The math department in my school is really dysfunctional. I am not sure most of us respect each other. I do know that (with rare exceptions) we do not share things that would make our life easier.
I have written about asking for help and not getting it. I am absolutely positive the individual mentioned has no clue about why I haven't honored her request for "stuff" and feels (probably, since I have gone out of my way to avoid her)that I am being selfish.
Funsucker is still in 2 of my classes, still being Funsucker and I cannot get her to do what she is being paid to do.
I think we are about to lose a new teacher. He is acting completely overwhelmed with dealing with high school students. I do not have a class near him and have shared my notes from when I taught that class - but the other 5 teachers, whose rooms are right next to him, do not feel that they have to do anything to help him. I have butted in and asked each one - and they tell me "I got it on my own", "he hasn't asked for help", "I have too much on my plate this year" - and I watch this kid in the meetings. He is withdrawing, will not say anything. When I talk with him (what a concept) he is afraid he is not being an effective teacher. He worries about the discipline. He is questioning why he went into teaching in the first place.
I remember these stages. I have been offering encouragement. I just feel a sense of foreboding.
And, everytime we have a meeting SOMEONE (and it varies) comes to tell me SOMETHING ICKY about SOMEBODY ELSE. I do not want to hear it anymore. I don't care whose marriage is breaking up, who is getting too chummy with the kids (if you think it is serious TELL THE ADMINISTRATION), who is doing pushups in the class room to show "they still have it" *THAT was fun - the kids have it on YOUTUBE). Geesh! I just want to do my job - my own students are screwy enough,
A Brief History of Blackboards and Slates
2 hours ago
3 comments:
I have so many things I want to say about this, and none of them will come as a surprise to you. Teaching is - and by all rights should be - a collaborative effort. No one should be left to "get it on their own" and the people who come off with that attitude have NO BUSINESS being in a classroom.
We hear a lot of complaints about schools not being able to retain good teachers. Small wonder, when it seems that our own colleagues aren't invested in our success.
I have a stack of bumper stickers that I use for writing prompts, and one of them says "when everyone does better, EVERYONE does better." Isn't it in our collective best interests to see that EVERYONE succeeds? Why does one person's success seem to threaten someone else to the point where they won't even offer a word of encouragement?!
I feel badly for that 'new teacher' because I was in similar shoes 2 years ago and last year. I taught pre-k (with no mandated curriculum) and literally had to put it all together on my own.
From my own experiences, I have learned to always go up to the new staff member and offer a friendly hand. Only 1 person in a school of 50 people made me feel welcome my first year.
wow that's surprising. At my current school, I was handed a syllabus, notes, and tests to use as I saw fit. In fact the first time I took an Algebra 2 course, the teacher who taught it handed me everything she had on the course because she was retiring soon and didn't see keeping it.
On top of that, I still contacted her after she retired to ask her some questions about testing and what not, and she took the time to help me out even though she was retired.
I actually take my department for granted now. This kind of serves as a wake up call to me to stop by and say hi once in awhile. Im on the other side of campus now.
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