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Today we had to fill out a mandatory ~every damn thing is mandatory, and they never fail to say this, with ALL CAPS. apparently caps work where respect and common sense don’t~ school climate survey for the state that goes on our school report card.
How can I describe the joy?
Except I know that no matter how anonymous the survey or how awful the results, nobody cares what goes on that school. If they did, they’d have looked into the situation when more then ten teachers in our school failed the state evaluation process last year (when practically no one does) and especially when more than half of those teachers were men. How many teachers are men, period?
I watched them railroad these teachers out of the school, watched those teachers get lawyers to no avail, send letters up and down the chain of command asking for a review, and get no response, much less results.
I watched the entire art department resign in protest over something I never fully understood. But apparently it was enough to make the whole art department leave in anger over what was done to one of theirs.
I’ve watched parents paper the town with signs calling for new leadership, hold rallies at the baseball stadium and meetings at the school only to have a representative from the district show up to tell us all, essentially, to get over it because they were not changing leadership at the school. ~admittedly, the parents made a poor choice of issues to go to bat over. still, this much discontent is worth investigating, i would think~
I’ve seen the local paper ignore and refuse to investigate issues at the school.
I’ve seen a student bullied by administration. It seems an assistant principal told her it didn’t matter whether she actually *did* skip class or not, if he just says she did, that’s enough. This was part of an effort to get her to “roll” on her teacher for an alleged rule violation ~which rule he had no way of knowing about since he had been at the school less than a month from out of state and new teacher orientation is nothing approaching adequate~ I guess talking to the teacher himself about the violation would be too much like confronting another grown up and not nearly as easy as bullying a 16–year-old girl. When the girl’s mother called the school about it, she was lied to. This girl is currently not in school at all. Her family told the school she had moved back to California, but she’s been seen by other students on campus several times since then.
Stellar job. Run kids AND teachers out of the school.
I’ve seen 2 students searched on suspicion of stealing a laptop, when none of the other students in the class were searched, or even questioned. The missing laptop, it turns out, had been taken ~with no note or form of any kind~ by the district’s IT department for repair. When one of the student’s mother called the school about this one, they told her that I told them to search her. ~like they would listen to me~ Besides, anyone who reads this blog ~or takes my classes~ knows there’s NO WAY IN HELL that I would ever ever ever ever say that any student should be searched. It’s just not me, libertarian that I am. ~but it was really cute of them to try to throw me under the bus for that one. it did not fly. like, at all~ Those two girls are only sophomores. If they hurry, maybe there’s still time to run them out of school, too.
I’ve seen too much.
I should have left several years ago after she deliberately isolated me from everyone in the school by putting me in a crazy-ass classroom in no-man’s land, and giving me the exact two classes I had requested not to get ~when I naively filled out a “what would you like to teach next year form,” which specifically ASKED me what I didn’t want to teach. silly me. i didn’t think it would be used against me~ one of which I was in NO WAY qualified to teach. This was to separate me from Kitty Cat. ~apparently the concentration of brain cells on the second floor was alarmingly high~
We had to be separated, you see, because we were being punished for being too forward and ~gasp~ actually trying to speak to the principal about a curriculum for 9th grade we were writing together ~and spending tons of time on, i would add~ AND for asking her ~to her face~ what we might be teaching next year. ~questions are not allowed~
So, several years too late, I’ve put in a request to be transferred to another school in the district. The regime blocked this by claiming on my transfer form that I am not adequate at my job. ~this is contrary to all written documentation about me in my possession, and to letters of recommendation written only months ago, in addition to numerous requests that i not leave from assistant principals~ This is to protect the fiefdom from the bad reputation that will result from a mass exodus of teachers.
Since she has already threatened my contract, I have no choice but to leave the state or die on the vine.
Another teacher in my school is getting it worse. A veteran of 13 years. The students at his last school made a Facebook group in an attempt to keep him from moving away. Can’t have teachers like that around. People who are popular, creative, or intelligent threaten the narrative. ~the “i’m so great at running a school, look at me” narrative. see, we’re not human at all, just characters in a play. guess who the star is?~
This school is where teachers ~and some students~ go to die.
11 responses so far ↓
1 Anne // Feb 20, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Oh. My. God. Are you absolutely sure you aren’t in Philadelphia? Some of what you talk about sounds scarily familiar.
How does anyone just plain survive in such a toxic environment? Hugs/chocolate/or legal drug of choice to you…
2 Kaelie Curbxstomp // Feb 20, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Ah, the art department.
Kaelie Curbxstomp’s last blog post..About A Boy
3 ken // Feb 20, 2008 at 9:01 pm
@Anne: sure hope u mean Philly, as in the city district, b/c this sort of shit is miles away from having ever happened in my district, and it borders right up against good ‘ol Philly.
