Last week I met a young woman who'd found a teaching job at one of the "turnaround" schools. Her mom works in my school. I congratulated her, as she was in a discipline in which finding a job was pretty tough. Then she asked me if there was anything she needed to worry about.
I had to tell her that UFT was in arbitration to stop the school closings. She was shocked. No one had told her. It's kind of amazing that none of the folks on the 18D panel or anywhere else deemed that worth mentioning.
"Let's hope the UFT loses," said her mom, who is not a teacher.
I had to tell them that I was sorry, but I was very much on the side of the UFT. We were likely looking at thousands of ATR teachers, wandering around, unable to find permanent spots, for no other reason than being in the wrong place in the wrong time. That's unethical, despicable, if not outright criminal, and it appears the arbitrator thought so too.
I feel very sorry for the young woman, but she will find a job elsewhere and get over it. I did the same, multiple times, when I started out. Still, it probably won't be all that rosy for those folks who've already been rejected to go work for the very people that rejected them either. What idiocy to go forth with such a hurtful process when there was no need.
There were multiple news stories last week that wrote of the closures as though they were absolute fact. It made me worry that they were. I'm glad to see their crystal balls were faulty after all.
It's nice to get a little good news for a change. Given yesterday's SCOTUS ruling, I'm hoping there's a cresting trend. There has been so much needless destruction under the idiotic policies of Michael Bloomberg, Joel Klein, What's-her-name, and Dennis Walcott. It's time to build on this victory and move ahead into a city, country, and world we can proudly call not insane.
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