Bronx Science U’s teacher 2 days shy of retirement
June 26, 2009 pm30 11:23 pm
The letter speaks for itself:
I just wanted to bring you up to date on Reidy’s latest actions. As you know, I have been a dedicated teacher in the Math Department at Bronx High School of Science since September 1977. On June 24, 2009, a few days prior to retiring, I received a U rating on my annual professional performance review, the first U rating of my professional career. The reason cited for this U was “Absence and Punctuality”.
On May 7, 2009, I had received a letter from Assistant Principal Phoebe Cooper stating that I had been absent 10 days for self-treated (sic) and 4 days for religious observance and that I had only provided medical documentation for one of those days. The letter concluded by stating, “Continued absences could lead to an unsatisfactory rating for attendance.” After receiving this note, I provided the payroll secretary with medical documentation for the other days I was absent. Unfortunately my health continued to be poor and I was out 5 more days for illness, for which I provided doctors’ notes.
Each morning this year I arrived at school one hour before my classes started, to do school work, and I also worked during my lunch hour. Every night and weekend during the school year, I worked countless hours at home on behalf of my students. To be given the only U rating of my career a few days before my retirement, after teaching at Science for 32 years, was a personal insult, a stab in the back. At the same time it served to further shock and demoralize many of the equally hardworking faculty members at Bronx Science.
In the Teacher’s Handbook that was given to me along with this U rating is a statement that 10 or more absences MAY result in a U rating, meaning that the decision to do so is at the discretion of the administration. Principal Valerie Reidy evidently decided to make my retirement more memorable, to kick me out the door as I was leaving.
Sincerely,
Joan Alexander
JD2718 
This is the worse, most ridiculous nonsense I have ever heard: The audacity and the nerve to U-rate a 32 year teaching vet who is actually retiring! Absolutely crazy!
Well,Joan, please enjoy your retirement, and please, please try to forget about that place.
If you’re about to retire, why would you care about what rating you get? Just chill out and enjoy the rest of your life!
Seriously Jake? You’re seriously asking that? This woman worked hard at her job for 32 years. Of course she’s going to be upset, I mean, who wouldn’t?
It’s a perfectly legitimate question. Sure, giving somebody an undeserved U as they’re about to retire is a thoughtless, childish thing to do. Of course the person on the receiving end will be upset. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s really nothing more than an insult. Will Joan suffer any penalties as a result? Of course not. My best advice to Joan is to move past it, enjoy your pension, and take a cruise to Hawaii!
I’m no mathematician, but if you were called in after 10 absences plus 4 religious observances, and you were sick for an additional 5 days — this indicates that you missed 19 days in the semester. It sounds as if your health is on the mend and your retirement is done deal — Congratulations! I do however have a concern. As a parent, with a child in one of your classes I have some questions:
1. Was there a substitute teaching your classes?
2. Were the absences consecutive ?– it doesn’t sound as if they were–religious holidays are spread out
3. Did students receive real instruction or were they given as some call it “busy work” which does not usually provide anything of substance?
4. Some students must have fallen behind — what services did you offer them in order to catch up–after all. aren’t they responsible for passing a final exam/regents? How did you address this when you returned to class?
My final question: If my child were absent for 19 days, how might his final grade be affected?
I began this blog empathizing with you and thinking that a mean spirited principal rained on your parade, but the more I think about it the angrier I get because you don’t seem to give your students a second thought. It is all about your career; how about the education that I expect my child to receive when I send him to school even when he is sick because he will be penalized if he is excessively absent.
OMG, what’s the matter with you?
hello angry parent,
ms. alexander was one of the best teachers i ever had and you dont know what you’re talking about making all those claims. sorry, but i see you as a disgusting, diaper sniffing parent who loves complaining about every single aspect of your child’s career. i wish your child luck in the future. he or she probably hates having you as a parent.
love,
muhammad alam
At Bronx Science, when teachers are absent, the students in the absent teacher’s classes are usually placed in the auditorium. The school saves money by placing the classes there and hiring fewer substitutes. Not only does no instruction happen there, but it is dimly lit and not suitable for students to study (despite the fact that the administration refers to it as “study hall.”) In the math department, when absent teachers do leave work for their students, it is often not given out to them due to Jahoda’s incompetence.
