People who have never been in the Rubber Room might think that it’s a great deal. You get paid for sitting there and doing nothing all day. Of course, anyone with some knowledge of human psychology knows that it’s not a great deal. Take any normal human being, put him in a room by himself with nothing to do, keep him there for days and months on end, and he will eventually go crazy. Paying him doesn’t make it OK. He is being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment.
“But”, say the Butt-Heads who think the Rubber Room is a great deal, “You’re not in a room all by yourself. You have other teachers who are in the same situation. And you are an educated person. Take advantage of the situation: Read, have nice conversations with the people around you, take a nap, play card games… write the Great American Novel. As long as you’re there, you’re getting full pay and benefits, and you’re building up your pension. You could be on the street without a job, unable to meet your mortgage payments, and about to lose your house like so many other people in America right now.”
When reminded of starving people, it’s hard to refuse to eat your liver.
So I’ll eat it, but I’ll still hate it.
For the duration of my time in the Rubber Room, I will not be writing about my experience in the Rubber Room on this blog-- Although, trust me, I am keeping a detailed daily journal. No, this blog will remain true to its original intention, which is to shine light on the incompetent, corrupt, and criminally abusive Bloomberg Department of Education, and the Butt-Heads that keep it alive.
In order to do this, I need more background knowledge. I am researching the topics of “scapegoating”, “mobbing”, “false allegations”, “lynching”, and the “holocaust” to name a few. As I read about these subjects, I will apply the information to the Bloomberg DOE in general, and my situation in particular.
At the moment, I am reading Inaccuracies in Children’s Testimony: Memory, Suggestibility, or Obedience to Authority? By Jon’a F. Meyer published by Haworth Press, Inc. 1997.
Showing posts with label false allegations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label false allegations. Show all posts
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Out To Lunch
As usual, I took excellent notes in my meeting with Principal P. on February 11. The disciplinary letter I published in my last post is based on this meeting. Also as usual, the difference between the disciplinary letter and the "transcript" of the meeting is truly amazing.
Meeting with Principal P. February 11
PRINCIPAL P: Ms. Moriah on Friday, February 6 you punched out and left the building without informing the Principal.
MORIAH And you want to know why? OK. First of all I don’t understand why this would be considered something wrong. Could you share with me your concern?
PRICIPAL P According to the Faculty Handbook on page 14 “all teachers must obtain permission from Principal to leave the building.”
CLYDE BAKER Is this a Chancellor’s regulation, or a school regulation?
PRINCIPAL A school regulation. Can you tell me why you punched out ?
MORIAH First of all, I punched out because it was my lunch period. I was not with students, nor was I going to be with students, because you had reassigned me to the conference room. I punched out on Monday (February 9) when I left for lunch as well.
I have also been punching in and out for over a year as I come into the building in the morning and leave the building in the afternoon.
PRINCIPAL Punching out is not school policy for lunch. We sign out for lunch.
MORIAH: I choose to punch in and out. It is characteristic of my time card. On Friday, I wasn’t feeling good, but I intended to come back.
PRINCIPAL: But you didn’t.
MORIAH: I intended to come back. I wasn’t feeling good. I thought the walk would do me good. I was halfway between the school and my home. (which is a 15 minute walk away) when I started feeling nauseous and dizzy. I kept walking to my home and I called the school. I believe I signed out as well as punching out, but I don’t remember.
PRINCIPAL: You did not inform me when you left the building.
MORIAH: That was my lunch period.
PRINCIPAL: There is no record of you having called the school. No one took a message from you.
MORIAH: Are you saying that I am lying when I say that I called the school?
PRINCIPAL: I am saying that no one got a message from you.
MORIAH: So no one in the office is taking responsibility for taking my message?
BAKER: Have you asked the secretaries and the school aides?
PRINCIPAL Yes. Patty Kramer said that she (Moriah) told her (Patty) that she (Moriah) was leaving the building.
MORIAH: Patty Kramer said that I told her that I was leaving the building? Principal P, I did not speak with Patty Kramer, and I did not tell Ms. Kramer that I was leaving the building.
PRINCIPAL That will be all Ms. Moriah.
