ednotesonline. Schoor tried to shut me down almost immediately, but let me finish without interruption.

As for our demand for a chapter, ever the tone deaf bureaucrat, Schoor declared that Union policy was made by the Executive Committee and Delegate Assemblies blah, blah, blah. And no, he would not share the sign-up list. In retort, I jabbed, “Such is the democracy we work in!”
As the meeting wound down, two older female ATRs summed up our frustration with cris de coeur eliciting loud cheers. Said one: “Mulgrew doesn’t seem to care. Notice he’s not here and I bet he won’t be at the other meetings either.”

And the other: “It all about age and money. School aides are teaching classes in my school. Principals will not hire us. Where is the union in this? I want my dues back.”

Read Marjorie Stamberg at NYC ATR
Excerpts:

The UFT leadership people presiding were Amy Arundel (Special Representative), backed up by LeRoy Barr (Staff Director), who stepped in to try to cool things out when tempers started to rise, as they did frequently.  Arundel attempted to justify the June agreement on ATRs, which grew out of the deal on no layoffs of teachers. In exchange for that, it appears the ATR situation was used a bargaining chip.

the ATR teachers at the meeting spoke out and said that in this way things were made worse for them than before.

Regarding the weekly trek from school to school, Arundel said the UFT wanted this because the principals have been gaming the system, using an ATR like a full-time staffer without any rights and without paying for them. This, they ho

 Marjorie's letter is worth reading in full: Letter from the Bronx UFT meeting

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Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

Time for action: Wednesday - Occupy Wall Street with GEM/NYCoRE/Teachers Unite

GEM/NYCORE/Teachers Unite Contingents 

MEET-UP AT TWEED AT 4:30

Joining the rally today

Today is the big day when many forces join together at #occupywallstreet as NYU students walk the walk (see below) and some of the unions join in. While the Transport Workers Union was quick to support last week, reports of UFT support came in slowly. But as usual, as the event heated up, the UFT tailing along, jumped in. At least the leadership. There hasn't seemed to be much organizing going on at the school level to bring people out. How amazing if a 100,000 people came out like they did in Israel this summer? Not without a big push from the UFT.

I got a message that Michael Mulgrew will be on MSNBC Lawrence O'Donell tonight to talk about the Wall Street action. Pretty funny that the tail jumps to the head. Mulgrew a spokesman for the occupation? - a bottom-up operation absolutely antithetical to the way the UFT and most unions and corporations and guvment seem to work. Funny, but someone left a comment that we should expand the occupation to 52 Broadway. [Follow my parallel stories on ATRs - got one coming later.]

Even before the events on Wall Street started capturing the imagination of the nation, we could see signs of far-reaching support as parents were bringing peanut butter sandwiches down [See report from Tory below] and people starting coming to NYC from far off places to join in in some way.

I see this report as a sign of what has been tapped:

Peanut Butter on Wall St. No Peter Lugers for these Wall Street Occupier: 
From a NYC Parent leader/activist, Friday Sept. 30

Hi All,
So what a week it has been!  Sandwiches in Solidarity was a success; we delivered about 70 sandwiches to the Occupy Wall Street folks on Friday. While we were there we were interviewed by Steve Kroft of 60 Minutes, Norwegian TV and Natasha Lennard (free lance NYTimes reporter, who was arrested the next day).  A number of families were there, making signs, delivering food and generally offering support.  The occupiers need a lot of supplies though; the bad weather means they need: blankets, waterproof boots, sleeping bags, laundry support, wool socks, etc.  If you can offer anything, please do.  You can also donate here: http://nycga.cc/donate/

It is now officially safe to enter the OWS water.  The big labor unions are joining in a solidarity march on Wednesday (see here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=282473051782707) and Nicholas Kristof and others are offering their support (see here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/opinion/sunday/kristof-the-bankers-and-the-revolutionaries.html?ref=todayspaper). (PS The Times' editing of the  OWS BB arrest story has famously gone viral - see here: http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/10/01/new-york-times-blatantly-edits-article-about-occupy-wall-street-to-protect-police-image/)

I hope that you will consider joining us on Wednesday.  Our public schools are being destroyed by budget cuts (you enjoying generic education?); you are being hit with new bank fees; insurance premiums (and profits) are at an all-time high...even if you don't worry about the last two, you are parents of public school children and if the divestment hasn't hit you yet, it soon will!  So please please please consider coming out and supporting a movement to reduce the inequality that characterizes our society and hurts all of our children!

