Saugus Iron Works (pix)
At the time (mid 17th century) Saugus was the largest industrial complex in North America, processing ore and turning the wrought iron into thin bars (looked like a square cross section of about a half inch) for sale for making nails and other thin objects.
Even though it shut after just 20 years, the slag heap guaranteed it would not be lost. Local buffs got it restored in the 40s and 50s, then designated a National Park in the 70s. The restoration is beautiful, but needs constant upkeep since they redid it 1650s style – not with modern technology.
Here’s one of the mills, the place where iron left the blast furnace, and a massive drive shaft:
Click any image for more photos of Saugus. I didn’t take enough to follow the iron from bog to rods, but there are enough to get a bit of a feel for the place. The scale is large, but small enough so you can follow the processes. Well worth a visit.
Breakheart botanical (pix)
So Andrée at Meeyauw shares wonderful nature and Vermont town photos, and Julie at Mildly Melancholy shares wonderful bits of New York and interesting angles and travel photos.
So why not me? Because I’m a lousy photographer. All the same, I took 50 – 100 last weekend at several locations in northeast Massachusetts. Here are some from Breakheart Reservation in Saugus. Click, and they’ll lead you to more.
more below the fold — > Read more…
Carnival of Mathematics #37
CoM37 is posted … at The Logic Nest. Come on, Logic Nest? You have to go look, right?
For those of you, ahem, less mathically inclined, try the post on being bad at math or for a more positive slant, math history on the internet. (if you go there, don’t miss the intense debate on multiplication. At least sample it – even I didn’t read all 100 comments)
Or go to the pancake flipping problem for great pix of godzilla in the kitchen. And finally, if you like the overall feel of the puzzles I post here, try Rod Carvalho’s game…
And there’s more…
Do Not Apply – Manhattan High Schools (update)
Add two small schools; discuss asterisks
[7/30, confirm Urban Assembly Media – jd]
— — —
An initial Do Not Apply list for Manhattan High Schools was published a few days ago.
Here is the amended list:
- *HS of Art and Design
- *Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis HS
- *Life Sciences HS
- Urban Assembly School for Media Studies (in the MLK building)
- *MLK HS of the Arts and Technology
The sources for this list are (highly) reliable, but I do not have supporting details at this time. Until I have those details and anecdotes, I will leave an asterisk next to a school, to show that its inclusion is unconfirmed. I believe my sources, I believe that these schools belong, but I still want confirmation.
There are good schools, bad schools, mediocre schools. But in New York City we have a handful of schools that are so poorly run, so out of control, with administrations that are so incompetent, mean, arbitrary, or vindictive, that getting a job in these schools often means ending your career before it starts.
The reasons vary. In some cases discipline is not enforced. In others teachers are arbitrarily disciplined, in some cases by screaming administrators, in front of classes. Administrative incompetence may lead to frequent, disruptive schedule changes. Special Ed kids (12:1:1) may get dumped into CTT classes, or regular ed kids may get classified to keep them from taking state exams.
Contractual rights (duty-free lunch, no 4 in-a-row, right to decline per session, pre-ob for untenured teachers) may be routinely violated, or those who exercise them may be retaliated against.
In the end, when we see 40%, 50% of the faculty from September doesn’t return the following September, we know.
Some reaction to “Do Not Apply”
Here’s the links to the current high school Do Not Apply lists for the Bronx and for Manhattan. And there’s been discussion in the comments sections on this blog.
But yesterday afternoon and evening I spoke with a few Fellows. I shared survival tips, set a pro-union, pro-UFT tone, pitched COPE, and, crucially, shared the DNA lists. The feedback was interesting.
First, the Bronx DNA schools have been directing lots of recruiting effort at Fellows. The Fellows recognized the name of almost every Bronx DNA school.
