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Really I passed bitter a long time ago — but am up late feeling guilty & just now admitting it. Here’s the story:
I’m assigned to teach Broadcast Journalism this year, which is exciting to me, but new. My first background was in print journalism, and back in my J-school days there was rivalry bordering on animosity between the broadcast & print folks. Today that seems like two cavemen arguing over rock-sharpening methods.
We have no equipment. Literally none. I was supposed to make a list for the principal. There is no money allocated for purchasing this chimerical equipment. So the money has to come from the margins somewhere. This means I was in a hurry to get the list to her since mythical money disappears even faster than real money, especially in a school.
Now, due to paperwork and other issues, the list has come back to me for revision, and I’m glad. It wasn’t a very good list. There are several reasons for this. Thinking about why I didn’t take more time on the list in the first place I’ve realized something very important:
In order to really make this list I will have to actually speak to her about what her expectations are for the program.
That is impossible. She is utterly unapproachable. This isn’t me being whiny. It’s the reality of this school environment. Her unapproachability, unresponsiveness, and arbitrary rule of the school is well documented. It’s been in the newspaper.
So I’ve decided that I am setting the agenda for this class, and if she doesn’t like what I’m doing I assume she’ll let me know. So I’ll just order the equipment to do what I want to do.
If this equipment materializes, it means she smiled on me for reasons I will never know or be able to duplicate. Or she didn’t care one way or the other.
If we don’t get a single thing, I won’t be surprised.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Andrew // Sep 28, 2007 at 10:45 am
There’s an old saying: “It’s far easier to ask for forgiveness then to ask for permission.” Personally, I always hate going that route, but I’ve unfortunately learned that it’s pretty true. Take things into your own hands, get them done and then deal with someone’s complaints. Otherwise, you’ll be driving yourself mad waiting and/or arguing to get the thing done.
And funny, my background is in print journalism (with some online mixed in) and I passed bitter long ago. Hence I’m no longer working for the company that made me beyond bitter.
So I feel your pain.
2 ken // Sep 28, 2007 at 10:32 pm
I echo Andrew’s restatement of an old saying, “…ask for forgiveness…” as it surely has served me and my students far better than bland acceptance of bland policies (* Ryan Howard just belted a homerun!!!).
Do with teaching what you’ve done with your own journey toward weight loss: believe that you can do what you know is in the best interest of your students and your teaching.
Unfortunately, with all the open-source software that’s out there, there is no open-source hardware! Grumble, grumble.
Congrats on losing a 3 year old! Not many places in life where uttering that phrase is intentionally laced with mirth, but weight loss is a more than a change in diet, it’s a change in lifestyle.
A former player for the Philadelphia Eagles (guess where I’m from???) said recently on his radio show that the best diet is the simplest: “Eat less. Exercise more.”
I don’t know you. Couldn’t pick you out of a line-up, but I am truly proud of you!
You don’t know me. Couldn’t pick me out of a line-up, but I hope you know I mean what I say.
3 Taylor // Sep 30, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Thanks. I know you do mean it.
You guys are right. I’m just Don Quixote enough to think that things shouldn’t be that way, and I think someone should care that they shouldn’t be that way. I see you do.
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