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  1. #1
    Senior Member
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    May 2006
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    Midwest
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    Alone Again, Naturally...........

    This is going to sound like self-aggrandizing sour grapes, but it's the truth.

    Today at the prison, I was the ONLY teacher to have class in the afternoon. One is away on military leave.

    At the "camp," which is losely connected to the prison and has 400 or so minimum security prisioners, they had a "field day" for the inmates.

    Somehow, one of our teachers who looks for ANY excuse to NOT have class got involved in "helping" with the activities, so she didn't have class all day. Two other teachers did have morning class. However, the teacher that was helping at the camp talked another female teacher to go, so she went in the afternoon. And one of our male teachers (who has the hots for the other teacher) went with her in the afternoon.

    Oh boy! Did I ever catch hell from my students when they came in for the afternoon class! It's sooooo predictable! "Dude, what the f*** is this? How come you are the only one to have class? Why don't you send us back? Blah blan..........."

    Last summer, for various reasons, MANY days I was the only teacher to have class.

    My point is that you gotta remember, I'm surrounded by government mentality "State Workers," who will do ANYTHING to get out of work and in the school, do anything to keep from having class.

    My supervisor just shook his head when all these teachers went to the camp, but didn't say anything.

    So after I fronted my students out, told them to quit bitching because no matter what I did, they'd bitch, we had a real good class. (It's odd - I thought I'd go work in a prison and meet some REAL hardass men, and all they do is bitch and moan like a bunch of spoiled brats who didn't get their way - it's pretty pathetic and the only part of the job that pisses me off - MURDERS and RAPIST and such acting like little kids!).

    After all, testing starts next Monday, and I want them ready.

    I'm not saying I'm the best and brightest of the staff, but I certainly AM the hardest working and my students call me "good people" because I give a damn and want them to succeed. They just seem to need to bitch.

    The other teachers? State worker mentality and they don't give a damn at all. But you know what, they come right out and SAY so! I admire that honesty at least (something you don't get in the public schools).

    It's a wierd thing to be the "oddball" simply because you do what you are hired to do....................


    TPFKACSW
    "The man who enjoys marching in line and file to
    the strains of music falls below my contempt; he received his great brain by mistake--the spinal cord would have been sufficient." - Einstein

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
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    2,455
    Do you know that I find it amazing how often teachers do complain about doing things that are their job. AND with many the complaining means that it doesn't get done.

    Of course then there are those that just don't do what ever part of the job they don't feel like doing.
    [url=http://bgjackofalltrades.wordpress.com]Jack of All Trades[/url]
    [url=http://bitsygriffin-algebra.blogspot.com]Algebra 1 w/ Mrs. Griffin[/url]

  3. #3
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Midwest
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    353
    Yep, and if you slack and can "get it off," it typically means you have someone higher up in your hip pocket. We have a bimbo on our staff who seems to have the whole prison in her pocket - everyone's terrified of her, and all she is is a white trash drama queen.

    Sad.

    TPFKACSW
    "The man who enjoys marching in line and file to
    the strains of music falls below my contempt; he received his great brain by mistake--the spinal cord would have been sufficient." - Einstein

  4. #4
    Senior Member
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    Jun 2005
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    1,140

    Rant Switch On

    I feel your frustration. Trust me.

    What bugs me more than people begging off work, are those who do not do their job, and then expect someone else to pick up their slack.

    Of course there are those, who have such full personal life plates that they feel it is alright to slack off on their job duties in order to catch up on their personal stuff.

    Example:
    Teacher S is a member of a community marching band, taking four graduate classes, covers junior honor society, is active in several of her children's extra curricular activities.

    Teacher S has the audacity to some to me complaining when the principal tells her she should not be doing her homework on school time, cannot use her cell phone in the building (she has to keep in touch with band members during the day), and that she needs to actually work her contract hours, not come int thirty minutes late, and leave thirty minutes early every day. Like I am going to be sympathetic. Yes I work with this person.

  5. #5
    Senior Member
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    Feb 2002
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    I felt so sorry for one of our teachers today. Three of us are assigned for one week at a time to do afternoon car duty. I've got a great group on my team. We are all always out there or get someone to cover for us.

