Stay Out of the Teacher Lounge, New Teachers
Last month I gave a short presentation about unionism and the UFT to a group of teachers, many of whom were incoming Teaching Fellows. At one point during the question and answer portion of the event, the topic of divisions (real, imagined and provoked) between veteran and new teachers came up. There was wry acknowledgement of the false stereotypes and caricatures that are used to divide us: veteran teachers are jaded, lazy burn-outs who don’t believe in kids and are responsible for their failure, while newer/younger teachers are arrogant, know-it-all drinkers of ed reform Kool Aid, and crypto strikebreakers (as if a teacher strike is on anyone’s radar for the next political eon).
In other words, it was the usual nonsense people say, and something that we could shake our heads over and laugh about.
But it was upsetting to hear them say that, in a speech to them and other incoming Fellows (and, according to the “At the Chalkface” blog, in other venues, as well) at a June welcoming event, the Chancellor told them to stay away from their senior colleagues and “Stay out of the teacher’s lounge.”
For years now, teachers, especially experienced and senior teachers, have been blamed for the “failed status quo” responsible for the frequent dysfunction of the NYC Educator: Stay Out of the Teacher Lounge, New Teachers: