Memo From the RTC: Rockaway Café Rocks – Three Down, Seven to Go

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Memo from the RTC:  Rockaway Café Rocks – Three Down, Seven to Go

By Norm Scott

The theme for the Rockaway Theatre Company’s 20^th Anniversary celebration of Rockaway Café is “Then and Now.” The program guide states: “You are about to see a song and dance review containing tunes performed in previous Cafés in a mash up with numbers brand new to our stage, but related to the oldies.”

Where do I start? A cast of forty doing forty two songs, many with choreographed dance or little skits to enhance the stories they tell, some with scenery and stagecraft and a bonus of numerous videos to go along with the stories they tell. How does one manage all this mayhem? Maybe it takes former teachers like Director John Gilleece and Producer Susan Jasper to handle such a massive project that took months in the making. John is more than a director. He is also a teacher of theater and a teacher of how to behave like a professional in the theater. The cast and crew may be volunteers but it is clear that they all behave no differently than they would if they were on the Broadway stage.

I warned you in the last two weeks that the dance numbers would blow people away and they have. So let me go no further than mentioning the amazing choreographers: Nicola DePierro-Nellen, Gabrielle Mangano and Catherine Leib who have done the bulk of RTC choreography over the years. Their experience has taken the dance numbers in Café to a new level. I’d like to tell you which numbers to give special attention to but they are all so good I can’t choose. This time they are joined by Madiha Corning and Thomasina Ryszetnyk, with the ballet sequence in Jose Velez’ rendition of “Rose in Spanish Harlem” performed and choreographed by Dana Mongelli, an RTC favorite whom we first met as an RTC newcomer in acting class a year ago. Dana, a La Guardia HS graduate, performed professionally for a spell and shows it in her every move.

Now, with a cast of forty there is no way I can talk about everyone in this short space. Actually, I only get to see snatches of the show from either backstage or peering through the curtains at the back of the theater, so I don’t get to see everyone. However, at the risk of offending some people who put their hearts and souls into the show, I will mention a few people in this article and get to some others next week.

A friend, who is a theater critic and saw the show Saturday night, took special note of the astounding Erech Holder-Hetmeyer, a vast talent (and not too long ago a student at Murrow HS) who is a dominating figure on stage. Erech has been asked to do so much in this show – and of course delivers, whether it is singing a ballad (“Slip Sliding Away”), delivering a hard rock version of “Psycho Killer”, or performing duets “Uptown Funk” with Anthony Melendez or “You’re All I Need to Get By” with the lovely Maria Francesconi-Schirripa. People I know who have seen Erech in The Producers or La Cage are surprised to find he is learning to be an electrician instead of starring on Broadway.

Also asked to take a leading role is Maria Francesconi-Schirripa, another triple threat singer, dancer and actor, who is clearly someone who could have been on Broadway. Maria, an RTC fave, who, while taking time off to raise a family, has played Sister Sarah, a soprano lead in Guys and Dolls and performed a dynamic solo as Valerie in A Chorus Line, blows it all out in Café. Watching her every move on state is worth more than the price of admission. 

I can write ten columns about the cast but I’m pretty much out of space and I have a dozen more talented people to talk about. Look for more about them next week.

Performances are Nov. 3, 4, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18 at 8PM and Nov. 5, 12, 19 at 2 PM. Tickets are $20, $15 for seniors. Call RTC Hotline: 718-374-6400 or www.rockawaytheatrecompany.org.

 

Norm is practicing his dance steps for the 30^th anniversary of Rockaway Cafe when he will be 82. Meanwhile he is also practicing writing in his other WAVE column, School Scope, and daily at his blog, ednotesonline.com.

Ángel González - 20 Federation of Teachers of Puerto Rico - FMPR arrested for civil disobediance

From our old pal Angel who resides in Puerto Rico.

Angel Gonzalez shared Federación de Maestros de Puerto Rico's live video to the group: A Call to Action on Puerto Rico. - 20 Federation of Teachers of Puerto Rico FMPR are currently arrested in San Juan for acting in civil disobedience (our constitutional right). We sat in the lobby of Secty of Education's office, Julia Keleher.

We Demand: 1) open all schools that principals and community have prepared to open. 2) Repair schools (damaged by the hurricanes)so that they open. 3) No dismissals of transitory teachers 4) keep the integrity of our community schools 5) no charter privatization of our public schools. No New Orleans charter-privatization of Puerto Rico public education. Respect the union and labor rights of teachers. Stop the profiteering off of our children and teachers back. No to a new WhiteFish criminal robbery scandal using our public schools.

UFT Brags About "Success" at Tottenville HS While Principal Joseph Scarmato Runs Amuck

Is the UFT going through the motions telling members to file grievances while the abuse from the principal just continues?.. James Eterno, ICE blog

Yes, yes, yes -- the UFT is going through the motions. Tell people to file grievances but then don't protect them from retaliation for doing so.

I wonder how many people at Tottenville HS think these are the best of times and will be willing to pay dues post Janus? Are these the best of times for Tottenville HS as Mulgrew declared for the system as a whole at the DA (MULGREW TO DELEGATE ASSEMBLY: THESE ARE BEST OF TIMES...?)

After hearing the horror stories about Tottenville HS (Staten Island) at last week's UFT Ex Bd meeting - including the removal of the current chapter leader to a rubber room - how funny to read this report from James Eterno:

UFT TEAM HIGH SCHOOL TOUTS VICTORIES AT TOTTENVILLE HS WHILE MEMBERS TELL EXEC BD OF ABUSE FROM PRINCIPAL

James has a link to a posted testimony I posted but I removed it after that teacher received some heavy blow back from people at the school due to their fears of retaliation.

When the teachers asked the UFT/Unity leadership to support them by going after Joseph Scarmato publicly, they flat out refused, telling us about all the times they visited the school -- they win some grievances which are pot shots in what should be total war.

One thing we learned last year was that when parents get involved as at Townsend Harris and CPE1, principals can be removed. The job of the UFT in defending their members is to stop the principal and if necessary to go public and stop playing footsie. And then go after the Superintendent for not controlling the principal.

