Michael Bloomberg (Photo: Getty)
On John Gambling’s radio show this morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg took some time to comment on teacher evaluations that Governor Andrew Cuomo called for in his State of the State speech earlier this week. Without specifying how exactly these evaluations would take place, Governor Cuomo called for an independent commission to determine the nuts and bolts of the ultimate policy. Mayor Bloomberg focused his thoughts today on the problems with having granting an independent arbiter additional authority in the process.
“The unions say, ‘Oh we want an independent person.’” he said, dismissing a union-proposed idea of letting an independent arbiter hear appeals from teachers receiving poor marks from their principals. “The principals’ job is to decide who’s good, who’s bad. It’s their judgement, that’s their job.” The Mayor further argued that occasionally subjective actions is simply the way that things work with bosses. “None of us in the private sector work that way, and none of us in the public sector should work that way.”
Mayor Bloomberg further added that having good and bad management decisions is “just part of the real world.”
Unhappy with this answer, a caller later in the show asked Mayor Bloomberg what he’s “afraid of” when it comes to independently monitoring principals’ decisions, pointing out that many principals now in the system have less teaching experience than in years past. In response, Mayor Bloomberg contended that management skills are distinct from teaching on the ground. “Nobody suggests that the coach of the New York Giants can throw the football the way that Manning can,” he said. “You’re right that they have less experience, but it’s not clear that they don’t have better skills.”
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It’s unbelievable that anyone takes the unions seriously on any topic at all.
It’s unbelievable that anyone takes the unions seriously on any topic at all.
I’m sorry but I do not want a person with 2 years teaching experience in charge of my career and livelihood. Bloomberg is nuts! The football coach has at least played football in the past and have been around the game. Today’s Principals are 28 years old or have come in from another field and been cronied to the top. The have incentives to poorly rate higher paid more experienced teachers. Sorry Mike, you shouldn’t be allowed to rate Eli Manning after a year in the NFL leadership academy, just like your principals aren’t qualified to evaluate a teacher after a year in the NYC Leadership Academy.
This is the same ludicrous theory, that a manager doesn’t need to know anything about the process being managed, that led to the appointment of that great educator Cathy Black as Chancellor.
Teaching isn’t like private business. Once you are fired or non-renewed, you are basically blacklisted from the profession statewide and often nationwide. You don’t have to do anything wrong because principals can literally make up charges against teachers. What Bloomberg and other privatizers don’t get is that principals have FAR more power over subordinates–with NO accountability whatsoever since it is nearly impossible to fire them–than supervisors in any other line of work. That is fact, people.
And principals are mostly failed teachers or idiots who cannot cut it in the real world. They got their jobs because they either couldn’t teach, hate kids, or they want the obscene power and pay with no accountability whatsoever. These are the people who are the least fit people for jobs with absolute power. THAT is the real problem in public education.
That was the rational for Ms. Black was that a success
This is the same man who made Cathie Black Chancellor and who was quoted that teaching experience was unimportant.
He is truly clueless in the classroom.
This is the same man who made Cathie Black Chancellor and who was quoted that teaching experience was unimportant.
He is truly clueless in the classroom.
just curious–are the Principals free to make independant decisions, like the PEP?–just a thought