Whew - this week so far and these last few. As the summer draws to a close reality hits home that lots of projects are due and instead of finishing things up and being able to breath it is more finishing up one set and gearing up for next.
Monday was a good day but lots of prep... I seem to be playing concierge more and more around the school. It is like you need post-its, I got it... you need a ream of blue paper, scoot this way - lol - I feel like a supplies dealer or something - maybe I need to stake out a street corner somewhere - haha
Anyway administrators workshop Moday to introduce a major program coming into the school, which, here is the cool thing. The ideas in the program have been in education, but the program... the idea of getting into it... gess what.. that was MY doing... it is freaky but OMG they listened to me.
See last Jan. I went to Jacksonville for a professional development workshop and spent three days learning about this program from two wonderful ladies.
I brought it back and talked to my boss (helps that my boss is the asst. super of curriculum, instruction and technology). But I wrote reports, demonstrated how cool I thought it was and where directly it could impact our school. I then proceeded to put my actions where my mouth was. As opposed to many admin and people who go to a conference, get psyched and then come back and it goes in the pile -
You know the pile, we all have at least one somewhere - it is the pile used to pave the way to hell... in case you miss that'd sly reference it is the pile of good intentions - haha, the dust collection pile. The pile that sits there for three months to a year then gets thrown out... anyhoo
Instead of placing this workshop in my "Pile" I took it and used tit in my teaching and workshops and kept talking about it and shit if the school did not decided to go with it. I became the coordinator of the program and setup so 8 people could go to the summer training, then spent the summer coordinating follow up activities and as mentioned my boss decided the theme for the school year would be the ones in this program. So this whole movement really I can say started with me (which if people hate it I will never mention - hahaha)
It is kinda cool to see that happen, to see something you believe in and put sweat and time and tears (oh many tears, trust me and too much sweat - ewww smelly but I digress as usual) but it is neat to see people believe in something and take it and run with it and make it their own and the cool thing is if they use these techniques they really will make the classroom a better place and that is what matters.
So Monday we made the first huge leap and introduced the program and the professional development plan for the school year to the administrators in an all day workshop. Which went fairly well... OMG I just realized, I was having the Superintendent, asst. super, principal and assorted Admin people doing things... wow, cools - lol and I did not goof up or trip (okay i tripped once well twice but I blamed it on the overhead, it like got up and walked and moved and got in my way - lol - yes I am very animated when I teach and so I walk all over, wave my arms and such.... I think people say I am more fun to watch than certain shows on TV - I am not sure if that is gooooddddd or baddddd lol
But then Tuesday was filled with Bridging stuff, we had two parent meetings to organize, staff meeting, copying the exit exams and then.... then there was the thing that the second part of my title refers to and something I really did not like.
We have a policy if a student has two unexcused absences they are asked not to come to the school adn sent back to their sending district (they support the mandatory Bridging program). Well this policy said nothing about behavioral disruptions, other than we try the normal talking to student and parent. For a few years the teachers have wanted students who were major disruptions to be removed from the school (we are a full time HS but because we are the county Voc-tech we get our students from all of the schools in the county and are a school of choice).
So the teachers and admins have for years had this thing going on (thing as I am not into politics and do not care to get drawn into it any more than I must) about not being able to properly discipline students and keeping them in the school when they should be sent back (well according to the teachers and others involved, this is not my opinion one way or another as, as I said earlier, I am not involved).
So there are a few students who basically come to bridging with the 'tude I am not doing a thing you can not make me, some even get lippy. Well this year a bunch of things happen which I shall not go into as I am getting upset thinking about it again (upset like depressed and upset like pissed - lol) but an admin came to me and said we will follow through on these students and remove them before they even come to school we just need to write these reports and yadda, yadda yadda. Now I basically am getting caught between teachers and admins and this is contract negotiations and the teachers are happy because some feel they have teeth now and the admins are backing them (well supposedly) and I as Director of Bridging end up having to write the report...
And that is why I had an eye opened realize yesterday that I admire judges, admins and even teachers as they have this power, power to change a person's life. See yes the student is controlling it some to as they are copping the 'tude, but based on 18 days of a summer program, we can deny the student access to our school and send them back to their school district thus altering their future as going to different schools is a major affect.
And if I continue in my pursuit of becoming an admin one day, well I will have to learn to separate the personal from the business and play these politics. I also admire my boss even more and understand why she has to do certain things, things some perceive as being a bitch but actually.... there are a lot of sides......
Still it really threw me off yesterday - ah perspective......
But yeah I admire judges, administrators, anyone who has the power to change a future like that. Well let me amend that, I admire anyone in those positions who is willing to step into that role and do their best to do the best they can when making choices and guiding things - those that abuse this, or even worse are ignorant of how what they do fits (they are there to make money and screw the job), they should go kiss a horse's body part and get out of the profession!!!!!!
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