Why The AP Took The Job

Ineffective Administrator Moved On Instead of Out

The kennel clear across town has a new boss.  It seems the Chihuahua was not wanted in her old position. As we all know administrators are never removed from power they are just moved to new locations and Chihuahua is no exception to this rule.

Instead of removing her from the job she is incapable of doing well, she is in a new assignment, creating havoc and destroying the morale of once happy little dogs.

The Cabinet Meeting

I posted this on Facebook with a comment about how administrators think.  A friend pointed out, they
SCHEME are incapable of thinking.

Lack of Discipline

The parents who do not discipline their child create an individual who is used to making the rules and getting what they want all the time.  The child will often react with temper tantrums if anyone does not do what the child desires.

Young teachers straight out of college have often been trained the same way.  Their administrators have set them up as gods and goddesses letting them make the rules and set the standards.  I know this is not true for all but it did happen in my former department.  It came as no surprise when the young teacher, not getting her way in a new environment had a melt down.  No one every said no to her before.

It is hard to blame the spoilt child although no one likes this individual.  The young teacher has been raised the same way.  I imagine she should not be blamed either.

How The AP Became A Success

This is what you do when you know nothing and have zero education or experience and become boss.

Bet everyone knows an AP or Principal in this category.  I can think of a few but one really stands out.

Self Esteem

When a person is constantly put down, told they are no good, they begin to doubt themselves, even believe the things being said.  Intellectually, you know the things being said about you are not true, but after hearing them so often you start to believe.

That is what happened to me and lots of others when we taught, and are still teaching high school.  One teacher was yelled at when her students broke a window shade when she was absent.  The AP claimed if she trained them better, it would not have happened.  Another teacher was blamed when a student threw a water bottle out the window.  Still another was blamed for unruliness of his students but the head of security told him every student had a file 5 inches thick and he called deans less often than anyone else.  Newbies could got everyone to pass while veteran teachers did not.  Our methods were just not good enough and we even began doubting our skills teaching.

I think this is one of the reasons I am having trouble giving up teaching at the college.  Here I am respected and cherished for what I do in the classroom.  The students are learning and happy.  Even the ones who don't pass don't blame me.  The administration thanks me for coming in.  I am asked to cover classes because I am a "strong" teacher who knows the material and knows how to get it across.

The college, like the high school, is a city institution that has no control over the money I am paid. While they can't reward me financially, they reward me and other with kind words and words of appreciation.  These words make me want to do more for my students and for all the students in the school.

It is too bad today's schools won't do the same.  The kids wold benefit so much.  But I guess I shouldn't be surprised.  The almighty dollar sign is what rules schools today.  The dollar sign is what put so many incompetent administrators in place, incompetent administrators who get rid of good teachers.

How An AP Is Chosen

The AP had absolutely no experience in the subject she was put in charge of.  No one could figure out why she got the job, except of course Scott Adams.  She has no ethics.  She lies and cheats and throws both teachers and students to the wolves to improve her numbers and her standings. 

And then there is the AP who stands at meetings publicly berating and humiliating teachers.  He carefully removes failing students from the classes of those he likes and places them in the classes of those he does not like and then accuses them of being ineffective.  He constantly talks about those long retired in a demeaning manner.  He loves going on vacation and partying with the chosen few and has even been showing favoritism to one very pretty, very young new teacher.  His specialty is writing incoherent memos and going after those over 50.

 

Ethics and morality seem to be the only quality these people have and no wonder they are in charge.

 

Also included in this group should be politicians.

Why I Never Wanted To Be An Administrator

I like kids. Unlike others,  I never wanted to hurt them by taking a job I knew I would not be good at.

He Lost A Good One

 

A former Packemin colleague just sent me this e-mail she received from a student.  Mr. AP never thought much of her teaching and made her life so uncomfortable she took early retirement.  Luckily, the college didn't share his opinion of her teaching methods and hired her.  While the students at Packemin lost a great teacher, some college students gained one.  Congrats Prof XXX.  This is the kind of stuff that makes it all worth while.


