Sunday, May 23, 2010
THERE ARE STILL 17 DAYS LEFT OF SCHOOL
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Anybody Know Where I Can Get $500?
DRAMA. Sheesh. I don't know what it is about me. In regular life, I am relatively drama-free. In school life, it clings to me like clothes I forgot to use fabric softener on.
Here is the current drama, henceforth known as THE GREAT BUS CONTROVERSY OF 2010.
As we all know, I did all the work last year for the 8th graders end of the year activities. This year, the 8th graders have really gotten nothing. There are many people to blame for this. Principal, mostly. She kept telling the teachers not to plan things because the kids were "bad." They didn't take up dues to pay for things. All kinds of other back door dealings that I wasn't privy to because 1. I'm not an 8th grade teacher and 2. I don't care.
So, about 2 months ago we had a big meeting with the 7th graders and told them they were getting 2 trips, one to Six Flags and one to skating. These were going to be good behavior trips, an encouragement for the kids to stay on task during the crazy month of May when everyone decides to lose their mind.
Well, almost immediately after we have this meeting, the CEO of the school system freezes the budget. So, we can't pay for buses to transport the kids. Everyone keeps telling us (the 7th grade team) to just charge the kids for the buses. But that would mean charging kids $75 to go to a barely decent Six Flags and $20 to go skating. I told them that was ridiculous and I wouldn't do it.
So we come up with the idea to write a letter to the son of our school's namesake, Mr. M. He's always talking about how we're a "family" but they don't really do much as far as supporting the school. With the help of other teachers, I wrote and typed a letter asking for about $750 to pay for our two buses, one for each trip. (Apparently, last year he gave some money to the school but Old Principal spent it all on ridiculous items. So I wrote in our letter that he could write the check directly to the Bus Company and leave out the middle man.)
Mr. M also owns a very successful business in the city, and our 6th grade administrator (Ms. G) works there part time. In fact, she's been working there longer than she has been in the school system. I had asked her about a month ago if she thought he'd be open to such a letter, and she said it was worth a shot. We wrote it, I gave it to her to deliver.
Every day since then, I've been in her room asking her if he said anything (skating was to be May 21, Six Flags May 28) She always said, "not yet."
On Thursday, I saw Mr. T. He comes into our school occasionally to substitute or just visit kids. He also has close ties with Mr.M and his main job is at his business. I was talking to him and just mentioned to him to maybe put a bug in the ear of Mr. M, as time was getting low. He said, "Give me your phone." He then called Mr. M. Surprise, Surprise, Mr. M had no idea what I was talking about.
However, he immediately agreed to pay for the two buses and told me to email him on Friday about the exact cost and who to make the check out to. I was so excited, I almost started to cry. And it was so easy! I had been sitting there nervous and twiddling my thumbs for weeks and a 5 minute phone call got it all right.
About 3:30pm, I'm in my classroom teaching my after-school program, when Ms. G comes in. I say, "Oh, hey. Did you speak with Mr. M?"
She says, "Yes. You know he wasn't going to keep that from me."
"What? I wasn't trying to keep anything from you." I gave YOU the letter!
She then says, "Well, since we've got the buses, you can take one to Six Flags with your kids but I don't want to go to Six Flags so I'll have to think of another trip for the other bus for my kids, maybe the Circus. So go ahead and get that ordered."
We then proceeded to have an argument, but the gist of it is this: I got buses for MY KIDS. I am not field trip planner extraordinaire for the whole school. If she wants buses, her or her 6th grade teachers can go ask for money themselves. She thinks that the same group of students doesn't deserve two trips when the other students don't have any trips. I told her to leave my room.
Friday comes along and I have informed the other 7th grade teachers of our little situation. They are very angry, of course.
It was a half day, so the students left at noon. During the afternoon, Ms. G goes to Principal and tells her this: Mr. M has gifted the school two buses for trips. So we will take the best kids in the school to Six Flags on May 28 and then the same group to the Circus in June. She thinks each grade should pick about 15 kids that can go. Principal agrees.
When I found out about an hour later, and tried to intervene I was told I was "too late" and everything was already a done deal.
I mean, I know I should be angry, and I guess I am sad that my kids get screwed. But I am so impressed with this level of bitchery I'm having a hard time getting upset. I mean, WOW, this woman really is the new queen and we should all bow down to her mastery of underhandedness.
