Every morning as an ATR is an adventure. You walk in expecting the unexpected and sadly incompetent stupidity.

Last Tuesday, I became the gym teacher. I was handed the schedule when I waked into the office. Not bad, I thought to myself. I like covering Gym. It keeps me active.

Now the gym in the school I am currently assigned to is a classroom. That is why when the weather is decent the current Gym teacher brings the students out to the yard. The little ones you can get away with a classroom, but the big kids...not so much.

Being the principal and the competent AP were not in the building that day I went to the incompetent, out of touch, useless other AP to confirm that I can take the classes outside to the yard (I had previously covered gym and have done it).

Our conversation went like this:

AP: Mr Zucker, you are a substitute.

Me: No, I am an ATR.

AP: But I'm not sure of the safety of the students. 

Me: I have been teaching for nearly 25 years. 

AP: But this is Gym, you might....

Me: I have taught Gym in the past, once for almost an entire school year. I also was athletics director at a summer camp, taught Gym in D 75 for summer school, and coached my son's Little League team for 4 years.

AP: Well...let's see how today goes in the classroom and if it goes well, maybe next time.

Me: But there is no equipment in the classroom, at least the older kids can bring their basketballs with them.

AP: You can take some equipment from over there (points to the recess equipment closet).

Almost everything in the recess closet was projectile based and/or hard. I took four cones with me.

In the classroom all I had access to were about a half dozen hoola hoops and two foam balls.

I improvised during the day.

Playing steal the bacon with 4th graders was fun. The 5th graders were too big, and I saw what a safety issue I was put in the middle of.

The little ones it was fine. We did relay races, stretching, and some laps around the room.

But why is being outside cause the AP to me concerned for the safety of the students, when there is plenty of room to run free and to spread out. But being in a small enclosed space all is peaches and cream?

This idiocy just can't be made up.

This story comes from the files of "you can't make this shit up!"

The SBSB news team has learned of one of the most heinous stories of Rubber Room skullduggery ever!

A gym teacher who is currently time in the RR for, are you ready for this? Having the students in gym doing yoga.

I'll wait while you compose yourself from either laughing, crying, or just frozen in wonderment.

OK, got yourself composed?

A young gym teacher (What a shock, someone not over 40 is in the RR) was doing yoga with his class (At press time we do not know the grade of this class). Yoga has many advantages, what can be the harm of yoga? Isn't this great this gym teacher introducing such a wonderful art, exercise of the mind and body to the students of the Bronx?

Even better the teacher having a student in a wheelchair saw to it that the student would not be left out. He adapted, he differentiated, the lesson so the the student in the wheelchair could do upper body exercises so not to be left out.

At the end of the period the teacher decided to entertain the students by performing a hand stand. That, pardon the pun, was his downfall.

Apparently the principal felt that the student in the wheel chair felt bad he couldn't do a handstand and got charges 3020a charges filed against the teacher and off he was shipped to Fordham Plaza.

But it gets weirder.

The teacher, who is not assigned any work to do at Fordham Plaza other than to sit in the cafeteria, decided to make the most of his doing nothing. He resorted to doing some yoga breathing exercises. Sadly this irked someone, OSI was called in, and a letter was put in his file.

It is getting crazy out there. In fact The Crack Team is starting to miss the Bloomberg/Klein days.

But worse, where is the UFT in all this? Where is the UFT in the constant abuse of teachers?

Nowhere, but doing everything to keep those in power at 52 Broadway in power.

The students of District 7, and most of the South Bronx are out of shape. Nearly 1 in 3 elementary students in the South Bronx are obese, 2 in 5 students are overweight. Many students do not exercise on a regular basis. Being overweight or obese increases the risk for many health problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancer, and heart disease.

Bronx County has some of the highest rates of asthma in the United States. Rates of death from asthma in the Bronx are about three times higher than the national average. Hospitalization rates are about five times higher. In some neighborhoods in the Bronx it is estimated that 20% of the children have asthma.

Exercise helps to stretch the lungs and bronchial tubes, which in turn may help reduce the resistance to breathing. Even though the bronchial tubes become inflamed (as occurs in asthma), the positive effects of exercise may help prevent symptoms. The lack of exercise may also contribute to obesity, which may also be a risk factor in asthma. For those who already have developed asthma, aerobic exercise might trigger attacks, but these can easily be prevented by using an inhaler (such as albuterol) before the activity.

 PS 154 in the Bronx has just lost it's famed physical education teacher due to retirement at the end of October. A phys. ed teacher that coached the basketball team without pay, a phys. ed teacher that donated a basketball hoop to the school, a phys. ed teacher that gave it his all. What is his legacy?

DR Alison Coviello, Ph.D and Principal of PS 154 has decided that the students of PS 154 can no longer have gym. Yes, you read that right. She has decided that gym will no longer be offered to the students. Why, you ask?

Could she not find another phys. ed teacher? The Crack Team was told no one was ever interviewed, nor were inquiries made. Of course there is now money in the budget, but where have the monies gone?

The reason why DR Alison Coviello, Ph.D and Principal has decided not to employ someone in the gym, The Crack Team has learned, is due to the fact that DR Alison Coviello, Ph.D and Principal must control all facets of life at PS 154. By putting an ATR (The weekly ATR is covering the former gym teacher's schedule in the classrooms) in the gym (even though in NYC a elementary phys. ed teacher can have a Common Branch license) DR Alison Coviello, Ph.D and Principal does not want someone that "doesn't know what they are doing."

OK, fine, for a moment we shall give DR Alison Coviello, Ph.D and Principal the benefit of the doubt. Then shouldn't a ATR with a phys. ed license be found? If not in District 7, then from outside the district? In fact The Crack Team knows of a eminently qualified ATR that has a phys. ed license.  Why has this person not been contacted?

Of course this is just another example of DR Alison Coviello's, Ph.D and Principal method of not only having to control all aspects of the school, but again flaunting the laws of the New York State Education Department.

According to the NYSED; 

All students in K-12 must attend and participate in a physical education program.

All pupils in grades K-3 shall attend and participate in physical education on a daily basis.

All pupils in grades 4-6 shall attend and participate in physical education not less than three times per week. 

120 minutes per calendar week exclusive of any time that may be required for dressing and showering.  

Grades K-3 are required to have daily physical education for a minimum total of 120 minutes per week. Grades 4-6 are required to have physical education three days per week for a minimum total of 120 minutes per week. See Commissioner's Regulation 135

 Recess may not be used to meet the physical education days/time requirement 

Under Commissioner's Regulation Part 135.4(c)(4)(i), elementary classroom teachers may teach physical education under the direction and supervision of a certified physical educator.

Designing the elementary physical education curriculum should be a cooperative venture of the District Director of Physical Education, the elementary physical education teacher(s) and the elementary classroom teachers. This would ensure that the physical education curriculum covered in this fashion counts toward the day and time requirement, and will be documented in both the physical education teacher's lesson plans and elementary classroom teacher's lesson plans. See Commissioner's Regulation 135

Think if a phys ed teacher in Harrison, or Scarsdale, or Roslyn, or Franklin Lakes retired. Would the principal of the elementary schools in these communities not have a phys ed teacher in place all ready to go? Will these principals allow the students not to have physical activity? Would the parents of these communities allow such actions?

One thing that the principals of these communities would do is fight like hell for the monies that are due their schools and not roll over and accept what their central offices are telling them.

But none of this is happening at PS 154 in the Bronx. DR Alison Coviello, Ph.D and Principal would rather exert control rather than put the students needs first. Every. Little. Thing. Must. Be. In. Her. Control.