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?

I believe in loyalty. I can be very loyal to a friend, someone I know, my colleagues, teachers in
general. And for those that have stuck out there necks for me, who have taken their time to listen to me, to cheer me up, to let me vent, they have every right to expect loyalty from me and if I disagree with them to be man enough to say what is own my mind and not run behind their backs stabbing them in the back, besmirching their beliefs or worse, jumping ship.

So it pains me when I see a story in the Daily News today about Leader Mona Davids of the NYC Parents Union threatening a Vergara type lawsuit here in New York State. Dang, I thought she was on our side.

I mean did she forget how she was defended when Anthony Krisnky was threatening her, accusing her of backing the UFT?

Did Mona forget the defense of her from disparaging remarks of Carl Campanile of the New York Post?

Did Mona forget her support in the face of her dispute with Gotham Schools?

Did Mona forget the forum she had when she went up against charter school hack Peter Murphy? 

Or forgetting about the special relationship between Joel Klein and Eva Moskowitz?

Did she forget going up against failed comedian Bill Grundfest about the special funding charter get, deformers, Uncle Mike, and Joel Klein?

Did she forget her p3wnge of Michael Benjamin, her Twitter BFF?

Or did she forget defending us against the film, "Won't Back Down," or supporting "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman?"

With whom does Mona actually stand and for what? I think that is a fair question. To paraphrase Luke Skywalker in "Return of the Jedi,"

"Mona, your thoughts betray you. I feel the good in you, the conflict"

Come back to the five and dime Mona.

But in the meantime, just a few things I wish to comment on from today's article in the News.

Mona said; “There is going to be a lawsuit. The question is which attorney is going to do it for us,”


And one more thing Mona said; "Most of the city’s ineffective teachers are in minority schools and we can’t get rid of them.” 

Excuse me whilst my throat is cleared.

Just two words are needed to rebut this.

Prove. It. 

'Nough said. 

Can she? 

Earlier this week, Educators4Excellence Blog Monkey™, Ruben Brosbe announced to the world what had been known for sometime, he was denied tenure. Gotham Schools, the official online news site of the NYC DOE was the exclusive online source for Ruben's belated admission.

Now to toot our horn yet again here at SBSB, we way ahead of the curve when on July 9, 2011 we predicted that indeed, Ruben will be denied tenure. Yes, we were proud.

Of course we would want to share this with the world. So I decided to link, along with a sarcastic comment, the revelation in the comments section of Ruben's mind numbing admission. I wrote;

"Called it about Ruben two weeks ago!

http://southbronxschool.blogspot.com/2011/07/is-th-th-th-that-all-ruben.html "

OK,OK. A little snotty and self-serving, but obviously nothing against the convoluted and always changing at a whim rules of posting comment over at GS. 

But much to the chagrin of myself and the crack team, it was deleted. I immediately emailed Gotham Schools editor Elizabeth Green asking her "what's the deal?" She emailed me back;

from    Elizabeth Green [email protected] via openplans.org
to    So BronxSchool
date    Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 11:46 AM
subject    Re: Why Was A Comment Deleted?
mailed-by    openplans.org
hide details Jul 21 (1 day ago)
Your blog contains obscene language, and the comment included a link to your blog. I'm not going to reply any more to this thread - it's our call and that's the bottom line.
- Show quoted text -

Wow, obscene language? Gee, I know I can be blue, a little rough, and for sure sarcastic, but obscene? In April of last year I addressed another Gotham Schools diva on obscenity on this blog about what is truly obscene.  But, enough of this obscene talk.


But there is more, something that has been on my mind for sometime about Gotham Schools. NYC Educator touched on it briefly this past Tuesday. Yeah, we all wonder how Ruben Brosbe has a gig for Gotham. I have my theories, and have touched on it in the past but that is not what is bugging me.

What is bugging me, and what I notice when I look at Gotham's "Who We Are" page is what the "reporters" or aggregators are. Have you noticed yet?

They are all white, and with the exception of newcomer and only male, Geoffrey Decker, all part of the Ivy League elitist brand. How did Decker get in? Who did he know? I guess if I went to an Ivy League school instead of SUNY, I would not be called obscene by Elizabeth Green.

So why does this matter? The students, the parents, and the families of the NYC schools I would guess are 80% minority. I fathom to guess what the percentage is of minorities for teachers and administrators, but I am sure it is quite up there. But Gotham Schools does not reflect the community it is serving nor reporting on.

How can any of these aggreagators at GS report faithfully on the schools of the NYC DOE, on the inner workings of the DOE, if they have not walked in the shoes of the most important members of the school community, the families and students.

No wonder they are shills for Uncle Mike. They have no clue to what really and truly effects the life of the boys, girls, families, teachers, and administrators of color. Inside that ivory penthouse of theirs on Lafayette St, gives them all the opportunity too look down on the masses, the unwashed, those that they would never in a million years associate with, or if they dare do, to admit it.

All five of the aggregators, especially Elizabeth Green, are living in a fantasy, cloistered world, with their own convoluted, self absorbed sense of reality. Why don't they go to the people, go out there and seek the truth from the parents and the students, see what is truly happening?

Why? For one they are not really reporters. They just report and parrot what is the news. Yes, aggregators. But worse, no one at GS wants to get their hands dirty, roll up their sleeves, have to be in the nitty gritty real world of the South Bronx, or Bed Stuy. It is difficult to look down at those who do from eye level. It is better to do it from on high.

I put it to Gotham Schools to do the right thing. Hire a person that is representative of the NYC schools. Go out there and do it. Do not limit your search to Ivy League schools, go out there and scour SUNY-Oswego, SUNY-Plattsburgh, SUNY-Old Westbury. I am sure that you will find someone jut as good, if not better, than someone from Columbia.

But sadly, I doubt this will happen. Those at GS are too ensconced in their little world to let someone who is not like them into their world.