I heard from some people that the reluctance of the UFT to take on Scarmato may be due to his connections to the Staten Island political machine where he may have an angel protecting him and the UFT doesn't want to step on those toes.

Is the Democratic Party in its Death Throes?

The New Yorker ...even if the fight is in part an exercise in after-the-fact finger-pointing, the campaign’s internal struggles over how to talk to the Trump base in the formerly Democratic states of Middle America are just as relevant, polarizing, and unresolved today as they were a year ago. Should Democrats bet their future on attacking Trump and pledge, as the California billionaire donor Tom Steyer now wants them to do, to pursue Trump’s impeachment, at all costs, if they win back the House next year? Should they give up on the white voters who went for Trump in 2016 even though many had been reliably Democratic in the past? Was Clinton’s defeated primary challenger, Bernie Sanders, right to try to pull the Party to the left?

Democratic Party (AFL-CIO's Trumka puts Democrats on notice | Fox Business) -  

Oh, my aching head.

I don't completely buy into the story of labor putting Dems on notice since the Dems, with a powerful centrist wing backed by the big money even while facing an insurgent left.

On the other hand there is the NJ teachers backing a Republican horror story over the Dem boss Norcross who sold teachers out in dirty deals with Christie.

Then there is Donna Brazile who is as off the wall as anyone and we saw that in the campaign -- so my pals who are cheering her "revelations" are paying attention to the wrong stuff.

And then there is Virginia which is close. Which means that even if a win for Dems is a loss. Diane Ravitch doesn't want people to hash over the 2016 election anymore - isn't she a historian? Do we think by seeing no evil and maybe doing the same thing over again and expecting different results we are not falling into the well-known Einstein insanity category? Diane is praying for the outcome in Virginia and as a centrist Dem may be in for some disappointment no matter the outcome ---

When we heard the AFL-CIO convention made a declaration of sorts from the ---- the Dem Party which has abandoned labor where much of its support has come from we were surprised to see Randi, as much a Dem party apparatchik as there is, had signed on to it. But then you know Randi - -

So here are a few articles of interest. Some people are even talking about the fate of the party being that of the Whigs or Federalists --- where there was so much talk of Republican Party fragmentation can we see new alignments and the birth of a new party? A center of moderate Republicans (is there such a thing) and centrist Dems? Who would inherit the Dem brand? Is it worth fighting for? For the left I believe that is a losing battle because the center attracts the big money and anyway the left is always as fragmented as any political force. The end result may be a permanent in essence one party system - Dems on the coasts and the rest Republican. The New Yorker piece makes this point:

It can be difficult, if not impossible, in Washington these days to pay attention to the Democrats’ war within while what appears to be the full-fledged implosion of the Republican Party unfolds.

And this dilemma:

the energy in the rank and file remains with the Bernie bros and Sandersistas, who are determined to pull the party to the left—toward a future of universal health care and free college for all. .... But more centrist Democrats worry that she couldn’t do so without forever alienating not only the Trump base but also the Wall Street moneymen who have provided the Party with key financial backing ever since Bill Clinton introduced his New Democrats to the nation, in 1992. As for members of Trump’s angry white working class, no one’s sure if there are any Democrats at all in the mix for 2020 who can really speak to them. And to the extent that there are such politicians, figures like Biden or Senator Sherrod Brown, of Ohio, no one’s sure there’s a real place for such a candidate in a party moving left quickly.

From The Nation on the left: Another beauty forwarded by Michael Fiorillo.

"William Greider, always worth reading, on a new report that dissects the implosion of the Democratic Party..."

The Democratic Party lost just about everything in 2016, but so far it has offered only evasive regrets and mild apologies. Instead of acknowledging gross failure and astounding errors, the party’s leaders and campaign professionals wallowed in self-pity and righteous indignation. The true villains, they insisted, were the wily Russians and the odious Donald Trump, who together intruded on the sanctity of American democracy and tampered with the election results. Official investigations are now under way.
While the country awaits the verdict, a new and quite provocative critique has emerged from a group of left-leaning activists: They blame the Democratic Party itself for its epic defeat. Their 34-page “Autopsy: The Democratic Party in Crisis” reads more like a cold-eyed indictment than a postmortem report. It’s an unemotional dissection of why the Democrats failed so miserably, and it warns that the party must change profoundly or else remain a loser....

The writers are not promoting any candidate for 2020, though they are obviously kindred spirits with Bernie Sanders and his aggressive reform agenda. They do, however, want to provoke a showdown within the Democratic Party: the Clinton-Obama establishment versus the hurt and disappointed party base. The establishment has the money and the governing control; the rank-and-file agitators have the fire of their brave convictions.

More athttps://www.thenation.com/article/what-killed-the-democratic-party/

Full article From the liberal/ left

The New Yorker

The Democratic Civil War Is Getting Nasty, Even if No One Is Paying Attention

My Uncle, the Bolshevik - Purged in 1937?

On the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, the anti-communism will be running rampant to degrade one of the crucial events in the 20th century. You might get the impression that Russia was better off under the Czar or that China was in better shape pre-Mao vs the totally dismembered nation over the 100 years before Mao (I did study modern Chinese history) - or that Cuba under the gangster Batista dictatorship was better off before Castro. Honest examinations of these nations would give some balance to the march of history.

Personally, some memories are floating around my head as I feel a special connection to the Russian Revolution due to my mom's older brother having left home to join the people who made the Revolution - probably many years before the revolution itself.

I was a history major and also collected 24 credit towards an MA in history so I studied the Revolution -- mostly from an anti- point of view but also from a balanced point of view --- there are always nuanced ways of looking at things. But my uncle was often on my mind

My mother came from a small village - Cernicke* - near Pinsk in Belarus.

* Correction - - I didn't have this correct - thanks to Jonathan Halabi for doing some research and finding this info: Sernyky, Rivnens'ka oblast, Ukraine, 34052 -- which he says is just over the border from Pinsk in what is now Poland. I remember my mom used some Polish words but mostly the family used Yiddish, which I was fairly fluent in as a little kid since my grandma only spoke that - she died when I was 10 and I quickly lost the language.

