June 26, 2008

The Coming School Year – Already

Now that I have rested and spent buckets of money that I don’t have in retail therapy, I find myself beginning to think about the coming school year. I have a lot of decisions to make. Many of them are not immediate, but they loom large on the horizon and will have to be dealt with.

I have been around long enough to identify my weak work-day weak points. Since I am basically a bottom line sort of person, I have boiled them all down to one…… I am direct. Sigh. This often has several negative results

I am perceived as intimidating.
I am perceived to be callous/cold.
I am perceived as aggressive.

I am not political. I do not play the game. The above perceptions…. I guess they are true to some extent, but I don’t mean to come off that way and am not sure how to change it. I THINK I have changed and softened all that, but apparently not.

What’s all this ramble about? My end of year evaluation. It was not bad. It was very good. But I got ‘dinged’ on a couple of things. These dings, while not putting my performance anywhere near the unacceptable range, will take me out of the picture for "performance pay" (a supplement we can earn year by year, at the principal’s whim).

There is one ‘ding’ REALLY bothering me. El Principal told me that he was worried that I was involved in too many things. OH REALLY?

Well, all of those THINGS were THINGS that YOU asked me to do. THINGS where I had to step up to the plate and complete the job for others because YOU asked me to. And YOUR buddy – the guy who you think the sun rises and sets on….HE’s the one I keep having to cover for. HE is late every day. I am early every day. HE did not even complete his portfolio for performance pay. I did. HIS failings are excusable because HE is so INVOLVED in so MANY things. (Yep, that’s what you said). MY adequacies are INEXCUSABLE because I am involved is so many things. Is there a logic in this?

I am so flipping tired of doing my job, doing it well, and being criticized and talked down to because of it. What gives? AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The other issue looming large is my choice of subject matter. I teach Family and Consumer Science. (You probably know it as Home Ec – damn political correct BS). I teach a course entitled Career Discover – Culinary Operations. It should be a feeder to some of our AWESOME high school culinary programs which turn students out with certifications which make them quite attractive and employable in the job market. This is a GREAT thing for our students. Especially the population I serve – low income, no family histor of college, etc.

Problem One: the legislature (state AND national) does not see this as an important program. Certainly not as important as Algebra. Nevery mind that statistics show that 64% of students will never make it to college. So tell me…what’s so wrong with preparing those students to be able to take care of themselves and their families without college?

Problem Two: Because I am not a "CORE" subject, I am perceived as "fluff" (yes – that word has actually been used). I am considered second rate and my classes unimportant. If there were an actual caste system – I would be the untouchable.

SCREW THIS. I have spent my whole life fighting one battle or another. And this battle, although it is a worthy one, is not one I want to fight. I am SOFA KING tired of battling.

Oh yes – and my little old over-involved second rate self is the Chairman of the SIT committee (which monitors schools progress in core subject area performance and reports it to the state) and Co-chairman of the school’s Steering Committe. (NEITHER job which I asked for).

SO……the dilemma

1. Do I quit doing all those THINGS and just focus on my classroom? I would probably be much less tired.

2. Do I changae subjects? I would dearly love to teach language arts, but would be happy with social studies or science as well. (Just not math – please God, no math!)

3. If I choose to quit all these THINGS – will I be perceived as uncooperative and not school minded?

One more thing in this disjointed ramble… people who defy the system, i.e. call in sick to pout, miss scheduled meetings, come in late, etc…. why they are getting chosen to go on summer leadership trainings in other cities – travel paid and salary paid. I am getting to sit home on my arse and earn nothing. When the school year comes around, the expectation is that I will still work like a horse, and they will wallow around with their extra stipends as team leaders and the like.

I am so OVER this….. but I am not one to back down. And so the dilemma. Sigh. I still have a few weeks to decide……but the sooner the better I think.

Any thoughts or ideas? You guys are some of the best sources of thoughts and ideas I know.

