Today marks the first day back at school for teachers and staff members in NYC. With the start of the school year, we at EdWize would like to know how things are going in your school community. Use this post to discuss the beginning of the school year and let us know what conditions are like in your school.
Is it organized and orderly?
How is the professional development?
Are there enough supplies?
Is the building overcrowded?
This is just a place to share your impressions. If you can, please include your school’s name or number and region.
10 Comments:
1 get_me_a_contract
· Sep 6, 2005 at 8:39 pm
The first day back was worse than I thought it could be…
First, everything is now about the bulletin board as if by having the bulletin boards the way that the DOE wants them that kids will magically learn….it is so stupid. We are not even allowed to cover the bulletin boards with plastic so that any visitor (ie. the spies from the region) can read the three page essays posted on the bulletin board. Don’t these idiots realize that the bulletin boards are going to be vandalized??? And who writes comments on the now mandatory post it notes???
Can they really give us a “U” if our bulletin boards are not up to their pathetic standards?
PD was non-existent today…everything was about the bulletin boards and how they need to have rubrics, etc. etc.
No, there were not enough supplies and it would be nice if the custodians did not leave the desks in piles in the classroom.
My building is always overcrowded as are most of the high schools in Queens.
Most teachers were really pissed off at not having a contract. We all feel that Bloomberg is a liar and out to destroy the public schools. He is clueless and out of touch with the day to day realities of school life. The kids will suffer.
I have never seen morale this low….and people are pissed off not only at the mayor but also at Randi. She has been duped by the mayor numerous times….people referred to her as incompetent.
I wish she would do more or at least appear to be doing more…the post card campaign seems like another dumb idea.
2 get_me_a_contract
· Sep 6, 2005 at 9:00 pm
One more things….
I heard over and over today.
“I think this is my last year.”
3 msfrizzle
· Sep 6, 2005 at 10:05 pm
Definitely orderly and organized.
PD was pretty good – led by experienced teachers, most of whom are new to leading PD. Can’t really complain. Targeted at important issues.
I don’t think our building is overcrowded… not drastically, anyway.
Supplies needed to start the year are fine; rumor has it the budget is vanishingly small so ask me again in June! (Or November…)
We are excited to get the ball rolling.
Bronx Middle School
4 nychsteacher
· Sep 6, 2005 at 10:49 pm
“Get me a contract”, are we from same the Queens HS because the exact same shenanigans were laid out for us during our department meetings today. My AP literally spent 1 hour and 45 minutes going over the various bulletin boards and portfolios etc that we were required to do this year. Only the remaining 15 minutes was focused on math instruction. This is definitely my last year too.
5 nychsteacher
· Sep 6, 2005 at 10:52 pm
Oops. Bad grammar. Even though I’m a math teacher, I’m required to start teaching english and social studies now as part of the interdisciplinary curriculum so I better mind my grammar.
*My AP literally spent 1 hour and 45 minutes going over the various bulletin boards and portfolios etc that we are required to do this year.*
6 redhog
· Sep 7, 2005 at 3:05 am
Sometimes the best way to respond to outrageous authoritarianism is with outrageous compliance. When I was directed for the second time to set up my bulletin board, which is of course a public relations ploy, not an educational project,I played a bit of mental judo on the Tweedian clucks. I ripped off a 1/4th inch corner of a piece of looseleaf paper and stapled it to the bulletin board. The next day, when the supervisor took a break from the exercise of her eating disorder to do show me who’s boss, she pointed, open-mouthed, to my naked bulletin board, aghast, and demanded an explanation. I surpassed her pose of shock with my own expression of wounded dismay, saying,”Oh my gosh, the kids ripped it down already!”. For more ideas on how to deal with inept and malicious management, go to risaac.blogs.com You will even find there rubrics for measuring the exasperation of nitwits.
7 a-realist
· Sep 9, 2005 at 6:02 am
Our first day was very smooth, indeed. One of the best opening days.
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“Knowledge gained but not shared is wasted!”
8 NYC Educator
· Sep 10, 2005 at 9:10 am
Well, my first day went very well. My students are confused but cooperative. I think we’ll get along fine.
9 Ms. M
· Sep 10, 2005 at 2:58 pm
I’m a first year teacher so I really don’t have much to compare to but I thought that the first day was highly unorganized. Our new Principal moved classrooms around in the building so many times that on the first day, some were moving for the fourth time. (These of course were not teachers with classes but people who have offices and are there to supposrt the kids–the speach teachers, IEP support, and me ESL teacher).
Not having anything to compare to, I’d say our building is very over crowded just by the observation of how many teachers are sharing rooms. In my case, I’m teaching pull-out ESL and I have to share my room with the math and literacy coaches. Our room is so small that I would hardly consider it a classroom. It’s about a third of the size of a regular classroom. The thing that really gets me is that I am supposed to be teaching groups of 4-8 kids in half of this room whil on the other side there are two teachers using it as an office and meeting with other teachers.
Another sign of disorganization was some teachers getting no preps on the first two days. A fellow TFA teacher had a prep that was supposed to be covered by the Math coach who was to teach a math lesson but never showed up because she was in a meeting with the principals all morning.
On Friday I was asked with an hours notice to cover two periods of social studies for our union rep who had to attend a meeting. Why would the union schedule a meeting that would pull a teacher out of his classroom on the second day of school? Or was it my administration who scheduled him for a class during a period he was supposed to have free?
Like I said, this is my first year teaching so I don’t know–Is this business as usual?
10 sraskin
· Sep 12, 2005 at 11:56 am
How can thre be a good start to the new school year when there are so many excessed teachers waiting to be appointed?Due to the fact that the Board of Ed closed down many of the schools in the most needed areas, and needs the most support of good teachers. What is everyone waiting for the election to be over? Mr. Blumberg get rid of the Chancellor and start acting like you really care about our kids in New York City