Co-Teaching in Virus Times

Yes, I know. Toby's a little young and he hasn't got a certification yet. But I assure you he'll only be my assistant while I lead the class. 

Meanwhile, I've been getting an awful lot of email about how to navigate this seemingly new world. It's getting so I can't keep up. I'm qute surprised to find myself continually referencing a message from the CSA President, Mark Cannizaro. Mulgrew sent it out one day last week. I'll get to that.

First, a lot of us are befuddled by using unfamiliar technology, and I have to admit I'm among that crowd. While I'm not techno-phobic by any means, I've never used Google Classroom or Zoom before. I never saw the need, and now I wish I'd tried before. In any case, a lot of young teachers in my school have been incredibly generous with their time.

I did a practice Zoom session with one yesterday and she walked me through how to show your computer screen, which is important, and how to use their white board feature, which kind of sucks. I have a little whiteboard and a new package of colored markers. There's also a setting that allows students to display their screens. I'd turn that off unless I were having them do presentations.

Some people can't use technology at all, and throwing them in at the deep end right now is borderline insane. Also a whole lot us have issues at home. What if you have a family member with special needs who needs constant attention? What if you share an apartment with six roommates and need to share their bandwidth? What if you have very young kids home from school? What if you have kids from college Zooming up all your bandwidth with their classes? What if your baby's daycare is closed, which it most certainly is? What if you have a yappy dog? (Toby is quiet and reflective.)

Ideally, of course, you'd live cast with them. But if you're going to be under constant pressure from your home circumstances, if you're going to be interrupted constantly, or if you're going to be fearful and miserable the entire time, you aren't doing frightened kids any service at all by showing them that. Do it if you can, but figure out something else if you can't. 

There are a lot of alternatives you can employ. If you want to focus on writing, you could take submissions via Google Classroom, provide feedback, and maybe have them rewrite. That's serious work, and it's time-consuming. Of course, your students now have a lot of time. You could make videos in the middle of the night when your family is asleep. It's no fun, but your kids will see your face and you can respond at other times. Maybe you have a better idea.You have to do the best you can in times like these.

I'm going to go live several times a week with my students. I'm also going to offer them an office hour. I don't have any kids at home, and with Toby as my co-teacher, I think I'll be successful once I get a little more comfortable with the software. I know it's tough getting along with co-teachers, but my dog and I have been hanging out together for a while now, and he's never questioned any of my teaching decisions.

Here's what I think Cannizzaro gets right--he tells principals to be leaders. Leaders don't micro-manage in times of crisis, saying things like you must do this and there is no other thing you may possibly do. Leaders support. I'm a leader. My main message to my kids will not be you must do this or that assignment in this or that way. My main message will be I care about you, you are important to me, and I'm setting this time aside for you.

In school, when I'm teaching in some filthy, moldy neglected trailer that had neither paper towels or soap until the Corona virus hit, I try to send that message by wearing a suit to work. At home, I'm going to send it by spending a lot of time focusing on how they feel and what they do. Just as the CSA President provided guidance for principals, saying they ought not to scrutinize teacher schedules and other minutiae, I'm not going to get on student cases over missing a homework assignment here or there. I'm going to be happy and grateful that they even showed up. And this is key:

We are in unchartered territory and everyone understands it. The goal is not to recreate a normal school day given that the sudden changes in our lives and routines are anything but normal. The goal must be to provide some semblance of stability and learning for our students while paying careful attention to their social and emotional health. In turn, we must acknowledge the anxiety and fears in the adults around us and provide an outlet for them as well.

Please bear that in mind when dealing with your students. I'm fixated on grammar, and I verge on having a conniption every time someone says, "He go to the store," and doesn't make the subject and verb agree. You may feel the same way about calculating square roots, or the Battle of Gettysburg, or whatever. But things are different now, both for you and your kids. Think about it. Anyone who thinks we're doing the same thing now that we always do is frankly delusional.

You're a leader too. Try very had to be extra kind to your students. If you're live casting, try to give them a sense of family. Try to make them feel the joy of being together. My students are teenagers, and their social lives have been torn from them. Perhaps there's a limit to how happy you can be playing video games on your phone. Perhaps not.

I'm quite surprised at how thoughtful and apt the head of the principals' union has put things. But I think, in these times, he's managed to capture the essence of what it is we need to do. Here's his letter in full. Try to imagine that you're the leader and you're taking this approach to your students. Please read it and give it some thought.

Letter from CSA President Mark Cannizzaro to principals Though I have been actively involved in CSA’s communications over the last two weeks, I wanted to personally share my appreciation for your heroic efforts as well as a few thoughts on what comes next. Since late last week, the CSA felt that the closing of our schools was a drastic but necessary step to safeguard school communities and slow the spread of COVID-19 in our city. Therefore, while aware that transitioning over 1,700 schools to distance learning in just a few days would be a near impossible task, we strongly advocated that the mayor do so. Since then, as expected, you have been inundated with information and directives that have been sometimes confusing and conflicting, sometimes unrealistic and have often left you with unanswered questions. Through it all, you have been the calming, positive and steady presence your staff needs. You have instilled confidence and trust in them even when your own confidence was shaken. I recognize it, the chancellor recognizes it, and we both thank you!   With all the confusion, I would like to offer some clarity. Your primary responsibility over the next several weeks is to do the best you can to provide your students with quality learning opportunities. It is understood that some schools and some individual teachers are much further along than others in their distance learning capabilities. You will not be disciplined if you are unable to accurately or completely fulfill every expectation or strictly adhere to deadlines outlined in the DOE’s “expectations memo.” You are not expected to offer the same level of supervision as you are able to during the typical school day. You and the assistant principals should be checking in on staff and offering support and ideas for how they can best serve students. You do not, however, need to concern yourself with scrutinizing teacher schedules and other minutiae. Continue to encourage and remain a source of strength for your teachers. Be available for them, model as best you can, and be open to their feedback and concerns. While not under the roof of your building, I know you will find innovative and real ways to keep your community connected for the benefit of your students. We are in unchartered territory and everyone understands it. The goal is not to recreate a normal school day given that the sudden changes in our lives and routines are anything but normal. The goal must be to provide some semblance of stability and learning for our students while paying careful attention to their social and emotional health. In turn, we must acknowledge the anxiety and fears in the adults around us and provide an outlet for them as well.   Finally, you must take care of yourself.  When things speed up, you must slow down.  Make sure you do the things that bring you peace of mind and body so that you can be present for those who look to you for guidance.    Please know that CSA will be by your side throughout this process and that we are diligently working to bring clarity and get your questions answered. Please feel free to reach out to us at any time and, in the meantime, just do the best that you can!     You and your team have done a great job thus far, and I know you will continue to do so. It is an honor to represent you! Stay safe!

Damn Right I Want Fries with That!

You gotta love dogs

I may be off for a day or two while I organize for next week. 

Meanwhile, I'm featured in this piece on NY1. 

My first virtual interview ever. 

Have a great weekend, all!

It's So Quiet Here

It's eerie to wake up on a school day and not go in. It's 7:17 AM as I write this, and even my dog is sleeping. One of the great things about being a dog when I'm home is you get to sleep as late as you want. Usually, around 5:15 AM, I'm cutting up Freshpet, Toby smells it, and comes running downstairs as though the world were on fire.

Quiet though it is, perhaps the world is on fire. I stopped at a little soup shop on the way home and asked the guy at the counter why they didn't have the spicy chili I liked this week. Half the shop was roped off since it was now only a takeout place. He told me I wouldn't be seeing it for at least two weeks as he was closing the store. Made me think twice about buying, but I bought some chicken soup anyway.

I drove home yesterday and it was as though there were no school. In a way, there wasn't. There were no students in attendance. Now there are certain advantages of students being out. The building is certainly cleaner. Also, when you're walking the halls between periods 5 and 6 you don't have to push, shove, jostle, or be pushed, shoved or jostled. You get to spend more time with your colleagues, and mine are the best anywhere.

