Professional Development

This week we get to meet Hans, a math teacher who took matters into their own hands when they noticed that nobody was notifying exposed students of their exposure to a staff member who had tested positive for COVID. We discuss this and its implications for organizing in solidarity with students, families, and staff members at the intra- and inter-school level.

**What do you want to share with first-year teachers? (thanks to everyone who has already shared!) https://forms.gle/xeo6GB6cb1wsAwhx8

In the second installment of our series on the UFT, we get into the 70’s. The New York City Fiscal Crisis steals the spotlight in this one, paving the way for the five-day strike that brought us the 10- and 15-year longevity increments and more.

For further reading/viewing:

>>https://youtu.be/8eCWfyggVgE

>>https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1050048.pdf

>>https://www.uft.org/files/attachments/uft-50-years-book.pdf

>>https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/health-and-wellness/covid-information/daily-covid-case-map

**What do you want to share with first-year teachers? (thanks to everyone who has already shared!) https://forms.gle/xeo6GB6cb1wsAwhx8

Rebecca, an elementary school music teacher, joins us this week to discuss work-life balance. To hear the full Patreon-exclusive episode, join us at patreon.com/professionaldevelopment .

**What do you want to share with first-year teachers? (thanks to everyone who has already shared!) https://forms.gle/xeo6GB6cb1wsAwhx8

In episode 8 we begin a multi-part deep dive into the history of the United Federation of Teachers, or UFT. Meet some of the characters involved in uniting the workforce of the country’s largest school district and learn about some of the uglier moments in the union’s history.

For further listening and reading on the subject matter of this week’s show:

>>https://gothamist.com/news/temporary-restraining-order-issued-against-nyc-vaccine-or-test-requirement-city-employees

>>https://pix11.com/news/coronavirus/education-community-protests-vaccine-mandates-in-manhattan-demonstration/

>>https://news.yahoo.com/teachers-march-york-city-protest-163800886.html

>>https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/ocean-hill-brownsville/

>>https://www.uft.org/files/attachments/uft-50-years-book.pdf

>>https://jacobinmag.com/2018/09/ocean-hill-brownsville-strike-united-federation-teachers-new-york-community-control

>>https://kappanonline.org/russo-new-york-city-1968-wasnt-a-teachers-strike-it-was-an-insurrection/

>>https://pix11.com/news/local-news/covid-cases-close-nearly-60-nyc-classrooms-in-first-2-days-doe-data/

**What do you want to share with first-year teachers? https://forms.gle/xeo6GB6cb1wsAwhx8

In our second Patreon exclusive, we are joined by Luis, a New York City Teaching Fellows alumnus and teacher in Harlem, who shares his experiences and reflections about this alternative pathway to teacher certification and to teaching in general. Find the full episode at Patreon.com/professionaldevelopment

Happy Labor Day! In this special bonus episode, my friend Jeff (a former industrial labor relations worker turned public school teacher) joins us to discuss Teachers for Choice and the threat it may or may not pose to New York City public school teachers as unionized laborers. We explored this bizarre, anti-mask, anti-testing, anti-vaccine organization and the implications of what it advocates so that you won't have to come within six feet of it.

In episode 6 we continue our exploration of teacher preparation pathways with a little history lesson. We travel far enough back in time that we can see the origin of teacher certification and our current framework for teacher certification as part of the same landscape. In doing so, we should identify trends as they have unfolded over the nearly two centuries since teacher certification began in the US, and gain a little perspective regarding the bigger picture and context guiding these trends. For further reading on the history of teacher certification, here are some sources:

>>https://www.nysl.nysed.gov/edocs/education/sedhist.htmDepartment 1784 - 1996
>>https://chqgov.com/sites/default/files/document-files/2019-09/The%20Common%20School%20System%20in%20New%20York%20State%20%28PDF%29.pdf
>>https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452218533.n131
>>https://dianeravitch.net/2020/06/18/leonie-haimson-nyc-doe-finds-6-million-for-pearson/
>>https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487117742904

In our first Patreon-exclusive episode, two special guests join me to discuss Teach for America, one of the most popular alternative pathways to teaching in New York City public schools. Check out patreon.com/professionaldevelopment to hear this hour-long episode filled with insight from two former TFA corps members and every subsequent Patreon-exclusive episode for $3 per month.

In episode 4 we investigate the New York state teaching credential in all its various forms, from the Initial Certificate to the various forms of Transitional Certificates so as to get a better idea of the obstacles standing between aspiring teachers and their classrooms. This is the first of a series of episodes focused on teacher preparation, barriers to entry into the profession, and the alternatives that sweep some of these barriers out of the way in special cases.

In episode 3, we investigate teacher shortage. Is there a teacher shortage? What is it to be short-staffed at the school level, the district level, the state level, and nationally? Is the teacher shortage across all disciplines and licenses or is it in specific subject areas? What, or who, causes teacher shortage? Is it that there are too few qualified teachers in the work force, or is it that qualified teachers are leaving the classroom and heading into other jobs? Thirdly, what are the implications for teachers in the classroom in the midst of a teacher shortage? Does the job get more difficult? Are there additional incentives to stay in the midst of this difficulty? What sorts of programs are implemented at the district, state, and national levels to help us out or attract more of us? Finally, we solve the problems at the core of teacher shortage and propose policy solutions that would nip the shortage in the bud, if only the higher ups could afford our consulting fee of three dollars per month at patreon.com/professionaldevelopment.