Post by EmilieMadison on Aug 7, 2014 13:17:11 GMT -5
Ugh, meganew this is horrible. No one will blame you for this, you clearly wouldn't have chosen this situation for yourself and parents will understand that. As a former teacher, current sub, and a parent of elementary aged kids: WHAT THE FUCK.
The main issue here is the "room". No way in fucking hell would this fly with me. It's not safe, it's not appropriate, and it's probably not legal. Call the fire marshall, call the DoE, call the medial, call whomever- just call someone and raise holy hell until these brand new students get a fucking classroom.
They NEED and DESERVE a room. For most of them, this will be their first experience with school and if it starts off in a cramped hallway, it could sour them to school for years to come.
As for the aesthetics, that should be secondary and hopefully this wont even be the space these children or sub will be in. In your shoes, especially knowing I wont be coming back, I would do everything in my power to get the kids a real classroom. If this means the school has to split them up and reassign them to other teachers until they can figure it out, that's better than the current situation.
I have been a long term sub, and yes, I've had to spend my own money for things in the classroom and I did it because the only other option was for the students to go without. I think you can at least make a difference here-
If you know you're not coming back and the "room" is completely bare, please toss the kids and the sub a bone and spring for at least a few basic things that wont cost a lot but will make a difference- posters, bulletin board stuff, etc. Contact the sub and leave them for her to use, you dont even have to do anything with them.
I hope you update us as soon as there is anything to report. I'm seething for you, the sub, the kids and the parents.
ETA: Do not tell the sub that you don't plan to return.
I'm interested to see how this will play out. I have doubts that megachoo will do anything beyond just getting through the day. Sorry megachoo, I hope you prove me wrong.
this is such an unnecessarily bitchy (and unfounded, yes?) thing to say. wtf is this all about?
Every so often speckled will do this. And every time it gives me whiplash. Blah blah normal normal BAM "I feel sorry for your children." Very
She's not just out on maternity leave guys, she's out for good because the school dicked her around for months and isn't guaranteeing her a job next year. And now they've built a shitty, probably illegal, classroom in the hallway. And she's supposed to leave thousands of dollars of her own stuff in their hands? And just what? Hope they have the decency to return it? HAAAAAAAAA.
She is going on maternity leave...then quitting. She has not quit yet nor has she told them she might be. So until she quits. she is still employed there and there are expectations, at least IME. Plus, I guess, I'd be incredibly worried about the kids not having supplies.
If i were here, I would work with the sub and collect my supplies directly from the sub, not the school.
I doing think she is horrible for doing it the way she is doing it. I'm just commenting on someone else's comment that IME the expectation is to leave a fully stocked room for a sub.I realize that every situation is different.
I'm interested to see how this will play out. I have doubts that megachoo will do anything beyond just getting through the day. Sorry megachoo, I hope you prove me wrong.
this is such an unnecessarily bitchy (and unfounded, yes?) thing to say. wtf is this all about?Â
Post by speckledfrog on Aug 7, 2014 13:32:13 GMT -5
I was surprised by the reaction to my comment because I didn't mean to be a rude bitch, which is laughable considering what I wrote. I don't know what to say. I've been in a funk lately and apparently it's clouding my judgement. Sorry meganew. The last thing you need is another jerkface.
The sub probably won't have supplies, can't you loan yours?
This.
As a teacher who has also been on mat leave, it was also expected that i keep my supplies (even those bought by me) for all subs.
They assigned her a new "classroom" and she had to pack up all of her personal supplies/decorations. It doesn't seem at all strange that none of her things are there. Now there's not even room for her own things in this hallway abomination, so even if she WANTED to leave anything, where would it go?
And for the record, she should leave nothing. These are things she's spent years accumulating and has purchased all of it herself. She could very well be teaching again next year somewhere else. Even if she loaned these things to the school (they wouldn't be on loan to the sub) when she officially leaves this job, she'd have to go get everything anyway and the room would be left barren mid-year. No way should she leave anything until the end of the year, because as a non-employee, they might not even let her back into the school. Who knows what these morons are capable of.
She's not just out on maternity leave guys, she's out for good because the school dicked her around for months and isn't guaranteeing her a job next year. And now they've built a shitty, probably illegal, classroom in the hallway. And she's supposed to leave thousands of dollars of her own stuff in their hands? And just what? Hope they have the decency to return it? HAAAAAAAAA.
I'm just commenting on someone else's comment that IME the expectation is to leave a fully stocked room for a sub.I realize that every situation is different.