@Anonymous: “but the more I think about it the angrier I get because you don’t seem to give your students a second thought. It is all about your career; how about the education that I expect my child to receive when I send him to school even when he is sick because he will be penalized if he is excessively absent.”
This parent, who is seemingly so concerned about the education of her child, doesn’t give a damn about the health of her child. A teacher with a contagious illness, as this teacher evidently had, not only cannot teach her classes, but could have infected every child in her classes. Which would you rather have, a teacher who is sick and cannot teach properly stay home and get better, or should she come in, still not teach and infect everyone? I only hope that, one day, you catch a severe infection from one of your colleagues, who came in to work sick because he/she was afraid of being penalized for being sick.
By giving this teacher a “U” rating, for anything, as she was retiring is a gratuitous slap in the face. Had the teacher not been retiring, it might have made some sense, but, as it was, it was just a kick in the butt on the way out the door. It says a lot more about Reidy than it does about this teacher.
Ms. Alexander is an amazing teacher. Her absences were spread out and did not affect the curriculum in a significant way. She explained problems in an easy to follow procedure that lead one to get the correct answer. Compared to other teachers teaching the same curriculum, other students and I were better off with Ms. Alexander. I was able to break things down for others as she was able to do for me. If a student failed at least one test, he or she was instructed to go to tutoring three times a week until said person brought their test grade up. She cares so much about her students that she never hesitated to explain a topic in her free time or in the classroom. She was one of the best teachers I ever had because I was able to catch up when I had absences and actually understood the material and the reasoning behind solutions instead of being told that its the correct way and do it that way. I understood how we got to the answer and it made math less of a nuisance but more of a homework and class that didn’t cause me and others frustration.
@Anonymous:
Bronx Science institutes a “Study Hall” program, as you are well aware of. In general, we learn absolutely nothing during those 45 minutes. Instead, we sit there in seats staring at the four walls around us. It saves the school money this way, you see (great idea!). It’s basically a forced detention — students may not listen to music, leave for an extended period or even do something more productive such as visit the library. However, it is not dimly lit. Principal Reidy requested improved lighting from the Department of Education this year; they granted it. I feel that was a great decision on her part.
I do not believe that the teacher should be punished because of a SCHOOL POLICY to not have a REAL teacher for that classroom period. A teacher should be entitled to remain at home when sick or ill, or for religious observance. It should not be a “school-by-school-basis” on whether or not a teacher can remain home due to illness. As a student, I would be equally upset if a sick teacher came to class and got us all sick. If I came to class sick 19 times in a year, do you think I would be allowed to remain in the classroom? Your logic is unbelievably flawed and makes no sense whatsoever.
Her religious holidays were not consecutive. However, when she was sick and had a variety of medical ailments, she did occasionally stay home for a period of more than one school day at a time. However, again, this is not an “Alexander” incident. One of my teachers this year literally took the ENTIRE week off; no work was left behind. She returned from her medically-excused days off pale and weak, and it was obvious to students. Those class periods were likely the most cooperative I have ever seen.
When we received work, it was “real” work that was later on the class exams and finals. She ensured we were prepared, and the “real” work was taught by a “real” teacher. It should not be the fault of a teacher if an AP fails to deliver the work to the paraprofessional(s) in the auditorium.
Mrs. Alexander is reputable amongst students for thoroughly preparing us for all exams and finals. No student is ever “shocked” by a question on her exam; many students score in the high-90s or ace the exam. She offered tutoring on a daily basis during her free/lunch periods, and ARISTA (school honors society) students are available on a daily basis to tutor in any subject. Mrs. Alexander’s absences would not affect a student’s performance in her class, because of the variety of measures she took to keep us prepared.
If a student were absent for 19 days, and had a valid excuse/doctor’s note, they would be handled on a case-by-case basis. I know one student this year was absent for over 30 school days due to catching Typhoid Fever overseas. He received his diploma on the 22nd of June.
