Peter Goodman

“It’s All Politics,” (snarl)

Too many of us view “politics” as synonymous with corruption and malfeasance, the result is low turnout in elections. Social media has learned the lesson: violence, sex, greed gets more clicks than positive news. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a crawl at the bottom of a tv screen, “World to End at 3, stayContinue reading ““It’s All Politics,” (snarl)”

In Praise of the UFT Staff

Over the past year the opposition caucuses have been demeaning the folks who keep the union running, for the most part invisible, the staff. The borough offices are staffed by part timers who work a few days a week supporting the full time staff who worked their way up the informal internship system. I wasContinue reading “In Praise of the UFT Staff”

Tic Tok As the Clock Edges Toward Armageddon (January 20th, 2025)

On Christmas Eve morning I jumped up early, it was snowing, I got to Russ & Daughters, a New York institution a few minutes after it opened, already packed with the cognoscenti. Smoked Salmon (Nova, Gaspe, Scotch, Norwegian, Pastrami), Sable, an array of herring and on and on. The food of the Gods and Goddesses.Continue reading “Tic Tok As the Clock Edges Toward Armageddon (January 20th, 2025)”

Checking the Depth of the Water Before We Jump into the Medicare for All Pool

The murder, actually assassination of the UnitedHealth CEO suddenly turned the spotlight on what had been simmering, a broken healthcare system. We spend more money per capita on healthcare than any other nation and the beneficiaries are the monopolies that dominate. For years the “big guys” have gobbled up the “little guys,” from hospitals toContinue reading “Checking the Depth of the Water Before We Jump into the Medicare for All Pool”

A Bubbling Cauldron: Dividing Billions of Foundation Aid Dollars

The news is dominated by the Trump election, the Adams indictment, the new police commissioner, the healthcare corporation executive murder, the chancellor of the month, and, buried behind the headlines the battle over Foundation Aid, the formula that determines the distribution of state dollars to schools. A little history: New York is a property taxContinue reading “A Bubbling Cauldron: Dividing Billions of Foundation Aid Dollars”

From the Classrooms: One Army, Union Members Prepared to Fight for Our Schools and Our Students

I was chatting with a group of elementary school teachers. “Do you know there’s an election for UFT leadership in the spring?” “No” “Do you know who leads the union now and how are they doing?” One of the teachers had been a delegate, she liked Mulgrew’s opening report, said it was thorough. “Do you knowContinue reading “From the Classrooms: One Army, Union Members Prepared to Fight for Our Schools and Our Students”

Getting “Stuff” Done Depends on Relationships, Being in “The Room Where It Happens”

In the world of politics relationships matter, matter a lot. I was selected as UFT District Rep in a district run by a political club. The TJ Democratic Club elected the school board who selected the superintendent. Aside from required meetings I was out of the loop. I complained to an old timer, His advice,,Continue reading “Getting “Stuff” Done Depends on Relationships, Being in “The Room Where It Happens””

Will Public Education and Teacher Unions Survive Trump?

The pundits are suggesting names for the next Secretary of Education, that’s if the Department of Education survives. Betsy De Vos is campaigning as well as the Commissioner of Education in Oklahoma who ordered posting the Ten Commandments in every classroom. Do you post the Protestant or the Catholic commandments? They’re different! Are you working onContinue reading “Will Public Education and Teacher Unions Survive Trump?”

An Autopsy: Did Trump Win or Did Harris Lose?

I must live in a bubble, a Harris bubble. I’m surrounded by smart, politically engaged women; this was the election of a lifetime. I was certain, a tsunami of women voters would determine the outcome. We would see an enormous turnout. Pollsters were predicting a close, a very close election, days, maybe weeks before a winnerContinue reading “An Autopsy: Did Trump Win or Did Harris Lose?”

Regents Exams Will Be Gone! Replaced by a Book Report or an Internship

“The educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a Nation and a people. . . . We have, in effect, been committing an act of unthinking, unilateral educational disarmament,” (A Nation at Risk, 1983) Five years ago I attended the firstContinue reading “Regents Exams Will Be Gone! Replaced by a Book Report or an Internship”