THERE IS NO ROOM TO STOCK! They took her room away from her (and so she was required to pack it all up and bring it home for the summer) and then they were like "Here, you get this hallway with a wall. Enjoy!"
She showed a pic of all the stuff she packed up - boxes and boxes and boxes. I get that we've now moved on to encouraging her to spend $50 on bulletin board supplies but a few paper apples aren't going to go very far if there are no books. Not that they could fit books in there.
I still don't "get" how this works when presumably she's just on leave. As a parent, not only would I be freaking out about the room but I also see my kid's teacher (who again, I think is taking 12 weeks off, not quitting) packing up the actual BOOKS? What?
Um, so, they're her books? That she owns? I mean, yeah, I'm sure it looks like if someone sells their house and takes their kitchen appliances with them because books seem so fundamental to, you know, educating kids. But if you don't bargain for them in your sales contract or the school doesn't PROVIDE THE BOOKS, the owner of said books/refrigerator can and should take them.
This is a horribly managed/administered school. OP COULD handle it all other sorts of ways that would temporarily be better for the kids (leaving books, handholding the sub, etc.), but although in the short term as a parent I might be soothed by some leftover books hanging around, in the long term I'd rather the departing teacher BURN IT THE FUCK DOWN 2 weeks before school starts so that actual, real changes are implemented.
As a teacher who has also been on mat leave, it was also expected that i keep my supplies (even those bought by me) for all subs.
They assigned her a new "classroom" and she had to pack up all of her personal supplies/decorations. It doesn't seem at all strange that none of her things are there. Now there's not even room for her own things in this hallway abomination, so even if she WANTED to leave anything, where would it go?
And for the record, she should leave nothing. These are things she's spent years accumulating. She could very well be teaching again next year somewhere else. Even if she loaned these things to the school (they wouldn't be on loan to the sub) when she officially leaves this job, she'd have to go get everything anyway and the room would be left barren mid-year. No way should she leave anything until the end of the year, because as a non-employee, they might not even let her back into the school. Who knows what these morons are capable of.
She's not just out on maternity leave guys, she's out for good because the school dicked her around for months and isn't guaranteeing her a job next year. And now they've built a shitty, probably illegal, classroom in the hallway. And she's supposed to leave thousands of dollars of her own stuff in their hands? And just what? Hope they have the decency to return it? HAAAAAAAAA.
Well in this case, i would get some decorations--balloons and some bright colored posters or bulletin board coverings (assuming you have bulletin boards?). Then bring in some little hand-outs for the kids like crayons or pencils.
I would definitely let the parents know that you had nothing to do with getting the room and give them a number to direct their complaints.
I would also be writing a scathing letter to the charter admin/board and possibly a local paper.
They assigned her a new "classroom" and she had to pack up all of her personal supplies/decorations. It doesn't seem at all strange that none of her things are there. Now there's not even room for her own things in this hallway abomination, so even if she WANTED to leave anything, where would it go?
And for the record, she should leave nothing. These are things she's spent years accumulating. She could very well be teaching again next year somewhere else. Even if she loaned these things to the school (they wouldn't be on loan to the sub) when she officially leaves this job, she'd have to go get everything anyway and the room would be left barren mid-year. No way should she leave anything until the end of the year, because as a non-employee, they might not even let her back into the school. Who knows what these morons are capable of.
She's not just out on maternity leave guys, she's out for good because the school dicked her around for months and isn't guaranteeing her a job next year. And now they've built a shitty, probably illegal, classroom in the hallway. And she's supposed to leave thousands of dollars of her own stuff in their hands? And just what? Hope they have the decency to return it? HAAAAAAAAA.
Well in this case, i would get some decorations--balloons and some bright colored posters or bulletin board coverings (assuming you have bulletin boards?). Then bring in some little hand-outs for the kids like crayons or pencils.
I would definitely let the parents know that you had nothing to do with getting the room and give them a number to direct their complaints.
I would also be writing a scathing letter to the charter admin/board and possibly a local paper.
I actually really like the balloon idea. I would give each kid a balloon tied with a packet of crayons and a note to each parent with the emails and phone numbers of the idiots who put an unsafe classroom in the hallway.
