One day to go!

Oh, the death of the ATR pool was greatly exaggerated. That according to the Post and everyone's favorite bastion of education reporting, Chalkbeat. 

The plan was originally if you were placed in a school the entire year and and received either an effective or highly effect MOTP you were to be automatically placed in said school. And something about not facing discipline.

But think about it. With all the craziness of this year, with not enough teachers at the beginning of the year, or through the year, an ATR was a godsend to the principals. They needed bodies.And ATRs provided the bodies. ATRs were seen basically as useful idiots. 

But now with the supposed grand reopening of school in September the ATRs are not needed. In particular, ATRs who have been naughty and don't make wads of cash. Oh, and those ATRs with institutional knowledge. 

Why would a principal want an ATR like that in their building? We gave up our seniority transfer in 2005 because principals want control. Sometime in the last ten years, I forget, ATRs were going to be forced place and the principals and their union were up in arms. Why should things be any different this time? 

And of course nothing changes with the Post and Chalkbeat bashing ATRs. 

From the Post...

And now teachers assigned to this pool, including some who really shouldn’t be teaching at all, will be given positions back in front of classrooms.

And from Chalkbeat (Christina Vega) using six year old data...

About one in five scored one of the bottom three rankings, according to data from the 2015-16 school year, the most recent the education department has shared publicly.  

But let's give her credit where credit is due. She did get one thing correct...

Teachers in the pool also tend to be more senior, and therefore earn higher salaries, creating a disincentive for principals to hire them. 

It would have been swell if Ms Vega bothered to spend some time speaking to ATRs. But I would guess that would be to difficult. 

Fixing the ATR problem is easy. Read it right here. It can be fixed. 

Being an ATR is like being in purgatory, actually Jewish purgatory. We are not wicked. Nor or we righteous. We are good people as well as teachers who have made mistakes. And learned from mistakes. 

...whose virtues and sins counterbalance one another shall go down to Gehenna and float up and down until they rise purified; for of them it is said: 'I will bring the third part into the fire and refine them as silver is refined, and try them as gold is tried'

 

I have been thinking about this Fair Student Funding for some time and how it affects ATR's.

On Monday, Chaz wrote a blog piece on how FSF "shortchanges students" and the DOE does diddly. As does the UFT. He used a recent Chalkbeat article that more or less explained how FSF came into being and how it works. Of course I take anything Chalkbeat blabbers about with a grain of salt but I have to admit, it was enlightening.

First, I am not buying the age discrimination angle some False Prophet dressed as a clown claims. Yeah, there might be some, but after reading the Chalkbeat article, in my opinion, proving age discrimination short of smoking gun, will be extremely, extremely difficult to prove. But alas, there are many followers that enjoy the Kool-Aid and will follow blindly until...well maybe there is no "until."

But here is a simple way to get ATR's hired that myself and The Crack Team put together.

Now as we know, an ATR making max salary (I forget what it is top of my head, but I am just going to use $100k for this post) is doing a damn fine job, likes the school and both the ATR and principal are in synch, and the principal really wants this ATR on board.

The ATR's salary will come out of the school budget. Now getting hired in the middle of the year is tough enough, what with the budget having already been spent. The following year, who knows? Will the school receive less monies? Maybe more but not enough monies?

The ATR at $100k is kind screwed. As well as the students and community of that school.

So the ATR is rotating to and fro not being able to do what they do best but rather be a glorified substitute. Just being wasted away.

But of course Tweed, in all it's glorified, illogical, infinite wisdom continues to pay this ATR $100k per year.

But the ATR can't be hired because the school lacks the funds to hire said ATR. Bear with me, I'm getting to the point.

The school gets it's monies from, care to guess? Yep, you are right. The school gets it's monies from Tweed. The same dolts that are paying the ATR $100k a year to do lunch duty, file papers, teach Latin when that ATR has a common branch license, etc... You get my point right?

Here is how we fix it. Kinda Charter School Style© (Just in case the UFT decides to use this idea.  I, and The Crack Team, can get royalty checks).

The money follows the teacher. Tweed gives the money for that ATR's salary to the specific school. Case closed. Problem solved. Everyone is happy. Tweed reduces it's self-created embarrassment of ATR's, a principal gets a darn good teacher, the students get a darn good teacher, the ATR is happy, and there will be less teachers are anti-anxiety medications.

