A.J. Duffy circled the desks of Room 192 at Palms Middle School with the careful grace of a street fighter, albeit a somewhat portly one. He danced from side to side, kicking his legs out slightly as he walked.
As usual, Duffy was dressed to the nines. A long-sleeved, black-collared shirt was buttoned to the top. Flashy, black-and-white, tasseled patent-leather loafers peeked out from under charcoal pants.
Duffy watched his students, slouching in their seats, scribbling essays in beige composition books, then barked out a command laden with Brooklynese. "Siddup! What did I tell you guys about posture in the classroom?
UTLA president -- An article in Wednesday's California section about the new president of United Teachers Los Angeles said A.J. Duffy was the first to move from the classroom to the top union job. In fact, he is the fourth. Bob Unruhe, Hank Springer and Wayne Johnson were classroom teachers immediately before they took the post.
The tone was singsong, but the orders absolute. "Don't forget the date in the upper-right-hand corner. I need a date on everything! Best handwriting!"
He thrust his hands into his pants pockets, then, a moment later, tucked them under arms he restlessly crossed over his chest. He gnawed a disposable ballpoint pen absent-mindedly. "Let's have some nice, short sentences. Simple is best."
The students, all of whom have learning disabilities, have a hard time concentrating. They're up from their seats every few minutes: to grab a tissue, to sharpen a pencil or to study a map.
The former dean of discipline at the Los Angeles middle school, Duffy knows all the moves. "I didn't recall this being a group activity!"
The students scramble to their seats.
Duffy is used to having people jump to order. A longtime union activist, he forged his reputation as a fearless defender of teachers' rights. A dozen principals are out of a job because Duffy sought their ouster.
On July 1, the Brooklyn-raised Duffy will become head of United Teachers Los Angeles, assuming a new mantle of authority.
The biggest difference between him and the present union leader, John Perez?
"I dress."
Besides clothing, there is much about Duffy that will be new for the 35-year-old teachers union. He'll be the first teacher to move directly from the classroom to the head of the union that represents Los Angeles' 46,000 teachers.
That, some say, may give Duffy more rank-and-file credentials than previous union leaders, who had left the classroom long ago.
He has vowed to bring "a completely new look" to the organization. Besides traditional union concerns such as contract issues, the union will focus on social justice and activism. He has vowed to stand up for members on issues such as the federal No Child Left Behind rules, which he says are designed to turn teachers into scapegoats and eradicate public education in favor of vouchers and private schools.