MORIAH I have one more thing to say.
PRINCIPAL That will be all Ms. Moriah.
MORIAH (turning to speak to BAKER). Mr. Baker, I think this is unfair, and I am going to call Verizon to get evidence that I did call the school.
About an hour later Principal P. called me back into her office.
PRINCIPAL Ms. Moriah, I just spoke to Patty Kramer and I said “Ms. Moriah told me that she did call the school”. Patty Kramer then said, “Oh, yes. She did call. That’s right. She did call the school, and said that “I will not be back”. Even though when I asked did you call Friday, and no one remembered, now when I reminded them, they said, “Yes, she did call.” You told them that you would not be back. Is that what you said?
MORIAH Yes, that I was feeling ill and would not be back.
Meeting Ended
Even though she grudgingly admitted that I did call the school, I didn’t trust Principal P. I called Verizon to ask for a record of my phone calls on Friday, February 6. They took two weeks to send it to me, but it does verify that I called the school when I said I did. This was from my HOME phone, not my cell. I’m glad I went to the trouble, because this Principal has shown a consistent pattern of ignoring any and all evidence that would support my version of an incident. On the contrary she twists and fabricates facts to support a negative version.
Meeting with Principal P. February 11
PRINCIPAL P: Ms. Moriah on Friday, February 6 you punched out and left the building without informing the Principal.
MORIAH And you want to know why? OK. First of all I don’t understand why this would be considered something wrong. Could you share with me your concern?
PRICIPAL P According to the Faculty Handbook on page 14 “all teachers must obtain permission from Principal to leave the building.”
CLYDE BAKER Is this a Chancellor’s regulation, or a school regulation?
PRINCIPAL A school regulation. Can you tell me why you punched out ?
MORIAH First of all, I punched out because it was my lunch period. I was not with students, nor was I going to be with students, because you had reassigned me to the conference room. I punched out on Monday (February 9) when I left for lunch as well.
I have also been punching in and out for over a year as I come into the building in the morning and leave the building in the afternoon.
PRINCIPAL Punching out is not school policy for lunch. We sign out for lunch.
MORIAH: I choose to punch in and out. It is characteristic of my time card. On Friday, I wasn’t feeling good, but I intended to come back.
PRINCIPAL: But you didn’t.
MORIAH: I intended to come back. I wasn’t feeling good. I thought the walk would do me good. I was halfway between the school and my home. (which is a 15 minute walk away) when I started feeling nauseous and dizzy. I kept walking to my home and I called the school. I believe I signed out as well as punching out, but I don’t remember.
PRINCIPAL: You did not inform me when you left the building.
MORIAH: That was my lunch period.
PRINCIPAL: There is no record of you having called the school. No one took a message from you.
MORIAH: Are you saying that I am lying when I say that I called the school?
PRINCIPAL: I am saying that no one got a message from you.
MORIAH: So no one in the office is taking responsibility for taking my message?
BAKER: Have you asked the secretaries and the school aides?
PRINCIPAL Yes. Patty Kramer said that she (Moriah) told her (Patty) that she (Moriah) was leaving the building.
MORIAH: Patty Kramer said that I told her that I was leaving the building? Principal P, I did not speak with Patty Kramer, and I did not tell Ms. Kramer that I was leaving the building.
PRINCIPAL That will be all Ms. Moriah.
MORIAH I have one more thing to say.
PRINCIPAL That will be all Ms. Moriah.
MORIAH (turning to speak to BAKER). Mr. Baker, I think this is unfair, and I am going to call Verizon to get evidence that I did call the school.
About an hour later Principal P. called me back into her office.
PRINCIPAL Ms. Moriah, I just spoke to Patty Kramer and I said “Ms. Moriah told me that she did call the school”. Patty Kramer then said, “Oh, yes. She did call. That’s right. She did call the school, and said that “I will not be back”. Even though when I asked did you call Friday, and no one remembered, now when I reminded them, they said, “Yes, she did call.” You told them that you would not be back. Is that what you said?
MORIAH Yes, that I was feeling ill and would not be back.