She came to this country in 1920 at the age of 15. Her older sister had come here in 1912. They brought the younger sister and their parents over in the 1920s. There were 7 sisters, some of whom did not survive the holocaust - and one brother -- the eldest. My mother barely knew him since he had left home to join in the revolutionary activities though I'm not sure when -- my mom's dad was orthodox and I can imagine some conflict.

He changed his name and then disappeared from family history. One of my mom's sisters went east when the Nazis came and lived in Russia until the 1960s before she moved to Israel. Her children - my cousins - still live there. But there was no news about my uncle.
Other than one snippet -- someone connected to the family claimed to have seen him in 1936/7 and said he was running the library system or maybe in charge of a library in Moscow and said he pretty much was a dead man due to the purges of the old Bolsheviks by Stalin.

The family had a wonderful photo of him in some kind of uniform - tall and very good looking and when my dad died 5 years ago I took all the photos and stored them in the basement. Then came Sandy and I lost them all. I so wish I had that photo as I would love to track down who he was.

When I became a leftist in the 70s family members used to say I took after him.

There are a couple of interesting pieces worth reading.

A long one on Stalin - volume 2 of his bio was just published -- a more balanced view trying to put Stalin in the overall context of the Revolution vis a vis Lenin and Trotsky.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/11/06/how-stalin-became-stalinist?mbid=nl_Daily%20110217&CNDID=24481169&spMailingID=12276121&spUserID=MTMzMTgyNTI1MzgxS0&spJobID=1280169383&spReportId=MTI4MDE2OTM4MwS2

This article in Tuesday's NY Times, definitely not nuanced, caught my eye and reminded me of my uncle was could have been one of the old Bolsheviks purged in the 1937-8 Stalin purges.

An estimated 750,000 people were executed during the height of the Great Terror, in 1937 and 1938, but the victims number in the millions when the labor camps, forced collectivization, famine and other horrors are taken into account. Confronting the harrowing legacy of government repression, especially the labor camps, has long been a contentious issue. Those who want a full vetting of the crimes of the past argue that the future will be hobbled without a thorough reckoning. Opponents call the subject too divisive and say it is best forgotten. They include, in particular, members of the Communist Party and a growing number of people who consider the bloody purges under Stalin a necessary if harsh means needed to modernize the country.

Critics Scoff as Kremlin Erects Monument to the Repressed

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/30/world/europe/russia-soviet-repression-monument.html?_r=0

Will (Clueless) Dems Win Virginia - Daily Howler

The fact that it's close is a sign of the zombified state of the liberal world.  ---- They think they are “woke.” They are, in fact, in a political coma..... Instead of learning how to talk to the public, we focus on our grandest dream—after we lose to Them at the polls, we'll try to get their winning candidates arrested and thrown into jail!.....They can’t seem to grasp the nettle of left-populism....  Daily Howler

Will Democrats win in Virginia next week?

Posted: 03 Nov 2017 12:00 PM PDT

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2017

Andrew Sullivan dissects the ongoing disaster: Will Democrats win in Virginia next week? We have no way of knowing.

The fact that it's close is a sign of the zombified state of the liberal world. At New York magazine, Sully delivers the mail:

School Scope: Elections are Coming, Elections are Coming - Norm in The WAVE

Published Nov. 3, 2017 www.rockawave.com

School Scope:  Elections are Coming, Elections are Coming

By Norm Scott

I declined the VOTE NO lawn signs given out by the UFT but did take a magnet for my car – not refrigerator since I don’t get a lot of traffic at my frig – other than when I do a midnight raid.

So of course I am going to turn my ballot over and vote NO on the Constitutional Convention, though I admit to mixed feelings over allowing our political slugs to continue to make our state one of the most corrupt. And there seems no way out of that locked box.

Like home rule for our city. How come Cuomo and the Republican dominated areas of the state gets to dictate so much of our policy here in the city? Like if we want to raise taxes on the rich why do we need their permission? A note to the very rich by the way – if you don’t like it here because of high taxes, then move to Jersey.

MORE Urging "Stay Union" Campaign - Are There Alternatives?

Roseanne McCosh left a  comment on my Oct. 20 post "ATRs to UFT - It is About Dignity, Don't Tell Us We Should Be Happy to Have a Job...": I'm a bit torn because to ask people to stay in the union with no concessions by the leadership is bound to confuse some people. Notice that MORE is not yet putting forth a detailed reform program to create a more democratic union to go along with its Save the Union campaign. A major flaw in its strategy when Save the Union also equals Save Unity Caucus. So Roseanne's question resonates with me.

A call to arms to support our union in the form of voluntary dues enables UNITY to continue to ignore teachers like Karen [Sklaire]. This is why I am having such a hard time getting on board with a post Janus support of the UFT. What will motivate them to change their ways if they keep raking in our money? I have no easy answer but I can't accept the argument that a bad union is better than no union. This behavior of UFT leadership needs to change yet I don't see them even considering a change. Norm, you've been involved forever and have been fighting the good fight.... any addditional thoughts on this?????   ----------Roseanne McCosh

I'm glad Roseanne asked that question at this time as I was preparing a piece on this very issue after MORE affirmed at its Oct. 14 convention that it would make a Stay in the Union campaign a priority for the caucus.

Excuse the meandering in this post - I began writing it over 2 weeks ago and keep modifying it and flipping around like a flounder on dry dock.

Memo From the RTC: Celebrate 20 Years of Rockaway Theatre Company at Rockaway Café

Published Nov. 3, 2017 at www.rockawave.com

Memo From the RTC: Celebrate 20 Years of Rockaway Theatre Company at Rockaway Café

By Norm Scott

On Sunday I was at rehearsal for the Rockaway Theatre Company’s upcoming extravaganza from noon to four to practice the staging for each of the almost 20 songs and dances and when I left they were just getting started on the vocals for another couple of hours. And that came after special rehearsals for some of us on Saturday from 3:30- 6PM.

