Joe Quigley, teacher - Part Four, page 2

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Part Four, Page 2

In my case, instead of seniors, I was now assigned all ninth grade classes. This was not acceptable to me as I had transferred to the high school because I was offered senior classes and after twelve years on the middle school level I wanted to deal with older students. This was a clear violation of the provisions of the contract, and so I grieved it. To me there was more to it than a necessary schedule change. I viewed it as a way to keep me away from older students as a punishment for the events of last year and my filing of a grievance as a result. It did not get any better when I found out at the pre-level one grievance hearing that due to other constraints I would not have a classroom, but would have to travel to various rooms. Whether or not it was intended to be, the effect of this and the impression it gave to not only myself and other teachers, but to some high level administrators, was it's being a retaliatory act. It was justified by the principal as being in the best interest of the students as I was a good and strict teacher who held students to a high standard, and therefore was the best person to teach freshmen. This struck me as a weak cover-up. After all, was not the charge of educational ineffectiveness and willful neglect of duty upheld by the principal in denying the settlement of my previous grievance?

The action was seen as so transparent even students were to joke that the administration had found a way to prevent me from having a bulletin board. When school started I attempted to make the best of the situation with humor. I commandeered a little used pushcart, put my classroom resources on it and in order to be seen dashing through the halls affixed one of those bicycle flag poles that one puts on a bike so it can be seen in traffic. To the top of this I glued a small rainbow flag.

In spite of the claim that my not being able to have a classroom was based on nonavailability, it became clear when classes began that there were not only empty rooms, but some poorly ulitized rooms as well. This was soon to be rectified, but not before another odd event, or before things became a little ridiculous.

As I did every day at the end of class, I pushed my little cart into the second floor teachers' lounge one Friday night where it sat for the weekend. When I arrived at school early that Monday I found the pole with the flag had been taken. I wrote a letter to the principal to complain, and although I had my suspicions as to who took it, I refrained from any mention of that.

I was called to an after school meeting and advised to bring union representation. I thought they certainly were not going to overreact to the little flag as they had to last year's poster, or somehow equate the flag to some sort of Homosexual Take-over. When I arrived at the meeting with my building representative, sitting beside the principal was the assistant principal to whom the lone complainer of my poster brought her complaint the year before.

The principal acted concerned, and acknowledged receipt of my letter saying that he would prefer to respond personally rather than in writing because things could go bad for me if he did. He appeared to be out for my interest. The assistant principal then related his story. It seems that two Latina students were concerned, and here he apologized for the words, but I was to remember he was quoting, that "that queer teacher was still working at the school". Apparently they were objecting to the sign on my cart acknowledging that September was National Hispanic-American Month, and were offended that this was on the cart of a Gay man. The principal interrupted to ask if it really was Hispanic American History Month, and when finding out it really was, asked what the school had been doing for it. I pointed out that my cart was the only mention of it in the school.

As was his usual practice, the assistant principal preferred to keep the students' names out of it, a practice most teachers believe allowed him to blame fictitious students for his own complaints without having to reveal he was actually speaking for himself. It was his theory and that of the principal that, perhaps, the students crept into the lounge and took the flag based on their objections. I expressed my doubts at this as sneaking into a school on a weekend, going into a locked lounge on the second floor only to take a flag pole with a flag was quite an investment with so little return when sitting on the top of the cart were a pair of good quality sunglasses, a VCR and a small hand held, palm sized tape recorder whose theft would have made the whole mission a little more worthwhile.

I declined a formal investigation as it would have had to be conducted by the assistant principal, whom I could not trust to be honest, nor to conduct an investigation without ensuring it would be done in such a way, or that questions be designed and interviewees chosen, to arrive at a predetermined outcome.

He failed to mention beyond the alleged question how he handled the bigotry displayed in the students' question. Later that day in an informal, handwritten note I mentioned my doubts that an investigation would have been fair and included some information the principal might find helpful in the future when dealing with bigotry based questions from students. The response I received was a formal memo which referred to the complaints of "the Latino students" which to me implied far more that the two the assistant principal had spoken of, and suggested that unlike my previous refusal of one, if I preferred to have it done the assistant principal would be glad to survey the students about the matter. I saw an opportunity and not only replied by thanking the principal for his suggestion of a survey, but in order to eliminate the time to design one, and to ensure that the one we used had a proven record I forwarded to him a copy of the survey designed under Governor Weld of Massachusetts when he began investigating the conditions faced by Gay and Lesbian students in Massachuseets public schools which resulted in state laws there ensuring equal protection and treatment of Gay and Lesbian students.

I met with the principal and we spoke of the possibility of a survey, but he was concerned about limiting a survey just to things related to Gay and Lesbian students, suggesting perhaps a more broad survey of intolerance in general, and that such an idea should be brought up to the faculty advisory committee.

Immediately I drafted a letter to all faculty advisory committee members explaining the purpose of the survey, its neutral nature and its importance, included a copy of the survey and some supporting evidence of its need and upon leaving for the day put a copy in each member's mail box.

And went home for the weekend.

TO BE CONTINUED

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