Hi Prof. XXX


  Just wanted to say thank you so much for helping me pass math X. Your teaching
style is unbelievable.  I hated math all my life and wasn't good at it.  You
made me enjoy learning and now I feel confident when doing it.  Hopefully, the
Prof for math XX this summer can keep me interested in learning more advanced
math.  It was a pleasure meeting you and being your student.  I hope we meet
again some day. Thank you again for being by far the BEST prof I've ever had....

Learn The Difference Between Your Ass and Your Elbow Before You Ruin Schools



The test I took to get my teaching license was strenuous.  There was a written part that involved math, education theory and several essays.  After passing the written test I was called back for an oral exam, an exam that had me answering questions fired at me from three different administrators.  It was not fun, but I passed.

When I started, administrators were master teachers.  They taught at least ten years and then went through rigorous education and testing to get their license.  And, then they really had to past muster to get a job.  They weren't all good, but they knew their stuff.

Now things are different.  A woman decides she doesn't like working in the world of business.  She quickly takes a few education courses, bats her pretty eyes and gets a teaching job.  The administrator who hired her got his administration degree at Mickey Mouse University.  The woman has trouble passing the licensing exam but manages to squeak by (with lots of tutoring) on test two.  She works several years and decides teaching is not for her.  She can't handle the kids and wants to start bossing others around.  She goes to Mickey Mouse University and gets her administration degree, following in the foot steps of the one who hired her.  She knows she can't be in charge of the department she is licensed in (her knowledge of the subject is limited) so she gets a job supervising another field.

Administrators then knew why kids didn't pass and they knew it wasn't the teacher's fault.

There is talk of raising the bar for teaching certification but really, all that is necessary is to go back to the way things were.  Make sure the teachers coming up are actually qualiified, and not E4E iditots.  Most important, make sure the people being put in charge know the difference between their ass and their elbows.

Strength In Numbers



The math department had a room full of old computers that hadn't worked for years.  The computers were covered with graffiti and made the room look awful.  Principal Fire told Mrs. Oola to get the room cleaned up.  Mrs. Oola, in turn told us we had to clean the computers.  I objected.  It is not a teacher's job to clean and the chemicals we would have had to use were toxic.  Mr. Oola (Mrs. Oola's husbaand) sat in the back of the room and gave us all his evil eye.  We stood together and refused.



Mrs. Oola solved the problem the only way she could.  She and Mr. Oola came to school on a Saturday, donned long rubber gloves and spent the day cleaning.  And this my friends, is what happens when people stick together.

Pompus Ass



Picture a guy with a starched shirt and a tie, walking around with his stomach sticking out over his belt, acting like he owns the world.  If you can, you are picturing Mr. Bob, the guy that was interim math AP the term I left the special education department to join the math department, the department I am licensed to teach in and taught in for eight years before coming to Packemin.

Calling Mr. Bob was a pompous ass, would be redundant because pompous ass was what came to mind upon meeting him for the first time.  Mr. Bob got the job when the guy who had it before him moved on to greener pastures in a fancy Long Island school  He probably was the only one in the department with  an administrators license at the time (years ago you actually needed a brain and years of teaching experience to become an assistant principal) so he got the job by default.  The then principal launched a real search to find a permanent replacement.  It was obvious he did not want Mr. Bob to keep the job.

Mr. Bob got to make up programs for that year.  During his first semester he took the very best class for himself and gave good classes to all his friends.  Being new in the department (and unwanted--I'll go into that in another post), I got all the crap.  I didn't say a word, I didn't think I had a right to, although I was pissed.  I threw myself into my classes and did a pretty good job.  When the second semester came around, Mr. Bob programmed the same way, except for one thing.  He gave himself a crappy class.  His rationale was simple.  If he kept the job, he would simply give himself a program change and if someone else was brought it, he wanted them to either suffer or admit they didn't like rough classes and change it.  Mr. Bob lost his job to Mrs. Oola.

