Oh, please, not this shit again!

My principal wanted to have "A Talk" today. I've had a feeling something was up. I've made mistakes. Two or three, I'm not sure how to count it.
When we have exams we have to send them to the secretary who prints them out and has them copied two days before the exam takes place. I did so with all my exams but with the last one I attached the wrong file. It wasn't discovered until the students had arrived and were supposed to begin. Then the exam had gone through the hands of the secretary, the vice-principal and two oversee-ers with wrong name and year on the cover. It was rather panicky for awhile.
Then I turned three grades in too late. I was supposed to turn all the grades in by noon Tuesday but these three weren't done yet. Students hadn't turned in their work. They were called and they sent my their work which I could grade and finish three hours later when I came from the doctor. Yes, I went to see a doctor that morning, otherwise I could've done it in the morning.
The third strike came this morning when I was ten minutes late for the exam showing.
My principal called me and wanted to have a talk.
Started by asking if I was nervous and insecure, she felt like I wasn't on top of things. I told her I felt I were on top of things but, yes, I felt insecure. I had a bad experience from my previous job.
She scolded me for being late that morning, she had sent me an email the night before telling me what time I was ment to be there. I apologized, told her I had to drive my boy to kindergarten since the school bus doesn't drive these days and I had misjudged the time.
Then she told me she had looked at my work station, which is a mess, and it was obvious to her that "that woman" (I) wasn't ready to show the students the exams. I replied that I knew exactly were the exams were and I walked straight to them in morning and was ready few minutes after I arrived. Well, yes, she had to agree with that.

Then she continued.
Since I'm on the county council and their meetings are at the same time I have classes she and the vice-principal have filled in for me. I don't prepare an attendance paper for them, I don't prepare the class and sometimes they can't even find the books. Come again? It is true, I don't print out the attendance paper for them. I myself record it right away on the computer. But the other stuff? I've always talked to them beforehand about what I and the classes are talking about and what we are doing. Most of the times I have given them assignments to go. It has happened I haven't prepared any assignments after a discussion with them where they have said it wasn't necessary. Why haven't they complained before if that wasn't good enough?
Then she said I had done something wrong with the covers of the exams. She didn't know what it was, this was a complaint from the vice-principal. I had old exams from them and I copied the covers. I made my covers exactly like hers. I still don't know what I did wrong. I have to ask the vice-principal.
Then she told me she would appreciate if I wouldn't were torn clothes to work. It wasn't good for our image.
Yes, my sweater is a bit torn in the neck. I was unemployed for more than two years. My husband went on a paternal leave when I got this job and that cut his salary almost in half. We are struggling. And frankly, I don't find this tear a big deal.

Then she told me:
Since she and the vice-principal teach the same topic as I I can't be sure about my employment. If the vice-principal wants to teach she has priorities over me. Why, I don't know. And she, the principal herself, has a right to her old position if she decides she doesn't want to be a principal any longer.
And there I have it.

She did add though that the students are happy with me.

Mixed tape.

Being the eighties child that I am (born in the seventies!) I like mixed tapes. The tape recorder is long gone and now I do it in the computer but... I still do it.
This weekend I've been trying to make The Perfect Rock Playlist (because I don't have enough to do, like grading exams and cleaning the house, ugh). There are songs that there is of course no doubt about but then there are others.
Anyways, these are the sure bets.

That's alright my mama, with Presley.

(Like there was ever any question about that.)

While my guitar gently weeps. The Beatles.

Me and Bobby McGee with Janis.

Paint it black with The Stones.

Then there must be something with The Doors. I'm leaning towards Alabama song.

TTT post.

'You can't have a difficult exam!'
'Well, it won't be difficult for those who have read the book.'
'Nobody reads the book! We don't have time for it!'

I really don't know how to take this discussion any further.

