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Teacher By Day, Wrestler By Night
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 1, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 1, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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A public school social studies teacher who resigned after it as discovered he aas moonlighting on the professional wrestling circuit is being asked to pay back the city for faking sick days when he was competing. This is so not fair - back in Gothamist's day, our teachers never got to wear crazy costume and call themselves "Matt Striker"! The NY Times speaks with Matthew Kaye, the man behind "Striker," who is trying to get his job back at Benjamin Cardozo High, or at least still something in the NYC school system. Public school officials are recommending Kaye be ineligible for work, while the teacher's union Randi Weingarten says, "Teachers frequently have second jobs or second careers because you just can't make it on a teacher's salary these days." Kaye, for his part, tells the Times:
"There are people out there who touch children inappropriately who are still allowed to work. The only thing I did was I put in sick days instead of personal days, because I didn't know there was a difference."
Let that be a lesson to all of us: Understand what your employment will find acceptable for sick and personal days. Kaye is also willing to repay those sick days and will "even accept a suspension" if it means he can go back to his now adoring students.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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