Third Way Democrats Double Down on Anti-90% Agenda With More Attacks on Public Schools | naked capitalism

Policies pushed by Third Way and other centrist Democrats not only don’t interrupt the death spiral, they hasten it.... on the issue of education where Third Way continues to bang the drum for a failed agenda that voters mostly reject.... Jeff Bryant

The very name "Third Way" is a sign of trying to navigate the space between the left and right -- which to some might make sense for Dems. But when we examine the ed policies of 3rd wayers we see Obama-Duncan written all over it.

UFT Leadership: Abusive Principals, Observations and Accountability for You, None for Us

 -- let's have UFT members observe the work of every special and district rep 4 times a year and write them up for public consumption.

Unity to we earthlings: Don't hold us accountable for our failure to reign in abusive principals running rampant -- we are working behind the scenes. But it's crucial that teachers be held accountable by these same slugs. So data proves the more observations the better off you are. The UFT leadership are like those baseball Sabermetrics people -- ignore the people and go with the stats.

A debate broke out at the Ex Bd meeting last night over teacher evaluations. And abusive principals. Let's try to tie that knot together because there is a connection, no matter how much the leadership wants to run away from it.


The debate was over the reso presented by MORE/NA calling for two observations like the rest of the state. It was a rich debate with Unity taking the same line as expected -- that MORE observations are better. When it was pointed out that so many principals are biased or abusive and threatening, the response was a so what --- this is bigger than that.

No it isn't --- if you guys can't make sure we have decent principals the house of cards falls. And when we call on your guys to be transparent in what you are doing to control these principals we got the equivalent of "we don't have to share that info." And when we name names of union people who do dumb things or screw people over they Unity leadership locks hands and defends even the worst of them.

One union leader told me -- we don't believe teachers should be left alone -- they need to be observed and counseled and supported. But there are so many principals who are clueless educators -- no matter.

I get it --- the UFT position is that teachers MUST be monitored and held accountable but union officials who shove bad policy or tell ATRs they are lucky to have a job do not have to be held accountable.

I have an idea -- let's have UFT members observe the work of every special and district rep 4 times a year and write them up for public consumption.

I never thought I'd say this but the UFT Ex Bd meetings are the most interesting thing going on in the union. That is due to the partnership between the 2 New Action and 4 MORE reps (the 5th has only shown up for 2 meetings -- that story another time). They hold an open meeting in the back of the lobby an hour before the meetings begin -- they coordinate with the rank and file who have called in for speaking time -- and then coordinate their questions and resolutions with them. That hour, which last night included 3 teachers working under an abusive principal at Tottenville HS in Staten Island, is the most productive and democratic hour you can spend in the UFT - and I include MORE meetings.

Arthur has a fascinating report on last night's Ex Bd meeting which I'm sure he will parse in a follow-up --- and I will do a follow-up on his follow-up in a day or two:

Exec. Board Oct. 30--Observations Now, Observations Forever, the More the Merrier. If You Have a Question for Leadership, Look Up the Answer in Chalkbeat.

James also has a report: MULGEW'S UNITY CAUCUS AGAIN VOTES DOWN RESOLUTION CALLING FOR TWO OBSERVATIONS PER YEAR FOR NYC TEACHERS

Here are the notes Arthur took on the over 3 year reign of terror of principal Joseph Scarmato --- we'll have more on this slug. When we called on UFT accountability they listed all the visits they made to the school but wouldn't share if there were positive outcomes. One UFT official told me -- there are 2 sides to every story-- which is astounding given the current chapter leader has been removed from the school and cannot even hold a union meeting. Translation -- we don't really like the chapter leader.

Penny Tuzio, retired, Tottenville HS—intolerable situation by principal JOSEPH SCARMATO. Have written multiple letters. Principal is vindictive. Used to be desirable school. Many teachers left, bullied persecuted. AP SS took mysterious leave for nervous breakdown. At least 5 lawsuits against him. People hired as personal favors do nothing. AP science out of building three days a week, has fake class as do others. Forces new teachers to email him messages of support. Forbids AP s to be friends with teachers. Most senior AP forbidden to observe without henchman of principal. Gives orders to teachers via email at all times. Abuses students. Parents afraid but can’t complain for vindictive nature. Impossible to fail students because test scores count only 25%. Said he admires Hitler for organization. Everyone scared to death. Made staff cry. I implore you investigate.

John McCabe, Tottenville HS—SS teacher, 19 years, never had to deal with principal so abusive. Wanted to change Tottenville. Has five year plan. Now year 4. Goes after teachers w 15 years or more. Observations done in pairs, w discussion. Discrepancies resolved by principal, even if not in class. Colleague observed, three days later went on Advance, all Effective. Four days later, official copy was completely different, replaced by Developing. Principal asked AP to do it. Teacher well respected. Many of us are outspoken and we are targeted. We are hit with trumped up 3020a charges. Numerous individuals retire or transfer, we think targeted at behest of principal. No HE ratings, even if teachers are. Recently in paper for plagiarism. He has to go, one way or another. How can union help us? Some of us have taken major brunt.

Jessica Peterson, Chapter Leader, Tottenville HS—Reassigned. Quotes Shakespeare about retaliation. Says prior to principal, few grievances were filed. Now, principal steadily declines in reviews. DOE refuses to hold him accountable. He slut shamed females, was in paper. Now targets seasoned vets over 40, mostly women. Has targeted other delegates and CL. I have been targeted and abused. I am wrongfully reassigned Paying for multiple lawyers. Filed PERB complaint. Waiting for right to sue letter.

Our school has been reported multiple times for failure to follow, have complained to various agencies, have not received assistance. My offense is being excellent CL and winning often. Principal was removed from last school and was rewarded. Plagiarism is academic dishonesty, a misdemeanor. Improper LIFs. Many arbitrations and settlements. Paperwork complaints, improper evaluations, many TIPS. Over 60 people have left. Teachers usually don’t leave. School used to be mirthful, now us v them, a war zone. Asks UFT helps get rid of disease.

UFT Elections 2019: Unity Caucus Goes Behind Back of Chapter Leaders

The upshot of this dumb move is that it may very well turn out that Arthur and a few pals will be the only ones to greet the veeps. Because after listening to DOE bullshit all the time, there's nothing teachers want to do more than to stay after school to listen to bullshit from the UFT.

Non-Unity Chapter Leader tee-shirt

I read with disgust on Saturday Arthur Goldstein's post as Unity Caucus (Michael Mulgrew's political party that runs the UFT) has arranged to do a UFT event in a school without first going through the Chapter Leader.... It seems the two UFT High School Vice Presidents have set up a Meet the Vice Presidents afternoon for Francis Lewis High School, where Arthur is Chapter Leader, but they have not asked for his ok. To put it another way, the Unity Vice Presidents have invited themselves into Francis Lewis.....James Eterno, ICE Blog, UFT CHAPTER LEADERS ARE NO LONGER THE UNION IN SCHOOLS

Yesterday, a Unity rep who went behind my back to arrange an event in my school told me he was sorry that I "felt" high school teachers have no representation in NYSUT and AFT. Here's the thing--it's not something I "feel." It's something, period. And when UFT Unity ignores elected chapter leaders to do any damn thing they feel like, it's counterproductive and stupid on multiple levels... Arthur Goldstein, Unity Fiddles While High Schools Unrepresented

The two posts by Arthur and James

Passing the Lemons: Principal at Urban Assembly School Given New Post

Read this NY Times piece on the story of another bullied student

who tried to commit suicide and how pleas from his grandmother were continually ignored. This is a story about student dying in a school of incompetent, uncaring administrators. And maybe the staff too -- but the fish rots from the head.

With the press screaming about ATRs being placed in schools where are the questions as to why this principal is not being brought up on charges of incompetence, if not an accessory to murder? Then again, if the fish rots from the head down, how about Farina who has put in so many awful admins, a way bigger problem than placing ATRs.

At School Where
Student Died, Bullying
Led to a Suicide Attempt

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/27/nyregion/at-school-where-student-died-bullying-led-to-a-suicide-attempt.html?_r=0

Norm in The WAVE - School Scope: ATRs to UFT - It is About Dignity, Don't Tell Us We Are Lucky to Have a Job

Published October 27, 2017 www.rockawave.com



School Scope: ATRs to UFT - It is About Dignity, Don't Tell Us We Are Lucky to Have a Job

By Norm Scott

There are an estimated 800-1200 ATRs in a system of 130,000 employees. Some of you who have not been slammed in the face with news reports about ATRs might be wondering what an ATR is. These are dislocated tenured teachers whose schools have been closed or who have been excessed from their schools due to reorganization or loss of pupils. 74 percent earned a Highly Effective, Effective, or Satisfactory rating. The rest are in the third category – tenured teachers who have been brought up on charges (3020a) and were not dismissed, though they may have been fined or suspended. It is the latter category that has garnered major media attention which has focused on these relatively few teachers, many of whom may have been disciplined for fairly minor infractions or been the target of principals’ animosity. Or more onerous, they are the victim of their higher salaries. At time teacher salaries did not count against a school’s budget. But under Bloomberg and Klein the rules were changed to punish school budgets with high salaried teachers, thus incentivizing principals to put a target on the backs of these teachers. The 26% who are viewed as ineffective - which might number 300 teachers – has led to front page articles in the Times and the tabloid press expressing horror that principals might be forced to take them.

At a recent UFT Executive Board meeting, ATRs spoke out supported by the MORE and New Action opposition caucuses who have 7 out of 100 seats on the board. Karen Sklaire, an actress and theater teacher whose principal decided to kill her program, thus making her an ATR, spoke out forcefully about her having to sit in an empty room or doing filing instead of the job she was so good at. She lambasted the UFT officials who told her she was lucky to still have a job. She responded, “It is condescending to say I’m lucky to have a job. I don’t feel lucky. ATR system is failing. Better to not have a job than stay and feel humiliated.” You can read Karen’s entire speech on my blog, https://tinyurl.com/y8ycesmq. And The Chief did a great and fair article with comments from a number of ATRs: https://tinyurl.com/yd4fbhsn.

Ulrich Switch on Constitutional Convention
There was some consternation among UFT members over its endorsement of Erich Ulrich over even his conditional support for the constitutional convention which unions see as a major threat to protections they have received. Some of us contacted Paul Egan, head of UFT political action and he said that was of some concern but then contacted us that Ulrich has switched positions and now was opposed. I still won’t vote for any Republican and even have troubles pulling the switch for Democrats so I am not sure where my vote will go this time. As for the mayoral race, even though de Blasio deserves a lot of the despising he gets, I will probably vote for him because the other two candidates are so disgusting. The more they lose by the better I will feel.

Thousands to March on Saturday For the 5th Anniversary of Superstorm Sandy
#Sandy5 coalition of 125+ NY groups to march in remembrance of lives lost, rise for climate action at the state and local level
On Saturday, October 28 at 11:30 AM, a broad coalition of local, state, national and global organizations will gather and march across the Brooklyn Bridge to commemorate the 5th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy and demand bold powerful action from state and local officials.

With over 125 groups signed-on (including Rockaway Waterfront Alliance and my UFT Caucus, MORE), the #Sandy5 march will start at Cadman Plaza before crossing the bridge and gathering at the Alfred E. Smith Houses on the Lower East Side. Organizers are remembering the lives and livelihoods lost to Superstorm Sandy and demanding bold and swift climate action from New York’s elected officials. Demands include actionable steps for Mayor Bill de Blasio, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Senator Chuck Schumer to address unmet needs from the storm’s devastation, protect communities vulnerable to inevitable future storms, and secure transformative policies to make New York a true climate leader. Gathering at Cadman Plaza, marching across the Brooklyn Bridge, rallying Alfred E. Smith Houses. This is a pretty progressive group, which might explain why we don’t see a lot of Rockaway (other than RWA) presence on the list.