    Well, some people just don't show and this one poor teacher had yet another day out there by herself. She'd spoken to the other two people earlier this week and they are so sorry they hadn't been out there. I told her to go to the principal today. I was steamed for her. We are all busy, we all have stuff to do, but for heaven's sake DO YOUR JOB!
    [url=http://bgjackofalltrades.wordpress.com]Jack of All Trades[/url]
    [url=http://bitsygriffin-algebra.blogspot.com]Algebra 1 w/ Mrs. Griffin[/url]

  6. #6
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Midwest
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    I'm feelin' what you all are saying. The thing I can't feature is that some people spend more time and energy AVOIDING their duties then they would if they would just DO their job!

    Ohio State (former) football coach Woody Hayes said "I many not be the brightest person around, but NOBODY can outwork me!"

    I just can't stand the lies - "Oh, I do my job! I care about kids (students). Blah blah." Phooey! SHOW ME, don't tell me!

    Me, I'm not that bright and everything I have accomplished I've had to work harder for than the average person. My parents had good work ethics. I'm not perfect and don't claim to be. But to me, it's BORING to sit around or avoid duties, and I can't stand putting things off.

    Really, I wish I could be more like the slackers and gravy trainers.

    TPFKACSW
    "The man who enjoys marching in line and file to
    the strains of music falls below my contempt; he received his great brain by mistake--the spinal cord would have been sufficient." - Einstein

  7. #7
    Senior Member
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    Sep 2003
    Location
    North Carolina
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    2,332
    We had a colleague once, who made quite a nuisance of himself- he was forever coming in late, leaving early, being absent- and we were having to cover his classes as his absences were usually sudden. Fortunately, he moved.

    I wish I could be more like the slackers and gravy trainers.
    I don't- what I wish on those slackers I had better not say :twisted:
    "Opportunity is often missed by most people, because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
    -Thomas Edison
    "Quemadmoeum gladis nemeinum occidit, occidentis telum est"- Seneca

  8. #8
    Senior Member
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    May 2006
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    Midwest
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    No John Boy, I didn't mean it quite that way. What I mean is that I wish I were not so anal retentive - that little things I need to get done I can put off. My nature is to "get it done." It's not "worry," but it's the ability to not heep so much pressure on myself I seek. It isn't a chronic problem or debilitating problem, I just seek the ability to "relax" a bit more. My biggest fear, however, is that if I do, I may become stuck in the "trap" I see others in - abusing sick time, cancelling class "just because I can," sit around and discect the union contract in a panic because, by God and Sonny Jesus, "The state is out to screw us!" So yea, I guess I agree with you, I'm better off this way.

    TPFKACSW
    "The man who enjoys marching in line and file to
    the strains of music falls below my contempt; he received his great brain by mistake--the spinal cord would have been sufficient." - Einstein

  9. #9
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
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    2,455
    Stan, undone things really bother me too. I've got a folder for the website called WEB TO DO -- that really helps. Because it's a bit of the old out of site, out of mind. I have to make myself wait until Thursday to visit that folder. When I've done everything in it, I've got stuff waiting in my inbox to pull into it already. It's only empty for a second.

    I teach too and people with stuff to go on the web don't seem to understand that. I do work on the web every day, but I don't go through staff emails every day. It's hard though.

    This brings up another thing I see though. People who think their work should take priority. I've asked the athletic director to only send me things once a week -- because he updates them every day. If he updates six schedules and they each take five to ten minutes to find, open, change, upload . . . BUT he refuses and usually it's not for things happening this week -- but things happening later in the season. Then we have a secretary who isn't happy that I changed the lunch menu from PDF to web format. I spent at least an hour with her trying to help her understand 1) how to help people to print it by going to landscape & 2) why it was easier for everyone if the file was html and not pdf.

    In the mean time, I've got tests, portfolios, journals to grade, copies to make, and lessons to plan and those haven't gotten done. AND I get down right fiesty when anything stacks up on my desk.
    [url=http://bgjackofalltrades.wordpress.com]Jack of All Trades[/url]
    [url=http://bitsygriffin-algebra.blogspot.com]Algebra 1 w/ Mrs. Griffin[/url]

  10. #10
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    694
    I'm very lucky to be at a school where there are few slackers. There are the complainers but the less said about them the better.

    At my last school, there were the lip service ones who told everyone who would listen (or pretend to listen) how busy they were but didn't actually do anything except drone for days at staff meetings about how things SHOULD be done.
    If you can't be kind, at least be vague.

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