Thanks!
All best,
Tory

Press coverage
Note how Tory mentions the way the Saturday arrest story in the Times went from sympathetic to the marchers to pro-police in the blink of an eye.

The evolving press coverage has been interesting to watch as it moved from mocking to scared mocking. Just follow some of the articles in the business section. They always try to find some kook to interview so they can make twist it a bit. But as articulate spokespeople emerge that will change, though you can always find some people who are there to do self-promotion. I even found a guy with a puppet to interview.

SHAMELESS PLUG

Make sure to see the 3 vids I made from Friday night

http://youtu.be/TwRu2Pxb6mg
http://youtu.be/IRcd0B7VX1c
http://youtu.be/Cc4X3arPZSk

Keep watching the press. They seem crazy over the fact that there is no leader they can zero in on. We know that drill - they turn the leaders into media stars and then separate them from the movement. So far this is not happening. But as an old grizzled skeptic, watch out for someone trying to seize the platform (remember the days of the Yuppies in the 60's) for fame and fortune. I bet you'll see some names of leaders emerge in the next week - but as long as they are in some way responsible to the mass that can be controlled - I would urge them to change people frequently. I should point out that Justin Wedes, who was pretty much the first person arrested the day after the occupation began has been involved at the top level from the beginning. [See that video: Justin Arrest in Wall St. Occupation/...]

Call me a process guy
The press also seems crazed over the broad and non-specific agenda so they can't zero in on things to pick apart. I just heard a guy on the Today show talk about how they have to come up with legislation and get involved in traditional politics to make a difference. Sure, that's what we need - let the political system suck a street movement into its jaws.

What the smart people I've heard from the movement - or the nascent movement say is the important thing is the process of building activism in a great mass of people who at some point will decide exactly it is what they want. Gee, democracy of some sorts. Drives them crazy that this doesn't have someone standing up and telling everyone what to do. In a world where results are all that seems to matter, the idea that the process takes precedence over results makes the people with the corporate mentality that is running the world nuts.

That seems to be what we've been trying to do in GEM. "What are your aims," is what I get all the time? I don't know. My aims are to get as many great people working together as possible and assume they will figure all this stuff out while I head out to pasture. [Just a side note - when we started ICE 8 years ago it was more specific - run in the 2004 UFT election - and the focus became much too much the UFT, which really became boring after a while. Thus the more generalized and broader work we're doing in GEM - and many core ICEers are involved - has allowed much more outreach and attracted people who don't really give a rat's ass about nitty gritty of the UFT.]

Yesterday after handing out ATR leaflets at the Brooklyn UFT ATR meeting [Ed Notes:GEMATR Committee Report: What Happens in the Bronx Doesn't Stay in the Bronx] I headed over to the DC37 rally at City Hall [Ed Notes:Wall Street Merger: DC37 School Aide Protest + #Occupy Wall St] just in time to hear Mona Davids speak. I got there at 5:30 and the event didn't look like much. I did see James Eterno and Sean Ahern. But people who had been there earlier estimated a few hundred people to start and that doubled when the OccupyWallStreet people marched up to join them.

Angel Gonzalez who has been working with the teacher union in Puerto Rico sent this along:

 Puerto Rico Educators send support: UPR Strike Leaders Solidarity with Wall St. Occupation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkklXJvOspI

Angel Gonzalez, FMPR Support Committee

 

NYU Students announcement

NYU Walkout in Solidarity with Occupy Wall Street

Wednesday, October 5th

4pm, Washington Square Park (by the fountain)

March to City Hall to join the Community/Labor March to Occupy Wall Street

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=168561836560896

(Come at 3:30pm for poster-making, or bring your own!)