On the other hand, it's like the beating heart has been ripped from the building. I'm very lucky this year, in that there are too many beginners to offer only one class. Also, since the NYSESLAT exam that rates student ability is such crap, half or more of the beginners are in advanced classes. So I find myself with classes of about 16-20. It's lovely, actually. I've gotten to know these kids better than I usually do. Every single one of them can have my attention pretty much whenever they wish. I look forward to seeing them next week, and I'm frantically trying to sign them up even as my school hasn't bothered to get half of them the email addresses they need to do so.

I'm not tech-phobic, but a lot of people are. It's a big ask to place them in a situation in which they're dependent on computers. While I'm up for whatever, I'm not nearly as saavy as some of my younger colleagues. I didn't realize until this week how useful Google Classroom could be, and I've probably made a whole lot of paper copies I didn't need to. I had no idea Skedula had an email function until last night, when a young colleague showed me, and I found messages students had written me beginning two years ago.

I've decided to be aggressive signing up students, so I used the Skedula function to get them to sign up for my online classes. I copied their parents, but alas, few of them were signed up. I'm particularly concerned about my weakest class, which thus far has only three students. While large class sizes are pretty bad, a class of three in which only one is thus far verbal in English will be an excruciating thing to manage, especially online.

I know this is going to be tough. I've used Zoom five times this week, and three of the five times it's crashed. With the added burden of a city school system, I'm less than confident it will work. I'm even less confident I'll know how to handle this. I'm a new teacher again. Most of the things I do in the classroom cannot be replicated online. My strategy will be to overplan, have alternate activities, and hope for the best. It will be odd to assign writing exercises and not be able to walk around and help.

But everything is odd these days. How about you? How are you faring in the Time of the Virus?

Uncharted Territory

I often think of the apocryphal Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times." It crossed my mind quite a bit when Mike Bloomberg was mayor. But the times seem to get more and more interesting.

I've never seen a time like this. My mother once told me she got scarlet fever as a child and was quarantined. Back then they weren't as advanced as we are. They, you know, actually tested and diagnosed you, even if you didn't happen to be Tom Hanks.

Now I go to work, what's left of it, and everyone is wearing masks and gloves. I understand, of course, the urge to protect yourself. Still, last week we were in the building with 4,999 other people, right up until Friday. We weren't wearing masks or gloves then, or the day before that, or the day before that. We haven't got a diagnosed case in our school. This notwithstanding, I only know of one person who's been tested. I cannot imagine that no one is carrying the virus. Far easier, for me, is to imagine everyone has it.

Then there are our jobs, which have changed substantively in the space of a week. I was excited about trying new technology with my classes, excited about seeing my students and perhaps guiding and supporting them through these troubled times. Then, of course, Part 154 popped up, with its demand for a certain number of minutes. Evidently the geniuses in Albany could not waive that for anything so simple as a deadly pandemic, even if the classes they mandate don't remotely meet the needs of ELLs. It appears to me, at least, that to meet the requirements we will not only have to come up with a creative solution, but we will also have to do so today. Special ed. has similar requirements, it appears.

As for the rest of us, I don't see how you can do anything without utilizing technology. Google Classroom seems indispensable right now, but correct me if you know another route. Two days ago, a first year teacher sat with me and showed me how to use it. Yesterday I spent hours trying to place my students in groups, only to find that more than half of them didn't have the school email addresses required for me to enter them. Now I don't even know if I'll be using those groupings, because of Part 154. Thank you Regents, for being inept and indifferent as always! Sorry you can't go to a restaurant for today's gala luncheon.

While I don't use Google Classroom, I'm almost married to my beat up little Macbook Air. I'd be lost without it, even though I've literally got it taped together in places. I've now been to three chapter leader meetings and two school meetings on Zoom, and while I'll certainly screw it up the first few times I use it, I learn things by doing them. You can't learn anything if you aren't willing to fall on your face the first few times. I try to impart that to beginning English learners.

This is going to be a rocky road. While your troubles are surely different from mine, I'm sure you have them. I hear a lot from teachers with young children who are usually at school. How can you get the computer when your kids are online with their teachers? How can you video cast with your children running around being three years old? Are you going to have to get up at two AM and write a plan? Make a video? Grade the work you assigned?

Back when we were racing to the top, a lot of people compared the plans to rate us with junk science withny building a plane we were already flying. It was insane, of course, to approach a venture that way. Given the circumstances, we really haven't got a choice this time. We can blame people. Blame de Blasio for not closing as soon as our health was imperiled. Blame me for not bothering with Google classroom until it hit me in the head like a grand piano.

Now I enjoy a good sulk as much as anybody, but we haven't got time to sit around and feel sorry for ourselves. You want to feel sorry for someone? Feel sorry for the restaurant worker no longer working. Feel sorry for the business owners told to close their doors until further notice. Feel sorry for the millions of Americans who lack insurance and further exacerbate this crisis through no fault of their own.

Know this, though. We are lucky. We have jobs and we have contracts. We are union and we are not alone. We don't have bosses who say you come in today, but you go home. We have students who need us. Aside from their parents, we're the best role models they have. It's possible we are the only role models they have. This is the time when we show who we really are and what we really can do. We're gonna have to give it our best, forget about our own troubles, at least while we're teaching, and give these 1.1 million kids as much hope and guidance as we possibly can.

We really have no other choice.

Parent Teacher Conferences Are Canceled

Not in a boat, not by remote,

Not here or there, not anywhere,

Not with a ham, not on a yam.
No PT conference, Sam I am

We Need Online Instruction in the Worst Way, and That's Exactly How We're Getting It

How can the mayor and chancellor continue to show their indifference to the health of UFT families? There's always a new way, and the chancellor's email this morning didn't disappoint.

I'd argue they've outdone themselves once again. It appears we will be asked to come into school buildings and use the filthy, never cleaned keyboards in our offices and libraries. I've carried my own laptop for over ten years now, precisely so I wouldn't have to do that.

The mayor and chancellor's indifference to our health is mind-boggling, and continues unabated. The moment I heard Broadway was closed, I knew the schools needed to close too. The mayor of New York City decided that Broadway theatergoers needed to be protected but 1.1 million students and their families, not to mention staff and their families, somehow merited virtually no consideration whatsoever.

Now the mayor who threw us all to the dogs is in charge of online learning. What does the chancellor know? He's the guy who wanted to hear from 108,000 epidemiologists before closing the schools. Has he consulted 108,000 online learning experts? Probably not. I'd wager he knows nothing.

He's not alone in that. I don't know anything about it either. I'm a language teacher and my classes revolve around student interaction. Without that, I have no idea what to do. I suppose I could model after the many terrible teachers I had in high school. Sit and do this. Sit and read that. I'll sit on my ass and wait for it to be over. As for me, I could lecture. Except I don't.

In Ohio, they're moving toward online learning, just as we are here. There are widespread cyber charters, and you'd think that might be a model to be replicated. You'd be wrong, because cyber charters are so abysmal that no one wants to use them as a role model. Of course, cyber charters are driven by a combination of blind reforminess and greed, so you wouldn't really expect them to be something to which any educator with a conscience would aspire.

Closer to home, we're the largest school system in the country moving toward an online model. My school, along with the rest of the city, has been frantically planning for an online parent teacher night. Alas, we should've been focusing long-term, but we were saddled with Mayor Bill de Blasio, dead set on keeping schools open at the expense of the health of students, staff and their families. Staff health was and still appears to be priority number zero.

As though their indifference to our health isn't enough, we're now dependent on their instructional leadership. De Blasio's DOE told principals that instructional leadership entailed them doing whatever they hell they felt like, appointing teams of anyone they felt like, and absolutely ignoring UFT input. Given that, the educational philosophies of de Blasio and Bloomberg don't seem all that different at all.

I've got a different approach. I think my students need to be active participants. I've got kids who've been trained all their lives to sit down and shut up, and a big part of my job is turning that around. I can't do that when I'm not in the room. I can't trick and seduce students into talking, let alone loving English or reading from a computer monitor. I can't do what I do remotely. I'm now gonna be trained by people who have as little experience as I do.

Remote learning is always problematic For example, I 'm wary of homework. I give homework, but usually things that can be finished in ten or fifteen minutes. I give credit for homework, but not nearly enough that any student can pass without understanding the material. I'm acutely aware that students copy homework, and it's evident nowhere so much as on tests. Students fail tests after doing the homework perfectly. Students who really understand the homework pass tests.

