Found this story on Assorted Stuff’s blog. Even though times in LAUSD are tough and some days are more exasperating than seems fathomable; even though…I still 
would prefer to teach here than to teach in NYC schools where teachers can seemingly be sent very easily to THE RUBBER ROOM.
This American Life has produced a radio story about what goes on in The Rubber Room. Yes, people are literally sent to a room, where they sit, some as long as year. What do they do when they sit, nothing. It’s odd and freaky. Not only this, but the teachers sit in there and get paid their regular salary without a word. It’s just amazingly idiotic how poorly teachers are treated in this country!
The story is entitled Act One: The Rubber Room.
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More than a year sometimes. A teacher at my old school was in for two years. I’ve heard of others being in there for even longer.
thanks for posting this
the rubber rooms are mostly filled with teachers 40 years old and up. there is lots of age discrimination going on.
Nani, do you know what put that teacher there? I’m wondering if I’d be at risk
POT, age discrimination sucks because the districts see older teachers as an expense and there are many who are some of the better teachers. Where I teach in L.A., most of our teachers in their 40’s come from other careers and bring something new and different to the classroom. We even have a girl in her early thirties, she was an engineer before. She teachers math and engineering for our STEM school and go figure, got pink slipped this weekend!
As I watched the film, I kept thinking. . . it’s just not right that the kids know that teachers have no recourse. . . if the student doesn’t like you or is frustrated with you, he reports you. When did kids get the power to decide who should be their teachers. Also, why is there so little respect for education?
It all just makes me sad. I look at other countries and teaching is considered to be an ELITE profession. . . a noble profession. . . everyone respects it, but what has happened in America.
The rubber room story on This American Life was an eye-opener. I had no idea teachers could be treated like that!