New York TeacherNovember 5, 2020
![NYT New York Teacher Vol. LXII Number 2 - Cover NYT New York Teacher Vol. LXII Number 2 - Cover](/sites/default/files/styles/medium_auto/public/photos/NYT-01-110520.jpg?itok=q_OJ5qxK)
Latest News
![Lump Sum Chart 2020](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/photos/lump-sum-chart-2020-new.png?itok=8qQI8_uV)
Arbitrator overturns city’s decision to delay lump-sum payment
An arbitrator overturned City Hall’s decision to delay lump-sum payments to thousands of city educators, ordering the city to pay half the amount owed by Oct. 31, and the rest by the end of July 2021.
![VOTE Buttons](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/photos/vote-buttons-48355939_l.jpg?itok=J9mpm67C)
UFT makes final push in key races
The UFT mobilized members to get out the vote for Joe Biden for president and other candidates up and down the ballot who support the union's education, economic and labor agendas.
Member Spotlight
![A teacher smiles at her workspace with her kitchen in the background](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/photos/Arnow-8123.jpg?h=61eadd9f&itok=OPdAQU5m)
Kristina L. Pillmeier, school psychologist
School psychologist Kristina Pillmeier assesses and evaluates students’ needs and how they affect their performance in the classroom and their experience in the school environment, then refers them for support services if necessary.
![Young bearded man standing and smiling wearing a cream sweater with greek letters.](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/photos/marquis-harrison.jpg?h=a7bd556c&itok=Yw0E93NQ)
Kudos to Marquis Harrison, Frederick Douglass Academy, Manhattan
Chapter Leader Marquis Harrison of Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem, stepped up during COVID-19 to take on new duties as a safety inspector, a counselor, an advocate and an expert on new work rules.
Your Rights and Benefits
Know Your Rights
![Know your rights about COVID Two people wearing masks talking about an issue](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/153494345_m.jpg?h=37f54bc8&itok=9VIdcoQ5)
COVID-related leaves and absences
The coronavirus has necessitated many changes in our work world. To ensure the safety of school communities, staff and students are now being tested regularly, and recently negotiated leaves and absences related to COVID-19 are one accommodation to our new reality.
Your Well-being
![Coronavirus Covid-19 Coronavirus Covid-19](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/corona-4910057_1920.jpg?h=ad4a8e20&itok=-kh-S1O9)
Domestic violence and COVID-19
While working remotely can help to reduce the spread of COVID-19, staying home is not a safe option for survivors of domestic violence. The first step when confronting domestic violence is to create a safety plan.
You Should Know
Grants, Awards & Freebies
![A teacher with young students A teacher with young students](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/grants-awards-190385567_m.jpg?itok=QBA85Vo9)
Grants, Awards & Freebies
See our list of current opportunities for educators to receive funds and recognition for their hard work and dedication.
Secure Your Future
![Piggy bank, money, rising - generic Piggy bank, money, rising - generic](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/secure-your-future-piggybank-money-rising.jpg?h=fcd17668&itok=Cl4BwzuB)
Build nest egg with tax-deferred annuity
The Teachers’ Retirement System’s Tax-Deferred Annuity Program is an excellent way for eligible UFT members to save money for retirement to supplement their defined-benefit pension. If you’re not already enrolled, start building your nest egg now.
Opinions
President's Perspective
![Former Vice President Joe Biden addresses the gathering Former Vice President Joe Biden addresses the gathering](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/teacher-union-day-2019-040-0099.jpg?h=2594fc56&itok=L7eurj1t)
As you vote, remember: Joe Biden gets us
Looking through the lenses of education policy and labor issues, the best candidate for president is Joe Biden — someone who is focused on our dignity, pay, benefits and the workplace protections we deserve.
VPerspective
![Early education during a pandemic Early education during a pandemic](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Early_education_during_a_pandemic-1.jpg?h=13451225&itok=FR1EozL3)
Early education during a pandemic
UFT Vice President for Elementary Schools Karen Alford writes that as always, it is the teachers in the classroom who are figuring out how best to serve their students in this unusual school year, with help from three hardworking union groups.
Editorials
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Victory and vigilance
The UFT’s vigilance won deferred wages for work our members did as far back as 2009, even as the city sought to renege on its promise to deliver them, and a no-layoff guarantee for this school year.
