Venting about work

Home The Daily Kitten Cat Chat Forum General Chat Venting about work

Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 28 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #10968
    FondaHonda
    Participant

    This has been the most unorganized school year in history. We have a new math curriculum and our math scores sucked last year (district wide). Tons of forced evening meetings (w/out pay, of course) and paid subs during school so we can go to more workshops for them to tout the new math program that we’re ‘supposed’ to teach, but can’t, because of being out at workshops AND, let’s not forget, the Pre-test (2 days last week) the District now calls it instead of a Benchmark test. . .hmm, then told not to stray AT ALL from the math’s scope and sequence. 5 minutes later, they gave us a new lesson that we all have to meet about, teach, meet about, then present results. I thought they said not to stray? I’m soooo fed up today that I just couldn’t get out of bed (maybe it was the little bit of extra wine with dinner?). Whew! I feel better now. Just couldn’t deal with it today. Oh, I teacher 7th and 8th grade special ed. students who must take an on-grade level math test this year. Half of them don’t know how to use a calculator and the other half cannot multiply single digits. The lesson we all have to teach? They come up with algebraic formulas to predict the amt. of tiles around a swimming pool of various square sizes. Hmmmmm. . .then, they have to make a graph, plot the results, and write in words, how they figured it out. How many children are being left behind? It’s such a joke.

    #58453

    What?!?! Argh! If the rule makers would just let the teachers teach instead of sending them to seminars and dictating lessons, our children would all be better off.

    #58454
    MaxandCali’sMom
    Participant

    FondaHonda, I would just like to let you know of my regard for teachers. You who teach (or try to) the young are the shapers of our future, and I give you all the credit in the world. And to teach special ed students, you have to be in “saint” category.

    I had a few teachers in school that I didn’t care for, some I loved. But there was one who stood out. The first year I had her was my first year out of parochial school, 9th grade. I had to go to the Jr. High for only the 1 year before going to the Senior High. Mrs. Quermbach (yeah, what a name, but what a lady!) had some kind of surgery that kept her from climbing stairs, so she was sent to the Jr. High for that one year because it was all on one level. I was fortunate enough to be in her English class. The next year, I’m on to High School, and so was she, though I didn’t have her again until my senior year. She taught me things that I remember to this day!

    One thing I remember was her saying her definition of an optimist was someone who started a crossword puzzle with a pen! And she wrote a “poem” with prepositions. The entire poem was words that are prepositions-and (on a good day) I can say it word for word!!!

    So God bless and I know He will reward you for your efforts.

    Jimmie

    #58455
    Sylmiafelixsmama
    Participant

    Wow, FondaHonda, that is enough to make you run screaming from the place! Quick get the chocolate, padded room and lots of kitties to help you out. I too wanted to call in sick this morning. I hardly work on anything and so when I am not busy, I have to still look busy. Also, was just given a project from the boss to obtain 219 different articles from the company library.

    There are two Admins on in my building but they are too busy to help show me how to operate some of the applications on the company servers. My trainer is in Thousand Oaks which is located down by Los Angeles. I am expected to basically train myself.

    I am so glad I have a second interview at 3pm today at Seagate Technologies. This position is an Executive Assistant to one of the SVP’s. There is one assistant who is the main back up who sits nearby and will help with any questions I might have. She has 14 years with the company. There is a second backup who sits on another floor and has 5 years with the company. I can walk to their desks for help. Think positive that the SVP wants to hire me as temp, and help me later land a perm job there.

    We all need to go to the Cybercafe for some Hurricanes. TGIF!!!!!!

    #58456
    KYKAT 12 23
    Participant

    FondaHona and all the teachers out there. Thank you for all that you put up with. Low pay, rotten kids, bad administrations, red tape. You may never know the influence you have. After my first year of college, I tracked down all of my favorite teachers from the two high schools that I attended and personally thanked them and gave them big hugs for giving me the preparation for college and life that I needed. Two of those teachers passed away within a couple of years of that visit and I have always been glad that they knew that they made a difference.

