Secret Mission Number 4080
So I'm miserable right now. I'm hating my job. I'm hating walking in the place because there is so much taking my focus away from what I love to do - work with the babies. The testosterone/estrogen enraged, over-stimulated, short-sighted, knuckle-headed, parents-are-babies-themselves-so-they-don't-know-how-to-raise-babies, 13 and 14 year old babies. MY babies. In a staff of almost 40, my principal has 7-8 people he puts everything on and works our nerves on a daily basis, while the rest of those MF don't even do the bare minimum to keep anybody's job.
One of the things taking away my focus is I am enrolled this school year in a principal preparation program. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I signed up to become a principal and get my license. I'm thinking I don't wanna be anybody's principal, I wanna go back into the classroom full time next year, but better to have it and not use it, then need it and not have it. (Actually I've been thinking a lot about starting my own charter school rather than deal in the district politics, but it's just a *nagging* thought right now.) But I digress.
I have a big paper - my first project of the program - due tomorrow and tonight will be a late night getting it done. Now because the district is in partnership with the university, we get released half days on Thursdays to attend class. So I go to work, teach my two classes then raise up around noon to sit in class from 1-7 pm every Thursday. Since I have to turn in my paper tomorrow I decided to take a sick day tomorrow, stay up late tonight and finish the paper, sleep in tomorrow before going to class at 1 pm. Enter secret mission #4080.
We have a power issue in our building. The school secretary thinks (and on many occasions demonstrates) that she has all the power. To the point that she does not want teachers to make their own arrangements for substitutes. Now check this... the district spends thousands, possibly a million, dollars a year to run an online/automated substitute finder system for teachers. As teachers we are responsible (according to the district) to make arrangements for our own subs in case of absence. A lot of school secretaries will do it if for you if it's a pre-scheduled absence, but if you wake up at midnight barfing all over your purple teddybear, it's up to you to request a substitute via the system.
Except at my school (let's call it Unhappy Middle School). At UMS the secretary wants to handle all substitute requests. Why? Because there are 4-5 substitutes she only wants to give jobs to. So if someone needs a sub, she calls these 4-5 people and keeps them employed pretty much full-time if they so desire. Now I'm not really unhappy that you have a pool that's exclusively dedicated to the building and our kids. That's quite alright. But what if none of them want to work?
Oh, then we have a problem, Houston. Because instead of using the district substitute finder to access hundreds of other people, gurlfriend just doesn't fill the request. So what does that mean? That means she and the other office staff spend the whole day asking teachers on their planning and/or lunch periods to cover the absent teacher's classes. Did I hear somebody (Dee Dee) say "Crack kills!"
Yep, that's right! Teachers who are already teaching a full load and have other duties are asked to give up their planning or lunch to cover a class for 45 minutes and $19.74 (not even a very good year, okay?!). But there's more, ladies and gentlemen. Most classes are 90-minutes long, however there no teachers who's schedule allow them to cover a full 90-minute block. So one teacher covers the first 45-minutes and a second teacher comes in for the second 45-minutes. But before that happens the kids wait in the hall for 10, 15, 20 minutes until a teacher can be found to cover the class. And then they might be told to go to another classroom (the covering teacher's classroom) only to be moved at the end of that 45-minutes back to the original classroom or the second teacher's classroom. Do you see an interruption to the learning process going on here? And did I mention that sometimes nobody shows up and the kids just sit there, teacher-less, monitoring themselves. (This mostly occurs with the 45-minute electives. One of which I also teach.)
Now the secretary will tell anyone who listens that she "just can't get substitutes in the building!" But most of know that she's not really trying to go beyond her "precious pool." So I'm trying an experiment. I left today, knowing I will not be going in tomorrow, but did not tell anyone. (Okay I let two people in on it because I wanted them to know about the experiment. They will keep the secret.) I left sub plans, but took my keys like I normally would. I came home and just completed the online request for a sub putting it in as a sick day. I was even able to request a former colleague who I know can relate to and handle my kids.
My hypothesis is... a substitute will pick up the job and show up tomorrow to work for me. I will get flack on Friday when I return for being responsible and getting my own coverage, but I will play dumb saying "I didn't know I was going to need a sub until after I got home and didn't feel well. So I just put in the request like I've always done when I'm sick. I assumed it the same all over the district when you're sick, you're supposed to use the subfinder system. My bad." But I will have proved my theory that we're being shafted because someone doesn't want to change her ways.
Now I'm about to go enjoy my cornbread and collard greens, finish my brilliant paper and go to bed. I'll let you know how it all turns out this weekend. Peace!
One of the things taking away my focus is I am enrolled this school year in a principal preparation program. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I signed up to become a principal and get my license. I'm thinking I don't wanna be anybody's principal, I wanna go back into the classroom full time next year, but better to have it and not use it, then need it and not have it. (Actually I've been thinking a lot about starting my own charter school rather than deal in the district politics, but it's just a *nagging* thought right now.) But I digress.