And here’s the thing, sad as it sounds, schools can search students. There’s this thing, something called the 4th Amendment.
Yeah, that’s the one.
I’m not a fan of searches. I’m not a fan of bully tactics, but let’s just, for shits and giggles, balance this see-saw.
There’s this sexual harassment policy our district has. We need to watch a video presentation on our own time. We need to sign off on a form that we’ve seen it.
Union informs us not to sign, citing in a terse email, “possible legal ramifications”.
Why not sign? Does not signing allow us to Quid Pro Quo harass to our hearts’ content?
Or, could it be all conspiracy theory and shadow tactics? Wait until they sign and then get the nefarious group of teachers who have harassed prior to signing?
Honestly, I saw Conspiracy Theory.
Taylor, you know I want to see you happy. Leave your district.
But the whole system isn’t in morbid disarray.
Funny thing, right? A teacher happy in his district. Is it possible? Can it be? Does it mean I’ve been a sycophant? Kiss up? Yes man?
Bullshit.
I’ve done what I’ve wanted. Taught what I’ve wanted. And I have the best room in the whole building.
I participate when needed.
I smile and nod when needed.
And I’ll shout, “big elephant in the room” if the issue needs addressing.
Not every school sucks.
Part of me can’t decide if that makes one lucky or stupid.
ken’s last blog post..a full-bodied profession
4 Taylor // Feb 20, 2008 at 9:13 pm
The bill of rights applies to people under 18? who knew?
Thanks for the support, guys. You have no idea how much you help me by reading and commenting on this little ole blog. It will have no effect on the school, but it has a tremendous effect on my ability to go on.
This blog is my drug of choice.
5 Taylor // Feb 20, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Oh yeah, and the sexual harassment thing: reminds me of a story I heard on NPR this morning about Cracker Barrel fighting a discrimination lawsuit, claiming that congress didn’t intend to ban RETALIATORY discrimination, just other kinds. So what are they saying? It’s okay to be a fucking ignorant bigoted fuck? They SHOULD be allowed to discriminate on the basis of race, then retaliate against a long-standing employee who blows the whistle (who happens also to be black)?
Nice cause to fight for.
Pay the damn money, cracker barrel, then clean up your act. Stop being backwoods fucks.
Obvious pun on “Cracker” will go unstated since I’m sure it’s been done many times.
6 jose // Feb 20, 2008 at 9:45 pm
:: shakes head:: tragic. You laid the people out, Taylor. They aren’t ready.
jose’s last blog post..Gentrifuckation (part 1)
7 Josh // Feb 21, 2008 at 10:12 am
Wow, just when I start to wonder about some of the bizarre things my administration is doing - I get to read a post like this and then I want to go and hug them. Sometimes I read your posts and am totally in agreement with you, and then sometimes I am so glad that I am where I am, and not in the hellish building you lucked into.
Josh’s last blog post..Music
8 Bloggrrl // Feb 21, 2008 at 10:44 pm
What is the deal with schools, you know? They seem to be sicker environments than most corporate ones. Please tell me that’s true, because otherwise the whole world is just so effed.
Our high school got a new principal in the middle of the year who has stupidly decided to try and change everything midstream…I am bracing myself for a SLEW of new DAEP students…
Bloggrrl’s last blog post..Can You Make $100 a Day?
9 Mrs. C // Feb 23, 2008 at 2:07 am
I really feel for the 16-year-old you mentioned, who probably is now suddenly being homeschooled. It’s a shame that she was run out of school like that.
I really do think the administration sets the tone and that most teachers will follow or find a way to leave. So far as a parent, I have pulled two of my children out of public education and have begun homeschooling them myself. I wish I had done it several years ago with my older children who are in public school. I wouldn’t shed any tears if the whole system were dismantled tomorrow, however. It would give me a few thousand dollars of my own money to spend on curriculum each year. ;]
I’m trying to imagine what teaching in ps. is like. Between the parents, some of the bad students and administrators, as well as not being able to pick your own curriculum and set the rules, the word “hell” comes to mind…
Mrs. C’s last blog post..Check Out the Homeschool Daily Report!
10 youdontknowmyname // Mar 12, 2008 at 11:04 pm
wowzerz…. so plans 4 nxtyear?
11 Taylor // Mar 13, 2008 at 6:19 pm
@youdontknowmyname As soon as I know, you’ll know!
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