    #58457
    GreatDane
    Participant

    Karin, lots of positive thoughts and crossed fingers and paws for you for the interview today. Go get’em! (hmmmm, wouldn’t recommend hurricanes before interview, though – maybe after?)

    #58458
    Sylmiafelixsmama
    Participant

    Funny Great Dane. Yeah, hurricanes only if they offer it. Hope they do.

    #58459
    FondaHonda
    Participant

    Just checked and I have plenty of wine left (usually left for Friday and Saturday evenings only). Thanks for the kind words, M & M’s Mom. I have tears in my eyes. At least I have a great group of kids this year. I think of myself as a very creative person and I’ve been known to do some pretty wacky things in the classroom just to get certain points across to them. Well, can’t do anything that isn’t written in the curriculum anymore. What people don’t realize is that the Federal Laws (No Child Left Behind) and the State laws (Texas) condradict each other and it’s all about funds for the schools. If a sp. ed. student is in 8th grade and has a brain injury and is on a 3rd grade reading level, they must take a 8th grade level test, or it’s automatically considered failing for NCLB. The only accomodations that have been made for the sp. ed. kids are that the test is in larger font (so the words they don’t understand are just bigger!)and the field test questions are removed. It’s frustrating when you have some hard-working students who have improved 1-3 grade levels during the school year and yet fail because they aren’t on grade level. Most of my students can’t even read the text in the book! This new Connected Math curriculum has tons of reading and they don’t get it! Thanks for hearing me out, guys! Monday WILL be better (although I just read an email about a math meeting after school–oh, joy!) and I’m going to go in as positive as I can. Now, I’m going to Starbucks!!

    #58460
    Instinct
    Participant

    YAY, Karin!!! Hey, are you going to give me a call this weekend or something??

    We are still unpacking boxes, but maybe we can do coffee, lunch or something??

    My mom was a teacher and they kept winnowing down what she taught to her classes because “it was too much for the kids to learn” so by the time she retired the stuff she had been teaching her Freshmen students was being taught to the Seniors and they still didn’t know half the stuff they should.

    Biggest problem with the schools IMHO is that the administrators are too focused on political correctness and social agendas. We have to teach the kids abut multi-cculturalism, tollerance, sex education, ect. instead of just teaching them english, history, math and government and logical thinking (speach and debate).

    Best teacher I ever had was a history teacher tha told us a the begining of the semester “I will lie to you in this course, it’s your job to prove that I’m lying”

    He made us think and use facts and logic to prove our points and be able to discuss a subject instead of just saying (like I hear sooooo often from kids) “Well, I think” or “Well, I feel”. Great, kid, I’m glad you feel – now can you prove it?

    Keep the faith FondaHonda, it’s has to swing back the other direction some time. That’s how the world works 🙂

    #58461
    FondaHonda
    Participant

    PPearson–I know exactly what you’re talking about. After I saw the movie “Mr. Holland’s Opus”, I contacted my favorite teacher of all time. Mr. Christy (5th and 6th grade) remembered me vividly–how could he not? We sent him ‘secret admirer’ notes AND HE WROTE US BACK! He was the most creative man ever. I decided to become a teacher because of him. I even have a quote in my classroom, written the same way on red cardboard just like his, that says, “Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration”. Love that quote! Anyway, he just retired and I know that he affected so many kid’s lives, including mine. I hope to be half the teacher he was, someday.

    Karin–crossed fingers for ya, babe! Good luck with the interview and I know that things will look up for you soon.

    #58462
    Instinct
    Participant

    You probably already are FondaHonda 🙂

    #58463
    FondaHonda
    Participant

    Thanks, Instinct.

