The union president and the Boss Lady approached me (since I'm on the union Exec. Board) this week about meeting to help ensure that teachers fulfill their supervision duties and work their contracted hours. I will admit that I usually feel somewhat negative when I hear the Boss Lady state her desire to make sure teachers work their hours because I know the vast majority of the teachers work many more hours than is contractually required. However, I feel she has a legitimate point in this case.
Five teachers left the building without permission after the last class of the day and before the pep assembly, which they are required to supervise (by contract). Each was seen by the administrator supervising the parking lot for students trying to leave early.
Also, four teachers who were sitting in front of the students rather than among the students refused an administrator's request to sit in a position better suited for supervision.
Apparently, this issue follows the misuse of prep time by some teachers as well. We are supposed to use prep time to prepare for classes, not to make doctor appointments or to take a long lunch and so on.
What bothers me is this:
a) These teachers make our requests for more collaboration and prep time seem unjustified since we are all painted with the same broad brush.
b) These types of duty avoidances make my job (and the jobs of others) more difficult.
c) Insubordination is never acceptable. We can disagree or discuss the issue later, but to refuse--especially in front of students--can't be tolerated.
I hope the Boss Lady and I can determine a positive means of approaching the staff to review our professional responsibilities and behaviors. I'd like the review to be a positive one while still ensuring these types of actions don't reoccur. We, as teachers, would do the same in our classes, so I hope this is well-received.
Showing posts with label Meetings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Meetings. Show all posts
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Teacher Created Failures
I went to the high school state football championships this last weekend and watched a coach lose the title game for his team. His inability to adapt and poor play calling at critical moments (really, it was greed leading to opponent points) took the victory from the kids; the leader decided the outcome rather than allowing the kids the opportunity to succeed.
The winning team's coach did not put his team into positions likely to cause failure. He set his athletes up to succeed, and they did.
I see some of this same problem in my high school. While we have quite a number of wonderfully dedicated and industrious teachers, we also have a small few who refuse to collaborate and adapt.
One department in my school has been labeled the cause of our status as a failing school. While I don't believe the teachers in the department are solely responsible, I do see a couple of them as part of the problem. And of course, this reflects on the entire school and impacts everyone.
Two teachers refused to attend the training for their department's new approaches to teaching their content. This comes on the heels of their department being provided development opportunities from the state and district and on the heels of the department's agreement to alter some older methods of teaching in favor of some new approaches. At a minimum some best practices would be shared, and the potential is present to revolutionize and revitalize the department.
The lack of collaboration, unwillingness to change, and outright lack of professionalism appalls me. For a group who is the focus of reform, I would expect that the teachers would at least listen to the suggestions even if they do not embrace them. This type of cancerous attitude needs to be cured and cured quickly.
I hope to see these staff members won over by the rest of the department in their efforts to improve and ultimately help kids succeed.
Additionally, I expect to see the administration step in and enforce the mandates of professionalism. Too often I hear complaints about the lack of professionalism with little done to rectify the behaviors. This is a definite opportunity to effect positive change.
The winning team's coach did not put his team into positions likely to cause failure. He set his athletes up to succeed, and they did.
I see some of this same problem in my high school. While we have quite a number of wonderfully dedicated and industrious teachers, we also have a small few who refuse to collaborate and adapt.
One department in my school has been labeled the cause of our status as a failing school. While I don't believe the teachers in the department are solely responsible, I do see a couple of them as part of the problem. And of course, this reflects on the entire school and impacts everyone.
Two teachers refused to attend the training for their department's new approaches to teaching their content. This comes on the heels of their department being provided development opportunities from the state and district and on the heels of the department's agreement to alter some older methods of teaching in favor of some new approaches. At a minimum some best practices would be shared, and the potential is present to revolutionize and revitalize the department.
The lack of collaboration, unwillingness to change, and outright lack of professionalism appalls me. For a group who is the focus of reform, I would expect that the teachers would at least listen to the suggestions even if they do not embrace them. This type of cancerous attitude needs to be cured and cured quickly.
I hope to see these staff members won over by the rest of the department in their efforts to improve and ultimately help kids succeed.
Additionally, I expect to see the administration step in and enforce the mandates of professionalism. Too often I hear complaints about the lack of professionalism with little done to rectify the behaviors. This is a definite opportunity to effect positive change.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Trifecta
This week the leadership team drove me to leave the school at exactly 3:15. Normally I don't get frustrated enough to feel like I had to escape the windowless confines of the school, but this time I'd had it and needed a release.
First, we had a documented case of MRSA. A student in the school had it, but no one was notified until after the fact. We were notified this Wednesday. Initially I was told the admin team first knew on Monday. Then I found out a district office official discussed the issue with them on Friday. Yesterday I learned the Athletic Office knew last Monday.
No one let the staff know of this situation until 9 days after the case was at least suspected. For a week everyone was at risk! One teacher asked the Boss Lady (at a staff meeting Wednesday when we were first notified) why she didn't trust us enough to inform us of a possible contagion in our midst. I thought "why not care enough to let us protect ourselves?"
