NYC Educator: Andrew Cuomo Is a Cynical Liar

NYC Educator: Andrew Cuomo Is a Cynical Liar

Andrew Cuomo Is a Cynical Liar

It doesn't take a genius to know that remote learning is a pale echo of the real thing. I've been trying to reach my kids for six weeks online. I'm getting better at it, but I'd be delusional if I were to tell you that it's a substitute for face to face in the same room. Andrew Cuomo says otherwise, and his snake oil salesmanship is right up there with Donald Trump's.

Cuomo is the man who, a few years back, mustered the audacity to label himself a student lobbyist. This, of course, was when he was pushing the evaluation system that's become the bane of teacher existence. He specifically emphasized it would be used to fire teachers, both buying and selling the stereotype of teachers sitting around doing nothing while students failed the almighty state tests.

Cuomo's evaluation system is a tremendous nuisance for both teachers and supervisors. While NYC finally has fewer observations than before, the checklists we receive, not to mention the intrusive interruptions of our practice, are not helpful to working teachers. I'd guess 25-40% of city supervisors are out of their frigging minds, failed teachers who couldn't wait to escape the classrooms. (How frequently have supervisors who couldn't teach told us whatever they heard at their last DOE meeting? You must do it like this, like that, and there's no other possible way to do it.)

Nonetheless, we're stuck with it. Of course Cuomo didn't love it, having called it "baloney" when not enough teachers were fired for his discerning taste.With Cuomo, it's all about appearances or money. In fact, the first time he ran for governor, he made a CONTINUE READING: NYC Educator: Andrew Cuomo Is a Cynical Liar