Gulags for Teachers... NYC Style. A video.

[Smarmie Doofus]

Did anyone catch this on NPR on Saturday? Apparently it's a documentary still in production.

Any allegation by anyone against any teacher in this system is often enough to land said teacher in The Rubber Room. I've known several people who spent time there, all of whom were innocent and one of whom quit teaching and contracted a life-threatening cancer shortly after that. Unrelated to the months-long ordeal, I'm sure.

Why is this relevant? One reason is that NYC schools have been run for the last eight years by a chancellor, Joel Klein, about whom Arne Duncan (Sec of ED) has said that he (Duncan) has "learned a tremendous amount from". Another reason is that Klein has been supervised by a Mayor ( Michael Bloomberg) who is buying up erstwhile nominal DEM consultants... or "talent" as the NYT puts it... like Hillary Clinton's Wolfson ( Evan? Something like that.), to gear up for his third term bid. Klein and Bloomberg think The Rubber Room system is just great and have expanded its use dramatically.

Needless to say none of the four mentioned in the previous paragraph ( that's Duncan, Klein Bloomberg, Wolfson) have ever spent a *day* in front of a class.

Click the link for 1. What is The Rubber Room? and, 2. Trailer


This is from the site:

>>>>On October 22, 2008, Five Boroughs Productions sat down for an interview with Randi Weingarten, president of both the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
Ms. Weingarten addressed such issues as the physical conditions inside Rubber Rooms, age discrimination, the rising number of reassigned teachers, and the potential for the reassignment process to be used (or abused) as a political tool. >>>>

http://www.rubberroommovie.com/

[PM Martin]

1. WTF is this all about?

[Smarmie Doofus]

2. Click the link on the bottom of OP.

It's about detention rooms for teachers in NYC.

Apparently it's a bit disjointed. The OP, that is. But click the link; it should make sense.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. They had a show about this on "This American Life" on NPR a while back.

What a waste of money, talent, time and resources~~~~~The Bd of Ed should be made accountable for this, as should the union for whatever role they play in it.

[Smarmie Doofus]

4. The union claims to be working to close them.

And to be trying to streamline the hearing process... so that good teachers can get back to teaching and bad ones can be let go.

'Claims' are often , well, *claims*. In other words, for public consumption. How seriously they are pushing to resolve the problem is anyone's guess.

In any case, the union has not been particularly effective, as evidenced by the growth in numbers of Rubber Room denizens.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. Considering how long this has been going on, and the public was not made aware of it by the union..

but by a documentary made by someone else...it would appear that the union is not doing all it can to put a stop to this practice..

Having the education system run like a corporation, by corporate hacks, is a sure recipe for disaster.

[Smarmie Doofus]

6. I mentioned rubber rooms to a 20+ year colleague recently....

... and he had NO idea that there WAS such a thing as detention rooms for accused teachers. ( and BTW, lots of people in rubber rooms aren't accused of *anything*. The trailer does not make this clear. They are simply "unassigned". In other words , their schools were shut and the city can't find places to put them. Meanwhile it's hiring *new* people all the time. YOU figure it out.)

So, yes, the union has been communicating ineffectively. But a lot of people are simply not listening.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. They do this in my district too

But they send the teachers downtown to do meaningless clerical work in offices where they don't have secretaries. And it's not just when they are accused of abusing kids. Principals can suspend you to downtown.

They do this a lot once a teacher has announced retirement plans. What a way to end a career, eh?

[tonysam]

8. There is a Simple Solution.

Always, always, ALWAYS have a lawyer when you are teaching. I learned this the hard way. Don't rely on the unions to help you out; in Nevada, where I worked, they were next to goddamned worthless.

Teachers act so complacent. I can't believe it.

[tonysam]

9. And...

what in the HELL is wrong with sending teachers home and letting the process play out? That's what they do out here in Nevada.

There should be a class action lawsuit filed against the school district for allowing this.

[Smarmie Doofus]

10. Nothing, come to think of it.

"Suspended with pay" is what it's called in more civilized environs.

The idea of paying people who *might* be guilty of something to stay home must stick in the craw of the powers that be. So adult professionals report to detention rooms and do abslutely nothing all day instead . For *months*.

It would be funny if it weren't so sad.

[tonysam]

11. It Should Be Absolutely Illegal.

Why in the HELL don't teachers file a class action lawsuit against the district and board of education? The union clearly has dropped the ball.

[Dinger]

12. I'll Say It

I'm not liking President Obama's stance on teachers and education. Merit pay? What about other factors? Are teachers the only ones to be held accountable? Public schools held accountable, but private voucher & charter schools not? He certainly is not teacher friendly, and neither is that asshole duncan. In Wisconsin, teachers have been a significant factor in getting Gov. Doyle elected, and we now have a Democratic legislature (assembly & senate). Charter schools and private schools have a whole different dynamic in rural vs. urban areas too. Anyway, I'm not liking this at all, and I sure as hell am not the only one.

[tonysam]

13. You Aren't. Don't Be Afraid to Hold Obama's Feet to the Fire.

His selection of Arne Duncan as education secretary was a warning sign, I am afraid.

[tonysam]

14. If You Haven't Seen This Site,

I strongly recommend teachers, especially those who have been harassed and even been fired from school districts, to look at it.

National Association for Prevention of Teacher Abuse

I thought MY experience was bad, but some of these teachers' stories will make the hair stand on end.


I am also looking into getting the organization's founder's book called "White Chalk Crime."