*NYU students and workers: Join us for the National Student Walkout in Solidarity with Occupy Wall Street!

*Stop what you are doing/walk out of class/leave the library at 4pm on Wednesday, October 5th. 

*We will meet in the middle of Washington Square Park and march together to City Hall, where we'll join the Community/Labor March in Solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, endorsed by dozens of NYC unions and community groups including the United Federation of Teachers, SEIU 32BJ and SEIU 1199, the Transit Workers Union Local 100, Make the Road New York, New Yorkers Against Budget Cuts, the Alliance for Quality Education, and more!

We will also be joining students from around the city who are organizing walkouts against unforgivable student debt and soaring tuition rates

Join us to protest the arrest of 700 marchers on the Brooklyn Bridge yesterday, while the banksters who wrecked the economy remain free. Join us to protest the horrific inequality that leaves 1 in 3 New York City children in poverty while Mayor Bloomberg sits on a $20 billion fortune. Join us to protest the foreclosure crisis that has driven millions from their homes, while bank profits soar. Join us because We Are the 99 Percent! Join us because a better world is possible!

If your group would like to endorse, please be in touch! 

Most importantly, spread the word by inviting ALL of your friends on Facebook, making announcements in your classes, and sharing this e-mail. 

Contact: owsnyu@gmail.com

I am not sure if I can make it down today as we have tickets to a Spiderman matinee - TDF half price of course - maybe a sign the show is waning in interest? I am bringing a net in case someone falls on me. I may have them hook me up to the harness and fly me down to meet the crew at Tweed at 4:30


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Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for breaking news bits.

Wall Street Merger: DC37 School Aide Protest + #Occupy Wall St.

I hope you read my post the other day:

NYC Schools Use Child Labor to Replace School Aides

The NY Times talked about the impact of these layoffs of the lowest paid workers yesterday:

N.Y.C. Layoffs to Hit Poorest Schools Hardest :By FERNANDA SANTOS  - In a scattered pattern, some districts and Staten Island are skipped, but schools with many poor or struggling students are disproportionately affected.

All this while the DOE has let (and maybe encouraged) to let thieves steal them blind. See Patrick Sullivan's post at NYCParent Blog (click on title link to read it all).

Bloomberg Education Record Stained by More Corruption

Special Commissioner for Investigation Richard Condon has released a blockbuster report on the fraud perpetuated by favored DOE contractor FTA. (Report pdf is here.) The SCI points to fraud of at least $6.5 million. The worst part of this episode is that despite obvious warning signs, DOE pressed ahead with giving more business to the firm.

And this:

A new government probe has corroborated the disclosure of a major corruption
scandal within the New York City public school system. The Special
Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City Public School District
has confirmed that the firm Future Technology Associates has charged
taxpayers between $110 to $140 an hour for the wages of workers it was
actually paying ten times less. The workers were employed at dummy companies
based in India and Turkey. To date Future Technology Associates has received
$74 million in school system contracts. The scandal has led to the
resignation of one school official involved in the fraud and company owners
are expected to be indicted in the coming weeks. The report repeatedly cites
the work of Democracy Now! co-host and New York Daily News correspondent
Juan Gonzalez, whose exposure of the fraud kick-started the investigation
two years ago.

  http://www.democracynow.org/2011/10/3/headlines#13

Then came this great news:

Occupy Wall Street protesters are set to join in this afternoon’s school aid layoffs protest. Daily News

There's another angry rally planned for lower Manhattan Tuesday - this one focused on hundreds of city workers scheduled to be laid off at the end of the week.

Labor leaders, frustrated Department of Education employees and their supporters will vent their rage outside City Hall from 4p.m. to 6 p.m.

And now it looks like some of the Occupy Wall Street protesters will be heading over to join the crowd.

While I'm not sure if the Wall Street "zombies" will make a guest appearance, here's what we do know: More than 700 people who work in school support-staff positions are losing their jobs.

That includes school aides and parent and community coordinators who, in general, are some of the lowest-paid people in the city educational system.