By citing Mrs. Alexander’s having taken off for religious observance, Reidy seems to be saying that she is being penalizing Mrs. Alexander for taking those days off. I believe that is in violation of Federal and State laws dealing with the accommodation of religion. Reidy has essentially opened herself, Bronx Science, and the Department of Education to a major lawsuit on the grounds of religious discrimination. Also since, as I understand it, Mrs. Alexander is Jewish, does that make Reidy an anti-Semite?
@ Publicola: Ms. Reidy is certainly not an Anti-Semite, and no one was U’ed for religious observance. When you call someone an anti-semite, you should really have proof. That’s a very strong term, and your using it to refer to an instance where you merely think someone was both Jewish and wronged actually minimizes the term.
Publicola asked a question. Only you have raised it to the level of an accusation.
Joan was U’ed for absences related to religious observance and documented medical needs. It is fair to ask if the administrator responsible was motivated by animus against Jewish people or sick people. Or perhaps older people? Or religious believers?
However, while it is fair to ask the questions, I do not believe that they get us anywhere. Because Reidy and the administration at Bronx Science are driven by something, I don’t know, is it psychotic? The hatred of teachers, and this year of math teachers in particular, is without reasonable explanation.
But back to you, “anonymous” – don’t put words in others’ mouths. It was a question, not an accusation.
Oh, come now…As such a prolific writer, you should have a better grasp of rhetoric than to believe that Publicola was asking a question. Joan was U’ed SOLELY for absences unrelated to religious observance. Just in terms of SICK days, she reached the number where the administration MAY U a teacher. You folks can count, right?
I was wondering how long it would take for you to chime in! I guess Reidy took a month to give you your marching orders. Unless you are either Reidy or her toady, how can you possibly say that Joan was U’ed SOLELY for absences unrelated to religious observance? Since Joan was cited for both medical absences and religious observances, and her U was for absences, then one can only conclude that her U was for absences for both illness AND religious observance.
As for sick days, just because the administration MAY give a U to a teacher for exceeding the number of SICK days per year doesn’t mean the administration MUST or SHOULD give a U. The administration has discretion in doing so. By giving Joan that U, 2 days before she was about to retire, the administration was acting viciously and maliciously – punishing Joan for signing the Special Complaint, for refusing to give a student a second make-up, and for exercising her discretion in her own classroom. By giving Joan a U on her way out the door, the administration finally revealed its true nature – even to those, like Get the Facts Straight, who have willfully ignored what this administration has been doing. Giving Joan the U didn’t hurt Joan, it hurt Reidy. It is time now for the teachers and students at Bronx Science to give the U to Reidy and her henchmen.
Get the Facts Straight – All-knowing one – how do you know Joan was U’d solely for her non-religious observance absences? Joan’s letter said she could get a U for excessive absences and cited both her regular absences and religious absences. Her rating sheet, which only Joan and Reidy and probably Jahoda had seen, from what I have heard did not state the reason as being non-religious observance absences.. Reidy refused to discuss specific teacher’s U rating at a steering committee meeting, citing the teacher’s right to privacy. So therefore, how do you know? You are either Reidy or Jahoda or one of their lackeys. Get the Facts Straight, you have demonstrated through your posts that you are the type of person who is damaging the reputation of Bronx Science and the school environment. You are an example of who is running the school and why this school is on the Do Not Apply list.
I have been absent for religious observance in the past and of course provided work for students during those days. Where possible I provided work for students on those days that I was sick. I always have the best interest of the students in mind when making up a grade and would never penalize them for my absence. I was able to finish the curriculum because I am a experienced professional.I have always treated the students at BX Science as if they were my own children and therefore provide them with the best possible instruction. You should investigate the real reason why I was given a U rating. You should also investigate why five young ,dedicated,hardworking,compliant personable,exceptionally bright young teachers in the last two years were forced to leave or left on their own. They did not leave because they or any other member of the dept. were resistant to change or that they were looking for better jobs .
Joan,
thank you for replying here. And thank you for over thirty years of service to the students of New York. The petty, spiteful, nasty actions of a few poorly-mannered adults cannot begin to erase the tremendous good you have done.
As long as this blog is up, its pages will be open to you.
