Andrew Buck: 'Least-Trustworthy' New York Principal Fired, Teacher 'Cried Tears Of Joy'

NY Daily News:

The Department of Education is canning an infamous Brooklyn principal who grabbed headlines for sending teachers nonsensical letters filled with grammatical errors.

Principal Andrew Buck, who also pressured parents and staffers to recommend him for tenure, has been yanked from the Middle School for Art and Philosophy and placed on desk duty while the city moves to fire him, officials said.

"He has been denied tenure and assigned to administrative duties, pending his discontinuance," said Education Department spokeswoman Marge Feinberg.

Some parents and teachers say they are relieved he's gone.

"I cried tears of joy," said eighth-grade teacher Debra McLain, who was assaulted by a student during class last June and blames Buck for conditions at the school.

"Teachers were getting hurt, and the kids were running amok - he ran the school into the ground," McLain said.

Read the whole story: NY Daily News

Comments

[broui]

09:17 AM on 07/04/2011

It's a start. We've gotten to a point in my building to where if there weren't tears of joy, there certainly would be cheers and several raised glasses (after hours).

Our guy isn't as bad as this guy sounds but he's close.

[heymjo]

03:47 PM on 07/03/2011

More than almost anything else, this is a good example of why tenure is so important for the teaching profession. Can you imagine the bullying this idiot would do (has done?) to teachers if they didn't have tenure protection? Most uniformed think of tenure as a way to protect lazy, incompetent teachers or as a way for people to put in their time to get "job security" and then kick back and relax until it is pension time. Probably true in a minute percentage of cases when you look at the entire profession. But as teachers were are vulnerable to moronic political appointments like this one who has us at his mercy when he obviously doesn't know what he is doing. Further, more than any other profession, we are subject to how our students interpret what we say and do. As anyone with a teenage kid knows, what you say and what he hears are often two different things. So imagine talking to 150 kids a day and having them repeat what you said at home. Without tenure protection, we would be frequently on the carpet because something we said might be interpreted to disagree with their personal beliefs. This is the side of the argument in favor of tenure that we never hear or stress when people argue against tenure. Tenure is about due process, not untouchable job security.

[AmigaMan]

11:32 PM on 07/03/2011

Your last sentence says it all. I am becoming a high school teacher, and when I am teaching I want to be protected from principals that think they can do whatever they feel like doing.

[hhenry5675]

03:18 PM on 07/03/2011

I'd like to see a copy of the letter he wrote.

[changing]

04:02 PM on 07/02/2011

Want to really make thousands of teachers cry tears of joy? Fire Arne Duncan.

[wayne the pain]

04:13 PM on 07/02/2011

You mean Arne, I never taught in a public school, I was never an administrator in a public school, I never attended a public school, I was a Mayor Daley politically apointed deputy superintendent with no experience, my real experience is playing basketball with Obama in Chicago, don't bother me with facts, Gates, Walton, Bloomberg, and Broad tell me what is right, Duncan?

[AmigaMan]

11:32 PM on 07/03/2011

LOL Very appropriate description IMO.

[sawyer0413]

03:53 PM on 07/02/2011

WAIT A SECOND! This goes against all we've been taught by the reformers ... it's the teachers fault! SO? It's the principal? WOW! How amazing?

So, how many in the NYC Public School system that allowed this horrible principal to both rise to the position, and to remain in the position as long as he did, were placed on desk duty? Surely, a system that holds both teachers and, now, principals to such high standards has to have incredibly high standards for the leaders of those teachers and principals!

[wayne the pain]

04:25 PM on 07/02/2011

This guy seems to fly in the face of the billionaires that say give total control of a school to the principal. Let the principal, hire, fire, transfer, evaluate, and make all teaching assignment, total control of school budget, etc., etc. Can you imagine the damage this principal would have done with that kind of power! Schools should be run like university departments. An elected department chair and an elected faculty committee to make "most" decisions, academic and personnel.

[sawyer0413]

08:49 PM on 07/02/2011

Yes, but that would remove control from our dear old School Boards. You know, those people who generally lack any real background or training in Education, but are elected as the voice of the people. You know, those people who have even less experience in Education than Arne Duncan. Can you tell that I hope that there is a special layer of hell for most School Boards? ***chuckle***

[GlennWatson]

08:35 PM on 07/02/2011

I am sure all the people responsable for hiring and paying this principal will not be put in charge of judging teachers. Wait, what am I saying? Of course they will.

[sawyer0413]

08:47 PM on 07/02/2011

Of course! What will likely happen is that they will promote themselves to be the bosses of those who judge teachers. Thereby insuring that the virus is perpetuated.