Meeting Ended
Even though she grudgingly admitted that I did call the school, I didn’t trust Principal P. I called Verizon to ask for a record of my phone calls on Friday, February 6. They took two weeks to send it to me, but it does verify that I called the school when I said I did. This was from my HOME phone, not my cell. I’m glad I went to the trouble, because this Principal has shown a consistent pattern of ignoring any and all evidence that would support my version of an incident. On the contrary she twists and fabricates facts to support a negative version.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
We'll Miss You!!!
On October 7, 2008 Principal P. told me that I was accused of verbal and physical abuse related to something that happened on September 11 (See posts Feb 22 Bathroom Emergencies and Feb 28 Bladder Problems” ). However, I knew trouble was coming long before that. What tipped me off? The kids, of course.
During the weeks that followed September 11, Boris of class 7H would stop by the classroom every chance he got, stick his head in the door and yell out, “We’re going to MISS you!!!!”
Then, on Sept. 24 I was absent. When I came back the following day, Samuel of 7H said to me, “I thought you’d been fired”. “Why did you think that?” I asked. “Some of the kids said you’d been fired because you wouldn’t let Domingo go to the bathroom.” He replied. “Samuel, what’s my rule about emergencies?” I asked. “That you can just leave without a pass,” He replied.
When I met with 7H that day, I told them that I had heard that they were still a little confused about my bathroom policy with regard to emergencies. I gave them paper, and asked them to write down the rule that we had discussed during the first week of school.
That’s how I got approximately twenty statements. Here are some examples:
“Ms. Moriah’s rule if you have a bathroom emergency is to get up say emergency and go.”
“You get up and go to the bathroom”
“Ms. Moriah’s rule is that you have an emergency you just leave the room cause if it is an emergency there is no time for her to right a pass. “
“Go without a pass”
“You can run to the bathroom without a pass”
“ Ms. Moriah’s rule for bathroom is if it is an emergency you run to the bathroom without a pass.”
One student wrote a little more:
“I heard a roomer about Ms. Moriah was getting fired today and yesterday and a day 911 because half of are class made a complent to Mr. B. so half of are class worte a letter to some body about Ms. Moriah about the bathroom roomers some people said Ms. Moriah suck, mean, crazy.”
Fourteen days later I got to read the "complents". Prepared as I was, they really upset me. They complained that I had refused to give passes and had ridiculed the boys while they were out of the class, saying they had bladder problems. These statements were totally false. Why would they do this? I barely knew these kids. They had no reason to dislike me. On the contrary, I had thought we had gotten off to a very good start.
Twenty-six days after the incident, I tried to figure out where they had gotten the stuff they wrote about me.
I always start the school year by saying, “If you have an emergency—just go! But don’t abuse the privilege. If you do, I’ll call your parents.
I have had that rule since my first year of teaching. We were not supposed to give passes during the first and last ten minutes of class. A girl asked to go to the bathroom when she came into my class. I told her to wait, but she couldn’t. She started back to her seat, and then vomited all over the floor. I wasn’t brought up on charges, but I felt terrible for her.
Then, many years later, a similar thing happened to a colleague of mine, Adila. She was brought up on charges because a student had an accident on the way to the bathroom. She was later sent to the rubber room. But she was much more innocent than I had been. The student couldn’t make it because the bathrooms were locked, not because she had denied him a pass. (See June 22, 2008 “Blowing the Whistle”).
In spite of what happened to Adila, administrators continued to give out the same rules about bathroom passes at the beginning of every school year. This year, I raised my hand and pointed out the dangers of following these rules, and I received a disciplinary letter for doing so. (See “Bathroom Emergencies” Feb 22).
During 8th period on September 11 three boys left the room at the same time claiming they had emergencies. They stayed out of class for a long time. I checked the section sheet and noticed that they had lunch 6th period every day, so I had reason to suspect they were testing the parameters of my rules. I decided to call their parents.
Now this was the very beginning of the school year, so I was extremely diplomatic. I introduced myself as the boy’s science teacher, and then I informed each parent that his or her son had had a bathroom emergency 8th period, and was gone for quite a long time. He wasn’t in trouble. On the contrary, he seemed like a very nice boy. I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t ill.
