Grrrrr. . .
Sometimes I wish I had a pressure valve that would release all my frustration. Instead, I'll just vent about it here, and hopefully feel better about the state of things afterwards.
I feel guilty even to start to complain, since this year is 500% better than last year. In fact, if it weren't for the kids this year, I'm not sure I'd want to do this much longer.
Whine #1: Our principal has nominated our school for an award ~ "Schools to Watch" or something like that. Somehow we are one of the 4 finalists, and the judges will be visiting our school in December to make their final decision.
This is all fine & dandy. I don't necessarily think we're a "school to watch, and I actually think we're failing a large population of our student body. But I'll root for our school if it means our kids will be in the limelight for a little while. The really irritating piece is that our principal has urged us to "make sure you're doing hands-on lessons" while these people are visiting. Excuse me?? If you think we're worthy enough to nominate us for this recognition, at least have the decency to believe in what we're doing. Shouldn't it be sufficient to tell us the dates of this very important visit, and trust that we'll do what we do best, which is teach? We shouldn't have to put on a dog & pony show for these people to convince them that we're worth watching.
Whine #2: I had to sit through a required professional development session this week on "Culturally Relevant Classrooms." Again, this is an important topic & it needs to be addressed. However, I know that the majority of the 100+ teachers in the room have graduated within the past 5 years from college or grad school, and therefore have had significant exposure to this topic. The seminar wasn't practical, didn't present any new info to me, and felt like a waste of time. The veteran teachers in my school, however, would undoubtedly benefit greatly from such a meeting. I've heard some pretty non-politically correct (& downright racist) statements coming from the long-timers, who probably wouldn't know a Native American from a Hispanic if their lives depended on it.
Whine #3: We're constantly reminded to use our instructional time well, and to avoid things like taking the team outside or showing movies. I fully recognize the value of classroom instruction; it's one of the reasons I'm a teacher. And yet, the 6th grade dance this winter is going to be from 12:30 -2:30 one afternoon . . . yes, that's during school hours. What kind of mixed message is our administration giving? The 8th grade dance is some Friday evening very close to Winter Break. And initially, the only 8th graders who'd be allowed to attend would be those who had 1) never been tardy 2) completed 80% of their work and 3) never been in ISS or OSS. One teacher piped up and said, "So you're throwing a dance for all the white, nerdy kids?" So now, kids who haven't been in ISS or OSS can come to the dance, which is still problematic (in my opinion), because it punishes the kids twice. What's the point of that? I can kind of see the reasoning behind prohibiting OSS kids from coming, but ISS is supposed to be a consequence itself (even though the ISS teachers let kids go back to class for good behavior . . . don't even get me started on that one!)
I feel crabby, not better, after writing all of this. My methods prof from grad school used to tell us, "Sometimes you just have to go in your room, close the door, ignore the frustrations, and teach your heart out." I've taken his advice more than once this year already. Thankfully, my students are the highlight of every day. They are so inquisitive and happy to be learning, for the most part. I know I need to focus on them instead of everything else that isn't working this year, because otherwise I'll never make it in this profession.
Fortunately, this is a 3-day weekend, and I fully intend to enjoy it. I think I'll plant my tulips. At this rate, I'll need something cheery in the spring.
I feel guilty even to start to complain, since this year is 500% better than last year. In fact, if it weren't for the kids this year, I'm not sure I'd want to do this much longer.
Whine #1: Our principal has nominated our school for an award ~ "Schools to Watch" or something like that. Somehow we are one of the 4 finalists, and the judges will be visiting our school in December to make their final decision.
This is all fine & dandy. I don't necessarily think we're a "school to watch, and I actually think we're failing a large population of our student body. But I'll root for our school if it means our kids will be in the limelight for a little while. The really irritating piece is that our principal has urged us to "make sure you're doing hands-on lessons" while these people are visiting. Excuse me?? If you think we're worthy enough to nominate us for this recognition, at least have the decency to believe in what we're doing. Shouldn't it be sufficient to tell us the dates of this very important visit, and trust that we'll do what we do best, which is teach? We shouldn't have to put on a dog & pony show for these people to convince them that we're worth watching.
Whine #2: I had to sit through a required professional development session this week on "Culturally Relevant Classrooms." Again, this is an important topic & it needs to be addressed. However, I know that the majority of the 100+ teachers in the room have graduated within the past 5 years from college or grad school, and therefore have had significant exposure to this topic. The seminar wasn't practical, didn't present any new info to me, and felt like a waste of time. The veteran teachers in my school, however, would undoubtedly benefit greatly from such a meeting. I've heard some pretty non-politically correct (& downright racist) statements coming from the long-timers, who probably wouldn't know a Native American from a Hispanic if their lives depended on it.
Whine #3: We're constantly reminded to use our instructional time well, and to avoid things like taking the team outside or showing movies. I fully recognize the value of classroom instruction; it's one of the reasons I'm a teacher. And yet, the 6th grade dance this winter is going to be from 12:30 -2:30 one afternoon . . . yes, that's during school hours. What kind of mixed message is our administration giving? The 8th grade dance is some Friday evening very close to Winter Break. And initially, the only 8th graders who'd be allowed to attend would be those who had 1) never been tardy 2) completed 80% of their work and 3) never been in ISS or OSS. One teacher piped up and said, "So you're throwing a dance for all the white, nerdy kids?" So now, kids who haven't been in ISS or OSS can come to the dance, which is still problematic (in my opinion), because it punishes the kids twice. What's the point of that? I can kind of see the reasoning behind prohibiting OSS kids from coming, but ISS is supposed to be a consequence itself (even though the ISS teachers let kids go back to class for good behavior . . . don't even get me started on that one!)
I feel crabby, not better, after writing all of this. My methods prof from grad school used to tell us, "Sometimes you just have to go in your room, close the door, ignore the frustrations, and teach your heart out." I've taken his advice more than once this year already. Thankfully, my students are the highlight of every day. They are so inquisitive and happy to be learning, for the most part. I know I need to focus on them instead of everything else that isn't working this year, because otherwise I'll never make it in this profession.
Fortunately, this is a 3-day weekend, and I fully intend to enjoy it. I think I'll plant my tulips. At this rate, I'll need something cheery in the spring.
posted by Kat at
3:35 PM
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