Article Title: Where Teachers Sit, Awaiting Their Fates
Source: The New York Times
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/education/10education.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=education
Published: October 10, 2007
Writer: Samuel G. Freedman
Submitted by: Zenobia Fypher
In this article, the fate of teachers who have been removed from their designated job sites for various reasons and placed at reassignment centers within the city, often called "rubber rooms", is discussed. Within the article, it is identified that the New York City Department of Education operates about 12 reassignment centers, all popluated at any one time with approximately 760 teachers who face criminal charges from assault, incompetency, and negligence to abuse. Some of these teachers are charged but not yet convicted while others have unresolved cases pending.
In the effort to ensure fairness in education, some teachers definitely should not be teaching students. However, the conditions described in the article under which these removed teachers must exist for 7 hours per day, and for 181 days per year are totally heart-wrenching. It appears that they have been sentenced even before their voices were heard, and in some cases, some of the teachers in those reassignment centers just might be innocent of the acts alleged against them. I was surprised to read that a teacher was assigned to this center for not accounting for $245 in school money, an amount which I am sure if given the opportunity, the teacher could have repaid. After reading the article, I considered the number of qualified people who spend their days knitting, listening to iPods, working with crossword puzzles and sketch pads while being paid their full salaries, and my heart felt pity on them for while some may be honestly guilty of the crime levied against them, I thought of the innocent ones who, through a dishonest accusation, must be subjected to that kind of mental torture.
There are times when the challenges of our job seem too much to bear, but, I prefer to have my 30 students with their various learning styles, spontaneous behavior, and sponge-like minds than to have to deal with 30 adults who have to daily endure the conditions described in the article.
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3 comments:
That sounds crazy. I have heard of teachers being pulled from the classroom because of certain circumstances, but I did not realize some are put through this without being able to state their side. The cases I heard of, the teachers were pulled and put in central office until the matter was resolved. I'm sure many of teh teachers in this article are guilty and may deserve this treatment, but like you said many may not be.
I have read this article and I am horrified by the treatment of those teachers. This shows that teachers are not respected in this city and that the system is pushing your limits. I think the system wants you to quit if you ever experience such a situation.
As a charged teacher you are already considered guilty by having to report to a prison-like room with no windows. What a communist, totalitarian method here in NYC. I thought this kind of spirit is gone in the civilized world but it looks like I am wrong.
Unfortunately I have known several teachers to go to the rubber room. The article only touched the tip of the iceberg to the conditions and behavior that goes on in these rooms.
Its a sad state of affairs when you mix up pedophiles, felons, and some wrongly accused educators all into one room. It makes for a very interesting documentary which I believe is in the making. The union needs to step up to the plate and help expediate the cases that sometimes go on for 2 years. Needless to say this arena demoralizes people and gives some trigger happy principals a place to
throw the " undesirables in their school". Basically the ones who don't teach and bring down the test scores.
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