Way back in June of 2012 I reported on my former principal at PS 154, Marsha Elliott, lack of true Christianity. She repeated a lie, and repeated it repeatedly.

But first a little back story. In May of 2011 I was teaching character education, which is basically
citizenship. I gave up being dean and SAVE room coordinator due to a senior teaching whining and kvetching about filing a grievance. Honestly it is a fantastic  curriculum.  But needs to be kept away from stupid decision makes that tend to ruin curriculum.

I wanted to do a lesson based on the late 60's experiment Jane Elliott did in Iowa, the “blue-eyed/brown-eyed" experiment. Unfortunately being in the South Bronx negates such an experiment, since all the students are brown eyed, and me being the only blue eyed person in the class or for that matter, that the students have ever seen, I would have to come up with something different.

I switched it to the "left handed-right handed experiment." Sadly, I did it with 2nd graders, I took it a bit to far, and the lesson went a bit awry. However, I thought outside the box and if certain people were not so shrill and unrelenting in how righteous that think they are, the hub bub would have subsided quickly.

Typically, a collegue decided to share with Elliott (and as reported in June 2012);

....finding out that after a former principal accused me of having porn on a computer and being completely cleared by SCI, claimed not only that

"XXXXXXXXX (District 7 Superintendent Yolanda Torres...which Yolanda vehemently denied.) said you can't be the computer coordinator" A blatant lie

But worse said,

"even though they didn't find anything and cleared you doesn't mean it never happened."

 But in that meeting in which Marsha Elliott perpetuated these blatant falsehoods, she suggested that it was time for me to leave the school, that as a common branch teacher that was a cluster, and out of classroom teacher, a dean, a computer coordinator, someone that did everything I could to help out the school without asking for much in return, was useless, a nothing.

Lunch duty, mass prep coverages, when a student was throwing chairs in the classroom it was me they called upon. I did this for the school, for the students, and for the community. Running a soccer program without getting a dime of per session.

Before I give a link to the audio, I just was reminded of something.

In August of 2009, I had knee surgery for a torn meniscus. I came back to school pretty much healed that September. Around the 2nd week of September during lunch duty a 3rd grader threw a tantrum in the yard. I attempted to hold back the young man from punching another student. This boy kicked me in the side of the knee that was just surgically repaired. Something happened. A few days later I went back to my surgeon he told me that I had a grade 1 tear ligament tear. I had to wear a knee brace and my PT was pushed back months.

I asked Marsha Elliott if I could park my car in the school lot. It was quite difficult to walk from the parking lot in the Mitchel Houses to the school. She told me no.'

Here is the audio. Principals lie, deceive, obfuscate, manipulate, use subterfuge, whatever they can to fuck you over. It's all about power. The reason they do is they know how incompetent and in over their heads they are. If they had any confidence in their abilities 99% of the shit that happens in schools won't happen and Francesco Portelos will not be where he is.

CLICK HERE TO HEAR THE AUDIO!!!

Remember when Navin Johnson was so excited that the new phone books arrived? We here at SBSB are just as excited as he that the test scores have arrived.

Yes, with PS 154 sliding down its slippery slope, due to upper echelon (NOT AT ALL THE FAULT OF THE TEACHERS!!!!) incompetence, the test scores are out and like Navin Johnson PS 154 is going places. Down to be exact. (click below to enlarge)
If it wasn't for PS 154, there would be no need for summer school in District 7. But how did we get to this point, where are we going, and more importantly, how can we get out of this?

We got to this point because of the sheer neglect of former principal Marsha Elliott. As mentioned earlier only speculation has fueled the guessing as to why Marsha Elliott was replaced. However, it has come to the attention of The Crack Team here at SBSB that there were irregularities concerning school funds. The Crack Team has learned that in May of 2012 PS 154 had been running a deficit of $9K. Is this true, we don;t know, could it be criminal? Only Robert Johnson, Bronx District Attorney can answer. But this explains the lack of substitutes available to PS 154 the last 2 months of school.

It also explains why we had classes bursting at the seams, why there were no coverages for preps, why there was no writing program and/or curriculum in 2nd grade.

But with Marsha Elliott, what served her best was plausible delegation of responsibility. It is one thing to delegate, it is another to delegate and bury your head in the sand and ignore all going on about you. While Rome, er 154 was "burning," Marsha Elliott was busy praising God and praying he would make everything all right.

It was the same with the discipline. I mean, the lack of discipline. Students knew that they could get away with whatever they could and wanted to. Throw a chair? Have a piece of chocolate. Stab a kid with a pencil? You need a hug. Start a riot in the yard, your parents will never know.

And what to do about those kids in crisis, those that really needed intervention? Do what Oscar the Ostrich does when faced with stress. Find some dirt, bury the head, hope that the problem will go away. If that didn't work, you could just close your eyes really hard and wish the problem away.

I do not see things getting better and I am not the only one at 154 that feels this way. With more special ed. students now in general education, the new special ed. bowel movement that will be unleashed on the school, let alone the entire NYC DOE backfire like a '57 Chevy with a bad muffler.

Now students that would have been in a small class size structure will be exposed to classes of up to 30 kids, which will cause them not only to be over stimulated, but worse, get lost in the shuffle of the bigger class. Not only with these students not get the education they need, but will in all probability act out more, be disciplined more, and lose their knack for wanting to learn.

