Trapped

Yes, I'm trapped. Trapped as a Guidance Counselor in a NYC public school where the Principal has lost all common sense and while the school collapses, he only sees success. There seems to be alot of that going around these days, particularly at Tweed (how fitting the the Department of Education is housed in a building named after the most corrupt politician in NYC history, not to mention the building itself being a symbol of city government run amok). Mayor Bloomberg and his protege Mr. Klein have set out on an agenda that includes ridding the system of ANY senior staff member (senior being anyone over five years), thereby breaking the union and lowering costs. Yes folks, we work for GM. Not surprising since BloomKlein are following a corporate "let 'em eat cake" doctrine straight from the mouth of Jack Welch. The result? Many, many talented, dedicated, experienced and innocent teachers, guidance counselors, paraprofessionals being dumped into one of the city's comfortable holding cells (rubber rooms) and left there until they go crazy or are found guilty of some trumped-up charge. Still many others have suffered the fate of being ATR's, wandering the system like nomads unable to find a job while the DOE sets up Job Fairs at colleges and recruits fresh out of school personnel who will work hard, work for less and won't say much. As for the rest of us, well I would venture to guess that Klein will introduce in the next contract a layoff clause that will annihilate hundreds of teachers and other professionals. So far, the contract has protected many people, but for how long?

Take me for instance. I'm a "veteran" Guidance Counselor with 8 years in the system. My Principal has been trying to get me out of his school for years. Why? He doesn't like me, I stood up to him, I speak out against injustice. In other words, I'm a pain in the ass and he doesn't want me around. He also doesn't want to pay my salary either. So, I've endured endless harassment that includes, but is not limited to: padding my caseload with hard to work with students, overloading me with work and setting impossible to meet deadlines, writing me up for being one minute late, encouraging students and parents to write complaint letters in return for special treatment. He's also tried to label me as mentally unstable, even making up a story that I attacked a co-worker. The co-worker had no choice but to go along, after all with me out of the way it made her job that much safer. Even though seniority is becoming a thing of the past, it still determines who gets excessed. So divide and conquer. Tell the younger untenured staff that their jobs are in danger then tell them that its because of lazy, incompetent, "fat-cat" teachers and counselors that need to be expunged from the system and quicker than you can say U rating, hostile work environment that has now dominated my working life and has rendered me unable to find another position. Oh yeah, anybody out there get an interview from the "Open Market". I got one. I interviewed for five minutes with a lovely AP. The next day I found out the job had already been filled days before. They just wanted to cover themselves by interviewing this "veteran" counselor.

Its an Orwellian nightmare. The majority are staring up at that big screen, listening to Big Brother and pledging their allegiance, while a select few can see the reality. Those of us who see the lies, the overinflated grades, the "scrubbed" Regents Scores are left to the torture room. Although instead of reprogramming to accept the doctrine of "Big Brother" Mike and his sidekick Kleinboy, we are simply marked for professional death.

So this will be an account of my experiences, my frustrations and also a way to get the word out there that things are not okay in NYC Public School System. Big Brother is just telling us they are, and we had better believe him.