One school has made smoother pitches than the others, and I found myself counseling two fellows who had signed commitment letters. I advised them to keep their eyes open and their heads down. Their goal should be to survive. (In a sense, that’s the goal of all first-year teachers, but not like this…)
Several fellows had interviewed at Eximius, but none had accepted a position. One of them waiting to interview, spoke to a non-pedagogue (not a UFT person, not a teacher!) in the building, who warned her not to accept a position, and repeated several of the anecdotes that have appeared in this blog, in the comments, and elsewhere.
One fellow was concerned about committing to a small school in the same building as a DNA school – we explained carefully that this was not a problem, and that, in fact, her school was ok.
However, it made me think. Before I took my current position I interviewed, and sent resumes, and applied, and put out feelers… and I was contacted by an intermediary offering me an interview (and probably a job) at what would become one of the best small schools in the Bronx. But I had serious concerns about overall issues of safety in the building in which it was housed, and I declined (2 or 3 times, there was some real insistence on their part). Well, my concerns were wrong, and the school has turned out quite well, but I’ve ended up ok, too, so it’s all worked out. But the fellow’s concerns reminded me…
— — —
Discussing the Do Not Apply list earned lots of thank yous from Fellows. But what is the best way to share this information? Certainly, when I meet Fellows, I tell them. If you meet Fellows, you should, too.
I’m an individual. What can the union do? The UFT could publicize this list, but since we don’t control it as a union, that’s probably a bad idea. The UFT could make their own list, a black list of sorts. I tend to think we should, but do not know the arguments against.
And then, easy and non-controversial, the UFT should publish turnover rates for each school in the system. It wouldn’t draw as sharp a line as a Do Not Apply list, but it’s not so hard to create, and the data at the extremes will be clear: 50% turnover in one year means something stinks. In a larger school, 30% might be a red flag. But let’s get those numbers out there.
— — —
There are career ending schools in New York City, and I have started to put together a list of them. These places are so abusive of teachers, or so likely to arbitrarily discontinue teachers, that many people quit before the year is out, some are discontinued (it means fired, but in a way that prevents you from working at another school), and many others transfer for the next year. A school in the 50% turnover range is pretty much an automatic for a Do Not Apply list.
Milestone missed
I missed a milestone for this blog – jd2718 passed a quarter of a million hits last week. And 400,000 page views is coming up Monday or Tuesday.
The important stuff is public education in NYC, math, math pedagogy and union, but it is salary that draws. Except the math regents stuff this June, and the Do Not Apply/ teaching fellows stuff currently. Anyhow, the numbers are up, rising faster than last year, and the views per visit has also risen, slightly, but noticeably.
Suggestions, comments, requests for digging other stuff up, all welcome. But whether you comment, lurk, read salary schedules, look for links… Thanks for coming, and thanks for putting up with all the other stuff.
Jonathan/jd2718
Here in the Park
Well, Hair in the park, Central Park, except I have trouble with vowels before “r” – I can hear (here!) the difference when someone else says them and I really concentrate, but I can’t reliably produce the distinction, and don’t recognize the difference in meaning associated with the different sounds. That is, the polar or grizzly things, and the aspirin, and the malty-hoppy beverage, and the adjective that means naked (bear, Bayer, beer, bare) all are functionally homonyms for me.
But Hair in the Park! (Speaking of bare!)
The Public Theater has a new production of Hair for this summer’s Shakespeare in the Park. Previews (were they previews?) started July 22. That was this Tuesday. And I was there.
A teacher invited me, to come along with him and his girlfriend (also a teacher). I wrote about them (Walk and Talk) last year. There was also a cousin, and two fo his girlfriend’s former students. Nice group.
Now, the whole world’s seen Hair? Not me. Never saw the play. The movie once. And all the big songs were familiar. So this is a first impression.
So I got to see it with a strong cast. Jonathan Groff was in Spring Awakenings, which I saw last year. It felt sort of natural that it was being performed outdoors in Central Park. Makes sense, right?