So I spent Friday afternoon undoing all the work I did. I canceled my bus reservations, canceled the contract with Six Flags, told the secretary not to fax anything with my name on it to the school board (you have to fill out a huge form and get written permission for trips two weeks in advance.)
I mean, the least Ms. G can do is spend a few days actually organizing the trips, right?
Here is the current drama, henceforth known as THE GREAT BUS CONTROVERSY OF 2010.
As we all know, I did all the work last year for the 8th graders end of the year activities. This year, the 8th graders have really gotten nothing. There are many people to blame for this. Principal, mostly. She kept telling the teachers not to plan things because the kids were "bad." They didn't take up dues to pay for things. All kinds of other back door dealings that I wasn't privy to because 1. I'm not an 8th grade teacher and 2. I don't care.
So, about 2 months ago we had a big meeting with the 7th graders and told them they were getting 2 trips, one to Six Flags and one to skating. These were going to be good behavior trips, an encouragement for the kids to stay on task during the crazy month of May when everyone decides to lose their mind.
Well, almost immediately after we have this meeting, the CEO of the school system freezes the budget. So, we can't pay for buses to transport the kids. Everyone keeps telling us (the 7th grade team) to just charge the kids for the buses. But that would mean charging kids $75 to go to a barely decent Six Flags and $20 to go skating. I told them that was ridiculous and I wouldn't do it.
So we come up with the idea to write a letter to the son of our school's namesake, Mr. M. He's always talking about how we're a "family" but they don't really do much as far as supporting the school. With the help of other teachers, I wrote and typed a letter asking for about $750 to pay for our two buses, one for each trip. (Apparently, last year he gave some money to the school but Old Principal spent it all on ridiculous items. So I wrote in our letter that he could write the check directly to the Bus Company and leave out the middle man.)
Mr. M also owns a very successful business in the city, and our 6th grade administrator (Ms. G) works there part time. In fact, she's been working there longer than she has been in the school system. I had asked her about a month ago if she thought he'd be open to such a letter, and she said it was worth a shot. We wrote it, I gave it to her to deliver.
Every day since then, I've been in her room asking her if he said anything (skating was to be May 21, Six Flags May 28) She always said, "not yet."
On Thursday, I saw Mr. T. He comes into our school occasionally to substitute or just visit kids. He also has close ties with Mr.M and his main job is at his business. I was talking to him and just mentioned to him to maybe put a bug in the ear of Mr. M, as time was getting low. He said, "Give me your phone." He then called Mr. M. Surprise, Surprise, Mr. M had no idea what I was talking about.
However, he immediately agreed to pay for the two buses and told me to email him on Friday about the exact cost and who to make the check out to. I was so excited, I almost started to cry. And it was so easy! I had been sitting there nervous and twiddling my thumbs for weeks and a 5 minute phone call got it all right.
About 3:30pm, I'm in my classroom teaching my after-school program, when Ms. G comes in. I say, "Oh, hey. Did you speak with Mr. M?"
She says, "Yes. You know he wasn't going to keep that from me."
"What? I wasn't trying to keep anything from you." I gave YOU the letter!
She then says, "Well, since we've got the buses, you can take one to Six Flags with your kids but I don't want to go to Six Flags so I'll have to think of another trip for the other bus for my kids, maybe the Circus. So go ahead and get that ordered."
We then proceeded to have an argument, but the gist of it is this: I got buses for MY KIDS. I am not field trip planner extraordinaire for the whole school. If she wants buses, her or her 6th grade teachers can go ask for money themselves. She thinks that the same group of students doesn't deserve two trips when the other students don't have any trips. I told her to leave my room.
Friday comes along and I have informed the other 7th grade teachers of our little situation. They are very angry, of course.
It was a half day, so the students left at noon. During the afternoon, Ms. G goes to Principal and tells her this: Mr. M has gifted the school two buses for trips. So we will take the best kids in the school to Six Flags on May 28 and then the same group to the Circus in June. She thinks each grade should pick about 15 kids that can go. Principal agrees.
When I found out about an hour later, and tried to intervene I was told I was "too late" and everything was already a done deal.
I mean, I know I should be angry, and I guess I am sad that my kids get screwed. But I am so impressed with this level of bitchery I'm having a hard time getting upset. I mean, WOW, this woman really is the new queen and we should all bow down to her mastery of underhandedness.