Janus is coming – will every state turn into right to work?
Unions nationwide are facing a mammoth attack on all fronts as a last bulwark. The Supreme Court will rule soon on the Janus case which will lead to union members being able to not have to pay dues which will cripple some unions. The UFT expects to lose 20-30% and is already talking of retrenchment. I’ll be following up as news breaks. Though I will urge people to stay in the UFT I have mixed feelings about giving unequivocal support to an organization that I do not consider democratic or sensitive to its members (see ATR story above).

Norm IS sensitive all the time at ednotesonline.org.
Also read his Memo from the RTC columns in The WAVE.

Memo From the RTC: Rockaway Café – The Heat and the Beat Are Coming November 3

Published in The Wave, October 27, 2017

Memo From the RTC: Rockaway Café – The Heat and the Beat Are Coming November 3
By Norm Scott

Every so often I’ve popped into the rehearsals for the Rockaway Theatre production of the reprise of the John Gilleece directed Rockaway Café – Then and Now - which opens for ten performances on Nov. 3 over three weekends and one Thursday evening performance. I have such a small role that I don’t have to be at a lot of rehearsals but when I do drop by I have seen some spectacular dancing with choreography that pushes the boundaries of the dancers. While, as usual, there will be outstanding singing, this time the talent of the dancers and the work the team of choreographers have done will blow audiences away. There are five – count them – FIVE – choreographers. And we haven’t even seen the band load in yet.

Now I’d like to tell you the song list but I’ve been warned by producer extraordinaire Susan Jasper that I’d have to kill anyone I tell. Susan keeps everyone hopping with her daily emails. Getting 40 or more people to rehearsals at the right day and time 7 days a week is not an easy job and Susan cracks the whip with relish.

Performances are Nov. 3, 4, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18 at 8PM and Nov. 5, 12, 19 at 2 PM. Tickets are $20, $15 for seniors. Call RTC Hotline: 718-374-6400 or www.rockawaytheatrecompany.org

On Democratic Centralism and Loyalty Oaths - Unity Caucus and Marxist-Leninist Orgs

Democratic centralism is a method of leadership in which political decisions reached by the party (through its democratically elected bodies) are binding upon all members of the party....
The text of Lenin's What Is to Be Done? from 1902 is popularly seen as the founding text of democratic centralism.... Lenin described Democratic Centralism as consisting of "freedom of discussion, unity of action".... The doctrine of democratic centralism served as one of the sources of the split between the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks. The Mensheviks supported a looser party discipline within the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1903,

wikipedia

As we reach the 100th anniversary of the earth shaking Russian Revolution, I've been thinking about the impact of democratic centralism on the various organization that operate under its influence - from the Bolsheviks to the current China to the UFT's Unity Caucus to the various Marxist-Leninist organizations, some of which have members in the UFT and in the MORE Caucus.

On the surface DC may make sense as the graphic shows. Unity in action -- maybe Al Shanker's Trotskyist/Shachtmanite views led him to name the caucus. And to establish an ironclad DC blanket.

I was recently criticized by someone on the MORE listserve for raising skepticism about what I saw as attempts to impose elements of democratic centralism within MORE, which many people join because it is supposedly the un-Unity Caucus which does operate under democratic centralism and thus drags the UFT, which Unity controls, along with it.

The objector accused me of

"latent anti-communism which is found in the comments about democratic centralism, the organizing principle of Marxist-Leninist (M-L) parties. I'm a member of a party governed by democratic centralism. Does that mean I don't think for myself? No. Does that mean that I expect anyone in an organization like MORE to operate along democratic centralist principles? No. Democratic centralism just means agreeing internally with a position and political line and agreeing to carry it out. MORE is a politically diverse group. Good for us. But, stop the red-baiting around democratic centralism."

Except when a block of people from one of these organizations that has decided on the policy or framework for the group their people belong to and then execute their vision in what some deem an unprincipled and undemocratic manner. The M-L organization this person criticizing me belongs to is one that caucuses I belonged to as far back as the 70s had some bad experiences with due to unprincipled actions. But more on that some other time other than to say those experiences with these groups has made me very leery.

I'm not so sure that MORE is a politically diverse group anymore -  increasingly I see a narrowing of political diversity where minority views make people uncomfortable and those expressing those views are criticized for their tone, while the content of what they say is ignored. But I'll deal with this aspect another time.

I'm sure that some of these M-L parties internally have rigorous internal debates and once decided upon, everyone goes along. Or they leave. Or they are expelled for disagreeing. But we also know of parties where there are dominant voices at the top -- most often male and most of the rest go along. Don't forget that the Communist Party of China is supposedly a M-L party run on the principles of DC - as were the parties of Castro and Stalin.

I have no problems with people who join parties that operate under DC - unless their actions negatively affect organizations to which I belong. Like the UFT and MORE.

Here is another dictum about DC --- 

there shall be strict Party discipline and the subordination of the minority to the majority;
That all decisions of higher bodies shall be absolutely binding on lower bodies and on all Party members.

This is Unity Caucus in operation. Except there is a hell of a lot of centralism and not a lot of democracy. Do we believe there are serious debates over issues in Unity Caucus? Other than a top-level few people making decisions, the rest are foot soldiers.

The problem is that the mass organization (diverse politically, not bound by DC) - the UFT - controlled by the Unity Caucus party -- is dragged along where the party discipline operates at all levels and minority views are subordinated. In fact, due to Unity control even potential majority views of the members are subordinated. Take Arthur's post yesterday about the AFT - our parent union run by Randi Weingarten - loving that Bill Gates is spending more of his money to control education. Do we think the majority of UFT members agree? Or even Unity Caucus rank and file?

Now let's take the UFT, which where Unity Caucus operates under democratic centralism (nix the democratic) -- which means that once their party - the leadership - decides on an issue everyone in Unity must go along with that decision. But they treat those who are not in Unity and thus not bound to go along - as traitors to the union -- a repression of the minority opinion. And often charge those who disagree as being anti-union when they are in fact anti-Unity -- the idea that Unity melds itself with the UFT itself is fundamentally undemocratic.