The art director came out before the “curtain,” said some thank yous, and then explained to the audience that those things that get burned are ‘draft cards’ – did you realize how long its been since we had a draft? He also made a couple of other sharp comments, clearly about Iraq, including about not seeing coffins…
Then they opened. The sun was still up. And I recognized The Age of Aquarius. And it was a great play. I must say, I was surprised by how few of the songs sounded “60s” to me – a lot I would just classify as show music. And the story gets alternately fuzzy and clear. But the symbols, the icons, the phrases, the scenes… All there, all made it great to watch.
I hadn’t known that the audience comes up at the end. Our group chickened out, and I was the biggest chicken (but we were sitting up high, as if that’s an excuse!)
They wouldn’t let me take photos, but someone did last year…. (very similar performance).
You know, it’s in New York, it’s in Central Park, it’s the summer, you should go…
Do Not Apply – Manhattan high schools
[This list has been updated. Click updated list to see it. -jd]
This is a preliminary list. The source is (highly) reliable, but I do not have supporting details at this time. Also, I would expect the list to grow, though perhaps not to Bronx proportions.
There are good schools, bad schools, mediocre schools. But in New York City we have a handful of schools that are so poorly run, so out of control, with administrations that are so incompetent, mean, arbitrary, or vindictive, that getting a job in these schools often means ending your career before it starts.
* Need anecdotes, details to confirm. Will update as details arrive
I’ll be adding to this list, but you can help. If you know a school that is a career-ender, e-mail me at “this blog name” at gmail dot com. Explain how the school ends careers, and if possible, share some anecdotes. If you save even one new teacher from ending up at a hell hole, it will have been well worth it.
What to do in New Orleans?
Here’s what I will be doing in New Orleans:
You will be joined by AFT staff as well as Affiliate staff [I think that means the union in New Orleans – jd] and other volunteers. A training session is scheduled.
Volunteer duties will vary but may include manning literature tables and engaging in conversation at new teacher orientations, home visits of membership prospects, phone banking, school visitations for meetings, sitting in teacher lounges and introducing yourself as representing the union, and working with building stewards.
It’s easy to forget that most organizing work is a slog, not a triumphant march. As unglamorous as this all sounds, I am looking forward. And I hope to come back feeling I have helped, in a small way, the condition of some teachers there. Plus I’ll get to work alongside of others who are committed to doing the same work. And that’s got to feel good, too.
Choosing the right language
The NY Sun reported this weekend that Michael Mulgrew is now the #2 in NY’s United Federation of Teachers. I don’t know if that is nominally an AdCom decision or an Exec Board decision or the President’s decision. In any case, it is both a reasonable decision, and not my decision.
But the title he has? Did the Sun get this right? Chief Operating Officer?
That’s a corporate title. It’s not a union title. That should be corrected.
Insightful reflection on Eximius
Including Eximius College Preparatory High School on the Do Not Apply list set off a mini-war in the comments section. I closed off comments (you may continue here) after an ex-teacher left these particularly thoughtful words:
I am a former Eximius teacher also. I loved the students at Eximius and I did my best, day in and day out, to help them reach their potential. I truly believe they deserve much better, not just from Eximius, but from the whole system which has failed them miserably. They deserve good teachers, but the only way they’ll get them is if there’s a healthy working environment that attracts and sustains good teaching. All members of the school community deserve to be heard and respected! Teachers are people too, and it is only fair for potential employees to know what they’re getting into before it’s too late to change their mind. Throwing people in who have no clue what they’re in for is a recipe for disaster for the kids and is certain to breed resentment for all.
It’s really too bad that this blog is literally the only place some staff members and parents feel free to tell their truths
The tone is set at the top. It’s almost like Ms. Smith keeps waiting for the teachers to do it, but the only one who can really set a positive tone is Ms. Smith herself, and for whatever reason, she has not been able to do so.
But I’m fairly certain that the way Ms. Smith treats her staff is a direct reflection on the way the DOE treats her.
But to be fair, I don’t think Ms. Smith wants her school to fail or has ulterior motives. In fact, I think she cares a lot. I just don’t think she knows how to turn it around. She is drowning and has been for a while. She clearly has little support herself. The AP and the former AP’s are/were between a rock and hard place. (And contrary to other posters, I think Ms. Breitling does what she feels is right for her students, however unpopular).
