New York TeacherDecember 19, 2024
Volume LXVI, Number 3
Latest News
Schools to be closed on Dec. 23 for the winter holiday
Monday, Dec. 23, will now be a school holiday, thanks to union advocacy, parental support and a student petition backed by UFT members from across the city. UFT President Michael Mulgrew, New York City Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos and Mayor Eric Adams announced the agreement at a press conference on Oct. 30 at UFT headquarters.
Boom in higher ed unionization
More than 50,000 graduate students and other student workers on 51 university campuses nationwide have formed unions since 2022, according to the National Labor Relations Board.
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Feature Stories
Making the leap — together
This school year, PS 133 in Harlem has three newly minted teachers who were employed as paraprofessionals at the school the previous year. The three, who have fashioned a mini support group for one another, are grateful for the help of the union and the UFT Teacher Center in facilitating their climb up the career ladder.
‘Couldn’t do it without them’
The hydroponics lab at P141K at IS 71, a District 75 site that serves students with profound learning challenges, allows students to participate in gardening activities year-round. The students have the opportunity to witness the plant life cycle from seed to fruit.
Member Spotlight
Oksana Parfilko, Lab specialist
Oksana Parfilko maintains the laboratory rooms and plans and leads lab activities for science students at New Dorp HS on Staten Island.
Kudos to Michelle Lowe-Calixte, IS 392, Brooklyn
Michelle Lowe-Calixte has been an exemplary chapter leader the last three years — all while also serving as the District 23 paraprofessional coordinator.
Around the UFT
UFT college and career fairs
Educators from schools across the city exposed their students to a variety of career and college pathways at three fairs hosted this fall by the UFT's Academic High School Division. The Future in Focus event highlighted careers in which the workers typically belong to unions.
Queens Power Summit
Parent empowerment was the objective at the Queens Power Summit, which drew more than 80 parent leaders, students and UFT members to the UFT’s Queens borough office on Nov. 23.
Federation of Nurses/UFT Professional Issues Conference
Nurses take an oath to act in the best interest of their patients, but the corporatization of health care and the focus on profits have made it increasingly challenging to keep that vow. Nurses grappled with that challenge and took workshops to enhance their skills and knowledge at the Federation of Nurses/UFT's Professional Issues Conference.
UFT Middle School Division’s Anti-Bullying Conference
About 500 middle schoolers from 31 schools throughout the city learned ways to combat bullying during the UFT's annual anti-bullying conference led by BRAVE, the union's anti-bullying initiative.
Staten Island Family Partnership Summit
About 70 people learned about online student safety, special education resources and more at the UFT's Staten Island Family Partnership Summit held on Nov. 9 at PS 20 on Staten Island.
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Your Rights and Benefits
Know Your Benefits
Workers’ compensation
Workers’ compensation is insurance paid for by the employer. It covers medical costs associated with an on-the-job injury or illness, and it pays a portion of lost salary if you miss work. Full- or part-time paraprofessionals, occupational and physical therapists, school nurses and administrative employees are all eligible for it if they are injured on the job.
Know Your Rights
Paraprofessionals’ rights and responsibilities
Paraprofessionals play an instrumental role in schools as part of a team providing educational and support services to children. Here are some of the rights and responsibilities that paraprofessionals should know about.
Your Well-being
New year, new you
If you want your mental health resolutions for the new year to last, focus on self-care and get specific. Experts have identified eight dimensions of wellness, which provide a great framework for creating achievable resolutions.
You Should Know
Grants, Awards & Freebies
Grants, Awards & Freebies
See our list of current opportunities for educators to receive funds and recognition for their hard work and dedication.
You Should Know
Moving up the pay scale
By accumulating college credits, paraprofessionals can significantly increase their pay. Whether your career path as a paraprofessional leads you to earn a bachelor’s degree or to earn a master’s degree and become a certified teacher, several UFT-backed programs provide professional and financial support. Read our FAQ to learn more about these career advancement opportunities.
For Your Information
The FAQs on SRPs
School-related professionals playan essential role in supporting the varied needs of students. This issue of the New York Teacher is dedicated to these UFT members. They number more than 46,000 in total in the New York City public school system and belong to 23 DOE titles.
Opinions
President's Perspective
The DOE fails students with special needs
The DOE’s failure to adequately staff our schools is unacceptable. We have long known that our related service providers were stretched thin, but the numbers from the survey show how untenable the DOE has let the situation become.
Editorials
Errors in math
As the DOE's mandated Algebra I math curriculum has expanded from a few hundred high schools last year to citywide this school year, so have teachers’ concerns that it is a mismatch for city schools and is hampering their students’ academic progress.
Editorials
NYC Reads reset
This school year, as outside consultants took over most of the training, teachers grew increasingly frustrated with their lack of voice and the lack of support. So we headed to the bargaining table to demand changes. The revised curriculum policy that the DOE announced in early December is a step in the right direction.
Teaching Resources
Learning Curve
Therapists’ strategies that teachers can use
Incorporating strategies used by occupational, physical and speech therapists into classroom teaching can not only greatly benefit students with disabilities, but can also improve learning for all students. And the more teachers normalize using these strategies, the more special needs students will feel included and supported.
Teacher to Teacher
Ways to build SEL skills in the classroom
As a school counselor, I recommend that classroom teachers do these four things to support students in their social-emotional growth.
Building Your Career
Inside My Classroom
Occupational therapy goals
Nagella Al-Balushi, an occupational therapist at PS 340 in the Bronx uses the equipment in her therapy room to work on a variety of motor skills with students in a typical 30-minute session.
New Teacher Profiles
Celebrating students’ every victory
Chanisse Wade, a second-year social worker at Bronx Legacy HS in Mott Haven, strives to create a "culture of celebration" at her school. She publicly celebrates all student achievements, large or small — from high grades to good attendance to improvements in peer-to-peer behavior.
Retired Teachers News
Living swimmingly in retirement
Retired bilingual school social worker Eliot Winokur is making a splash in retirement as a competitive swimmer. He holds top 10 rankings on the U.S. Masters Swimming website for the United States and the world and says swimming is both fun and empowering.
Hotline to a helping hand
More than a year into its operation, the Retired Paraprofessional Support line has proved more successful than anticipated — both for those calling in and for those answering the phones.