At every UFT event - especially the DA -- no one gets up and identifies themselves as Unity Caucus - meaning they are pre-bound before the meeting even took place -- or else they look to verbal or visual clues from the leadership if something unexpected comes up. That is why the new motion period is often viewed as a threat - the potential for 10 minutes of time the leadership cannot totally control. (I used to use this time effectively by disguising which reso I was going to bring up and putting them in a position to have to think on their feet.) One thing we know, when someone calls the question is it almost always Unity cutting off debate.

Mulgrew calls on people to speak and those of us who have been around know full well they are Unity - in fact most people called on are in Unity - they are expected to attend in enough numbers to assure nothing happens out of their control. Some people not attuned to UFT politics in the audience may assume these are just regular folks like them instead of people who are functioning like robots. This to me is not democratic - Unity is a large block -- they should get a speaker clearly identified as representing the caucus -- and them let a diverse set of voices be heard.

Now let's look how democratic centralism can have an impact on a much smaller caucus like MORE which doesn't operate under democratic centralism. Imagine there is a fair sized group of people from a party - like a M-L party --  in a caucus like MORE and there are some hot issues on the table. These people have a perfect right to meet beforehand and discuss where they stand and once decided they all will support the position - no matter what is said in the debate at a MORE meeting -- they are pre-bound to support their position. I mean a Clarence Darrow could be in the room with dazzling arguments -- this block will stay as a block and be loyal to the party position - which to those trying to engage in an honest debate where the power of facts or argument might have an effect can feel mighty frustrated.

The problem arises when they, like Unity, don't identify themselves as sharing a pre-determined position and each speak individually at a meeting instead of an identified block. Some people at the meeting do not understand this is a block. I and others do not consider this undemocratic, though others do. Some believe that if there are organized factions in a mass organization like MORE or the UFT, then the members of those factions should identify themselves. Some consider this red-baiting due to the historic attacks and witch hunts on communists - identification used to be dangerous and can be in the future if Trumpism. If one wants to hide their affiliations, I get it. So this can be tricky ground.

The reality is that over time and with experience, the actions of people aligned with democratic centralism orgs begin to be viewed as manipulative and that causes tensions and even splits. So many M-L groups have split time and again -- due to a minority feeling oppressed to the point they leave their org and form another group. Thus DC in its essence is viewed by some as a basic cause of splitting the left into sectarian parties and tendencies.

While people have hoped over the years, Unity has never split -- though there were some splitoffs during the support for the Vietnam War. Unity rank and file get enough perks out of being in Unity to keep them on board the mother ship.

On the other hand, the mass organizations that these D-C orgs embed themselves in can suffer splits. I was in a caucus in the 70s that was split by people coming from one of these D-C orgs and that experience left me very suspicious.

The UFT is a mass organization under the control of a tightly run DC Unity Caucus. The one party system of control, facing Janus and a loss of membership and dues - which will reduce the perks Unity can offer its members - may cause internal tensions in Unity and also internal tensions in the UFT - note some of the proposals to get the high school teachers - who have voted anti-Unity for almost 30 years.

So in the next few years we may see some upheavals in the UFT and in the various caucuses. As I am increasingly more an observer and chronicler of events it may be a show worth watching.
-------

Here are some articles I did on democratic centralism a few years ago dug up by Mike Schirtzer.

Unity, Cadre, Democratic Centralism/Loyalty Oaths, UFT, Mass Organizations and Democracy

https://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2015/07/unity-cadre-democratic.html?m=1
Ed Notes reprint: July 24, 2015

How Unity Caucus Uses the District Reps to Control the Membership and Narrow the Growth of the Opposition

https://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2015/07/how-unity-caucus-uses-district-reps-to.html?m=1
July 24, 2015

Is Unity a Democratic Organization: Unity Caucus and Democratic Centralism 

https://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2015/07/is-unity-democratic-organization-unity.html

July 25, 2015

Hudson Yards Success charter parents to Eva Moskowitz: The school "broke our children’s spirit and erased their self confidence in less than 3 weeks"

Leonie Haimson has the full letter on her blog: https://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2017/10/hudson-yards-success-charter-parents-to.html

Ben Chapman of the Daily News reported yesterday that a group of parents whose children attend a new Hudson Yards middle school in the Success Academy charter network is protesting the rigid and abusive disciplinary methods of the network.  The school opened this year and enrolls about 200 students in grades 5 and 6, to be expanded to 480 students through eighth grade in future years.

The school is sited in a high-rise building on the far West Side of Manhattan.  The space also houses a Success charter elementary school and the Success Academy Education Institute, established to train teachers from throughout the country in the Success techniques.  The two schools in the building are supposed to serve as "lab schools" for the Institute. The commercial space in the mixed use tower was acquired for $68 million by Success in December 2016. 

The full letter from Hudson Yard parents to Eva Moskowitz, the Success CEO, is reprinted below, and describes how the principal and faculty at the school "broke our children’s spirit and erased their self confidence in less than 3 weeks." Many of the specific practices outlined below have been reported by parents at other Success charter schools.

The Chief Actually Talks to ATRs

Here is the kind of reporting that has been missing from the mainstream press.

http://thechiefleader.com/news/open_articles/preparing-for-return-to-classrooms-atr-teachers-lament-unfair-stigma/article_fef47402-ab83-11e7-b2b8-d74d0e10c1b3.html#utm_source=thechiefleader.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletters%2Fheadlines%2F%3F-dc%3D1508797820&utm_medium=email&utm_content=read%20more

Most Proved Their Competence in Past

Preparing for Return to Classrooms, ATR Teachers Lament Unfair Stigma

• By CRYSTAL LEWIS
• Oct 23, 2017

“It’s the Scarlet Letter of teaching,” Karen Sklaire, a theater Teacher, said of being placed in the Absent Teacher Reserve pool.
In November, the Department of Education will move 400 Teachers from the Absent Teacher Reserve into schools. The one-year provisional placements will be based on vacancies that existed on Oct. 16, and will be made permanent if the Teachers earn an Effective rating or higher from their supervisors.