Enjoy your vacation; enjoy your retirement.
“Anonymous” makes some valid points but he/she is still missing the point.
Maybe I am lacking some information but once a teacher puts in paperwork to retire can the teacher rescind the decision? If not, then we can assume this teacher was definitely going to retire. Why would any principal give a U rating to a teacher that is definitely retiring?
Was the U rating given to make sure this teacher can’t be hired anywhere else? (Job applications always ask the question about U ratings.) If so, this is blatantly vindictive.
Was this teacher otherwise a threat to students? No one has said this.
What is going on at this school and in the NYC school system in general???????
In answer to your question – Bronx Science is being run by the most disrespectful, spiteful and incompetent administrators that anyone has seen. The teacher was given an end of year U rating by the administration simply because they could do it and by doing it, they knew they would hurt the teacher, and have her end her career on a sad, instead of joyful, note. This teacher was 1 of the 20 teachers in the math department who signed the Special Complaint, charging AP Math Rosemarie Jahoda and Principal Valerie Reidy with harassment. The DOE has ignored the treatment of the math teachers at Bronx Science and since the complaint was signed last May, 10 of the 20 have left: Smith, Greene, Dao, Philip, Abbott, Bellantoni, Klausner, Alexander, Mirsky and Rosen. Some were forced out, others simply couldn’t stand it any more; others were having their records tarnished by unsatisfactory observation reports and letters in file. All were great teachers and, more importantly, great people, and courageous enough to sign their name to say harassment must stop. This treatment is not limited to the math department and is not limited to the last year – Boera, a guidance counselor, received a U at the end of his career 2 years ago. Other excellent teachers, esp in the English department, were U’d out of the building, even though they had the experience and qualifications that would serve the student body well. And where did these teachers go? Stuyvesant, Scarsdale, Bergen, the Anderson School, etc, where they are flourishing, thought of as great teachers, and even treated like human beings.
“‘The DOE has ignored the treatment of the math teachers at Bronx Science..” Are you saying that the DOE is against math teachers at this school??? It sounds as if you folks are suffering from paranoia. Stop this nonsense already. You are educators yet you are sounding worse than my children. GROW UP!
@Anonymous: It is not paranoia when an administration misses no opportunity to denigrate, demean, and harass members of the Math Department. It is not paranoia when 20 of 22 teachers are so fed up as to sign a Special Complaint against that administration. It is not paranoia when the administration retaliates against these teachers. It is not paranoia when at least 10 of these 20 teachers are forced to leave in a 2 year period. It is not paranoia when the administration retaliates by giving a respected 32 year veteran a U rating on her way out the door. It is not paranoia when the DOE refuses to take action against the administration of this school,to the extent of burying the Special Complaint, not acting on it, and violating the contract.
It seems to me as if Anonymous is a shill for Reidy. The contempt in which she holds the professionals who teach her children is just astonishing.
correction: 10 math teachers left over a 1 year period, not 2
It seems clear that the insanity that has overtaken Bronx Science pretty much means it is for the best for Bloomberg and Klein to be driven from control of the schools. To have so addled the administrators of the best school in the country as the Bloomberg/Klein regime has done is to show that it is time for them and their apparatchiks at BS Reidy, Jagoda, et al to be swept out.
overall, a teacher should not be punished for the budget cuts and therefore lack of substitute teachers. my physics teacher was excessively absent the first half of the year and when he came back he always reminded us of the fact that throughout all the lunch periods teachers and honors students volunteer to tutor kids if they need help so if the 19 days became an issue and a student sought help it would be easily granted.
as a student, i know that even if we were given work in the auditorium, we wouldn’t do it because naturally as teenagers we avoid it at all costs especially in a school that gives so much so often. besides that, though, the auditorium is not “dimly light” that is a low blow; students have no problems reading or writing in there. there are even desks attached to the seats!
lastly, this is up to debate but bronx science goes above and beyond in its curriculum teaching more than necessary. if private schools teach the same subjects but their school years start later, end much earlier and include considerably longer vacations then 19 days of a highly esteemed teacher being absent should not but a dent in our agenda.