I think people are reacting to the fact that Megachoo is doing what is best for her, but that is not what is best for the kids. And that's hard to see when it is kids who will suffer. I am personally in the "burn it down, burn it allll down" category -- and don't see how on earth she could possibly leave anything in her "hallway with a wall" classroom -- but I do think there is a bit of apathy coming across which is understandable, given what she has gone through, but doesn't make people feel very reassured about the kids. I see teachers as a bit like lawyers, and I know that when I have left jobs, I still have duties to my clients. Now, I strongly disagree in this case that her duty runs to leaving her own stuff - because I think stuff is so secondary to the bigger issues here - but seriously, I do think some stronger action would be appropriate. And I would do it now. She isn't coming back, so why should she care if they are pissed she called the fire department?
I would also be documenting the shit out of my objections to this. Because people are going to talk, and are going to blame her for this.
I was surprised by the reaction to my comment because I didn't mean to be a rude bitch, which is laughable considering what I wrote. I don't know what to say. I've been in a funk lately and apparently it's clouding my judgement. Sorry meganew. The last thing you need is another jerkface.
What you said wasn't being a rude bitch. megachoo said she isn't going to say anything to anyone until school starts, and as of now, she's the teacher of record and until she's given the school her letter of resignation, she is responsible for the "classroom".
meganew, if you're truly concerned call someone today, if you're washing your hands of it because you feel like you're leaving so it's not your circus, that's fine too. But you're close to giving birth and in two weeks this situation is going to be the last thing on your mind.
I think people are reacting to the fact that Megachoo is doing what is best for her, but that is not what is best for the kids. And that's hard to see when it is kids who will suffer. I am personally in the "burn it down, burn it allll down" category -- and don't see how on earth she could possibly leave anything in her "hallway with a wall" classroom -- but I do think there is a bit of apathy coming across which is understandable, given what she has gone through, but doesn't make people feel very reassured about the kids. I see teachers as a bit like lawyers, and I know that when I have left jobs, I still have duties to my clients. Now, I strongly disagree in this case that her duty runs to leaving her own stuff - because I think stuff is so secondary to the bigger issues here - but seriously, I do think some stronger action would be appropriate. And I would do it now. She isn't coming back, so why should she care if they are pissed she called the fire department?
I would also be documenting the shit out of my objections to this. Because people are going to talk, and are going to blame her for this.
Apathy? She started this thread to call herself a giant asshole. WTF?
Self-flagellation and action are not the same thing. It is entirely possible to feel bad about something and still do nothing to help it.
Post by W.T.Faulkner on Aug 7, 2014 14:02:41 GMT -5
I feel like, time and time again, teachers are expected to sacrifice a lot to do what's best for the kids, but that that same expectation is not extended to school leadership. Why should megachoo's hands be tied by her crap-ass administration? I mean, yeah, this is a shit situation for the kids, and I think at least something should be done, but being here myself, it is not easy or even feasible to work against a system so much that you lose out on personal and professional goals. It just isn't as easy. It's not like the movies, fucking Freedom Writers or whatever. lol
I feel like, time and time again, teachers are expected to sacrifice a lot to do what's best for the kids, but that that same expectation is not extended to school leadership. Why should megachoo's hands be tied by her crap-ass administration? I mean, yeah, this is a shit situation for the kids, and I think at least something should be done, but being here myself, it is not easy or even feasible to work against a system so much that you lose out on personal and professional goals. It just isn't as easy. It's not like the movies, fucking Freedom Writers or whatever. lol
I don't think anyone is excusing the leadership. If they were on here they'd be getting flamed to hell and back. I am pretty sure a dozen people have told Megachoo to sell them out. How is that not blaming them?
Post by sawyerthedestroyer on Aug 7, 2014 14:08:36 GMT -5
NO ONE should have that kind of classroom, but I think it's pretty clear that the administration assigned that closet-classroom to megachoo because she is pregnant and about to go on leave. So fucked up.
I feel like, time and time again, teachers are expected to sacrifice a lot to do what's best for the kids, but that that same expectation is not extended to school leadership. Why should megachoo's hands be tied by her crap-ass administration? I mean, yeah, this is a shit situation for the kids, and I think at least something should be done, but being here myself, it is not easy or even feasible to work against a system so much that you lose out on personal and professional goals. It just isn't as easy. It's not like the movies, fucking Freedom Writers or whatever. lol
I don't think anyone is excusing the leadership. If they were on here they'd be getting flamed to hell and back. I am pretty sure a dozen people have told Megachoo to sell them out. How is that not blaming them?
If she sells them out, she jeopardizes her employment. We are on at-will contracts in charters in PA, and it is a highly political, highly corrupt environment at times. It isn't apathy to decide against calling PDE. She shouldn't be expected to be a martyr.
