7:45 - 8:30 We had breakfast consisting of "Lender-style" bagels, cream cheese, or butter and coffee.
8:45 - 10:30 We sat with out departments and learned how to write a lesson. It's amazing, I've been teaching over 30 years and now I know that I have been asking anticipatory questions and my lessons have congruency. I couldn't respond to my AP's question when he asked us to define congruency because I've never heard the term used in regards to lesson planning. I'm just too old, I guess.
10:45 - 11:45 We sat in the auditorium and listened to Principal Suit praising himself about how great our school did in the ratings. He is sharing his $20,000 bonus with us by giving us all tee shirts. And we only had to wait on a 20 minute line to pick them up. I hope he hasn't noticed that mine is still in the box it came in.
11:45 -12:00 We had a union meeting. Instead of discussing issues pertinent to us in school, our chapter chairman told us who to vote for. He also told us what a great contract we are getting (he is Unity all the way) and we couldn't possibly hope for anything better. I'm sure he wasn't happy when someone grabbed the mike and told everyone exactly how little this new contract was going to give us.
12:00 - 1:00 The best part of the day -- LUNCH with two of my good friends. We tried to go to a bagel store away from school, to be alone. Unfortunately, lots of others had the same idea. Oh well, at least we got there first and had a good table.
1:00 - 1:45 Anger Management Session. This consisted of the AP in charge of security standing in front of the room telling us what a great job he is doing. No one is controlling my anger and boy am I angry by now!
2:00 - 2:30 Back to our departments. Once again being treated by our AP as if we do not know how to teach.
The rantings of a teacher who retired from the classroom but not from education.
2 comments:
I have NEVER EVER heard of a worthwhile PD day. For my first Election Day, PD I (along with the other prek teacher) were sent to an early childhood workshop because the principal did not know what to do with us in school. I guess I was considered pretty lucky I did not have to be subjected to administrator- PD.
(FYI- there is no pre-k curriculum in NYC- so most pre-k teachers do not have to get subjected to the same workshops or seminars that the elementary teachers, k-5 have to go through.)
**This is actually a problem in many schools- elementary teachers ask for pre-k so they do not have to follow what the principal wants K-5 to do, curriculum-wise. Most of the time, the principal often forgets about the pre-k teachers and curriculum choices- and teachers get away with doing whatever they want- this is a problem- because there are some (not all)teachers who really 'do nothing' and get away with it..probably one of the reasons why teachers are getting a bad reputation in this country now anyway.
The second year, (the year I was harassed), the pre-k - 2 teachers were sent to a classroom to learn about the 'deeper meaning' in texts. 2 newbie younger teachers (1 of the teachers happens to be fabulous and has tons of experience in early childhood) were asked to prepare the lesson the day before within no time. Principal was at the deeper meaning behind shared reading texts. (The 2 teachers just introduced and showed the higher level questions of each book they presented. They never went through an actual lesson with all of the steps.)
Her response was to the 2 teachers workshop lesson, "Oh my gosh, these meanings are a really hard concept. How are they going to get this?"
A few of the teachers who actually got the point of the workshop lesson looked at her and 1 of them said, "The children will eventually get the concept with appropriate scaffolding and questioning skills. "
Principal turned beat red...her typical expression on a consistent basis.
(No, I was not the teacher who made that comment..although I wish I had).
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