As I say, I knew there was going to be trouble regarding bathroom passes, but I wasn’t prepared for the statements. They were so well-organized, so consistent, and yet so false. It broke my heart. I was never able to look at those kids the same way again. As I spoke to them I couldn’t help wondering if 30 days later I would be reading some twisted version of what I was saying at that moment.
During the weeks that followed September 11, Boris of class 7H would stop by the classroom every chance he got, stick his head in the door and yell out, “We’re going to MISS you!!!!”
Then, on Sept. 24 I was absent. When I came back the following day, Samuel of 7H said to me, “I thought you’d been fired”. “Why did you think that?” I asked. “Some of the kids said you’d been fired because you wouldn’t let Domingo go to the bathroom.” He replied. “Samuel, what’s my rule about emergencies?” I asked. “That you can just leave without a pass,” He replied.
When I met with 7H that day, I told them that I had heard that they were still a little confused about my bathroom policy with regard to emergencies. I gave them paper, and asked them to write down the rule that we had discussed during the first week of school.
That’s how I got approximately twenty statements. Here are some examples:
“Ms. Moriah’s rule if you have a bathroom emergency is to get up say emergency and go.”
“You get up and go to the bathroom”
“Ms. Moriah’s rule is that you have an emergency you just leave the room cause if it is an emergency there is no time for her to right a pass. “
“Go without a pass”
“You can run to the bathroom without a pass”
“ Ms. Moriah’s rule for bathroom is if it is an emergency you run to the bathroom without a pass.”
One student wrote a little more:
“I heard a roomer about Ms. Moriah was getting fired today and yesterday and a day 911 because half of are class made a complent to Mr. B. so half of are class worte a letter to some body about Ms. Moriah about the bathroom roomers some people said Ms. Moriah suck, mean, crazy.”
Fourteen days later I got to read the "complents". Prepared as I was, they really upset me. They complained that I had refused to give passes and had ridiculed the boys while they were out of the class, saying they had bladder problems. These statements were totally false. Why would they do this? I barely knew these kids. They had no reason to dislike me. On the contrary, I had thought we had gotten off to a very good start.
Twenty-six days after the incident, I tried to figure out where they had gotten the stuff they wrote about me.
I always start the school year by saying, “If you have an emergency—just go! But don’t abuse the privilege. If you do, I’ll call your parents.
I have had that rule since my first year of teaching. We were not supposed to give passes during the first and last ten minutes of class. A girl asked to go to the bathroom when she came into my class. I told her to wait, but she couldn’t. She started back to her seat, and then vomited all over the floor. I wasn’t brought up on charges, but I felt terrible for her.
Then, many years later, a similar thing happened to a colleague of mine, Adila. She was brought up on charges because a student had an accident on the way to the bathroom. She was later sent to the rubber room. But she was much more innocent than I had been. The student couldn’t make it because the bathrooms were locked, not because she had denied him a pass. (See June 22, 2008 “Blowing the Whistle”).
In spite of what happened to Adila, administrators continued to give out the same rules about bathroom passes at the beginning of every school year. This year, I raised my hand and pointed out the dangers of following these rules, and I received a disciplinary letter for doing so. (See “Bathroom Emergencies” Feb 22).
During 8th period on September 11 three boys left the room at the same time claiming they had emergencies. They stayed out of class for a long time. I checked the section sheet and noticed that they had lunch 6th period every day, so I had reason to suspect they were testing the parameters of my rules. I decided to call their parents.
Now this was the very beginning of the school year, so I was extremely diplomatic. I introduced myself as the boy’s science teacher, and then I informed each parent that his or her son had had a bathroom emergency 8th period, and was gone for quite a long time. He wasn’t in trouble. On the contrary, he seemed like a very nice boy. I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t ill.
As I say, I knew there was going to be trouble regarding bathroom passes, but I wasn’t prepared for the statements. They were so well-organized, so consistent, and yet so false. It broke my heart. I was never able to look at those kids the same way again. As I spoke to them I couldn’t help wondering if 30 days later I would be reading some twisted version of what I was saying at that moment.
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