The Worst Day
Workday - 8:30am-5:15pm
Today sucked. It sucked for various reasons, around which I will define this blog entry. The four separate occurrences will be discussed in the order they happened and under the following headings:
1. The missing prep period
2. The timetable change
3. The math department head
4. The thaw
1. The missing prep period
A colleague of mine had an unexpected job interview this morning and had to miss his first period class. I was informed of this interview fairly last-minute and am the only music teacher with a first period "prep". We music teachers like to assign each other our "on calls" (classes fellow teachers have to cover if someone's away for a partial day) because we're the ones capable of actually teaching music-as-usual when covering the class. If anyone else covered our classes, we'd have to assign students some sort of book work -- which would be odd. Thus, I received the colleague's "double on-call" (covering both halves of the period. One on-call is actually half a period).
I really needed that first period off to do actual prep work. Fortunately, I was able to find time in the period to finish it (in a mad rush, mind you), but it was stressful.
2. The timetable change
Already in a poor mood (having lost my prep period), I was taken aside by the music head with some bad news. He told me I would be losing my only music class this semester and am picking up a third math. My keyboard class would be shoved into the other class (obviously, not taught by me), making it a split-level class and far too large. The size issue isn't my problem, but it's still annoying. 35 students cannot take keyboard music -- we don't have that many keyboards. And so, at least 6 of these kids will be forced out of the class.
Joy. Our music department is now one section fewer and kicking students out!
However, this timetable change has nothing to do with the music department. The reality is, administration needed to add a new section of math and I am the only math teacher who can take it (that is, the only teacher who had a collapsible -- read: "expendable" -- class).
I cannot stand the idea of teaching all math. Last year, second semester, I suppose it was just as bad. I didn't have any music then, either, but at least the careers class broke up the two maths. Hard to say if I'd currently prefer to take a careers or a third math, come to think of it. Still, over the whole year that puts me as teaching 4 maths and 2 music. The school's muscling me out of the music department and into math! That's bad news.
I'd never want to be a full-time math teacher. I don't even want to be a more-than-half math teacher. It has me playing with the idea of the possibility of almost quitting.
Of course, I'd never quit teaching. But this timetable pushes me a step closer to the thought. It depresses me.
Now I hope that colleague of mine gets the job he interviewed for, so I can take his music courses and be full music next year.
3. The math department head
Third period. Lunch period. I finally get some time to relax, or at least sit and stew about the bad news I was just handed. Except I get a message from several people that the math head is looking for me and wants to talk. I just assumed it was regarding the timetable change (see 2.) and was not in the mood to lose my only free period to this same issue.
I couldn't ignore the message, however, and I went to find him in the main office (where I was told he'd be). He wasn't there. Finally, I phoned the math office and found him there. It turned out he didn't want to discuss my timetable change (or, not yet. He did want to, but later) but rather something less important. Something I knew little about because I hadn't been at the last math department meeting. I hadn't been to the last department meeting because it was held with all the departmental meetings and I attended the music one. I told him I would be at the music meeting. Did he ever brief me on the topics from his meeting? No.
I don't keep my desk in the math office anymore. I don't particularly enjoy it in that office, and I have my own computer to work on at my desk in music. Many other teachers of (some, but not all) math classes do not keep a desk in the math office, either. I don't even teach a class in the math wing. However, I am apparently supposed to just breeze by the math office from time to time to "check in". I have no idea if these other math teachers without a desk there do that. I can probably assume not.
Maybe I'm wrong. Any readers out there are free to correct me if I am wrong. I don't think it's my responsibility to go out of my way to the opposite end of the school and periodically ask if there's news I should know about. I know, roles reversed, my music head wouldn't ask that of me.
If there's news, this guy can e-mail me. He can call me at the music office. He can leave a note in my mailbox. He doesn't even have to use those methods to tell me the whole news, just that there is news. I would assume it's his responsibility to inform his staff if something of importance arises.
What bothers me most is that he's simply being lazy. He doesn't run any extra-curricular activities. He's barely at school for the curricular activities, with all of his out-of-school meetings. I'm at school early before class and late afterwards leading three choirs, one band, the musical, and the trivia team. It's asking a lot of me to then find time to wander the school, seeking possible math-related news.
Another thing that bothers me is that I genuinely like the math head. He's a nice guy, funny, and has always been good to me. I guess today I just realized his main failing.
(Now that was some rant).
4. The thaw
After teaching my fourth period class out in my portable, I went to close and lock the door. The door's always been a bit difficult to open and shut. I put my key in the doorknob and couldn't get it to lock.
Meanwhile, a dumping of snow we received in the early morning was rapidly melting in the afternoon sun. This thaw created a continuous downpour of water from the roof of the portable. As I'm trying to lock the door, I'm getting smacked in the head with huge drops of falling slush.
Then my key becomes completely stuck in the lock.
I stood under a barrage of cold dripping water for a good 5 minutes before I managed to both lock the door and free my key. I was cold, wet, and late for my last period class.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: the worst day.