I definitely learned a lot … unfortunately … mostly survival skills in the harsh world of DOE politics, and little about the actual craft of teaching.
(more beneath the fold – > ) Read more…
Bronx HS Do Not Apply – updated
Confirm that Fordham Leadership Academy for Business and Technology belongs on the list (drop the asterisk).
Add Pablo Neruda and the Gautier Institute (with asterisks, for now).
Discussion of the updates is at the bottom of this post.
— — —
Publication of the Do Not Apply list for Bronx high schools generated some discussion and e-mail traffic. Here is the original post, with comments.
Here is the amended list:
- Bronx Aerospace HS (+) (in the Evander building) (follow up)
- Eximius College Prep HS (near Crotona Park) (follow up)
- Bronx Theater HS (in the JFK building)
- DIscovery HS (in the Walton building)
- Fordham HS of the Arts (in the Theodore Roosevelt building)
- HS for Performance and Stagecraft (no longer in the Truman building)
- Fordham Leadership Academy for Business and Technology (in the Theodore Roosevelt building)
- [Pablo Neruda Academy for Architecture and World Studies (in the Stevenson building)]*
- [Felisa Rincon de Gautier Institute for Law and Public Policy]*
FLABT had an asterisk last time, because it had been a career ender, but my info was two years old. A former teacher contacted someone with more recent info. Here are some observations:
Everyone that can get out is looking. This includes non- pedagogues. Three of the teachers that Bost hired left, one in the middle of the year [mistreated]. It is really bad because the administration intimidates teachers by observing them in teams of two’s and three’s. … Sadly, everyone in the building knows about Bost because he has shown his true colors several times. … so much chaos at the school that the student’s programs are not done. … Programming changes were still being done in late May.
There are further details, some much worse than what I have reproduced. But the case is clear enough. Fordham Leadership? Don’t apply.
I got separate notes suggesting I add Gautier and Pablo Neruda. The note about Gautier came from a source I trust, but I will leave the asterisk there until I have details. Pablo Neruda came with some notes:
10 of the 30 teachers left, the new principal is horrible and grossly inexperienced. And he discontinued teachers for no pedagogical or apparent reason.
That’s right on the line, and probably belongs on the list. I will be speaking with someone who has more direct knowledge in the next week or so, and will likely confirm Neruda’s inclusion.
To those of you with requests for Brooklyn and Manhattan, I am trying, but finding good sources is hard. We really need to get the turnover rates published. That raw data tells such a huge portion of the story – and it is enough for determining that you don’t want to work at a school.
And for those of you with first-hand knowledge, e-mail me, let me know what schools belong on the list, as it spreads to other boroughs. If you help one new teacher avoid falling into a career-ending hellhole, it will have been worth it.
Comments problem
This blog allows anonymous comments. It will continue to do so. But in response to the listing of Eximius College Prep as a Do Not Apply school, several commenters have been posting under multiple names. The intent in one case was to deceive or confuse, in others it was just cute or convenient. In any event, anonymity is fine, but confusing readers is not. One voice, one name.
In response to the confusing situation at the Eximius post (for jd2718, 30 comments on a post is a lot), I have flagged the comments as XA1, or XA2 XA3 (Eximius Anonymous 1, etc) so that readers will not be confused by the multiple names. (The third commenter picked one name and stuck to it).
Please note that one of the three, XA1, may have led readers into believing he/she was a parent at the school. The commenter should clear this up.
Little cube question
There was a cube dissection problem the other day, all about conditional probability, inspired by this post on Math Notations. The puzzle here was hard. The one at Math Notations was classic.
Here’s something a bit easier. It challenges you to represent some quantities algebraically (if it’s very very easy for you, you might want to discuss without posting a spoiler, at least right away)
A cube has 8 vertices (corners), 12 edges, and 6 faces (flat sides).