So I spent Friday afternoon undoing all the work I did. I canceled my bus reservations, canceled the contract with Six Flags, told the secretary not to fax anything with my name on it to the school board (you have to fill out a huge form and get written permission for trips two weeks in advance.)
I mean, the least Ms. G can do is spend a few days actually organizing the trips, right?
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The Day I Almost Walked Out
This entire debacle took place over the course of FIVE MINUTES. FIVE.
This morning, this kid walks into my room 30 minutes late with no pass. As he is walking in, he does not even acknowledge me but he tells one of my girls that he is "going to beat the shit out of" her. She tells him to leave her alone, he says he will kill her. I tell him to shut up and sit down to do his work. He says, "I don't feel like doing this work but I will beat the shit out Ikema."
Goodbye!
I tell him that he can go. He walks out of my room. I get an office referral to write up that he threatened to kill/beat the shit out of another student and refused to sit down and do work.
While I am writing said office referral, Principal stands in the hallway and yells my name. She yells to me (while I am still in the classroom with all of my students) that I am not to put students out of class without an office referral.
I walk into the hallway and hand her the office referral. I walk away as she reads it. I walk into my classroom, go over to my desk and take a sip of water. By the time I am setting my water bottle down, Principal is bringing this boy back into my room saying, "Miss Vinson, we are going to give him a second chance. He is going to sit down and do his work." He says, "I don't want to do this work." She says to me, "He is going to try to do his work from now on." And she walks away. SHE WALKS AWAY.
I was so filled with rage that I had to leave the room. Thankfully another teacher was in the hallway, and he was able to watch my class for about 10 minutes while I flipped out. There are NO CONSEQUENCES for ANYTHING these kids do. He threatened to kill someone. I'm not an idiot. I know when kids are playing around. This girl was upset and was most definitely not joking around with this boy.
And I know I tell my kids all the time to stop worrying about other people, but there are literally crowds of children hanging out in the hallway at any given time, but ONE CHILD out of my room is some huge problem? The gym teacher can put his ENTIRE CLASS out, lock the door and sit in his room and nothing ever happens to him. Me, I put a kid out, with an office referral, for threatening and bullying another student and she doesn't even give him one minute of her time. Just puts him right back in there.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
This morning, this kid walks into my room 30 minutes late with no pass. As he is walking in, he does not even acknowledge me but he tells one of my girls that he is "going to beat the shit out of" her. She tells him to leave her alone, he says he will kill her. I tell him to shut up and sit down to do his work. He says, "I don't feel like doing this work but I will beat the shit out Ikema."
Goodbye!
I tell him that he can go. He walks out of my room. I get an office referral to write up that he threatened to kill/beat the shit out of another student and refused to sit down and do work.
While I am writing said office referral, Principal stands in the hallway and yells my name. She yells to me (while I am still in the classroom with all of my students) that I am not to put students out of class without an office referral.
I walk into the hallway and hand her the office referral. I walk away as she reads it. I walk into my classroom, go over to my desk and take a sip of water. By the time I am setting my water bottle down, Principal is bringing this boy back into my room saying, "Miss Vinson, we are going to give him a second chance. He is going to sit down and do his work." He says, "I don't want to do this work." She says to me, "He is going to try to do his work from now on." And she walks away. SHE WALKS AWAY.
I was so filled with rage that I had to leave the room. Thankfully another teacher was in the hallway, and he was able to watch my class for about 10 minutes while I flipped out. There are NO CONSEQUENCES for ANYTHING these kids do. He threatened to kill someone. I'm not an idiot. I know when kids are playing around. This girl was upset and was most definitely not joking around with this boy.
And I know I tell my kids all the time to stop worrying about other people, but there are literally crowds of children hanging out in the hallway at any given time, but ONE CHILD out of my room is some huge problem? The gym teacher can put his ENTIRE CLASS out, lock the door and sit in his room and nothing ever happens to him. Me, I put a kid out, with an office referral, for threatening and bullying another student and she doesn't even give him one minute of her time. Just puts him right back in there.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Monday, May 10, 2010
This Is The Kind of Logic I Have To Deal With
Cortez, who I had to wake up 6 times during the period, when I said no after he asked to go to the bathroom:
"God, Miss Vinson, you act like can't nobody go to sleep in here."
"God, Miss Vinson, you act like can't nobody go to sleep in here."
Friday, May 7, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Validation....Sortof
So remember I said the school is getting taken over and 50% or more of the staff will be fired and we all had to re-apply for our jobs? Yep.