Today sucked. It sucked for various reasons, around which I will define this blog entry. The four separate occurrences will be discussed in the order they happened and under the following headings:
1. The missing prep period
2. The timetable change
3. The math department head
4. The thaw
1. The missing prep period
A colleague of mine had an unexpected job interview this morning and had to miss his first period class. I was informed of this interview fairly last-minute and am the only music teacher with a first period "prep". We music teachers like to assign each other our "on calls" (classes fellow teachers have to cover if someone's away for a partial day) because we're the ones capable of actually teaching music-as-usual when covering the class. If anyone else covered our classes, we'd have to assign students some sort of book work -- which would be odd. Thus, I received the colleague's "double on-call" (covering both halves of the period. One on-call is actually half a period).
I really needed that first period off to do actual prep work. Fortunately, I was able to find time in the period to finish it (in a mad rush, mind you), but it was stressful.
2. The timetable change
Already in a poor mood (having lost my prep period), I was taken aside by the music head with some bad news. He told me I would be losing my only music class this semester and am picking up a third math. My keyboard class would be shoved into the other class (obviously, not taught by me), making it a split-level class and far too large. The size issue isn't my problem, but it's still annoying. 35 students cannot take keyboard music -- we don't have that many keyboards. And so, at least 6 of these kids will be forced out of the class.
Joy. Our music department is now one section fewer and kicking students out!
However, this timetable change has nothing to do with the music department. The reality is, administration needed to add a new section of math and I am the only math teacher who can take it (that is, the only teacher who had a collapsible -- read: "expendable" -- class).
I cannot stand the idea of teaching all math. Last year, second semester, I suppose it was just as bad. I didn't have any music then, either, but at least the careers class broke up the two maths. Hard to say if I'd currently prefer to take a careers or a third math, come to think of it. Still, over the whole year that puts me as teaching 4 maths and 2 music. The school's muscling me out of the music department and into math! That's bad news.
I'd never want to be a full-time math teacher. I don't even want to be a more-than-half math teacher. It has me playing with the idea of the possibility of almost quitting.
Of course, I'd never quit teaching. But this timetable pushes me a step closer to the thought. It depresses me.
Now I hope that colleague of mine gets the job he interviewed for, so I can take his music courses and be full music next year.
3. The math department head
Third period. Lunch period. I finally get some time to relax, or at least sit and stew about the bad news I was just handed. Except I get a message from several people that the math head is looking for me and wants to talk. I just assumed it was regarding the timetable change (see 2.) and was not in the mood to lose my only free period to this same issue.
I couldn't ignore the message, however, and I went to find him in the main office (where I was told he'd be). He wasn't there. Finally, I phoned the math office and found him there. It turned out he didn't want to discuss my timetable change (or, not yet. He did want to, but later) but rather something less important. Something I knew little about because I hadn't been at the last math department meeting. I hadn't been to the last department meeting because it was held with all the departmental meetings and I attended the music one. I told him I would be at the music meeting. Did he ever brief me on the topics from his meeting? No.
I don't keep my desk in the math office anymore. I don't particularly enjoy it in that office, and I have my own computer to work on at my desk in music. Many other teachers of (some, but not all) math classes do not keep a desk in the math office, either. I don't even teach a class in the math wing. However, I am apparently supposed to just breeze by the math office from time to time to "check in". I have no idea if these other math teachers without a desk there do that. I can probably assume not.
Maybe I'm wrong. Any readers out there are free to correct me if I am wrong. I don't think it's my responsibility to go out of my way to the opposite end of the school and periodically ask if there's news I should know about. I know, roles reversed, my music head wouldn't ask that of me.
If there's news, this guy can e-mail me. He can call me at the music office. He can leave a note in my mailbox. He doesn't even have to use those methods to tell me the whole news, just that there is news. I would assume it's his responsibility to inform his staff if something of importance arises.
What bothers me most is that he's simply being lazy. He doesn't run any extra-curricular activities. He's barely at school for the curricular activities, with all of his out-of-school meetings. I'm at school early before class and late afterwards leading three choirs, one band, the musical, and the trivia team. It's asking a lot of me to then find time to wander the school, seeking possible math-related news.
Another thing that bothers me is that I genuinely like the math head. He's a nice guy, funny, and has always been good to me. I guess today I just realized his main failing.
(Now that was some rant).
4. The thaw
After teaching my fourth period class out in my portable, I went to close and lock the door. The door's always been a bit difficult to open and shut. I put my key in the doorknob and couldn't get it to lock.
Meanwhile, a dumping of snow we received in the early morning was rapidly melting in the afternoon sun. This thaw created a continuous downpour of water from the roof of the portable. As I'm trying to lock the door, I'm getting smacked in the head with huge drops of falling slush.
Then my key becomes completely stuck in the lock.
I stood under a barrage of cold dripping water for a good 5 minutes before I managed to both lock the door and free my key. I was cold, wet, and late for my last period class.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: the worst day.
