Morning Joe: What is the Rubber Room

[tonysam]

Video link to interview with the makers of the new documentary on NYC's Rubber Rooms. Lots of ignorance by those who interview the filmmakers. Schools aren't businesses, and they should NEVER fire teachers for any fucking reason:

link


Most of the allegations are garbage anyway.

[Catshrink]

1. I can imagine what Scab thought it meant

but I really don't want to hurt my beautiful mind.

[tonysam]

3. "Scab" is right

The filmmakers barely got a word in. All I heard was bullshit about if this was a business, these people would be fired, blah, blah, blah. Teaching is totally different from private businesses, and never mind most of the allegations against teachers are bullshit.

Teachers are put on administrative leave, paid or unpaid, for one reason only and that's to force them to resign (or retire), thus saving money on lawyers and unemployment compensation.

But of course these filmmakers, being young it appears, didn't state the obvious. Meanwhile, crappy principals are allowed to keep their jobs.

[dkf]

2. Never fire teachers? Not even for sex with students?

[tonysam]

4. That isn't what I wrote, damn it. They are gotten rid of very quickly.

Few teachers languishing in these rubber rooms are there for real reasons but simply because the district wants to get rid of expensive hires. Principals should NOT be allowed to fire teachers for any reason or no reason. Firing is serious fucking business--it destroys a teacher's career. How would YOU like it if you could NEVER work in your field again because some asshole decides to throw you out on bogus reasons? You lose your retirement benefits or have them reduced, lose your health insurance, lose your house, lose EVERYTHING because of an unscrupulous piece of shit of a human being? I am NOT referring to criminal conduct.

These teachers are there in these rooms or put on administrative leave because a principal can do whatever the fuck he or she wants because the hearings are typically rigged.

I've been there in these terminations while this shitbag principal is still working at the district where I worked despite her violating the union contract and the Nevada Administrative Code.

[Catshrink]

5. I think tonysam meant

for just any reason, i.e. arbitrarily. If I had a dime for every parent who threatened me for not "giving" an A to their slacker C student, well, I'd be in much better shape financially.

Sex with students is never appropriate and I seriously doubt any teacher would dispute that. But kids do make things up. We are told never to be alone with a student when tutoring, etc. just because of the risk of a false allegation. We usually prop our doors open.