If we cut it down the middle three times, each time parallel to a pair of faces, we get a 2x2x2 cube, and each little cube (cubelet is what I like to call them, and now there are 8 of them) is a corner.
If we cut each edge into thirds, parallel to a pair of faces, we get a 3x3x3 cube, 27 cubelets in all, with 8 corners, 12 edges, 6 cubelets that are on faces but not edges, and one center cubelet that we can’t see from outside. This is like a rubik’s cube (except for the center)
Now, the question: if we go wild slicing, and we get a cube that is b x b x b,
- how many cubelets will there be?
- how many corners?
- how many edges?
- how many face cubelets?
- how many center cubelets?
A break in Boston
It doesn’t count as a real vacation, but I’ve spent the last few days outside Boston. Brief descriptions today, pictures to follow (when I force myself?)
Coolidge Reservation on Cape Ann north of Boston has a magnificent lawn over the ocean. It was about 10 minutes walk through thin woods and marsh, and then it just opened up. Worth a separate trip? No. But if you are anywhere nearby…
The Saugus Iron Works were briefly the largest industrial establishment in North America. Water wheels, dams, tree trunks for drive shafts. Chunks of iron for pegs for pumping bellows… This is iron production at a scale that both counts as industrial, but also small enough to get a feel for what actually happened (“the wheels turn in the same direction, but this cog reverses…”) It’s a national park now. Should not have waited so long to visit.
The Peabody-Essex Museum… hmm… I didn’t quite get a handle on this. It’s in Salem. It displays goods associated with sea trade, including artifacts from India, East Asia, Oceania… There’s American crafts. There’s a merchant’s house from south China, taken apart, shipped, reassembled in Salem… I think there was a sea captains’ association that worked like a country club, and that they started storing some of their acquired oddities, antiquities, and curiosities. But I still can’t figure how it became a museum. Anyhow, they did major expansions in the last ten years, much associated with the acquisition of the Chinese house (in use, in China, until the 1990’s). Good signage, books for picking up and looking through, comfortable seating areas in each room, lots of special exhibits, good stuff for kids. I would go back.
Breakheart Reservation. Reminded me of Rockefeller Park. Nice smooth road for walking, buried in woods, little lake for swimming, I don’t know how easy the side trails are, but I would guess in the same nature walk territory. Entirely easy, entirely peaceful, entirely pleasant.
Almost 20 games of scrabble. Way too much, but, what can I do? It’s social. Tried to open a bicycle lock (4 number combination) – ran through all 10,000 settings, and either I went too fast, or the lock is damaged (looked possible). Meeting a former student in a little bit in Harvard Square, and then back home…
Dump NCLB
It seems that my union (UFT and AFT) have added their voices. I have two reactions – 1. What took them so long? – and 2. I’m really happy they finally got here.
I read it first at Schools Matter, but I thought he might have taken a comment out of context. Then I found outgoing AFT President Ed McElroy’s farewell address, including these remarks:
We also need to recognize when change isn’t working. When the NCLB was introduced, the AFT was cautious but kept an open mind. NCLB is, after all, the latest version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which has nine titles and countless provisions on which our members and their students depend. Although we were able to prevent several poison pills from being included in the law – NCLB was flawed from the start. Fully funding NCLB won’t fix it. Tinkering around the edges isn’t the answer. We will work with the next president and the new Congress to create a new law – a law that respects the knowledge of classroom professionals and helps teachers and paraprofessionals provide our students with the high-quality education they deserve. (full text)
(continued beneath the fold — > ) Read more…
jd2718 summer 08 NOLA
I almost waited too long to make summer plans. Had to schedule my school, and planned on working with new teachers, brief family visits, but anything else?
There were only a very few real options: Alaska, teacher-union organizing, Math teacher conference outside Syracuse, Atlantic Canada, earning a few credits here in NY, doing a bit more in southern New England.
I thought more about the AFT’s summer organizing. And I applied.
And today, I was selected. Two weeks organizing teachers in New Orleans. Damn, I’m excited!