To end on a more positive note (and to keep my doting gramma image intact) We took Aniah to the zoo back in May.&nbs

p; She is fearless… lol

Mns

June 27, 2008

Oooo, no math for me, either. lol. Nice famimly picture, now we need one of Aniah and G/ma! 🙂

amorcita.

i have no words of wisdom, just wanted to let you know i was here. xoxo

whowhatwhere

Oh my goodness, that has me all up in arms! Personally I think you were marked down while lazy guy wasn’t because you are female. It is politics all of it. If you didn’t do as much next year he will mark you down because of that too. You can’t win. My suggestion is to go and become a go-go dancer. You will make more money and get more respect!

moongate

You’re such a great teacher. I hate the fact that they don’t appreciate you, no matter what you’re teaching. Follow your heart on this one. You love teaching. If you think changing subjects might help you deal with all of the political drama, perhaps that is the path to take. Only you really know. Thinking of you and hoping this all works out. You deserve better.

solovoice

Administrators always write end of the year evaluations to reflect what their administrators tell them, to whit: no raises where ever possible. This is why god made unions.

a mote, floating

Adding my Aaargh!! to yours. I’ve literally been told at a review that I wasn’t getting a higher rating “because then we’d have to give you a raise.” Subsequently that supervisor (w/his 6-figure salary) completely abdicated his “mandated” evaluations of me. He got promoted. I quit.I agree w/moongate. Sometimes your heart is the only thing you can rely on.Love the shot!

PS: That “direct” and “intimidating” judgment? If those are El Principal’s words, I would take them with a HUGE grain of salt. His shenanigans do not speak well of his level of objectivity. Plus, depending on context, sometimes being direct is necessary to get the job done.

colormegray

My first impression is that your treatment smacks of a concealed gender issue. Second impression is that you should, if you haven’t directly, ask which of your appointed responsibilities does he suggest you drop. Third impression is that, if it were me, I would document all the malfeascene of your co-worker, including times, dates, etc.

P.S. Your picture shows an attractive family.

Willy & Wilma

Keepondoing what you like to do, and damn the torpedoes! I’m hooked on the Pirate Festival. Where else can I get hugged by so many girls. I figure there must have been about 40 of them. Daughter Joyce and several gf’s dress up as a gang of pirate Queens and have fun at Pirate Festivals. It’s getting to be a very popular affair. We’re thinking of renting a 40 foot boat, fly the flag and go tothe next Festinal in it. It’s at a park at a harbor. I’m working on a cannon to blast out on the way. I Googled for Florida’s Festivals and here is where and when they are: http://piratefestivals.com/ http://www.answers.com/topic/gasparilla-pirate-festival?cat=travel

Torin

June 28, 2008

Did you bring up this discrepancy in assessments to your principal, or did you just let it slide? Maybe he needs a good swift kick to smarten him up. With blessings for making the decision you need to make…

Thing One

Seems like we have had this conversation about 10 years ago…I can see how others might see you as intimidating because of your height and stature. Politics suck in every job. period. It doesn’t matter how good an employee you are, if you don’t play the politics correctly, you loose. That isn’t the kind of person you are, you are more concerned with actually doing the job and teaching kids. So you gotta say, why am I hear, and F**K the system. Teach writing. My favorite subject!

RYN: If you aren’t a quick learner, then neither am I. I have missed more promotions and good opportunities because I have not been willing to play the politics game I don’t even want to think about them. Your affection for wolves says it all.

RNBiker

I would have said something about all the tasks HE asked you to do and ask him which ones HE wanted you to drop! I can’t see you teaching anything but Home EC, hon. And there would be a lot of kids worse off if you packed it in. Not to mention all the school events you and kids cook for!! Hugz

SuiteBlueEyes

June 29, 2008

I’ll never understand why there is such an issue between core vs “fluff” – we can nurture genius’, but they won’t do us any good if they have no social skills, or no idea what to expect in the world after school. To me, what you do is AS important as anything else. They go hand in hand.

Arbi

Oh, I’ve just read this and I’m up in arms, too! The comment about being “involved in too many things” always suggests, to me, either “you are spreading yourself too thin and not doing anything effectively” or “you are doing so much so well I feel intimidated.” In your case, I don’t think it’s the first! What to do? What do you think is best for your students? It seems to me that’s the bottomline for you. You are doing a fantastic job, I’m convinced, teaching Home Eco. And it’s important, as you realise, for many students. Forget the “fluff” comments; I think every subject gets that, in some form, except maths and English. I used to get it about foreign languages: “Why waste time teaching that? When will they ever use it?” On the other hand, other subjects are also useful and you would also teach them well, I’m convinced. It would also give you a higher status in the school, if that matters. (And it may, because it could then give you more credibility in others’ eyes as a “regular” teacher and so give your Home Eco. classes a higher status, too.) Is it possible to teach some Home Eco. and some science? Science, taught well, gets students to ask questions and to think clearly.