[b]@ Anonymous as well[/b]
You questioned whether or not Mrs. Alexander was caring for her students or just her career. You really need to re-read that letter again. She had been working there for how many years, working how many hours out of class to provide for her students and you go and question her dedication? How dare you pose a stupid selfish question like that? Do you realize what type of behavior most of my teachers have to deal with when it comes to our ‘Principal’? Her and Jahoda have made teachers cry in front of their own students because they won’t do something ‘their’ way when in fact, the students learn better with their teachers instead of the ‘right way’ to do something.
I didn’t have Mrs. Alexander, and I hope you have a wonderful retirement away from the Bronx ma’am, but I know there are three other wonderful math teachers who retired this June as well, two of which I’ve had. Rosen said that it was because it was time to go after being a teacher for so many years and it’s Mr. Rosen, who could deny him a happy retirement? The other teacher told me that certain people in the administration were making it ‘not that pleasant’ for them to teach anymore. I’ve seen the most calm and sweetest of teachers hold back yells because of Jahoda’s behavior towards them in their own class. Never question the dedication of our teachers because, if anything, they’re in this more for us than Reidy and Jahoda are. I have barely any complaints about the other APs but Jahoda takes the cake in being everything Reidy is: a person we don’t want in our school for any reason.
You might think you’re all high and mighty for seeming to care about your kid but you fail to realize that the students in Mrs. Alexander’s classes could tell she was sick and that she needed to rest. My friends have told me that she was practically gray and I saw her too. Providing substitutes is a school job, not the teacher’s, who is supposed to provide work. Even if there is work, we don’t get it in the math department, not from Jahoda, oh no. If you have a problem with how classes without teachers are dealt with, take it up with Reidy, because it’s her fault. She’s the one not putting the money in the right place so that we can have subs. She can pay teachers one period overtime to take over classes when they have preps. I know teachers have done that as favors for one another but that shouldn’t have to happen. Reidy should be providing subs and offering teachers extra for taking over classes like a normal caring principal.
And Anonymous, it’s definitely not paranoia when the STUDENTS can’t take the treatment their teachers are getting. I despise them with a passion not because of anything the administration has done to me but because of how my teachers can’t stand it there. Our teachers stay there for us, I guarantee it. If they could, they’d bounce out of there faster than you would out of a flaming house. You should think about what’s going on. Hey, your son was in one of her classes so why don’t you ask him what he thinks of the administration huh? If you don’t believe us, go ask him. Maybe he’s not as ‘paranoid’ as the rest of us, even though we know that the administration don’t try hard for our teachers.
[b]In response to Ade[/b], the point was that Reidy gave a retiring teacher an U rating. She’s retiring for good, off to have some long deserved vacation time and Reidy messed it all up by giving her final report as an U. There was no reason for her to do that, especially since she wasn’t going to work anywhere else. Considering how sick she was those days she was gone, it was good that she wasn’t there. In terms of her being a threat, I have no idea what you mean by that. Mrs. Alexander is one of the sweetest people anyone would have the pleasure of knowing so you need to make that comment a bit clearer. And what’s going on in this school is complete and utter … incompetence. It’s not everyone, it’s just Reidy and her lackeys. But they’re going to make my senior year in September the worse it could ever be.
A class action suit, handled by a high-powered law firm, simply must be filed!
http://www.uft.org/news/issues/resolutions/u-rating
There are simply no ifs, ands, and buts about it!!!
To Anonymous stating “I’m no mathematician, but if you were called in after 10 absences plus 4 religious observances, and you were sick for an additional 5 days — this indicates that you missed 19 days in the semester.”
Since you’re not a mathematician, let me give you a simple math problem. Joan has been in the system 32 years that’s equivalent to 5,760 school days she has dedicated to her students. Now if the teacher is out 10 days per school year and I’m assuming she has been absent less than those days, but I’m just averaging, then she would have been out 320 days, which represents ONLY 5.6% of absences in her entire career. Therefore, Joan gave 94.4% of her heart and soul to the children of NYC and for all her effort she received a U-rating! Now let’s say a parent is extremely sick and cannot devote 94.4% to his/her child because of medical reason, should ACS be involved because there was not enough time given to the child? Can this be construced as child neglience? Please be aware that teachers do not want to be out but an illness or disease is out of a person’s control and, guess what, teachers are human. So look at the simple math I provided so that you can see the time and effort Joan gave to her children at Bronx HS of Science. Numbers always speak in volume!