This is why I always make sure to get everything on teacher wish lists. Because the teachers I've met on these boards have pretty well educated me on how shitty schools are to their teachers, and it's unconscionable.
I'm sorry, megachoo.
This is why why I anonymously send cash to the teacher during teacher prep time before school starts. I drop it off at the office so that it gets logged in as an classroom donation but specify that it should be passed on without my name attached so that it's not seen as buying favor for my kids. Because it's logged in at the school office, the teacher needs to provide the office with receipts for the items she purchased for her classroom. the first year that I did this, the school had no idea how to accept a donation like this, it took them a week to figure out how they would handle it. The school secretary blabbed to a bunch of parents about what someone had anonymously done (she even told me how great it was that someone had done this for the teacher) so now a few more families do the same thing each September.
ETA: I came back to add that I KNOW this post comes off as a huge attention whore thing to post and I am really sorry about that. But I wanted to offer a suggestion to all the people who are saying they like to help the teachers out. Even if the school says it can't be done, if you are plunking cash down on the counter, they'll figure out an ethical way to take it. Also, it is anonymous to the teacher but the office knows who donated it because they give me a donation receipt for my taxes. I do this at both my DD's private school and my son's public school.
Maybe you could propose something like this at your kids' school.
I would put the blame where it belongs. Tell the parents it was an administrative decision to build the room like that. If they ask about the supplies, say you wanted the sub to be able to create the environment, since she'll be leading the classroom, for the first several weeks, and will gradually transition when you come back from maternity leave.
I thought this was a fantastic out for at least tonight. I hope you are able to have a good meet and greet despite the drama, megachoo. You really deserve to be cut a ton of slack here from the parents.
Also, the person who had the idea for the list of things to tell the principal/superintendent is spot on. :Y:
I really hope you are able to have a good night tonight and the kids enjoy seeing the school even if their set-up isn't complete or even started yet. Best of luck to you, megachoo!
She showed a pic of all the stuff she packed up - boxes and boxes and boxes. I get that we've now moved on to encouraging her to spend $50 on bulletin board supplies but a few paper apples aren't going to go very far if there are no books. Not that they could fit books in there.
That's certainly a fair point. I also understand she has no obligation to loan out her stuff and that the decorations and materials are far down the list in terms of what's problematic. I was just thinking if there was a way of working out a loan with the sub (not the school), it would be a nice thing to do for the kids. If that's not an option or if she's worried about not getting her stuff back that's understandable.
I just really feel for the kids and their families.
I think we all feel bad for these kids and their families.
But a sub shouldn't be put in the position of being lent the materials. Because here's how it could very conceivably go down: After megachoo gives her notice, the school hires a full time teacher. The sub's job ends. And now, the sub is in the horribly awkward position of taking everything out of the classroom to make sure it gets back to meg? She can't trust that the shady school administration will even let her back into the school to get her things once she's done.
I think people are reacting to the fact that Megachoo is doing what is best for her, but that is not what is best for the kids. And that's hard to see when it is kids who will suffer. I am personally in the "burn it down, burn it allll down" category -- and don't see how on earth she could possibly leave anything in her "hallway with a wall" classroom -- but I do think there is a bit of apathy coming across which is understandable, given what she has gone through, but doesn't make people feel very reassured about the kids. I see teachers as a bit like lawyers, and I know that when I have left jobs, I still have duties to my clients. Now, I strongly disagree in this case that her duty runs to leaving her own stuff - because I think stuff is so secondary to the bigger issues here - but seriously, I do think some stronger action would be appropriate. And I would do it now. She isn't coming back, so why should she care if they are pissed she called the fire department?
I would also be documenting the shit out of my objections to this. Because people are going to talk, and are going to blame her for this.
Because she has stated that she DOES want to go back. Next school year, not this one.
Eek. If this is the case, don't call the FD meganew. If your admin are the assholes you make them sound like in your OP, they will pass this story around and hurt your chances at other districts in your area. I have seen this happen many times. They close ranks when they feel offended/insulted.
FWIW, I would just try to do what I could to improve the room and then refer all the parents to the principal. He/she created this mess, he/she can fix it. As a parent, I personally would not be that upset about the room. I would be much more upset about not meeting the teacher who is going to be working with my child all year.
I'm late to this post but my DD will start K next year and this post enrages me. So small that the kids are 7 to a table meant for 3? I justcant with that. My heart would sink if I walked into a scene like this. I hope the parents really make a big deal out of this. I have a feeling some heads will roll after tonight.