Not only that, but I don't love writing assignments that are completed at home. When I've taught classes that revolved around writing, I could always detect the voices of my students. This was unfortunate for some, because when they brought in assignments they hadn't written, I'd know immediately. Sometimes I'd ask them what a word means and they wouldn't know. How could you use it then, I'd ask. Sometimes they'd tell me their sister, brother, or tutor did it. There's no value in that. If I give suggestions on work you didn't do, it won't help. I eventually made all or most writing and rewriting done in front of my face, the one no one will be close to for months.

We talk about putting our children through school. I know a woman in Canada who doesn't speak English. Her kids put her through an online degree, even though neither was yet out of high school. Good on those kids, but not a good look for mom. Sadly, lots of kids will do exactly what that mom did. I wouldn't trust a remote online assessment. Any lazy kid with a smart girlfriend won't be doing the work himself.

I'm sure a lot of people have ideas. Personally I remember high school as an almost complete waste of time. In four years, I had only one teacher who revolved a class around discussion and valued our ideas. I think the class was called sociology. I don't really remember how much sociology we discussed, but I loved that class. I was happily surprised in college when many of my classes followed this model. We were actually part of these classes, and our teachers routinely interacted with us. I never loved school until college.

Here's what I've learned from cyber charters--They're a cheap shortcut, an we're taking a big step backward with online learning. We have no choice, but I'm doubtful that the inept and bumbling DOE can train teachers to do anything worthwhile in three days, let alone three years. I'll go in and do the best I can. But color me skeptical at best.

If we're doing remote learning, and kids aren't coming into our buildings, our custodians will have a lot less to do. Maybe it would be a good idea to do real deep cleaning, as opposed to scrubbing surfaces, or what Mayor de Blasio calls deep cleaning. Maybe we should clean all the dust. Maybe we should clean the frigging filthy computers. Maybe we should've been doing that all along.

But what do I know? I'm just a teacher, and neither the mayor nor chancellor gives a golly gosh darn what teachers think. After all, they have schools to run. Why waste time consulting teachers?

The Schools, They Are a-Closing

Sometime early this week.

Update--tomorrow. We then go in Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to learn, from people who've likely never given remote classes, how to give remote classes.

New Anti-teacher Look for Mariachi Chancellor

I have spent a few years defending Richard Carranza to friends and colleagues. I was willing to overlook it when he walked out of a meeting with parents, even though it seemed a very short-sighted thing to do. I do not remotely believe he's racist, and I was glad when he started firing people. I only wish he'd fired a whole lot more of them.

I've seen this chancellor speak on multiple occasions, at least three of them, probably more. I've met him face to face on multiple occasions, and I shook his hand a few times back when shaking hands was a thing. He speaks very well. He has a ready command of statistics and a great memory. He also plays guitar and violin (like me, in fact).

One of the most impressive things about this chancellor has been his outright support for teachers. He's walked right up to me and thanked me for what I do. He's given eloquent speeches on how teachers are important, and how he went into leadership to help enable us. He's said he wanted to end his career as a teacher. I really respected that, especially considering the administrators I've known who wouldn't lead a classroom of kids if their lives depended on it.

However, as far as I'm concerned, Chancellor Carranza has turned his back on us. I'm a few days late seeing this story, as I've barely had time to breathe this weekend. However, this speaks volumes to me:

A participant at the meeting of the Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Committee asked Carranza about a petition with about 108,000 signatures demanding a systemwide shutdown.
The schools chief said the DOE would maintain the status quo “until 108,000 epidemiologists” make the same demand.

This means, to me at least, that the Chancellor is fine with de Blasio's decision to close Broadway and leave the schools open. For me, the moment I decided the schools had to close was when I heard Broadway had gone dark. If it's not safe for well-heeled New Yorkers to attend theater performances together, it's certainly not safe for 1.1 million kids to attend public schools, 500,000 of whom learn under overcrowded conditions. (The mayor and chancellor, by the way, have done virtually nothing to address those conditions.)

I'm in the most overcrowded school in the city, and it's insane that they can rationalize this, especially when, despite the nonsense spilling from de Blasio's festering gob, there are plans to deal with it. And just in case no one has told you, cafeteria workers have been told they'd have to report in case of a school closing.

What disappoints me most, in Carranza's outlandish demand to hear from 108,000 epidemiologists is that simply that our petition is now up to 128,000. No, it's the fact that he has belittled the teachers he claims to support. Our opinions mean nothing to him. Our health means nothing to him.

Today, all Nassau schools were closed for two weeks. I'm sure that doesn't phase de Blasio or Carranza, who will spend tomorrow riding around in limos doing Whatever They Do. Here is what teachers will be doing. Those of us who don't have to stay home and take care of our children, those of us who don't have elderly relatives we're fearful for, those of us who haven't been quarantined, those of us who don't have conditions that make deadly diseases even more deadly will go in. But with so many absent teachers, we'll be herding children into auditoriums, the very worst thing for them and us.

Think again, Mr. Chancellor. Prove me wrong. Stand for our children, for our teachers, for our counselors, for our secretaries, and for all the people who work in our schools. It's not too late. If you wait until your hand is forced, which is inevitable, it will be.

"Sickout" Message to Staff

 I'm sharing a message I sent out to members at my building below. The elite MORE Caucus, which tossed out all the people who committed the egregious offense of doing the work to make them win an election, has called for a sick out. I was not going to respond here, but it's now appeared in the Post and been covered elsewhere. It is irresponsible and disingenuous of MORE to fail to disclose the implications of such an action. 

 

New York City teachers will not walk out on our students. We will stay and fight. 

 

If I'm the first @UFT member to die of the virus, I want my 200,000 brothers and sisters to turn their backs on @NYCMayor @BilldeBlasio at my funeral.

— Arthur Goldstein (@TeacherArthurG) March 15, 2020

Last week I heard rumors of a teacher sick out on Monday. Now I hear it's Wednesday.  I was not too keen on addressing this, but it's now appeared in the New York Post. 

Let me be absolutely clear on this. A coordinated action like this would be a violation of the Taylor Law. This could invoke major penalties. One is the deduction of two days pay for every day we are out. Another is the loss of tenure for one year, something that happened to my friend Norm when he went out on strike. More serious actions could be taken against the union as a whole.

Furthermore, I don't believe the public would be sympathetic to our walking out of a dangerous situation and leaving children to fend for themselves with even fewer teachers, likely being placed in even larger groups. It is an idiotic and counter-productive notion, conceived by a few people who feel they don't get enough attention. It was grabbed up by the Post, unfortunately, and moves our cause of getting schools closed back a step.

If you have legitimate reason to be out, stay out. I don't believe the mayor can sustain his insane stance indefinitely, but if we have a job action, he can jump with joy, garner unmerited support, and vilify all of us for the actions of a few.

We are currently working to close the schools. I am writing about this every day, and getting a lot of play on Twitter. Our petition has been up for one day, has not yet been heavily promoted, and has over 85,000 (now 120,000) signatures. We are aiming for 500,000. We have gotten coverage for that, and that's the direction both leadership and I would like to see us continue in.

Of course, you are free to do as you wish. But I strongly advise you not to consider this action. It will hurt our credibility and move our cause backward.

We don't need that at all.

Very sincerely,

Arthur

De Blasio Tells Students Attendance Doesn't Matter, Solves Overcrowding, Deems Students and UFT Second Class Citizens

At some point Friday the DOE declared that students would be held harmless for attendance. That's a remarkable thing, even for them. For one thing, they've persisted in saying teachers who take off, even with an accommodation, would lose days from their bank. When DOE says they put "Children First, Always," it means they put UFT Last, Always.

They don't run the school system for adults, and they make that quite clear. The thing they fail to consider is that our fondest wish for our children is that they grow up and become adults. Therefore, the "All adults can go to hell" philosophy will not ultimately help our children or students, or their children either. Politicians seem unable to think farther than which way the wind is blowing.

This is going to make it quite difficult for those of us who are crazy enough to keep coming in. How are we going to assess students who don't attend? Shall we invent online exams and projects that kids get their smart girlfriends to do for them? Online learning is a true marvel. I know a woman who does not speak English who got an online college degree in Canada. You know how you put your kids through college? Her kids put her through college, by doing all her work, and neither of them was yet out of high school.

