Well, its official...I've given up on trying to teach again...after 5 long, exhaustive, arduous years of trying to get back into teaching...only to be thwarted and shot down left and right by the bureaucratic powers that be...I have a totally new job!
On Monday I will start training to be a Sleep Technician...who says old dogs can't learn new tricks?
In this horrid economy and the total weirdness of this little town, I know I am blessed beyond belief to be able to snag this job.
One thing about the teaching though...is that I was really good at it...won awards, and things like that...had great praise from students and parents alike...but I never could seem to understand most of the administration types that controlled the schools. Now, my first principal was brilliant...he was absolutely fabulous...but I left that school to take another position in my academic field. The next principals were all ridiculous. If people want to look into what is wrong with a goodly lot of our schools, take a long hard look at the administrators.
Ok, I got that off my chest, and I hopefully can bury that and move on to the next phase of my life.
One more little thing, I've been frequenting a web site for teachers for almost 12 years now. I made friendships and was mentored and nurtured by many wonderful teachers I met there. But, for several years now, there have been these people that visit that really have some hatred for teachers and take pot shots at (us) any chance they get. There are also these holier-than-thou know-it-alls that come in and attempt to discredit all teachers because they don't measure up to some weird, contorted view they've created of themselves.
I don't understand people that are so judgmental, so narrow in their view, and have such poor comprehension skills that they fail to understand or at least acknowledge the point or message that is being expressed. They get so frothed up with their own opinion and self-importance and are so ego-bound that there is no way to have an exchange of thoughts or ideas with them. Know anyone like that?
I will try to put all that teacher stuff behind me and move into a more technologically advanced and scientific world...what an adventure!
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The Dalai Lama
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Mo and her Mom
About Me
- MO
- I was born in the Year Of The Snake in the City of Angels. I have worked as an Adult Literacy Teacher, Litigation Paralegal and Middle School Teacher. I hold degrees in Psychology and Sociology and Political Science and Government.
1 comment:
I've been a teacher for 20 years and came across your blog today via teachers net and read this post with great interest, particularly the part about school principals, with which I totally agree! In a book of poems I've written called 'Family and More - Enemies or Friends?', I describe a former principal of mine and, if you're interested, you can read the poem below.
THE BOSS
Friendly and approachable the new Head seems,
a welcome change, many say,
to the cool aloofness of the former.
Center stage she likes to be,
public relations her strength,
long-winded speeches her delight,
sophisticated words rolling from the tongue
with humor, diction and poise —
oh yes, she knows what to do
to impress those parents demanding
and does it just dandy and right.
Acting perhaps
would have suited her more,
for sincerity is not a trait
that brands this soul;
her friendliness a facade
that quickly dissolves
under stress and complaints,
turning the seeming friend of yesterday
into a devil in disguise,
ready to stab you in the back
giving credence to parents’ lies,
causing lamentable morale
amongst the staff who slave,
but her heart of granite remains unmoved
by the distress that’s caused,
and the smiling mirage is once more seen
as though nothing toward had ever been.
Organized and efficient?
Don’t make me laugh!
Racked by insecurities
and unable to delegate
an ounce of the power
so laboriously achieved,
she works in her office
till three in the morn,
phoning staff at all hours
of the day and night,
leaving piles of paper
strategically placed
on tables, floor and chairs
with warning notices
clearly displayed:
“Do not disturb!”
Crisis management her creed,
muddled chaos and
chronic unpunctuality
marking her days,
causing untold stress and
suffering to the teachers below.
Those who can escape this bullying boss,
but for those who steadfastly remain
it’s just one long, continuous strain.
Ten endless years
suddenly finish
with retirement
and hopes are put
in a replacement
who’ll know what it means
to be a boss;
someone who remembers
what it’s like to be human,
who can manage resources and people
with realistic sympathy
and organized efficiency,
someone who creates real, genuine respect —
but who am I kidding?
That’s the stuff of fiction, isn’t it,
not fact?
Is she my hated foe, my enemy,
this woman, this boss
with whom I share no commonality?
How can she be?
She’s a citizen of the same country!
But her actions, thoughts and beliefs
are anathema to me —
they make the soul cringe
and leave it icy cold,
making it retreat
into a dark black hole.
If she isn’t my enemy, is she my friend?
What? Hardly!
What is she then?
Perhaps a valuable lesson in life,
from which I can learn and grow.
On second thoughts,
maybe she is more my friend
than I now suspect or know.
Copyright © 2008 Helena Harper
I am no longer teaching either, though that was my own choice (partly, because I wanted more time to concentrate on writing and partly because I'd had enough of an education system that stresses acquisition of facts and competition at the expense of developing independent thought and cooperation - I've written about this and other things in my book "It's a Teacher's Life...!"). I wish you luck in your new job - from one ex-teacher to another!
Helena Harper
www.helenaharper.com
helenaharpersblog.blogspot.com
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