Yesterday we had parent conferences at school. By contract, we are only supposed to have contract for a two hour period. Somehow, the conferences were scheduled for 2.5 hours. So, OK, we decided to overlook that. We didn't want to make a big union federal case out of it, so we let it go, sucked it up and decided to just deal with the longer conference period.
The things started at 2:45 and were meant to last until 5:15. At around 4:15, the fire alarm went off. Within a few seconds, the principal came over the intercom and announced that we should all vacate and take our things with us as it was not clear if we would be able to reenter the building.
So, we all got our crap and headed outside into the 20 degree temperatures.
And there we waited. And waited. And waited. Some parents were still there and they came over to chat in the school yard. At that point, what are you going to do? So, naturally we spoke with those parents who were still there and had been waiting.
All the while we're thinking that the principal is surely going to come around and tell us to get going, leave the school and get out of the frigid cold. But this dismissal never came. And there we stood. At one point, I was trying to talk with a parent and these kids were zipping through us on scooters and shit. It was really ridiculous.
So, not only did we have thirty extra minutes of meetings, but then we were forced to conduct the entire last hour of conferences outdoors. Even the teachers who had nobody to see them were stuck standing there in the arctic temperatures.
And the really horrible thing is that there must be some architectural property of the school that makes the school yard this barren, windswept expanse. And yesterday was really, really windy. It absolutely sucked.
So, there we stood, in the well-below freezing temperatures, for an entire hour having parent conferences.
Insane, right?
But here's my point.
Teachers are the only professionals that would be expected to put up with this crap.
Think about it....
If I were a teller in a bank and an extended fire alarm kept us out of a building for an hour, would my boss really make me take a calculator and a strong box of cash outside and conduct transactions in the parking lot?
If I were working at Target as a cashier, would they make me take a cash box outside and continue selling merchandise in the parking lot?
If I were a receptionist, would they give me a cell phone and make me take calls and messages outside in a freezing parking lot?
No, of course not.
And yet...as teachers, we're expected to just shut our mouths and put up with it. Hey, at least when we are in school, we do have heat. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know that for the past few winters, we've had NO HEAT in school.
And there again, we're teachers, the scum on the bottom of the professional pond.
2 comments:
AMEN to that sistah! We do have to put up with a lot of bullshit as teachers. I have rents calling me on weekends on my cell phone! Ridiculous. The pay is bad enough on the clock, but I do it because I love it. But off the clock with no pay, I'm not a sadist for crying out loud! I can't even go into Walmart or Blockbuster without a rent trying to conference with me. I think I will have to start wearing a disguise if I want to have any privacy.
Fwiz, Where do the parents get your cell number? I would NEVER give my digits to a parent. I did give my number to a couple of students who were having a few tough issues. And all the kids have my email, but still...
I also live out of the neighborhood where I work, which is helpful.
Post a Comment