"30 Schools In 30 Weeks"

My adventures as a Gypsy going from school To school in a futile search for a real teaching position.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

A Talented School And A Troubled Staff - School #26












I was assigned to a school named after a famous singer and the students were only accepted by audition.  The students are highly diverse and very talented in Art, Music, and Theater.  The student body is respectful and engaged and I had a pleasant experience interacting with them.  However, I never met a more unfriendly teaching staff in my travels.  The teaching staff seem to resent the ATRs and failed to even say hello.  A school aide told me there is a high teacher turnover rate at the school as the administration is always looking to punish teachers.  She also told me that many of the teachers look at teaching as a temporary job until they get into the showbiz.

Parking is impossible and it costs $8 a day to park in the garage.  I actually took mass transit there and it took me an hour and a half to get to the school.  The school building is modern and the classrooms spacious.  However, despite the very cooperative and respectful student body many of the teachers lack classroom management skills as students walk in and out of their rooms at will.  One of the staff told me that the Chapter Leader is in the pocket of the administration and teachers refuse to confide in the person, of course this Chapter Leader never introduced herself to me or the other ATR during the week we were there.

This school has a great student body, an unfriendly teaching staff, and a "gotcha administration".  The commute is too far and there's no parking.  I wouldn't take a job there.


GRADE "D"

5 comments:

  1. I know the school you are talking about. Some of the admins there are straight up evil (and dirty). I know at least one party was thrown when someone left to go to that school (and the person was NOT invited).

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  2. T ATR...

    You really need to research the Queens HS for Teaching....

    They have two way mirrors in the rooms and don't tell ATRs.

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  3. start spreading the news Im leaving today..thats what I would be singin if I had to work there. I had an interview there in early September the Administration was cold and uninviting. You hit the nail on the head great kids beautiful building in spite of the terrible leadership...I would not want to work there either

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  4. Frank Sinatra HS.

    I was there. It is everything that you say and worse, Never take a job there

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  5. Hah! Hah! Unity CL's endorsement of the contract to these members will backfire.

    It will be as good as the Post endorsing the contract.

    ReplyDelete