I’m sitting in the student’s cafeteria at the second of today’s meeting. I can’t get my laptop to sign on line so I am typing now in word. Yesterday Principal Suit told us to bring our own laptops to school because the school only has 4 computers in the library for a staff of over 300. Since most people have laptops anyways, we should just bring our own daily. So now, on top of two bags and a coat and umbrella, I am expected to carry a computer with me, the computer that will not pick up the internet in the cafeteria. There is no way I am going to bring it during normal school days. Aside from the logistics of not wanting to carry another thing around, and of it not working, there is no safe place to leave it when I am not teaching. If I am tutoring in the library, I am lucky to have a seat for myself and a corner on the floor to dump my books. If I have hall patrol, I just have one more thing to carry since the hall provides no safe storage.
I’m thinking that I should just head over to Target and borrow one of their shopping carts. Too bad I cannot use my teacher choice money to buy one. I can load it up, maybe even bring in a lock and chain for my lap top so I can move easily from room to room. Oh wait, I forgot, there are stairs in the building and an elevator that does not always work. I guess I will have to do what every teacher is told to do—IMPROVISE, MAKE THE BEST OF A BAD SITUATION.
7 comments:
The tech guy at my school tells me that the district doesn't allow us to bring our own laptops in to work. I gave him some grief about how impractical it was for me to cart my desktop across the room in order to use and LCD projector. The physical hook-up is the problem. After awhile, he relented and even gave me the closed-connection code for the district wi-fi. That's a huge coup given the lack of trust administators have for teachers in my district.
Anyway, a shopping cart might make a really good point if Principal Suit is astute enough to get it. If not, it might be kind of fun to ruffle his feathers.
Pissed Off, I am so feeling this post.
Colleagues tease me for all of the bags I carry, and, unfortunately, I suffered some painful tendonitis in my left shoulder as a result ( I carry all of my bags on my left shoulder). The heaviest item? My laptop!
Teachers should file Workman's Comp. claims for injury due to too much baggage. That might raise an eyebrow on the part of the Admin.
This whole thing doesn't sound right. First, not all teachers own laptops. These should be provided by the DoE. Second, we were told we can't use our laptops in the school, so there must be some directive. And, I'm not sure, but is it possible that personal laptops can pick up viruses from using the same network? What does your rep say about all this? What happens if your laptop gets damaged or is stolen? Will Suit pay for it?
I'm nto bringing mine in, so I will not know. But, I don't think Suit will pay.
One of my colleagues said it is easy to bypass the filter on the wi-fi if you are using your own laptop. I guess they're afraid of teachers playing online games or surfing the web for porn on their preps. I guess it's the same mindset that forbids us from using our cell phones.
I use my own laptop at school, since the one checked out to me is a piece of crap. I asked for, and got, permission to have full and unimpeded Internet access on my personal laptop, something not allowed on school-issued laptops. I feel quite fortunate as I read all of the horror stories above.
Bringing your personal laptop to work is asking for trouble. Two of my co-workers had theirs stolen last year and since they are not tenured the adminstration "convinced" them not to report the theft to the police. For their sake I hope they didn't have anything on those laptops that could make their lives a living hell!! THINK ABOUT IT!!
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