In any case, once the memo goes out that attendance doesn't matter, the 68% we saw on Friday will seem like a crowd. Attendance will plummet to yet unexplored depths. I'll bet you dimes to dollars it goes down considerably on Monday. Teachers will continue to stay out in increasing numbers as well. How many teachers have elderly relatives who suffer from conditions that put them at advanced risk? How many teachers suffer from such conditions themselves? Not Bill de Blasio's problem. It's not overcrowded in his limo, or in Gracie Mansion, or any of his properties.

That's a large pool of people at risk, and people who live with people at risk, and they ought not to come in. I suggest the new motto should be, "When in doubt, just stay out." Better, of course, would be to close the schools as opposed of going through the charade of teaching half your class or less.  UFT has an online petition right now, and we want everyone on board. Tell your friends and neighbors. Tell parents of students. We've gotten 70,000 signatures in one day, and we're just beginning.

Cafeteria workers have been told they'd be coming in if schools were closed. The city, despite de Blasio's bluster, is preparing for that inevitability. The only question, really, is how many people at risk will get infected as a result of the mayor's intransigence. It's absolute nonsense to suggest that because no one has tested positive in a given school that no one is sick. It's far more likely that no one has been tested, full stop.

A teacher just wrote me that he spent all night in the ER with flulike symptoms for the second time this year. The hospital did not deem him worthy of Corona testing. He didn't fit the protocol. And you know what? They then informed him they didn't actually have the test on hand even if he did fit the protocol. How many people who don't fit the protocol are walking around infecting the vulnerable? Does this teacher have it? Who knows?

In my building a student whose father just came from a country on the no-no list showed a note to a counselor saying he and his family needed to quarantine. This, of course, was after he'd attended a few classes. While the boy was sent home, who knows how many of his classmates saw him first? And even if he carried nothing, how many people in an almost totally untested pool of 5,000 people in our building are carrying the virus? 10? 100? Everyone?

Who knows? Not Bill "What Me Worry" de Blasio.

I did not decide schools needed to be closed until I discovered that Broadway, MSG, and all gatherings of 500 or more were deemed unsafe. It is unconscionable that Bill de Blasio sends the 1.1 million schoolchildren in every day, along with 100,000 UFT members. Some of them have come to me in tears, freaked out about family members. Some have come to me expressing concerns about their own weakened conditions. And some are coming in anyway, for various and utterly predictable reasons I won't share here.

Again, sign our petition, and tell the mayor to come to his senses. Every day he does his Hamlet act, more lives are potentially lost. "Let's hope for the best," is not precisely the best plan. In fact, it's not a plan at all.

Close New York City Schools Now

Broadway is dark. The city has restricted gatherings of 500 people or more.  We are now holding parent teacher conferences remotely because the DOE has deemed it too risky for parents to visit our schools.

Several schools are closed because students have tested positive. But very few people have been tested at all. A woman went to the ER to get tested, was not tested, and got a 10K bill for that service. We don't know who's carrying the virus, and we aren't getting a whole lot of help finding out.

Here's what I know. If parents deserve consideration, if it's too risky for them to come to our school building, it's too risky for our students to come in. If it's too risky for students to come in, it's too risky for staff to come in.

It's odd. $300 a seat Broadway theater goers need to be protected. Evidently they are more fragile than the 1.1 million New York City schoolchildren we serve. I guess they are presumed to be tough. I also guess they are presumed to be mostly strong. Maybe they are. I hear that young people mostly have few to no symptoms. Of course I hear many things, and the so-called experts on TV are not consistent.

Here's the thing, though. When my young students go home, they don't go home to homes full of 16-year-olds. They go home to all sorts of people. They have brothers and sisters who are infants. They have grandparents who are elderly. They regularly interact with people who are at risk.

I was not sure about what we should do until yesterday. Maybe we are blowing this thing up out of proportion. Who knows how many people carry the virus? We have done scant to no testing. We don't know exactly what proportion of people get sick. But you read about young doctors dying in China, and you have to question whether it's just another flu strain.

Here's what I know. If it's too dangerous to open Broadway theaters, it's too dangerous to open NYC schools. They need to close now. It's unconscionable for the mayor and chancellor to say or do otherwise.

UFT DA March 11, 2020 Let's Be Careful Out There

UFT President Michael Mulgrew welcomes us. 4:20

Mulgrew speaks of people watching online due to emergency resolution. Says we will work our way through this. In the end, we are UFT and work our way through everything.

Point of Information—Mike Sill—Would like to do away with staff director report and motion period to extend question period 15 minutes.

Point of Information—Do we have a quorum?

LeRoy Barr—We can make motions, pass them, and ratify at next meeting.

Mulgrew—We can do the business, but any vote is not official until there is a quorum.

Speaker—Seems like we can do whatever we want, then.

Mulgrew—Saying we can revote them when we have a quorum. Cannot do whatever we want. We have a motion to extend question period or leave agenda as is. We can vote on things but nothing is union policy until we have quorum. We can vote but it is not official. This is an unprecedented situation.

Do you wish to extend or leave agenda?

Question period extended.

Mulgrew—Let’s start with simple rules—forget kissing, hugging and hand shaking. Everything I say can change, we are getting new policies. The thing that’s disturbed me, we are monitoring, and people will get upset, but our ability to get testing done is frustrating. Not true anyone who wants can get a test. This has been an issue. Country completely unprepared for crisis.

We are hoping this will turn corner this week. Early this AM federal health official said anyone who wanted a test could get one. Have not had positive test in NYC school, but that is a matter of time.

We have a standard state closing policy. Any school with positive result must be closed minimum 24 hours. Medical investigation will take place and local department of health will decide if and when school is reopened.

Parent teacher conferences at middle and high schools will be done remotely by phone or computer. Closing schools is on the table, we believe individual schools will be closed. Trying to limit problem.

All meetings and events now postponed. Para fest, Herstory, and Lobby Day canceled. We have over 1000 registrants. We all eat lunch together. Very nice, but if someone is confirmed COVID 19 we have issue with 1000 people, and 1000 schools. To mitigate risk, we need to stop large scale meetings.

If parents are confirmed on parent teacher night, this is problematic. Trying to be smart, strategic, follow advice of scientists and doctors.

Yes, I know there were issues in schools. However, if they choose to use own phone or computer they can do it from home or wherever they deem appropriate. Yes you are allowed to do it, and so are high schools.

In terms of our movement, we want to go over policies, absences, timekeeping.

If sick, stay home. Call doctor if you have coughing, shortness of breath, fever or sore throat. Otherwise, stay home and call doctor. Wait until you’re fever free 72 hours.

If you’re sick at work, go home. Inform admin. If student not feeling well, send student to nurse or clinic. There will be an isolation room.

DOE has been responsive about providing medical gowns, face shields, gloves and face masks for anyone feeling sick. People masked will wait and go home.

If confirmed case, location closed at least 24 hours until reopened. Will not count in CAR. For extended time, or required to self-isolate or quarantine, as determined by doctor, must be placed on doctor’s note, will not count on CAR.

If you have underlying chronic condition, you may ask for medical accommodation. If doctor says you should not be coming to school, you need to get that note to a school. More info to come on that—we are working on it. Contact  COVIDtimekeeping@schools.nyc.gov and speak with supervisor.

If your own child’s school is closed, right now we only have 3 CAR days. DOE has agreed to a “reasonable number of days.” No disciplinary action will be taken against anyone due to absences tied to this crisis. We are trying to make these non-attendance days. Governor and Senators working on this. Included in federal stimulus package, ongoing.

If you are told you have to be tested, you can either be tested or quarantined. DOE employees cannot refuse this.

Travel—Health care, education officials may not travel to certain zones while doing work for the city. If you go of your own accord, employer can tell you you must self-isolate 14 days and either not pay or take from your CAR.

Learning—Working with DOE to have schools prepare if they do close. Nobody knows how closing will affect school days yet, but we want students to continue learning during an extended closure.

Questions—

Q—Told principal about parent-teacher. Superintendent was unaware about high schools.

