New York TeacherDecember 16, 2021
After decades of advocacy, the UFT won automatic enrollment in the Teachers' Retirement System for full-time paraprofessionals while, in a battle that will continue, the union came closer than ever to winning smaller class sizes. Learn about these campaigns and other union news and information in the last New York Teacher digital edition of 2021.
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Latest News
![People standing in front of piggy bank with arrows up for financial growth](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/photo/pensions-financial-generic.jpg?itok=5xaKIJYm)
Automatic TRS pensions won for full-time paras
Decades of UFT advocacy bore fruit for the union’s paraprofessionals on Oct. 29 as a newly enacted state law guaranteed all UFT-represented full-time paraprofessionals — on the job now and in the future — will automatically become members of the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS). After they retire, TRS members receive a monthly pension for the rest of their lives.
![Karen Alford (right), the UFT vice president for elementary schools,](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/photos/400-member_042_03A7913.jpg?itok=3TiDTvCj)
400-member contract team to be formed
UFT President Michael Mulgrew told delegates at the Delegate Assembly on Nov. 17 that the union plans to seek extensive member input to help shape priorities for upcoming negotiations on the next contract and health care.
More in News Stories
Member Spotlight
![Madeline Velez](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/photos/What_I_Do_046_Madeline_04.jpg?h=ec90923e&itok=8nVXwhvf)
Madeline Velez, school counselor
Madeline Velez-Vazquez, a bilingual school counselor at PS 58 in the Bronx, says school counselors are needed “now more than ever to help students succeed.” She says, "I’m seeing both extremes: children who are more hypervigilant about the pandemic and then those who are completely aloof."
![Alaa Yousef](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/photos/Alaa_Yousef_062_DSC_0006.jpg?h=d3810278&itok=NPdDOjhJ)
Kudos to Alaa Yousef, Park Slope Collegiate
Alaa Yousef was elected chapter leader at Park Slope Collegiate in Brooklyn this October, and in her first action in that role, she used the operational issues complaint process to get her members paid for instructional lunch periods. When those payments stopped, she resumed her fight.
Around the UFT
![Cogen Award winner Ellie Engler accepts the honor.](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/photos/cogen-winner-ellie-engler-40-235.jpg?h=d19ef152&itok=p656wB5h)
Cogen winner Ellie Engler all about ‘selfless sacrifice’
Cogen Award winner Ellie Engler made a habit of keeping UFT members safe, from her work with the union’s Safety and Health Department, where she created the Health and Cancer Helpline and the Member Assistance Program, to her early warning about the danger of COVID-19.
![UFT President Michael Mulgrew addresses the first hybrid Teacher Union Day gathering in Shanker Hall.](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/photos/courage-moment-great-danger-40-37.jpg?h=94b66a65&itok=ZRy4efap)
Courage in ‘a moment of great danger’
The courage and hard work of members during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic was recognized on Nov. 7 at the UFT's annual Teacher Union Day celebration, held in Shanker Hall at UFT headquarters in Manhattan and online via Zoom.
![UFT District 9 Representative Aqeel Williams helps a boy try on his new coat.](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/photos/happy-coats-giving-055-8196.jpg?h=9048bd70&itok=bA5b-0JN)
Happy coats-giving!
The UFT hosted an afternoon of food, fun and free coats for students experiencing homelessness at its Thanksgiving Luncheon on Nov. 20, when more than 130 children filled Shanker Hall at UFT headquarters in Manhattan.
![Psychologists Appreciation Day](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/photos/Psychologists_Appreciation_Day_041_03A7490.jpg?itok=dQk8lbiU)
Psychologists Appreciation Day
Nearly 400 school psychologists attended this year’s Psychologists Appreciation Day on Nov. 12, the chapter’s first hybrid event featuring workshops on assistive technology and intelligence assessments.
![A zoom call with a woman centered in the screen](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/photos/039_Middle_Conf_02_%281%29.jpg?itok=lsMZpI1u)
UFT Middle School Division’s Anti-Bullying Conference
Students from 105 schools registered for the UFT’s citywide Anti-Bullying Conference, held virtually on Oct. 28, which focused on conflict resolution strategies and how to be an upstander, or someone who intervenes or stands up for a person who is being attacked or bullied.
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.
For Your Information
![Classroom Ventilation A teacher opening a window](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/windows.jpeg?h=0d682774&itok=ZtwE77EA)
Classroom ventilation
If you rely on open windows for good ventilation in your classroom, you will still need to keep a few windows cracked open a few inches even though it’s getting colder.
For Your Information
![New Staten Island UFT office New Staten Island UFT office](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/New_Staten_Island_UFT_office.jpg?h=5512b8bf&itok=XRtUJXS4)
Staten Island UFT site move
The UFT’s borough office on Staten Island is moving, with the new location at 1200 South Ave. in the Bloomfield section expected to open in February.
For Your Information
![The Albert Shanker College Scholarship Fund Albert Shanker College Scholarship Fund logo](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/shanker-scholarship.png?h=60fa4b87&itok=1t3mX05a)
High school seniors may apply for Shanker scholarships
Make sure high school seniors apply for the UFT’s $5,000 Albert Shanker college scholarships. This year the application deadline is Feb. 28, 2022.
