Well, the school year officially ended Friday before last (June 22) and boy was I happy. In addition to catching up on household chores, taking care of grad school related matters, catching up on sleep and my pleasure reading, I ended up going in (to work) this past Wednesday to tie up some loose ends before the start of summer school. I only spent a few hours there and it was sooo quiet. However, I would like to share with you a few things that happened just before the school year officially came to a close. I had:
- a metal hook, ripped from a coat rack along with a desk organizer thrown at me. The metal wouldn’t have caused much bodily harm (but hey you never know) however, when the desk organizer (a three tray plastic paper organizer) was thrown at me, I ducked and was immediately overtaken with a combination of fear and anger (borderline rage).
- the driver’s side door of my car keyed. The lines actually extend to the left passenger door, but the deeper grooves are on the driver’s side door. I didn’t see who did it, but I’m willing to bet my next pay check (well half of it. I need to pay some bills) that it was the girl who threw the desk organizer at me. The Principal, A.P., the girl’s counselor and the couseling staff supervisor all know about it. However, I have to file a report/complaint to the Executive Director. I’ll let you know what she says or what is done. In the past I’ve had a cell phone broken, a cell phone stolen and I suspect a stduent stole my first digital camera. I have yet to see a penny from the school. Not to mention some one stooped to an all new low of stealing food from me (pack of peanuts) and a cheese stick and juice from my former aide. I don’t know why they did it, because both the me and the former aide routinely brought in food and gave lunch money to many of the kids both in our class and in others. I still do it. But I digress……….
- I had a kid curse me out, calling me a “fucking liar” in front of her mother during a conference/re-admit into the school after being suspended.
I know I’m forgetting something, so I’ll update this post if I remember what it was that I left out. But anyway, it goes without saying (but I’m saying it anyway) that I’m happy Summer is here and I don’t have to see my students until the 5th.
July 1, 2007 at 6:52 am |
Jeez.
Let me tell you a bad story. In my first school, if that sort of thing had happened to you, the principal would have decided there was something wrong with you (quietly, he’d never say it out loud), and he’d start finding problems with your teaching to write up.
But I’m glad you are looking at the summer, and that you’re not in my first school! People don’t realize how badly we need the recuperation time.
July 1, 2007 at 12:44 pm |
¡Ay caramba, School Teacher!
July 1, 2007 at 4:22 pm |
jd2718,
I’m shocked……appalled!
I was having a conversation with someone a few days ago about teachers and why most of them leave. Sure the pay wont’ land you anywhere near the Forbes list. And I don’t believe that pay is the real issue behind teachers leaving anyway. There are a lot of people who enter teaching go in knowing they won’t command very high salaries but they do it because they really do want to make a difference. Some do it because they like the opportunity to learn and explore right alongside their students. And others enter the field because they twere ready for a change from former professions or saw teaching as a stopping place until they landed their dream job and then stayed because they ended up really liking it.
However administrators and other beaurocrats, who get caught up in climbing the ladder and playing politics, working conditions, lack of both administrative and parental support and just the system in general, end up taking a toll on some and just kills it for them. Your example is one of the main reasons why I think so many teachers, many who are bright and eager, end up throwing up their hands and throwing in the towel and simply quit.
And who could blame them?
July 1, 2007 at 4:27 pm |
missprofe ,
I found myself wanting to stick my head in a jar just like your Pooh during the final two weeks of the school year.
I’m going to teach summer school (I’ve done it since I began teaching), which begins on the 5th, so this week and half break was needed and then some and I know I’m not going to want to get out of bed on Thursday morning.
Are any you out there teaching summer school or are you planning to relax and pursue other things?
July 1, 2007 at 6:41 pm |
I don’t know how you manage to stay with it.
Enjoy your few days off.
Just noticed the schoolteacher avatar on your sidebar. Neat!!
July 2, 2007 at 8:07 pm |
I taught summer school my first three years, and then I taught at the local college one summer, then I taught career-change teachers-to-be at the local college for the next three summers, then my program got canceled and I was forced to have a summer off – and I’ll never work a summer again. It was fantastic, and I can’t believe I worked so many summers
July 4, 2007 at 7:47 am |
I don’t teach summer school. In fact, I don’t work during the summer. The extra money would be nice, but, my sanity is more important to me.
So, Bless You, School Teacher.:)