More than 75% of the workers being laid off make less than $20,000 per year and work 20 hours per week, according to District Council 37, which represents the employees.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2011/10/04/2011-10-04_add_school_layoffs_to_agenda_downtown.html#ixzz1ZpZSnrX1

Hey, Wall Street is being occupied. Mergers are part of the game.

Follow Occupy Wall Street at: http://occupywallst.org/

Afterburn - hot diggity
In Solidarity With Occupy Wall Street, Transport Union sues to block using bus drivers to help arrest Protesters

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Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

GEMATR Committee Report: What Happens in the Bronx Doesn't Stay in the Bronx

I sent out this report to the GEMATR committee this morning with a report on the Bronx UFT ATR Meeting yesterday. Look for reports from the Brooklyn meeting today.

Welcome to new recruits to the GEMATR Committee. Our last updates were sent out on Sunday Oct. 2. If you signed up after that and want to receive it email gemnyc@gmail.com. Also - if you are planning on attending the meeting we are calling for Oct. 20 let us know so we have an idea of how many will be there.  Details: ATR Strategy and Information Meeting on October 20

Attached are the 2 leaflets we are sending out. The first is what you should share with other attendees. The 2nd is a signup sheet for people who are interested. [obviously not attached here but email me if you want a copy - to the right- to share with other ATRs or hand out at the other UFT ATR meetings.] Read the text of the leaflet at NYCATR: ATR = Absolutely Teaching Ready

Update on the blogs:

Gotham Schools has a report on the UFT Meetings: Union to detail ATR plan at meetings for position-less teachers

Go leave your comments. Philip Nobile said:

Your story on this week’s UFT/ATR meetings in borough offices is upside down. You make it seem as if the union is doing us ATRs a favor. In fact, the UFT originally brushed off our request for a sitdown and real union representation. Instead they offered us the crumb of tracking down strange chapter leaders as we trudged from school to school every week throughout the year. Clearly, Mulgrew does not want us to organize and will undoubtedly refuse our demand for chapter status. Three times I asked Brooklyn Borough Rep Howie Schoor to allow us ATRs to meet privately on site before the formal meeting and three times he dodged the question. Such is Unity’s undemocratic instinct.

Chaz says:

Presently, the UFT inaction has embarrassed their members and alienated the ATRs that they are supposed to represent.
Below is a report sent in by an attendee at Monday's ATR in the Bronx. If you attended, please send in your reports. Ed Notes and NYCATR will be publishing reports from all the UFT ATR Meetings this week and next. If you are going to a meeting, consider the goals - to get the UFT to act by building an ATR force. Instead of telling personal stories, push the demands in the leaflets.

Read his full post: http://chaz11.blogspot.com

Check the latest at the mouthpiece for ATRs: http://nycatr.blogspot.com

UFT ATR Meetings continue:
Today: Brooklyn
Tomorrow: SI
Thurs: Queens
Next Tuesday: Manhattan - if any of you would like to join us handing out leaflets at this event in front of 52 Broadway, please let us know.

The Bronx meeting from an ATR who attended:

Similar to the white shirts elsewhere in demo vs. the power conflicts --which shall be nameless,   the UFT had 3 white shirts in jackets on the sides and the front of the hall.
About an equal number of staff were along the left and rear walls of the hall.
Two staff or reps stood at the front of the hall.  One of these and one of the shirts in suits did most of the UFT chattering.
Refreshingly, they did not orchestrate too much.
One the reps chattered long with her answers.  I didn't have the guts to yell time or time check.
The hall seemed full.  I'd estimate about 120 attendees.  I was quite surprised.
The tone was overwhelmingly displeased.  A handful of them spoke with passion.
Alas, FARRRR too many arcane personal stories.
A lot of people seemed open to coming to the October 20 meeting.
The meeting's leader's mantras were:

"Be lucky you have a job"

"Bloomberg wanted to fire all of you."

"We're fighting really hard for you."

If we had said it's going to rain tomorrow, they would say these things.
If we had mentioned the Jets game, they would say these things.

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Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.