Mulgrew—Will be notified shortly. DOE sent only to middle but HS covered too.

Q—School trips to museums—I canceled my trip for next week due to tourists. Will DOE put out restriction?

A—I don’t think decisions about health crisis should be made at school level. We are canceling UFT events because we don’t want ripple event. We recommended to DOE these should be postponed. We also oppose citywide PD at this time.

Q—Since we have all these statements, our building hasn’t gotten equipment yet, only children’s masks, principal ordered hand sanitizer, wipes, and it’s back-ordered and canceled.

A—Email me and Ellie Engler. We will sent it to DOE operations.

Ed Olmstead—Children’s masks are in case child is sick and has to be isolated. Others are for nurses to be protected. May also be adult in isolation room. Not intended for all staff.

A—They go from small children to adults in D75.

Olmstead—Should work for most. One size.

Q—Cleaning—spoke with custodian, says one extra hour not nearly enough time.

A—Will go to DOE and speak with custodian’s union.

Q—DOE suggests we open windows. In my school, windows don’t open and ventilation isn’t good enough to regulate temperature.

A—School has to have ventilation system, needs to be major air exchange.

Q—S Bronx big asthma cluster. Problem for my students. What’s being done?

A—Many medically fragile children. Great concern if there is a confirmed case. That’s why DOH now determines whether or not school stays open. Tough to close a school, but we’re dealing with crazy info right now. We get conflicting info but must focus on people with underlying conditions. There is no policy that will be perfect, but proud we figure it out.

Q—If you have no days and child’s school is closed, what do you do?

A—We believe DOE is receptive toward these situations. Hoping for more liberal policy of borrowed sick time. Almost every situation you can bring up is already on the table.

Q—What happens after student or staff member is removed? Will we be informed?

A—Laws say student names and adult names are not shared. However, confirmed cases require notification. Right to personal health care info will be guarded at all times.

Q—NY Post published article, DOE official said exploring remote learning capabilities. If we were to do that, does DOE have infrastructure to do that?

A—We do have individual classes that do that. We are nowhere near capacity to do that for school system. We hope schools are working toward solutions.

Q—Not every child has internet.

A—We understand. That’s why we are not prepared to do online learning as a city.

Q—Great to see there is attention paid to staff who may have immune system issues. If there is a plan, will staff member be able to apply as concerned, or will there first have to be COVID 19 case for medical accommodation?

A—They should do it beforehand. Very helpful if medical professional will document they shouldn’t be in school setting.

Q—Real concern for students who are Asian American and being targeted or bullied due to associations in certain sectors. Are there discussions going on to deal with this?

A—Happy to report both governor and mayor have said it has to stop. We are educators, there each and every day, and we need to teach why you don’t do these things. Maybe we can use this as a learning opportunity. We will support you if you want to do this in your classes. Doing all in our power to support students. We need to say enough, stop it. Let us know if there’s an issue.

Q—DOE link for Corona Virus doesn’t work. What about protocols for isolation room? We were told first call security, they will call AP, who will call isolation room….

A—Make us aware of these practices. We want them as simple as possible. That is not protocol that was put out.

Q—We work in multiple sites. If staff member is diagnosed, will all sites be closed?
A—DOH, I assume, would say yes, if worker went to multiple sites. We have CSE sites with only adults. If you feel sick and there is no nurse, call and go home.

Q—Hearing about underlying conditions. Does that include people who are pregnant?

A—We are still talking about this and we need something on it. We are placing pregnancy info workshops as webinars. Haven’t got an answer right now. We are clear if school has confirmed case, but pregnant women can get a doctor’s note and apply for accommodation.

Q—Is DOE going to continue having parent engagement on Tuesdays, or will this be done via computer?

A—Looking at time to see how we can use it differently, since we did it with conferences it’s logical, but they haven’t made agreement yet.

Q—Anything from NYSED on tests?

A—No, thus far. There have been conversations. New Rochelle closed for two weeks. NYC already said absences cannot be part of criteria for admissions. This question has been asked all over state and we are waiting. If school is closed, because  of virus, what will we do? Waiting on state. We also don’t know how attendance will be.

Q—Underlying conditions and teachers immuno-compromised is urgent issue. Does DOE understand?

A—I will say yes on that. People are concerned. There are now more and more issues in countries that have been dealing with this. Apply for medical accommodation.

Mulgrew resumes report—State budget shortfall. We won’t be lobbying Monday. Will as to ramp up social media lobbying. Fear is that because of this crisis, bad budget may get passed and we will be stuck with it.

Census starts tomorrow. If you don’t want people knocking at your door, fill in online now. We have until August 1st. Thanks volunteers. After crisis, we will push out material. NYC and state lost billions due to our miserable performance. NYC committing 40 million, state 20 million.

National—May not do resolutions today. Pushes for both candidates. Both of them have always been there for public education. If people want to push, fine. Do not believe it’s in our interest to disparage either. Can tell you Joe Biden has been friend and supporter of national ed. Bernie has moved conversation to where it should’ve been ten years ago, Health care, student debt, needs to be part of platform.

We want states to engage like they haven’t before. In the end, we have to win. We know we have no friend in DC. We look for best interests of profession, of workers trying to care for families, and who can actually get elected. It isn’t one or the other. We know we have people who support current president. Current policy not working for us, they don’t believe workers should have rights at all. Right now both candidates have clear phenomenal education programs.

Sanders has pushed people to a place they were not comfortable before. There is a resolution we may not get to do, and that may not matter. Please advocate for your candidate by what they’ve done, not by tearing down the other.

Curriculum project—Trying to do as much as possible by phone. DRs will be doing phone in meetings.

We have always taken care of NYC school system and always will. Mulgrew thanks us.

Q—On presidential endorsement process—

A—We don’t do presidential endorsement process. AFT will. Has changed process, because wanted more engagement. Many resolutions that come before this body come through Exec. Board.

Q—What will proposed process look like?

A—It was that UFT would pass a resolution saying whoever final candidate is we would work with passion and energy to achieve goal, and that we would move up DA for endorsement—was only for Democratic primary. It will not be passed today. We don’t have a quorum. More concerned with corona virus right now.

Q—What can principal ask member about health status? Can principal require testing?

A—No. Person who can require this would be Dept. of Health. Probably is violation. Send to LeRoy Barr. If you are leaders, you have to set the tone.

Q—Our school shares with Success Academy. If someone had virus at one of their schools, how would we be notified?

A—They’re in the building and DOE can require same protocols. DOE can ask for schools to be closed on their own and charter may choose to close. If it’s colocated they have to follow same directives.

Q—Longterm subs, paras or teachers—Are they covered if schools are closed?

A—And will that interrupt toward Z status? We are working on that, have discussed it.

Q—Timekeeping powerpoint, can we have it?

Yes, will be made available
Q—We have an SBO and afternoon and evening session back to back. Can we do it all remotely?

A—With SBO, you and principal can work out a way to make it work. You have to give parents real access. You can send to DR and superintendent. Have that conversation.

Q—What if staff member has quarantined parent and requires eldercare?

A—Part of same discussion as childcare. Will get back to you.

Q—Class trips—will they be canceled?

A—We believe there should be citywide policies and they should now be postponed.

Q—Members asking for hand sanitizer and wipes. School doesn’t have them. Governor said we would get it Will we be provided with it?

A—I know he said it, but I won’t be sure until it happens. I need you to go into every bathroom to make sure there is soap. There is a hand sanitizer crisis. We heard of a truckload hijacked. We will see about it, but please make sure people are washing hands.

Q—People are being told to stay home and maybe under normal conditions they wouldn’t.

A—These are not normal conditions. We have to do the best we can. We are all in this together.

Q—We already had our parent teacher conferences. We have to make some up. Can we do that remotely?

A—Agreement covers only month of March. If you want to do it, fine. Some parents have issues with coming to school. This may be something very useful if parents find it easier.

Q—Nobody can walk into a school with a gun. We should make a rule that anyone entering a school should disinfect hands.

A—Will talk to DOE, but first we need hand sanitizer.

Q—Thousands of deaths, on underlying condition was age. Can city recognize that as a risk factor?

A—Have spoken about this. We’d like to see more testing. Flu always more severe on people with more experience on earth.

