[Ansteorra] OT Teachers

[Carolle M Cox]

Caladin, here in Texas, where teachers are among the lowest paid with the
highest expectations in the Union, there Is No teacher's union.  We have No
group representing our interests anywhere in this state.  Why?  Because the
great state of Texas views us as 'state employees' and as such, we have no
right to collective anything!

How to objectively judge a teacher?  Well, i know how Not to:  not based
solely upon standardized testing of our students.
First of all, mine are Special Needs kids, and that testing has no meaning
whatsoever to or for them.  So i get a zero, right?  Not so fast.  Teachers
are responsible for a Mountain of paperwork every month.  Our principal
judges us (partially) on whether this is turned in on time, is correct and
neat, and whether we turn up at ARD meetings (don't ask) with good ideas on
behalf of the students' needs.  Every teacher in our district is 'observed'
twice during the year.  We're told once, the second time is a bit of a
surprise.  Administration Knows we prepare a bang-up lesson for an announced
observation (wouldn't you?), so they also drop in to see if we're *always*
that good.  And then there's the Wild Card:  has the Principal received any
commentary (or Reports of such commentary) from parents casting said teacher
in a less-than-terrific light?  When confronted with these words, has the
teacher worked hard to overcome the problem, to the point of accepting
'mentoring' if necessary?  Or just shrugged, said 'well, consider the
source' and gone merrily on their way?  If the teacher is blessed with
Aides, do they use them well and appropriately, or are they just running the
halls visiting, or sitting in the room drinking cokes?
This may sound Subjective rather than Objective to you, but it's all spelled
out for us, and one district i worked in had little check-sheets! So.  Do
bad teachers get through this happy little net?  Yeah, they do (hangs head
in shame), but not for more than a year or two, unless they keep changing
schools!  One guy i worked with slugged kids.  He got away with it the first
year.  The second year, he slugged a boy with Down's Syndrome, and left a
handprint on the kid's poor neck (the boy was 'disobedient' quoth the
teacher).  Sorry to say, i turned whistle-blower and when the kid came to my
room next period, i nonchalantly walked him to the office to deliver some
papers, and straight into the Big Guy's office.  Teacher got to finish the
year (a matter of 2-3 months) under constant supervision.  And That only
because there were no Special Ed applicants to take his place!
Oh.  And we get summers off, right?  And school's out at 3, so we get to go
home?  You wish.  So do we.  School's out at 3.  I get to walk my kids to
the bus, making sure they're on and the aide has no trouble with them.  Hold
students whose bus or parent is late, standing outside for sometimes an hour
more often than i care to state.  Grade and file papers.  Turn the room over
for tomorrow.  Make aide assignments.  Answer 101 emails, wondering the
whole time what they have to do with Education?  Take and return calls from
parents, although i've just spent an hour writing in everyone's day book.
Attend meetings. Work on ARD presentations.  Towards the end of the year, we
write special IEP sheets for summer school teachers, and pack up boxes of
equipment and supplies for each student. This can take weeks! IF you're
lucky, you get home by 5, having been on your feet since 7:15.  But wait!
Parents have our home numbers.  Guess what i spend evenings doing?  And in
the summer, i 'git ta' take CEU classes, work on my Master's (you get a
little extra money for that MS after your name), read through the files of
kids new to the program in the fall, revamp my lesson plans to fit their IEP
goals, and buy supplies, hoping against hope to find them on sale somewhere.
That's if i'm not lucky enough to snag a summer school position for a few
extra dollars.

Does all this bother me?  Nope.  I thrive on it.  I love these kids, so
doing my very best for them is not the chore it sounds.  Once in awhile,
when someone goes ballistic on me, or something horrible happens (see above,
or a student's death) i want OUT.  But i'm under contract here, can't go til
June 1.  By then, i'm ready for the files to arrive and the routine to begin
again!

This was long, but i do hope it helps non-teachers see just a little bit
into our world. Most of us love what we do, although occasionally just a
little respect or appreciation would make our day!

Gerita
not teaching just now, sadly.

Cave ne ante ullas catapultas ambules!