..."It's a Free Ride when you've already paid..."
Just heard the news... and and this song is playing in my head...by Alanis Morisette. Isn't it ironic, don't you think?
"City to Eliminate Rubber Rooms By Fall"
...Wow, they are going to close the rubber rooms?! The rooms that I have spent the last two years doing nothing in- for doing 'nothing wrong?' Lucky me. I am jumping for joy. NOT. I have paid royally in the Rubber Room for my Principal's error. I can never rewind the clock, never get those two years back, never erase the stigma of having done time in the Rubber Room. I(We) reassigned teachers have been used, disrespected and abused. Pawns between the DOE, the UFT and the war against tenure. All the news can talk about is the money that is being wasted. Lucky us. I will have to think about this and get back to you.
An old man turned ninety-eight
He won the lottery and died the next day
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
And isn't it ironic... don't you think
It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought... it figures
Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly
He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids goodbye
He waited his whole damn life to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought
"Well isn't this nice..."
And isn't it ironic... don't you think
It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought... it figures
Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything's okay and everything's going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out when
You think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up
In your face
A traffic jam when you're already late
A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break
It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife
It's meeting the man of my dreams
And then meeting his beautiful wife
And isn't it ironic...don't you think
A little too ironic...and, yeah, I really do think...
It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought... it figures
Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out
Helping you out...
Education Notes Online: Watch for the Snarks and Boojums on Rubber Room Agreement">
Check out Ed Notes for more on this...
....To Be Continued Later.
In a perfect world UFT would negotiate a deal whereby all former inmates of the rubber room would receive paid leave equal to time served, first choice on placement, protections from retaliation and a whole host of other goodies in exchange for rescuing DOE from their self-created public relations nightmare. This would apply only to the victims of invented and exaggerated misconduct or incompetence cases.
ReplyDeleteAs it stands now the abuse of teachers can continue in hidden venues. UFT lost an opportunity to reinforce statutory tenure protections...and lost the opportunity to further confront DOE on its mass abuse of teachers. Again, the DOE has escaped responsibility for teacher abuse.