As philanthropists and civic leaders hail Mayor Bloomberg’s role in “reforming” the New York City public schools, here is the story of a teacher who describes the past dozen years from a different perspective. When the mayor closed schools, experienced teachers lost their jobs and joined the ATR [absent teacher reserve] pool, a large number of floating substitutes without permanent assignments. Their relatively high salaries made them undesirable as permanent hires.
The teacher writes:
“I have seen my 20 year career as a High School Art teacher (yes I consider myself extremely lucky to still have a teaching job and not be an ATR) go from teaching a wide range of classes in a High School with a thriving Art Major program that allowed my students to take the NYC Comprehensive Visual Arts Exam and use it to help obtain an Advanced Regents Diploma (my school was intentionally and methodically destroyed by Mayor Bloomberg’s selective policies of allowing only special education and ELL students to attend so that he could phase it out, pour millions of dollars into a complete interior and exterior make-over, and fill it with small High Schools that are all failing) to teaching only Required Art at another school. My students are smart enough to know that our futures as teachers and the future of our school depend on their progress and often tell me and my colleagues that “we cant fail them because we will lose our jobs”.
“To further my humiliation, my current school has been identified as failing because again only special education and ESL students are admitted and held to the same standards as general ed students, and my evaluation will be based on how students who I do not even teach score on the NYC ELA Regents, a subject I don’t even teach. This past week was probably my worst as a teacher in my entire career, consisting of incredible amounts of stress and disrespect from students, who I refer to Dean’s and Guidance for intervention, to no avail. They are returned to my class the following day after cursing me out and leave my hands tied as to how to teach the students in my class who want to learn and succeed.
“The reform movement has taken a job I loved and enjoyed and turned it into a complete horror, to the point where I wake up in the morning and dread going to work. My thanks to Mayor Bloomberg, and State Ed Commissioner John King for abusing (yes, abusing) both my students and myself. Thanks also to the author of the Common Core and Ms. Charlette Danielson, who are both rolling in money meant to improve students lives. Their work has done untold damage to students and teachers across the city, state and country. Ms. Danielson’s “Framework”, which consists of a rehash of all the things good teachers have been doing from the beginning, and which was intended to help teachers hone their craft, is being used as a weapon against teachers as part of the evaluation process (I have heard rumors that she is suing the DOE. I hope they are true).
“I am confident that at some point soon my school’s budget will no longer be able to support me and I will be excessed and replaced with a teacher fresh out of college with none of the experience that I bring to the classroom on a daily basis, but with half the salary (or less).
“I will end my career as an ATR, my life made intentionally so difficult that they assume I will retire. I have news for them. I WILL NOT be bullied and have been paying into the 25/55 plan so I can get away as soon as possible from a job and career that I loved and that never failed to be fulfilling on a daily basis. Teachers are strong and we will survive (except for the one that replaces me, who will quickly become disillusioned and leave the profession completely for a job where she will earn more money and be respected for the work she does).”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I’m so sorry for the heartbreak you must feel over what’s happening. What an incredibly dark time we are going through.
This is an older news article from Tennessee (2012) but very timely. Excellent points about teachers leaving the profession,
http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2012/01/10/when-teachers-leave-our-schools-what-next/#more-103241
This scenario is playing itself out in many school systems across the country. It is not limited to Art Teachers and is even more prevalent in districts that have a high poverty level populations. It is disgusting. One day this country will pay a high price for these so called “reforms.” It is extremely sad that education has been allowed to get to this deplorable condition. It is unconscionable that the “leaders” in this country are supporting this decimation of education. I wonder if THEY will ever be held accountable.
The purpose of destroying art programs is to get the money and empower Bloomberg and other reformers to gain access to millions and divert the money to the corporations for Common Core, inBloom, high-stakes testing and charters.
Stay strong and tell your story to a wide audience. Your story will support what parents are posting as common core for-profit homework on this website. Hold Bloomberg, Duncan and King accountable. I’m curious if their children or grandchildren are subjected to Common Core worksheet homework or have NO access to the arts as a result of the reformers’ policies.
Parents and teachers must name the publishers and find out what NY paid for the mind-numbing workbooks and worksheets. Use NY open records law and file for information related to contacts, purchase orders, e-mails, etc.
http://twitchy.com/2013/11/22/you-have-to-see-these-unintelligible-common-core-assignments-posted-by-angry-parents/#disqus_thread
Further proof that reform has nothing to do with children, just another example of the corporate take over of America. Look at our sport stadiums, schools, and stores no longer revering the basic American holiday of Thanksgiving. Nothing matters other than corporations, their profits and their cronies.
A phrase that this teacher has used purposefully is becoming increasingly evident in comments from teachers and parents:
“My thanks to Mayor Bloomberg, and State Ed Commissioner John King for abusing (yes, abusing) both my students and myself.”
I fail to understand how it is that those responsible for having created the situations described have not been taken to task for the consequences of their directives, initiatives and misguided efforts!
Dear NYC Art Teacher,
My story is almost an EXACT duplicate of yours–except for a couple of logistical details. You can call me “GA Business Teacher: How Reform Destroyed My School, My Students, and My Career”. Thank you for writing your post. Until this website a few months ago, I thought I was alone. Now I know that this is a nationwide attack on America’s brightest, most dedicated, most crucial citizens needed for the continuation of our democracy. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take the stress any longer. I left the insanity. I miss my students terribly. Good luck and good wishes to you.
Anonymous Teacher: I thank you and the others who have commented on this posting.
“I thought I was alone.”
You have hit on one of the most important features of this blog: to let huge numbers of people know that they are not alone, to share with others the simple but powerful truths that come right out of the classroom.