And what about the general ed. students? They will be hugged, cajoled, and not have any consequences in their behavior. If they get out of line, look for them to be sent to the overtaxed SBST. Sent, but not seen too. If memory serves, the SBST needs to first service the students it is assigned to, the students that have stack upon stacks of anecdotals and are in true crisis and need placement or evaluation, and then any other real crap that happens. Not this make believe liberal crap that will be thrust upon it.

But again, for all students, as long as there is no real curriculum, no true leadership, no true collaboration, and overcrowded classes there can be and won't be any learning at all in PS 154. `

How can we get those scores up and not be closed within 2 years? First, let's stop hiring first year, under 25, TFA teachers. The Open Market system is a great way to find good, veteran teachers. Use technology as it was intended, to increase students higher order thinking skills and to have students have the world virtually at their fingertips.

Have NYC DOE stop cutting the budget. It behooves logic that a school in crisis is having its budget cut year after year. But since this is a fact, get out there and get money! Solicit funds. Eva does it, why can't we? If a student is in educational crisis, deal with it immediately. Right then, right there. Discipline should be zero tolerance, not like in the charters, but the suburban schools. No putting students on computers for bad behavior, no more rewarding of students. Yes, I know, these students come from crisis, from fucked up homes, but these students need boundaries. They crave it. We need to give it to them. The liberal mindset must end.

I hope I am wrong. PS 154 is a great school, with great students, great families, and great teachers.

I am appearing on my pal's The Frustrated Teacher's internet radio show tomorrow night at 6 PM EDT.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/tfteacher/2012/06/10/sobronxschool-has-knowledge-proof-of-a-conspiracy

I have been asked to be a guest and add clarity to my recent blog posts concerning the disgraced former principal of PS 154, The Bronx, Marsha Elliott.

"You have not answered his question. What does God need with a starship?" - Spock, Star Trek V The Final Frontier 


In the beginning, we were all fish. Okay? Swimming around in the water. And then one day a couple of fish had a retard baby, and the retard baby was different, so it got to live. So Retard Fish goes on to make more retard babies, and then one day, a retard baby fish crawled out of the ocean with its... -Mrs Garrison, 4th grade teacher South Park, CO explaining evolution to her students

"Tickle us, do we not laugh? Prick us, do we not bleed? Wrong us, shall we not revenge?" - General Chang, Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country

"Don't ever lie to me." -Anonymous 2400 BC

We as teachers should start thinking like General Chang. I do. I mean I will be a loyal friend, maybe too loyal, but once a line is crossed, that's it. Marsha Elliott, my former principal at PS 154X, it's time the truth came out.

I have no idea why she removed. Speculation does run rampant. The official reason, or rather the reason she gave, was that the test scores the last few years were declining and that she was up for tenure in May and wasn't going to receive it so the decision was moved to cut the cord. But it leaves one to wonder, if these reasons are true, why not just finish out the year and everyone be on with their lives?

No, it was something more diabolical than that. It had to have been something so yucky, so unprofessional, that the powers that be felt that a change needed to be made right then and there. Myself and the Crack Team here at SBSB applaud the powers that be.

We have several theories disseminate here at SBSB headquarters on the impetus of Marsha Elliott's removal. There is one theory that stands out, but first a little back story.

It seems that around 2007 or so, Marsha Elliott was removed by the DOE at her former school IS 158 in The Bronx for "encouraging" staff members at the school to visit her church. Visit? Like visiting to see art work, to see the architecture? Perhaps "visit" meant to come worship at her church. Perhaps "visit" meant that if you didn't want to get a U, you better let God see your ass "in the pews at my church." Were Jewish staff members invited? And if so, did Marsha Elliott hope that they would be "saved" from our heathen methods. Anyway, it was completely inappropriate. So inappropriate that the DOE fined her for the "recruiting," as a conflict of interest and soon was placed at PS 154. But, God was soon invited to 135th St and Alexander Ave., and someone sadly didn't learn a lesson.

This past March, or late February Marsha Elliott was recruiting teachers to come read the word of God wit her in our public school. She wanted to hold bible study once or twice a week and actively went around the school to asking teachers to join. Several of these so called "Bible Studies" were held off hours in the early morning before school started. We here at SBSB have no issues with religion, or God, just those who wear God on their sleeves and don't walk the walk. If a bunch of teachers got together on their own and perused the Bible, fine. But for a Principal to do it, for a Principal to recruit those that believe or do not believe is a conflict of interest or just plain wrong. What about the Jews? We never were offered a spot in the study! Does that mean we would be deemed not part of the "cool crowd" and might lose per session monies, positive evaluations, etc...? Or would teachers feel compelled and coerced to attend these meetings and face negative consequences if they don't? Yes, conflict of interest. Shame on you Marsha Elliott.

We here at SBS wish to reiterate we have no problems with those of faith, or with God, or Moses, or Mohammed, or Jesus. What we do have issues with those that hold the Bible in one hand, preach Jesus and God with their mouths, but with their free hand have no problem at backslapping you across your face and your career and tell us they are holy.

But the proselytizing of  religion and God have no place in school, particularity by administrators. This is no different that a female teacher being asked for sexual favors in return for positive outcomes for her career. Marsha Elliott crossed the line with this. Worse, she didn't learn from her first negative encounter. We wonder what God thinks.

But there is more to come on this subject.