The New York Times paints a bleak picture of that city's "teacher reassignment centers," aka "Rubber Rooms." These rubber rooms--where teachers involved in disputes with the school system are required to report to work each day--aren't much fun, offering little in the way of professional amenities--no clocks, phones, Internet access or windows--and they tend to be overcrowded. To our thinking, the description sounds pretty much like a regular classroom, but what do we know.

Some teachers in the Rubber Room are there because they are facing criminal charges and others have been accused of incompetence or negligence--"a hard bunch to defend," concedes the Times. Only in rare cases, an unusually outspoken or independent educator may be assigned to the rubber room, awaiting the fate of arbitration. Nevertheless, the Times concludes that the bare bones decor suggests that these teachers are "guilty until proved innocent."

Described one teacher: "It's extremely oppressive. It's regimented. It's unhappy. There's friendship and camaraderie among us in the room, but there's a constant atmosphere of fear. And deep depression."