Mrs. Oola knew she needed to make a good impression on the department so she kept the class, a class she could not handle (more on this later too.)  But, as I've said before, she was smart and made Mr. Bob pay a price by observing his class and by heaping on some criticism he could not take.  Soon after, Mr. Bob got a job as an assistant principal in another school.  He lasted at that position one year and then went back to the classroom.

High Heels



One day Mrs. Oola decided to pay a surprise visit to Mr. Fish's 5th period class.  I was in the office at the time, with two mutual friends when she made this announcement.  We knew that Mr. Fish was not ready for an observation so two of us tried to stall her while the third went to warn Mr. Fish.  In spite of her ditsy personality, she figured out what we were trying to do and got to him.  Luckily, we got to him first.

Mr. Fish was an interesting character as well and when she tried to enter the room, he blocked her.  She finally agreed to come back another day. 

Meanwhile, the three of us made our way down to the cafeteria. As we sat around eating and laughing, Mrs. Oola walked in. This was especially strange because Mrs. Oola never left the second floor.  Her shoes had the skinniest heels and the little strap that held them on was always flapping loose so walking was difficult.  As soon as she noticed us, she sat down and immediately started lecturing Izzy, her department assistant.  She told us our actions were hurtful and our loyalty should belong to her.  She said her piece and left.  We laughed so hard tears came out our eyes.

Mrs. Oola never ventured downstairs again.

Gotcha Day



Since tomorrow is the last day before vacation and the kids might be slightly wacko and unwilling to work, make sure you work them anyway, or give a test.  There is bound to be an administrator lurking around with a computer, just itching to do an observation.  The day before a holiday is their favorite time.  And, the later in the day your class meets, the better your chances are of getting this unexpected visit.

Admins don't think there is any problem with doing this.  One said he liked to observe this time to see what stuff teachers are really made of.  I said, if he doesn't know he is not much of an administrator.

Have a great vacation and good luck tomorrow.  I know from experience it will be rough.

In Bloomberg's World

This post can be about an AP in Bloomberg's world.  I am sure many readers will recognize their supervisor here, and that was the purpose of the writing--to expose the incompetents out there today.

1.  Attractive, young and straight out of the business world but didn't get accepted by TFA.  They must have seen something really bad inside.

2. After considerable effort, takes some courses on own, (credits bought and paid for not really earned I'm guessing) and finds a school, suckered by looks to provide job.

3.  Fails the licensing exam the first time but passes the second due to the help of a magnanimous colleague.

4.  Swears up and down the classroom is the only place to be and never stops downplaying love of children.

5.  Takes a dean's job as soon as possible to get out of the classroom.

6.  Takes a "buy a degree" graduate program in education, brags about never buying books and using papers friend's wrote.  Even has someone fraudulently sign off on field work.

7.  Applies for administration job running the school because knowledge of license area is extremely lacking.
Cries when that job is given to another.

8.  Finally gets that administrative job managing a department completely unfamiliar.  Has succeeded in escaping the sloathed students and in a position of great power.

Another nail in the coffin of education.

I Know This Administrator!

South Bronx and I work in different schools, but the administrator he is describing sounds vaguely familiar.  Read his post here.         

Today's Newsday is still blaming teachers for all the woes of the schools.   When will the media open their eyes to administrators who fall into this category?

7-11 Administrator



I never had a supervisor I liked, but I have had ones who knew math,  knew how to teach and how to recognize good teachers.  They knew their subjects inside out.  They passed rigorous tests to get their positions.  I never liked being observed but the old ones, the ones that knew their stuff and often ripped me apart, taught me to be a better teacher.

I never thought I would say this, I miss those old supervisors. What can anyone possibly learn from  administrator who knows little to nothing about the subject s/he is in charge of and has minimal experience, often in subjects unrelated to what s/he is in charge of ?  What can anyone possibly learn from the administrator who got his/her degree with borrowed papers, no books and a degree from the nearest 7-11?

In His Image

She started her career as a kind hearted, caring person.  She loved the kids she worked with, especially the kids on the lowest levels.  She never saw race, religion or nationality, only  a child in need of help.

