Am I crazy? Round 2, page 2.

[sugarbear]

.

[Deleted]

If they knew the schedule prior to today, and they didn't call/email or otherwise contact you asking to meet at times other than the published ones, then no, you should not be expected to accommodate them. What do the other teachers do? Did your principal say the schedule was a guideline and you should be flexible?

[coribelle26]

I don't think the system is that bad, and I absolutely don't think conferences should last more than 10 minutes. If there's a bigger issue, that parent needs to set up an appointment with you some other time, not the same day that you're trying to see every single other family. I worked at a high school and that's how we did it too.

As far as showing up right before your break time, I know how hard it is to be firm about it but they are SOL if they show up at that time. That's your only opportunity to eat (and probably pee), and they have to respect that. Our break times were published in advance and our administrators made a 10-minute warning announcement and actually went around and made teachers go take the break so the teachers didn't have to cut off parents themselves.

[iamali]

How dare you not want to sit and talk about their preshicus baby for that long.

Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk

[ECB]

Oct 23, 2014 20:07:19 GMT -5 mofongo said:

I mean, if you had a lot of down time, I guess I don't get why you couldn't see them during 'break'. Same with dinner, you had an hour, I don't think I would have minded giving them 15 minutes of that, since there was downtime throughout the day.

I would prefer scheduled appts, that way everyone's time would be more respected.

This is whhere I fall.  If you were so busy that your breaks really were your ONLY down time, yes, I'd fully understand being strict about the schedule.  But as you weren't back to back busy, I probably would have tried to accomodate as best I could (although I doubt I would have given extended time - that really seems overly presumptious of the parent).

[lindsaymg]

I feel your pain. I feel their pain. I hate that system as I have to meticulously schedule things like this for H's and my work calendars/travel/commute time. I personally would have contacted you ahead of time to see if a time could be reserved so as to not interfere with your break time. These are the parents work hours too so some level of respect needs to be paid to their needs as well as yours.

Not your fault, not theirs. My eye is twitching just thinking about this. DS's Parent Teacher conference was today but we got to sign up online for a time. I guess I should count myself lucky!

[sugarbear]

Oct 23, 2014 19:56:44 GMT -5 @booby said:

Not totally crazy. If the first person wanted to talk about sally more, then I would have given her the 12 mins, took my break and then given her 10 more minutes. Why make the parent schlep all the way back to the school next week when she can just use up some of this downtime you refer to.

The 4:25 people? Rude. And you should get your dinner break bc you have to be present at 5:30 sharp for those parents who do pay attention to the schedule. I mean, you can't keep them waiting on account of these 4:30 people.

Absolutely would have done that, too, though it didn't occur to me.

mofongo and ECB, I did have a lot of down time in the morning, but it's like 3 minutes here and 8 minutes there, and I can't really leave my classroom because I don't know when someone will show up. This particular break is for peeing, getting water, etc. I had also told my brother I'd call him at 2:45 (he had a baby this morning).

Re: dinner-- it was served at 4:30. Not a "come any time in this hour" kind of thing. I mean, I could have been late, but that would have been weird and kind of a bummer.

[sugarbear]

Oct 23, 2014 20:23:15 GMT -5 lindsaymg said:

I feel your pain. I feel their pain. I hate that system as I have to meticulously schedule things like this for H's and my work calendars/travel/commute time. I personally would have contacted you ahead of time to see if a time could be reserved so as to not interfere with your break time. These are the parents work hours too so some level of respect needs to be paid to their needs as well as yours.

Not your fault, not theirs. My eye is twitching just thinking about this. DS's Parent Teacher conference was today but we got to sign up online for a time. I guess I should count myself lucky!

Yes, I get this, too... but that's why I'm here until 7:30 tonight. 

It's not a perfect system, by any stretch.

[speckledfrog]

No, there is no need to accommodate them.

Now, if you wanted to because they had some sort of good sob story, then that's okay, but there is no reason for you to give up your breaks to accommodate a couple jerkfaces who think they are more important than everyone else.

[WOT?*]

Congratulations to your brother and to you, Auntie sugarbear. Must have been hard for him to push that baby out.

[speckledfrog]

You guys, schools work hard to get all of the parents in for conferences. I bet sugarbear has to contact everyone who didn't show up and make sure they don't still want a conference. Everyone in this world needs to work within certain parameters, including the parents who don't get why she can't bend the rules just for them. Also, conference times are flipping exhausting. You are go, go, go all day. She deserves her full hour for dinner (at 4:30!) to get reset and refreshed for the second half of conferences.

[sugarbear]

Oct 23, 2014 20:31:32 GMT -5 speckledfrog said:

You guys, schools work hard to get all of the parents in for conferences. I bet sugarbear has to contact everyone who didn't show up and make sure they don't still want a conference. Everyone in this world needs to work within certain parameters, including the parents who don't get why she can't bend the rules just for them. Also, conference times are flipping exhausting. You are go, go, go all day. She deserves her full hour for dinner (at 4:30!) to get reset and refreshed for the second half of conferences.