And the rest? Alaska will still be there, and my ex-colleague will still be there (for a while, at least), and I will visit, one day. Atlantic Canada I will get to sooner. Looking at those photos, reading the descriptions, plus Sarai gave me some extra encouragement – I will go next time I have a 5 – 10 day window – likely next summer, but could crop up sooner. Courses? Yeah, I have to take them. Eventually. Southern New England? Please. That was desperation. Lovely places, I’m sure, but not my vacation spots. And I’ll speak at the next big NYS math conference (old-fashioned constructions) and I’m invited to speak at the biggest regional one next spring.
But next month is NOLA and organizing, and I’m excited.
Conditional Cubelet Conundrum
Over at Math Notations, Dave recently posed a variation on a cube dissection problem. Here’s another:
A cube is painted on the outside and then cut into 27 equal cubes by dividing each edge in three with six planes which are parallel to the faces of the original cube.
The cubelets are placed in a bag. One is removed at random and tossed. The face on top is unpainted.
If that same cubelet is tossed again, what is the probability that an unpainted face will appear on top again?
A few new links
- Curmudgeonly math guy. Fairly traditional. Extreme? We’ll see.
- The Elementary Educator. I’ll try him out for a while.
- Mike Klonsky. OK, he’s not new. But Smalltalk has a new home (bye bye yahoo360, and good riddance)
- It’s Not All Flowers and Sausages. Another cool teacher. Mimi.
- Blig Blug and Friends. Very cool math/union/geek comic.
While I’m dropping links, a few old favorites:
- Mildly Melancholy
- Jose Vilson
- Math Notations
- Halfway There (Zenoferox)
Read this poem out loud
Go read the background. Read the poem. Visit the author’s site. (It’s Jose Vilson. Math teacher. New Yorker. And other things – let him tell it) He says it’s a tribute to Allen Ginsberg, and that it was a whole lot of work. But read it.
It’s Howl… it starts like this…
I
I saw the best minds of my generations destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked
wanting to end virtual rants with bangs, but settle for poofs
crippled by concern for their children’s well being, shot through with fear, play outside doubtful
who know there are only two sides, and whoever is not on one side is on the other
who are feeling the echo of the clock in the rhythm of their veins
who believe that the only way to fight is to force people to think
who want to know your morning routine
who are tired of watching the best and the brightest leave the teaching field
and the whole thing’s below the fold… Read more…
Neutral?
I am not neutral. This blog is not neutral. I posted five versions of Which Side Are You On? last month because I like the union song, but also because being on the front line (this is a coal war song) there are no neutrals. The closing line of this post is not a mistake.
I am pro-union. Pro-teacher. Pro-public education. I am against the war. I am against unfairness, inequality. And so is this blog.
Why bring this up? Well, it is worth knowing that if you are on the wrong side, I won’t give you an easy go of it in the comments here (ex 1 – 2). Also, if you lie or cheat or intentionally mislead. And if you advocate action for the other side. You can get banned for that. But that’s not why I write today.
This is a content guideline, not a civility guideline. jd2718 is not “an agora of informed commentary on public education and labor issues” (from the Edwize disclaimer).
There are blogs besides Edwize that maintain open policies on comments, that do allow a wide range of views, and that do not privilege the views of those on our side. I won’t condemn the idea of “neutral discussion” but it bothers me, especially from those (such as my union) that should have a side.
And policies evolve. My dispute two years ago with NYCEd was essentially about union politics, but was specifically related to his control of the comments section of his blog. Since then, however, he has explicitly taken control of content and civility on several occasions (I relinked after he first did so), including quite emphatically, just today.
But here’s why I am writing – I fell behind in my reading, finally caught up to this guest post on Eduwonkette from last week (sometimes I skip the guest posts or put them aside.) Reading the comments I wanted to cry. That discussion should not have been allowed. You’ll never read that vile stuff here. Never. This blog is not an open-market for vile, racist ideas. I am not neutral.
