PTA: Parent, Teacher, Asshole

Welcome to Drama School...

OH, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE!

I was asked today, "What if [the principal] doesn't deal with the discipline referral I sent up? I've already called the parent and he did it with Gary's write-up."

Mr. Asshole: "Well, with the Gary thing you know..."

Mrs. Nervous Nelly: "I know, but that's not the only time..."

Let me pause the broadcast for some commentary...Mr. Principal ditched Gary's second write-up from Mrs. Nelly because he realized he shouldn't have sent him back to her class that day. He wasn't think, made a mistake, and didn't want to punish the boy for his mistake...

Let's carry on...

Mrs. Nelly: "...I wrote up that girl (I don't remember who she said) and I called her mom, but he never did anything and she asked about it."

Let's pause again...I have no idea what she's talking about. I know that if she told me last year when it apparently happened, I would have told her exactly what I told her today. Also, I remember last year he would have stacks of write-ups on his desk waiting to be dealt with, but it being his first year...as a prinicipal, not at the school...had to learn to negotiate his time and responsibilities.

Let's carry on...

Mr. Asshole: "Well, then ask Mr. Principal what happened."

What I would have told her last year. Simple advice to all teachers...your principal does something questionable or doesn't do something you think he or she should...talk to him first. No satisfaction, think he or she is still wrong, go elsewhere...but I learned from my Mr. Principal that most of the time, even if I don't agree, there's still a reasonable explanation.

Now, ladies and gentlemen...the fun doesn't stop there...Then we had to talk about the duty schedule.

Our duty schedule got reworked because Mr. Principal forgot to include lunch duty. There are four duties and there are four middle school teachers...one duty a day. Morning duty, stand outside with the students. Lunch duty, sit in the gym, where we eat lunch, and watch the students. Lunch detention, when we have students with lunch detention, sit in a room and make sure the thought of fun never crosses their minds. Afternoon duty, um...well, there really isn't an afternoon duty. We keep the students in our portables until the buses show. I think he put it there for political reasons or possibly if there's a need for something in the afternoon. Original complaints were that we don't have a day's break. One, the duties aren't difficult and save for the lunch ones, not time consuming. The PE teacher isn't on the duty rotation...except she's a part time teacher who doesn't get there until after school starts, leaves before school ends, and has lunch duty everyday...so she doesn't get a break either. And if you have afternoon duty, or no students have lunch detention, like we haven't had yet, then we get breaks.

Today's complaint...the high school has eight teachers and four duties, so they get breaks and we don't...Ok, didn't I already explain that we do have breaks, kind of, unofficially. And can we blame Mr. Principal that the school has twice as many high school teachers as there are middle school teachers? The high school teachers also have more students and more classes to prepare for. They have an A/B schedule to keep track of and we do the same schedule every day. I don't see a valid complaint here.

But I slipped. The schedule is designed for the middle school students to get to school before the high school students so they should be in class when the high schoolers arrive...and they are scheduled to leave earlier so they are gone by the time the high schoolers leave...except the middle school buses are ALWAYS late...so, it's not working out that way. I made a comment that between the student who do arrive before the high school day begins and the fact that the buses aren't here yet while the high schoolers are driving home, we spend more time with the students...it's an inequitable amount of time compared to the high school teachers. Inequitable. A neutral adjective. Not a complaint.

But man, it's something..."Didn't you say we spend an inequitable amount of..."

YES! Geez, I did...but I also said that it's the transportation department's foul up and has NOTHING to do with Mr. Principal. As long as he calls them regularly to tell them we really need the buses here on time...we have no complaints for Mr. Principal.

If only...it was that simple.........

posted by Bodog @ 6:58 PM