NYC Educator: Oversized Classes, Free Donuts and Prostitutes

NYC Educator: Oversized Classes, Free Donuts and Prostitutes

Oversized Classes, Free Donuts and Prostitutes

Every year I report oversized classes to the union. We do this in September and February. There's a process, and it's been slightly revised for schools like ours that are chronically in violation. As a matter of course, we report class sizes days 1, 6, and 10. Under the new agreement, if they aren't resolved by day 10 it goes to the superintendent days 14 and 19. I suppose this gives principals some incentive to actually do what's necessary to fix things. At least I hope so.

Last February, for the first time in my memory, we came into compliance and had no oversized classes. However, there's still the possibility of not doing so. In that case, we're asked what we want in lieu of reasonable class sizes. In the past, we've gotten things like relief from C6 assignments one day a week. Other schools got relief from C6 one day for each class that was oversized, or relief from C6 the entire week. The logic of arbitrators eludes me, and consistency doesn't appear to be a concern.

Summer 2018 during contract negotiations, I told the DOE that I'd taught classes of 50 and over. The DOE reps didn't care. I told them that the "action plans" they devised were ridiculous, and that if I had an oversized class, I needed support right there in the classroom. The only thing one free period could be good for was possibly going to therapy to deal with the stress the oversized classes caused me.

Last week, when my district rep. asked me what I wanted if we couldn't solve the issue of oversized classes, I told him I wanted $50 per extra student per day per oversized class, and also free donuts and prostitutes in the teacher lounges. He said he'd rather not ask for free prostitutes. Now I understand that we are union, and that we support working people. I never suggested anything about the DOE not paying them. This notwithstanding, he seemed to have other objections as well.

I brought my proposal to my department. At first they asked whether there would be both male and female prostitutes, and I said yes, of course. Though I'd answered that CONTINUE READING: NYC Educator: Oversized Classes, Free Donuts and Prostitutes