I thank you for coming, for being online, Happy St.. Patricks and St. Joseph’s Day. We will get through this. When you’re having a difficult day, talk to each other. Our lives are about dedicating ourselves to helping children and we will get through this.

This is the birthday of the UFT. Happy 60th birthday, UFT.  Stay safe and let’s take care of our children, our schools, and our families.

Virtual Parent Teacher Night, Great. Now, What About Every Other Day?

This morning I drove to work. I left my home at 6 AM as per usual. I was thinking a lot about the proposed parent-teacher night, the one in which no parents are coming to school. I'm also getting a lot of email about it.

Are we doing this in our school?

Yes we are. It's citywide.

How am I going to call 170 parents?

You aren't. You don't see 170 parents on any night. Also, I'm mystified as to how the onus is on you. Parent teacher night is when the parents decide to come see you. Or not. Every single day you have to opportunity to call parents. Honestly I don't see that many. Parents of my students do not speak English, and though we provide translators, though I speak Spanish, though I have good friends who speak other languages, most don't show.

It seems to me it's on parents to get in touch with us, and it's on DOE to figure a way they can do that. I understand Google Voice can provide a phone number that will ring you. That's what I'm thinking about.

I don't want to ask to do this from home. The principal may not like it.

Then don't, and don't complain you weren't able to do that. That's an option, the city offered it, and you have a right to take advantage. If you don't use your rights, you haven't got them. You can blame your chapter leader, you can blame me, or you can blame Mulgrew. But if we don't stand up, we're defeated before we begin.

Now I have a question.

If it's too risky for parents to come to my school, how is it safe for the 5,000 people who come to my school, the most overcrowded in the ciy, today and every day?

I haven't got an answer for that. The mayor and governor are suggesting we telecommute, and while I'm happy to do that for parent teacher night, it's simply not feasible day after day. I appreciate the work UFT did in negotiating parent-teacher night, but if it's wise we avoid crowded subway cars, if we are supposed to keep six feet of distance between ourselves and others, there is no way that it's safe to pass from one class to another in any school, let alone mine.

We are well over 200% capacity. In the back of our school, they're building an annex. I hear them each and every day while I'm trying to teach in the decrepit trailer out back.

Every one of the 5,000 people who study and work in our building is at greater risk all day every day than we'd be during parent teacher night.

That's absurd and disgraceful at the same time.

UFT Executive Board March 9, 2020---Chancellor Praises Terrible Principal, and Corona Madness

6 PM—Secretary LeRoy Barr welcomes us.

Open mike—Georgia Ligno—UFT Chapter Leader WC Bryant High School—Has brought several teachers. Principal is Namita Dwarka, controversial history, Chancellor Carranza, superintendent and others came to school to inaugurate civics week. CL neither informed nor invited. Chancellor said principal was one of the best in NYC. School community perplexed, giving her 9-year history in Bryant. Was pushed out of several schools, history of micromanagement. Principal has established tightly operated regime. Went through interviews after closing, many let go, management style of divide and conquer. Few veteran teachers left. School turns over 30 teachers a year. Very little loyalty. New teachers want to save their careers. Ratings of teachers are very low as principal has strict interpretation of Danielson, 30% developing ratings. Appears all incompetent teachers are in one school. Members are rated better in other schools. Principal claims she rates with fidelity, others do not. Teachers have been targeted, poorly rated, LIF for absurd reasons. This year 3 teachers and one AP resigned. 15 APs resigned only to be replaced by handpicked teachers by Dwarka. AP with 4 years teaching experience appointed.

There are expensive litigations. School still not off focus list. Still TSI school. Micromanagement pervasive. All goes through principal. Teachers fearful and demoralized, frustrated and defeated. Principal believes she is master of instruction and has mandated particular practices. Teachers feel it is unreasonable, ineffective. Results of teacher survey abysmal, Principal rated 45% average 75%. Disregards suggestions by members. Passive aggressive retribution, atmosphere of fear, discouraging union involvement.

Insulting chancellor says she is among the best. Principal made master principal, responsible to train others. Statement has symbolic value and union needs to know. This principal is doing what DOE wants and writing book for DOE. All principals may be asked to do this in the future. We challenge chancellor to qualify criteria for who is best principal. We cannot have staff write letter. Two thirds not tenured, and staff lives in fear. We need a different approach. We need a rubric, we need to show managerial abuse. Hurts students, limits professional discretion, union must make case. What chancellor did, given record, means he should be challenged. We should go public, challenge chancellor.

Barr—Thanks members for coming out. Chapter advocate assigned. Upcoming meeting. See Amy Arundell before you leave.

Minutes—approved

Barr—DA moved to this Wednesday. Can’t have anyone in lobby. Will move folks in as quickly as possible. Corona virus and implications gripping world. Para luncheon Saturday. Herstory brunch Sunday. Lobby Day 16th, also anniversary of UFT. 60 years old.

President Michael Mulgrew—Moved DA up due to health concerns. Have been talking to emergency management. Things will get worse before better. We don’t have document from SED saying once there is positive case school will be closed for at least 24 hours, opened when DOH approves.

Trying to settle things—if someone is quarantined, that person will not lose CAR days. If you’re not feeling well, you shouldn’t go to work. Anything directly to this virus we want no discipline, even if member over 10 days. Looking at members who may have to stay home because child is sick, or child’s school closed. Underlying health conditions important. Will get info out when we have it.

We want them to lift limit of 3 personal days so people can care for corona concerns. If you’ve been designated quarantined by health pro, CAR not charged.

Should be health care professional in place in your school. Should be gowns, face shields, masks and gloves. Masks used at direction of medical professional. Student can be sent home. CLs should check. Check if custodians got supplies. Bathrooms should have soap and paper towels. Soap best thing to use.

Anti-viral disinfectant—new one for this virus. If you tell us something’s not there, we will make sure it gets there.

Multitude of events—requested parent teacher conferences be postponed.

Please show leadership. Don’t be pointing fingers. Don’t turn on people when they call in sick.

For our events—we followed patterns. Appears to just be getting started. Containment begins when you tell people to stay home. Concerned about putting a thousand people on buses to Albany. Will deal with upcoming events first. Every weekend we have events this time of year.

Melody Anastasio—Though Lobby Day is important, please consider how taking all people from various boroughs, putting them together, and sending them back to work could contribute to spread.

Mulgrew—Will try to clear up by Wednesday. We have state budget also, not going well, there are policy issues. One house budgets may be out by next week. Not happy with Governor’s proposal. We believe we should tax the ultra rich. Some people think it will threaten their elections. We need revenue or there will be cost shift, cuts of 1.3 billion laid on city.

National—Everyone has opinions. AFT changed process. Asking everyone not to ask for endorsement Wednesday, but it’s a democracy and people can do what they like. I am ABT, anyone but Trump at this point. We have engagement we didn’t have four years ago. We have to keep focus on engagement. PA, Mich, Ohio, FL, AFT has put in efforts for engagement. We need you to vote, both in primary and general. Will be about communication. DOE not making any final determinations. DOH will make decisions. There is collaboration right now, and we will need it over next few months. They say over 80% of people won’t even know they have it unless tested. Fear and panic create damage. This might be biggest health crisis in terms of scope, but we can’t let panic rule decisions.

Thank you. Will try to get other things resolved. Thanks everyone who’s helped. We are at the beginning. Stay vigilant, strong.

Questions—

George Geist—Chapter asks if we can postpone or cancel parent teacher night.

Barr—We will discuss it.

Delores Lozupone—Asking about teacher assigned chapter. Must go if there is a snow day. How does that impact them if school is closed? Will they go to central or lose day?

Mike Sill—No specific answer on this. Snow days all schools are closed and they have to report to office. If one or handful of schools are closed may not be different. Will depend on circumstance.

Mike Schirtzer—On DA- For those who can’t make it, could we livestream or do webinar afterward?

Barr—Having discussions on that. Will keep you posted.

Schirtzer—Because our school is on CUNY campus, there are different rules. Can we make sure union leadership makes sure CUNY campuses have information flow and follow DOE guidelines.

Barr—Came up last week as well. In touch with people who can make sure schools on CUNY sites get same treatment.