My (Brief) Life Studying Artificial Intelligence

Tech’s biggest companies are placing huge bets on artificial intelligence, banking on things ranging from face-scanning smartphones and conversational coffee-table gadgets to computerized health care and autonomous vehicles. As they chase this future, they are doling out salaries that are startling even in an industry that has never been shy about lavishing a fortune on its top talent. Typical A.I. specialists, including both Ph.D.s fresh out of school and people with less education and just a few years of experience, can be paid from $300,000 to $500,000 a year or more in salary and company stock... NY Times, October 23, 2017

Tech Giants Are
Paying Huge Salaries
for Scarce A.I. Talent

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/22/technology/artificial-intelligence-experts-salaries.html?_r=0

This article caught my eye because in the late 80s I was studying A.I. at Brooklyn College and attended two A.I. national conferences where I rubbed elbows with people who are probably millionaire superstars in the field today.

In 1983 I became fascinated when I was given two Apple IIe computers for my 6th grade classroom. Ira Goldfine, my friend and former activist in the UFT took an adult ed course on the Apple at Brooklyn College and that experience led us into the Masters degree program at the College, which involved taking 15 preliminary credits and then the 30 credits for the MA, which we completed in 1987. We met up with Jim Scoma, another NYC teacher and became a trio for years working with each other on projects.

That included a study sabbatical (85-86 and a follow-up year without pay for the 86-87 school year.) When I returned to my school I became the computer specialist and worked to set up a computer program starting from ground zero. This accounts for my absence from union activities for almost a decade.

There were two fundamental tracks at Brooklyn College computer science --- one was business oriented and the other was theoretical, which included some fascinating courses in A.I. which included natural language processing (how your phone calls have a robot talking to you), expert systems, and a few other courses. I heard a lot about machine learning which is so hot now but there wasn't a course.

The most fascinating course I took was neural networks, taught by a teacher in the psychology department - which focused on a new paradigm of computer and biological science of with the idea of mimicking the human brain. Most computers ran with one central processing unity (CPU) which did all the work. The brain runs on billions of processors, each doing a little bit of the work. My instant understanding was that neural networks of a lot of small processors was an answer for the future -- the computers at that time were far from powerful enough. 

Robotics was just taking off with Japan leading the way. The College didn't offer a robotics course but when I got back to my school and developing my computer program in my elementary school, I discovered LEGO robotics and began to buy materials that would work with the Apple IIe computers -- you had to open them up and wire the controllers in. That was the beginning of my relationship to with the education community who were doing programming with the students. (I had 2-6th graders and had them doing the LOGO computer language -- that little turtle on the screen for those who remember.) I continueD that relationship when I retired in 2002 - and then was hired by Region 4 to help establish robotics programs in the schools over the next few years. And signed on as a volunteer with FIRST robotics which continues today.

In the 90s the A.I. field sort of crashed -- maybe the lack of small powerful computers was an issue. But a lot of research went on.

After I got my MA I was accepted into the Phd program and took 2 more courses before realizing it was too long a haul for a guy in his 40s and teaching full time. The last course I took was pattern recognition - the roots of artificial vision - which fascinated me until I realized I just didn't have the math background. The professor even offered my an opportunity to work with his team on artificial vision but I felt too inept in both the math and programming aspect.

The truth dawned on me around 1990 that I was not a very good programmer -- there are books on the art of programming and I didn't have a knack for that art.

Now you can't go a day without reading about A.I., the miracle of neural networks, and robots taking all the jobs.

I realized this morning after reading the Times article that even someone at my level could have worked in the field and managed pretty well -- and probably learned to be a better programmer, especially working in collaboration with others.

But going back to teaching after my 2 year break at the 20th year is not something I regret. I spent the rest of my time in the system teaching students and teachers how to use computers.

I spent another decade in my school before being hired by the district as a computer specialist for my last 4 years in the system where I worked more with teachers than students. Like after school classes where we told teachers about a new concept -- email - and actually helped them set up their first email accounts.

Here are a few more articles on A.I.

• In the Future, Warehouse Robots Will Learn on Their Own SEPT. 10, 2017

• 

  Teaching A.I. Systems to Behave Themselves AUG. 13, 2017

• 

  How A.I. Is Creating Building Blocks to Reshape Music and Art AUG. 14, 2017

Will the UFT Hold Together Post Janus?

James Eterno:
Since our October 5 post came out on what it would take to fix the UFT internally or for the high school division to oust the UFT and start a new union, we have received some inquiries and several commitments to help with fragmenting the high schools into a separate bargaining unit but not enough to make anyone at the UFT sweat... ICE blog, Spring Creek Drivers Look to Bolt ATU To Create Own Union

James reports on the move by bus drivers in one shop to leave the Transit Workers union:

 Bus drivers who work out of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Spring Creek Depot in Brooklyn are one step closer to breaking away from Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181 and forming their own union after winning the right to vote to do so when the Public Employment Relations Board last month ordered a decertification election that is expected to be held in November. Read more

 James brings this story up in the context of talk around moving to disaffiliate the high school teachers from the UFT. Between 6 and 7000 signatures would be needed. The opposition in the last election received around 2300 votes. Would it be possible to picky back on these votes to get enough signatures? And then a vote would be held in the high schools if PERB approved.

Now given Janus and the decisions people will have to make whether to stay in the union or leave, this adds an interesting wrinkle.

I have not supported a move to disaffiliate up to now but the very process of having people going around schools gathering signatures might shake the UFT/Unity tree where they might consider the kinds of concessions that would give the high school teachers who have voted for the opposition in almost every election a true voice, especially in the VP position which used to be elected by high school teachers until 1994 when Unity changed it to at-large so that even the 60,000 retirees get to vote for the HS VP.

I don't automatically go along with the moves in MORE to support a "Stay in the Union" campaign unless we see some concessions -- including taking a hard look at the salaries of our UFT, NYSUT and AFT officials. More on those salaries in future posts.