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Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The Story of Teddy Smith, Former Teacher in NYC

I know the story of Teddy Smith very well, as you can see from the articles I wrote which you can read at the end of Teddy's statement.

His lawyer, the person who called Theresa Europe of the Gotcha Squad up to tell her that his client had threatened to kill his arbitrator, has been MIA somewhere in Malaysia since Teddy's 3020-a hearing began. Where in the world are you, David Kearney?

Teddy Smith, Teacher


I am a former tenured teacher employed by The New York City Department Of  Education from 1995 through 2010. At the same time, I also worked with the United Nations After-School Program. Until 2005, I had only the highest annual evaluation rating in every category, and I earned a Supervisory License and planned to become a principal. I also earned the highest evaluations while working for The United Nations After School Program for Fifteen Years from 1995 through 2010. Prior to this, I owned my own Martial arts And fitness Schools. Today, I am a broadcaster working as an On Air Radio Personality, Sales Person, And Commercial Voice Talent, and an author.

In 2004, I accepted a position of teaching Physical Education And Health at The New York City Museum School In Manhattan. I was told that an Assistant Principal vacancy was opening up. I was a full-time teacher, but was hired for what amounted to a part-time position. Instead of making the program full-time, the school was cramming between Sixty and over One Hundred Students into many of the classes, and made the program part-time, without providing me an assistant. I tried to discuss this issue with Principal Lindley (Lindy) Uehling but she insisted that it was my job to teach and to maintain the safety of the children regardless of the size of the classes, and my transfer request was also denied. I complained and filed grievances with The United Federation Of Teachers, but they failed to act on my behalf as a union member. I began the school year by getting great observations from Principal Lindley (Lindy) Uehling until I complained about teaching such dangerously oversized classes. Then everything went down hill from here. Uehling began sabotaging my personnel file. According to an email I received accidentally from Fay Pallen to Uehling, they were conspiring to terminate me before this problem exposed. Uehling put disiplinary letters in my file every week. Out of frustration, I complained to The DOE, UFT, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein. In 2005 after Ten Years of satisfactory service, I received my first unsatisfactory rating from Principal Lindley (Lindy) Uehling. She then resigned, and I was sent to the notorious "Rubber Room" while waiting to have my hearing.  

In 2007, I was asked to sign an agreement for returning to work, which included accepting my first unsatisfactory rating, and giving up my legal rights to appeal. I refused to sign this unjust agreement and upset the unexpected, my own attorney, David Kearney. With our contingency agreement, Kearney was expecting me to sign the agreement and end this case. Before the supposed final hearing date scheduled for May 10th 2007, Kearney threatened me to change our contingency agreement to hourly based. When he did not succeed, he then sabotaged me by falsely accusing me of threatening him and the life of the arbitrator. The arbitrator, The Deputy Counsel to the Chancellor and DOE representatives went along with his false statements without investigation and disregarding my complaint to The Special Commissioner of Investigation For The New York City School District, Richard Condon. The SCI submitted a falsified report by stating that my denials were not credible when I was never questioned by them regarding any threats in an interview that lasted almost two hours. Kearney, on the other hand, had never filed a police report and gave conflicting dates about the alleged threat. They could not prove Kearney's accusation as to when the threat happened, never the less, the SCI sent this falsified report and investigation along with a press release to the New york Daily News and to the Publication the Chief as well as publishing it on the internet to make the case sound valid. The SCI claimed that I was unfit regardless my excellent record from other schools; and the DOE Psychiatrist found nothing wrong with me and that I should return to work in 2007. In 2008, current Principal of New York City Museum School, Darlene Miller, who I had never met, filed new accusation of misconduct and unfit for the job based on this SCI's falsified report.

After two more years of turmoil, in 2010 I was found guilty and terminated. The  case is under appeal. According to the arbitrator, it didn't matter that key witness, David Kearney, could not be found to testify and cross examined, it didn't matter to the arbitrator that the DOE doctors found me fit and should return to work. "You are Terminated!" The Principal Lindley (Lindy) Uehling has worked for six different educational positions after she left The New York City Museum School in 2005. The current Principal of The New York City Museum School, Darlene Miller, was recently arrested for drunken driving and hitting a patrol car, according to The New York Post.

This is one of the sad stories under Mayor Bloomberg's budget cut in education. A principal used a teacher as a scape goat to deal with this issue, and sabotage the welfare of students and a good teacher. Bad principals are being protected while teachers are vulnerable when it comes to justice. It took two principals, three arbitrators, 10 lawyers, and six years to find me guilty. I would like to know the real reason as to why this system failed me and why I was fired. The money the city spent on terminating me, could have been used to reduce the oversized classes. I am an excellent teacher, and I ask for my reinstatement.

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