Schirtzer—UFT only org giving info. Thank you.

Sandra Hill—NYC-gov said city employees international travel should be canceled. Will DOE write to travel agencies?

Barr—We are discussing that.

Arthur Goldstein—Our school is over 200% capacity. I talked to a DOE employee who told me, right in this room, they had no interest in reducing class sizes. Now that I hear we should be six feet apart, now that the governor is announcing that we should choose subway trains with fewer people on them, maybe now would be a good time to bring to the attention of the DOE that we could use some space. There are two Marriott hotels across from my school. I’m sure they have conference rooms for rent. Maybe if the DOE can pay rent for Eva Moskowitz, they can pay rent for my kids too. Maybe if they can afford a helipad for Jeff Bezos, they can afford space for the kids in the most overcrowded school in the city. Can we start a conversation along those lines, now that we have a health crisis?

Barr—You’re right. Should be part of conversation.

Michael Friedman—On trips, assuming business trips are non-essential. Are we also talking about personal trips?

Barr—This is policy. We don’t know how long this will last. We are waiting on very specific information.

Reports from Districts—

Rashad Brown—Danny Dromm scholarship applications available, please take and pass them around.

Seung Lee—Thanks everyone who participated in Lunar New Year Banquet. Asian American Heritage Committee concerned with rise of anti Asian hate crime.

Legislative report—Angel Vasquez—State legislature—Sterling took ten members to lobby for CTE funding, city legislative affairs, Mike Sill testified on overcrowding and zombie charters. We oppose passing NYC cap on charters. Mulgrew testified on corona virus, urged admin to hire school nurse in every building, and asked for clearer guidance on how to communicate with parents if student tests positive.

Barr—all non-essential travel by city workers canceled. Be wary of giving information out. Will be clear guidance from DOE. Let’s wait. Still developing. Will make sure info is completely clear.

Special order of business—

On demand pilot program in jeopardy—Sill takes chair, Barr speaks to it.

Barr—Pilot program allows disabled to use this program in addition to Accessorize, which is not always reliable. This has been phenomenal for members and others who use it. State proposes a cap on subsidy that allows members to use it, we don’t want this to go away. Please vote so we can continue to have this until 2022, and further.

Carries.

Janella Hinds—Favor of resolution to have UFT endorse for President. I support Warren, oppose Bloomberg. His record disqualified him. As black woman, Latina, child of immigrants, constantly offended by this admin, from caging of people, to inadequate response to corona virus, we have to get behind one candidate and get out the vote.

Barr—Will take place in early April. NY Primary April 28. DA 27. We may have this conversation earlier. Spring break is an issue. Will discuss what day we have DA.

Vince Gaglione—As a union we have played smart role in current debate on Dem nominee. AFT resolution reduced it to three prominent leaders. Now we have major primaries tomorrow, including Michigan. Will be very telling about which nominee appeals to Dems. 17th will be others. Places us in position to become part of closure of who becomes nominee. Sooner we do it, better off Democratic party and nominee will be to face current Republican President. Last resolved is the one that should keep us focused. We want to see a nominee who will capture the energy that has occurred in past elections and will propel it in November. This union could be a major player in putting Dem back in WH. Please support.

Motion carries. We are adjourned 7 PM.

"Bernie Bro" Is a Stereotype

I'm very sad at the direction the Democratic nomination is taking, and that works on multiple levels. The first is I know we need universal health care. Joe Biden takes money from insurance companies and is essentially paid to make sure that doesn't happen. Of course he wasn't the only candidate doing that, but he's essentially the last one standing.

An argument used against Bernie I'm seeing go wide is the concept of "Bernie Bros." This was used against him 4 years ago, and it's no less despicable now than it was then. The idea is that Bernie's supporters are a bunch of juvenile white males. We are bullies, and we simply insult those who don't agree with us. We are small-minded, contrary, and no more thoughtful than Donald Trump.

This, of course, is ridiculous. It's primary season, and candidates are adversarial. The notion that candidates running against one another are universally nice to each other is ridiculous. I recall Mayor Pete saying some outrageous lie about Bernie at the debate, saying he wanted to burn down the system or something. That's ridiculous, unless we're talking about the system of propping up a health care system whose purpose is denying citizens care whenever possible, and enabling bankruptcy due to catastrophic medical emergency. And consider yourself lucky that Joe Biden hasn't pushed to remove that as an excuse.

Now I'm not saying that there aren't Bernie supporters who are fanatical or excessive. Of course there are. There are supporters of every candidate who are like that. I've known people who supported Hillary like that. I've been viciously attacked on Facebook by such people. I usually block them because, you know, life is short. As for me, the most I go on other people's pages and lecture them about the error in their political beliefs is never. If you come to mine, or here, you'll hear what I think for better or worse.

I grew up the only Jewish kid in a Catholic neighborhood. I got to learn about stereotypes up close and personal at a very young age. Of course I didn't know what they were called back then. I certainly knew I didn't merit what I was hearing. Within every stereotype are people who fit it, but within every stereotype are people who don't as well. Your character does not come from your religion, color, or nationality, and it doesn't come from your political persuasion either.My brother grew up in the same house as me, but he isn't a carbon copy of me. If you were to swap out our jobs we'd probably both be quite unhappy. I teach students from all over the world. Few to none of them fit the mold that people who use stereotypes would saddle them with. I like them more, less, or sometimes not much at all for who they are, not for where they come from. Stereotypes are borne of ignorance. Using them is lazy thinking, if you can even call it thinking.

You don't have to love Bernie, and you need not agree with his ideas. Still, stop telling me the reason why is his supporters are rude. If this is why we're moving toward nominating Joe Biden, who is so out of touch he just used the phrase, "Bernie Brothers," we're in pretty bad trouble. While Bernie does all the Sunday talk shows today, Joe's hiding somewhere trying to not commit the gaffes he made during the seven minutes they let him out in public the other day.

Bernie Brothers like Briahna Gray, Nina Turner, Ilhan Omar & Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez need to rein in their toxic masculinity if we want to defeat Donald Trump.

— Alex Kotch (@alexkotch) March 7, 2020

Also, I'm quite tired of hearing what a mistake it is to nominate someone so far left. Studies show Bernie's health care plan would save us hundreds of billions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives annually. Yes, we'd have to pay for it, but we already pay for heath care via copays. Many pay via payroll deductions, and the NYC model that lacks deduction is simply not sustainable indefinitely. We are nothing if not short-sighted.

I'm particularly weary of the trope that nominating someone far left, to wit someone who wants universal health care, free child care, free college, a living wage, and vibrant union is an egregious error. That's entirely based on George McGovern's loss in 1972. Since then, we've run Walter Mondale, Al Gore, Michael Dukaukis, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton, all "safe" choices who went down in flames. I'm not highly impressed if you're remembering 1972 and forgetting 2016.

In any case, call me what you will, but don't lump me in a group and decide I need a name based on that. Doing so is ignorant and inaccurate. It's also offensive and rude. If you're a grownup, you ought to know better. If not, you need to be taught. I'm up for that. That's my job, in fact.

The Principal Is Dead

The district rep was sitting in the office when the call came.

"You have to come right away," said the voice on the telephone.

"What's this about?" he asked.

"There's no time. I can't explain on the telephone. You need to drop whatever you're doing and get to the principal's office right away. It's an emergency!"

The district rep had paperwork to do, but figured it could wait. He got in his car and rushed to the school. When he got there, he went to the principal's office and saw the secretary.

"Thank God you're here," she said.

"What's the problem?" he asked.

"It's Miss Wormwood, the principal"

What's wrong with her?"

"She's dead," the secretary said."

The district rep was confused. "Why did you call me? Why didn't you call 911?"

"She's in the bathroom," the secretary said. "She's been there for two hours. We don't know what to do."

"Are you sure?" the DR asked. "Have you tried knocking on the door?"

"Yes, we've been trying for an hour. She doesn't answer. She must be dead."

The DR knocked on the door. There was no answer. He knocked harder. Nothing.

"Are you sure she's in there?"

"Yes, I told you," said the secretary. "We've been knocking for hours"

"Why didn't you call 911?" he asked.

"We called you," she said.

