Tomorrow is a UFT Town Hall. I think these town halls show the UFT is being proactive somewhat and somewhat transparent. But how much of it is substance and how much of it is for show? 

Something like this should have been done a long, long time ago in a reality that was too far away. Mulgrew or whomever was UFT president should have had these town hall face to face in each borough every month. The ATR meetings in November I have appreciated but instead of once a year should have been every month. 

Each town hall I have pressed zero to ask a question. I used to get Rasheed, lately it seems like some retiree. It used to be that someone from the upper echelon of the UFT emailed you back. But that is if you weren't amongst the chosen to formally ask Mulgrew a question. No longer, now you get some anonymous hack emailing you back a question. One thing did improve, we don't hear the same Flat Stanley question time after time in a town hall.

My gut tells me the teachers that get to ask question publicly and their questions are pre-screened. It just makes sense. The numbers I have heard on a town hall phone call are over 10k. How is it that of all these town halls, all the pissed off teachers, all the thousands of teachers there has not been one teacher to dare question Mulgrew's leadership? To scream? To rant? To curse? To mock? Statistically, this is impossible. How many callers would call Mike Francesa to mock him and/or rant in just a single hour?

So last month I came up with a good question. It was about the arbitration hearing with our retro pay. I asked this question due to Mulgrew sharing this at last month's town hall...

Many of you have written me about it. We always anticipate bad things. We plan for bad days as teachers. Didn't talk to city about it at all, and then on October 2 I asked for confirmation they were processing payment. Asked again. I then called, knowing members would check paychecks.

 October 2nd he had a hunch what was going on. He could've shared this with us. He didn't. But, I thought, the arbitration meeting, it must've been transcribed. I asked (click to enlarge)...

I asked if there is a transcript of the arbitration hearing and if so when can the rank and file expect to see such transcript. The email I received was dated October 20, 2020, and I followed up on November 18, 2020. As of today, November 22, 2020, I have heard hide nor hair from the UFT concerning my transcript request. If there is a transcript, the DOE and/or the city must have said transcript. Perhaps a FOIL request can be filed? 

Transparency. That's not very much to ask for. Let's see the transcript. Why is it taking so long to respond whether or not a transcript exists? Or even just an audio recording of the arbitration. There is enough skepticism about the process last month with our retro. Prove the skeptics wrong. Release the audio and/or transcript of the arbitration. 

A lot of us got really screwed with half a retro check this year. I think it is only fitting that we know the full truth on how we are out half our retro.

Sometime in the late 90's I had been teaching third grade. The author of "Flat Stanley", Jeff Brown, came by the school and the third grade came to meet him in the library. He gave the story of how he created Flat Stanley and about writing and reading and all that important stuff. The kids really enjoyed it.

Then came the Q&A part. We practiced with the students on what questions to ask Mr Brown. If memory serves, they had a list of questions to choose from. The kids raised their hands, and Mr Brown picked a student. I remember the question vividly.

"What gave you the idea for Flat Stanley?"

Mr Brown shared Flat Stanley's genesis, and the kids were really into it. He asked who else had a question. The hands shot up. He picked another student with a question.

"What gave you the idea for Flat Stanley?"

This went on for the rest of the time with Mr Brown. Every kid asked the same question while Mr Brown's teeth were grinding---politely. 

There is a reason I bring this up. A method to my madness.

I do appreciate the town halls. I do appreciate Mike Mulgrew standing up and putting the effort to at very least show that he is attentive to the needs and concerns of the rank and file. This can be a very good start.

One thing irks myself and The Crack Team.

I feel like I'm back in that library in 1998 and Mulgrew is Jeff Brown and the teachers asking the questions are the students asking the same questions abut Flat Stanley.

I am not blaming the teachers. They, we, all have pertinent questions that need be answered. I get it.

The screeners did better training. Too often, the same question is asked. Now I can be wrong, but it seems that way. I don't know if this is done by design or just a repeat of the Flat Stanley Debacle of 1998.

So for tomorrow's town hall, please, let's mix it up a bit. If Mulgrew mentions something in his opening remarks, questions pertaining to what he said could be put off. Or if a question is asked having already asked, we skip over that question to something that is completely different.

I am hearing rumors that the questions and questioners are not pre-screened. We are giving the benefit of the doubt. A wide variety of everything is best for all involved.

Let's head down this positive path together. Variety is the spice of life.