Joan Alexander have a wonderful life in your retirement and I know that many, many students at BxHS of Science are grateful for your dedication.
*Note to blog author – I’m pretty sure I posted on this blog before, but I have no idea what name I put, so sorry!
To all who believe that the faculty at BxScience is overreacting:
ARE YOU SERIOUS?? When students become aware of all of the problems between the faculty and the administration, there is something seriously wrong. I’m surprised that no one thought to survey the students about this.
I personally despise Reidy and her minions (that’s what I consider Jahoda and Reidy’s followers) because they are making MY high school life difficult. For the majority of the school year I spend over 12 hours at school. When I have invested so much time in my education and extracurricular, how do you think I feel when my school is going down the drain? The school’s reputation is not only at stake, but MY education is at stake. When I say education, I mean my entire high school career, including my interactions with peers, teachers, and the administration.
A note on the extracurriculars:
The new policies instated last year (08-09) were ridiculous. Clubs were not considered a club unless they had a minimum (and correct me if I’m wrong) of 15 people. Additionally clubs were limited to the basement and the first floor for club rooms.
Another big concern of mine is Robotics (Cecibell, you know who I am XD ). I have been in robotics since my freshman year and am devastated that there probably won’t be robotics at BxScience anymore. Unlike most school, BxScience has two robotics teams–a Co-ed team and an All-Girls’ team. We raise all of the money of ourselves (both teams have an annual budget of about $30,000 each. We receive minimum support from the school–they only provide the classrooms for use. When we stay late, we must get a permit from the school. We even pay the school for security guards when we need to use the school during weekends and vacation. Earlier this year, Ms. P was one of the teachers who left due to trouble from the administration. She was also the adviser of the girls’ team. While Ms. P was the adviser, we were told that we could not use any machinery with just Ms. P was not a shop teacher (this has never been a problem before).
All of us tried for weeks to get a new adviser for the girls’ team before Ms. P left. We even tried to make schedule for the teachers: we tried to get five advisers so that the teachers only had to sacrifice one day a week for us. When we had 4/5 teachers, we were told by an administrator that he did not “feel comfortable” with this arrangement. When asked if he had any recommendations or solution to our problem, the administrator did not answer us. Later, a promising teacher said that he could most likely be our adviser when he suddenly said that he could not do it. After further questioning, he admitted that the administration had told him that he absolutely could not be the adviser for robotics.
Then, in June, we found out that Mr. R (the adviser for the co-ed team, and subsequently also the adviser for the girls’ team) was getting attacked by the administration. He was not fired because he had tenure, so he was going to get transferred. It has to be noted, that a man of Mr. R’s credentials does not need to be working for the meager NYC-DOE pay nor does he need to work at all. The only reason he stayed at BxScience throughout all these years–despite the failing administration and steadily diminishing Technology department–was for the robotics team(s). After we asked the AP of Tech for help, we were told that he had no recommendation at the moment.
I’ve talked to Reidy more than the average student has, and I have never met a more clueless, nay PURPOSEFULLY IGNORANT person in my life. I don’t understand how someone who refers to BxScience as “home” is unaware of all that is going on in the hallways.
Bronx Science needs an intervention, please, someone, help!
Also, I though BxScience was a school of math, science, and technology. It has long been noted for its unique curriculum. Why hasn’t any notice been sent out about the diminish of technology electives?
Also, something that I forgot to include above:
At the annual freshmen orientation, each student given a booklet that highlighted all the good things about BxScience. Almost all of the robotics sponsors were listed under “Sponsors”[for the school] even though none of these sponsors have donated money directly to the school. Additionally, although the robotics teams raise all of the money, the administration handles the finances, so we have to go through the administration to buy what we need.
Jipped Senior,
You should know by now its the Bronx HS of BIOLOGY. Forget about the other subjects.