Thank you. It really is exhausting. I have 43 conferences in two days. And speckledfrog is right; they are mandatory, so if people don't show up, I have to hunt them down.

[coribelle26]

Conferences are EXHAUSTING. Let the girl have her hour break.

I was only a counselor so I had to deal with way less crazy and pissed-offedness than the teachers, and I still would go home after conference night feeling like I might die.

The problem with letting one family go 15 minutes into the break is that it never stops. Then the next one shows up, or one shows up 15 minutes before the second shift starts and is in a hurry and can't she please just come back early? It's just basic boundary setting.

[lindsaymg]

Oct 23, 2014 20:26:34 GMT -5 sugarbear said:

Oct 23, 2014 20:23:15 GMT -5 lindsaymg said:

I feel your pain. I feel their pain. I hate that system as I have to meticulously schedule things like this for H's and my work calendars/travel/commute time. I personally would have contacted you ahead of time to see if a time could be reserved so as to not interfere with your break time. These are the parents work hours too so some level of respect needs to be paid to their needs as well as yours.

Not your fault, not theirs. My eye is twitching just thinking about this. DS's Parent Teacher conference was today but we got to sign up online for a time. I guess I should count myself lucky!

Yes, I get this, too... but that's why I'm here until 7:30 tonight. 

It's not a perfect system, by any stretch.

7:30 is generous!

[janetplanet20]

Oct 23, 2014 20:37:20 GMT -5 coribelle26 said:

Conferences are EXHAUSTING. Let the girl have her hour break.

I was only a counselor so I had to deal with way less crazy and pissed-offedness than the teachers, and I still would go home after conference night feeling like I might die.

The problem with letting one family go 15 minutes into the break is that it never stops. Then the next one shows up, or one shows up 15 minutes before the second shift starts and is in a hurry and can't she please just come back early? It's just basic boundary setting.

That is SO true! I taught middle school for 7 years and parent conferences are exhausting. We had sign ups for 10 min time slots and there were always families who showed up outside of their time slot (early and late) and it really throws things off. I'd even have people come as I'm closing the door, leaving for the night, wanting to know if they could meet then.

[wannabe]

Oh hell no.

I'm just a co-room parent and I despise working with a lot of other parents. They can be so incredibly inconsiderate about people's time. UGH.

[Doggy Mommy]

Sorry but I would have welcomed them in and wouldn't care that it went 3 minutes into my break. It sounds like you had plenty of down time. I had 16 conferences in a row with 0 minutes of breaks one night and 12 the next, also with no break, and got through it. Your system sounds a lot easier than that. Yes people should follow the schedule but I wouldn't have said anything. I don't want a parent to be mad at me the rest of the year over three measly minutes.

[eb777888]

Oct 23, 2014 21:48:06 GMT -5 Doggy Mommy said:

Sorry but I would have welcomed them in and wouldn't care that it went 3 minutes into my break. It sounds like you had plenty of down time. I had 16 conferences in a row with 0 minutes of breaks one night and 12 the next, also with no break, and got through it. Your system sounds a lot easier than that. Yes people should follow the schedule but I wouldn't have said anything. I don't want a parent to be mad at me the rest of the year over three measly minutes.

OMG

[sugarbear]

Oct 23, 2014 21:48:06 GMT -5 Doggy Mommy said:

Sorry but I would have welcomed them in and wouldn't care that it went 3 minutes into my break. It sounds like you had plenty of down time. I had 16 conferences in a row with 0 minutes of breaks one night and 12 the next, also with no break, and got through it. Your system sounds a lot easier than that. Yes people should follow the schedule but I wouldn't have said anything. I don't want a parent to be mad at me the rest of the year over three measly minutes.

You are a better person than I am. Here's a cookie beer  :beer:

[sugarbear]

Oct 23, 2014 21:37:47 GMT -5 suzubell said:

I had a parent show up this year 7 minutes before dinner time and stay for 52 minutes. So I got 15 minutes to eat a granola bar. Conferences suck.

Whut. You need an escape plan. My boss has very clearly told us to discreetly email him an SOS if we are stuck.

[WOT?*]

Just to answer to the title...
Yes, yes you are.

[RoxMonster]

I missed the OP, but I can gather what this is about.

And no, you should not have to give up your break time. It sounds like our conference system is similar to Cookie's Mom's and I think that is way easier than what you described, having to meet with every single parent all day long. We only have three-hour increments each night, and I much prefer that to having to be there all day long. We don't get breaks, per se, because it's only for three hours, but you deserve breaks being there all day. It is rude for a parent to show up on a scheduled break time. They can always call and set up an outside appt if conference schedule does not work for them.

Oh, and Cookie's Mom, I had 30 conferences back-to-back last night with no break, and I would STILL rather do that than what OP has to do. Stop being a martyr.

[sugarbear]

Don't worry Doggy Mommy!
Conferences started at 9:00 this morning, but I've had three families in here since 8:30.
I think the difficulty of my life might have eclipsed yours. I win!