Trials and Tribulations of a Teacher

Last October I saw an advertisement for a teaching assignment in ‘college’. Here we have elementary from 6-16 and then ‘college’ for 16-20. But  it is not compulsory to attend ‘college’. I am allowed to teach both levels so I applied. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t get it, it would be reserved for some friend or relative  here in the county of Nepotism. To my amazement I was not just called in for an interview I was also hired!

It is the custom to hire first for a trial period. I know this. My mind knows this. But my stomach is in a knot. I’m afraid. I’m worried that they just ‘had to’ hire me because of my credentials but are trying to get rid of me so the ‘right person’ can get the job. Well, who can blame me?

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I want to keep this job. I have been unemployed for two and a half years. I’ve been living on the benefits. But mostly, I love teaching. So I’ve been doing my best. I prepare until late in the evening. I am neglecting my family. But I want to keep this job. The salary isn’t great but it is better than the unemployment benefits. We can provide better for our kids.

To do my job includes teaching the students. Helping them to learn.

I don’t know the English words for this but we have intermediate courses (which give 3 units) and courses where we don’t go as fast. (Which give 2 units) I teach two 3 units courses  and two 2 units.

The two 2 units don’t have very eager students. They hide behind their laptops, surf the Internet and chat. Constantly. My presence in the room is interfering with their Facebooking.

Being the new teacher, wanting to get along and please everybody I went to the teacher’s lounge and asked the other teachers what they did when faced with a situation like this. ‘We ban the computers’ was the answer. I returned to class the next day and told the students the computers were to be closed from now on. They went ballistic but that was to be expected. But two of the students claimed that they had special needs and they ‘had to’ use the computers, it ‘helped their studies’, they were ‘allowed’ and it was their ‘right’.  OK. The counselor had made an appointment with me to go over the special needs students so I would be in the loop soon enough. No, that was not enough, one of them , who will be referred to from now on as The Student, claimed: ‘Go now and look this up’ he commanded. I refused.

Later that day the counselor informed me that these two students were indeed dyslectic and the use of the laptop helped them. Fine and dandy. No problem.

But as it turns out, students nowadays don’t own pencils or paper so I allow them to use their laptops on assignments. As soon as their laptops are in front of them they are online. They say no, but they are.

I want the laptops closed while I explain the topic of the day. It is very difficult. I am being very unfair. It’s like I’m cutting their life-line demanding them to stay off-line.

Sometimes I bring assignments on paper. I did that awhile ago. I was trying to do something diffirent, doing something fun. I was going to do this with them. The Student was very offended. He ‘can’t’ write on paper. It is his God given right to use the computer and I can not forbid him. And, since he was on the subject, he, the very dyslectic student, had looked up The Law and it was my duty, yes, I am Required by Law, to look up every  diagnosis my students might have. He was not going to take this any longer and left my class and went to the principal to complain about me.

Great, I have such a great experience with principals supporting me L

But she did. She wants everything to go well and wanted me to settle this. And I tried.

This is long enough for now. To be continued...

Long time no blogging

perilsofdivorcedpauline.com

I started my new job in the beginning of January. I'm walking on eggshells I'm so worried my new boss won't like me. My mind knows this is unnecessary but my heart doesn't. This is of course making me awkward, I'm so obviously trying to please it's rather pathetic.

A friend of mine, from my former workplace, sent me an email the other day just to catch up and I told her about those feelings. She was one of the Three Musketeers so she knows, she was there. It helped me a lot just putting this in words and telling somebody.

Last week I had a little trouble, these kids want to be on their computers and smart phones all the time but I won't allow them, strangely enough. Anyways, two guys complained about me because they have a learning disability and have a right to use their computers (and stay on Facebook). You want to guess what the rector did? Supported me! I almost wanted to cry I was so relieved.

Of Monsters And Men - "King And Lionheart" LIVE Studio Session

They visited Jay Leno yesterday, I think.

Meet Lay Low

Old song, I know.
Yes, I'm listening to music these days.