Editorials
![First Day University Neighborhood HS First Day University Neighborhood HS](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/University_Neighborhood_HS.jpg?h=b7b02b88&itok=RBNdkKYf)
Safety first
The UFT’s 50-point school safety plan remains essential for students and staff working in school buildings. The DOE agreed to the plan as a condition of reopening the schools, but we need your help to keep our workplaces safe.
Teaching Resources
Learning Curve
![Embracing education informed by trauma Embracing education informed by trauma](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/nyt-trauma-illustration-6x4.jpg?h=51ba975c&itok=gTs73pDa)
Embracing education informed by trauma
Along with notebooks and pencils, students come to school carrying the weight of anxiety, fear and trauma in their lives. As we grapple with COVID-19, educators say students’ mental health should be the priority.
Linking to Learning
![Michelle Minelli A picture of a google classroom page](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/018_Michelle_07.jpg?itok=ci_nzv0g)
Google Classroom: Tips and tools
Google Classroom is easy for novices to use. But it’s also a highly versatile platform. Three New York City teachers share their tips and favorite tools for teaching remotely with this powerful program.
Teacher to Teacher
![Lisa Berke Lisa Berke poses in front of a compter screen](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Lisa_Berke.jpg?h=c96f9fe7&itok=W884K3wP)
Using memoirs helps students understand the Holocaust
Lisa Berke, an English teacher at Edward R. Murrow HS in Brooklyn, teaches a course on Holocaust literature through the lens of memoir because she believes in its ability to cultivate empathy.
Building Your Career
Inside My Classroom
![Inside my classroom Inside my classroom](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Inside_my_classroom_IMG_20200929_173129_166.jpg?h=66d0cec6&itok=8zQeP6aL)
Providing a safe and welcoming literacy-rich environment
Fifth-grade literacy teacher Jamala Roper, of PS 179 in the Bronx, took on the challenge of providing a safe and welcoming literacy-rich environment that is also safe and conducive to the guidelines for blended learning.
New Teacher Articles
![Rocks balancing near the sea Rocks balancing near the sea](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photo/wellness-balance-generic.jpg?itok=tkkUEgY5)
Self-care more important than ever
Practicing self-care is important, especially in these unprecedented times. Achieve a sense of belonging by connecting with colleagues, establish work boundaries at home and make time for things that are important for your well-being.
New Teacher Profiles
![Paulo Chalco (left) and co-teacher Kirsten Keller Paulo Chalco (left) and co-teacher Kirsten Keller](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/The_best_first_experience_016_Paulo_05.jpg?h=df8bcdd5&itok=P6OcWKpC)
‘The best first experience’
Paulo Chalco, a kindergarten teacher at PS 108 in Brooklyn, has a 5-year-old son who often serves as his sounding board. “If I prepare a lesson, I put it on his table and see what he does. If he gets into the material, then I have an idea it might be a good lesson to use with my kids,” he says.
Retired Teachers News
![Tom Murphy](/sites/default/files/styles/medium_auto/public/photos/tom-murphy-column-art-2022-2.jpg?h=9659f490&itok=fJ346Xdd)
Using our credibility
In a crisis, the only asset you have is your credibility.
— Paul Volker
This quote from the late Federal Reserve System chair has been on my mind in the midst of Campaign 2020, as we work to cure our national nightmare. When the UFT and its state and national affiliates endorse political candidates for election, what kind of credibility do these political recommendations have with our grassroots, rank-and-file members?
For citywide endorsements, the UFT assesses the candidate’s record on education, labor and human rights. The same criteria are used by our state affiliate, NYSUT, for statewide endorsements and by our national affiliate, the AFT, for presidential and congressional endorsements. In 2016, some members were disgruntled over the endorsement of Hillary Clinton, which was announced early in the presidential campaign when some candidates had not yet entered…
![Dine Arounds](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/photos/Zooming_in_on_courses_Dine_Around_%234.jpg?itok=PLps8YIA)
Zooming in on courses in Westchester
As part of a 12-class Si Beagle schedule put together for Westchester Section retirees, members are creating historic records of the pandemic of 2020 in the COVID Metamorphosis Class, writing memoirs of life as we are living it today.
![Joseph Lukose](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/photos/Returning_to_his_farming_roots_IMG_0959.jpg?itok=Ghhjo52G)
Returning to his farming roots
Joseph Lukose, a school social worker in Queens for 32 years, went back to his roots in retirement. A native of India, he is now a hobby farmer in south Florida, planting and nurturing the tropical fruit trees that surrounded him in his youth.