SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: The Maiming of a Teacher's Career in Queens

Monday, April 28, 2014

The Maiming of a Teacher's Career in Queens

This is from the files of you can't make this sh** up.

The following anectodals are from a middle school  in Queens. The principal is from the Leadership Academy.

The Crack Team received these anectodals this afternoon and immediately were repulsed at what this teacher has endured over the years. The lack of support and day in and day out harassment is more than anyone can endure.

We decided to only change the names of both students and staff but decided not to redact any of the foul language used. We here at SBSB felt that if we redacted the language the impact would lessen. We want our readers to be as shocked an appalled as we are.

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October 30, 2013 - Mary Tyler Moore had been taunting and mocking me since the beginning of the period. She was upset and informing me that I was “on her last nerve” because I had changed her seat upon her return from an in-house suspension.  She refused to take her new seat.  I decided to continue teaching and call her mom later in the day.  She taunted me constantly with threats like, “I’m gonna kick your white ass”, and “Damn racist teacher startin’ shit”. She got up and went to the front of the room and ranted, “School can’t do nothin”. I can do whatever I want to this damn bitch and school can’t do SHIT!  I’ma KID and I’m goin’ to another school so I am DONE with this bitch and her white ass!” This diatribe lasted for about three minutes.  Upon finishing, Mary Tyler Moore pushed her body between me and the table in front of me, a space of about 12”.  She then intentionally used her elbow, torso, and shoulder to shove me out of the way, causing me to fall on my R hip. My neck and lower back also hurt from the impact.  One student left to get an adult, who called the nurse. EMS was called shortly after.


I was taken to Franklin General Hospital and was given muscle relaxants and pain killers. An MRI a few weeks later showed a 4th herniated disc in my lower back, the first three having been the result of the incident on May 1, 2012.
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September 26, 2013, period 7 – Morey Amsterdam enters class and screams, “Ok, Bitch, I got no weapon today, so we can GET IT ON!! He later climbed on the table, got on all fours, and pretended to hump his backpack.  Later, he began banging a beat, encouraged the rest of the class to join in (many did), and made up an obscene rap about me with lyrics like, “You know you want it so drop your pants”, and “I’m gonna give it to you hard!”
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October 1, 2013 – Dick Van Dyke pointed to me and said to Carl Reiner, “This is your Momma! She pee like this!” as he pretended to pee standing up at a table. Also said, “I’m gonna fuck up your class because I hate you, Bitch!” Screamed at me, “You can do whatever the fuck you want and nobody can do nothin’! I gots an IEP!” Also said, “Can’t take no fuckin’ shit from this bitch!” He went to my desk and took the pictures of my three children and said he would “fuck up her ugly little n****** with the glasses because his Momma want to be a bitch! She got three fuckin’ ugly ass n******, fuckin’ kill those n******! She wearin’ that little dress so she can get some dick! You a cockroach, Bitch! A FUCKING WHITE COCKROACH!!”

We here at SBSB are shocked that these CHILDREN are middle school students. My son is in middle school and want even use the F bomb in my presence, though when we check his text messages he is quite free with that word. 

Say what you will, but this kind of behavior only happens if the school administration allows it to happen. Principal Cineus knows about it and only she can put a stop to it. God forbid if some of the truly violent threats were carried out against this teacher. She could have been raped and/or killed. Then at what point would Principal Cineus' burying her head in the sand make her culpable? 
Herniated discs do not just go away. This can and will be a lifetime of pain for this teacher. Even with surgery, she will never be the same. And why? Because there is zero support for teachers.



8 comments:

Clyde Gaw said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Clyde Gaw said...

I am so sorry. The fact you have not received support from administration is so disheartening. Children this angry need psychotherapy and are not able to participate in a traditional school setting. This report is frightening. You have been traumatized and I am so sorry. This situation and others like it are a reflection of the systemic poverty and cruelty that exist in America. Our society has failed in taking care of our most vulnerable citizens... children.

Anonymous said...

It is not caused by poverty. It is caused by lack of discipline. I work in a renew school in Newark and the kids are cursing all day long. I have never heard anything like this!

Anonymous said...

I would be interested in seeing the letters or emails that the teacher sent to the principal and that were copied to the network leader and superintendent.

I would also be interested in seeing the letters or emails that the teacher sent to the parents or guardians of these students.

Phone calls to parents or guardians are pointless unless the teacher records them.

The teacher certainly did not have to put up with abuse and threats by students. Wasn't she aware of her rights?

Years ago, New York Teacher printed a letter from a teacher who said that he told the students on the first day of classes that the law requires them to behave in school, and that if they refuse to behave in his class, they will have to appear in court. If a few students didn't behave, he followed through and filed a legal action against the students and parents or guardians in Family Court. Word quickly spread and the students were, on the whole, angelic in that teacher's classes.

Education Law §3210(1)(a) states:

§ 3210. Amount and character of required attendance. 1. Regularity and conduct. a. A minor required by the provisions of part one of this article to attend upon instruction shall attend regularly as prescribed where he resides or is employed, for the entire time the appropriate public schools or classes are in session and shall be subordinate and orderly while so attending.

Education Law §3214(1) states:

§ 3214. Student placement, suspensions and transfers. 1. School delinquent. A minor under seventeen years of age, required by any of the provisions of part one of this article to attend upon instruction, who is an habitual truant from such instruction or is irregular in such attendance or insubordinate or disorderly or disruptive or violent during such attendance, is a school delinquent.

Anonymous said...

Laws have to be enforced in order for them to mean anything. I worked in the Bronx for three years and it was awful. The kids were abusive. I, like many teachers, have loads of stories. One thing the kids have learned is that no one will protect teachers. They grew up under Bloomberg and have caught on to the fact that they can behave however they want and no one will do anything about it. It's sad for us and really sad for these kids. As soon as I could, I and every teacher I work with, escaped the Bronx and came to work in Chinatown. Those kids cannot escape themselves and the poor behavior that's been condoned over the last 12 years.

Clyde Gaw said...

I think the work of John Ogbu is relevant here.

Pete Zucker said...

@anonymous 7AM All of the above incidents were reported.

Anonymous said...

If anyone has specific stories of administrative abuse, please go to DTOE.org. We are a teacher support organization. We are collecting stories of abusive admins to create a "black list" to inform future educators to avoid specific schools and educational "leaders." The link is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/17KeK90PuK8E380MMsl_kXS1Zgy6A-2HPTRM_qUwpsog/viewform