Well, this whole time I was kind of "SCREW THAT!" I'm not going to spend my evening writing a resume and doing a 30 minute interview for a job I already have when you can walk into my classroom anytime you wish and see me doing my job. So everybody was running around all panicked like, "Have you sent in your resume? Are you staying? What are you going to do?"
I said from the jump that I wanted to stay out of simple laziness. But said laziness is also keeping me from actively trying to stay (read: sending in my resume.)
ANYWAYZ.
Got this email Sunday morning:
Dear Ms. Vinson:
I am writing to invite you to continue as a member of the faculty of William C. March Middle School as a social studies teacher. My colleagues and I have had an opportunity to review your work at March, and we feel strongly that you are an asset to the school, and will be a valuable member of the March/Talent Development Middle Grades (TDMG) team that will be responsible for improving academic achievement for all March students.
etc. etc. and so forth.
I send out a mass text, wondering what the hell is going on. Out of about 45 people, I know of 7 who got this email. Seven! And definitely not the seven I would have picked had I ventured to guess. I have NO CLUE how we were chosen, but it's like some mind game. It's not anywhere near a, "Oh, well of course the best seven teachers were chosen." It is more of a,"Well, I can see that one, but that one? That surprises me. And what about that one instead of that other one? That makes no sense."
I really hope they didn't base their entire decision on what they saw that ONE DAY they came of observe us. That would make them huge idiots.
Either way, this divide has made it kind of awkward around the school.
Well, this whole time I was kind of "SCREW THAT!" I'm not going to spend my evening writing a resume and doing a 30 minute interview for a job I already have when you can walk into my classroom anytime you wish and see me doing my job. So everybody was running around all panicked like, "Have you sent in your resume? Are you staying? What are you going to do?"
I said from the jump that I wanted to stay out of simple laziness. But said laziness is also keeping me from actively trying to stay (read: sending in my resume.)
ANYWAYZ.
Got this email Sunday morning:
Dear Ms. Vinson:
I am writing to invite you to continue as a member of the faculty of William C. March Middle School as a social studies teacher. My colleagues and I have had an opportunity to review your work at March, and we feel strongly that you are an asset to the school, and will be a valuable member of the March/Talent Development Middle Grades (TDMG) team that will be responsible for improving academic achievement for all March students.
etc. etc. and so forth.
I send out a mass text, wondering what the hell is going on. Out of about 45 people, I know of 7 who got this email. Seven! And definitely not the seven I would have picked had I ventured to guess. I have NO CLUE how we were chosen, but it's like some mind game. It's not anywhere near a, "Oh, well of course the best seven teachers were chosen." It is more of a,"Well, I can see that one, but that one? That surprises me. And what about that one instead of that other one? That makes no sense."
I really hope they didn't base their entire decision on what they saw that ONE DAY they came of observe us. That would make them huge idiots.
Either way, this divide has made it kind of awkward around the school.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Reasons Not To Come To School
It's raining.
It's sunny.
It's too hot.
It's too cold.
It's Friday.
It's Monday.
It's the week before/after Spring Break/Christmas Break/Labor Day/Thanksgiving.
My uniform shirt/pants are dirty.
I had to babysit my younger brothers and sisters.
I missed the bus.
I got tired of waiting for the bus.
I woke up late.
I didn't do that project for Mr. Bizzelle.
I had to get my hair done.
The people here was getting on my nerves.
I thought I was suspended.
I went to visit my family in North Carolina (for three weeks.)
My mother said I didn't have to.
I don't have any pencils.
Ms. Mason took my cell phone yesterday.
I was sick. (But only one day a week for the past 10 weeks.)
I was sleepy.
I just didn't feel like it.
It's sunny.
It's too hot.
It's too cold.
It's Friday.
It's Monday.
It's the week before/after Spring Break/Christmas Break/Labor Day/Thanksgiving.
My uniform shirt/pants are dirty.
I had to babysit my younger brothers and sisters.
I missed the bus.
I got tired of waiting for the bus.
I woke up late.
I didn't do that project for Mr. Bizzelle.
I had to get my hair done.
The people here was getting on my nerves.
I thought I was suspended.
I went to visit my family in North Carolina (for three weeks.)
My mother said I didn't have to.
I don't have any pencils.
Ms. Mason took my cell phone yesterday.
I was sick. (But only one day a week for the past 10 weeks.)
I was sleepy.
I just didn't feel like it.
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