Wednesday, November 7, 2007
The Double Edged Sword
A word of caution to everyone...I was told, "If you run into any problems, ever, with your classroom control, and feel like you need some administrative support, please do not hesitate to call administration to get the support you need." I took that heart, and accepted that as an honest offer of support. I needed to call for backup and felt it was appropriate to ask for support a couple of times. Give me a break! Classroom management is the hardest part of a new teacher's getting the hang of this teaching conundrum! In any event, I was called into my administrator's office for a "counseling". She had out a piece of paper on which she had recorded the dates, exact times of day and other specifics for the occasions when I had asked her for support. I was told, "This is clear evidence that YOU are unable to control your classroom Ms. Kim." So the very system I thought, and had been told, was a resource turned out to be a method to monitor my lack of ability to cont5rol my class...What could I have done differently?
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6 comments:
Hey Kim,
I don't think there is anything else you could have done. I'm finding that the administrations in a lot of schools seem to live in a vacum when it comes to believing just how far out of touch some of our kids are. I finally removed 2 kids today for fighting. They pleaded with me to give them another chance. I told them, "What do you think I've been giving you for the past 13 weeks"! I sent them to discipline. I got a call from our asst. principal for discipline and he asked me "what exactly happened"? I told him that a few good punches were landed and one kid may have a black eye tommorrow. He told me my wording on the referal needed to be more detailed. Well, the phone conversation took care of any questions that he had but it kind of makes me wonder if they think these kids are all the perfect specimines of respect despite their mile long discipline record! I've said it before and I'll say it again, we need to teach classes on basic decent behavior!
I feel your pain. Administration seems to not want to waste their limited disciplinary efforts with career education when they have AYP concerns. Students are in ISS constantly because of cell phones and MP3 players, but if I have a problem with a student it seems I have to go to trial. I understand that a good teacher usually keeps their classroom organized and under control, but if administration shows that they won't back you up then the students can make a meal out of you.
Kim,
When an adminstrative team doesn't wish to support you. Then take your talent and love of teaching and find another school or system to teach in.
My wife is a certified athletic trainer. She got releived of her duties last year because she turned in an adminstrator/athletic director for allowing athletes to play and practice without physicals.
That is a no brainer - athletes must be cleared by a physician. That is for the safety of that athlete and to protect the school and school system from lawsuits.
She was hired within one week from another school. She of course apealed the poor decision of that adminstrator/athletic director and in the end she got her original job back and that adminstrator got in trouble.
Hang in there - trials always make a person better.
Steven
Administration is gonna cover themselves first. Nobody tells you this. The less contact I have with them the happier I am.
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