The DR started knocking really loudly, He decided it was time to break down the door. He took a run at the door and hit it really hard.

"Hey, what's going on?" came a voice from inside the bathroom.

The DR stood there, as Ms. Wormwood opened the door and walked out.

"What happened?" he asked her.

"I feel asleep," she said. "What are you doing here?"

"The staff thought you died," he said.

"Really?" she asked. "Why didn't they call 911?"

On Argument

The President of the United States regularly indulges in juvenile insults. "Crooked Hillary." "Sleepy Joe." "Crazy Bernie." African-American Congresswoman Maxine Waters gets labeled "low IQ." Perhaps he'd be a laugh riot in seventh grade. Perhaps not, because I'm surely underestimating a lot of middle schoolers.

I've been arguing with a lot of people for a lot of years, and I'm a little bit disappointed at what passes for argument these days. I don't mind disagreeing with people. You don't have to believe everything I do in order for us to get along. But every four years, arguments get just a little more passionate than usual, and people get a little more sensitive than usual.

You've doubtless already discerned I'm not a huge fan of President Donald Trump. One day someone brought Puerto Rico up with me, and said they were irresponsible because they left a bunch of water sitting somewhere. I said the president was irresponsible because he claimed to have given them 92 billion and actually only gave them 14. This person got really upset with me, saying "Everyone does that." Now I'm sure lots of politicians say lots of things. I'm not sure all of them are pathological liars. But I have no idea why that was an appropriate response.

I wrote something about Bernie Sanders, and got a warning from someone that socialism leads to communism, and communism doesn't work. This is profoundly ignorant, and not much different from something master debater Mike Bloomberg said on state in front of the whole country a week or two ago. It's remarkable that adults can't differentiate between socialism or democratic socialism, and that they bring up Venezuela rather than Canada, England, France, or pretty much every developed country except the United States. How do you live here, read anything at all, and not know that?

I often have people tell me, "This is what you think." They are almost always wrong. I tend to say what I think, and if I wanted help, I'd ask. The thing is, if people can't respond to what I actually say, they can just twist my argument to be something they can more easily answer. That's a straw man fallacy, trying to get you to answer an argument you never made and likely don't agree with. I'm surprised at how many people seem to go that route. When they do it on the blog, I usually write something like, "You sorely overestimate your psychic powers." Actually, when people do figure out what I think correctly, I'm pleased. That, you know, is kind of magic.

I had a long discussion with someone on Facebook who called something I wrote, "fake news." I have no idea why. Then the person said this source is no good. The person gave no reason why the source was no good, and implied that as a teacher, I ought to have provided another source. Oddly, it was not a news piece, but an opinion piece. The person never addressed the opinion, and as far as I could tell, never even read the piece. I guess if you can just dismiss stuff by saying, "Well, it was on NYC Educator, and therefore it was invalid," it saves a whole lot of time.

I often think we should teach not only argument, but also logical fallacy to our high school students. I am frankly amazed at what passes for argument. I'm not an expert on argument, but I recognize BS when I see it, and I see it a whole lot. I see it from adults way more than I ought to. I see adults who are totally unaccustomed to argument, who are shocked when they are challenged, and who expect to be able to spout whatever nonsense they wish without being questioned, ever.

I'm not sure what we've done to create these conditions. It could be the death of the Fairness Doctrine under Ronald Reagan, enabling the Fox propaganda channels. I lean left of Fox, and I rarely watch cable news, but I was shocked at much of the nonsense I saw on MSNBC during one primary night or other. I'm glad the guy from Hardball, what's-his-name, finally gave up the ghost. Five minutes of him was enough to last me a lifetime. I have to admit I was much more impressed by a panel of smart people on CNN.

It would be great if we could teach our kids what argument was, as opposed to the crap we're supposed to do by direction of the geniuses in Albany, Common Core to the Core. Our tests are garbage, and not designed to raise a generation of thinkers. That's a shame. We could do so much better, and teach them so much more.

It wouldn't be that hard.

Bernie for AFT, and Bernie for America

 I received a request from AFT to write about which candidate I supported. Here's what I sent them. I don't know what they plan to do with it, if anything. I'll share it with you here. 

In 2016, America lost both the Presidency and its voice. The candidate who won got fewer votes than the one who lost, and now pushes policies and appoints judges most Americans don’t support. In 2016, millions of Obama voters simply didn’t come out. Obama ran on a platform of hope and change, and Americans crave that as much as ever.

In 2020, the candidate who most clearly stands for hope and change is Bernie Sanders. Senator Sanders. as President, will not place the interests of corporations over people. The Sanders campaign, fueled by small donations by working people, will reflect our priorities. In a Sanders administration, corporate suitcases full of cash will not be the President’s priority.

We have a healthcare crisis in the USA. While Obamacare helped, there are still tens of millions Americans who remain un or underinsured. Catastrophic medical emergency remains the number one cause of bankruptcy in our country.

I’ve seen what being underinsured means. Years ago, my friend’s father went broke paying for the medical care of his wife. He had to sell his home, and one Christmas Eve, while living in his son’s basement, he took his own life. More recently, a musician friend of mine had chest pains and didn’t go to the ER. He was concerned about the thousands of dollars he had to pay. Two days later he was dead. My own father, who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, had to divest himself of everything he’d worked for to be eligible for end of life care. In the richest country in the world, this is unconscionable.

Americans overwhelmingly favor universal health care. Even those of us with relatively good insurance are hit with copays, fees, and huge bills from doctors that won’t accept our plans. You could be traveling and face and incredibly high bill your insurance won’t cover. Full-time nursing care and end of life care can leave Americans destitute.

Bernie Sanders has a plan for that, a plan resembling what every developed country except us has. Some people suggest universal health care is radical and Americans will never support it.

If we had Medicare for all, there would be no more imposing payroll deductibles on teachers, or indeed, any working Americans. Unions could negotiate what used to go toward health care toward salary instead. With the time and effort previously spent toward negotiating health care, we could work toward improving teaching and learning conditions.

In fact, Sanders  won over a Fox News crowd with his ideas.  In the general election everyone will get to see his ideas contrasted with status quo. Once we get past name-calling and into actual policy, it’s quite clear Medicare for All is the way to go.

Sanders wants not only available free college, but also to forgive existing student debt. This would be a great benefit to many Americans, including hundreds of thousands AFT members. My local, UFT, just set up a program to help manage student debt. It’s a great program, but with a national loan forgiveness program, we could focus on other priorities.


Sanders wants to raise minimum teacher salaries, so that working teachers no longer have to choose between fixing their teeth or their cars. A group of teachers, myself included, wrote to his staff in 2016, and his staff listened to us. Sanders’ education positions have improved tremendously since 2016. He opposes vouchers, and like my local, demands that charters be accountable in the same way public schools are. The Network for Public education gives him high marks all around.

Bernie Sanders also stands for expansion of union, and wants to get rid of so-called right to work. Expansion of union will be a boon to all Americans, and hopefully we’ll see far fewer single parents working multiple minimum-wage jobs just to make ends meet.

If that isn’t enough, Sanders plans to begin realistically facing our dire environmental issues, rather than sweeping them under the rug. Sanders believes in science, even if corporate interests find said science inconvenient.

The Sanders plan would benefit not only teachers, but also working people across the country. Sanders will inspire Americans not only to vote for him, but also to enable a blue Senate that will support his programs.

I will do everything in my power to help this happen. It’s one thing to vote for a candidate simply because we oppose the opponent. It’s quite another to vote for a visionary whose program is a better life for all Americans.

AFT will be a big factor in the next election. With candidate Bernie Sanders, members will make extraordinary efforts to make sure we will succeed. We’ll be acting out of commitment rather than fear.

Our country has been headed in the wrong direction for the last few years. It’s time to put on the brakes and start moving in a direction that serves not only AFT members, but all Americans. Bernie Sanders inspires people all over the country.

We need to expand on that and help insure his victory in 2020. I’m all in, and I’ll be proud to work toward an America that serves all of our children and students. Sanders provides us with a much-needed choice. Let’s vote for what America needs, as opposed to going to the ballot box, holding our noses, and choosing the lesser of two evils.

I can’t wait to vote for what America needs, first in the primary, and then in November.