Teacher, Castedra Francis who was bitten by a pupil says school authority didn’t care

Castedra Francis, a resident of Brooklyn, started working as a public school teacher in New York City to make a difference in the lives of students with disabilities.

She loved her students but after only two years of struggling with poor working conditions at a public school for students with significant challenges such as autism and emotional disturbances, the 32-year-old teacher “saw a very dark future for myself.”

Francis found a way to live her educational “dream” by switching to a charter school. At her first job at the Department of Education’s P79M Horan School in Harlem, she taught 12th grade without any curriculum or classroom supplies.

Francis was left to prepare everything on her own without guidance, and she faced a lack of resources for students with disabilities. Moreover, she was not provided with support to deal with unruly students, one of whom bit her three times.

Realizing that she couldn’t continue to work in an environment where teachers were not supported, Francis moved to teach 11th grade AP Language and Composition at Brooklyn Laboratory High School, a charter school in DUMBO.

The new position allowed her to work with a coach who observes and provides feedback on her teaching. She now has 2 or 3 preps a day, which gives her enough time to prepare her lessons for her students.

Francis pointed out that at Brooklyn Lab, “whenever there is an issue, I have support. [The administrators are] compassionate and supportive.” She said, “I can see why a lot of educators have left [DOE schools]. It’s because of a [lack of] work/life balance.”