Repost - A Big Bronx Cheer for Mayoral Control of the Schools!

Here's a reprint from almost three years ago. Mulgrew has finally admitted discipline is out of control at schools - in sharp contrast to statistics that prove otherwise.  Don't minimize the importance of that. DeBlasio is up for mayoral control of the schools again. It's time for everyone to scream to the UFT to fight for the end of it. If the UFT won't do it, go down and voice your opinion. Good luck.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

A Big Bronx Cheer for Mayoral Control of the Schools!

Bill: "Please no autographs."

    Ah, yes - another year of Mayor Bill as head of the schools! What can we look forward to? (There will first, of course, be a long speech from Bill and the presumptive victory cry from the UFT.) Every action will be countered with a counterintuitive reaction. Increased violence in the schools - pull out metal detectors. Out of control classes - blame the teacher and reward the student. Inattentive students- let them have cellphones. Drug use and sales - ignore it. Failing schools- hire inexperienced administration and staff. Teacher shortage - create more ATRs. The list goes on and on. (The one good thing about him, and it's a big one, is that he doesn't want more charters. This has gained him the animos of Eva and her biggest fan Andy.) He has good intentions, poisoned by naïveté - but you know what they say about good intentions.

Andy:"I'll be watching you, Billy." 

    It seems like everywhere I go in NYC there are totally inexperienced people in charge. From the classrooms, to schools, to our union, to cab companies, to hospitals, to every facet of daily life here - you have to question putting your trust in anyone's hands. When I was young and inexperienced no one would hire me. There was an implicit obligation of those in charge to be responsible stewards of their chosen professions. No way was an inexperienced teacher going to be put in front of a class. No way were you going to be a cab driver without knowing how to drive(!). No way was a doctor going to diagnose and prescribe medication without meeting you and giving you a thorough examination. And no way was the UFT going to sell out their own members. Greed, a lack of ethics and the business model has severely damaged our quality of life. What's really scary is that those growing up in this generation don't know what they're missing, and that fact is a 'HUGE' part of the undermining of our society.

(Bronx Cheer: a sound of derision or contempt made by blowing through closed lips with the tongue between them; a raspberry. - Google)