It makes sense. Both the school's budget and the money Tweed spends on ATR's comes from well. It's like when my wife tries to bet me money. She thinks I am wrong about something, she says, "I'll bet you $100." I say, "No, that's illogical. that $100 comes from our money. You or I have access to that $100 no matter what. Bet me breakfast in bed for a month or something like that."  Can't tell you how many times I have had breakfast in bed. ;)

The Crack Team believes that this method is the best, and most adult, method to solve the inanity of this ATR issue.

A few weeks ago I touched on, and broke down the idiocy, of Chalkbeat's latest ATR missive. In the last few days,  Chalkbeat again showed it's cluelessness as well as the DOE's official mouth piece, the NY Post. The New York Times also chimed in, but it was a little less shrill.

All of these articles came out within the last 3-4 days and I so much wished to comment on them, to break the down the BS and expose the truth. But in a way, it'll be beating a dead horse. There must have been some way I can shed light on the truth without just rehashing the reality yet again.

Arthur Goldstein today helped me unlock what I been wanting to write about for some time but never found a proper segue to put fingers to keypad and share.

Arthur wrote...

It's important to note that any teacher can be brought up on charges at any time, and that even if the charges are nonsense it's likely some minor one will be sustained. Maybe you used your phone in the school, or did something equally inconsequential. That's enough to fine you a few thousand bucks and place you into the ATR. Then you're doomed, if the Post gets its way.

This is every ATR's nightmare. Yes, other teachers have this nightmare as well, but with an ATR it is especially magnified. One thing, one mistake, one act taken out of context can at worst, have charges brought against you or at best, a letter to your file in which no matter how trivial and how much great work you do the rest of the year will bring you a U rating.

This past December, my 3rd day in my assigned school, I was bringing a 5th grade class upstairs from lunch. I had never had this class before. They had no clue who I was. There was one young man you was quite attention seeking and was quite boisterous the walk up four flights of stairs.

When we got to the class I lined the students up and asked for quiet until I would send them in. Most of the class complied as I sent them in four at a time. In the meantime this student, and for the sake of keeping his anonymity will henceforth be known of Shlomo Epstein was getting more and more obnoxious.

With him and three other students the last ones to be asked to go in the classroom not only was his obnoxious level rising, but his obnoxiousness was rubbing off on the other students. Their teacher was in the classroom and she heard and saw of my issues yet did not lift a finger to help. It was her prep. A MADE UP PREP. I was on my own.

I asked Shlomo to step off the line. I walked up to him, whispered in his ear and stepped back. I was about 12-18 inches from him when he finally complied and walked to the other side of the hall. As he walked by me he tripped over his own feet, on purpose, and then threw himself into the wall. He turned around and screamed, "WHY DID YOU THROW ME INTO THE WALL????"

Then the teacher got involved. She asked one of the students if he had seen anything and he feigned ignorance. Great. 

My heart stopped. I knew it was BS and so did he. But, and I heard this later, his mother is a para for the DOE and she sees no wrong in Shlomo. And, I heard from other teachers that he has pulled this fake thrown into the wall act in the past.

At the end of the day the AP wanted me to give a statement. Just the facts. I wanted a UFT rep there with me. Not the one in the school (She was way, way too inexperienced) but I got hold of the Bronx UFT and was told that for a statement I did not need a rep. But I did it anyway.

The AP appeared sympathetic to me, but that could have been a ruse. It seemed that the adminstration was more concerned with mom and wished to share with her what had happened when she came to pick Shlomo up.

I immediately reached out to my District 7 rep and he assured me that when and if I met with the principal he will be there to rep me.

Days went by, I hated the wait. It was about 3 weeks until I got the notice to meat with the principal. At least it seemed that OSI bounced it back to the school. But I was still nervous.

When we met with the principal I signed the waiver to be able to read the statements of the other students. There were 11 statement and every single statement except one exonerated me of throwing Shlomo into the wall. Shlomo's statement was the only one still insisting that I had.