Unfortunately, along with her soft heart came discipline problems.  Her very rigid supervisor did not approve and he started showing up in her classroom many times during the week.  Each visit was followed by a session in the supervisor's office where he would yell and belittle her and then threaten her with U ratings and the loss of her job.

She was scared.  She had young children and needed the job.  She reinvented herself in the image of her supervisor in an attempt to win his approval and stop the continual harassment.  Things slowly began to get better for her.  Her classes got quiet and the supervisor was happy.   Unfortunately, the children in her class did not fair as well.  The environment they once flourished in was gone.  The loving teacher was replaced by a heartless Gestapo guard.  There was no longer any love and caring in the air.  The kids who were failing before still failed.  The children who once blossomed under her care were now doomed.

(This is what happens when people with no ability and no heart get a little bit of power.)

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

The e-mail came around announcing J Squared 80th birthday. It asked everyone to let by gones be by gones and encouraged us all to send her a card, congratulating her on 80th birthday.

J Squared was evil, through and through. The stories I could write about her would sound like fiction, but they are all true. She made a woman who recently had back surgery drag books back to the book room, she called homes of absent teachers at 6:00 in the morning, disturbing wives and children. (These teachers were hardly ever out so there was no excuse for her behavior.) The dead pigeons the custodians left in her mail box, the chains that were taken to her car and even the poor cafeteria worker who was threatened when he offered to drive her to school were retaliations against the wicked things she had done to people in the school, to the careers she had ruined.

J Squared was always nice to me until I asked not to be her department assistant any longer. I found myself answering people in the same manner she answered them and I was afraid I was going to grow in her image. I had to get away to save myself.

Luckily for me, it did not take J Squared very long to recover from this slight. She actually needed me on her side as most of the department hated her. (That never happened.) I remember how we all used to give her the silent treatment at department meetings and she would get so frustrated, she let us leave early.

My real problems with J Squared came when I told her I was going to take an extended (multiple year) child care leave. She couldn't understand how I could not consider coming back to work two weeks after giving birth like she did. To punish me, she gave me 5 classes, in 5 rooms, on 4 floors. I had to walk across a crowded cafeteria to get from room to room. I know it was her plan, because the program chairman showed me the original schedule with me in just one room, next to the bathroom. Even after I gave birth, J Squared would not let up on me. She called me in the hospital, hours after my C-section, telling me to come back to work. She called me at home and only when I hung up to care for a screaming baby did the calls stop.

At one point during my child care leave, I applied for a job at a local college. They were all set to hire me, they just needed a letter of recommendation from J Squared. She refused to give it to me, claiming it was summer and she had no school stationary. Luckily, I had lots of good observation reports and letters from her praising my teaching skills. I was able to substitute these for what she would not write.

I must be mellowing in my old age. As soon as I got the e-mail, I sent her a card. I figured, what could it hurt. She's an old woman now and she might not even remember me. My friends were shocked. No one expected too many of us to want to wish her well and I was high on that list. She called to thank me for the card. It is hard to believe that it has been almost 30 years and she still has my number. My friends found it harder to believe that I actually returned her call. We had a pleasant conversation, catching up on our lives and then on the sorry state of education today.

I'm a grudge holder, cross me once and I don't forget. It is usually impossible to get off the doo doo list once you are on it, yet I called her anyways. And, I am glad I did. Most of my friends that sent the cards only sent them because a spouse encouraged them to be nice. I was nice on my own and that is completely out of character for me. Will 30 years be long enough for me to get over my grudge against ex-Principal Suit? Will we live that long? I certainly don't see it happening but I never thought I could have a civil conversation with J Squared either. Only time will tell.

When I'm Feeling Down

When I feel like there is a conspiracy against older teachers (I am not in that group, but I still feel the pain.)

When I feel like education has gone down the tubes and it is not worth the effort anymore.

When I feel like chucking it all because I'm tired of fighting the system. I'm tired of administrators who put accountability first and learning second.

I open my e-mail and find this:

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, Mrs. PoD!

These kids are making it hard for me to do what I know I should do.