I have a big paper - my first project of the program - due tomorrow and tonight will be a late night getting it done. Now because the district is in partnership with the university, we get released half days on Thursdays to attend class. So I go to work, teach my two classes then raise up around noon to sit in class from 1-7 pm every Thursday. Since I have to turn in my paper tomorrow I decided to take a sick day tomorrow, stay up late tonight and finish the paper, sleep in tomorrow before going to class at 1 pm. Enter secret mission #4080.
We have a power issue in our building. The school secretary thinks (and on many occasions demonstrates) that she has all the power. To the point that she does not want teachers to make their own arrangements for substitutes. Now check this... the district spends thousands, possibly a million, dollars a year to run an online/automated substitute finder system for teachers. As teachers we are responsible (according to the district) to make arrangements for our own subs in case of absence. A lot of school secretaries will do it if for you if it's a pre-scheduled absence, but if you wake up at midnight barfing all over your purple teddybear, it's up to you to request a substitute via the system.
Except at my school (let's call it Unhappy Middle School). At UMS the secretary wants to handle all substitute requests. Why? Because there are 4-5 substitutes she only wants to give jobs to. So if someone needs a sub, she calls these 4-5 people and keeps them employed pretty much full-time if they so desire. Now I'm not really unhappy that you have a pool that's exclusively dedicated to the building and our kids. That's quite alright. But what if none of them want to work?
Oh, then we have a problem, Houston. Because instead of using the district substitute finder to access hundreds of other people, gurlfriend just doesn't fill the request. So what does that mean? That means she and the other office staff spend the whole day asking teachers on their planning and/or lunch periods to cover the absent teacher's classes. Did I hear somebody (Dee Dee) say "Crack kills!"
Yep, that's right! Teachers who are already teaching a full load and have other duties are asked to give up their planning or lunch to cover a class for 45 minutes and $19.74 (not even a very good year, okay?!). But there's more, ladies and gentlemen. Most classes are 90-minutes long, however there no teachers who's schedule allow them to cover a full 90-minute block. So one teacher covers the first 45-minutes and a second teacher comes in for the second 45-minutes. But before that happens the kids wait in the hall for 10, 15, 20 minutes until a teacher can be found to cover the class. And then they might be told to go to another classroom (the covering teacher's classroom) only to be moved at the end of that 45-minutes back to the original classroom or the second teacher's classroom. Do you see an interruption to the learning process going on here? And did I mention that sometimes nobody shows up and the kids just sit there, teacher-less, monitoring themselves. (This mostly occurs with the 45-minute electives. One of which I also teach.)
Now the secretary will tell anyone who listens that she "just can't get substitutes in the building!" But most of know that she's not really trying to go beyond her "precious pool." So I'm trying an experiment. I left today, knowing I will not be going in tomorrow, but did not tell anyone. (Okay I let two people in on it because I wanted them to know about the experiment. They will keep the secret.) I left sub plans, but took my keys like I normally would. I came home and just completed the online request for a sub putting it in as a sick day. I was even able to request a former colleague who I know can relate to and handle my kids.
My hypothesis is... a substitute will pick up the job and show up tomorrow to work for me. I will get flack on Friday when I return for being responsible and getting my own coverage, but I will play dumb saying "I didn't know I was going to need a sub until after I got home and didn't feel well. So I just put in the request like I've always done when I'm sick. I assumed it the same all over the district when you're sick, you're supposed to use the subfinder system. My bad." But I will have proved my theory that we're being shafted because someone doesn't want to change her ways.
Now I'm about to go enjoy my cornbread and collard greens, finish my brilliant paper and go to bed. I'll let you know how it all turns out this weekend. Peace!
At least you're eating well. Keep that chin up, Diva!
KZ
Posted by
Knockout Zed |
9:38 PM, October 12, 2005
Wow I can't wait to find out what happens with this experiment. There are so many politics involved in education. I used to work in the office of a college and it was crazy...those women almost drove me to drink (hard liquor not Pepsi).
More power to you for being a dedicated educator.
Posted by
NameLiar |
11:46 PM, October 12, 2005
No hamhocks? What about dressing?
Damn... Now I'm hungry!
I hope the experiment goes as planned. If so, I'm sure that your peers will do the same thing and unseat the evil witch who controls "the pool". Not saying that I want anyone to lose money, but in essence YOU ARE when you're pegged to cover those empty blocks...
Posted by
The Brown Blogger |
9:54 AM, October 13, 2005
I'm on my way to Bob Evans thanks to this post...lol:)
your a DIVA baby...you can handle it!:)
Experiments are always fun!
Posted by
Didi Roby |
8:17 AM, October 14, 2005