"You People"

I haven't been writing much these past few weeks. Literally, I've been in survival mode at work.  It's that time of year. It's nearing the end of the school year, and things are just wearing me down. Ya know?

Kids are sometimes hard to work with. I feel like things have really changed since I went to school. Back then, teachers were respected and listened to. It used to be cool to get good grades and be respectful. These days I don't see that. Most days, I feel exhausted and defeated. Sounds sad right? But I'm really okay. I'm not writing this for pity. I'm writing to just release my feelings because I know this is only temporary and brighter things are on the horizon.  I don't bring work home, and thankfully I have a happy home life that makes this really manageable.

A lot of teachers are planning their exit, and of course that's been on my mind too. I've written before about the mass exodus that's typical this time of year.  I find myself reflecting a lot these past few weeks.  Am I doing the right thing by staying another year? Is this where I should be? Is this where I want to be? Don't get me wrong. I'm committed, and I go to work everyday with a smile on my face. Professional. A team player. That won't change.

But this morning someone really irked me at work, and I just want to vent for three minutes.

Do you mind?

The whole school has been testing for the past two days. Kids have been on a "block schedule," stuck in a classroom for up to three hours for one test. A test that only has 21 test items. So. Picture a class of 27 students of varying abilities. In a classroom. Taking a test that only takes some of them 20 minutes. Some may take 30 minutes. Or even 40 minutes. You have to keep the whole class quiet while maybe one student takes up to one hour to complete the test. Then after all the kids have been sitting for over an hour, and they are all done testing you have to have an engaging lesson for them. Any lesson, plus 27 students, who have checked out mentally,and who think it's pure torture to be in a classroom for that long, does not equal engagement.

So at about 4:30 this morning I woke up with a plan to do something different with my kids to make up for the torture of the last two days. The plan, however, required about 100 copies. Copies I would need this morning when I got to work. Problem is, at my school, the rule is, you need at least 48 hours to get copies made. Not usually a problem for me. I'm a planner, and I normally get my copies made way in advance. I didn't think bending the rule, just this one time, would be a problem.

I filled out a copy request and asked my AP (assistant principal) to sign off on it.  She did it without hesitation. She supports teachers. I love that about her! I then took the request to the front office to have the copies made. I would normally ask a clerk for a request like this, but since there wasn't one around, I asked the administrative assistant for help. Wrong. Choice.

She looked at the request and started, "We're not supposed to do this. You people need at least 48 hours for copies." Then she spotted my AP walking into the office and asked, "Did you sign off on this request?" to which my AP proudly answered, "Yes I did!" as she kept it moving. The administrative assistant reluctantly took my request and started to make my copies.

All the while I was standing there thinking...she called me "you people." Really? You people!!! I play by the rules 99% of the time. I get to work on time. If I'm even one minute late, I'm the one who signs in late at the front office. I'm that person! That's what you're supposed to do.  While others who are more than 15 to 30 minutes late don't even bother to do that. Never mind the fact that I'm a teacher leader. And co-chair of the language arts department. She called me "you people." I'm a teacher. Working at a school...teaching and serving students. I need copies. That's a requirement for the job. Other schools allow teachers access to their own copy machine to make their own copies!

Maybe she was having a bad day. I'll chalk it up to that.  I have never had an exchange like that with her ever in all the years I've known her.  But more importantly, the lesson here is I need to practice more humility. So what she spoke to me like that? Who do I think I am to expect better treatment? After all, I'm here to serve. Not to be served.

That's it. Venting over. My minutes are up.  I'm done.

Thanks for listening.