We had our monthly departmental meeting today. It should have been held last week, but Mr. AP had to leave early to take his new baby to the doctor. Our UFT rep told him it was not a problem to reschedule. We all know that rescheduling was a contract violation, but some things are not worth fighting about.
We are a school on a twelve period day. Supposedly, to accommodate different schedules, our meetings are held various periods during the day. We still have to go to C-6 assignments. This means that the only free period we have is lunch. Ms. POd bitched because the only period she could attend gave her five classes in a row. Mr. AP gave her permission to go the the bathroom and get coffee first. What a guy!
The meeting consisted of his usual double talk and talking down to teachers. He again reminded us how we are here to help children. One of my kids went to him today because she is in the wrong math class. He had told her earlier in the semester to see him if the class was too hard. He proceeded to yell at her and tell her to tell her guidance counselor to change anything he wanted. He would not do the counselor's job. The kid was upset. She said, "I am a student. I cannot tell my counselor what to do." I ended up walking her into the counselor and helped get her straight. I might not say that my job is to help kids, but I do help them all the time.
One of the things he mentioned was the availability of a scholarship report. He told us all to stop by and see him about it. I asked if we could do this during the C-6 period. Of course I got yelled at. "Your job is to help kids. Don't mention contract. So what if you have to give up five or ten minutes of your lunch." Too bad he always mentions contract when we complain about the C-6 assignments. I guess the contract only works when it benefits him. I am not going to see him about these reports. I can't see any way that seeing them will help my students.
Quality review is giving our school a second look in a few days. We are all supposed to want that good grade so we will get good students. Our school is too crowded. We don't need any more students. Besides, the school is in a good, safe neighborhood. The kids will keep coming no matter what mark we are given. Administration wants the grade for their bonuses. I just want to be left alone. The only positive thing I can say about my school is that the administration is not as bad as the one Justice Not Just Us works for.
We are a school on a twelve period day. Supposedly, to accommodate different schedules, our meetings are held various periods during the day. We still have to go to C-6 assignments. This means that the only free period we have is lunch. Ms. POd bitched because the only period she could attend gave her five classes in a row. Mr. AP gave her permission to go the the bathroom and get coffee first. What a guy!
The meeting consisted of his usual double talk and talking down to teachers. He again reminded us how we are here to help children. One of my kids went to him today because she is in the wrong math class. He had told her earlier in the semester to see him if the class was too hard. He proceeded to yell at her and tell her to tell her guidance counselor to change anything he wanted. He would not do the counselor's job. The kid was upset. She said, "I am a student. I cannot tell my counselor what to do." I ended up walking her into the counselor and helped get her straight. I might not say that my job is to help kids, but I do help them all the time.
One of the things he mentioned was the availability of a scholarship report. He told us all to stop by and see him about it. I asked if we could do this during the C-6 period. Of course I got yelled at. "Your job is to help kids. Don't mention contract. So what if you have to give up five or ten minutes of your lunch." Too bad he always mentions contract when we complain about the C-6 assignments. I guess the contract only works when it benefits him. I am not going to see him about these reports. I can't see any way that seeing them will help my students.
Quality review is giving our school a second look in a few days. We are all supposed to want that good grade so we will get good students. Our school is too crowded. We don't need any more students. Besides, the school is in a good, safe neighborhood. The kids will keep coming no matter what mark we are given. Administration wants the grade for their bonuses. I just want to be left alone. The only positive thing I can say about my school is that the administration is not as bad as the one Justice Not Just Us works for.
11 comments:
I am not a favorite of my admin because I also do not like being called during lunch. All the others complain to each other, but it never gets back to her.
She goes out of her way to bend the contract (with the help of our CC). Now she uses all of our C-6 common planning to use it as a grade meeting. So very little common planning gets done. The only time that happens is when she is absent during our common prep.
She also had a habit of calling teachers down to her before 8:20 or during lunch.
Another one of her bad habits is to overuse the PA system. Her announcements go on and on and on.
She sometimes uses it to scold teachers which makes the students laugh.
Since my AP blew off the last 2 grade meetings she scheduled, I now refuse to attend unless I am told a school day in advance that the meeting will actually take place. I have too much to do to sit around twiddling my thumbs waiting to hear crap.
Schoolgal, our own Principal Suit can't get off the PA, neither can his adminstrative wannabee secretaries. However, scolding teachers is supposed to be done in private (or semi private). Perhaps all these adminstrators and sycophants can create a DJ company, where they can get on the mike for a living..... The good feature is that we do still have the "duty free lunch"; we have held at bay admin who can't get over themselves. Long may it last!!
Sadly, the contract is an abomination and works for no one but Bloomberg
, Weingarten, and the Unity/New Action patronage mill. It's remarkable they cut our prep time in half and raised not a squawk among 60% of voting teachers.
In any case, I also often take kids to the guidance counselors, saving them weeks of agonizing over appointments and bureaucracy. I think advocating for kids is one of our most important functions. I regret the bigwigs focus more on pointless merit pay schemes that get them celebrated as "reformers."
Love your images. Can't wait to see what you have in store for Wednesday.
Happy Boo in advance!
I'm lucky as far as PA system goes--it does not work in my trailer. I've complained lots of times, because the kids do need to hear some of the announcements but those complaints fall on deaf ears. We don't even hear fire bells so I refused to leave last week during the fire drill until a security guard knocked on my door.
The scariest picture would be one of Principal Suit or my AP but I am afraid I can't share those.
the PA system in my school is a little overabused. It's crazy. So is the flyer business. Today, we got like 5 flyers, only 4 of which I really wanted to hand out. It grosses me out how much paper we waste.
By the way, despite the PO'dness, I still found this post entertaining. Good stuff. Peace.
This year all the departments at my school have department meetings every single WEEK.
Contractually it is one faculty meeting and one departmental meeting a month. Your school is taking advantage.
I love your comment about scary faced principal suit!! LOL We have a huge witch in one of our complexes and we call her Sybil. Only thing is that the witch is actually more attractive than principal Sybil!
You have departments!!!!???
My skunk of a Principal did away with them. His reasoning, having departments is like having a rearview mirror on your car there is no reason to look back at the old way of doing things we must keep our eyes front!!!! Never mind about the rules of the road(the contract) we must do things differently from now on and departments are old fashion.
Now, no one knows where to get books from or who is odering them but hey books are old fasion too.
Never mind about getting curriculias(I could never spell that word not that I need to now)for the subjects you teach since projects are what we do--everyday, all day! The kids produce posters with semi-pornographic pictures to demonstrate learning and their inventive use of ebonics. Sometimes some of our more creative children are able to get gang symbols past the clueless young teachers. Hey there are no Latin Kings, Crips, Bloods and Domnicans Don't Play in Idaho so why should our teachers know anything about gang subculture???
YOU ARE RIGHT PISSED IN YOU WORK IN PARADISE WHILE I TOIL DANTE'S 9TH LEVEL OF HELL! hey I am tough and Brasil is around the corner.
PS lunch--who needs that. Bathroom break-wear a depends diaper. See you have to be creative!
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