It’s a long ol’ story…

Okay get prepared people, this has been the week from heck and it is only Wednesday. Let me give you a peek into my yesterday.

My principal received this email yesterday morning:

Hello all,

I just wanted to send out a reminder about the MATH workshop follow-up conference call that will be held Thursday, April 9th from 1-3 pm (mountain time).  We will need to be discussing the projects that were implemented during the spring semester, your final push for the SBA and future math needs for the state.  

Please have a one to two minute overview of your Spring Semester Project ready to discuss with others and a one minute overview of any final strategic efforts that you did with Juniors for the SBA.  We will do a report out by region.

Thanks in advance for your participation.  

To which he sent me and ONE other person this (mind you there where 6 people as well as himself that were at the planning session)

Both of you will need to be in my office this Thursday from 1:00 – 3:00pm to participate in this conference call with all the other HSTW schools in New Mexico.  Be prepared to present a brief overview of what we have done on this project.  No sub. will work for us for a half a day so please try and find someone that will cover your classes during this time.  Thank you.

First of all I got peeved about the find your own “sub” comment. If figure if you want me to do something during classroom time then you find someone to cover my classes. Secondly I got more than peeved (yeah you know the word) that this email went out to myself and the welding teacher and no one else. So I replied:

The spring semester project was to be implemented in the Freshman Academy. Ms. Fin and Ms. Ley were supposed to be working on this one.

Then came his reply (hold on to your seats):

Ms. Fin was in my office when I was writing this and she told me to send it to you two.

Yeah so now I am totally beyond peeved. I asked Ms. Fin about this project before Spring Break and she sad she had nothing done. I told her she had better get with the program as we had a conference call the week we got back from Spring Break. She said it was okay that she could just “make something up”. I told her that we couldn’t do that, that I wouldn’t sit in a conference room with my boss and lie! She said she would come up with something. I offered her my help and she said that she could do it alone. So I reply back to the principal:

Mr. Henry and I haven’t done another project together this Spring. The plan was for Freshman Academy to get with the foods teachers are create the cookie boxes, which they would sell for mother’s day to the freshman academy students. Ms. Fin said she could implement this because she already had funds from her snack selling and could easily sell the cookies as part of her snack bar. 

I have a project that my students did but it didn’t involve career/tech teachers.

and the welding teacher replied to me:

 

Yes, I know I just called Mr. D and told him I was not involved in the spring project and that Ms. Fin was involved in this and was suppose to do a project with foods. You need to email or call him and let him know. Ms. Fin told Mr. D that this was me and your project and I was upset and called him and told him I wasn’t involved in this project this time and I told him you was not involved either. But you need to let him know it was Ms. Fin. Ms. Fin is telling him the we are suppose to do the presentation. 

Ms. Fin drop the ball again and this time I am not taking the blame and I am not going to attend the meeting and take the fall for this one. This really upsets me and I told Mr. D I was not involved with this project this time so I wouldn’t have anything to say.

The next hour was my prep so I called Mr. Henry and we complained and were both outraged that she tried to cover her own hiney by putting ours on the line. Come to find out Mr. Henry talked to Mr. D before spring break to let him know that the ball had been dropped. I warned Mr. D when we planned this project that I wouldn’t be doing it with my classes. After much discussion I recieved a reply from the big guy”

Apparently this never happened.  Anyway, Ms. Fin and Ms. Ley will now be at this meeting so you will not need to be here.  Thanks so much.

He knew that the project wasn’t being done 3 weeks ago, I guess he forgot that he was forewarned. I guess I could send him that round of emails as a reminder. Not longer after all of this took place. I received this email from the head of the English Department (remember I teach Math):

Just a note in case no one else has informed you—Ms.  Planty from HSTW will visit us on Monday, April 13.  I suggested that the Literacy Committee discuss some ways/projects to generate enthusiasm/buy in with the faculty and Literacy Across the Curriculum.  Since you both have 3rd hour preps, I think Mr. D scheduled you to meet with her then to discuss this problem and also talk about ideas you might have from the Webinar.  

Call if you want more information about our discussion.

There are 15 other people on that freakin’ committee, why me? Oh yeah because I am one of 3 who might actually do something. So I give up my prep Monday for this. Tuesday for Testing, Wednesday for early release, AND thursday for testing. Okay then I am hanging my head, ready to give up and I get this email from our department head:

• Teachers of 11th graders:
• On Monday, April 13th we will set aside that day to practice in each of our math classrooms for the SBA.   This does not include the 9th grade classes that are not mixed. Each teacher that has 11th graders (any) in their classes will go over a pre-printed packet to ensure that all the students will have been reviewed in these specific areas.  Directions will accompany the practice packets.  We need to improve our scores in any way that we can and all students, even if they are not in the 11th grade, will benefit from this practice.  You will need to make sure all students are participating to the best of your ability and collect the packets at the end of the class to be turned in to me on Tuesday to give to Mr. D.  Students should be given a participation grade ( or extra credit?) so that participation is encouraged.  Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated and hopefully our scores going up will be our reward.
• I apologize in advance for the disruption in your schedules.  I know it involves moving things around for you and I am deeply sorry we had such a late notice on doing this.

Okay so I am thinkin’  1. where is this packet, 2. where did it come from, 3. who created the instructions, 4. how long is the assignment, 5. why were we giving 3 days notice, 6. when will we get the packets, 7. who thinks 1 day of review is really going to help?, 8. what about the plans i already had to review, 9. what about the review you told all of us to do 2 weeks ago? was that one not important, since it is what I am doing monday, which is more important, 10. whos dumm a_ _ed idea was this anyway??

So is it any wonder I am ready to quit. or at least disable my email account?