Secondly, we have a decision-making body in our school consisting of parents, students, teachers, other staff members, and the Boss Lady. For some unknown reason the Boss Lady and her lackey (who got voted in as co-facilitator because the team's teachers wouldn't step up to help lead the group) decided to stop recording who votes what way.
This is our only means of holding our voted-upon leaders accountable! How do we know if our wishes as a constituency are being promoted if we can't see how our leaders vote? The response: we (the royal "we") decided to stop doing it. This means a practice which has existed for over a decade was stopped without a group vote, discussion, or consideration of why it was there.
Thirdly, we no longer receive the meeting agendas and meeting minutes in our e-mail. While this may sound like a small issue when the information is available on a website, it follows the series of actions attempting to hide information and skew information. By making the information less readily accessible, fewer people will see it and hold the decision-makers responsible.
Overall, the leaders in the building continue to want to hide information of paramount importance and desire to decrease accountability for themselves. Grrr!
First, we had a documented case of MRSA. A student in the school had it, but no one was notified until after the fact. We were notified this Wednesday. Initially I was told the admin team first knew on Monday. Then I found out a district office official discussed the issue with them on Friday. Yesterday I learned the Athletic Office knew last Monday.
No one let the staff know of this situation until 9 days after the case was at least suspected. For a week everyone was at risk! One teacher asked the Boss Lady (at a staff meeting Wednesday when we were first notified) why she didn't trust us enough to inform us of a possible contagion in our midst. I thought "why not care enough to let us protect ourselves?"
Secondly, we have a decision-making body in our school consisting of parents, students, teachers, other staff members, and the Boss Lady. For some unknown reason the Boss Lady and her lackey (who got voted in as co-facilitator because the team's teachers wouldn't step up to help lead the group) decided to stop recording who votes what way.
This is our only means of holding our voted-upon leaders accountable! How do we know if our wishes as a constituency are being promoted if we can't see how our leaders vote? The response: we (the royal "we") decided to stop doing it. This means a practice which has existed for over a decade was stopped without a group vote, discussion, or consideration of why it was there.
Thirdly, we no longer receive the meeting agendas and meeting minutes in our e-mail. While this may sound like a small issue when the information is available on a website, it follows the series of actions attempting to hide information and skew information. By making the information less readily accessible, fewer people will see it and hold the decision-makers responsible.
Overall, the leaders in the building continue to want to hide information of paramount importance and desire to decrease accountability for themselves. Grrr!
Monday, October 8, 2007
No Confidentiality
A survey was sent out to staff last week, which was supposedly confidential and people's anonymity would be maintained. Well, one teacher was honest, blunt and negative, but honest. Later, he received a call at home by the administrator of the survey who wanted to know if the teacher had "a bad day" when filling out the form. Apparently, the administrator of the survey can click a button to discover the identity of the responder.
This morning at an all-staff meeting we were again told our identities were not able to be discerned. This was obviously a lie. People now know we are being lied to.
Sadly, the level of distrust in the building grows.
This morning at an all-staff meeting we were again told our identities were not able to be discerned. This was obviously a lie. People now know we are being lied to.
Sadly, the level of distrust in the building grows.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
The Mind Can Absorb...
The mind can absorb what the rear can endure.
That's the lesson I learned today in the meetings we had today. We sat. And sat. And sat. They lectured.
Now, I must be fair. We had an excellent guest speaker who discussed the hope teachers foster in their students. He was articulate, humorous, well-prepared, practiced, and relevant. He was the highlight of the day.
Then the administrative team emphasized the importance of relationships. I absolutely agree that the relationships built between students, staff, and administrators create much of our successes. They spoke very well in this regard because I wholeheartedly believe they are correct.
However, it was also obvious that the admins have no idea how to teach the teachers how to create better bonds with students. It's not that they don't want to do so. They just aren't successful at creating relationships themselves. This inability of theirs translates to an inability to model or instruct the teaching staff to build these relationships.
I really wish the admins would model effective teaching techniques by differentiating their lessons to the staff and would use techniques other than lecture. They are our leaders in education and, in my opinion, should be the models of excellence in teaching.
We did play a "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" game using a special PowerPoint template which could be a great approach in my classes. I'm going to request a copy of the template.
Quote of the week: "I don't know the question, but here is the answer."
That's the lesson I learned today in the meetings we had today. We sat. And sat. And sat. They lectured.
Now, I must be fair. We had an excellent guest speaker who discussed the hope teachers foster in their students. He was articulate, humorous, well-prepared, practiced, and relevant. He was the highlight of the day.
Then the administrative team emphasized the importance of relationships. I absolutely agree that the relationships built between students, staff, and administrators create much of our successes. They spoke very well in this regard because I wholeheartedly believe they are correct.
However, it was also obvious that the admins have no idea how to teach the teachers how to create better bonds with students. It's not that they don't want to do so. They just aren't successful at creating relationships themselves. This inability of theirs translates to an inability to model or instruct the teaching staff to build these relationships.
I really wish the admins would model effective teaching techniques by differentiating their lessons to the staff and would use techniques other than lecture. They are our leaders in education and, in my opinion, should be the models of excellence in teaching.
We did play a "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" game using a special PowerPoint template which could be a great approach in my classes. I'm going to request a copy of the template.
Quote of the week: "I don't know the question, but here is the answer."
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