Thread: The irony of my new job

I'm not surprised! It's amazing the juggling that goes on in the classroom, and when you throw in the fact that you can't leave just any old time or go out to lunch EVER and most classes have some smart aleck to keep at bay . . .

Well, I'm not surprised.

Enjoy! You deserve it.

Originally Posted by Bananas

Enjoy! You deserve it.

OH! yes! yes! yes!

I once had the opportunity to work with a Ph.D. who was hired by my district as the director of math curriculum.

This gentleman had all school representatives come to the central office for a meeting. At the meeting he gave us a pad of paper, a three ring binder of NCTM (National Council for Teachers of Mathematics) standards, and told us to write curriculum for our respective grade levels within a four hour period.

There was a moment of silence.

I finally looked at the director and told him that this simply wasn't possible. I hadn't read the NCTM standards and it was impossible to write a curriculum within four hours.

Other teachers voiced their concerns. The director subsequently gave us three months to write a curriculum. During this time, I did not see the director, speak to him, or receive any memos, e-mails, or letters from him.

The completed curriculum was submitted to the director, supposedly reviewed, and eventually published as our new district curriculum.

None of the participating teachers received any credit for this curriculum. The good doctor's name appeared prominently on the title page.

To this day, I'm not sure what he actually did to earn his paycheck.

As a classroom teacher I had to work my you-know-what off. Not only was I a full time teacher and sponsor of two extracurricular activities, but a good part of my evenings and most of my weekends were spent reading NCTM standards and writing curriculum.

And yet, who took the credit? (sigh)

That's often the case in life - the harder you work, the less money you make, and vice versa. I remember as a janitor in college (full time) making like 2.35 an hour, our boss was a real Nazi, and I didn't even think about slacking off (after all, free college was being offered as a full time employee).

I work hard at my job now because I have too much pride and feel like I'm making up for lost time. The irony for me is that I have 24 total students a day and get paid more than any school district teacher around. What's up with that? Well, I know what's up with that - we get paid well because we could be stabbed, murdered or taken hostage any second in that environment. I've gotten past the "fear factor" of working on the inside, but it was quite an adjustment at first. Those first few weeks? Whew!!!!

Hey Mark - DON'T YOU LET ME CATCHING YOU BEING ONE OF THOSE administrators who take a half day off to "kick it" and go play golf!

TPFKACSW

Originally Posted by TPFKACSW

Hey Mark - DON'T YOU LET ME CATCHING YOU BEING ONE OF THOSE administrators who take a half day off to "kick it" and go play golf! TPFKACSW

There is no chance that Mark will slack off in doing his job. His posts emanate of his professionalism and work ethic.

PS. C Stan. A few church members would grumble about how much they were paying Pastor (Rev. Bananas) when they would see him out on the golf course in the middle of the weekday afternoon. Didn't he have a job to do?

Truth be told, he would go at that time as he could golf nine holes much quicker than in the evening/weekend hours when they took their leisure time . They also had no clue that he would be up until 2 AM recording the radio devotions, or confidentially counseling with a parishioner until midnight to get past some crisis point. How about all of the times that he has been at the hospital with a worried family member or patient?

Appearances can be deceiving. :wink:

I am making a lot more money, and feel like I have a lot less responsibility

Don't worry....an angry parent will probably pop in at any time, and then you'll feel like you earned every penny.

I know Banannas, image is everything. Preception is reality, sad to say.

For example, after 9/11 and everyone wondering "what might happen next," I took home an 8-hour video tape and taped the news from 10 PM to 6 AM overnight, and took it to my school every day and played it on our VCR quietly, frequently checking with the kids and making sure it wasn't bothering them.

Next thing, my boss is fronting me out saying I can't do that anymore. Why? A student told his grandmother that in my class, THEY WATCH MOVIES ALL DAY! Wahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!! My boss knew what I was doing, didn't have a fundamental problem with it, but even so made me stop so we didn't get more "bad press." So from then until my RIF from that job in 2004, my teacher's aide and I called our room "Cinema South." If you can't beat crazy people, at least have a good laugh at their expense!

Oh yea Mark, John Boy is right - once this "honeymoon period" wears off and the first impossible parent fronts you out, you'll realize real fast why you now make those big dollars. Trust me - although I was never a principal, I was an administrator (per se) for a long time when I worked juvenile lock up (as an assistant director). That, and my brother has been a school administrator for 10 years. If you really care about what you do, oh yea, you'll earn your coin.

TPFKACSW

I don't deal with parents at all, and the only student I see regularly is a cronically stoned eighth grader (whom is never caught with anything on him) that wonders into my office every other day or so. Just teachers and three principals are who I deal with. All of whom think my day revolves around their scedules.

No golf courses at all around here, and I was cursed with a horribly strict work ethic.

Thanks for the support folks. I feel like I am only treading water as I learn the ropes and make the transition. Still, the classroom was a heck of a lot of work, and I am realizing how much I really thrived on the daily rush.