Help pick a nice photo
J from Mildly Melancholy (a first rate NYC teacher blog) takes pictures. Posts them. Over time she’s gotten really good. And now she wants to enter a contest, and is having trouble deciding which photo to submit.
Help her choose. She’s got it down to eleven. Go, take a look, leave a comment about which you like best.
And, if you have a moment, while you are there, take a look around.
Carnival of Mathematics returns
#36 over at Rigorous Trivialities, after a break. (The previous #35 was at Catsynth.com, back a month ago…)
This edition is short (15 links to 14 blogs), punchy, leans to the advanced, but has some school math, and starts with me. Check out the Math and Logic Play puzzle, and the provocative Out in Left Field post about how math is taught.
The Carnival of Mathematics homepage has a list of all the previous carnivals. I think they need volunteers for future weeks.
Back to blogging after several lost days
I had a house guest. When I was younger, I had lots of house guests. When I was younger, I often was a house guest. But not so much either more, not me for them, or them for me. So I got an IM from an old friend, “can my friend stay with you?” and I agreed without checking details, and then immediately regretted it
I cleaned enough to avoid total embarrassment, and made the airport run Wednesday night. Here’s a few highlights (and other lights):
In Chinatown (where I rarely venture these days), wandering a bit and selecting a restaurant that met this New Yorker’s criteria for “as authentic as I’m going to find” (all the customers appeared Chinese). Seafood place on Division. The steamed ginger scallion whole fish (tilapia) was fine, the seafood/bean curd soup was a bit bland, I don’t know what possessed my guest to order sweet and sour chicken. Oh well.
The walk across the Brooklyn Bridge was a good move. The views, as always, impress. But did you know how popular it’s become? It was sort of an unusual good first date thing years and years ago when I came to New York, but Thursday it was lousy with tourists.
Was there anything worth eating near Columbia? Not that I could find. (and we were not going upscale – there are a couple of reasonable choices, but higher end). X
The northwest corner of Central Park is the most peaceful and most beautiful. See the arch? See the turtle? I should have snapped a picture of those willows.
Times Square totally failed to wow. And I, myself, hate going there. So why did we?
So, here’s the worst. It’s totally clear that I am on vacation, but that I have lost most of it to scheduling. In order to do the host/guide thing, I beg out of dinner plans one evening, and I take a second day off work. All of this is clear. So if I sleep in (we’re talking until maybe 8:30), why be impatient? You can go out on your own and explore a bit, or take something to eat, read? But if I wake up and find you sitting on the couch, staring ahead, and reminding me of the time…
Yesterday I did the drop-off run to JFK. Got back, pumped the A/C, napped, snacked and drank cider and wine all day and evening… I don’t remember needing to recover from guests when I was younger.
Do Not Apply – Bronx High Schools
[This list has been updated. Click updated list to see it. -jd]
The rest of the list of Bronx high schools, without further comment at this time:
There are good schools, bad schools, mediocre schools. But in New York City we have a handful of schools that are so poorly run, so out of control, with administrations that are so incompetent, mean, arbitrary, or vindictive, that getting a job in these schools often means ending your career before it starts.
- Bronx Aerospace HS (+) (in the Evander building)
- Eximius College Prep HS (near Crotona Park)
- Bronx Theater HS (in the JFK building)
- Discovery HS (in the Walton building)
- Fordham HS of the Arts (in the Theodore Roosevelt building)
- HS for Performance and Stagecraft (in the Truman building)
- [Fordham Leadership Academy for Business and Technology]* (in the Theodore Roosevelt building)
* Need to confirm that problems at FLABT from a year ago have not been resolved (but doubt it). Will dig, and update.
Please, take care of yourself, and do not accept a job in one of these schools. There are plenty of other tough schools to work in, but these are far too likely to end your career before it starts.
I’ll be adding to this list, but you can help. If you know a school that is a career-ender, e-mail me at “this blog name” at gmail dot com. Explain how the school ends careers, and if possible, share some anecdotes. If you save even one new teacher from ending up at a hell hole, it will have been well worth it.
JD2718 