The last few weeks . . .

I am finally back at school after a week of test scoring. Add that to the two weeks of testing and it's been a whole three weeks since I've taught anything. And, man, it is so hard to get back into the swing of things. Especially after the three day weekend and all of the kids acting like summer break starts next week. I am looking forward to next week's half day. My school is doing a dance festival outside on the playground and the weather is supposed to be great so it should be a wonderful day.

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The school drama I mentioned in the last two posts ended with the petition to recall our chapter leader being sent in to the UFT office. It had the required 1/3 of the staff signatures so a rep was sent to hold a vote to determine if our chapter leader would be recalled. There weren't enough votes so our chapter leader stays. End of that drama for now.

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Our principal gave out copies of our school's quality review. It is such a joke. We scored proficient. Reading through all of the comments written about our school I just kept thinking "Seriously? How can you know that after just a day and a half at our school?" It seems like most of the things written had to have been based on the comments of one or two people. It really made our school look much better than it is. What is the point of going through this whole review process if the schools are not going to be accurately evaluated?

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I have my Masters!! I graduated on Wednesday. I'm so glad to be done with it all.

Update

It turns out that the negative comment posted online was on the UFT website in the Grapevine. A teacher posted a comment about how the school is not a good place to work and other negative comments about the administration. The principal got her "team" of teachers who are on her side (and against our chapter leader) to go on the site and post positive comments to out weigh the one negative. Now there are several comments on the Grapevine saying what a wonderful school we have, that the administrators work hard and are supportive, and that it is just one person trying to spread negativity. The thing is, any intelligent person reading these comments will be able to see through a comment that in on line says the school is a great place to work and in another says "it's not the administration that makes the working conditions unpleasant." At our UFT chapter meeting today one teacher said that he posted a positive comment on the site to balance the negative one. His reasoning was that we want good teachers to come to our school and if we post negative comments no one will want to work at our school. He is one of the teachers on the side of the administration and it wouldn't surprise me if he was the one who showed the principal the original negative comment (which was posted on a UFT member only section of the website).

Overheard Today in the Office

My Principal to the AP: No matter what we do it's never enough. Now there is stuff written online. I just can't believe someone would do this. After everything we do.

I'm not really sure what they were talking about (and the words I wrote are not verbatim) but it was referring to something that had been written online about the school that the principal had printed out to show the AP. The situation was very odd as they were having this conversation in muffled voices right next to about 12 teachers waiting to punch out after a PD. The principal, who had started the conversation, kept telling the AP to stop talking about it as it wasn't the place. I don't know what the online posting or comment said, but the thing that really baffles me is how astonished she was that something bad could be said about her or the school. She has made comments like this before: How could the staff possibly file a grievance against me after everything that I do for you. She really is that delusional. As if we don't notice that everything she does is for show. As if we should overlook the harassment and intimidation of teachers she decides to pick on. None of the teachers in the school are happy. Fifty teachers have left since she started six years ago. Really? She doesn't get it??

Almost Done

I just submitted my last assignment for grad school! Whee! Now all I have to do is attend my last class this Saturday and then I graduate on the 23rd.