You’re certainly free to pointedly ignore the pro-contract aspect (the entire second paragraph) of the original post.

It’s unfortunate you feel the need to silence dissenting voices.

So I’m finally starting to peek my head above water and educate myself about union issues, partly out of necessity because of what’s going on at my school, and partly because I’m making it a priority.

However, I feel totally clueless most of the time and am starting to get the feeling that I don’t know who I can trust. I’ve already gotten in a bit of trouble for “making waves” and questioning our teacher programs, certification issues, PD overload, and lack of supplies, etc. I was told that I “lack perspective” and “don’t know how good we have it” compared to other schools, and that the issues I’ve been questioning are “not union issues” and should be brought up by individual teachers one-on-one with the principal. My feeling is that this is all BS, but then again, I have very little contact with experienced teachers, so I don’t really know.

My principal is almost dripping with resentment that we have established a union presence and, however fledgling our chapter is at this point, that we intend to fight for our rights as teachers… She tells me not to compare my workload with other teachers’, but in the next sentence, she mentions resentfully that she’s not asking more from us than what other new schools are asking of their teachers, so she’s not sure why she’s having so much “trouble” with her teachers.

The thing is, I like my principal. I want to believe she’s doing what she thinks is best for our students, and that we could actually achieve all of her idealistic goals. I don’t want to have to pull out the contract, and I am not looking to “make trouble”. But the teachers in my school cannot handle the workload. We have neither the experience nor the resources to do so. I got my MA from a respected private graduate school, did my student teaching, and want to make a difference. I want to teach! I love teaching! But I didn’t know I had to sell my soul to do it, and I WILL fight back when I feel that my concerns are being silenced.

I know now that I need to actively seek out trusted veteran teachers and ask their advice. The problem is that as a new teacher in a new school, it’s very hard to know who I can go to, and who will give me accurate information, etc. I finally (this week) got on a UFT email list, which got me to this blog. I had to seek out UFT forms and information, which took time that I didn’t have. I finally got my hands on UFT enrollment and welfare fund forms. I spent hours pouring over the contract one weekend. I had to ask around to find out who our district rep is, and arrange a meeting with him. So it was about 1.5 months into school before I realized some of the things that were happening in our school were not legal. I can’t imagine what it’s like in other schools where the brand new staff doesn’t even have someone like me who will take so much time to figure it out and won’t be intimidated enough not to speak out. It’s very easy to just believe and trust your principal when they present themselves as being on your side (until, of course, you ask too many questions).

Any advice from veteran teachers?

If I were a new teacher, I would never ever stay in a system that treats us so badly. We are treated as if we are children, not trained professionals.

You’re certainly free to pointedly ignore the pro-contract aspect (the entire second paragraph) of the original post. It’s unfortunate you feel the need to silence dissenting voices.

I sincerely regret you are unable to construct an affirmative response beyond wishing those with whom you disagree would shut up.

Hey guys, I got an idea! Why don’t we try to come up with some constructive suggetions to “about how the union can build a support network for newer teachers”?

It is time for groups like TJC and ICE to unite and field one viable candidate to challenge Weingarten in the next UFT presidential election. There was a reason why the proposed contract runs out after the next election: Weingarten knows that she would lose, as we would not want a new contract with more givebacks. But unlike the general population, our memories are long.