Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
District Downers
May 17,2008
As much as I've wanted to get back to writing in this blog, it always takes a while with the demands of teaching on my time. I find myself working easily over 12 hours a day, sometimes staying at school until 8:00 or 9:00 at night. Yet, it seems my work is never done. I categorize what I have to do into groups:
A) What absolutely MUST get done (for survival)
B) What I "should" be doing (to be more effective)
C) What I would like to do (to be highly successful)
Most days, it seems I barely get through group A, and I rarely get to C. At some point, I just have to draw the line so that I can see my family and have some sort of work-life balance.
Following my last entry about the cuts in funding, I received the lay-off notice via certified mail and followed the instructions to request a "hearing". I didn't know what that was all about, but it seemed like the thing to do. The big event occurred a couple weeks ago and resembled a formal court trial, complete with a judge and lawyers. Except it was held in a community center, and it was really hard to hear what anyone was saying.
The lawyer defending our teachers' union had a huge, long list of names for every teacher in our district, sorted by seniority - based on when we were hired. My name wasn't even on the list! Turns out, since I was hired part way into the year, I was categorized as "temporary" this entire time which means I basically have no job security. Anyone with more seniority could come in and apply for my position. This was disconcerting, but then they told us we should be ok as long as we have taught 75% of the school year. I knew I would be close, so I called personnel for our district. Turns out I was ONE DAY SHORT! Basically, that means this whole year of struggles and persistence will not apply towards my tenure at this school, nor an increase in pay next year. Needless to say, that did not make me happy.
Our teachers' union has been in "negotiations" with the district this entire year, fighting for better pay and benefits. They tried many strategies to get the district to pay more attention and give the respect due to their teachers. However, those who attend the board meetings say the district administrators are so detached, they could care less about the livelihood or survival of the teachers and our families! That is apparent in any interaction I have had with their office, so I will be relieved to find a more supportive district. Others in my department and the office at our school are well aware of my disappointments and that I've been applying elsewhere for next year.
As much as I've wanted to get back to writing in this blog, it always takes a while with the demands of teaching on my time. I find myself working easily over 12 hours a day, sometimes staying at school until 8:00 or 9:00 at night. Yet, it seems my work is never done. I categorize what I have to do into groups:
A) What absolutely MUST get done (for survival)
B) What I "should" be doing (to be more effective)
C) What I would like to do (to be highly successful)
Most days, it seems I barely get through group A, and I rarely get to C. At some point, I just have to draw the line so that I can see my family and have some sort of work-life balance.
Following my last entry about the cuts in funding, I received the lay-off notice via certified mail and followed the instructions to request a "hearing". I didn't know what that was all about, but it seemed like the thing to do. The big event occurred a couple weeks ago and resembled a formal court trial, complete with a judge and lawyers. Except it was held in a community center, and it was really hard to hear what anyone was saying.
The lawyer defending our teachers' union had a huge, long list of names for every teacher in our district, sorted by seniority - based on when we were hired. My name wasn't even on the list! Turns out, since I was hired part way into the year, I was categorized as "temporary" this entire time which means I basically have no job security. Anyone with more seniority could come in and apply for my position. This was disconcerting, but then they told us we should be ok as long as we have taught 75% of the school year. I knew I would be close, so I called personnel for our district. Turns out I was ONE DAY SHORT! Basically, that means this whole year of struggles and persistence will not apply towards my tenure at this school, nor an increase in pay next year. Needless to say, that did not make me happy.
Our teachers' union has been in "negotiations" with the district this entire year, fighting for better pay and benefits. They tried many strategies to get the district to pay more attention and give the respect due to their teachers. However, those who attend the board meetings say the district administrators are so detached, they could care less about the livelihood or survival of the teachers and our families! That is apparent in any interaction I have had with their office, so I will be relieved to find a more supportive district. Others in my department and the office at our school are well aware of my disappointments and that I've been applying elsewhere for next year.
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