Submitted by David Hedges, Sep 27, 2008 03:23

With regard to Elizabeth Green's " Union, City Dig In Heels Over Fate of Reserve Teachers" September 26, 2008, I was one of the teachers who spoke at the UFT press conference on September 25, 2008 about the ATR situation. The matter we presented for public discussion was not that a lot of ATRs do or don't do well at interviews, but that 1400 ATRs haven't even been invited to any interviews at all. Here is why: Any principal who is told that I have been assigned to his or her school would be delighted. I have a superior record and the motivation to teach. The anomaly is that it is because I am a good teacher that I am not being interviewed. When a teacher is assigned to a school as an "ATR" it is up to each principal to best use that teacher's talents, experience, and license areas. The principal of the school where I was assigned put me in charge of the entire 10th grade English program, and one section of ELA Regents tracked juniors. I teach 5 classes. I have 170 students on my roster and they all have excellent attendance The local school does not have to pay my salary from their budget because I am an ATR, so they can use those funds for other things. I credit my principal for recognizing my talents and professional commitment and I am delighted with the confidence and challenges he has given me. The other matter that was presented at the press conference was the issue of student performance. It harms students when they lose good teachers. Many ATRs, like myself, are good teachers and the students we teach now are benefiting enormously. The term ATR (absent teacher reserve) is a fiscal, not a pedagogical title. The Chancellor and the Mayor have confused the public because they have failed to make that distinction clear. A consequence of that confusion is that the High School for Global Citizenship, where I teach, risks losing me and other valuable ATRs, because the DOE could reassign us to another school at a moments notice. From the DOE's point of view, an ATR is just a fiscal glitch. From the point of view of the school, the students, and the parents, the ATR is a valuable part of the community of professional educators. I want everyone to understand that when you take a good teacher out of a school it hurts the students and destabilizes the community. In my view, in lieu of an interview, an ATR, like myself, who is performing satisfactorily should be allowed to stay with the school.

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