    #58464

    my thoughts and prayers are with you FondaHonda. i will never understand why our society will pay outrageous sums of money to sport stars, movie stars, politicians, etc., and pay such a paltry sum to our teachers. our teachers hold the future in their hands and we lose teachers daily due to poor pay, lack of respect from parents, administrators & students, and impossible demands made by governments that know NOTHING about teaching or learning for that matter. the only task i have seen our national government complete in the last few years would be voting them selves raises and increasing their own lifetime retirement and health care benefits.

    My youngest son, 32 years old, is a band director at a middle school. Loves teaching and is quite good at it. he has about 450 students in 3 bands and last year each band received sweepstakes, highest rating, in their UIL commpetitions. however, he is now working on his masters so that he will be qualified to take an administrative position, ie asst principal, etc. the salary is much better and since he has a wife and two sons, he needs the additiional income.

    May God Bless each of you that are teachers. You have my respect and admiration.

    #58465

    FondaHonda-I have nothing but respect for you. From what I have heard from you, you have an amazing heart for these kids. It will make a difference for them in the long run. The great teachers on the world are always striving to be great teachers. I had a few truly amazing teachers that helped me become the person I am today. I went to college to get an education degree and realized in my first year that I didn’t have the stuff to be a teacher. I am in awe of those that do.

    I had a world history teacher in high school with a sign over his clock that said life is short, see forever. He auctioned off the classroom stuff at the end of the year, and I think that sharpie on posterboard sign went for the highest bid. He was always in so much trouble with the administration. He was the best!

    #58466
    MaxandCali’sMom
    Participant

    I think the best loved and remembered teachers are those who teach “out of the box”. I know it’s true for me.

    #58467

    I admire teachers. They have a thankless job. So I say thank you on behalf of those who don’t.

    #58468
    Sylmiafelixsmama
    Participant

    Sunshine Ami, FondaHonda, I was blessed to have some wonderful teachers who inspired us to learn. My fifth grade teacher, Mr. Martin encouraged me to skip the seventh grade (I had repeated the first grade when my father transferred us from California to Dallas Texas where the administrators there said Califorina was behind in teaching us math and reading). I had been tested and found that my reading ability was that of a junior in high school. He was a wonderful teacher who helped me struggle through math. There was Mr. Raney the social studies teacher who helped us all appreciate other countries. We did reports on a particular country, learned about the great depression and actually enacted out stock trading. There was my eighth grade math teacher, Mrs Adams who had was tough but fair. We also found out she had a wonderful sense of humor. Her two daughters helped tutor me so I could skip the seventh grade and taught me that I could actually do trigonometry and liked it! There was Miss Kleinsorge who taught Liberal Arts and who was so gentle with me because I had lost my mom to cancer at age 9 but encouraged me to develop my creativity through reading.

    Teachers have made wonderful impacts on all of us and they should be valued way more than they currently are. They should be paid the equivalent of what a Senior Vice President makes since they are so vital to our having productive lives. Without teachers, we wouldn’t be able to do what we all can do. So thank you to people like you FondaHonda, Sunshine Ami’s son, and all for being the caring and wonderful teachers that we need. Thank you for caring about your students.

    #58469

    I am lucky to work in a wonderful (private) school, having served a setence of 24 years in state comprehensive schools. However, this academic year, even for us, has been totally chaotic so far and after only 7 school days I am completely shattered – and it’s still 5 weeks to Half Term!

    #58470

    Oh well everybody just remember today is POETS Day (P*** off early, tomorrow’s Saturday!)

    #58471
    Sylmiafelixsmama
    Participant

    I like that Polly’s Mum. I am suppose to slip out the door at 2pm for my 3pm appt (about 45-50 minutes driving time to get there). Unfortunately both my boss and the direct report whose office is right next door is here today after their both working from home yesterday. Now the direct report wants me to help with some stuff and he asked me to help at 1pm. I should have taken today as a sick day! I will have to tell the direct report that I need to leave for a doctor’s appt at 2pm so that he doesn’t take the whole hour or I can just say I am not feeling well and say I am going home.

Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 28 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.