That woman in my school…
not one of our teachers. Not a nurse. Not a parent. Not an administrator. Not a flunky from the Region or the District or the Supe’s Office, or Downtown, or the Learning Support Organization, or any of those other unimpressive dens of unimpressive bureaucrats.
She is a teacher with a pay check, but with no job. We have an ATR, an Attendance Teacher in Reserve assigned.
ATR? Excessed from a school, and hasn’t found a new assignment. Excessed teachers used to get placed when there were openings in their license area in their District, but could end up with nothing. Under the nasty new decentralized transfer system, ATRs have no rights to any job – emergency certified teachers off the street can get a job an ATR wants, but the ATR is guaranteed a salary.
Maybe she is happy doing nothing and collecting? Too insulting to answer. But I’ll answer anyway. Absolutely not. This is a teacher. She wants to teach.
Many ATRs are from large high schools that are being phased out (even one Chapter Leader is ATR) where dozens have been left without work.
Many others are D79 teachers. District 79 “reorganized” this Spring, closing centers such as GED and schools for pregnant teens. Several hundred teachers were left without work(?), (and not by seniority?) That’s how that woman got to my school, where we don’t need an ATR. She wants to work, she can work.
The UFT protected her pay. That’s a start. Now we need to protect her dignity.
JD2718 
Wouldn’t it be great if they used these extra teachers to create some co-teaching classrooms? I’ve done co-teaching and it was an amazing experience. There usually isn’t enough money, but if they have extra, paid teachers floating around, it would be a great thing to try.
I think that would be an excellent opportunity for newbies to get some much needed guidance. I thought that the CFE was meant to make class sizes smaller. The classess in my school are fulled to the brim. Many of the teachers are brand new ,and I am sure many would love to have the experience of a well seasoned teacher in their class to support them and the students. Some where over the rainbow!
I was excessed from a NYC HS where the depts have been team teaching for at least 3 years.The latest “Re-disorganization” and FSF has principals dropping expensive extras such as teachers! In NYC not only will classrooms be full to the brim but so will ATR pools (ie Substitute teacher pools). You’re dreaming if you think NYC DOE is going to put more than one teacher in a room when OUR contract allows this waking nightmare of a scenario. (Deep Breath) I need to stop or I’ll work myself up to a full rant.
I don’t understand why so many ATRs are silent about the disgusting way we are being delegated to sub-teacher/sub-human status. I am an excellent, qualified teacher who is bored out of her mind everyday because I have to sub, when younger less-experienced teachers have positions that should rightly be mine. Why isn’t anyone else FUMING!!!! I have tried to get people involved, but I am waiting for certain organizations to mobilize and get back to me. How long will I have to wait? Is there anybody out there who is as PISSED OFF as I am?
Yes, many of the teachers of Canarsie High School are just as angry as you are! We are at a phased out school–most of us are veteran teachers who will become ATRS. Why isn’t the union helping us? How can they allow us to be treated in this manner?! We need a call to action. How can we mobilize ATRS in closing schools to get the UFT to HELP SATIFACTORY, VETERAN teachers????
But veteran teachers are EVIL people…prima facia cause of all the system’s failures to educate. The system can only be fixed if we: (1) get rid of all these bad teachers who are the cause of failing students and disaster schools; (2) systematically refuse to give new teachers who show the signs of being future bad veteran teachers tenure; and (3) hire only enthusiastic young people who have a high probability of leaving teaching before tenure even becomes an issue. And while we are at it, let’s make sure we overwhelm the doubly-evil union with cases and problems so as to make it completely ineffective. An ineffective union will be less attractive to our new teachers and will wither away as we drive away the bad old teachers.
I don’t see why you can’t understand these simple facts?
Hmm it seems like your website ate my first comment (it was super long) so
I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog.
I as well am an aspiring blog writer but I’m still new to the
whole thing. Do you have any helpful hints for inexperienced blog writers?
I’d really appreciate it.