Thread: Alone Again, Naturally...........

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.

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

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.

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!

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

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:

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

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.

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.