And it answers the following question: why did Michelle Rhee run as fast as her legs could carry her away from debating the owner of this blog on February 6 at Lehigh University?
Answer: the lies and sleight-of-hand of the edufrauds who furiously pursue $tudent $ucce$$ at any cost to us can’t withstand the light of day provided by blogs like this and genuinely open public debates and discussion.
Finally, thank you for all that you (and so many others) do and have done for the young people of this country.
😎
This is such an excellent post. I find it very helpful, as a NJ parent who has followed many posts about what Bloomberg has been up to in near-disbelief yet fuzzy focus. This teacher’s post walks you through one case that illustrates all the foibles and how they play out in the lives of individual families and teachers.
“This past week was probably my worst as a teacher in my entire career, consisting of incredible amounts of stress and disrespect from students, who I refer to Dean’s and Guidance for intervention, to no avail. They are returned to my class the following day after cursing me out and leave my hands tied as to how to teach the students in my class who want to learn and succeed.”
I remember when kids loved music and art. It was a break to be creative. They did our kids a disservice by standardizing these subject that kids in low SES schools thrive. The day will come when they standardize recess. The trap walls get narrower leaving our students with no room to grow their potential and limiting teacher creativity and talent. The closing walls are creating behavior problems
Our math coach was so excited about the math curriculum she found on engageNY. In the back of my mind, I was asking her, “You must like direct instruction.” (Gag me.) “Good luck!”
I know e4xactly what you are saying and it is so true..
This is happening in almost every school..
So sad…
And I see…they hired a math coach instead of a teacher..
From what I have found…most of them have never taught the low-performing students..
In Ohio, 50% of an art teacher’s evaluation is based on a convoluted proxy for a statewide test known as a district approved “student learning objective” or “student growth objective” (SLO/SGO). This is a writing exercise that must meet about 26 criteria. The most consequential for teachers is setting “targets” for learning using “baseline data” including pre-tests such that all students move to a posttest score of 70% proficiency, regardless of the pre-test score. Teachers of art enter the scores of their students on a spreadsheet where an undisclosed formula determines whether the teacher (and students) have met these expectations, failed to meet them, or exceeded them.
This fraud is being perpetuated in many states. A recent review of research shows there is NO evidence to support the reliability and validity of this process. See: Gill, B., Bruch, J., & Booker, K. (2013). Using alter-native student growth measures for evaluating teacher performance: What the literature says. (REL 2013–002). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs.
Notice that this study comes from a federally-funded regional lab. Meanwhile, other labs and consultants that participate in the Race to the Top “Reform Support Network” continue to market the SLO/SGO process through misleading on-line “growth of an oak tree” analogies and PR strategies that call for districts to enlist teacher “swat teams” who can “sell” skeptical teachers that this process is fair and evidence-based. See the oak tree analogy at: Value-Added Research Center. (2012). Teacher effectiveness initiative, value-added training oak tree analogy. Madison: University of Wisconsin.Retrieved from varc.wceruw.org/…/Oak%20Tree%20Analogy%20with%20notes%20- %20Bush.pptxReform Support Network. For the strategies to “sell” teachers the reform agenda see: Engaging educators: Toward a new grammar and frame-work for educator engagement. Author. Retrieved from www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/implementation…/engaging-educators.pdf
In Florida, teachers of art are evaluated by their school’s reading scores. This practice can be justified by asserting that all teachers are responsible for reading performance under the Common Core State Standards. This practice is a fast and cheap way to plug in some numbers for federal accountability. Unfortunately, this practice may also be justified under policies/philosophies that say the arts should be “integrated” into the rest of the curriculum in order to enhance learning in subjects other than art. Extended discussion paper “Accountability Gone Wild: The Econometric Turn in Education” with references available from chapmanlh@aol.com.
This blog post got me thinking, and I blogged my thoughts in an open letter to Mrs. Ravitch on my own blog.
Another bizarre situation in our schools stems from these so called “students first” networks which flood our schools with these so called “non profit” workers. The other day we were sitting in the teachers lounge – we, being a guidance counselor and social worker ATRs who were excessed from our respective schools. The school we were in had “advisors” from non profits working as guidance counselors and social workers! That is right Diane, we as the DOE state certified, guidance counselor and state certified social worker sat in the teachers lounge as the non profit “advisors”worked with students!! You can’t make this up Diane. This only exists in a mike bloomberg delusional world!
Back in the 1960s or maybe even the 70s in Russia there were only 4 television stations. On every station there was a picture of dictator Brezhnev….If you changed the station to another there was Brezhnev again. If you flipped to the last channel you saw something else, someone else was actually on the tv screen. However, that person was saying “you better switch back the channel to Brezhnez”.
For the past couple of days mike bloomberg has been like brezhnez…he is everywhere touting his “accomplishments” during his 12 year reign of terror on NYC schools. This is one sick ego maniac individual who throws weight into the notion of someone accumulating too much money and with a sicko mind has the ability to destroy the lives of so many hard working people of NYC. and somehow this should not happen in the US. Probably 50 – 100 years from now people will be saying that maniac was a ruler just because he had more paper than others??
Thank you for writing about your frustrations. I have been teaching for over 14 years in NYC public school and I understand what you are going through. I feel that we are left to deal with this chaos by ourselves. I am not happy at what is happening to our students and schools. It’s a shame and very disappointing.
I can only say you are very brave. I do not think I will be lasting long in the department of education. I am sadden to say that this chaos is causing me a lot of stress and my chances of staying are very slim.
Thank you again for sharing.