I was fortunate. My DR knew what to do and how to handle the situation. I doubt at anytime the school's CL could've done the same. I got no letter, no nothing. The principal was quite fair to me and treated me with dignity.

I am sharing this for a few reasons. One is how quick something so inane, so baseless can ruin a teacher's career in an instant. Second, that being an ATR, especially when you first arrive at a school you are basically an island onto yourself. You have ZERO support. Nothing, nada, bupkus. You are on your own. At this school there were a few teachers I knew from over the years and this helped. But too many ATR's are left alone and vulnerable in their schools and worse they are ignored and/or chastised.

One more thing. If you go into a discipline meeting, unless you have a strong Chapter Leader, whatever you do go into any discipline meeting with you DL.

I stopped reading Chalkbeat a long time ago. Educational propaganda for the deformists and the ediots of the world.

But Chalkbeat (formerly Gotham Schools) is back at being the Pravda for the above mentioned hacks.

In today's Chalkbeat, new "reporter" and former Yale journalism (you could have gone to SUNY-Purchase's fine journalism school. It would have saved mommy and daddy a lot of money!) student, Daniela Brighenti, asked the 5 ATR questions that are on everyone's mind. But no need to worry anymore Daniela, we here at SBSB, myself and The Crack Team have decided to give you the answers you are looking for.

What is the average years of experience among teachers in the pool?

By our estimates, the average years of experience amongst all ATR's system wide is about 150.3 years. Yes, you read that right. Seriously, what do you think? Gosh, you answer your own question...

"Historically, the ATR pool has been comprised of teachers who are, as a group, more experienced than their peers.
Data from 2010 showed that teachers with 15 to 25 years of experience made up 31 percent of the ATR pool, as compared to 19 percent of all active teachers. In comparison, more junior teachers were underrepresented in the pool — 13 percent, compared to 29 percent of all active teachers."

Look around your Chalkbeat newsroom Daniela, how many scribes that look like Jimmy Breslin or Lois Lane are in the cubicles next to you? As Chalkbeat will only hire "presently graduated young reporters," so, will the principals only hire presently hired young teachers. It makes sense. Young and out of college means less pay, more manipulation.

What percentage of ATR teachers are in the pool for disciplinary reasons?

A lot. Some for some serious stuff, some for leaving toilet seats up. Does it matter? If we have been deemed by an arbitrator to keep our positions, why can't we have the same chances all teachers have. But again, discipline or no discipline, it does not matter. Age, salary, and as Chaz the blogger says, "institutional memory" are the ATR's greatest foes.

But again, if you are 23, clueless, and never taught, you are the right fit for any school.

How long have the teachers been in the ATR pool?

Since the dawn of time. Since Adam met Eve, since Luke fought his pops. But again, you are given the answer again by some anonymous principal...

" the time they spend outside the classroom and in the ATR could be harmful, since they are unlikely to receive the same professional development as teachers in full-time positions."

Why aren't you, your handlers, or anyone kvetching that the ATR's are treated as such and demand that the DOE give the ATR's the same access to REAL, ( not the crap on Mondays,) professional development? Guess what? ATR's want it!!!!

Where have ATR teachers worked in the past?

Where? As a teacher or in life? I worked at Rosen, Mandell, and Immerman, printing brokers right after high school. It was great. Loved commuting into the city. Once walked in on my boss cutting coke into lines. But this was in 1982, It was all the rage.

I also worked in McDonald's on Central Ave in 1980 and Wendy's on 9A in 1981. Shall I go on?

But if you want to really get answers, why not roll up your sleeves, hit the streets, do some real reporting and ask ATR's?

What areas are ATR teachers certified in?

I have two certifications. One, Common Branch and the other, Meat and Cheese Sandwich Engineering. I know one ATR that has a certification in marriage counseling and another ATR that has a certification in the mortuary sciences. But again......

If you want to really get answers, why not roll up your sleeves, hit the streets, do some real reporting, and ask ATR's?

I hope I helped you Daniela in answering all these questions. In fact, by answering these questions, I feel the sudden need to hide the afikoman for some reason and to smack the simple child in the face.

But one more bit of advice and please take it.


If you want to really get answers, why not roll up your sleeves, hit the streets, do some real reporting and ask ATR's?