Meeting

The chat with BM went well (BW was ill and wasn't able to be there). Hopefully things will change. BM promised me they would, but I'm not counting on it.

Here are the notes I took with me.

- Feel like a dumping ground. When others say they can’t work, I am ordered to work. Not given a choice like they are. It’s happened several times. Remember, teachers talk in the teachers’ room and I’ve found out that people have told you that they’ve said things, ‘I’ve got a lot on my plate right now,’ and then you’ve moved on and not given me a choice. Things shouldn’t roll up the seniority ladder, they should roll down it.

- Feel I shouldn’t be working on Saturdays:
• Seniority;
• Try not to complain too much, others who have complained and said things like, I’m never working a Saturday again (WhingBag) don’t have to. Those with the loudest voices and complain the most (WhingeBag and Smileroid) get what they want, but I don’t think I should have to do that;

- Working on Saturday, 1 October
• I was ordered by Young Secretary to do it, I wasn’t asked. Told her I couldn’t. She said we’d have to cancel the class then, told her to go ahead and do it.
• Received an email from you [BM], told you I couldn’t, was asked to 'reconsider my availability'. Say, ‘here’s my availability’, give plane ticket, point out date bought and date leaving. Someone should have had the decency of looking at the holiday schedule before commanding me to work that day. You people know I’m on the first flight out and last flight in.

I would like to be respected and appreciated.
• Longevity
• Work (get results)
• Time volunteered in making exams, marking and other things that you don’t know I do, like mentoring [colleague's name] in our daytime program (I’ll also be helping make his first exams – but not making them for him).

I AM NOT the teacher who(se):

- 1. threatens to quit whenever something I don’t like happens; (Pompous Ponce)
- 2. has had an entire class walk out of a ninety-minute lesson thirty minutes into it; (WhingeBag)
- 3. comes in at 7:30 looking bleary-eyed and whose students tell him he looks like he’s just come from the pub; (Smileroid)
- 4. fakes a doctor’s visit to get out of work because he's made other plans for the day; (Smileroid)
- 5. classes cancel when he’s on holiday; (Smileroid and WhingeBag)
- 6. refuses to teach a class after finding out a colleague is ill; (WhingeBag)
- 7. drives home drunk in school cars; (WhingeBag and Smileroid)
- 8. insists on having a school car available on weekends so he can pick up out of town guests; (Smileroid)
- 9. has a weekly activity out of town that has the advantage of the office working with him/her and also scheduling cars around his/her life; (WhingeBag)
- 10. take a day trip to another country in a school car; (Pompous Ponce and Smileroid)
- 11. throws things around and uses obscenities in the office (in front of students) and teachers’ room (binders, books) when I'm angry; (WhingeBag)
- 12. can’t teach his classes without using the language of the country that won't be named. (multiple)

I AM the teacher who:

- 1. is usually successful at avoiding conflict, until he loses sight of logic and then goes for a walk along the river until he finds the plot again;
- 2. has had many of his students for three years;
- 3. appears bleary-eyed from being tired at 7:30 class, but still lets the students know that he’s glad to be there and assures them that the lesson will be good;
- 4. provides (or can provide) a doctor’s note for all of his medical absences;
- 5. won’t drive anywhere even if he’s had a sip of alcohol;
- 6. tells his students that a substitute will be coming, tell them the sub is good and jokingly tell them to be nice to the sub;
- 7. gathers whatever he can when last minute subs are needed and teaches the class;
- 8. gives his out of town guests bus information and meets them at the bus station when they arrive;
- 9. keeps his schedule as open as possible in case extra hours are available;
- 10. obeys the ‘don’t go too far’ rule and feels somewhat if he puts more than 30km on a school car at weekends;
- 11. realises he needs to get out of the school and takes a walk or goes cycling to calm down;
- 12. has had students for three years who have no clue the he speaks the language of the country that won't be named and gets chastised for it on a weekly basis, but takes his students’ criticism for the better of their education.

Pushed over the edge!

I’ve had enough! I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore! Years ago, someone told me, ‘When you’ve had enough, you’ll do something about the problem.’ I’ve had enough! All the little things that I’ve tolerated and all the disrespect that I’ve received have finally gotten to me. I’ve scheduled a meeting with Bossman and Bosswoman and am going to fry everybody! Other teachers, secretaries, and even the bosses themselves.

Watch out, here I come!

Not quite satisfied

I accidentally stumbled across the office's payroll system this morning, and have found out that Whingebag, despite being less experienced than PP, SR and me, gets paid more on holiday days than we do.

I'll be having a few words with Bossman and Bosswoman next week!

Do it yourself

19:00 yesterday evening

Young Secretary: ‘Old French Teacher is ill and I need you to call WhingeBag and tell her that she needs to teach [English to] OFT’s 8:20 class tomorrow.’

MrT: ‘No way.’ [I’m the class’ English teacher]

YS: ‘What?’ [in a ‘how dare you not do what I say tone]

MrT: ‘I don’t handle scheduling, the office does. I’m not going to call a teacher that doesn’t have to work til tomorrow afternoon and tell her to change all her plans for the evening and plan a lesson for 8:20 the next morning. The person who made the decision, you or Bossman, needs to call her and do your own dirty work!’

YS: [harrumph]

MrT: ‘You know I’m right.’

Three minutes later

Bossman: ‘Can you please call WhingeBag and tell her what she needs to teach that class tomorrow?’

MrT: [thinking quickly] ‘Have her call me and ask me what to do with them this evening after 21:00.’ [I worked til 20:40, and if they have her call me then they have to ask her to teach the class first.]

21:34 – My phone rings

BM: ‘It looks like I’ll be teaching the class. What should I do with them?’

Apparently WhingeBag said no.

PP’s arrogance shines through again

A conversation was going on between Pompous Ponce, New Girl and Old French Teacher in the teachers’ room, and they asked him why his decision on a matter that the three of them are involved in should be the final one (I’m not involved in the situation at all). Here’s how ended it:

PP: ‘My decision is final because [pointing at NG] you’re new, [pointing at OFT] you’re French and I’m important.’

[He's really not important]

I have to admit that I almost pissed myself laughing.

Something's amiss.

During a staff meeting yesterday, Pompous Ponce called me 'the best teacher in the school.' It's not like him to compliment anyone other than himself.

I wonder what he's got up his sleeve?

Fresh meat!

We have another New Girl. She's from the Sheffield area and has never taught English before, but has taught two other languages. This could get interesting.