R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

Find out what it means to me! (Sock it to me, sock it to me . . . . )

Enough. Actually, that's what's happening: they're socking it to me. Who? The town I work in! There's such a lack of respect for teachers, mostly coming from the School Committee. According to SC notes, there are items in the teacher contract that were added when "teachers were better than us." What?!!! (And I won't talk about the 8 pages of SC notes talking about sports or that one of the SC members talked about "band geeks." Oh yeah.)

This is all precipitated because every day I pass by an election sign for a SC member that says "Students. Parents. Community." Like it's them against the evil teachers. And this comes on the heels of my just spending a lot of $$$ on the Study Island Fiesta my classes are having this week. (Study Island is an online program that our students use to develop their math skills).

And why am I doing a Study Island Fiesta? Because school just isn't fun any more. I know, I know, people will say "it wasn't fun when I went!" Well, it WAS when I went . . . I remember having an International Day where we dressed in foreign costumes. I remember making ice cream in Mrs. Reno's 3rd grade class. I remember making crepes in French class. (Perhaps that is why clothes and food are still my vices!) Now it's all OEQs (Open Response Questions) and practice tests. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but not too much!

Okay, I'm getting bitter. I really do love my job! It's just hard to give it your all every day when outside forces are constantly belittling you! I get home and look in the mirror and remember the comment one 7th grader said to me way back in '93: "Ms. Rich, you look really nice every morning when you get to school." (Well thank you, Danny!) "But by the end of the day, you look like you're stoned." (Ugh, thanks?! I mean, I feel like I've been run over by a Mack truck . . . !)

3-Ring Circus: A Tale of an Observation

In my opinion, the only reason for snow is Christmas Eve (to give that Dickens kind of feel) and snow days. Therefore, snow on a Sunday morning is unacceptable! (Yes, I just had to venture out to move my car for the plow guy--men sure do love their plows!)


Yes, it's the winter doldrums in full effect. But there are a few bright spots in the near future: no school on Monday to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.; Tuesday is a professional development day (not sure that's a bright spot--more of a comment); on Friday, term 2 ends, thus we are half-way through the school year; three weeks after that is Winter Break. And somewhere in between there I will have my final observation as a "non-professional" teacher. (Because apparently--although I've been teaching for 20 years--having recently changed school districts means that I'm no longer professional! ARG! Bring back the word "tenure!")

Mind you, I don't mind being observed. At my former school, my classroom also served as an informal hallway to the New Media classroom, so I'm used to a constant flow of traffic (administrators included). At my new school, however, it seems that something always happens on observation day. Let's recap my last observation in November . . .

The principal was coming in to observe me the day before Thanksgiving break. Because it was a short week and I didn't see all of the my classes, I was doing a "fun" filler lesson on fonts. (I'm a total font geek! I think it's one of my best lessons because I'm so into it and the kiddos really have fun with it!) I chose a class time that was right after I had to teach a library class--not really good planning as I was out of my classroom right before the class, but hey! I can handle it. As my library class was preparing to leave, the principal showed up to tell me that he wouldn't be coming--the high school was in a lockdown and they would be busing the students to our school. Totally understandable.

Cut to 3 weeks later, when he wanted to observe me before Christmas break. Once again, we were doing another "fun" lesson: cutting our heads out of digital pictures and pasting them on holiday or winter-themed clip art. (And I was able to tie it into 3 of the state standards! I'm good!)

I inadvertently signed up for one of my worst (chattiest) classes which includes a 1-on-1 aide who was busy typing her own work. There was no where for the principal to sit except at my desk, so I was constantly moving behind him to get to the computer and SmartBoard. Then the tech guy comes in to load software for a training—I asked if he could come back in ½ hour and he said "No." (Just no regard for the fact that I had a classroom full of kids and the principal sitting front and center!) Luckily, a student was absent and I had him start on that machine.

So I'm trying my best at this lesson, working from the back of the room where I can see all of the computers and the phone rings necessitating me to scurry to the front of the room, maneuver around the principal to get the phone. No problem--little Joey's being dismissed. (Actually a good thing, since that frees up another computer for the tech guy to start on!)

Back to rocking the lesson when the virus software decides to update! Up pops up a message to restart now or restart later (of course, not all computers at the same time! I told the kids what to do, but as each message came up I had panicked students begging for my attention).

Back (again) to rocking the lesson when another teacher pops her head into the class because she needed help on the library computer. (Anyone under the age of 60 who is still employed in the public school system should be proficient on a computer if they want "professional status." Seriously, she's only in her early 40's!)

To add insult to injury, I tried to do the lesson step-by-step with this class (as opposed to demonstrating the whole task and let them go ahead) and it just didn’t work out well. Note to self: don't try something new when being observed! (got it!)

I just laughed. It was good for the principal to see a fairly typical class--interruptions and all! His observation report was very complimentary, and he offered me great praise (I need my ego stroked every now and then!)

I can only wonder what will happen when my next observation is scheduled . . .