Opinions
VPerspective
![Special Ed Kids Special Ed Kids - Generic](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/special-ed-kids-generic.jpg?itok=pKBV1bhk)
DOE must give special ed more attention
UFT Vice President for Special Education MaryJo Ginese writes that we have seen how so many of our students with disabilities have lost ground since the pandemic hit. This fall, we have been confronted with the rocky rollout of the DOE’s Special Education Recovery Services program that was supposed to provide targeted help to these students.
President's Perspective
![A Day of Action for smaller class sizes A Day of Action for smaller class sizes](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/dayofaction-11-6082.jpg?h=4e1613a0&itok=pDWlYo9M)
Our fight for smaller class sizes
We’ve known for decades that smaller classes enhance teaching and learning. But the pandemic drove home that class size is also a public health issue. We are pushing for legislation that would change the health section of the city’s administrative code to mandate minimal square footage of 28 to 35 square feet per student.
Editorials
![Bubble Test - Education Testing - Generic Photo of a standardized bubble test with person filling in circles with a blue pen](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/bubble-test.jpg?itok=5cMTces3)
High-stakes collapse
High-stakes teacher evaluations, which leaned heavily on student test scores, had no discernible impact on improving student achievement or student test scores, according to a report by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. That comes as no surprise to anyone who has spent time in a classroom.
Editorials
![Doctor and patient Doctor and patient](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Doctor_and_patient_%28Generic%29.jpg?h=d3c21161&itok=80eFAHsl)
COVID tests for adults
With the number of COVID-19 cases across the city on the rise, the increase in breakthrough infections and the threat of the new Omicron variant, in-school testing of unvaccinated students only was clearly no longer not enough. That’s why the UFT called on the city to resume testing vaccinated adults in school buildings.
Editorial Cartoons
Teaching Resources
Learning Curve
![Phonics Phonics](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/4CC94C20-C28E-4FBB-8A10-A59955C197E4.jpeg?itok=tob1Qomv)
Back to basics
After a year in which instruction was disrupted by the pandemic, that back-to-basics approach of phonics-based reading instruction may be especially important to help struggling readers take concrete steps toward progress.
Linking to Learning
![Inviting Virtual Visitors Inviting Virtual Visitors](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Virtual-classroom-visitors.jpg?h=bd091352&itok=il-FzceZ)
Inviting virtual visitors has many benefits
Bringing visitors into your classroom to speak to students can be a powerful vehicle for learning. And though New York may have the highest number of experts per capita, a remote visit allows you to hear from people around the country and the world.
Teacher to Teacher
![Masked male child with glasses jumping in the air - Generic Masked male child with glasses jumping in the air - Generic](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/masked-male-child-glass-jumping-air-generic.jpg?h=17ed05ae&itok=0h739jRz)
Incorporating movement into learning
Teaching elementary school students while they are up on their feet gives them the opportunity to allow their bodies and minds to work together.
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-045-03A7400.jpg?h=6266498e&itok=Djt8V4ej)
A classroom that feels like home
"The decor and ambiance in my classroom have little touches to make it feel like home — things like curtains on the windows, beanbag chairs in our carpeted area and decorative lights. I try to address all five senses, like using air freshener to make sure it smells good. I like the classroom to be clean and organized, and my students have jobs, like engineer and janitorial staff, to help us maintain that organized environment."
New Teacher Articles
![working relationships working relationships](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/working-relationships-176974166_m.jpg?h=7078a5ac&itok=IDtbg1Kz)
Working relationships with colleagues are vital
Whether you co-teach on a regular basis or sit on the same grade or subject team as other educators, you have a host of colleagues who can be your allies and support network.
New Teacher Profiles
![Gabrielle Vega Gabrielle Vega](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/gabrieal-vega.jpg?h=7014040d&itok=3B8xji5o)
‘I want to be him’
New teacher Gabrielle Vega was drawn to her 8th-grade social studies teacher's flair for the dramatic, and her affinity for theatrics is serving her well as she teaches that subject at MS 936 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, a District 20 middle school dedicated to the performing and visual arts.
Retired Teachers News
![Tom Murphy](/sites/default/files/styles/medium_auto/public/photos/tom-murphy-column-art-2022-2.jpg?h=9659f490&itok=fJ346Xdd)
Reviewing 2021
Reviewing end-of-year Retired Teachers Chapter events brings to mind my sophomore geometry class. A theorem jumps out at me: The whole is equal to the sum of its parts. Let's add up those parts as they apply to us.
We opened 2021 buoyed by Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election and rattled by the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6. Those events infused us with a sense of optimism mingled with concern.
Several factors shaped the rest of the year: the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the growing availability of vaccines and the vaccine mandates in many workplaces; the New York City Medicare Advantage Plus Plan; the enhancement of the UFT's Supplemental Health Insurance Program (SHIP); and local elections…
![Senior virtual pilates generic](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/photos/Senior_virtual_pilates_generic.jpg?itok=KrBSB0uy)
Growing the Garden State
Building an RTC section can take time, but there are ways to make sure the building blocks are in place. Judy Rosenstein, coordinator of the New Jersey section, says the Si Beagle courses are an important part of the process.
![Loretta Nardone](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/photos/every-doll.jpg?itok=qA1J0tp9)
‘Every doll has a story’
Retired elementary school teacher Loretta Nardone never outgrew her childhood love of dolls. Instead, she took her collection of dolls from around the world into her classrooms, where she incorporated them into lessons about different cultures and traditions.