Thursday, January 29, 2009

Taking advantage or just poor communcation?

I'm doing a heck of a lot of work for this substitute gig. You know, the one where I was told after the fact that the teacher had quit and moved back to Ohio and that *I* would be making the lesson plans. Suddenly I am also supposed to coordinate with the 8th grade ELA teacher to ensure a smooth transition between 7th and 8th grades. All this, and I was never told in the first place that this is what I was getting into; and I still have not been invited to stay until the end of the year.

Also? I made a great connection for the kids--that "yo' mama" jokes are a form of hyperbole--but today I was told to cease and desist with using yo mama hokes as an instructional tool. I was told that a student was "very upset" and had "complained" about me, but I strongly suspect that this is a lie. I believe the other teachers simply found this somehow inappropriate.

I need to have a little heart-to-heart with the team lead teacher tomorrow. I intended for this spring to be a time of subbing in lots of places and at lots of grade levels to see what I like; I moreover intended to be able to take days off as needed to work on my thesis. I feel blindsided, and it's making me both anxious and resentful.

Am I overreacting? I'm sure they must think they are giving me a great opportunity...right?

5 comments:

Narya said...

Or, at least as likely, they need a teacher to fill in and there you are. But if it feels like a bad fit--including a bad fit with your schedule--then you definitely should have a Conversation with someone about it.

Consider, as well, the potential advantages of working there through the rest of the school year, if asked to do so (and you should feel free to ask about that, as well, because you need to know that to plan YOUR schedule). One may be money--which could offset the extra $400 to delay finishing your thesis. Another is the opportunity to try to build a relationship with a particular group of kids (and teachers), in a situation that is, because of its temporary nature, perhaps less stressful overall than getting a job without having had that experience.

Bottom line: do you like the kids? the school? the teachers? the commute?

kStyle said...

like most of the kids, the school's a freakin zoo, commute is fine. it's an exhausting place to be, though. you see, i was just trying to spend LESS time there when all this happened.

kStyle said...

ps thanks for your thoughts. it helps. :)

Larry Jones said...

I'm guessing they think you, a mere sub, should be grateful for the steady work, thus the disrespect of not telling you in advance about the job requirements or talking to you now about the rest of the term. And by hassling you about yo mama they are both protecting their turf and showing you that you've got a lot to learn, little girl.

Essentially it's office politics, with the futures of the kids at stake.

kStyle said...

Larry, that's a vibe I got, too. More about this whole thing in a moment...