Schools Chancellor Joel Klein has been blitzed with more than 1,100 e-mails from teachers – and he’s getting some e-raves as well as e-rants about his school reforms.
Some teachers even rapped the views of their own union, the United Federation of Teachers, copies of letters obtained from Klein by The Post reveal.
“You guys have a tough job and a lot of us feel that it is really necessary to stand up to the teachers union in order to get the NYC public schools back to where they belong,” wrote one instructor.
“Hang tough!”
A Manhattan English teacher, who is a reading coach in two schools, sided with Klein over the union.
“I have been very disappointed to read the views and positions of the UFT on most of the issues surrounding balanced literacy [a recently implemented reading program] and other attempts at reform,” said the teacher.
“Something is wrong with a union that protects the rights of all its members unilaterally without having a way of distinguishing those that are meeting the expectation of the profession and those that are not.”
Another teacher wrote, “You implemented significant curricular modifications and employed well-designed programs because you realized that the difficulties in schools stemmed from more than just teacher incompetence. I applaud that because I agree.”
But this teacher also urged Klein to “enter into a fair contract with teachers!”
Teachers appreciated Klein’s open letter to them last month inviting them to share their views.
“I also thank you for writing . . . that we are not looking for a quick fix and a bump in scores, but we strive to instill a love for learning in each child so they all become independent, lifelong learners. Kudos to you!” one pen pal said.
A second-year teaching fellow informed Klein that his Bronx school’s energetic new principal had made “an incredible difference” there.
But the instructor said other teaching fellows are demoralized because they’re being micro-managed – a common complaint.
“My colleagues work under pressure and are constantly given mandates that don’t make sense. Instead of discussing the possibilities of classroom setup, bulletin boards and lesson plans, they are told what to do from people who sometimes don’t really seem to understand what they are looking for,” he said.
Klein welcomed the feedback and hopes to hear from more teachers, a spokeswoman said.
The Post ran a story last month saying that Klein was deluged with e-rants from teachers who complained about edicts involving everything from bulletin boards to classroom instruction, copies of which were provided by the UFT.
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E-praise
Teachers back Schools Chancellor Joel Klein’s reform efforts:
– The new administration, which came in full force this September, has made an incredible change in the school. I feel like I have witnessed “the solution.”
– Something is wrong with a union that protects the rights of all its members unilaterally . . .
– Hang tough.